Evil Within
Zhang Xuezhou once witnessed the Venerable One unleash his ultimate move in Lingnan, causing many people to see only black and white. Sima Xiangru, who used the zither, suffered a backlash that left him blind for several years, and he still has astigmatism to this day.
Zhang Xuezhou was shocked by the Venerable Technique Method's powerful Divine Ability, but the Venerable One's ability was undoubtedly replicated by 'Ding Kui'.
Furthermore, the ability of 'Dingkui' is not limited to depriving people of their sight; in the face of such Law Treasure as 'Dingkui,' ordinary Law Treasure completely lose their luster.
Zhang Xuezhou felt that the "Dingkui" divination was unsolvable, at least for him at the moment.
The same applies to the Wild Serpent.
Zhang Xuezhou had assumed the wild snake would suffocate in its den until it was completely exhausted, until a red dot appeared in his eyes that was almost mistaken for an eye ailment.
Inside the snake pit, a hole leading to the outside world was dug out.
"Empty furnace?"
If there were any creatures different from snakes in the snake den, Zhang Xuezhou believed it could only be Xu Lu, the master of the Wild Serpent.
He approached the red dot with extreme caution, and saw a 'stick' with two legs carrying a ruby running along.
Looking at the 'wooden stick' which was less than 20 centimeters high, Zhang Xuezhou felt that even if the other person had legs, they couldn't walk very far.
He watched from behind for two minutes before seeing the stick-shaped creature run more than twenty meters.
This made him follow, and then he murmured a question.
Zhang Xuezhou didn't expect his voice to be understood, since he couldn't currently use his vocal cords to guide his mental energy to communicate while in his physical state.
But he quickly received a response to the spiritual guidance.
"Yu Dong's radiation from Ding Kui is enough to cover ten miles. Hiding anywhere outside is useless; only by leaving the affected area can we avoid its influence. You have long legs, quickly take me away from here!"
The 'wooden stick' lifted its leg and jumped vigorously, its strange body emitting bursts of mental fluctuations, directly transforming its meaning into a language that Zhang Xuezhou could understand.
"The primordial serpent, trapped for months and driven by hunger, will surely break free of its lair and unleash a full-scale attack!"
As if to explain the reason, the stick was given a further explanation.
"Let's escape from here together, and I'll give you something in return!"
From Hu Hao to Yu, and then to the illusory furnace in the shape of a wooden stick before him, Zhang Xuezhou felt that these beings seemed to speak through their spirits as if it were an everyday occurrence.
"Can you understand me?"
Zhang Xuezhou watched as Xu Lu only ran a little over twenty meters in two minutes, and pondered that the other party wanted to escape from a target ten miles away. This made Zhang Xuezhou feel that Xu Lu's sense of urgency was different from his own.
For Xu Lu, time was of the essence, but for Zhang Xuezhou, running ten miles away was just a fleeting moment of fleeing in a whirlwind.
He didn't rashly agree to Xu Lu's request immediately, but instead observed the other party more cautiously, maintaining a distance of one meter.
"I have heard your language before, and I have also learned it," Xu Lu said.
"Who are we learning from? Where are they?" Zhang Xuezhou asked warily.
"Two people, Zhou Xin and Zhou Na, entered the snake pit to retrieve Spirit Stone, which awakened me and also trapped me within my protective circle. After communicating and learning from them, I released them!"
Spiritual communication undoubtedly avoids using tone of voice, and the form of the Void Furnace is strange, unlike humans which have expressions.
However, Xu Lu's mention of Zhou Xin and Zhou Na allowed Zhang Xuezhou to determine the veracity of Xu Lu's words.
Zhang Xuezhou knew little about Zhou Na, only that her descendants had become disheartened after getting caught up in a power struggle over the succession and left the mansion in their twilight years, thus choosing to exile to Qin Meng.
However, Zhang Xuezhou knew Zhou Xin quite well, and he was also aware of Zhou Xin's character, knowing that it would be difficult for Xu Lu and Zhou Xin to have a peaceful ending.
If Zhang Xuezhou wasn't mistaken, Zhou Xin and his group must have suffered a considerable loss in the snake pit.
The seemingly 20-centimeter-tall Void Furnace does not conceal its true strength; it is its physical condition that makes it appear so vulnerable.
Are you currently without a physical body?
Zhang Xuezhou asked another question, which made the two legs under the wooden stick feel even more cramped.
"As you can see, I do not have a physical body in the conventional sense," Xu Lu said. "But I have the potential to create a physical body. If you can help me restore my physical body, I will give you an immense fortuitous opportunity!"
"What incredible fortuitous opportunity?"
"To forge your physical body and reach the Seventh Sequence, and even the Eighth Sequence that you all aspire to!"
The illusory furnace swayed its wooden body, and the red gem at its top shone even brighter.
"Sounds good!"
Zhang Xuezhou nodded.
If the power of 'Nurture' is outwardly apparent, then the power of the Void Furnace is inwardly concealed.
Holding Dingkui's 'Yu' not only has to give way to the Void Furnace, but even requires Huhao to go ahead. The reason for this is not only that the Wild Serpent is difficult to deal with, but more likely it is to prepare for the Void Furnace.
However, Hu Hao failed to break into the snake pit, while Zhou Xin and the others recklessly rushed in and suffered the consequences. With their setup destroyed, they could only dig a hole to survive.
Zhang Xuezhou scanned the tiny hole twenty meters away and felt that there must be some kind of special excavation tool or Law Treasure inside, otherwise it would be difficult for a small body like the Void Furnace to open a hole connecting the snake pit to the outside world.
"It's not just something that sounds good; I can actually do it. Zhou Xin benefited from this," Xu Lu said.
"How exactly is it smelted?"
"First, go ten miles away. As long as you're outside the radiation range of Yu Yongdingkui, I'll give you this fortuitous opportunity!"
"Can!"
Zhang Xuezhou glanced in the direction of the snake cave, then reached into his pocket and took out a rope noose, an essential tool for exploration.
This type of rope with hooks can be secured to rocks and also used for binding.
Conventional ropes are thick and heavy, but the ropes used by the high-ranking Scarlet Alliance State are made of high-polymer materials that are light and thin. These ropes are extremely tough and can even be used to bind ferocious beasts.
Zhang Xuezhou removed the rope, put on the hook to prevent scratches, and put it on the void furnace.
Before Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou pull the noose, he saw the wooden stick inside instantly turn into a gray liquid, which seeped through the noose and onto his fingers.
Like snake venom, this gray fluid spread rapidly, covering the entire body in almost no time.
"Smelting!"
A cold voice came from the void furnace's spiritual fluctuations, and Zhang Xuezhou felt his entire body instantly engulfed in flames.
"This is the fortuitous opportunity for smelting!"
Amidst the unknown chanting, Xu Lu began to repeat the recitation over and over again.
"Once I take over your body, I can refine your physique and quickly advance to the Seventh Sequence, even Eighth Sequence or Ninth Sequence sequence, and all I need to do is borrow your body for a short period of time!"
"Oh!"
"You still have self-control?"
Gray fluid continuously circulated within Zhang Xuezhou's body.
This fluid spread as rapidly as snake venom, but it was not recognized as a toxic substance by the Poison Avoidance Technique. However, the Incantation Avoidance Formula within Zhang Xuezhou's body was faintly circulating.
It wasn't until the illusory furnace clung to his body like a malignant tumor, and his body's evasion techniques came into play, that Zhang Xuezhou finally understood what form the opponent truly took.
"You've recited so much, now listen to my recitation: If an Upasaka neither commits evil nor teaches others to do evil, nor does he harbor evil thoughts, he is said to abide in the Dharma. If an Upasaka commits a sin arising from external afflictions, and after committing it, does not feel shame or remorse, he is not abiding in the Dharma..."
Zhang Xuezhou murmured the Upāsaka Precepts Sutra, a mantra used by the Buddha Son Shigong to suppress evil within his body.
A grand voice reverberated in his mind, and strange phenomena appeared in his eyes. White lotus flowers emerged from the flames that covered his body.