Cultivation Starts from Killing Pigs-Chapter 244 - 242: Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, Black Ship on the Night Sea

The dragon boat sailed through the sea of clouds, and even with the moonlight cascading down, no one noticed below.

The Treasure Toad and Dragon Turtle had completed their exchange, though what they discussed was unknown. Regardless, both transformed into black iron statues, motionless, which Zhang Kui simply put away.

At this moment, on the deck of the dragon boat, besides him and Fatty Tiger, only a Yellow Turban Warrior remained standing expressionlessly at the bow, controlling the dragon boat per Zhang Kui's instructions.

Regarding the journey to Profound Yin Mountain, the greatest gain was the Yellow Turban Warrior, for Zhang Kui could still analyze the array structure of the Dragonbone Ship, and even had some ideas for improvement.

But as for the silver sphere entrusting the Yellow Turban Warrior, he couldn't make any sense of it, and along with its fragments, they could transform into an Undying Artifact Demon, reincarnating through karmic fire after countless years...

Zhang Kui became increasingly certain that this was an Immortal Treasure.

However, it was unfortunate that Zhang Kui could only roughly determine the function of this thing, which seemed to be a mindless Immortal Slave.

It couldn't operate independently and could only be entrusted to a magical treasure or grotto heaven; its power relied entirely on the strength of the entrusted object.

At that time, the entire artifact demons of Profound Yin Mountain swarmed, and Zhang Kui exerted all his strength to kill them, refining forty-one silver spheres.

Regrettably, there were only ten dragonbone ship crossbows on the Dragonbone Ship, and firing them too intensely would deplete their energy, rendering the Yellow Turban Warriors unable to exert their full power; summoning them all only served to frighten others.

The Dragonbone Ship broke through the cloud sea, slowly descending, and the island's myriad of demons, upon seeing it, cautiously avoided its gaze and retreated to the side.

Zhang Kui was now as famous as the sun in the sky, and his mysterious magic had easily subdued the Spirit Sect Leader, Chi Lin, causing these little demons to harbor fear in their hearts.

And on the adjacent ruins of the high mountain, two graceful figures steadily descended in the moonlight, one with three tails fluttering, the other with a veil flowing.

It was Bao Wuxin and Chi Liyan.

Chi Liyan, the third princess of the Chai Kingdom, had long resided within the Astronomical Bureau in Taiyuan City. During the battle in the East Sea, she played a significant role in escorting disaster victims inland.

Unfortunately, those aware of her identity were extremely cautious. Coincidentally, Bao Wuxin arrived, and the two were quite congenial, deciding to visit the old site of the Spiritual Sect together.

"Taoist Friend Zhang seems to have progressed once more..."

Bao Wuxin's eyes flashed with divine light, unable to contain his admiration.

Next to him, Chi Liyan was all smiles; her spiritual sense was extraordinary, and although Zhang Kui's aura was restrained, she increasingly felt it was a deep, heart-stopping abyss like the sea.

Moreover, this feeling was one she had only ever experienced with her father, convincing her she had made the right choice.

Zhang Kui laughed and didn't deny it, turning to inspect his surroundings, and slightly shaking his head, he said, "The spirit veins here are destroyed, that Chi Lin fellow is truly a disaster."

Bao Wuxin gently shook his head, "Everything prospering and declining has its ordained fate. The Spirit Sect undergoing this calamity was a destiny imposed by fate."

"The Spiritual Qi doesn't matter; these little demons cannot adapt to the ways of the human race. Since I now serve to protect the human path, I wouldn't want to sever the incense of old ties, so I might as well tidy up this place and build a Ten Thousand Demons City to enshrine the Divine Court Bell."

"Firstly, it brings the myriad of demons under the Divine Path, and secondly, it provides them a path."

Zhang Kui nodded slightly, expressing his agreement.

Now, aside from the human race, the Divine Court Bell is also enshrined by the weasels, the Quanzhou Demon Race, the Sea Race, and now the Ten Thousand Demons City, making their numbers increasingly vast.

Of course, the nature of the Divine Court Bell as a human Sacred Artifact remains unchanged, and a separate Demon Divine Court will be established as Assistant God to the True God of the human race, governed by the same system of human path merit.

After a brief chat, the three of them directed their gazes at the massive Bronze Soul Suppressing Tower.

"With the key to the Demon Monarch Hall lost, Chi Lin worried others might enter from another direction, so he went to great lengths, expending vast resources to pry the Soul Suppressing Tower and transport it back."

Bao Wuxin slightly shook his head, "After receiving the news from you, I had people excavate it. Though this thing is indeed formidable, it's too colossal. Do you know its purpose for retrieval?"

Zhang Kui's lips curled into a subtle smile, "To be frank, the Divine Court Bell's current power doesn't require waiting for Mid-Autumn; it can open the Gate of the Underworld at any time."

"What?!"

The two women were instantly astonished.

What they didn't know was that, at the ancient secret realm beside the Jingjiang Water Mansion, with numerous mountain gods offering up a Divine Strange Pearl, sending the Demon-Entering Mountain Ancestor into the Underworld, Zhang Kui realized something was amiss.

Perhaps in ancient times, entering and exiting the Underworld wasn't a difficult task, but the method was lost, and now it could only be accessed through node points during Mid-Autumn.

Chi Liyan's eyes were full of surprise,

"True Man Zhang, then we..."

Zhang Kui shook his head slightly, "Although I plan to go, I won't act rashly. According to what you said, the Underworld is incredibly perilous, so of course, thorough preparations are essential."

"Since this Bronze Soul Suppressing Tower can dispel the anomalies of the Underworld, why not install it on the dragon boat?"

Bao Wuxin was initially taken aback, looked at the Bronze Tower, then at the adjacent dragon boat, and instantly understood Zhang Kui's intention, shaking his head and smiling, "Taoist Friend Zhang, you want to nurture the Soul Suppressing Tower into a Divine Artifact?"

"The idea isn't wrong; after becoming a Divine Artifact, it can indeed change in size. Chi Lin transported it back with the same thought, but this thing is somewhat peculiar, unable to birth an Artifact Spirit, which is why it was left here."

"So that's it..."

Zhang Kui was slightly surprised, then smiled, "Rest assured, I have another method, which is to refine this into a Magical Treasure."

"Magical Treasure?"

Bao Wuxin and Chi Liyan exchanged confused glances.

Perhaps due to the existence of ancient artifacts in this world, the development of artifact refining skills has been exceedingly slow, and the power of magical treasures is relatively small, unable to compare with ancient artifacts.

Zhang Kui immediately knew the two had misunderstood and shook his head to explain, "It's not what you think; it's a true magical treasure, without an artifact spirit, yet its power rivals a divine artifact."

As he spoke, Zhang Kui activated the Tongyou Skill, and two beams of light shot directly at the Soul Suppressing Bronze Tower. A trace of a smile appeared on his lips, "This thing is an excellent artifact embryo. As long as materials are added and the array is replaced sequentially, it will definitely succeed."

Bao Wuxin was astonished, "Taoist Friend Zhang, your magic is profound, but such a large tower body requires materials and effort that I fear will be astounding..."

"There are enough materials for it."

Zhang Kui's eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the Bronze Tower, "Actually, it doesn't require much time, just missing a cluster of Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire."

"I have Earth Fiend Yin Fire and Red Lotus Karmic Fire, but the quality of Earth Fiend Yin Fire is too poor, and the cold nature of Red Lotus Leaf Fire is alarmingly unsuitable for artifact refining."

At this moment, Chi Liyan thought for a moment and suddenly spoke, "True Man Zhang, do you remember the Qi Dynasty's Secret Collection I mentioned to you?"

Zhang Kui's face lit up with excitement, "Is there something inside?"

Chi Liyan nodded, "Back then, the human Qi Dynasty's strength was not weaker than the Forbidden Land. I heard my father say that they worshiped a cluster of Spirit Fire. One of the current national guardian divine artifacts of the human race, the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Mirror, was refined from this Spirit Fire..."

"What?!"

Zhang Kui's eyes immediately brightened.

In the Sealed Demon Cave, he had used the Tongyou Skill to explore the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Mirror.

It was a black stone mirror carved with cloud patterns. The material was unknown, rough around the edges, yet the mirror surface was exceptionally smooth, with vague golden flames flowing within.

That Spirit Fire was immensely pure and bright, though faint, it was the renowned True Sun Fire!

If the Qi Dynasty truly worshiped the True Sun Fire, then not only could the Soul Suppressing Tower be refined, but the Sun Exposure Skill could also exert its full power.

"Quick, tell me more..."

Zhang Kui wasn't initially very interested in any Qi Dynasty's Secret Collection, after all, he had already claimed the wealthy treasures of the East Sea, but now his interest had grown substantially.

Chi Liyan nodded slightly; the news of the Qi Dynasty's Secret Collection was originally meant as a gift for Zhang Kui, so there was no need to hide it.

"The Qi Dynasty has mysterious origins. The founding emperor's surname was Yuan, and it seems to have significant connections with the legacy of the Witchcraft Path..."

...

While Zhang Kui was inquiring, a thousand miles away on the sea, a massive warship was plowing through the waves under the moonlight.

"Hahaha... The bright moon at sea is a rare and beautiful sight. Senior Liu, Brother Yang, let's drink this toast!"

On the deck was a small table with fresh fish and fine wine. The three people sitting around it were Cui Yebai, Liu Mao'Er, and Yang Bai.

During the locust disaster, the three had raised food supplies in Bozhou to aid the victims and even thought of going to the Ice Sea to capture giant whales to survive the famine.

Of course, just as they had prepared the ship, Zhang Kui completely ended the locust disaster. The three did not regret it and straightforwardly joined the Kaiyuan Sect, taking on tasks from the Maritime Bureau, specializing in creating maps of the sea.

Cui Yebai's lifelong dream was to complete the Haizhou Atlas of his ancestors, and now that dream had been fulfilled, he was naturally extremely excited.

"True Man Zhang has pacified the East Sea, and we can head south now. I've heard that even though the Southern Ocean islands have human inhabitants, they continue to worship ancient evil spirits, and there may even be a Demon Country, with creatures transforming into humans to trade in Quanzhou..."

Cui Yebai talked passionately, while Old Liu and Yang Bai each held small cups for a toast.

They were satisfied with their current life. After taking Zhang Kui's pills, Old Liu's lifespan had been extended, and he only wanted to see as many sights as he could in his lifetime.

Yang Bai, on the other hand, had studied the Divine Path and, knowing his abilities were average, found it fitting to follow Cui Yebai in map-making, accumulating merit along the Human Path.

Although the three had close ties with Zhang Kui, as Bao Wuxin had said, life is full of meetings and partings.

What Zhang Kui was involved in now was already too distant for them, but their journeys were still splendid in their own ways.

"Report!"

At this moment, a sailor jumped down from the mast, "Lord Cui, a dense fog has suddenly appeared on the sea ahead."

"Fog?"

Cui Yebai frowned and immediately walked to the bow. In the distance, the sea was blanketed in dense black fog, absorbing the bright moonlight.

"This fog is unusual; we need to retreat!"

Cui Yebai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he immediately gave the order. The large ship began to groan as it turned.

Strange occurrences are common on the sea; even though Zhang Kui had subdued the demons of the East Sea, it's impossible to eliminate them entirely. After all, some things remain unknown, even to the sea creatures and demons.

Though bold, Cui Yebai was not reckless and naturally sought to avoid danger promptly.

However, it was already too late. The dark fog spread with the sea breeze, quickly engulfing the entire ship.

The sailors on board were terrified, while Yang Bai drew a talisman and changed the spell in his hand.

"Dispelling evil, rise!"

The talisman instantly turned into a fireball and exploded, seemingly thinning the surrounding fog somewhat for a moment.

The three of them squinted as they saw a gigantic, unimaginable ancient black ship getting closer and closer.

It was a bizarre black ship, with a massive coffin the size of a room docked on its deck…