Your Spell Version is Too Low!

Qi Yun opened the Storage Pouch before him and scanned its contents. A Crystal Bottle, about the thickness of a thumb and murky yellow in color, caught his eye.

"This is... Yellow Springs Holy Water?"

With a thought, Qi Yun retrieved the Crystal Bottle, which was about the size of a perfume bottle, and examined it closely.

The liquid inside the bottle was a murky yellow, looking like muddy water.

But it was bone-chillingly cold to the touch. If not for the special Crystal Bottle containing it, a mere touch would have been enough to freeze a person’s fingers off.

’It is said that within the Yellow Springs Netherworld, there is a tributary of the Yellow Springs itself. The Netherworld disciples can draw Yellow Springs Holy Water from it to aid their cultivation.

Yellow Springs Holy Water is one of the thirty-three Divine Waters of the world.

Also known as Forgetfulness Water.

Its uses are miraculous. It can not only cleanse wounds to the Divine Soul but also mitigate the backlash from Daoist Intent and even increase the success rate of elixir refinement...

However, these Netherworld disciples can only access a peripheral amount at most.

This bottle of Yellow Springs Holy Water is also a diluted version.’

Gently swirling the Crystal Bottle in his hand, Qi Yun felt a flicker of temptation.

He had fully activated the Nanming Sword Demon, suffering a backlash from its Daoist Intent. Although he had suppressed it for now, he had not fully healed.

And this Yellow Springs Holy Water was the perfect remedy...

’Still, it’s not a good idea. It belongs to someone else, after all. Heaven knows if they’ve added something to it.’

After a moment’s thought, Qi Yun abandoned the idea. He turned, grabbed it, and began its Refinement in an instant!

As the Daoist Intent contained within the Yellow Springs Holy Water was absorbed by the Magic Technique Panel, the update progress for the Skull Curse slowly edged forward.

But the amount in one small bottle of Yellow Springs Holy Water was clearly not enough to complete the Skull Curse’s update.

Fortunately, in the Storage Pouches of these Netherworld Cultivators, almost every one of them had a bottle or two of Yellow Springs Holy Water, as if it were standard issue.

’Compared to them, the Holy Sect seems a bit stingy...’ Qi Yun grumbled to himself as he continued the Refinement of the Yellow Springs Holy Water.

Soon, Qi Yun had completed the Refinement of more than ten bottles of Yellow Springs Holy Water.

He even found two low-quality Magical Artifacts containing compatible Daoist Intent, which were also devoured by the Magic Technique Panel.

With all these boosts, the update progress for the Skull Curse once again reached Perfection.

[Magic auto-update complete. This is a minor version update. The magic’s effects have been adjusted as follows:]

[Skull Curse 6.0: Increased magic power, increased number of White Bone Skeletons.]

A simple update, plain and unadorned.

When Qi Yun expertly formed the hand signs for the Skull Curse’s Spell...

One after another, White Bone Skeleton skulls—their eye sockets burning with ghastly white Soul Fire and their bodies radiating a sinister aura—flew out from his waist, cackling strangely with a KAKAKA sound!

One, two, three... nine!

This update had once again caused a massive increase in the number of White Bone Skeletons, bringing the total to a full nine!

Looking at the nine White Bone Skeletons hovering around him like stars orbiting the moon, a satisfied smile touched the corners of Qi Yun’s mouth.

’The increase in numbers really does produce an immediate effect.’

Not only did Skull Curse 6.0 greatly increase the quantity, but the power of these Protective Skeletons was also raised significantly.

Their defensive power could withstand a full-force blow from a Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator, and their self-regeneration speed was also much faster.

Offensively, the ghastly white Yin Fire burning around the skulls contained an extremely potent corpse toxin. Once touched, it was incredibly difficult to remove, corroding the very bones and marrow.

At the same time, the effect of Devouring Essence—draining bones and sucking marrow—was also greatly enhanced, allowing them to absorb even more Cultivation.

If all nine White Bone Skeletons swarmed at once, even a Qi Refining Fifth Layer Cultivator would likely find it hard to resist.

With a wave of his sleeve, he recalled the nine skulls. Then, with a Heart Thought, the Abyssal Iron Sand Cocoon that had sealed Du Yunian and Shen Fan for so long silently dispersed, releasing the two of them.

"This... What is this..."

The moment they were freed, Du Yunian and Shen Fan gasped in shock at the devastated scene before them.

The surrounding ground was scorched black and Broken, as if ravaged by Fierce Fire and then crushed by immense force.

More than ten horrifying, shriveled, and cracked corpses lay strewn across the ground, their deaths appearing wretched.

And yet, Qi Yun stood there, calm and composed, his robes neat and not a hair out of place.

"Netherworld Cultivators. Which of you two knows how to Soul Search?"

With a wave of his hand, Qi Yun tossed out a Netherworld Cultivator whose limbs had been severed, collarbones pierced, and mouth and nose sealed shut.

He had intentionally left one alive, wanting to find out how these cultivators from another Demon Sect had managed to get into the Peach Garden.

"I... I can."

Answering, Shen Fan quickly stepped forward. This was a rare chance to perform, and he had to seize it.

After a subtle glance at Qi Yun’s frighteningly calm face, Shen Fan knelt down, cupped the head of the Netherworld Cultivator—whose eyes were filled with absolute terror—and slightly parted his lips.

Wisps of smoky purple mist flew from his mouth and, like living things, burrowed into the cultivator’s seven orifices.

’Soul-Scraping Sand?’

Seeing the Soul-Searching Skill Shen Fan was using, Qi Yun raised an eyebrow.

’This is an extremely advanced Soul-Searching Technique.

When used on someone of equal or lower Cultivation, it can extract almost all of their memories.

It can even scrape away a portion of the target’s Power of the Divine Soul to strengthen the user.

The price, however, is that the victim’s Divine Soul is damaged, leaving them a drooling idiot and making a second Soul Search impossible.

As a second-generation scion, this Shen Fan certainly has some capital. His talent and comprehension are outstanding; he’s no mediocrity.’

Under the effect of Shen Fan’s Soul-Scraping Sand, the targeted Netherworld Cultivator began to convulse violently, as if he were being electrocuted.

He was twitching so fast he left afterimages.

His eyes rolled back wildly in their sockets, and meaningless "HURK HURK" sounds escaped his throat.

A moment later, the purplish-red smoke drilled its way back out of the man’s seven orifices and was inhaled back into Shen Fan’s mouth.

"What did you find?" Qi Yun stepped closer and asked in a low voice.

"They are indeed cultivators from the Yellow Springs Netherworld. They were ordered by the Yellow Springs Netherworld to come to the Peach Garden via a secret path to ambush us Holy Sect Disciples.

And... and..."

As if he had seen something terrifying, Shen Fan’s face was pale with panic.

"They are continuously widening that path.

Before long, True Cultivators... or even Masters from the Yellow Springs Netherworld will use this path to descend upon the Peach Garden!"

"What?!" Hearing this news, Du Yunian, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but cry out in horror.

"That path they took... where is the entrance?" Qi Yun’s brow tightened as he pressed for an answer.

"I don’t know. It’s a massive ritualistic Array. Once those Netherworld Cultivators step inside, they are transported into the Peach Garden.

And..."

Swallowing hard, Shen Fan struggled to keep his voice from trembling.

"Based on the fragmented information from the Soul Search, the Yellow Springs Netherworld isn’t the only one involved in this operation.

At least two other major Demon Dao sects on par with our own have also sent a large number of disciples to invade the Peach Garden.

Three major sects are joining forces to besiege our Holy Sect!"

...