Chapter 123: Rebirth Longevity Demon Art, Grotto-heaven Treasure
Chapter 123: Rebirth Longevity Demon Art, Grotto-heaven Treasure
After hearing the words of the Black-Robed Demon Sage, Mu Yuan pondered deeply, searching for a solution. In the ancient ways of cultivation, there were no methods for Condensing Fiend and Refining Yang. Cultivators could only passively endure the chaotic influx of various kinds of Yang energy into their bodies. How those cultivators turned out, Mu Yuan had no way of knowing. But he was certain! They couldn’t match the profound results achieved by the current practice of purely and simply refining one kind of Yang energy. Otherwise, why would the old ways have evolved into how things are done now?
Realizing this, a sliver of unease stirred in Mu Yuan’s heart. Back then, seeking a quick advantage, he had chosen to condense the Yin Cold Ice Evils within Fengbie Palace. Thinking back now, he saw there must have been downsides too. At the time, he hadn’t considered this point, and a pang of regret welled up inside him!
But it was all too late now. The urgent task at hand was to digest the chaotic Yang energy stirred up by the Heavenly Tribulation. Mu Yuan naturally wouldn’t use his own body as the medium. The Minghe Immortal Sword transformed into a churning river of stars, fiercely rolling around him, pushing away all the surrounding, disordered Yuan Qi and Yang energy. The Five Great Curses moved as he willed them, flying out one by one beyond the stellar river. They spun, gathering, calming, and subduing the chaotic Yang energy around them, merging it into their own Curse power!
Although Mu Yuan himself couldn’t absorb the surrounding Yang energy, he had the Five Great Curses. Where their Curse power reached, their capacity for devouring was limitless. The multi-colored, brilliant Yang energy instantly dove into the Curse light like moths drawn to a flame!
Among the Five Great Curses, the Purple Lightning Dragon Curse was the most domineering. Faint electric light shimmered amidst dazzling purple radiance. It reached out, pulling in and swallowing the descending torrents of thunder-fire and electric brilliance. The purple dragon violently spun, its previously indistinct, blurred scales seeming to grow clearer as it devoured the lightning’s power. Nine claws emerged beneath its belly, sharp and knife-like like blades of a knife. Electric currents flowed over its entire body, shimmering with intense light.
The Longevity Curse, Northern Dark Water Curse, Earth Guardian Kirin Curse, and Great Sun Fire Curse each sought out Yang energy matching their own affinities. Even though the Yang energy Beyond the Nine Heavens was chaotic and wild, it still adhered to the framework of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Despite the numerous types, since Mu Yuan wasn’t relying on these Five Great Curses to seek Eternal Life, he naturally didn’t care whether the Yang energy they devoured was pure or refined.
With the appearance of these Five Great Curses, the chaotic, luminous Yang energy around them instantly became ordered. Gradually, it flowed into five distinct currents, pouring into the Divine Beast forms coalesced from the power of their respective Curses!
The Great Sun Fire Curse was newly formed by Mu Yuan. Although it had already swallowed a few demon cultivators, it hadn’t yet reached the stage of manifesting a form. The Yang energy provoked by this tribulation was incredibly abundant. The fire-affinity Yang energies – such as Fire Manor Yang, Fire Flame Yang, Vermilion Phoenix Fire Yang – devoured by the Great Sun Fire Curse, were immensely nourishing. Within a short time, the mass of Curse power transformed into an eagerly soaring, wing-spread Three-legged Golden Crow! Flames enveloped its entire body; its eyes shone with divine intensity; a sharp cry pierced the air.
The Mantra of Universal Illumination was originally a supreme method for cultivating an External Incarnation, or even for Soul Seizure to achieve Eternal Life. It inherently bypassed complicated methods like Condensing Fiend and Refining Yang. Demonic Path cultivation essentially involved returning to the primordial beginnings, reversing the physical form, purifying meridians, and refining the blood. This Grand Curse solely absorbed Yuan Qi, refined it within the body, defying the heavens to alter fate! It was nearly equivalent to creating something from nothing! It devoured the chaotic Yang energy completely, digesting it all into pure Yuan force, thus making its power even more formidable!
Meanwhile, the shadowy palm strike from the Black-Robed Demon Sage landed upon the heads of Master Long Yin and the Square-scarf Scholar. A bizarre luster instantly spread down, enveloping them completely. Both men had no time to react. Their hard-cultivated Vital Essence and Zhenqi poured out of them violently! Their bodies withered visibly to the naked eye, finally shrinking into tiny infant forms, which the Black-Robed Demon Sage promptly devoured with a sweep!
The Peacock Demon King stared, jaw agape, his heart trembling with shock and terror.
Having devoured the two cultivators, the Black-Robed Demon Sage swept his gaze around. The remaining few cultivators were long since petrified by this turn of events. With a shriek, abandoning any thought of subduing demons or monsters, they scattered like frightened birds and beasts!
The Black-Robed Demon Sage made no move to pursue them. Instead, he turned and looked at the Peacock Demon King, letting out a string of low chuckles. “Five Elements, how would you rate this technique of mine?”
A flicker of deep dread crossed the Peacock Demon King’s handsome face. He whispered obsequiously, “The Monster Saint’s Magical Power is profound and vast. Surely, he will sweep across all lands, unify the myriad heavens, and achieve the great destiny for us demon kin!”
Another harsh, grating laugh erupted from the Black-Robed Demon Sage. “Among my eight great Demon Kings, you have the finest aptitude. I shall pass on this ‘Rebirth Longevity Demon Art’ to you. Return and carefully contemplate its profound mysteries.”
As he spoke, the Peacock Demon King suddenly found a wondrous, arcane scripture imprinted into his mind! Wild joy surged through him. He immediately knelt and prostrated in mid-air. “I thank the Monster Saint for your immense grace!”
The Black-Robed Demon Sage shook his head slightly. “Merely some ancient, lost methods. Your cultivation path is difficult enough without lacking proper heritage… difficult to contend against humanity. Do not push further north for now. Return to the Hundred Thousand Mountains and focus on your cultivation! Leave the campaigns and conquests to the others.”
The Peacock Demon King received his orders. He didn’t spare a glance for the battle raging below, turning immediately to depart.
Without the cultivators’ support, the city garrison could no longer hold out. Before long, it was overwhelmed and breached by the demon beasts. The massacre of innocents and wholesale slaughter was inevitable and needs no elaboration.
The experienced cultivators managed to escape quickly. However, several spellcasters remained atop the city walls. Their Spiritual Sense drove the Yuan Qi to form spirit puppets made of Lingering Qi. With one pointed finger from the Demon Sage, the spirit puppets burst apart, scattering into nothingness!
“Adequate enough. The ways of cultivation grow ever more… intriguing!” the Black-Robed Demon Sage mused, dispelling the spirit puppets dancing through the air. His arm shot out, snatching the spellcasters up like dolls. His eyes glowed with a bizarre demonic light, and his throat emitted several peculiar, guttural sounds.
“Heavenly Demon Soul-Searching Grand Art!”
The spellcasters reacted as if struck by lightning. Their eyes glazed over like sleepwalkers, minds drifting. Above each forehead, in their Mud Pill Palace, a wisp of sinister, illusory light wriggled its way inward, intruding into their Spiritual Sense, ruthlessly extracting every secret of that ‘Gathering Qi to Shape’ spell technique!
“Heh heh, Spirit Puppet Technique… so that’s it. Less wondrous than the Heavenly Demon Palace’s Heavenly Demon Parasitic Art,” the Black-Robed Demon Sage muttered under his breath. Once the plundering was done, he slapped his palm casually. The “Rebirth Longevity Demon Art” activated, and these spellcasters too were consumed.
“Now, let’s see how that youngster’s tribulation is progressing,” the Demon Sage murmured to himself. With a single motion, he vanished, reappearing right beside Mu Yuan!
Mu Yuan was already protected by his Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light and the Minghe Immortal Sword, shielding him from the Yang Thunder energy. The Five Great Curses gorged themselves freely on the Yang torrent without disrupting his focus in the slightest. If chaotic energy of conflicting attributes surged into the Curses unchecked, it would plant seeds of future disaster, conflicting with the cultivation of the Curse powers themselves!
“So, it’s him… no wonder I felt a vague sense of familiarity,” the Black-Robed Demon Sage observed for a moment, then seemed to remember something. His gaze upon Mu Yuan suddenly turned exceedingly strange.
Only after a full two hours did Mu Yuan finally manage to swallow down all the miscellaneous Yang energies and thunder-fires into his Great Curses. He let out a long sigh of relief. Having devoured such a colossal amount of Yang energy, the Five Great Curses had solidified into even clearer and more distinct forms! Dragon Turtle, Great Kirin, Three-legged Golden Crow – they all circled around his body with powerful, swirling energy – a sign of tremendous gains!
After withdrawing his mystic mastery, Mu Yuan finally noticed the presence of the Black-Robed Demon Sage. Previously, he had been solely focused on resisting the tribulation, unable to spare any attention for the battle below. Glancing down now, he saw demon beasts flooding into the vanquished city like a dark tide! Soldiers and citizens alike were swallowed within the chaos. He heard the sickening sounds of tearing and chewing flesh… Crunch, crunch, crack… It sent chills down his spine, making every hair stand on end. How had the tide of battle, seemingly in their favor, deteriorated to this horrific state? He took in the appearance of the Black-Robed Demon Sage, and a realization flashed through his mind. It burst out involuntarily: “You! You are the ‘Monster Saint’!”
The Black-Robed Demon Sage emitted a gruesome, cackling laugh. “Correct! It is I!”
Mu Yuan’s heart sank like a stone. He felt unnerved, not knowing what to say. The Demon Saint suddenly spoke again, “We have met. Do you recall?”
“Met?” Mu Yuan racked his brain but couldn’t recall when he had ever encountered this terrifying entity. The Black-Robed Demon Sage prompted him, “Zhaoyang Mountain… We met there.”
“Zhaoyang Mountain!” Mu Yuan felt like a bolt of lightning had seared his memory. “You are… you are the one in the jar!”
The Black-Robed Demon Sage chuckled. “Indeed, I am the man in the jar.”
“Our meeting here is a peculiar twist of fate. I was sealed within that jar for a full ten thousand years… Heh heh. Demons slaughtered Wu Clan to forge peerless Instruments of Slaughter. The Wu Clan captured demons to shape their own profound Secret Curses… Who truly held the upper hand in the end? And who can say for sure!” The Black-Robed Demon Sage muttered strangely to himself.
Mu Yuan listened to his bizarre, cryptic words but couldn’t grasp their meaning. He simply stood rooted, stunned and silent.
“The last time, you applied a Wu Clan Sword Formula. Combined with the Talisman seals on the jar, I couldn’t touch you. Never expected a heaven-sent opportunity! A master of the Primordial Spirit realm barged deep into the mountain, foolishly attempting to subdue the stone jar, only to be devoured instead—fueling my escape. Your array of arts is… oddly intriguing. You possess knowledge of Wu Clan sword techniques, yet your core cultivation methods stem from one of my own demon kin’s creations! I shan’t trouble you for now. Instead, I will watch… watch to see if you can reach the heights of that particular Great Demon Saint!”
Hearing the Demon Sage’s peculiar, rambling speech, Mu Yuan remained unmoving outwardly, yet internally he detected a crucial nuance: His “Demon Sage Excellency” seemed to bear him no lethal intent!
With a sweep of his hands, the Black-Robed Demon Sage plunged the world into swirling darkness! A painfully dazzling, blinding light stabbed outwards. Scorched by its rays, Mu Yuan winced in agony, snapping his eyes shut. When he reopened them, he found himself standing within a serene, ancient stone hall. Everything was chiseled from mountain stone: stone tables, stone chairs… yet there was a main hall, adjacent rooms, terraces, pavilions, kiosks, ponds, winding corridors, vermillion doors… all exquisitely intricate and unnervingly silent.
“This is the very stone jar that confined me for ten thousand years. Hmph! After breaking free, I spent time refining it. Now it serves quite well as a miniature Grotto-Heaven dwelling place,” declared the Demon Saint.
Mu Yuan looked around, utterly shocked to hear that the interior of a stone jar now functioned as a self-contained Grotto-Heaven!
Grotto-heaven Treasures were incredibly rare to find! Simply put, a Grotto-Heaven within a spiritual treasure was like a miniature universe in its nascent form. Its appearance? Entirely shaped solely by the will of the treasure’s master! Such a realm was a separate dimension, forming its own independent space and flow of time. Its possessor thereby became the creator deity governing that entire miniature world!
“Cultivation in the ancient era… provoking the Heavenly Tribulation… Yang energies were chaotic. The path to Eternal Life was a hundred times harder! Yet… upon achieving Primordial Spirit? Their power vastly exceeded those cultivators following today’s singular path of Condensing Fiend and Refining Righteous Energy! Such were the pros and cons. Seeing your actions earlier… it appears you’ve chosen the pure, singular path of refining Yang.” The Black-Robed Demon Sage retrieved… somewhere…a long vine-wood chair intricately carved with dragon patterns. He settled halfway onto it, draping himself leisurely, and spoke in a detached voice.