Chapter 189

Chapter 189: The Demon Gourd Devours True Essence

Li Hui tried many methods but could not shake even a single chain.

These chains felt substantial, crafted from square, sharp-edged hooks strung together. Most of the chains were thick, too large for five people to embrace; some were thin like strands of hair, yet those hair-like chains were extremely sharp, not to be touched at all.

Of course, there were chains that weren’t too thick or too thin. Two disciples of the Jade Symbol Sect standing at the entrance were bound by chains of that size.

Experience matters; Dugu Yi not only set traps both bright and dark at the entrance but also stationed people outside to prevent unexpected incidents. However, the surprise attack came too swiftly, and no method proved useful.

Li Hui was also trapped; despite having a twenty-zhang range to move, he could do nothing but watch.

“Guang Jin, is there any response from the Embroidered Ball?”

“How could it be that quick? Sir, cultivating the peach tree demon takes nine months of gestation, and only in the tenth month do results start to show. For the Embroidered Ball, with such severe injuries, her soul might be incomplete. Whether she can be transferred to another talisman brush and reborn is uncertain.”

Li Hui looked grave. “Isn’t there hope with the Soul Nourishing Water and the white mat?”

Guang Jin answered awkwardly, “It’s precisely because of the Soul Nourishing Water and the white mat, along with the roots of the Kasyapa Bodhi tree, and the eighty-one precious Nine Patterns Three Exotics monster-conjuring talismans, along with my skills, that there is even a slim chance. Plus, as you moved the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman, a strand of Dao rhythm leaked out, seemingly showing wondrous effects.”

“Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman?” Li Hui pondered, realizing only today that a residual talisman truly soaked into the essence of the Jade Symbol Sect likely surpassed its level by many. Unfortunately, his vision was limited; he wasn’t even at the Gathering Spirit stage and could not imagine this matter.

He turned to observe the Blue Snake, which had inflated to ten zhang in length. Dugu Yi donned a golden-red armor artifact, but they were all ensnared within a mass of chains.

“Boom…” Suddenly, his heart raced.

Li Hui was taken aback as he saw the chains surrounding the Blue Snake and Dugu Yi glow brightly. Meanwhile, the chains binding the two disciples of the Jade Symbol Sect outside the entrance began to shine too, though their brightness was vastly different.

“Yow…” The Blue Snake let out a terrified scream, and Dugu Yi followed with a roar as their aura began to decline.

“Hmm? Are these chains drawing the power from them?” Li Hui speculated, watching countless colors surge in, rapidly repairing the chains shattered by the silver snake, causing the breaks to visibly grow.

Before long, a dazzling array of colors flowed in from all directions, all converging at the gap created by the silver snake.

“Oh no! If the formation restores, will I be locked in and at their mercy? I must think of a way.” Taking a desperate gamble, Li Hui quickly used the damage-dealing talisman.

It truly worked; the damage-dealing talisman opened a gap, allowing a large amount of light to leak in.

This was neither spiritual energy nor spiritual force. Instead, it was elemental energy and true energy, with wisps of magical power, a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand times more refined than spiritual energy, instantly creating a terrifying pressure, like immense mountains crushing down.

Li Hui coughed up blood, feeling like a little sparrow forced to swallow snakes, leopards, and elephants—wasn’t that absurd?

The Heavenly and Earthly Arrays absorbed spiritual energy, yet this influx of colors didn’t fit. What to do? A flash of inspiration struck his mind; he suddenly remembered the Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd. If anything on him could absorb elemental energy and true energy, it had to be this gourd.

The Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd was not a treasure; it was born from the growth of demon plants. Qian Qiu Yue had tested him with numerous items, and aside from the Celestial Meteor God Iron waist token, this gourd was her first choice.

The gourd, about half a foot tall, resembled something crafted from gold, with a design of leisurely clouds and wild cranes on the front and many ancient numerals carved on the back corresponding to the Heaven’s stems and Earth’s branches, the five elements, and the eight trigrams.

To infuse elemental energy and true energy, he couldn’t pour it in through the mouth of the gourd, but needed to channel it according to the numbers. This was likely due to the unique attributes of each individual. However, with so much light now, as soon as Li Hui took out the Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd, all the numerals began to glow, and the pressure rapidly diminished.

“What a treasure!” Li Hui was ecstatic, losing count of how many times he had clawed his way back from the edge of death today. The Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd acted like a bottomless pit, devouring massive amounts of elemental energy and true energy.

Next, he would use several damage-dealing talismans occasionally for guidance, and that elemental energy and true energy would naturally flow out from the chains. The Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd would accept all that came.

“Hmm?”

Li Hui noticed a difference; this Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd did not resemble the one recorded in the classics. He had thought the surface was coated in Geng Gold to mask its aura, but upon closer look, that was not the case at all.

“Impressive! It turns out it isn’t merely coated with Geng Gold; it has absorbed a lot of Geng Gold within the gourd itself. How strange! What is it trying to accomplish?”

About half an hour later, the Blue Snake let out a high-pitched scream, and the chains holding it turned blue.

Instantly, dazzling blue light spread out, frosting the ground. In an instant, the air felt cold. Li Hui became slightly concerned that the gourd might not withstand it, but to his surprise, the gourd floated from his hand, hovering in the air, spinning whimsically, still welcoming any blue light the formation sent its way.

Originally, the damage-dealing talisman didn’t possess such strong effects; the critical point being that the “damaging” part was completed by the entire Wan Nest Island formation, leaving only the need for “benefiting oneself” by guiding elemental energy and true energy.

Not only was the Underground Thirteenth Layer affected, but the Upper Twelfth Layer was also locked down, including Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang, who were preparing to advance to the Bosa realm, unable to escape this disaster.

A massive suction force surged in wave after wave, with disciples of the Jade Symbol Sect, Li Family cultivators, and Slave Cultivators under Hongmo Zheng Lin, all unable to flee, losing their power under the chains’ hold.

The dazzling blue light lasted for thirty breaths, slowly dimming, and the Blue Snake’s power weakened noticeably.

Li Hui sighed, wishing the Blue Snake would break through, becoming the vanguard against the formation, but this Cold Armor Emperor was all he had!

His heart filled with disappointment, he wondered if Dugu Yi could create a miracle with his Golden Silk Ring Knife, as he too remained locked in the formation.

If the Blue Snake and Dugu Yi knew how this fellow was thinking, they would certainly be infuriated. If the gourd hadn’t been released, the formation would have repaired its gap long ago, sparing them from such toil!

At this moment, a subtle balance was achieved; the formation sought to restore the gap opened by the silver snake bracelet, while Li Hui stubbornly resisted its repair, depending on how much elemental energy and true energy the Nine-Nine Scatter Yuan Gourd could contain.

In fact, Li Hui was mentally prepared to burst the gourd due to the formation’s blockage, but whether waiting left or right, it wouldn’t explode.

“Elemental Talisman, explode for me!” Just at that crucial moment, Dugu Yi delivered support.

This fellow had buried a talisman in his body, meant for storing true essence. Though his cultivation only reached Late Condense Essence, he could use the true energy of the All-Manifestation Realm. Naturally, invoking such an elemental talisman could damage his meridians, but the power was also considerable. All of a sudden, the enchanting blade light flickered, causing Li Hui’s heart to tighten.