The Cool and Aloof Immortal Master Has Fallen to the Demonic Path (Transmigration) - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Yi Hu finally recovered. Although she was a bit startled, she was more shocked.

She couldn’t understand why Zi Ying’s death appearance was so tragic.

Could it be that Zi Ying had done too much evil and suffered retaliation?

The original book didn’t have many descriptions of supporting characters, let alone Zi Ying, who was merely an artifact.

She was tempted to ask Zi Ying, but feared she wouldn’t talk.

Perhaps having stayed here for a long time and witnessed many bloody scenes, she had developed a certain resistance. She didn’t dwell on Zi Ying’s death appearance for too long.

Yi Hu stood up straight. She smoothed her loose hair and then looked at Shen Yin: “Immortal Master, what are Xin Fruits?”

In fact, she knew what Xin Fruits were, but in Shen Yin’s eyes, she was just a cultivation novice, so she naturally had to ask.

The book once wrote that Xin Fruits were the favorites of spiritual consciousnesses and wraiths. Spiritual consciousnesses and wraiths belong to the Yin element, and Xin Fruits are extremely Yin objects, growing in extremely Yin places, but they also require the nourishment of sunlight. Therefore, desolate places like the Blood Sea do not have them. Naturally, Xin Fruits do not grow much. Most of them are specially cultivated by sects to nourish spiritual consciousnesses. Before the Purple Jade Whip, the Immortal Spirit Sect had the spiritual consciousnesses of the three great Half-Divine Artifacts that needed to be nourished. Moreover, for the eight artifact grades—Yellow, Black, Earth, Heaven, Spirit, Immortal, Saint, and Divine—a spiritual consciousness would gradually form when the artifact surpassed the Spirit grade. Xin Fruits were essential for major sects and would be cultivated by specialized personnel.

Shen Yin was an Elder of the Immortal Spirit Sect and the Master of the Southeast Region. She had an annual quota of Xin Fruits.

However, in the past, Zi Ying schemed to devour her master every day, so Shen Yin never fed Xin Fruits to Zi Ying. Today, it was her fault, so she gave Xin Fruits to her.

She was willing to coexist peacefully with Zi Ying, but Zi Ying was reluctant.

Shen Yin didn’t care. To her, having the Purple Jade Whip or not made little difference. If a spiritual consciousness was not of one heart with its master, it couldn’t exert the full power of the Half-Divine Artifact.

Although she was the recognized master of a Half-Divine Artifact, she and Zi Ying were not of one heart. If they were to fight with just the Half-Divine Artifact, she was definitely not Feng Lingyuan’s match. Feng Lingyuan and the Passing Years Lamp were connected in spirit, already reaching the level of unity between person and artifact.

At most, she could contend with Shen Yuehua’s Hundred Flowers Chain.

It was somewhat amusing to say that although Shen Yuehua was not the master of the Hundred Flowers Chain and its spiritual consciousness was still dormant, her entire cultivation was taught by Jing Shu, and their auras were homologous. The power she could wield with the Hundred Flowers Chain was actually greater than the power Shen Yin could wield with the Purple Jade Whip, even though the Purple Jade Whip had recognized her as its master.

In just this short time, the array was already in chaos.

When they emerged from the cage, they saw scenes of chasing and fleeing, with everyone wielding long swords and slashing at their companions.

Dust flew, and there were flashes of swords and blades.

There were also some using spiritual techniques, with various colored lights dazzling the eyes.

They were all people consumed by delusions and killing each other.

There were demons, cultivators, and some ordinary people. Ordinary people couldn’t possibly stand against those cultivators and demons.

Yi Hu took a step forward, but before she could advance, Shen Yin pulled her back. Yi Hu looked at Shen Yin with some confusion: “Immortal Master, aren’t we going to stop them?”

“It’s useless. Right now, the entire Walled City is probably already trapped in the array, with arrays stacked upon arrays. If you rush in recklessly, you might be dragged into another array.” The compassion in Shen Yin’s eyes deepened. She stepped forward. A faint golden circle of light appeared under her feet, radiating outward from where Shen Yin landed, drawing a circle that enclosed them.

The noise in their ears faded a little. Although they could still see the people fighting and arguing, the sound reaching their ears was much quieter.

The faint golden circle separated them from those who were deeply trapped in the array.

“Although Ku Mu has wicked intentions, his talent in array formations is rare in the human world. If he hadn’t gone down the wrong path and focused on array formations, he would have been a rare genius in our Immortal Spirit Sect.”

At this moment, Shen Yin was also only seeking self-preservation.

Yi Hu was somewhat surprised, looking at those who had lost their minds.

She felt a hollow ache in her heart, lamenting her own powerlessness.

Ku Mu was indeed somewhat formidable, but he had unfortunately taken the wrong path. If he had used his abilities for good, he could have achieved something significant.

But Yi Hu didn’t understand. Since he had such top-notch skills, why did he have to take a risk?

Yi Hu felt that Ku Mu also knew that once he became demonized, it would be difficult to turn back. Remembering his conversation with A’Ruan, he should have been unwilling to become demonized, yet he had already committed a great wrong and was still shouting about vanquishing demons.

She had doubts in her heart when she heard Shen Yin sigh.

“Immortal Master, why are you sighing?”

“It’s a pity that practicing array formations cannot grant a thousand years of lifespan. To seek immortality and longevity, one still has to rely on one’s own cultivation. His cultivation is low. No matter how high his achievement in array formations, he won’t live long.”

“Are there no arrays that can extend life?”

“There are, but they are also part of the evil path.” Shen Yin paused. She had also studied array formations and understood their drawbacks.

“Furthermore, righteous arrays also rely on the spiritual power of the person setting up the array.”

Ku Mu’s talent in array formations was very high, but his cultivation was limited by his innate talent. Even if he thoroughly researched all the arrays in the world, without strong cultivation to support him in setting up the arrays, it would be in vain.

This was like alchemy and artifact refining. Even if some people were born with the ability to establish a connection with fire, if their cultivation wasn’t high enough, they still couldn’t refine high-grade elixirs.

Since the setting was one of immortal cultivation, everything still had to come back to innate talent for cultivation.

So that was it.

This was the reason that drove Ku Mu toward the wrong path, alongside the inherent evil in his heart.

But the more Shen Yin spoke, the more confused Yi Hu became.

Since the root of everything was still one’s own cultivation, then this large array before them was entirely set up by Ku Mu. He drew the entire Walled City into the array. How strong of a cultivation would that require?

Limited by his innate talent, how could he have such cultivation after only ten years of feeding on a Vessel Body?

“Is Ku Mu’s cultivation already that powerful?”

“No, his innate talent is limited. Even with the Vessel Body feeding him, it has only been ten years. He couldn’t sustain such a powerful array. He anticipated the day he would be surrounded and killed and thus created this wicked scheme.” Shen Yin shook her head repeatedly. She looked straight at the people fighting, the pity in her eyes deepening: “Do you remember the two stone lions at the entrance of the mansion when we came in?”

“I remember.”

She wished she could forget, but the shock those two girls gave her was no less than A’Ruan and the revealed true form of Zi Ying.

Everything in this world was both new and terrifying to Yi Hu.

In this place where the strong prey on the weak, the feeling she experienced the most was cruelty.

Ku Mu and that Spider Demon were both extremely cruel.

“He and the Spider Demon captured cultivators, sucked their blood for cultivation, and then buried them in various corners of the mansion. They used their bodies as the cores of the Affectionate Inducement Array, setting up hundreds of Affectionate Inducement Arrays, and then used the powder of skeleton bones to draw Yin energy into the array. The arrays are connected to each other to achieve such power.” Shen Yin pondered for a moment before continuing: “If this continues, the barrier set up by Feng Lingyuan won’t last much longer. Once the barrier breaks, Ku Mu will definitely use the array to escape the Walled City, and we will be trapped in the array and unable to catch him…”

How could there be such a logic? Ku Mu and that Spider Demon committed such evil, yet they both escaped cleanly, leaving behind these innocent lives drawn into the array to fight each other.

Since Feng Lingyuan chased after Ku Mu, it was unlikely she would let Ku Mu escape. Her own cultivation was already strong enough, and she had the Passing Years Lamp in hand.

However, she might be dragged into the Affectionate Inducement Array again, falling into a frenzy, which was a headache.

But Feng Lingyuan’s constitution should restrain this dark and evil energy. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be difficult for her to deal with Ku Mu.

Yi Hu’s hope reignited: “Immortal Master, if Ku Mu dies, will the array break?”

Shen Yin had said that this large array could only be broken in two ways: finding the array core or killing the person who set up the array. But just as Yi Hu’s hope rose, Shen Yin poured cold water on it: “This array does not rely on his spiritual power as its foundation. Killing him will be useless. Now that he has already activated all the arrays, the positions of the arrays are inverted, and both the gate of life and the gate of death are closed. There is more than one array core. It cannot be broken from the inside. Only by deciphering the death trap from the outside can the array be broken.”

“Outside?” Shen Yin had said that only by entering the array could it be broken when they were outside, so how could it be broken from the outside now?

She didn’t understand what “inverted array positions” and “closed gates of life and death” meant.

But she didn’t need to understand that.

Shen Yin looked up at the sky: “With such a large scale, Junior Sister Yuehua should be coming soon.”

“Someone from the Medicine Sect should also be coming. Either the Medicine Sect Sect Master or Liu Changxi.”

Once they arrive, the array will naturally be broken.

Shen Yin was waiting for Shen Yuehua, but Yi Hu’s attention was drawn to Liu Changxi. She exclaimed in surprise: “Liu Changxi is coming?”

“You know her?”

She naturally knew her. That woman with all the cheats—it was hard for her not to remember.

But she wasn’t curious about this. Instead, the book once wrote that the Spirit Cultivating Flower that Liu Changxi picked up was the most beautiful woman in the entire book. Liu Changxi always wished she could tie her to her belt. If Liu Changxi came, then Liu Lingxin would naturally come too.

She would just take a quick look.

In her heart, Shen Yin was the most beautiful, but she definitely couldn’t tell Shen Yin that.

“Didn’t the Immortal Master say before that she is the Young Sect Master of the Medicine Sect?”

Did she?

She had mentioned Liu Changxi before. Before Shen Yin could ponder, Yi Hu saw a girl.

The girl looked about four or five years old, very delicate and frail. Her pale skin was cut open by a knife tip and was bleeding. Her damaged appearance made her look very pitiful.

Yi Hu anxiously pointed to the girl: “Immortal Master, that child.”

She was signaling Shen Yin to rescue the girl.

Shen Yin frowned slightly, looking at the girl. With a flicker of her figure, she grabbed the girl’s small, thin body and then floated into the circle of light, throwing the girl to Yi Hu.

Yi Hu was still wondering why Shen Yin was so cruel to a girl. The girl in her arms suddenly burst out with bursts of red light. She turned her head painfully and looked at Shen Yin: “You!”

“Little sister, are you alright?” Yi Hu asked with concern, seeing the painful expression on her face.

“Get lost!” The girl shouted loudly, letting out a sound unlike what a girl should make.

The voice was rough and tragic, like the sound of stones grinding, low and unpleasant, not a female voice.

The red light intensified. The skin on the girl’s body suddenly bulged little by little, as if it was about to peel off her body. Yi Hu was startled by the scene and belatedly released the girl she was holding.

She watched helplessly as the girl shed the human skin in front of her eyes and transformed into a black mist that drifted away.

The book had already mentioned the matter of Evil Spirits borrowing skin to hide among the people and mixing into the Walled City, but seeing it with her own eyes was still different from reading the words.

Yi Hu swallowed hard, looking at Shen Yin helplessly.

“Fox, you must remember that you cannot judge all things by their original appearance. There are no ordinary people in this Walled City.”

Shen Yin knew from the start that the girl under the skin was an Evil Spirit. She intentionally used this to warn Yi Hu.

But…

Yi Hu said somewhat tactfully: “Immortal Master, you can just tell me in the future. I can understand.”

There was no need for her to really hear, really see, and really feel. She wasn’t interested in watching horror movies.

Shen Yin’s eyebrows twitched lightly, letting out two soft laughs.

Yi Hu’s lips twitched slightly. Being able to make Shen Yin happy was not bad.

Shen Yin glanced outside, her expression tightening again: “Those Evil Spirits haven’t entered the array.”

Yi Hu looked, and indeed, a few people had clear eyes. They were secretly making moves and plundering treasures from the cultivators. Most of them looked like ordinary people, but they were presumably Evil Spirits wearing human skins.

There were no rules in the Walled City, so naturally, there were Evil Spirits who had fled and hidden here.

The Affectionate Inducement Array requires emotion to draw people in. Most of these Evil Spirits had long forgotten their past, leaving only the word “slaughter.”

Without emotion, they naturally would not enter the array, nor would their minds be devoured.

“Stay here and wait for me. Don’t come out.”

Shen Yin was preparing to control those Evil Spirits. Yi Hu was a little worried that Shen Yin would be drawn into the Affectionate Inducement Array again.

But before Shen Yin could walk out of the circle of light, some flower petals suddenly fell from the sky. The bright and delicate flowers were exactly the same as the ones Shen Yin saw in her dream. The flowers had a faint fragrance that seemed to calm the mind and soul, and the noisy array suddenly fell silent.

Yi Hu reached out and caught a blooming pink flower. The flower dissolved in her palm, leaving only a tiny trace of pink.

A cool feeling spread across her palm, soothing her restless heart.

Yi Hu turned her head to look at Shen Yin: “Immortal Master.”

Shen Yin was also looking at the flowers. The worry between her eyebrows gradually faded: “The person to break the array has arrived.”