Years ago, after swallowing the ghost infant, the storage bag left behind by the ghost infant contained two treasures that Shentu Venerable Master brought out from the inner domain.
These two treasures were both magical artifacts.
One was a bright red mirror made of bronze, and the other was a yellow jade token made entirely of yellow jade.
Wei Tu later tried to refine these artifacts, but both had been tainted with the Seven-Star Begonia Poison.
This spiritual toxin could harm a cultivator's body through their spiritual power, making it hard to refine.
Moreover, this toxin was different from ordinary poison; it clung tightly to the artifact like a festering wound. Simply diluting it wouldn't remove the poison.
Aware of this, Wei Tu put these two artifacts aside for the time being, waiting for an opportunity in the future to attempt refining them again.
However, unexpectedly, over fifty years later, he was once again coerced by Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu to enter the Great Void Realm.
"The yellow jade token is the Xumi Tablet, but what kind of power does this bright red mirror have?" Wei Tu wondered.
Since it had been valued by Shentu Venerable Master and brought out from the Great Void Realm's inner domain, it was clear that the mirror was no ordinary item.
"However, without a method to purify the poison, trying to refine these two magical artifacts will not be easy," Wei Tu frowned. If he could refine these treasures before the battle, it would certainly increase his chances of success.
Just as Wei Tu was contemplating this, Lady Lan spoke. She glared at Gui Luo the Demon Lord, her expression cold, and said, "Gui Luo, without a way to remove the poison, you want us to enter the Heavenly Extinction Demon Palace? Isn't that leading us into a trap?"
Her words made it clear that, without an antidote, she intended to confront Gui Luo the Demon Lord outside the inner domain.
Unlike before, this time, Qi Chengchu and the other cultivators had already been informed by Wei Tu about Lady Lan's affiliation with Gui Luo the Demon Lord. Therefore, while their expressions remained neutral, they were secretly watching to see how the two would handle the situation.
"This antidote must be a trick!" Wei Tu thought.
After Lady Lan spoke, Wei Tu's gaze sharpened as he looked at Hu Shan and Qi Chengchu.
They had forced him to enter the Great Void Realm's inner domain, so it was likely that they had already prepared an antidote for the spiritual poison in the inner domain.
As expected, after Gui Luo the Demon Lord and Lady Lan finished their act and provided Wei Tu and the others with an antidote, Hu Shan secretly gave Wei Tu and the others another antidote.
The cultivators then discussed among themselves and agreed to finish their training of the antidote within one month before proceeding with their exploration of the Great Void Realm's inner domain.
The Cold Crystal Platform was the last barrier of the outer domain. Only cultivators at mid-Golden Core or higher could pass through. It acted as a deterrent against reinforcements from the Heavenly Death Demon Palace and the Hehuan Sect.
Therefore, when they reached this point, besides Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the Elder Ning Yan, there was no immediate need for Wei Tu and the others to hurry.
…
Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique
Zheng Qing Divine Power
Outside the rainbow bridge, Wei Tu sat cross-legged, holding the two jade slips containing the techniques, lost in thought.
The Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique was the antidote technique that Lady Lan "forced" Gui Luo the Demon Lord to give up. From his observation, it was a demon path technique with certain hidden dangers.
To practice this technique, one needed to cultivate a demon ghost within their body and use this demon ghost as a "poison pouch" to store the spiritual toxins, preventing the toxins from harming the practitioner.
— Ghosts had some resistance to the Seven-Star Begonia Poison.
The Zheng Qing Divine Power given by Hu Shan, however, was different.
This antidote technique resembled a Taoist divine power from the righteous path, using its energy to forcefully resist the invading spiritual toxins and protect the body.
There was no superiority between the two techniques, but the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique was a fast method, while the Zheng Qing Divine Power was not. Although it wasn't a slow build-up, it was difficult to make significant progress in just one month.
In one month, the Zheng Qing Divine Power would only barely resist the spiritual toxins of the Great Void Realm's inner domain.
"Gui Luo the Demon Lord is interesting. If we follow his method and cultivate a demon ghost, I'm afraid that the demon ghosts within everyone's bodies… will end up under his control."
After reading the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique, Bai Zhi's tone was filled with disdain.
Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded slightly. He put the jade slip containing the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique aside and began preparing to cultivate the Zheng Qing Divine Power.
"However, I have a method that will allow Felow Daoist Wei to avoid the drawbacks of practicing the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique, and if needed, we can turn the tables on Gui Luo the Demon Lord," Bai Zhi suddenly said.
"What method?" Wei Tu asked, curious.
Gui Luo the Demon Lord was the Nascent Soul incarnation of the Old Demon of Jiuchuan, and his knowledge was much higher than Bai Zhi's. With Bai Zhi's strength in her previous life, it wouldn't be easy to deceive Gui Luo the Demon Lord, especially now.
Bai Zhi sneered and said, "That would be for me to shift to practicing demon path techniques, transform into a demon ghost, and help Felow Daoist Wei summon the poison."
"With my soul, Gui Luo the Demon Lord will find it difficult to control me. Even if he does, Felow Daoist Wei can sever the connection with him using the soul contract."
Hearing this, Wei Tu's heart lifted. Having Bai Zhi transform into a demon ghost was indeed an excellent countermeasure against Gui Luo the Demon Lord.
Moreover, Bai Zhi's demon ghost would be much stronger than the one cultivated using the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique, making it more effective at purging the poison.
"However, if Fellow Daoist Bai shifts to the demon path, her cultivation foundation... will be severely damaged. Even if she takes over a new body and starts again, she can only cultivate demon arts," Wei Tu gently warned.
The path of endless calamity was hard to tread.
While there were benefits to Bai Zhi shifting to the demon path, her cultivation from then on would be filled with challenges. The most difficult of all would be the Nascent Soul tribulation, which would be ten times harder to overcome.
"Fellow Daoist Wei doesn't need to be persuaded more. I know my limits. If my spiritual body was still intact, there'd still be hope for my Nascent Soul. But now... even if I take over a spiritual body, my life span won't be enough to reach the peak of the Golden Core," Bai Zhi smiled bitterly.
Though Bai Zhi was a top talent from the Heavenly Maiden Sect, reaching the peak of Golden Core after dual cultivation was something that took her as much time as any normal Golden Core cultivator.
If she had to go through the Golden Core stage again, she was not sure she could reach her previous level.
There was something else she didn't say: she knew that following Wei Tu meant that her chance of taking over a body was almost impossible.
She could tell that Wei Tu had strict principles and would never kill indiscriminately. Even if he was willing to give her a body to take over, it would likely belong to some captured demon cultivator.
Rather than wait for such a slim chance, she might as well shift paths and become a demon cultivator.
While demon cultivators had their downsides, they did enjoy longer lifespans than ordinary cultivators.
Shifting to the demon path was also a common method for higher-tier cultivators to extend their lives.
Hearing this, Wei Tu stopped trying to persuade her. He thought for a moment, then took out a jade slip and handed it to Bai Zhi. "This is the demon path technique 'Rakshasa Yin Art' that Shentu Venerable Master practiced before his death. I'll gift it to you, Fellow Daoist Bai."
The Rakshasa Yin Art was a Nascent Soul-level demon path technique. Even Bai Zhi, during her life, had never encountered such an advanced demon technique.
Of course, it wasn't because she lacked the ability, but because cultivators' lifespans were limited. There was no need to study other techniques beyond what was necessary, as it would only waste time.
Demon path techniques were completely different from the Heavenly Maiden Sect's techniques. If Bai Zhi had studied demon techniques, it would have been truly odd.
"Thank you, Felow Daoist Wei." Seeing the Rakshasa Yin Art, Bai Zhi's heart lifted.
With the Rakshasa Yin Art, her transition to demon cultivation would be much smoother.
Ten days later.
Bai Zhi had begun her transition to the demon path. Wei Tu started to use the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique to refine Bai Zhi, turning her into a demon ghost capable of helping him summon poison.
During the refining process.
Wei Tu's body radiated an eerie ghostly energy.
Gui Luo the Demon Lord secretly rejoiced, thinking that Wei Tu had no talent for cultivating the Zheng Qing Divine Power and had no choice but to practice the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique.
Gui Luo the Demon Lord had no idea that the demon ghost Wei Tu had refined was not created from his own soul, but from Bai Zhi, who had shifted to the demon path.
After all, righteous cultivators rarely kept soul servants, and even if they did, it was nearly impossible to capture a Golden Core-level soul servant.
Wei Tu wasn't the only one practicing the Demonic Ghost Poison Summoning Technique. Hu Shan and Gong Shulan also seemed confident in resisting this technique and, like Wei Tu, had also cultivated it.
Once the demon ghost was successfully refined.
Wei Tu couldn't wait to use it. He had Bai Zhi help him purify the Seven-Star Begonia Poison from the Xumi Tablet and the Crimson Mirror.
With the help of this technique, the poison that clung to the artifacts like a festering wound was quickly removed by Bai Zhi's demon ghost. The results were impressive, much to Wei Tu's delight.
"Inner Domain map?"
Several days later, after refining the Crimson Mirror, Wei Tu was suddenly startled.
After channeling his spiritual energy into the mirror, the surface immediately revealed a rough outline of the Heavenly Extinction Demon Palace.
Between the outlines were several curving golden lines, resembling pathways or connections between buildings.
"Huh?" Wei Tu was taken aback. His spiritual sense swept over his storage ring to check the back of the Crimson Mirror.
The back of the Crimson Mirror now had a circular indentation, a feature that wasn't there before.
Seeing this, Wei Tu immediately had a thought. He took out the Great Void Stone from his ring and placed it into the indentation.
In an instant, the Crimson Mirror emitted a bright light. The outline of the map shifted, and in the northwest corner, a single character appeared—"Ling" in indigo.
"Ling? Could it be a spiritual object?" Wei Tu thought.
For a Golden Core cultivator advancing to the Nascent Soul realm, there were two items that could significantly increase the chances of a successful breakthrough.
These two items were the Transformation Pill and a spiritual object.
Bai Zhi, Hu Shan, Qi Chengchu, and the others had come to the Great Void Realm in order to seize the spiritual object left behind by the Stone Demon Sect over ten thousand years ago. They intended to use this object to break through to the Nascent Soul.
As for Gui Luo the Demon Lord's motives, Wei Tu was not entirely sure.
Logically, the opportunities in the Great Void Realm were not highly sought after by Nascent Soul cultivators, which explained why Gui Luo the Demon Lord and the Elder Ning Yan had been able to guard this secret realm in the demon territory surrounded by wolves.