Record of a Demon's Cultivation-Chapter 1161: Underwater Tunnel

Translator: CinderTL

Song Wen flipped his hand, revealing two blood-red medicinal pills in his palm.

He opened his mouth and swallowed both pills.

A surge of pure Spiritual Qi erupted from his abdomen, instantly refined by the torrent of spiritual power surging through his meridians.

Yet Song Wen frowned, clearly dissatisfied.

He was on the verge of a breakthrough, but the meager Spiritual Qi provided by the two Blood Demon Pills fell far short of helping him cross this critical threshold.

Steel in his heart, he retrieved ten more Corpse Demon Pills and swallowed them whole.

"Ah..."

Song Wen gritted his teeth, a low groan escaping his lips.

The toxicity of the ten Corpse Demon Pills erupted simultaneously, their potency not merely additive but exponentially amplified, a hundred times stronger than a single pill.

A searing pain gripped Song Wen’s abdomen.

Still, the ten pills failed to shatter his bottleneck.

A ruthless glint flashed in Song Wen’s eyes. He retrieved twenty more Corpse Demon Pills and shoved them into his mouth without hesitation.

With a few gulps, twenty medicinal pills slid down his throat.

Instantly, the poison surged through his body again, like countless razor-sharp steel knives churning wildly through his internal organs.

Song Wen endured the excruciating pain, continuing to circulate the Corpse King’s Rebirth Art, absorbing the Spiritual Qi generated by the pills’ consumption of his blood essence.

He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on the backs of his hands bulged like writhing snakes.

Only one thought burned in his mind: I must break through this damned bottleneck!

But in this world, things rarely go as planned.

Pfft!

Song Wen’s body suddenly lurched sideways, and he spat out a torrent of blood, staining the ground crimson.

The violent poison had not only ravaged his internal organs but also disrupted the flow of his spiritual power. Like a wild horse freed from its reins, his spiritual power spiraled out of control, shattering any hope of breaking through.

Song Wen gasped heavily, and after a moment, the agonizing pain finally began to subside.

He staggered to his feet, his eyes dark and malevolent as he glared coldly at Hong Zhe’s corpse on the ground. With a vicious kick, he sent the body flying.

"Damn waste of space!"

With a crack, the already desiccated corpse shattered under Song Wen’s vengeful kick, instantly pulverizing into dust that swirled through the air.

Watching the dust scatter, Song Wen’s fury remained undiminished. His consciousness immediately plunged into his Sea of Consciousness.

Within the Sea of Consciousness:

The souls of Hong Zhe, Jiang Yushan, and Jiang Lanruo were imprisoned in the same location, while the shadow void lingered a distance away.

The moment Song Wen appeared, terror flashed across their faces.

Facing the Sea of Consciousness Black Hole, they knew their souls could be scattered and spirits vanished with a mere thought from Song Wen. All hope of escape had vanished.

Song Wen’s expression was icy as he formed a hand seal, gradually conjuring a mass of Golden Essence.

Sensing the searing heat radiating from the Golden Essence, their terror intensified.

"The Golden Soup Curse!" Hong Zhe exclaimed in horror.

"Since you recognize it," Song Wen said, "why don’t you savor its taste?"

Under Hong Zhe’s terrified gaze, the Golden Essence slowly approached him.

"Fellow Daoist, wait! You’ve imprisoned our souls solely to extract information. I swear to reveal everything I know—just grant me a swift end."

The Golden Essence abruptly halted its advance.

"Is that true?" Song Wen asked.

Hong Zhe, staring at the Golden Essence that was now less than a foot from his face, hurriedly replied, "Knowing my fate is sealed, why would I invite further torment before my soul scatters and spirit vanishes?"

"You’re quite pragmatic," Song Wen murmured, nodding slightly after a moment’s contemplation.

Though he longed to torment Hong Zhe to vent his anger, the method for reaching the Eastern Profound Continent far outweighed his personal resentment.

"Besides the Veiled Moon Hall’s Teleportation Array, what other ways exist to reach the Eastern Profound Continent?" Song Wen cut straight to the chase, asking his most pressing question.

"As far as I know," Hong Zhe replied, "the only other option is to cross the strait between the Qicang Domain and the Eastern Profound Continent."

Song Wen’s expression turned cold. "It seems you’re useless after all!"

As he spoke, the Golden Essence began to move again, slowly advancing toward Hong Zhe.

"Wait!" Hong Zhe shouted frantically, his voice cracking. "Actually, crossing the strait isn’t entirely impossible!"

Song Wen’s eyes lit up, and he immediately recalled the Golden Essence.

"Oh? Elaborate."

Hong Zhe’s expression calmed slightly as he spoke, "I once read an ancient text in the Divine Blood Gate’s library. It stated that in ancient times, there was no Primordial Qi between the Qicang Domain and the Eastern Profound Continent. Cultivators could freely cross the strait between the two lands. However, approximately a million years ago, Primordial Qi suddenly surged forth, covering a sea region spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. Over time, the Primordial Qi gradually expanded, engulfing the entire strait."

He paused briefly, as if gathering his thoughts, before continuing.

"From then on, this strait transformed into the Primordial Qi Death Zone, a place of terror and an impassable chasm that severed the two lands. Despite the dangers of the Death Zone, some still sought to cross between the two continents. Thus, a tunnel was carved beneath the seabed. Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, the Divine Blood Gate repeatedly used this tunnel before eventually establishing the Teleportation Array."

Song Wen’s eyebrows furrowed into a deep "川" shape, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Hong Zhe, if this tunnel is as safe as you claim, why is it unknown to all the cultivators on Qicang Island? Moreover, why have I never heard of anyone successfully crossing to the Eastern Profound Continent through this tunnel?"

Hong Zhe said, "For ordinary Void Refinement Stage cultivators, this tunnel is naturally extremely dangerous. Even without considering the Resentful Spirits and Void Clan demons that might appear at any moment, the dense Primordial Qi in the core region would be insurmountable for them. However, for you, fellow daoist, this should pose no great difficulty."

Song Wen asked, "What makes you say that? Also, what exactly are these Void Clan demons?"

Hong Zhe turned his head to gaze at the shadow void in the distance.

"That creature is one of the Void Clan demons, and a member of their royal lineage. The Void Clan shares some similarities with the demon race, comprising various distinct species. Some Void Clan members are born with immense power and extraordinary innate talents, much like the Divine Beast bloodlines among demons. We refer to these elite Void Clan members as the royal lineage. The royal lineage exerts a natural bloodline dominance over other Void Clan demons; as long as the cultivation realms aren’t too disparate, the royal lineage can command other Void Clan demons at will, forcing them to submit to their will. This is precisely why the Divine Blood Gate places such importance on the shadow void."

"Furthermore, the royal lineage can sense the presence of other Void Clan members from great distances. Although the shadow void suppressed within your Sea of Consciousness won’t allow you to roam freely through the Primordial Qi Death Zone, crossing the strait should be a relatively simple task."

"Moreover, fellow daoist, you cultivate the Corpse King’s Rebirth Art. As you likely know, this cultivation technique significantly weakens the corrosive effects of Primordial Qi. As long as you don’t linger excessively in the Primordial Qi Death Zone, even the Primordial Qi in the core region will pose no threat to you."

(End of the Chapter)