Chapter 345: Demon

Half a year later, with the help of the pills refined by Chunyangzi, Zhang Nuo's body had finally recovered by seventy or eighty percent, and the meridians in his body could now allow his cultivation techniques to circulate.

This day, while Chunyangzi was busy in the alchemy room, a call from Zhang Nuo suddenly came! Hearing this, Chunyangzi quickly arrived in the main hall; at this moment, he saw Zhang Nuo holding the small, pale blue tripod he had obtained from Wei Juren.

This tripod emitted a deep blue light, rotating slowly and incessantly in his palm! Yet Zhang Nuo's gaze was fixed heavily upon the mouth of the tripod, as if something had happened.

"What is it?"

Chunyangzi also glanced into the tripod, only to see dense blue electric arcs inside, occasionally emitting a 'squeaking' sound!

"Senior, do you recognize the thing inside here?"

Zhang Nuo had originally been meditating in seclusion when the Four Spirits Square Cauldron within his body suddenly erupted with a wave of energy, as if something inside it was becoming manic! After a moment of contemplation, he recalled the black skull Magic Treasure and the giant silver eye he had collected during his battle with Jin Buhuan; could it be that these two items were causing trouble inside?

When he took out the small tripod to look, he couldn't help but gasp; he saw that, at some unknown time, the black skull had fused together with the giant silver eye. In one of the skull's eye sockets, the silver eye was peering out of the tripod, and it was emitting bursts of hissing roars.

In terror, Zhang Nuo hurriedly called for Chunyangzi! Zhang Nuo had never heard of Magic Treasures being able to fuse on their own!

When Chunyangzi's gaze fell into the small tripod, his expression changed drastically; he retreated several yards as if encountering a venomous snake or scorpion before steadying his stance.

"Where did you get this thing from?"

It was rare for anything to make Chunyangzi this afraid, and Zhang Nuo was also greatly astonished.

"Didn't I tell you before! When I fought Jin Buhuan of the Great Underworld Mansion, I once collected two of his Magic Treasures, a black skull and a giant silver eye; I didn't expect the two of them to actually fuse together on their own!"

After speaking briefly, Zhang Nuo looked toward the tripod again and saw the black skull moving its jaw, as if it were saying something!

"That is not a Magic Treasure at all! It is the skull of a powerful being from the Demon Realm!"

Chunyangzi's voice trembled slightly, his grim gaze filled with fear!

"What!"

Zhang Nuo was also quite frightened; he had not expected that the thing he had collected into the Four Spirits Square Cauldron was actually the skull of a Demon Realm cultivator! The hair on his head stood slightly on end, and the palm holding the small tripod began to tremble as well.

"This… how is this possible! Jin Buhuan was clearly still using it to fight me!"

Staring in shock at the black skull inside the small tripod, Zhang Nuo simply could not believe it!

"I cannot be mistaken. Although its Demonic Qi is restrained, it is impossible to conceal the demonic nature upon it!"

Seeing that Zhang Nuo was somewhat skeptical, Chunyangzi explained again.

"Also, that silver eyeball is not a Magic Treasure either; if I am not mistaken, that should be one of this demon's eyes!"

Zhang Nuo was a bit stunned this time; he had inadvertently collected the skull of a Demon Realm cultivator into his small tripod! After pondering for a moment, he raised his palm slightly, and under the urging of his Divine Sense, a cluster of blue electric arcs surged out from the Four Spirits Square Cauldron, wrapping around the black skull!

Bound by the electric arcs, the head appeared extremely restless, its lower jaw moving repeatedly to produce the sound of teeth clashing together! Chunyangzi flashed quickly to Zhang Nuo's side, and the two of them stared at the black skull together! After a long while, Chunyangzi finally let out a long breath and said:

"It seems the people of the Great Underworld Mansion must have used some kind of secret technique to seal its soul within the skull! Otherwise, this would just be an ordinary skull!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the black skull within the blue electric arcs looked toward Chunyangzi's phantom with that single silver eye!

"A cultivator from the Immortal World! Hehe!"

After uttering these words, the black skull let out a cold laugh! The laughter was filled with sorrow, and there was also a faint, eerie, and sinister aura that made Zhang Nuo feel very uncomfortable!

"Who are you?"

Chunyangzi was much calmer than before; he looked at the black skull and asked indifferently.

"I am a cultivator from the Demon Realm. I did not expect that in an accident, I would be swept into a spatial storm, and after a narrow escape from death, I actually ended up in the Human Realm!"

At this point, the black skull sighed deeply, as if many things had happened that still made him feel lingering fear to this day! Zhang Nuo and Chunyangzi quickly exchanged a glance, both having guessed what happened afterward.

"Later, I encountered an avatar from the Underworld. After several fierce battles, I was ultimately defeated and ended up in this state! My soul was imprisoned by him within my skull, and he even used my body to refine a Magic Treasure! Truly detestable!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and the black skull gnashed its teeth with a 'clacking' sound!

"It seems you have had a more miserable experience than me, fellow Daoist!"

Chunyangzi sighed, his expression appearing somewhat sorrowful. Back then, he had hidden in the Nine Dragon Sword Case in the form of a Remnant Soul and had inadvertently been lost to the Human Realm, but fortunately, he had met Zhang Nuo, this kid who possessed the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect'! Otherwise, in another thousand or eight hundred years, this strand of his Remnant Soul would have dissipated into smoke!

"For these years, I have only been curious about one thing: why would there be such a powerful avatar of an Underworld cultivator in the Human Realm? When I fought him, this avatar's strength was not weak!"

"You must be talking about the 'Master' of the Great Underworld Mansion! I have never been able to figure out this person's origins; it might even be the avatar of one of the Ten Kings of the Underworld!"

Chunyangzi's expression remained unchanged as he spoke vaguely.

"An avatar of the Ten Kings of the Underworld?"

The black skull pondered for a moment, and then there was no sound from his mouth! The Ten Kings of the Underworld were top-tier existences in the Underworld; if one were to fall into the hands of their avatar, it could not be considered unlucky!

"Judging by your cultivation level now, it is not difficult to deduce your former glory! Could you tell this old man your name?"

Seeing the black skull remain silent, Chunyangzi smiled faintly and said.

"Hmph! Having fallen to such a state, why mention the past! In the Demon Realm, everyone calls me Baji!"

"You are Baji Laomo!"

Upon hearing the name Baji, Zhang Nuo felt nothing, but Chunyangzi almost cried out. He moved his feet, observing the black skull from different angles, his eyes filled with disbelief!

"You know me?"

"Hehe! Baji Laomo is a resounding golden signboard in the Demon Realm! I did not expect that we would meet under such circumstances!"

Chunyangzi gave a bitter laugh and shook his head gently.

"Fellow Daoist is a cultivator from the Immortal World, so you must also have a great background! May I ask for your name?"

"This old man is Chunyangzi!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chunyangzi stated his name directly! The black skull of Baji Laomo moved, as if he were trying his best to recall the name. Suddenly, his silver eyeball radiated an eerie light, and he said in a deep voice:

"In the Immortal World of the past, there was a cultivator with a Pure Yang Body who was proficient in all kinds of Supreme Yang Fire Arts; could it be you?"

"Indeed, it is this old man!"

The two felt a sense of mutual appreciation. Once their identities were clear, they actually began to chat, leaving Zhang Nuo to the side! Looking at Chunyangzi in his Remnant Soul state and Baji Laomo as a black skull, Zhang Nuo stuck out his tongue and licked his somewhat dry lips.

"I say, two seniors, can you please stop for a moment!"

Zhang Nuo spoke up to interrupt their conversation. At this moment, Chunyangzi and Baji Laomo finally realized that there was still a kid from the Human Realm beside them!

"Speaking of which, I should thank you. If you hadn't collected me into this small tripod, I fear I would still be driven by others!"

The black skull turned his head and said to Zhang Nuo with a hint of gratitude.

"I did that unintentionally!"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by what Baji Laomo said, Zhang Nuo gave an awkward smile; in truth, taking the black skull into the Four Spirits Square Cauldron back then was entirely a move born of helplessness, and he had never thought of anything else.

"Fellow Daoist Baji, I think you had better stay inside the Small Tripod for the time being! When there is an opportunity in the future, this old man will find a way to restore your physical body!"

After speaking, Chunyangzi secretly winked at Zhang Nuo, and Zhang Nuo immediately understood; without waiting for the black skull to make any reaction, he moved his Divine Sense and took it back into the Four Spirits Square Cauldron. Afterward, the Small Tripod spun rapidly in his palm and vanished!

"Senior! Is this guy's background really that significant?"

After finishing all this, Zhang Nuo turned his head back and asked Chunyangzi.

"The reputation of Baji Laomo cannot be underestimated in the Demon Realm! I never expected you to have brought him here!"

As he spoke, a somewhat evil smile appeared on Chunyangzi's face! At the same time, his gaze looked at Zhang Nuo full of anticipation.

"What are you planning to do?"

Sensing that Chunyangzi's gaze was unusual, Zhang Nuo immediately became alert.

"Kid Zhang, you don't know, this demon once cultivated a great supernatural Demonic Arts, and his name actually comes from that Demonic Arts! I am wondering if we can make him teach you the mental cultivation method of the Demonic Arts; if so, when you are in the Human Realm, you will possess supreme Demonic Arts!"

A flash of light suddenly appeared in his eyes, and Zhang Nuo was also stirred up by what Chunyangzi said; at this moment, his body already cultivated both righteous and Underworld cultivation methods, and if he were to add Demonic Arts, he wondered who would be his match once his cultivation reached the Nascent Soul Stage? However, he quickly had a change of thought and felt something was amiss.

Back then, in order to cultivate the Underworld cultivation method, he had forcibly transformed the Divine Sea within his body; if he wanted to cultivate Demonic Arts as well, it might be even more difficult! The first problem to solve was the Divine Sea! How could he make the Divine Sea accommodate three types of Spiritual Qi at the same time?

Seeing Zhang Nuo first look happy and then fall into deep thought, Chunyangzi smiled faintly:

"As long as we can get our hands on Baji Laomo's Demonic Arts, the rest will be easy to handle!"

Hearing Chunyangzi's words, Zhang Nuo nodded heavily; previously, he had been beaten by those Nascent Soul Stage cultivators with no power to fight back, so now that there was an opportunity for revenge, he naturally would not let it go! He immediately gritted his teeth and began to discuss with Chunyangzi how to extract the Demonic Arts from Baji Laomo!