dmims Chapter 226 The Demonic Sect's First Empress, Insight and Perception
Chapter 226 The Demonic Sect's First Empress, Insight and Perception
Chapter 226 The Demonic Sect's First Empress, Insight and Perception
Chen Yi's heart skipped a beat, and the fingers gripping his eyeballs tightened instinctively.
This treasure far exceeded his expectations. He had only thought it was high-level before, but now he realized how precious it was.
"Alright, Brother Chen, the core of cultivating this Cave Void Spirit Eye Divine Power is visualizing this eyeball. If you're lucky, you might be able to grasp its essence within a few decades."
Ji Wuchen didn't forget to give his instructions, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.
"But these eyes are of extremely high rank, and the divine soul power they contain is too domineering. You must not look at them for too long. At first, look at them once a month, and then gradually increase the frequency after you get used to it."
"Alright, thank you for your guidance, Brother Ji."
Chen Yi put away his eyeballs and jade tube, cupped his hands in thanks to Ji Wuchen, and spoke sincerely.
This time, not only did they solve Lei Ling's true meaning needs, but they also obtained the Spirit Eye Divine Power and high-level treasures, with gains far exceeding expectations.
There is no need for thanks between us.
Ji Wuchen waved his hand, then suddenly changed the subject and extended an invitation.
"Furthermore, if you ever feel you've had enough of the Star Moon Sect, you're welcome to come to my Ji family anytime."
The Ji family will always welcome talent like you, and the treatment we can offer you will be far better than that of the Star Moon Sect.
"Sure, I'll give it a serious consideration if the opportunity arises in the future."
Chen Yi did not refuse outright, and perhaps he really would have to visit the Ji family sometime in the future.
"Then goodbye."
Ji Wuchen clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Yi, a faint spiritual light emanating from his body. He summoned a cyan flying boat, leaped onto it, and the flying boat transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the direction of the Ji family before quickly disappearing into the horizon.
After Ji Wuchen left, Chen Yi did not rush back to the Star Moon Sect.
He surveyed the island in the middle of the lake before him.
The spiritual energy here is thin, with only one first-order spiritual vein. It happens to be a low-spirit area, making it unlikely to attract attention. It is perfect for him to temporarily live in seclusion and sort out the gains from his trip to Leifeng.
He released the treasure-hunting rat from his storage bag. This small, snow-white beast was intelligent and immediately understood Chen Yi's intention. It squeaked twice and then burrowed into the ground.
The ground churned and the treasure-hunting rat dug out a secret chamber about ten feet square hundreds of feet underground in less than half an hour. It even thoughtfully used its sharp claws to smooth the rock walls.
Chen Yi then set up three concealed formations at the entrance to the secret chamber:
The outer layer is a "gathering energy array" that can conceal spiritual energy fluctuations, the middle layer is a trigger-activated "warning array", and the inner layer is a simple "defense array" to ensure that one is not disturbed during seclusion.
Once everything was ready, he leaped into the secret chamber, sealed the entrance, and began his seclusion.
He has two main goals for this retreat:
One aspect is to organize the gains from this experience.
The remaining lightning crystals were counted, the characteristics of the Void Eyes were studied, and the details of integrating the true meaning of the lightning spirit into the spells were sorted out. At the same time, the shortcomings in the battle of the Thunder Peak were reflected, such as the lack of response when facing the Nascent Soul attack. The coordination between escape techniques and defense needs to be strengthened in the future.
On the other hand, he attempted to break through to the fifth divine aperture, while simultaneously beginning to cultivate the Insightful Spiritual Eye.
He looked at the piercing eyeball in his hand, and a strong premonition filled his heart:
This supernatural ability of spiritual vision and his already mastered technique of "perceiving heaven and earth" seem to share a similar essence at their core.
If the two are cultivated simultaneously and integrated, it may produce unexpected results, allowing his perception to reach a new level.
Meanwhile, deep within the Monster Mountain Range, at the headquarters of the Demonic Sect's Holy Temple.
A figure, accompanied by True Monarch Xuan Shui, strode into the council hall of the Ancient Demon Holy Temple.
The newcomer was a burly man with half of his body covered in dark purple scales. When he grinned, he revealed a set of sharp, white teeth. He was none other than the Nascent Soul Hall Master of Beast King Valley.
The moment he entered, he unleashed the oppressive aura of a Nascent Soul level cultivator, using his power to intimidate others. His gaze was fixed on the woman seated at the head of the hall, and he questioned her in a deep voice:
"Black Lotus Fairy, your ancient demon lineage has quite the audacity!"
How dare they condone their disciples' collusion with outsiders, betraying their own sect and stealing our demonic sect's opportunities!
The Black Lotus Fairy, seated in the main seat, wore a black gauze dress and had a cold expression. Although she was only at the peak of the Core Formation stage at the moment, she was in charge of all the affairs of the Ancient Demon lineage during her master, True Monarch Xuan Yin's, seclusion.
She is at a critical stage in her attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, honing her magical power while accumulating resources for Nascent Soul formation. She is just waiting for her master to emerge from seclusion so that she can use external forces to break through the bottleneck.
Faced with the sudden attack from two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect, the Black Lotus Fairy did not back down in the slightest.
She stood up, her body radiating black spiritual light, attempting to withstand the pressure from the two Nascent Soul cultivators single-handedly. Protecting Ning Bu'er behind her, she coldly replied:
"Senior Huhe, you are mistaken! My junior sister Ning Bu'er has always adhered to the rules of the Demonic Sect. How could there be any collusion between insiders and outsiders? You are trying to punish her without any evidence, which shows a great disrespect for the Ancient Demonic Sect!"
However, the gap between the peak of Core Formation and the Nascent Soul stage is ultimately as vast as an insurmountable chasm. Even with her exceptional talent, the Black Lotus Fairy could not withstand the combined pressure of two Nascent Soul cultivators.
In a short while, the black spiritual light around her began to distort, and her divine sense and magical power were suppressed.
She could only watch helplessly as the Beast King Valley Palace Master stretched out his large hand, a purple light grabbing Ning Bu'er's shoulder and forcibly dragging him out, coldly snarling:
"Whether there was collusion or not, a soul search will tell!"
Ning Bu'er was bound by the spiritual light, his face pale, but he still stubbornly glared at the Beast King Valley Palace Master, refusing to show weakness.
In fact, rumors about Ning Bu'er secretly releasing Core Formation prisoners had already surfaced ten years ago, but they were forcibly suppressed by the Black Lotus Fairy at the time.
After all, Master Xuan Yin Zhenjun had specifically instructed him to take good care of this junior sister before going into seclusion.
But the situation is different now: the Beast Taming Sect not only presented a well-reasoned inference, but also brought half of the evidence. Moreover, two cultivators, one in the mid-Nascent Soul stage and the other in the early Nascent Soul stage, came to question her personally. With the Black Lotus Fairy's peak Core Formation cultivation, she simply could not withstand such pressure.
Just as the half-human, half-beast Tiger Harmony True Monarch extended his disgusting, greenish fingernails, about to pierce Ning Bu'er's skull and forcibly search his soul,
A terrifying divine sense swept across the hall like a thunderclap, causing the mid-Nascent Soul True Monarch Huhe to tremble and freeze in his tracks.
"Huhe, who gave you the audacity to come and arrest someone from my Ancient Demon lineage?!"
A clear yet chillingly murderous female shout reached everyone's ears first.
Then,
Dark purple demonic flames appeared out of thin air, spreading from the entrance of the main hall as if paving a burning path through space.
In the blink of an eye, the last spark lit up in the center of the hall. After the light faded, a woman dressed in a beautiful palace dress appeared out of thin air.
Her pretty face was tense, her expression full of displeasure. When she saw that her disciple Ning Bu'er was being twisted in the hands of that ugly Beast Taming Nascent Soul, his wrists already red from being squeezed, a chilling killing intent flashed in her eyes.
"presumptuous!"
With a casual wave of his hand, Xuan Yin Zhenjun conjured up a late-stage Nascent Soul level magical flame carrying an aura of destruction, which coiled around Hu He Zhenjun's arm as if it were a living thing.
"ah--!"
Tiger Harmony True Lord let out a shrill scream. The black demonic flames were like a bone-deep infection, and even though he used all his magic power to activate his defenses immediately, he could not drive them away.
He could no longer care about Ning Bu'er in his hands. He suddenly threw him aside, let out a deafening tiger roar, and his body swelled up, landing on all fours, transforming into a huge black tiger over ten feet long, covered with jet-black scales.
The black tiger roared madly, its scales standing on end. Finally, it opened its mouth wide and spewed out a ball of crimson-gold flame larger than itself.
This is his natal flame accumulated over many years, and its power is considered outstanding even among those in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
The crimson flames collided with the black demonic flames, causing the temperature inside the hall to rise sharply, and the rock walls were even slightly scorched.
Tiger Harmony True Lord exerted all his strength to activate his natal true flame, consuming ten times the magical power of the demonic flame, before he could barely expel the black demonic flame from his body.
But even this brief burning sensation consumed the vital flame he had accumulated over several years.
On the enormous tiger's body, several black scales were charred and curled at the edges, revealing the bleeding flesh underneath, causing him to tremble in pain.
Black Tiger's amber eyes were filled with terror as it stared intently in the direction of Xuan Yin Zhenjun. It spoke in human language, its voice filled with disbelief:
"True Lord Xuanyin, you...you've actually broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage?!"
The reason why the demonic path has been confined to the Monster Mountain Range and dared not go out is because none of the several sects have had a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator to oversee it.
The fact that someone from the Ancient Demon lineage has now advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage is a great shock to Tiger Harmony True Monarch!
Beside it, Xuan Shui Zhenjun sensed the lingering demonic flames in the air and was so frightened that he dared not even breathe.
Both being Nascent Soul cultivators, she, a "fake Nascent Soul" who had only recently advanced and still bore the hidden injuries of her tribulation,
Before a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, one might not even be able to withstand a single spell from the opponent before being annihilated, and might not even have a chance to escape with their Nascent Soul.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun completely ignored the two trembling figures and quickly walked to Ning Bu'er's side.
His expression softened instantly. He carefully examined her physical condition, gently rubbing her wrist, which had been pinched red, while repeatedly asking her questions:
"Fuji, are you hurt? Did he lay a hand on you?"
Seeing that Ning Bu'er was only frightened and unharmed, and had not been forcibly searched for soul, he was finally relieved.
Then, she turned around, her face hardening again, her gaze falling on Tiger Harmony True Lord, who had returned to human form but was still clutching his arm in pain. Her voice carried undisguised killing intent:
"Huhe, prepare a fourth-tier Nascent Soul Fruit and come to apologize, or I'll tear off your tiger skin and use it as a sacrifice for my advancement to the late Nascent Soul stage!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Yin Zhenjun released a terrifying magical pressure that enveloped Hu He and Xuan Shui as if it were a tangible substance.
The moment the pressure descended, Xuan Shui Zhenjun could not withstand it. His legs went weak, and he knelt down with a "thud," his forehead touching the ground, not even having the courage to raise his head.
Tiger Harmony True Lord gritted his teeth and barely managed to hold on, but the oppressive aura was like an ever-increasing mountain, pressing down on his back.
He was drenched in cold sweat, his bones creaking under the strain, and finally, he couldn't hold on any longer.
With a thud, he knelt on one knee, his upper body almost touching the ground, his voice trembling with humiliation:
"Reporting to Senior Xuan Yin..."
Huhe was unaware that Senior had advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage. He has been quite offensive this time. Please forgive him, True Lord!
"Please, Lord Zhen, spare me this time!"
Even though he was a beast-taming genius, a once-in-a-century talent in Beast King Valley, capable of merging with a fourth-tier tiger king to reach the mid-Nascent Soul stage, he still bowed his head and begged for mercy in the face of an absolute difference in strength.
"I'll say it one last time: either you hand over a fourth-tier Nascent Soul Fruit, or you'll be stripped of your pretense. The choice is yours!"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun's voice was cold and sharp, showing he had no intention of letting him off easily.
Huhe was already filled with remorse.
That fourth-tier Nascent Soul Fruit was something he had acquired from elsewhere at great expense a few years ago, and he had just given it to his newly acquired concubine, True Monarch Xuan Shui, not long ago. Now, asking him to find another one was practically impossible.
But under the absolute coercion of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he could only grit his teeth and bow his head.
"Huhe knows his mistake! I will search for the Nascent Soul Fruit as soon as I return, and I will definitely present it to you within thirty years. Please grant me a few more days, True Lord!"
"ten years!"
A wisp of pitch-black demonic flame appeared out of nowhere at the tip of Huhe's nose. The destructive aura emanating from that flame made the hairs on his body stand on end.
Huhe immediately broke out in a cold sweat and dared not delay any longer, nodding repeatedly in agreement:
"Ten years! I will definitely find the Nascent Soul Fruit and present it to you within ten years. I would never dare to break my promise!"
"Hmph!" True Monarch Xuan Yin snorted coldly, withdrew his demonic flames, and finally got to the point.
"Speak! What business do you have here in my Ancient Demon Palace, demanding to punish my disciples?"
Only after things had escalated to this point did she slowly inquire about the reason, clearly indicating that the previous oppression was merely a means of establishing her authority.
Huhe quickly gestured for Xuan Shui Zhenjun to speak, since it was Xuan Shui who had started this matter, and it was her turn to explain.
But under the cold gaze of Xuan Yin Zhenjun, how could Xuan Shui dare to add fuel to the fire?
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and honestly recount everything that had happened, including how Lei Feng was led astray.
From the moment the stone-armored beast discovered Chen Yi and his companion, to her attempt to intercept them only to be thwarted, and then to her suspicion that the two had explored the secret realm with Ning Bu'er, which is why she came to "ask about the situation"... her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and she didn't even dare to lift her head.
"You want to forcibly search my disciple's soul just to ask about the situation?"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun's gaze suddenly fell on Xuan Shui, and the chill in his tone almost froze the entire hall.
Both are female cultivators, and their Daoist names both contain the character "Xuan," yet the difference between them in the Nascent Soul realm is like heaven and earth.
Xuan Shui broke out in a cold sweat under that gaze, quickly lowered his head, and said in a trembling voice, "I wouldn't dare... This junior would never have meant that."
"Fuji has been in seclusion by my side for the past few years, and has never stepped out of the Ancient Demon Palace. Even if it was her doing, let alone if she didn't collude with outsiders to lure in outsiders, then Thunder Peak was the territory that I personally granted to her."
The tone of Xuan Yin Zhenjun was authoritative and undeniable.
"Theoretically, everything produced in that place belongs to her, and it's not up to a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like you from the Beast Taming lineage to interfere."
However, I have already punished Huhe for this matter, so I will spare your life.
"If you ever dare to set foot on the territory of my Ancient Demon lineage again, whether you are a Nascent Soul cultivator or a Core Formation cultivator, you will pay the price!"
There's another reason why Xuan Yin Zhenjun is so protective of Ning Bu'er.
One reason she was able to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage this time was that after Ning Bu'er returned from Thunder Peak nine years ago, the changes in the lightning crystals around her and the evolutionary reaction between her and the Nine Yin Demon Flame...
This greatly inspired Xuan Yin Zhenjun, and in recent years she has been researching the evolution of the Nine Yin Demon Flame.
Unexpectedly, she made a breakthrough two years ago, using the higher-level Nine Yin Demon Flame to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage.
Therefore, she was determined to protect this disciple no matter what.
After advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage, Xuan Yin became even more concerned with the Dao of Cause and Effect.
"Yes, yes, yes! This junior will never dare to do it again!" Xuan Shui dared not make a single request at this moment, nodding her head like a pestle being pounded, wishing she could escape from this suffocating hall immediately.
Just then, a sharp cry suddenly came from the air outside the main hall, carrying the unique pressure of a fourth-tier demon beast.
Everyone looked up and saw a bird engulfed in crimson flames flying rapidly towards them. The bird had a wingspan of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and its feathers flowed with sparks like molten lava. It was none other than the Flame Sparrow, a mid-stage fourth-tier demon king.
The Flaming Sacred Sparrow hovered above the dome of the Demonic Gate Temple, its divine eyes piercing through the layers of curtains of the temple, taking in everyone inside.
Its beak was slightly open, and a translucent white jade tablet, accompanied by a chilling wind pressure, fell towards the center of the hall. Its clear cry transformed into a majestic human voice:
"I am the Holy Sparrow Protector of the Ji Family! By order of our Ancestor, I have brought this token here—within the Demonic Sect's territory, the one with the highest cultivation, step forward to receive this command!"
In the underground chamber of a small island in the Moon Lake Spirit Land, the luminous stones embedded in the stone walls emit a soft glow, illuminating the space, which is about ten feet square, with every detail clearly visible.
Chen Yi sat cross-legged on the jade futon, his eyes slightly closed, a faint golden spiritual light floating deep within his pupils.
This was one percent of the spiritual essence he had painstakingly extracted from the eye of that fifth-tier Void Beast Spirit after a whole month of effort, relying on the power of the system.
Even this tiny wisp carried the unique, desolate aura of the Void Beast.
Chen Yi dared not slacken in the slightest, and immediately focused his mind and calmed his spirit, spreading out the "Cultivation Method of the Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye" passed down by Ji Wuchen in his sea of consciousness.
While visualizing the phantom of the spiritual eye with one's mind, one guides that wisp of spirituality to slowly merge into the eyes.
In his sea of consciousness, the illusory outline of the spiritual eye gradually became clear, with star-like patterns flowing in the vertical pupil. As spiritual energy was injected, Chen Yi felt a sudden heat in his eyes, as if two golden rays were about to burst out from the bottom of his eyes.
As the heat subsided, he slowly opened his eyes, and the scene in the secret room was different.
The stone wall, which was originally visible to the naked eye, now appeared translucent to him.
Inside, pale blue spiritual energy threads intertwined like a spider web, flowing slowly along a specific trajectory—the path of a first-order spiritual vein deep within the stone wall.
These threads were as fine as hair, and more essential than the torrent of spiritual energy he had detected with his divine sense.
Every tremor of the silk thread and every diversion of spiritual energy was clearly seen by him.
He looked up at the spiritual vein node in the corner of the secret chamber, where he saw spiritual energy threads intertwined to form a miniature vortex.
The center of the vortex shimmered with a faint white halo, the aura of the spiritual vein's origin that he had failed to detect even after repeatedly probing with his divine sense.
Chen Yi immediately activated his divine sense, superimposing his perception on the scene before his eyes, allowing the two perceptions to corroborate each other.
The operational logic of the spiritual veins from the surface to the depths, the subtle points of energy loss, and even the potential for future blockages.
They all unfolded in his mind like a scroll, more profound and clear than ever before.
If previously using divine sense to perceive spiritual veins was "observing their form," now using the Insightful Spiritual Eye is "peeping into their spirit."
Subsequently, Chen Yi attempted to combine the Insightful Spirit Eye with the "Method of Perceiving Heaven and Earth".
He calmed his mind, blended his aura into the surrounding environment, and looked through the stone walls of the secret chamber at the void of heaven and earth outside.
In an instant, the subtle spiritual energy floating in the air and the faint threads of cause and effect in the world became clear.
The golden light in his eyes captured the causal relationship between a certain spiritual herb and the soil, the connection between a certain bird and the airflow, and even the faint fluctuations of energy emanating from the conversation between two cultivators in the distance.
In the past, when perceiving the heavens and earth, these causes and effects and the energy were more like a blurry halo, and one could only judge the general direction by intuition.
Now, with the blessing of his insightful spiritual eye, the aura spread out, transforming into traceable fine lines. He could analyze the origin, direction, and strength of each line one by one.
According to his own estimation, his current accuracy in judging cause and effect has, to some extent, approached the level of a third-tier divination master.
While it is impossible to accurately predict the future, it is possible to detect signs of risk or opportunity in advance from subtle changes in the flow of Qi.
The wondrous uses of this insightful eye go far beyond this.
Chen Yi's gaze fell on the array plates, talismans, and pill materials piled up in the corner of the secret room. The spiritual energy stagnation points hidden in the patterns of the array plates, the compatibility between the talisman fibers and the spiritual ink, and the distribution of impurities contained in the pill materials were all clearly visible to him.
He understood perfectly well whether it was finding the key points and weaknesses of a formation when breaking it, optimizing the path of spiritual energy when building a formation, adjusting the direction of runes when making talismans, or controlling the fusion of medicinal power when refining pills.
With these eyes, one can avoid the detours taken in the past due to "not being able to see the essence".
Even if it's not said that mastering these skills will be a matter of rapid progress, it will at least be twice as effective and efficient as before.
In fact, this is only the entry level of the Spirit Eye.
Every night, Chen Yi would take out the Void-Piercing Young Beast's Spirit Eye and concentrate on visualizing the Nascent Soul level aura emanating from it.
During visualization, he could always vaguely sense that a grander mystery lay hidden deep within his spiritual eye.
It is a vast and desolate realm that can penetrate the barriers of space and overlook the long river of time.
He had a hunch that once this supernatural power fully evolved, he might be able to move from the realm of "insight into the essence" to the realm of "penetrating the void."
At that time, a pair of eyes may be able to see through the folds of space and gaze directly at the distant landscape.
If combined with the methods of perceiving heaven and earth, it might even be possible to touch the edge of time.
Like a fish leaping out of the river of time, one can look up and see the blurry outline of the future, and look back and glimpse fragments of the past.
Of course, this supreme ability involving space and time is far beyond what he can imagine with his current cultivation level.
In the general cultivation world, unless one is an extraordinary individual born with the talent to control space and time,
Otherwise, the Dao of Space and Time are realms that only extremely high-level cultivators can touch.
He hasn't even reached the Nascent Soul stage yet, so discussing these things is far too distant. He might not even be able to touch the threshold of such a realm before reaching the Deity Transformation stage.
Even so, Chen Yi was already satisfied.
This basic ability to perceive spiritual energy alone enabled him to achieve a qualitative leap in many aspects, including perception, analysis, and cultivation.
With just this one supernatural ability, this trip to the Moon Lake Spirit Land has already been worthwhile.
Moreover, he took this opportunity to comprehensively improve the quality of his own Thunder Crystal.
This not only allowed him to smoothly advance to the late stage of the third level of body refinement, but when Chen Yi calmed down and looked inward, he also discovered that the condensation intensity of the lightning crystal core had increased significantly.
In the past few days, Chen Yi has conducted an extreme cumulative test. After several attempts, he successfully increased the number of lightning spirits in the lightning crystal core to as many as ninety-nine strands!
It should be noted that the golden crystal core he had painstakingly cultivated was still at a level of around ninety strands.
Ninety-nine strands of lightning crystal cores meant that he had reached the limit at the level of lightning crystal cores.
Taking another step forward would be a qualitative breakthrough, transforming the lightning crystal core into lightning crystal marrow.
(End of this chapter)