Moments later, in the open space outside the wooden Dao Hall, Chu Weiyang piled up earth into a mound.
The small hill was only half a leg high for an ordinary person, with a flat surface in the center, marked by eight slanted sides.
At the corners, eight jade talismans were placed, corresponding to the Eight Trigrams of the later heaven.
In the center, surrounded by the eight jade talismans, lay the demon serpent that Chu Weiyang had poisoned into unconsciousness earlier.
Standing before the earthen platform, Chu Weiyang held a stick of incense in one hand, igniting it with the jade fire from his palm.
As the curling smoke dispersed, a murmur of indistinct words escaped his lips, resembling a whispered incantation.
In an instant, the surroundings fell still, and the swirling smoke seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, gathering entirely on the earthen mound, wrapping the demon serpent layer by layer.
Chu Weiyang's muffled voice was hoarse and low, further accentuating the silence of the island and the eerie changes unfolding before him.
As time passed, when the incense in Chu Weiyang's hand burned out, the last flicker of red flame leaped from his fingertips, turning to ash and dust, dissipating in the friction of his fingers.
At the same time, the indistinct murmurs from his mouth abruptly ceased.
He carefully examined the earthen platform.
Soon after, dark gray smoke began to seep from the gaps in the demon serpent's scales, gradually condensing in mid-air into a vague and indistinct upper body form.
Upon closer inspection, it was an old man with a twisted, grotesque face, covered in horn-like scales.
The contorted wrinkles on his face seemed to be filled with suffering, as if his soul had endured unimaginable pain before disintegrating.
This was the second time Chu Weiyang had witnessed a person's soul manifesting externally.
However, unlike the lively spirit of Chunyu Zhi's soul, the old man before him appeared to be trapped in a prolonged stupor, completely oblivious to the changes in the outside world.
Perhaps this was what Chunyu Zhi referred to as a muddled true spirit.
At the same time, Chunyu Zhi seemed to glimpse some connection and essence from the old man's stupor.
In her mind, her clear voice carried a hint of astonishment, as if she had encountered a rare spectacle.
Hearing this, Chu Weiyang's spirit lifted.
It was something he had never heard before, and seeing the words within the words, he speculated that it might be a lost lineage from the demonic path.
Upon hearing this, Chunyu Zhi scoffed, seemingly dismissive. "Which sect? To call it a lineage is already flattering them! The so-called Blood Evil Path is a branch of the left-hand path that emerged many years ago, advocating the abandonment of the meridians of the Zhou Tian and nurturing the blood's primordial spirit, believing it to be the elixir of the flesh and the foundation of enlightenment.
But a single breath of qi is the innate true yang, while the blood is merely the result of postnatal cycles. Indeed, the qi and blood nourish the limbs and bones, but they also carry the filth of the body. To refine the spiritual qi and primordial qi within, one would need top-tier spiritual pills!
However, such top-tier spiritual pills mostly come from sacred lands or great sects. At the very least, they would originate from established lineages and noble families. With such a background, how could they fall to practicing the Blood Evil techniques of the left-hand path, which are utterly beneath notice?
Thus, those practitioners have strayed further down the wrong path. Ten out of ten of these practitioners ultimately tread the path of blood refinement, completely deviating from the original intention of nurturing the blood's primordial spirit. And when it comes to blood refinement, nothing is more convenient than the blood of demon beasts.
Unlike ordinary demon practitioners, who refine the demon veins into their very marrow, they take the shortcut of transforming into demon beasts to elevate their realms. Only if they truly have the opportunity to attain enlightenment would they return to human form. It may sound convoluted, but it is still a path.
However, the Blood Evil Path is different; its foundation lies in the blood, yet the subsequent refinement involves the blood of demon beasts. How can this be good? Back in the day, during the external sea turmoil, this lineage briefly flourished, but later, under the protection of the city lords, they ignored this group of heretical practitioners!"
As she spoke, Chu Weiyang observed the old man's grotesque face and gradually discerned some disharmony emanating from within.
The young man sighed deeply.
For this point, Chu Weiyang, who had long been trapped in the Demon Suppression Cave, had a profound understanding.
He then asked another question.
As his voice fell, Chunyu Zhi did not respond immediately; she seemed to be observing.
After a while, she continued, "The lineage of Tingchang Mountain cannot fully comprehend the various techniques and divine abilities in the world, but it can be guessed. It is nothing more than a technique of borrowing a body for rebirth, which early on infused part of the soul's essence into the serpent's egg. Once death occurs, it would be reborn within the serpent's body, hoping to live again in this manner.
But they are ultimately too naive. Not to mention the suffering endured before death, which has already ravaged the soul, just consider that during their cultivation, the evil qi from the blood invades the soul. Once reborn into a demon body, unless one day they attain enlightenment with the demon body, there will be no chance of awakening again."
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang furrowed his brow.
To be honest, he had hoped that this true spirit could awaken.
The appearance of the serpent's egg, which carried the reincarnated lives of many from the Mo family, within Mo Daozhong's hidden treasures already indicated much.
Clearly, what Mo Daozhong had done was not as flawless as he claimed.
Many from the Mo family had already plotted against Mo Daozhong from the very beginning.
But now, this scheme forced Chu Weiyang to take it on himself.
Occupying Lingfu Island, he needed to understand how many were aware of the machinations behind it.
With this thought, Chu Weiyang let out a sigh.
He slowly raised his hand, with strands of evil qi swirling around his fingertips, and without any hesitation, he pointed directly at the old man's soul!
In an instant, it was as if illusory water and fire intertwined, transforming into a raging storm, grinding the old man's fainted soul into true remnants like a millstone.
At that moment, gray smoke emanated from Chu Weiyang's fingertip, and amidst the haze, a mournful sound echoed in his ears and heart.
Yet, when he focused again, the divine form shattered, leaving only disordered fragments of light suspended in the air.
That was the seasonal changes in another's eyes, the essence of cultivation in another's eyes, the universe in another's eyes.
Then came the five-colored flames swirling, the fire evil hand seal, and the middle-aged Daoist with a grotesque face.
After a long time, Chu Weiyang finally withdrew his finger slowly.
Looking again, the demon serpent on the earthen mound had perished, its vitality dissipated, and no spiritual light danced within.
In place, Chu Weiyang appeared somewhat fatigued, standing there, continuously rubbing and stretching his brows.
After a while, it seemed he finally pulled his thoughts from the torrent of memories flowing through his mind.
Almost simultaneously, Chunyu Zhi's voice of lament echoed in his consciousness.
Hearing this, Chu Weiyang understood.
No matter how many words were spoken, he could not meet with the third elder of the Yan family, for this was a true enmity.
With this thought, Chu Weiyang disregarded the tension in his mind and hurriedly placed the remaining demon serpents that had emerged onto the earthen platform.
He proceeded to perform the necessary secret techniques.
After a long time, Chu Weiyang sat pale-faced in place, gasping for breath.
Several chaotic and disordered memories transformed into an unstructured torrent, continuously washing over Chu Weiyang's mind and thoughts.
When he spoke again, his hoarse voice carried a hint of heaviness.
In this manner, Chu Weiyang continued to sort through the chaotic memories in his mind.
For Chu Weiyang, this search also yielded different gains.
After all, these were the true spirits of seasoned old cultivators.
Even though Chu Weiyang's methods were rough, and much of the memories had dissipated, the complete fragments that remained provided him with the full inheritance of several techniques.
Some ordinary water-based techniques, talismans, formations, and restrictions, judging by Mo Daozhong's level, were not particularly profound, but they could save Chu Weiyang many years of time in mastering them.
Moreover, the "Little Five Elements Water Escape Technique," which Chu Weiyang had yet to pick up and comprehend, was also present in the memories of several old cultivators from the Mo family.
Even more chaotic were the disordered teachings of the Blood Evil Path.
Perhaps the Mo family's inheritance was already so withered, or perhaps the soul-searching led to distortions.
In any case, this knowledge was chaotic and lacked a coherent system.
Not to mention a lineage, in Chu Weiyang's eyes, it could hardly be considered a complete technique.
Yet it was precisely this chaotic technique that made Chu Weiyang's gaze toward the earthen platform change significantly.
Earlier, in Chu Weiyang's eyes, the numerous serpent eggs seemed almost identical, all resembling the Bi Yun Hai Serpent.
However, after grasping the knowledge of the Blood Evil Path, looking at the deceased demon serpent, he suddenly understood that the apparent differences were actually changes in the bloodline within the essence of the demon serpent.
These were the serpent eggs they had carefully selected, which had undergone various secret techniques to make them more compatible with their own soul's true spirit.
But ultimately, all had turned to nothing.
As the humming sound echoed, Chu Weiyang gently stroked the jade serpent's scales, which were as white as jade.