"Xi Ying, what is this?" Yuan Ming looked at the item in his hand and asked, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

The reason for his astonishment was none other than the fact that he sensed an aura very similar to Black Incense from this object.

It was not the replicas of Black Incense he had made himself, but the original three sticks of Black Incense he had first obtained.

Ever since then, he had been collecting various spiritual materials, all in order to truly imitate those few sticks of incense. Although, after numerous attempts and explorations, he was getting closer to this goal, he was never able to realize it completely, primarily due to the lack of the main material.

But now this "coal" finally gave him that familiar feeling.

Upon hearing his words, Xi Ying took the "coal" and examined it carefully, her brows suddenly knitting together.

Her expression changed from initially casual to somewhat serious, then to doubt.

"I… I don't recognize this item. However, upon closer inspection, I'm quite surprised to find that this dark, unremarkable thing contains a unique Divine Soul Power, mixed with nature's spiritual energy," Xi Ying murmured thoughtfully, frowning.

Seeing that even Xi Ying did not recognize it, Yuan Ming couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, and he blurted out:

"Xi Ying, could you give this to me? I can exchange something for it. Just name it, and even if I don't have it, I'll find a way to get it."

"Is this item very important to you?" Xi Ying asked, looking at Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming did not hide anything and nodded emphatically.

"It's yours."

As she spoke, Xi Ying tossed the coal back to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming hurriedly caught it and shook his head vigorously, "This item is precious, I can't take it for nothing."

"Consider it compensation for the danger your uncle and aunt faced this time. Just take it. In the future, I might need your help quite often, so don't worry about owing me favors," Xi Ying said with a smile.

"Alright," Yuan Ming replied, no longer declining.

"Take a look at these other items; if there's anything else you need, feel free to take it," Xi Ying suggested.

"No need, this is enough. However, if you get a chance, could you help me find out what this thing really is?" Yuan Ming asked, waving the black lump in his hand with a smile.

"Alright," Xi Ying agreed with a smile.

After that, she gathered the remaining treasures from the ground and continued her cultivation.

Yuan Ming, on the other hand, took out many materials used to make Black Incense from his Storage Ring. He wanted to test if he could use this "coal" to replicate the original Black Incense he had first obtained.

Although it had been quite a while since he last made Black Incense, Yuan Ming's skill in making spiritual incense was perfect, so it didn't take much effort to produce ten sticks of incense using a small piece of coal as the main ingredient.

These ten sticks of incense, in terms of scent, color, and the feeling they gave off, were almost identical to the original Black Incense.

Unable to contain his excitement and curiosity, Yuan Ming immediately stepped out of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, lit one stick, and placed it inside the tripod.

As the wisps of smoke rose, his vision began to blur until everything turned black, and his Divine Sense suddenly plunged into the depths.

The next instant, when he opened his eyes, he saw darkness all around, unable to see anything but vaguely sensing a cold and damp breath, with a "drip-drip" sound of water dripping in the distance.

Yuan Ming instinctively concentrated his eyes, and his vision gradually cleared up, allowing him to see an uneven black dome above him.

It was then he realized that he was in a vast and empty black cavern.

"Where has Brother Wu Lu been placed?" Yuan Ming wondered.

This time, the object of his incense possession was none other than Wu Lu.

As curiosity arose in his heart, Yuan Ming quickly regained his senses and immediately tried to control Wu Lu's body, lifting his arms.

"It worked, it really worked..." Yuan Ming looked at his arms held up in front of him and was instantly overjoyed.

The biggest difference between the imitation Black Incense and the original Black Incense was whether it could control the actions of the possessed person. Judging by the current result, he had succeeded without any doubt.

The "coal" was indeed the key spiritual material for making Black Incense.

Yuan Ming supported himself with his hands on the ground and stood up, moving his limbs slightly, then closed his eyes. The power of his Divine Sense began to spread out, scanning the entire cavern.

However, his Divine Power had barely reached ten yards when it encountered an invisible barrier, blocking it and sending it back.

"There's a barrier?" Yuan Ming frowned.

After saying this, he leaped toward the invisible barrier and, sure enough, found an Array there.

After a thorough investigation, Yuan Ming discovered that the Array was not only defensive, but if he attacked recklessly, it was uncertain whether he could break through quickly, and it would definitely attract the attention of the individual who set up the array.

A careless move could bring calamity to Wu Lu, so Yuan Ming dared not act rashly.

Unable to control Wu Lu to escape, Yuan Ming wanted to first determine Wu Lu's location.

Therefore, Yuan Ming clasped his hands together in front of his chest, closed his eyes, and began to pray sincerely to the Nether Moon God, which was himself, in an attempt to use the generated Desire Power as a marker to sense the location of this place.

However, after trying for a moment, he gave up.

Even though the body he controlled belonged to Wulu, the Divine Soul he used to make vows was his own, and one's own prayers to oneself could not generate Desire Power.

Just as Yuan Ming was pondering if there was any other way, footsteps echoing within the cave suddenly came from outside the Barrier.

Not daring to reveal himself, Yuan Ming immediately returned to his original spot and lay down at once.

In order to prevent his fluctuating soul waves from being detected, he quickly reined in his Divine Thought, feigning an unconscious state.

Before long, the footsteps grew nearer, passing through the Barrier and approaching his side.

The individual appeared young, with long hair cascading over shoulders and Phoenix Eyes expressing neither joy nor sorrow, the corner of the eye marked by a small blood-red mole, and a face wearing a faintly sinister smile.

If it wasn't the Blood Demon Ancestor, who else could it be?

The fellow came to Wulu's side and circled around him, examining him closely. As he did, the smile on his face vanished, and he frowned deeply as he stared at Wulu's face.

Yuan Ming's heart tensed, and he immediately grew nervous.

If discovered, his Divine Soul could return, but Wulu's fate was uncertain.

"Tsk, tsk, it's just this face that's not too pleasing, but this body is truly excellent. Rest assured, I will refine you into the most powerful Puppet, surely to surpass all my previous works," the Blood Demon Ancestor said after a long while.

Yuan Ming was speechless upon hearing this.

But in the next instant, the Blood Demon Ancestor's palm suddenly pressed onto Wulu's chest, where Blood Light shone from the center of his palm. His fingers began to elongate like the tentacles of an octopus, gripping tightly around Wulu's chest.

Immediately after, rolling Demonic Qi began to pour crazily into Wulu's inner body, seeping into his blood, muscles, and bones, starting to transform his physical body.

Yuan Ming's soul was connected to this physical body, and he instantly felt a bone-gnawing severe pain. But before he could react, the duration of the Black Incense Possession had already come to an end.

Assaulted by a feeling of dizziness, Yuan Ming's soul once again plummeted into darkness, promptly returning to his own body.

Once he came to, Yuan Ming's expression was grave.

The Blood Demon Ancestor could actually use Demonic Qi; could there be some connection between him and the Demon World?

As for Wulu, judging from the situation just now, he wouldn't die immediately. Refining a Puppet was not an overnight matter, the more powerful the Puppet, the longer it took.

Alas, he currently had no idea where Wulu was. Even if he wanted to rescue him, he wouldn't know where to start, not to mention that the most urgent matter at hand was to rescue his parents.

Despite his close relationship with Wulu, to Yuan Ming, his parents were ultimately his first priority.

He could only hope that Wulu would hold on for a while longer, giving him the chance to save him.

… * (*)

Inside the dark cave, the Blood Demon Ancestor stopped infusing the Demonic Qi.

Wulu's appearance had drastically changed by now; his skin had turned black and crimson, his eyes dark red, and black Qi swirled about his hands, making him look like a Rakshasa demon from legends.

Blood Puppet Armor appeared on his body, looking as though it had grown completely together with his body, and blood-colored bone spurs emerged from his head, elbows, and other places.

"Not bad," the Blood Demon Ancestor nodded slightly and walked outside.

Wulu, with a dull gaze, followed closely behind him.

Outside the cave was a dark corridor, with stone doors lining both walls, at least twenty or thirty of them.

The Blood Demon Ancestor quickly reached the end of the corridor, which opened up into a vast Abyss. The rock wall beside it was dotted with oddly shaped stones that were jagged and uneven.

A bridge suspended over the Abyss extended straight forward.

The two moved forward in silence, with countless thread-like Blood Lights writhing slowly below the bridge, forming a massive blood-colored vortex. The center was pitch-black, seemingly leading to an unknown place.

In the Blood Light, blood-colored human figures emerged, waving their hands in the air, silently howling with mouths agape, full of pain and resentment. Sadly, they were soon pulled back into the vortex once again.

The Blood Demon Ancestor glanced down, then hastened forward, swiftly crossing the stone bridge and arriving at another stone gate.

He looked hesitant, pondering for a long time before pushing the gate open and entering.

There was also a cave beyond the door, much smaller than the one where Wulu had been imprisoned. Inside stood a black Stone Pillar, half a person's height, topped with a black Flame that crackled occasionally.

"Lord Demon," the Blood Demon Ancestor didn't hesitate to kneel on one knee before the Stone Pillar.

"How are things?" After a few breaths, a grand voice emanated from the black Flames, causing the cave to tremble.

"Reporting to Lord Demon, there has been a change. The number of people entering the Three Immortals Island this time is several times more than expected, including Returning to Void Stage Cultivators and Level 5 Demons. The Evil King Mirror has been taken by others," the Blood Demon Ancestor spoke lowly.

"Waste! I provided you with so many resources, and you couldn't even secure the Evil King Mirror. What use are you to me!" The black Flames suddenly expanded several times over, revealing a huge and vague human face with eyes shooting out two beams of Blood Light, piercing through the Blood Demon Ancestor's body.

The Blood Demon Ancestor's chest was punctured by two holes but no blood spilled out, only eerie Blood Flames kindling at the wounds and quickly spreading over his body. In a moment, his entire body was engulfed.

The Blood Flames emitted neither the sensation of intense heat nor a chilling aura, as if it was something illusory, but it caused the Blood Demon Ancestor's body to shiver uncontrollably, his face twisted with the agony of pain.