51: Back from the dead

After returning to Doujian Peak, Lu Chen was not in a hurry to claim his Merit Points reward.

At this time, the Disciples from Doujian Peak who went to Mangniu Mountain to slay demons had just returned, and they were crowding the Internal Affairs Hall to exchange for Merit Points. Lu Chen did not want to join the crowd.

He went straight back to his small courtyard, activated the Restrictions, and then let out a long breath.

"The harvest is great, but there are slight flaws," Lu Chen silently summarized his trip to Mangniu Mountain.

The harvest, of course, was the mountain of demon corpses, over three hundred Tong Qiao Realm demons, eleven Xuan Fa Realm demons, and the merit from killing these demons, which could also be exchanged for Merit Points.

As for the flaws, they were quite significant.

He didn't get the Demon Tiger that was suspected to have cultivated into a Mountain Lord, the demon python that was about to transform into a flood dragon, or the Great Diamond Ape. Finally, even the dragon transformation fruit...

Hmm, let's not count the dragon transformation fruit tree; he got 'a tiny bit' of that!

His thirty-five Silver Armor Dao Soldiers also received his inheritance because of this. Although it wasn't much, only the three major stances of the Earthly Fiend Dragon Slaying Art, it was enough.

A single move can conquer the world, especially when it's the three major stances from a close-to-Divine Power combat technique like the Earthly Fiend Dragon Slaying Art. This isn't just three moves; there are many.

Overall, the harvest this time was still very, very large. Even though the current Lu Chen hasn't fully digested all these gains, his strength has increased significantly. Of course, this increase in strength mainly comes from his Dao Soldiers learning the Earthly Fiend Dragon Slaying Art.

"Next, I will raise my cultivation to the late Spirit Transformation Realm as quickly as possible."

Then, I will select ten corpses of Xuan Fa Realm demons to nurture Golden Armor Dao Soldiers.

Once his Golden Armor Dao Soldiers are nurtured, any Xuan Fa Realm opponent will be surrounded and killed.

After planning for his future cultivation, Lu Chen took a Purple Spirit Pill and placed it in his mouth, beginning his cultivation to improve his strength.

He had exchanged for ten Purple Spirit Pills before, and four were left. If he refined all of them, breaking through to the late Spirit Transformation Realm should not be difficult.

…………

At the peak of Doujian Peak, inside the main hall.

Elder Lu Zifu and Zhang Kui were seated on the left side, while on the right were the three Elders from Mingjing Peak who had previously pursued the Twelve Phase Sect, the burly man wearing a White Tiger mask, and the individuals wearing Shanmao and Green Fox masks.

At the head of the hall, seated on the left and right respectively, were the Sword Fighting Peak Lord, Third Elder, and the Mingjing Peak Lord, Grand Elder.

In the center of the main hall were the corpses of the more than fifty Disciples who had died in the demon slaying operation in Mangniu Mountain. Some were headless, some were torn apart, and some had only their heads remaining.

"These..." The tall and upright Third Elder, who looked extremely young with sword-like eyebrows and hawk-like eyes, glanced at the more than fifty deceased Disciples in the hall, then looked at the gaunt and thin Grand Elder beside him, and slowly said, "...Can they still be saved?"

The Grand Elder frowned, slowly stood up, and walked to the Corpse (remains) of the more than fifty deceased Disciples from Doujian Peak. After looking for a long time, he said, "This old man will do his best!"

As he spoke, the Grand Elder slowly raised his hand and pressed down in the air. Instantly, a mysterious power surged from his palm, and profound and mystical runes pulsed, leaping into the bodies of the many deceased Disciples from Doujian Peak.

This was a great Spell close to a Divine Power, the 'Rising from the Dead' Technique, but this great Spell was extremely difficult to cultivate. Among the ten Inner Sect Elders of the entire Dongming Sect, only the Grand Elder had cultivated this technique, and it was not yet completely perfected. Once the cultivation surpassed the Dao Embryo Realm, the Grand Elder would also be powerless.

Of course, this Spell was not omnipotent; only those whose souls had not completely dissipated could be saved. If the soul was completely annihilated, or if it dissipated on its own and returned to the world, it could not be saved.

Fortunately, most of the Disciples from Doujian Peak who went to Mangniu Mountain to kill demons were in the Tong Qiao Realm. They had already opened the ancestral aperture in their forehead, began to condense their souls, and had also comprehended true intent to protect their souls. If they hadn't experienced Spells that destroyed the soul, their souls had likely not completely dissipated.

After a long time, the Grand Elder slowly withdrew his hand, and even a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He let out a long breath: "Fortunately, except for the five Disciples whose heads were too severely shattered and whose souls had completely dissipated, the rest can still be saved!"

Third Elder and the others looked over and indeed saw that many deceased Disciples had soul fluctuations and weak signs of life. As long as their limbs were reattached or regenerated using the 'Limb Regeneration' Technique, and they were assisted with Medicinal Pills to heal, they would likely recover in the future.

For those whose injuries were too severe to recover their cultivation to its peak, it didn't matter; at least their lives were saved.

It was just a pity for the five Disciples whose heads were completely shattered. Their souls had scattered, and they were truly dead, with no hope of being saved.

"Thank you, Senior apprentice-brother," Third Elder thanked him solemnly, then summoned Disciples to take the rescued Disciples away to recuperate. As for the Disciples who could not be saved, they could only be given a proper burial, and Disciples would have to be sent to their homes later to inform their families and provide compensation.

After everything was arranged, the main hall returned to quietness.

"Did you keep the people from the Twelve Phase Sect?" Third Elder asked coldly.

Elder Gao from Mingjing Peak shook his head: "Only Shanmao and White Tiger were kept. That Green Fox played a trick and escaped!"

Third Elder raised an eyebrow, about to flare up.

Fortunately, the Grand Elder spoke in time: "That Green Fox has always been cautious and cunning like a fox. It is understandable that he escaped."

Third Elder had no choice but to give up. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Elder Lu Zifu from Doujian Peak: "What happened with that dragon transformation fruit tree?"

Elder Lu Zifu looked puzzled: "The people from Danxia Peak said that the dragon transformation fruit tree had lost too much of its spiritual essence and was half-dead. But this old man inspected Mangniu Mountain and did not see anything approaching this dragon transformation fruit tree, nor do I know which ghost stole most of its spiritual essence!"

Third Elder frowned for a long time, then finally waved his hand: "Forget it, it's useless to our Human Race cultivators anyway. We'll make a good fake of that dragon transformation fruit later, restore it a bit, and exchange it with the Demon Clan. Those beasts from the Demon Clan won't be able to tell the difference!"

Third Elder's heart is truly dark! He even wants to deceive beasts!

The Elders secretly applauded. This could be done. It was deceiving the Demon Clan anyway, so no matter how they deceived them, it wasn't considered bad.

"I observed that there is a very interesting Disciple in Doujian Peak. I wonder if Doujian Peak would be willing to part with him so this old man can take him as a Disciple?" Elder Shi from Mingjing Peak, who had not spoken until now, said.

Third Elder was surprised: "I wonder which Disciple of my Doujian Peak Elder Shi has taken a liking to?"

This time, Mingjing Peak had helped Doujian Peak, especially the three Mingjing Peak Elders hidden in the Refining Demon Pot, and the Grand Elder had just used the extremely draining 'Rising from the Dead' Technique to save dozens of deceased Disciples from Doujian Peak.

If it were in the past, if an Elder from Mingjing Peak dared to open their mouth and ask Doujian Peak for someone, Third Elder would have slapped them away. But this time was different; they owed Mingjing Peak a favor and had to repay it.

Elder Shi smiled: "It is a Disciple named Lu Chen. I observed that his temperament is cautious, which suits this old man's taste very well."

He had seen clearly from inside the Refining Demon Pot that even after slaying the demons, Lu Chen still remained hidden underground, clearly having anticipated the danger. The key was that Lu Chen's Puppet Technique was also very skillful.

It just so happened that this Elder Shi liked Disciples who were cautious and intelligent and didn't cause trouble. They would definitely live a long, stable life in the future.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, Third Elder's expression immediately darkened.

Not only Third Elder, but Zhang Kui, Elder Lu Zifu, and even the Grand Elder from Mingjing Peak were speechless.

Out of everyone, why did you pick Lu Chen?

If this old man could snatch him, I would have snatched him into Mingjing Peak long ago. Why would I wait for you?