C1471 Restrained

Enshrouded by the Ghosts Poisoning Array, the swamp was a place of danger and mystery.

Clang! Clang!

Within the fiery red pill furnace, Zhong Chichen was jolted awake as if from a nightmare. Desperate to escape, he slammed his head against the lid of the furnace.

The pill furnace bubbled with a seven-colored, filthy liquid, emitting dense clouds of smoke like boiling water.

Du Yazi's face drained of color in alarm. He hurried to the top of the pill furnace, standing on the lid to prevent Zhong Chichen from breaking free.

"How could this happen?" Tong Rui's face was etched with concern as she watched the Sect Master of the Medicine God Sect struggle within the furnace. "This has never happened before! He would usually open his eyes and thrash about for a while, but he always calmed down eventually."

"We always waited for him to regain consciousness inside the pill furnace before we would help him remove the lid and communicate with him."

The traitor from the Filthy Spirit Sect moved to the front of the pill furnace, keeping her gaze fixed on Zhong Chichen as she spoke. "I don't understand his urgency, why he's so desperate to get out of the pill furnace."

Her face was a portrait of anxiety as she looked at Zhong Chichen, her eyes brimming with concern and worry.

"Something is definitely off," Ye Hee chimed in.

"You won't be able to keep the lid down."

Loong Jie flashed a grin, his towering frame overshadowing the furnace. He reached out, placing his hand lazily on the lid, and gestured for Du Yazi to step aside. "I think I know what's going on. Don't worry too much."

"But if the lid comes off, the poison will escape. What about you?" Du Yazi cautioned.

"Hahaha!" Loong Jie's laughter boomed. "Relax! The diluted miasma of the Foul Land is hardly a threat to me." His demeanor was one of utter disregard, almost as if he was offended by Du Yazi's underestimation. With a sudden surge of strength, he pressed down.

Boom!

The golden light burst forth, and Du Yazi was sent flying from the furnace lid, compelled to retreat whether he liked it or not.

"You've felt it too, haven't you?" Loong Jie turned to look at Fong Zhong once more.

"Yes," Fong Zhong nodded. "Within the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, countless demons and malevolent spirits, all tainted by the miasma, are swarming through hidden caverns below. My senses tell me that something formidable is summoning them."

"There must be a high-ranking member of the Earth Demon Clan with that kind of energy! What was that Yu Yuan mentioned about Huangyin before he vanished?"

Despite being the leader of the Wind Chanters, his knowledge of the Earth Demons and the Ghost Wizard Sect paled in comparison to that of the ancient dragon.

So, he sought advice with humility.

"Indeed, Huangyin is one of the original Earth Demon Ancestors. Since Yu Yuan brought him up, there's no doubt about it," Loong Jie responded with composure, resting his palm on the pill furnace's lid. Zhong Chichen, in his unconscious state with his senses dulled, struggled in vain to budge the lid.

"My guess is that Yu Yuan's true form entered the Dragon Slash Platform, putting pressure on Huangyin. As for Huangyin, given his powers as an Earth Demon Ancestor, he's likely summoning nearby corrupted demons, vicious souls, and various other entities to battle Yu Yuan."

Loong Jie stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I'd like to go down there and see for myself."

Fong Zhong was taken aback.

"Hey, I'm just kidding. I'm not really going down there," Loong Jie said with a slight squint, pausing to think before he offered a serious suggestion, "Don't wait for any updates from Yu Yuan. Inform the Chamber of Commerce immediately about the events in the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea and what happened to Zhong Chichen."

"Senior!" exclaimed Du Yazi, Tong Rui, and Ye Hee in unison.

"Silence!" Loong Jie huffed, fixing them with a stern glare, "You have no idea what's really going on down there! Once President Lyi is briefed, he'll inform the Divine Soul Sect straight away. They have the most experience in dealing with the remnants of the Earth Demon and Ghost Wizard Sect!"

"Understood!" Fong Zhong replied hastily.

He quickly summoned his device and reached out to the leader of the Chamber of Commerce deep within the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea.

...

Deep underground, by the Colorful Lake.

As Yuen Qingxi invoked the Ghost Wizard Sect's malevolent curse using Du Jing's soul, Yu Yuan's soul began to fray amidst the torment.

The Yin God, Yang God, and the primary soul, interconnected and sharing memories, all contained fragments related to Du Jing.

The activation of the curse sent all three of Yu Yuan's souls into a state of shock. Meanwhile, Huangyin, encircled by the Colorful Lake, had amassed tens of thousands of demons, ghosts, and spirits, with even more rapidly converging on the area. Deep in thought, Huangyin appeared to require continuous chanting in the ancient demonic tongue. Only through relentless incantations could he summon the devils and ghosts lurking within a thousand miles and organize them into a formation. Should his spellcasting be disrupted, the nefarious formation would fail to materialize, rendering all his efforts futile.

"Master, master..." Yu Yiyi, from within the Evil Cauldron, softly called out to Yu Yuan over and over. She sensed that when Yu Yuan was bound by Du Jing's evil curse, his three souls became entangled, causing his memories to weave chaotically together. Consequently, Yu Yuan struggled to distinguish between his past and present, his second and third lives. With the experiences of Hong Qi and Yu Yuan muddled, he couldn't ascertain his own identity, uncertain whether he was dead or alive.

The Ghost Wizard Sect's sinister secret curse was infamous for its bizarre nature in that era, ensnaring numerous formidable beings. Those who had only lived once, their memories scrambled, would become mentally deranged, unable to recognize themselves. Yu Yuan, however, possessed memories from three lifetimes! Even though the memories from his first life had never surfaced and remained uninvolved, the mental recoil from the disrupted memories of his second and third lives far exceeded that of other practitioners.

"It's useless. You're merely the Artifact Soul of the Evil Cauldron. What effect could your cries possibly have?" Yuen Qingxi, seeing Yu Yuan's soul in disarray and knowing the curse was effective, relaxed. Even while chanting, he could afford to split his focus to monitor the situation and engage in dialogue with Yu Yiyi. In fact, he remained vigilant of the Ghost God White Bone throughout their conversation. His greatest fear was a second intervention from White Bone, anxious that it might shatter the curse woven from Du Jing's ghost using the thread of karmic memory. Yuen Qingxi was well aware of White Bone's formidable capabilities.

When he noticed the white bone's indifferent expression and lack of intent to strike, he finally felt truly relieved. "Huangyin, don't hold back anymore. The demon beneath you can afford to be more daring."

"Oh."

The Earth Demon Ancestor, with his head bowed, emitted another voice from within his chest, a voice that did not interfere with his incantations.

The once plump body of the demon suddenly stiffened, its tentacles turning as rigid as gray-black spears, gleaming with a cold, hard sheen as if capable of piercing through anything.

The numerous spear-like tentacles shot towards Yu Yuan, who was standing before the Dragon Slash Platform.

Whoosh!

The gray fox Earth Demon, in sync with the demon, revealed a complex demonic sigil in its eyes, which burned with a purple ghostly fire, seemingly hastening the disarray of Yu Yuan's soul.

The gray fox's furry hands, still balled into fists, remotely struck at Yu Yuan's chest.

Thud!

A small indentation instantly formed on Yu Yuan's chest.

Seizing the moment, the spear-like tentacles of the demon jabbed at Yu Yuan's waist, thighs, neck, and arms.

In that instant, Yu Yuan seemed to be impaled by a thousand swords, yet he felt no pain. His face and eyes were clouded with bewilderment.

"Master!"

Yu Yiyi burst forth from the Evil Cauldron, and with a thought, the Ice Concubine transformed into a sharp ice blade that landed in her grasp.

Gripping the ice blade, she struggled to sever the demon's tentacles, aiming to chop them off one by one.

But more slippery tentacles emerged from the bloated demon, entwining with her midair figure.

Her maneuvering space shrank as she became engulfed by tentacles, leaving her too preoccupied to rescue Yu Yuan.

The gray fox huffed softly, its tiny fists relentlessly pounding down.

Yu Yiyi, wielding the ice blade, was suddenly hit hard. Her frail and graceful form stumbled backward in a forced retreat.

In no time, she was ensnared by the numerous slimy tentacles, swiftly becoming engulfed within their grasp.

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