"Li Qionghua!"

"Overseas Independent Cultivator, recently registered?"

In front of the Demon-Locking Tower, there was a desk, behind which sat a member of the Daoist Palace, looking at Li Qiying’s Identity Jade Book, routinely asking, "Have you taken a Purifying Demon Pill?"

"I have."

Li Qiying lied without a change in expression. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She hadn’t actually taken a Purifying Demon Pill, nor did she need to. The Demonic Qi hadn’t mutated to the extent that it could erode an Orthodox Dao Primordial Spirit, especially not for someone like her, the Chosen One.

Hearing her say this, the Daoist Palace disciple didn’t pursue the matter further and directly took out a set of items: "Those entering the Demon-Locking Tower for the first time may receive a free Purifying Demon Pill, three Demon-Repelling Talismans, and one Teleportation Jade Talisman. The pill and talisman levels correspond to the cultivation level."

With that, he pushed the pill and talismans in front of her.

Purifying Demon Pill, Demon-Repelling Talisman, and Teleportation Jade Talisman!

These items don’t need much explanation; they are protective items. Considering the Demon-Locking Tower gathers Demonic Qi from all directions, there is almost no Spiritual Qi available within, and resisting the erosion of Demonic Qi is necessary, thus the Purifying Demon Pill and Demon-Repelling Talisman are indispensable.

As for the Teleportation Jade Talisman, it is a life-saving tool unique to the Taiyi Daoist Palace, capable of transmitting and shifting within the Five Elements Seal of the Demon-Locking Tower. If encountering an emergency situation, a demon outbreak or being pursued by monsters, it allows escape, teleporting to the nearest safety point.

Safety point!

According to the strategy guide, this Demon-Locking Tower is completely restricted by the Five Elements Grand Array, and aside from the Teleportation Jade Talisman, there is almost no means of spatial shifting. The Teleportation Jade Talisman cannot directly teleport out of the Demon-Locking Tower; it must be used at the safety points distributed throughout each level.

It’s said these safety points are guarded by high-ranking members of the Daoist Palace, and are also nodes of the Five Elements Grand Array, where the formation runs with hidden killing intent, ready to thunderously suppress even if the monsters within the tower break through and attack.

Moreover, the Teleportation Jade Talisman has surveillance capability because rewards in the Demon-Locking Grand Competition are divided according to cultivation levels. To prevent individuals from circumventing regulations, hiding cultivation levels to capture low-tier positions, the Teleportation Jade Talisman can monitor cultivation magic power.

It can sense the cultivator’s magical power aura, recording it for reference during contribution settlement upon leaving the Demon-Locking Tower. If the performance cultivation level doesn’t match the registered realm, the levels will be revised, and corresponding contributions deducted.

This setup indicates that a highly rigorous system is established within the Demon-Locking Tower, and entrants must rely on their strength without exploiting loopholes. Even if loopholes exist, they’re swiftly discovered and corrected.

After receiving the newcomer benefits, there were no further obstructions, indicating a very relaxed management.

Indeed relaxed, whether or not you take the Purifying Demon Pill is your matter. Concealing only harms oneself; Taiyi Daoist Palace incurs no loss, and the Demon-Locking Tower might gain additional dwellers—were Li Qiying not a new overseas arrival, this question might not have been asked.

Li Qiying stepped into the tower and saw the Teleportation Jade Talisman sparkle, forming a map of condensed Spirit Light, allowing selection of level and area for teleportation.

The registered "Li Qionghua," as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, could venture into the fourth level and below.

Li Qiying examined it and found the fourth level extremely vast, containing thousands of cells, each imprisoning a monster.

Li Qiying chose the fourth layer’s "Red Blood Prison!"

Red Blood Prison, as its name suggests, a prison of red blood, imprisoning a type of demon called Red Blood Demon, reportedly an aberration of wolves and dogs.

"Hush!"

With the layer selected, teleportation ensued, inducing a mild dizziness.

But this affects ordinary people, and does not affect Li Qiying, who even used Divine Thought to observe the teleportation mechanism.

"Is this...Five Elements Shifting Technique?"

"It’s the application of that Five Elements Grand Array!"

"No wonder it’s said no means other than the Teleportation Jade Talisman can be used within the tower."

"Five Elements Seal, Five Elements Locking Demon!"

"Such a formation, skillfully applied, could the Cyan Nether Sword Master be a Seven-rank Array Dao Grandmaster?"

Outsiders watch the spectacle, insiders understand the essence; being a Venerable of Divinity Transformation, Li Qiying quickly discerned the operating principle of the Teleportation Jade Talisman.

Then she surveyed the surroundings, finding herself in a fiery cavern, surrounded by crimson blood flames, with nothing else visible.

"Is this an independent space?"

"No, it’s more akin to a mechanism creation!"

"If each demon within the Demon-Locking Tower were confined to an individual space like a Cave Heaven Blessed Land, the resource consumption would be immense?"

"It must initially apply mechanism arts to construct a vast space, partitioned layer by layer, within the Demon-Locking Tower, then use size transformation techniques to fold it away, sealed within the Five Elements Grand Array like a Cave Heaven Blessed Land."

"With this Teleportation Jade Talisman, one can shift and teleport, also trigger mechanisms, to traverse each level and cell, clearing out each demon."

"This requires mastery of both the Array Dao and mechanism arts, only through their integration can such a method be achieved."

"Is the Cyan Nether Sword Master truly skilled in everything?"

"..."

Li Qiying furrowed her brows, engulfed in suspicion.

The broader the world she witnessed, the more she realized her insignificance.

Though the disparity has yet to grow to such heights, the variety of methods possessed by the Cyan Nether Sword Master profoundly astonished her, especially since entering White Tiger City.

She had never seen the Daoist Palace Master, but upon entering White Tiger City, felt his omnipresence, with his handiworks, traces, shadows, and influences everywhere.

After entering the Demon-Locking Tower, this feeling intensified, like a bug falling into another’s palm, looking around there are ridges and peaks, differing at various distances, unaware of the true nature of Mount Lu, due to being within this mountain!

Such perception leaves Li Qiying wondering whether she’s overly suspicious or if reality is scarier than imagined.

"Roar!!!"

Amidst Li Qiying’s chaotic thoughts, a roar carried a foul scent, as red blood flames encroached into her mind.

Immediately...

"Puff!!!"

A dull sound, Sword Qi traversed the void, beheading the demon.

Li Qiying glanced coldly, seeing a wolf-like Red Blood Demon lying dead with its head pierced by her Sword Qi, its internal demonic aura, Demonic Qi, blood energy, and spirits dispersed into invisibility.

No, it’s not just demonic aura, Demonic Qi, blood energy, and spirits.

The Sword Qi she released didn’t linger in the corpse either, quickly dissipating along with the demonic aura and Demonic Qi.

"Hmm!?"

Li Qiying’s eyes narrowed, surveying her surroundings, filled with greater suspicion.

"Is this Demon-Locking Tower...absorbing my Sword Qi?"

"No, it’s not just Sword Qi!"

"Even my Sword Intent couldn’t be retained?"

"Locking Demon and Slaying Demon, Slaying Demon and Locking Demon?"

"Absorbing the demonic aura, Demonic Qi, blood energy, spirits, and also absorbing the methods and intents of demon-slaying such as Sword Intent, Saber Intent, battle intention, combat drive, along with the monsters’ death agony, hatred, rancor, to form a sword exclusively for demon slaying?"

"Such a Sword Refining Technique...is it truly an Orthodox Dao method?"

"No, is there actually such a Sword Refining Technique in the world?"

"Li Qingming..."

"Who exactly is this person?"

Li Qiying furrowed her brows, then activated the Teleportation Jade Talisman, using Spiritual Yuan Magical Power to trigger the cell mechanism, opening the passage to the next area.