Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 718 - 702: The Scheme of the Heavenly Corpse, Tracing Back to the Roots

Since Zhouyang was persuaded to accept Huan Qianqian, this witch, as a servant, the next steps became easier.

With Nie Yushuang as the witness, Zhouyang first made a Dao Heart Oath to ease his mind. Then, Nie Yushuang made an excuse to leave, allowing Zhouyang and Huan Qianqian to be alone in a room. With her proactive cooperation, Zhouyang successfully cast the Secret Technique "Soul Capturing Da Method".

Even though it was the first time he used this Secret Technique and hadn't really studied it deeply, with Huan Qianqian's proactive cooperation as someone familiar with the technique, Zhouyang succeeded.

Upon succeeding with the Secret Technique, Zhouyang felt an exceedingly close connection between his Primordial Spirit and Huan Qianqian's. If he wished, he could cast a spell to directly view Huan Qianqian's memories and, through the Primordial Spirit Seal left on her Primordial Spirit, forcibly suppress her consciousness to control her body's magical power.

However, Zhouyang also discovered that if he truly wanted to forcibly control Huan Qianqian to do something, he would have to focus entirely on casting the spell, rendering himself temporarily immobile.

Furthermore, after succeeding with the Secret Technique, he clearly felt the pressure on his Primordial Spirit described in the technique.

Based on how he felt, if he used the "Soul Capturing Da Method" again to control others, he could at most control two Nascent Soul Cultivators like Huan Qianqian.

If he exceeded this number, not only would he fail to effectively control these individuals, but his Primordial Spirit would collapse, leading to complete annihilation.

As Zhouyang was carefully sensing all of this, Huan Qianqian, this witch, gazed at him plaintively and said, "Master, since I have already allowed you to plant a Restriction, can you lift the Restriction on me first and let me restore my magical cultivation?"

"Since you still have the energy to use this Charm Technique, I don't think the Restriction needs to be lifted right away. You can disclose everything you know first."

Zhouyang gave her a cold look, ordering sternly, "Also, from now on, you are forbidden to call me Master; you must call me Lord."

Upon hearing this, Huan Qianqian's beautiful eyes flashed with a strange look, but she quickly responded, "Yes, Lord, I will remember."

"Alright, I will now call Master Nie, and you prepare to answer his questions."

Zhouyang waved his hand, immediately sending a message to Nie Yushuang, instructing him to come in and interrogate Huan Qianqian, this witch.

Since Zhouyang had already planted a Restriction, if she lied, Zhouyang would definitely be able to detect it, leading Huan Qianqian, this witch, to obediently disclose everything she knew in detail.

After hearing what she said, Zhouyang and Nie Yushuang's expressions turned extremely grim.

"No, Nie must immediately inform Junior Brother Murong of this situation and rush back to stop those demons!"

Nie Yushuang scanned Huan Qianqian with a gloomy face, moved his figure, and vanished from the ice prison.

Seeing this, Zhouyang also fiercely glared at Huan Qianqian, this witch, with an extremely serious expression in his eyes.

According to Huan Qianqian's explanation, that "Celestial Corpse Ascendant" is probably plotting to destroy the Cross-Cultivation Realm Teleportation Array in Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm, intending to destroy it while the cultivators from Donghua Continent and Celestial South Continent Cultivation Realms are being transported. By using the force from the teleportation array's destruction, they could wipe out the forces from these two great cultivation realms in one fell swoop!

It can be imagined that once this matter is truly executed by the "Celestial Corpse Ascendant," not only will Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm be left completely isolated and unassisted for a short time, but the top-tier cultivator forces of the other two great cultivation realms would also suffer a heavy blow.

To put it mildly, if the Nascent Soul Cultivators coming as reinforcements are wiped out, Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm and Celestial South Continent Cultivation Realm might even abandon Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm altogether and stop sending any reinforcements.

No wonder Nie Yushuang, a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul "Half-Step True Immortal" cultivator, would lose his composure upon hearing this.

Fortunately, there is still just over a day before the reinforcements from Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm and Celestial South Continent Cultivation Realm arrive. Although it's impossible for Nie Yushuang to rush back in time to stop the "Celestial Corpse Ascendant" from destroying the teleportation array, there is time to first send a message to Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, instructing these reinforcements to abandon using the teleportation array.

Although doing so would delay the reinforcements' arrival at Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm by a few months, it's certainly better than having the entire army wiped out by spatial turbulence.

Thinking about this, Zhouyang couldn't help but coldly look at Huan Qianqian, this witch, and angrily exclaimed, "You intentionally delayed telling us until today, didn't you! Do you realize if the reinforcements from the two great cultivation realms were truly wiped out by spatial turbulence, what kind of punishment awaits you?"

"Master, you have greatly wronged me. I have been confined here all along without even the slightest magical power to use. How could I possibly know when the reinforcements from the two great cultivation realms will arrive? I didn't speak up earlier only because I wanted to use this information as leverage to gain freedom. Unfortunately, I couldn't escape the Lord's grasp; it seems destined for me to endure this tribulation!"

Huan Qianqian cried injustice vehemently, refusing to admit Zhouyang's accusations and even managed to tease Zhouyang a bit.

In truth, Zhouyang didn't believe that Huan Qianqian could calculate the exact arrival time of the reinforcements from the two great cultivation realms while being confined, and the Restriction Seal on her Primordial Spirit indeed didn't reveal any lies.

But at this moment, he wasn't accusing a fellow cultivator, so he didn't need solid evidence for accusations. As long as he perceived Huan Qianqian as suspicious, he could punish her at will.

Moreover, he was quite disgusted with this witch's attempts to charm him and flirt with him.

Therefore, he didn't bother saying much to this witch and directly activated the Restriction on her Primordial Spirit to enact some punishment.

The pain from the Primordial Spirit is far more intense than any torture Nie Yushuang employs, especially when Huan Qianqian's Primordial Spirit injuries hadn't healed yet.

This time, after Zhouyang's spell for punishment, she instantly fell to the ground, writhing in agony and screaming miserably.

If Zhouyang hadn't previously witnessed how she endured torture without making a sound, he might have been fooled by her current pretense.

He coldly watched the witch on the ground, rolling and clutching her head, screaming miserably, and unceremoniously mocked, "Enough, stop pretending. Your clumsy acting only makes me sick!"

Upon hearing this, Huan Qianqian indeed stopped yelling, but still defiantly said, "Alright, you can keep increasing the pressure. Anyway, my Primordial Spirit is severely injured now, do as you please, it would be best if you torment me until my Primordial Spirit collapses!"

"Are you testing my limits? I'm afraid you can't bear the consequences!"

Zhouyang's face darkened, his gaze fierce as he glared at the witch, his words filled with chilling murderous intent.

Although he had made a Dao Heart Oath not to suppress or kill the witch after she had confessed everything, if he truly wanted to circumvent the oath to kill her, it wasn't entirely impossible.

This witch, Huan Qianqian, clearly understood this, so after he spoke, she wisely refrained from provoking him further and fell silent.

Seeing this, Zhouyang's expression finally eased slightly.

He formed a seal with his hands, first removing the restrictions on the witch's body, restoring the circulation of her magical power, then raised his hand, revealing the Dongxuan Pearl he held.

"Your identity is sensitive, it's not suitable for you to appear in public for the time being, so you should rest in this Pocket World Spiritual Artifact. If there's anything I need you for, I will naturally contact you."

Huan Qianqian had no objection to this arrangement, her top priority now was to heal the injuries on her flesh and Primordial Spirit.

Just before Zhouyang absorbed her into the Dongxuan Pearl, she suddenly said, "Master, could you bestow that Demon Marrow Stone upon me? If I have it on hand, my recovery speed would increase significantly."

"Oh, so this item is called the Demon Marrow Stone?"

Zhouyang's expression shifted, and he then took out the thumb-sized, ink-black crystal stone from his Storage Ring and toyed with it in his hand.

Seeing that ink-black crystal stone, Huan Qianqian's eyes rarely revealed a look of excitement and heat.

She looked expectantly at the ink-black crystal stone in Zhouyang's hand, speaking eagerly, "That's right, this item is invaluable to us Demon Cultivators, said to be a Demonic Ultimate Treasure that can only be nurtured in the True Demon Realm!"

"Since it can only be nurtured in the True Demon Realm, how did it end up in your hands? And this mere piece of crystal stone containing demonic qi can be called a Demonic Ultimate Treasure?"

With full skepticism, Zhouyang looked at her and asked, apparently not believing that the crystal stone in his hand was worthy of the title "Demonic Ultimate Treasure."

"This item wasn't obtained by myself, but bestowed upon me by the Celestial Corpse Ascendant. In fact, the reason why we Demon Cultivators who were originally scattered across various realms gathered in the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm under his command wasn't primarily to establish any Earthly Demon Realm, but because he promised to give more Demon Marrow Stones to those who made contributions!"

"As for whether this item is worthy of being called a Demonic Ultimate Treasure, Master, you don't understand how important this item is to us Demon Cultivators. It's fair to say that as long as one possesses enough Demon Marrow Stones, regardless of which branch of Demon Cultivation, one can use this to rapidly enhance their cultivation, eliminate dependence on other external items, making their cultivation magical power purer and more robust, and easier to comprehend and perfect those immensely powerful True Demon Divine Techniques!"

At this moment, Huan Qianqian had completely betrayed her original faction, so she didn't mind exposing the unknown secrets within the Demon Cultivation community.

Moreover, in her previous confessions, she had already once betrayed those Demon Cultivators.

However, after hearing her words, Zhouyang felt even more puzzled, and couldn't help but continue to ask, "Since this Demon Marrow Stone has such great use, why would the Celestial Corpse Ascendant be willing to share it with you? Aren't you curious about where he obtained such treasure?"

"The Demon Marrow Stone is indeed a Demonic Ultimate Treasure, but the Celestial Corpse Ascendant's cultivation has already reached the Peak of Nascent Soul, so this item is of no use to him anymore. It's not surprising that he would use it to tempt us to work for him."

"As for where he got this item, it's not really a secret. We guess that he most likely found it at the bottom of the Ice Sea Demon Abyss, where only thousands of years of accumulated demonic qi could nurture such a treasure!"

"But unfortunately, the further down one goes in the Ice Sea Demon Abyss, not only does the demonic qi become more dense and purified, the cold icy qi also grows stronger. To reach the bottom, only a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator like the Celestial Corpse Ascendant with the help of top-notch Demon Artifacts can barely make it, while a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator like Fellow Daoist Nie, even with the protection of a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact, probably wouldn't dare to venture down!"

While answering Zhouyang's questions, Huan Qianqian shook her head regretfully, her face filled with regret and sighs.

Zhouyang understood she regretted not being able to descend to the bottom of the Ice Sea Demon Abyss to collect Demon Marrow Stones. Otherwise, as she said, with enough Demon Marrow Stones in hand, she could completely find a secluded place to quietly focus on enhancing her cultivation without having to come out and fight against cultivators.

But as the conversation reached this point, he couldn't help but ask a question that he and Nie Yushuang hadn't had time to ask earlier.

His face solemn, he looked at Huan Qianqian and asked seriously, "Do you know the true reason the Celestial Corpse Ascendant gathered all of you top-notch Demon Cultivators from various Demon Path factions here? What caused the massive eruption of demonic qi from the Ice Sea Demon Abyss?"

Huan Qianqian had no hesitation or delay upon hearing his question, and immediately answered, "The Celestial Corpse Ascendant mentioned when he summoned us here that he wanted to establish an Earthly Demon Realm, so that us Demon Cultivators wouldn't have to hide like before, always worrying about being discovered and hunted down by cultivators."

"Of course, this reason doesn't hold water, as the number of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators in the Cultivation Realm vastly outnumbers us Nascent Soul Stage Demon Cultivators tenfold, not to mention the numerous Tribulation Crossing True Immortals who remain hidden. If we Demon Cultivators keep hiding, we can continue to survive and cultivate, but if we dare stay openly in this so-called Demon Realm, it's like asking for a swift death!"

"However, even though we knew his reason was clumsy, no one wanted to investigate further. After all, the Demon Marrow Stones he offered along with some rare Demon Path Spiritual Objects were real benefits, plus being hunted for years, it's rare for someone to gather us together, so naturally, everyone wants to seize the opportunity for revenge!"

"Moreover, Master, you know that the cultivation methods of the Blood Demon Dao, Corpse Demon Dao, Ghost Demon Dao, and White Bone Demon Dao make it difficult for them to resist such temptations!"

"As for why the demonic qi within the Ice Sea Demon Abyss suddenly erupted to the surface, only the Celestial Corpse Ascendant knows. At the time, we saw him dive into the bottom of the abyss for several days, leading to the torrent of demonic qi!"