Chapter 177: The Demon Locking Tower

After notifying Aunt Yun of Liu Jinyuan's recovery, Lin Yue Ru and Li Nianlong left the Shangshu Mansion and headed for the Black Spider Forest.

"Brother Liu, why are we going there?" Lin Yue Ru asked, puzzled.

"To eliminate a demon," Li Nianlong replied with a slight smile. "It's the same demon that poisoned your cousin."

"That one!?" Lin Yue Ru's eyes flashed with cold determination as she gripped her whip tightly. "I must kill it! To avenge my cousin!"

"Don't worry! It won't be a match for us."

While Lin Yue Ru wasn't a match for the demon, Li Nianlong, who had already defeated the combined form of the Water Demon, was more than capable of handling it.

After wandering the Black Spider Forest for half a day, they finally found the giant spider demon. The outcome was predictable: Lin Yue Ru started the fight to practice, but when she couldn't handle it, Li Nianlong intervened, flicking a leaf and instantly killing the demon, thereby obtaining the Thunder Spirit Pearl.

"Mission accomplished, reward: 24,000 experience points."

A flash of white light, and Li Nianlong found himself standing in the training field, glaring at the dragonfly. "Where is Wine Sword Immortal? Without him, how am I supposed to get to Mount Shu?"

The dragonfly meekly replied, "I am just a guide..."

"Guide my foot!" Li Nianlong grabbed the dragonfly, shaking it violently. "Tell me! How do I get to Mount Shu? Speak now, or I'll shake you to death!"

"Aiya, aiya, aiya—"

Soon after, the dragonfly finally surrendered. "The host will automatically arrive at Mount Shu."

"By what means?" Li Nianlong pressed. "Is it through Wine Sword Immortal?"

"Any method will do! You'll get there regardless."

Li Nianlong glared at it, and the dragonfly weakly added, "I really can't say more. The host's permissions are insufficient. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

Damn it!

Suppressing his anger, Li Nianlong entered the crafting room—not the alchemy room, as he intended to forge a highly defensive set of armor for Lin Yue Ru. In the game, Lin Yue Ru couldn't escape the fate of the Demon Locking Tower. If that was the case, Li Nianlong had to ensure her safety by making her armor with strong defensive capabilities, especially protecting her head.

When Li Nianlong returned to the world of the game, he found himself already standing on Mount Shu.

"Defeat the Heavenly Ghost King and the Prison Guard King."

Hmm? No need to destroy the Seven Star Dragon Columns?

A flood of memories surged into his mind as Li Nianlong looked at Wine Sword Immortal in front of him, smiling slightly. It seemed the game's inertia was quite strong.

After defeating the spider demon with Lin Yue Ru, Wine Sword Immortal happened to pass by. Seeing two young people defeat such a powerful demon, he was astonished, especially upon sensing Li Nianlong's profound talent. He asked if Li Nianlong wanted to go to Mount Shu to learn swordsmanship.

Of course, Li Nianlong didn't intend to become a disciple, but he needed to go to Mount Shu to rescue Zhao Ling'er. So, he told Wine Sword Immortal about Zhao Ling'er being taken by Sword Saint. Finding the situation strange, Wine Sword Immortal brought Li Nianlong and Lin Yue Ru to Mount Shu.

They soon met Sword Saint. Li Nianlong stepped forward, clasping his hands in respect. "Senior Sword Saint, we meet again."

"Hmm?" Sword Saint recognized Li Nianlong, his eyes glinting. "It's you!"

Li Nianlong nodded with a smile. "Indeed. I was impressed by your grace that day on Toad Mountain. It's an honor to meet you again."

Flattery never hurts, and even Sword Saint enjoyed hearing such praise. He nodded, pleased. "Good, good. Why have you come today?"

Li Nianlong explained, "That night after leaving Toad Mountain, did you see many Miao people being killed and capture a girl?"

"Yes, I did," Sword Saint replied. "But that girl was a demon and has been confined in the Demon Locking Tower."

Although Li Nianlong expected this, hearing it still made him clench his fists, his tone hardening. "Senior, I clearly told you that night that my wife is a descendant of the Nuwa tribe, a deity, not a demon. The deaths of the Miao people were due to the Black and White Miao tribes fighting over my wife, leading to mutual destruction. A surviving White Miao woman told me all of this. Senior, you have captured the wrong person!"

"Hmm?" Sword Saint frowned at Li Nianlong's harsh tone. "Who is your wife, and why would they fight over her?"

"My wife is the daughter of the current Black Miao tribe's shaman king, and her mother was the high priestess of the White Miao tribe. Ten years ago, her mother perished with the Water Demon. My wife is the only one left with Nuwa blood. How could you confine Ling'er in the Demon Locking Tower!?"

"Is that so?" Sword Saint's frown deepened. Being scolded by a junior made him look bad, and he snorted. "This is just your claim. Who can prove it?"

"No one can prove it," Li Nianlong said coldly. "So I beg you, Senior, to allow me to enter the Demon Locking Tower and rescue my wife."

Sword Saint looked at Li Nianlong, seeing his unwavering determination, and sighed. He tossed a string of prayer beads. "These were found on the girl. Take them."

Li Nianlong caught the beads, bowing deeply. "Thank you for your grace, Senior."

Turning to Wine Sword Immortal, he said, "I need your help to reach the Demon Locking Tower."

Wine Sword Immortal sighed. "Such fate. Very well, let's go."

He led Li Nianlong and Lin Yue Ru to the rear of Mount Shu. Soon, they arrived at the Demon Locking Tower. There, Wine Sword Immortal paused and said, "Kid, you have great potential. In all my years of roaming the world, I've never seen such talent in a young person. If you stay at Mount Shu to learn swordsmanship, you could one day traverse the three realms freely. But entering the Demon Locking Tower today means you might never come out."

Li Nianlong smiled slightly. "Thank you for your praise, Senior. But with my wife suffering inside, how could I enjoy life outside?"

"Sigh! I knew you were a man of deep emotions." Wine Sword Immortal sighed, his eyes showing a trace of appreciation. "Very well! Today I'll make an exception and teach you the swordsmanship of Mount Shu. I'll demonstrate once; how much you can learn depends on your own talent."

He then performed an intricate and unparalleled sword technique, culminating in a massive celestial sword and a gigantic figure emitting countless sword energies, a truly breathtaking sight.

"How is it?" After the demonstration, Wine Sword Immortal looked at Li Nianlong, took a sip of wine, and asked, "How much did you grasp?"

Li Nianlong closed his eyes to absorb what he had seen. When he opened them, they shone brightly. "Twelve points!"

"Poof—" Wine Sword Immortal spat out his wine. "Cough, cough, cough... How many points did you say?"

Not just Wine Sword Immortal, but even Lin Yue Ru was stunned. "Brother Liu... you really grasped twelve points?"

Ten points would mean fully understanding it, and twelve points meant not only understanding but also innovating. No wonder they were so shocked.

Li Nianlong smiled, summoning a golden sword. He then demonstrated the entire sword technique flawlessly, even incorporating his own innovations, stunning Wine Sword Immortal.

But it didn't end there. Li Nianlong stepped onto the golden sword, swiftly flying through the air, summoning countless flying swords that blasted a mountain rock into rubble.

If Wine Sword Immortal knew Li Xiaoyao, he would recognize this as Xiaoyao Divine Sword, a move Li Xiaoyao created. But since Li Xiaoyao was still dreaming of being a hero in Shengyu Village, Wine Sword Immortal had no idea and attributed this super move to Li Nianlong's genius.

"Prodigy, prodigy, prodigy..." he muttered.

Lin Yue Ru's eyes sparkled with admiration, her body trembling with excitement. "Brother Liu, you're amazing."

Li Nianlong landed gracefully, looking at the stunned Wine Sword Immortal. "Senior, how was it?"

Wine Sword Immortal, snapping out of his daze, coughed. "Very good. But don't get complacent. Keep working hard."

Lin Yue Ru giggled, covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

Wine Sword Immortal, feeling awkward, added, "I intended to teach you more of my unique skills, but with your talent, learning my techniques might hinder your creativity..."

"Please, Senior, don't be modest," Li Nianlong insisted. "I still have much to learn from you. Please teach me everything you can."

"..."

Unable to refuse Li Nianlong's earnest request, Wine Sword Immortal taught him his ultimate technique, the Wine God Spell. As for the in-game skill Immortal Wind Cloud Body... this wasn't a turn-based game. No such thing existed here!

With new skills mastered and a bunch of talismans from Wine Sword Immortal, Li Nianlong and Lin Yue Ru

 entered the Demon Locking Tower.

In the game, Li Nianlong knew the tower was filled with demons, but he hadn't expected so many. In the first layer alone, there were thousands of demons. With eleven layers in total, the tower's demon count easily exceeded ten thousand.

Seeing the swarm of demons, Li Nianlong's expression darkened. As they rushed forward, wailing and howling, he turned to Lin Yue Ru. "Yue Ru, these demons are not strong. Practice your skills while I guard you."

Lin Yue Ru nodded, snapping her whip. With a loud crack, she struck several demons, making them scream and retreat in fear.