Chapter 127: Fame in the Cultivation Devil Sea, Battle Against the Dou Xie Sect

The Cultivation Devil Sea was thick with water mist, carrying a hint of chill. Not long after entering, Wang Lin's clothes were soaked by the mist, clinging to his body uncomfortably.

Looking at Li Muwan, her face was no longer pale, but flushed, as delicate as jade and smooth as powder. Especially with her clothes also soaked by the mist, revealing her graceful, curvaceous figure, she looked even more captivating and picturesque.

Wang Lin glanced at her and then withdrew his gaze, his heart unmoved. In his opinion, if Li Muwan wasn't capable of refining Heavenly Separation Pills and skilled in concocting various Medicinal Pills, he would never have allowed her to follow him.

The Cultivation Devil Sea was a massive basin. After Wang Lin descended for a long time, he still hadn't reached the bottom, but he clearly perceived that the further down he went, the heavier the chilling aura became.

Strange creatures began to appear in the mist. The spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from a few of these creatures made Wang Lin feel a sense of alarm. Fortunately, with his careful vigilance, the journey, though startling at times, was without serious mishap.

Li Muwan was extremely nervous. She had heard too many rumors about the Cultivation Devil Sea. Here, reason held no sway; strength was the only weapon. Moreover, there were few female Cultivators in the Cultivation Devil Sea, which meant that if a female Cultivator was discovered without a strong backer, her fate would be utterly tragic.

Before the State of Huo Fen experienced its great upheaval, a large number of Cultivators, including many Nascent Soul Stage experts, were stationed year-round at its border with the Cultivation Devil Sea. Their purpose was to prevent Demonic Path Cultivators from the Cultivation Devil Sea from rushing out to plunder.

Fortunately, the powerful forces of the Cultivation Devil Sea were all located in the central region, with the edges mostly occupied by smaller forces. As long as proper precautions were taken, they couldn't stir up too much trouble.

Wang Lin didn't know how long he had flown when he suddenly stopped. Li Muwan, behind him, couldn't stop in time and almost crashed into his back. Wang Lin's gaze was cold as he turned to look into the mist in the distance, saying sharply, "Get out here."

Three tall, slender dark figures appeared in the mist. However, due to the mist, their faces were unclear; he only knew they were three male Cultivators. A sharp voice came from one of them.

"How dare you! This is the territory of my Dou Xie Sect. If you know what's good for you, leave the female Cultivator behind you, otherwise…"

Before he could finish, Wang Lin snorted coldly, "Noisy! Die!" The map had mentioned that there was no reason in the Cultivation Devil Sea, only respect for the strong. He waved his right hand, and his extreme realm Divine Sense instantly spread out. The three opponents were merely at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and Wang Lin could kill them at will.

In an instant, red lightning flashed in the eyes of the three. Their bodies trembled violently, their eyes showing confusion, then growing dimmer and dimmer. Their Divine Sense shattered, and they fell dead.

Wang Lin stepped forward, collected the three's Storage Pouches, then kicked their bodies into the thick mist with his right foot. He didn't even spare them a glance and quickly walked on.

Li Muwan stared in horror at the scene before her. This was the first time she had seen Wang Lin take action. The three opponents were all at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, just like her, yet they died mysteriously without even the power to resist.

Her heart trembled violently. Looking at Wang Lin's back, she suddenly recalled half a month ago when she heard her brother, Li Qiqing, mention the great battle at the Spiritual Vein on the border of the Xuanwu Kingdom, involving over a thousand participants from both sides.

In the Early Stages of the battle, something extremely strange happened in the Xuanwu Kingdom: all Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples inexplicably died one after another during combat, falling from mid-air.

If it were just one or two, it would be fine, but nearly half of their Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, which numbered less than two hundred, successively died in such bizarre ways. When she first heard about it, she thought it was just a rumor and didn't take it seriously. But now, seeing these three Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators die silently, she couldn't help but connect it to that battle.

She followed behind Wang Lin, her voice trembling as she asked softly, "Senior… Senior Brother, which great team were you assigned to in the Huo Fen Alliance?"

Wang Lin didn't turn his head, responding coldly, "The Tenth Great Team."

The words "Tenth Great Team" struck Li Muwan like a clap of spring thunder. She clearly remembered her brother saying that the Huo Fen Kingdom's participating force was precisely this Tenth Great Team. Now, she was almost certain that this cold young man before her was the one responsible for the large number of deaths among the Xuanwu Kingdom's Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples.

Thinking of this, her last trace of resistance immediately vanished, and she couldn't muster any thought of retreating. But then, an introduction to a strange Spell she had once seen in the Scripture Pavilion of the Luohe Sect suddenly flashed through her mind, and she blurted out, "The technique you just used, was it the Death Curse Spell?"

Wang Lin's heart paused slightly, but his expression showed no fluctuation. He didn't stop walking, instead asking, "You also know the Death Curse Spell?"

Hearing Wang Lin's words, Li Muwan became even more certain that he had used the legendary Death Curse Spell, which was said to be extremely difficult to Master. Rumor had it that this Death Curse Spell was an ancient Divine Ability, incredibly hard to Cultivate. Once mastered, merely uttering the word "die" would instantly kill anyone within its gaze.

This kind of Spell was hailed as the most malicious Cultivation Technique of the Demonic Path in ancient times. Legend has it that to Cultivate this technique, one needed to gather three types of Qi into one. The first Qi was Yin Qi, which actually referred to the primordial Yin of females, accumulated through the art of采阴之术. The second Qi was Death Qi, absorbed from the Qi of corpses and condensed into a deathly Qi; it leaned towards Yin, but its essence was vastly different. The third Qi was Killing Intent; after reaching a certain level of slaughter, the body would naturally generate a will, which, through cultivation, would transform into Killing Intent.

After the three types of Qi merged and one survived a near-death elimination, the survivor could initially grasp the Death Curse Spell. Once Cultivating this Death Curse Spell, one had to endure unimaginable pain daily, and furthermore, experience a near-death elimination every three years.

After several such cycles, the Death Curse Spell would be considered Minor Achievement. If one wished to continue Cultivating, the chance of one's own death would be even greater. According to calculations, the probability of ultimately reaching Major Achievement with this Death Curse Spell was almost zero. Although this Divine Ability was incredibly powerful, it was too malicious, and even those on the Demonic Path rarely Cultivated it.

After hearing Li Muwan's trembling voice describe the Death Curse Spell, Wang Lin's expression subtly changed, and he remained silent. His silence made Li Muwan even more frightened, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

After walking in the Cultivation Devil Sea for a while, Wang Lin finally submerged to the seabed. The mist here was denser, and the chilling Qi also became much richer.

Staring at the ground and pondering for a moment, Wang Lin retreated a few steps, leaping around the area to find a towering undersea mountain peak. At the mountainside, he stepped onto a protruding boulder, patted his Storage Pouch, and threw out a Flying Sword. He pointed his right hand at the mountain, and the Flying Sword immediately began to carve into it.

Clanging metallic sounds continuously echoed. Wang Lin frowned; the hardness of this mountain peak exceeded his imagination, and the Flying Sword had very little effect when carving into it.

He snorted lightly and patted his Storage Pouch again. Immediately, over thirty Flying Swords shot out, and his extreme realm Divine Sense dispersed and condensed onto each Flying Sword, instantly forming a sword rain that bombarded the mountain.

With this, progress immediately accelerated. A cave rapidly appeared on the mountainside at a visible speed. Li Muwan had long grown accustomed to Wang Lin's actions along the way, thinking to herself that since this fellow could Master the Death Curse Spell, it was not at all surprising that he could control over thirty Flying Swords.

Although she knew clearly how immense the demands on a Cultivator's Divine Sense must be to control over thirty Flying Swords.

Time slowly passed, and a large hole was dug into the entire mountainside. Inside the hole were four stone rooms, forming a simple Immortal Cave. Wang Lin's eyes flickered as he continuously took Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and set up Formations around the area.

Upon seeing the Formations, Li Muwan's eyes once again showed surprise, but after a deep look at them, her surprise faded, subtly replaced by a hint of disdain, which she quickly concealed.

However, this hint of disdain was still detected by Wang Lin's Hand Seal. Although he had been setting up the Formation, his Divine Sense had never left Li Muwan, even on the way to this place. If Li Muwan made any unusual move, Wang Lin would not show any womanly pity and would undoubtedly kill her without hesitation.

Wang Lin placed the Spirit Stones in his hand, not turning around, and said coldly, "I plan to reside in this Immortal Cave for a long time. If someone breaks through the Formation and intrudes, I can simply leave. As for you, your life and death are your own responsibility." With that, he turned to look at Li Muwan.

Li Muwan gritted her teeth, and without a word, she floated forward, took out a small black flag from her Storage Pouch, and placed it around. Still feeling uneasy, she then successively set up several more Formations, finally tidying up and connecting Wang Lin's previously arranged Formations.

After completing these tasks, she hesitated, then gritted her teeth and carefully took out a large section of blue-crystalline beast bone from her Storage Pouch. After cutting it into several pieces with a Flying Sword, a solemn expression appeared on her face as she meticulously calculated for a moment, then placed one of the pieces in a calculated position.

She then continued calculating. By the time all eighteen beast bones were in place, three hours had passed. Li Muwan's forehead was beaded with sweat, and she looked exhausted. She said, "Counting the ones you set up, there are a total of two hundred and fourteen Formations here. However, these are only Elementary Formations and can only prevent Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators from entering. The one I just set up using the crystal beast bones is the Nine Departed Corpse Bone Formation. Although this Formation can only exert three-tenths of its power due to the limited number of Spirit Beast bones, it can still block even Core Formation Cultivators for at least an hour.

I only have this many crystal beast bones. If you want the Formation to be more secure, you will need more Spirit Beast bones."

With that, she tossed out a Jade Slip. Wang Lin took it and swept his Divine Sense through it. It recorded the method to enter the Nine Departed Corpse Bone Formation. After carefully reading it for a moment, Wang Lin crushed the Jade Slip, looked at Li Muwan, and pointed his hand forward.

Li Muwan knew that the other party didn't trust her, so she didn't resist and walked into the Formation. Wang Lin's eyes narrowed, leaving a trace of Divine Sense on Li Muwan before following her in.

After safely passing through the Formation and entering the stone dwelling, Li Muwan took out another small flag from her Storage Pouch. With a gentle wave, the Formation outside the Immortal Cave immediately began to rotate, conjuring layers of mist. From the outside, no one would discover any clues about this place; even if one walked closer, they would only see the mountain peak, not the Immortal Cave.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Wang Lin's gaze swept over Li Muwan, making her face grow even paler. She retreated several steps and whispered, "Senior Brother, should I refine the Heavenly Separation Pill for you now?"

Wang Lin shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I dare not consume the Medicinal Pills you refine."

Li Muwan's eyes immediately reddened. She lowered her head and remained silent. After a long time, she raised her head, revealing a beautiful face wet with tears, and whispered, "Senior Brother saved my life. Tell me what you need me to do for you to trust me." At this moment, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Wang Lin was unmoved by Li Muwan's beauty. His expression was as calm as ever as he said coolly, "I am unwilling to force anyone, and I will not make excessive demands of you. You only need to refine enough Medicinal Pills for me before I reach Core Formation. After I achieve Core Formation, I will naturally send you away from the Cultivation Devil Sea. However, during this period, I require you to hand over your Soul Blood to ensure no accidents occur during the refinement of the Medicinal Pills."

Li Muwan pondered for a moment, then nodded resolutely. She lightly touched her glabella with her right hand, forcing out a drop of fresh blood. After her Soul integrated into it, the Soul Blood floated toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin took it and threw out several Storage Pouches, saying, "All the Materials are here. See what Medicinal Pills you can refine."

Li Muwan checked with her Divine Sense and immediately gasped, "This… this is Desolate Wood Root, and Pill Yellow Grass! And… there's even Burning Gold Root and heavenly spirit Grass…" The more she looked, the more startled she became. More than half of the Materials in these Storage Pouches were medicinal herbs for Alchemy. Some of them had even become extinct in the State of Huofen, only being brought back by Disciples returning from the Outer Realm Battlefield every hundred years.

Wang Lin rubbed his chin and threw out more than ten Storage Pouches. These were his spoils of war from recent days. He had taken the Magic Treasures and Spirit Stones inside, leaving only the unrecognizable Materials, which he could now have Li Muwan identify.

After examining all the Storage Pouches one by one, Li Muwan was radiant, completely shedding her previous sad expression. Her face seemed to glow with excitement. Clutching the Storage Pouches, she looked up and asked, "Senior Brother, I can use these things freely, right?"

Wang Lin nodded and said, "I only require the finished Medicinal Pills. You are free to handle the process as you wish."

Li Muwan smiled at Wang Lin for the first time. She gave a charming smile and said confidently, "Senior Brother, don't worry. I calculated that with these Materials, I can refine approximately three hundred Yellow Bell Pills to increase cultivation, fifty Detoxification Pills, and various other Medicinal Pills of different sizes and effects. Once they are refined, I will introduce them to Senior Brother one by one. Among your Materials, Senior Brother, there is one that is the most precious: this Demonic Blood Vine." As she spoke, she took out a seemingly unremarkable red wooden strip from a Storage Pouch.

"This Demonic Blood Vine is one of the main medicinal woods for refining the Heavenly Separation Pill, and it is also the most crucial Material. I have only seen the Demonic Blood Vine in ancient records; this is the first time I've seen the real thing. With it, I am confident I can refine one Heavenly Separation Pill, although the effect might be slightly inferior, as I will need to find substitutes for the other medicinal herbs."

Wang Lin's expression was calm. He said, "I will not interfere with the Alchemy process." He pondered for a moment, then added, "I plan to go out for a trip. I will return in no less than three days and no more than half a month. Be careful."

After speaking, he was about to leave. Li Muwan hesitated for a moment, then quickly added, "Senior Brother, when you go out, could you please help me find a Pill Furnace? Other medicines are fine; I can use the Pill Furnace I carry with me. But if the Heavenly Separation Pill is refined using an ordinary Pill Furnace, the success rate is only fifty percent. In the past, the final refinement of the Heavenly Separation Pill was always done using the School's Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace…"

Wang Lin frowned slightly, glanced at Li Muwan, remained silent for a moment, and then walked out of the Immortal Cave.

Li Muwan sighed inwardly. She hadn't wanted to deceive him earlier, but she was worried that if she had told the truth, he might have abandoned her. Now that things had reached this point and she had handed over her Soul Blood, she had to mention the success rate of the Heavenly Separation Pill, lest any future mishap cause him to vent his anger on her.

After leaving the Immortal Cave, Wang Lin determined the direction and looked toward the continent where the State of Zhao lay, separated by the Cultivation Devil Sea. A chilling Killing Intent flashed in his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Teng Huayuan, I am about to reach Core Formation. The day I form my Nascent Soul will be the day I return to the State of Zhao and bathe your Teng Family City in blood. You must not die prematurely. Stay alive and wait for my return…"

The chill in his eyes gradually receded. He lightly stepped, activating the Earth Evasion Technique, and his body rapidly burrowed forward. His purpose for going out was to search for Spirit Beast bones. According to Li Muwan, the Nine Separations Corpse Bone Formation could only unleash its maximum power by adding more Spirit Beast bones. Wang Lin knew that he was about to enter seclusion to break through to the Core Formation Stage, and in the perilous Cultivation Devil Sea, he needed a relatively safe Immortal Cave to ensure nothing unexpected happened.

Furthermore, the Artifact Refining skill Wang Lin learned from the War God Hall also required Spirit Beast skulls to create a reaction furnace. With both reasons combined, he was determined to acquire these bones. According to the Jade Slip map's description of the Cultivation Devil Sea, there were many Spirit Beasts in the thick fog here, and additionally, the bones of some deceased Spirit Beasts were scattered across the seabed.

However, these bones were often dug up by others, so Wang Lin had not found a single one after traveling for a long time. Furthermore, the fog at the bottom of the sea was extremely dense, rendering vision almost useless; only Divine Sense could be used to survey the surroundings.

While he was walking, Wang Lin's expression shifted slightly. He immediately retreated a few steps, seeing a faint, crooked sword light pierce through the dense fog behind him, flashing past the spot where Wang Lin had just been.

Wang Lin's cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection of the False Core Realm. He clearly saw the Cultivator within the sword light. The man was about forty years old, with cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. His face was purplish-black, and his breathing was rapid. Clearly, he had been poisoned, causing his internal spiritual power to become chaotic, which resulted in his Flying Sword being uncontrollable.

As soon as the sword light flew past, another long rainbow shot over, pursuing closely.

A strange look appeared on Wang Lin's face. The person pursuing the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was a young Cultivator at the fifteenth level of Qi Condensation Great Perfection. This person had a jade-white face, narrow eyes, and a hint of wickedness emerged on his features.

In the wicked youth's hand, he held a section of black beast bone. As he pursued unhurriedly, he continuously blew Qi onto the beast bone. Every time he exhaled, a wisp of black smoke drifted from the bone.

As soon as the wisp of smoke appeared, it immediately transformed into fine threads that rapidly chased the Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator ahead and drilled into his body.

"Senior Brother, why don't you run faster? Junior Brother really wants to see how long you can last after being struck by sixteen types of potent poison." The wicked youth blew a breath onto the beast bone and continued in a feminine voice, "Senior Brother, Junior Brother spent a long time gathering all sixteen types of potent poison. Otherwise, how would Junior Brother dare to attack you, given your Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation? But now, you can't escape."

The middle-aged man ahead gritted his teeth, not saying a word. The Flying Sword beneath his feet wobbled, stumbling forward.

"Senior Brother, you are already quite old. Why don't you fulfill Junior Brother's wish and let me use the Great Foundation Seizing Technique to devour you?" the wicked youth said leisurely, closing the distance to the middle-aged man further.

Wang Lin looked at the beast bone in the youth's hand with great interest, subtly shifted his body, and quietly followed.

The middle-aged man fleeing ahead heard the youth's words and cursed hoarsely without turning his head, "Sang Muya, you wretched bastard! If I hadn't pleaded for you back then, how would Master have accepted you as a Disciple? Aren't you afraid Master will find out about such malicious actions against a fellow Disciple?"

The wicked youth burst into maniacal laughter and said, "Master? Hehe, Senior Brother, if Master hadn't tacitly agreed to this, how would I dare to openly ambush you with Bone Poison?"

The middle-aged man's body trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of black foul blood. His body immediately slumped and rolled off the Flying Sword. The wicked youth snorted several times, flew to about ten meters away from the middle-aged man's body, and controlled his Flying Sword to repeatedly pierce the corpse a few times. Only then, confirming the man was dead, did he grab the body, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, he stopped abruptly, staring at a black shadow standing in the dense fog ahead. Cold sweat immediately beaded on his forehead. When he was chasing his Senior Brother, his Divine Sense was fully spread out, and there was clearly no one else nearby. Yet, this person had suddenly appeared right in front of him, meaning their cultivation must far exceed his own.

He put down the corpse, quickly cupped his hands and bowed, replacing his wicked expression with a simple and honest look. He respectfully said, "Junior, Disciple Sang Muya of the Douxie Sect, greets Senior. May I ask what instructions Senior has for blocking my path? Junior will definitely spare no effort."

Wang Lin slowly walked out of the fog and gave the youth a cold glance.

Under Wang Lin's gaze, the youth's originally honest expression suddenly faltered, and he felt as if the other party had completely seen through him. A wave of alarm immediately surged in his heart.

This feeling only appeared when he faced his Master, but his Master was a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator with one foot already in the Core Formation Stage. Could this person, who looked roughly his age, actually possess False Core cultivation? The youth's heart trembled, and his demeanor became even more respectful.

"Hand over your beast bone to me," Wang Lin's voice was icy and devoid of emotion.

The more Wang Lin acted this way, the more panicked Sang Muya became. He had grown up in the Cultivation Devil Sea since childhood, constantly exposed to Demonic Cultivators. Although his cultivation was not high now, he had developed a pair of Demon Recognition Eyes. He knew that powerful Great Demons were often ruthless and cold. While he had seen many Demonic Cultivators display this coldness before, it was usually just imitation, not true ruthlessness. But the coldness radiating from this Senior felt as if it originated from his very Soul. His eyes, in particular, sent a chill straight to Sang Muya's heart.

He quickly threw out the beast bone in his hand, not daring to show any intention of resistance.