At Buzhou Mountain in a mysterious ancient cave, Main Body had been sitting here for nearly a thousand years. For a millennium, apart from occasionally observing the rule runes flashing upon the twelve essence blood, Main Body had kept his eyes closed the entire time.
Within Main Body's pale will world, countless mysterious rule runes combined along specific trajectories to form threads. Countless threads crossed vertically and horizontally to constitute nets of rules, and afterwards, these nets of rules continuously rotated, ruptured, and reorganized, finally actually forming a three-dimensional body perspective diagram. Upon closer inspection, there was faint trace of Pangu's shadow.
Main Body was actually deducing Pangu's body in reverse through Pangu's essence blood. If word got out, it would certainly cause a massive earthquake across the Primordial World.
However, it seemed some important factors were missing, and Pangu's body could never be thoroughly deduced. Every single time it remained vague, and pushing it even a step further would cause it to collapse.
I do not know when it started, but a three-dimensional perspective diagram of a divine demon bearing Eight Wings began to appear beside Pangu's three-dimensional perspective diagram. Whenever Pangu's perspective diagram collapsed, the virtual rule lines composing the divine demon perspective diagram would automatically make corresponding adjustments, and the phantom would become slightly more solid.
For a millennium, Main Body had been deducing amidst the collapse and reorganization of Pangu Phantom. Meanwhile, within Main Body's physical body in the cave, a chain of rules constantly flashed, wave after wave of vast majesty continuously emanated, and his physique was also undergoing continuous, faintly discernible transformation.
As for the twelve portions of Pangu's essence blood in the cave, after absorbing endless Heaven-Opening fiendish qi, each had transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang blood cocoon. Fortunately, this subterranean cave was large enough.
Ever since the battle with Di Jiao, Li Yi had vaguely felt that the degree of fusion between the Power of Slaughter and Green Lotus One World had deepened a fraction.
Li Yi vaguely felt that his previous thoughts had been somewhat biased. He had always been pondering how to deal with the issue of the Power of Slaughter, yet rarely considered the essence of the Power of Slaughter: what was slaughter, and what was the origin of slaughter? Right up to the present, he could only describe it in a vague manner.
At this point, Li Yi understood that the moment he comprehended the essence of slaughter would be when Green Lotus One World sublimated into the Slaughter Sword Dao, and when he attained the Golden Immortal fruit status.
Of course, Li Yi could also forcibly combine the Power of Slaughter with Green Lotus One World right now, but a Golden Immortal who understood the essence of slaughter versus a Golden Immortal who only knew the Power of Slaughter was like the difference between an ordinary marksman and a sniper. Naturally, Li Yi would not let a minor detail ruin the big picture.
Slaughter, slaughter—needless to say, the shortcut to understanding the essence of the Power of Slaughter was battle. Therefore, Li Yi made a crazy decision: to display the might of an ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasure with Green Lotus Ancient Sword in order to attract experts at the Golden Immortal level, without causing the attention of Grand Unity Golden Immortals.
From God knows when, a rumor had begun circulating throughout the Primordial World that a Mystic Immortal was wandering around holding an Innate Spiritual Treasure, and even frequently showing it off as if terrified that others might not know he possessed an Innate Spiritual Treasure.
For a moment, those Mystic Immortals and Golden Immortals grew restless. You being a Mystic Immortal with a spiritual treasure was one thing, but to blatantly swagger out and wander about—was this not forcing them to commit crimes?
Carrying Green Lotus Ancient Sword on his back, Li Yi sat cross-legged on a desolate patch of open ground. The surrounding trees were all snapped and broken, the ground was stained with patches of blood, and a few corpses were scattered around, making it possible to deduce that a fierce battle had just taken place here.
Hmph, a few Mystic Immortals actually want to come over and take advantage; truly courting death, Li Yi muttered to himself. Dealing with the Mystic Immortal tier nowadays took hardly any effort for him at all, and as for the life or death of these few people, Li Yi did not take it to heart. Since they came to snatch a spiritual treasure, they should have prepared themselves to throw their lives away.
Finally waited for a big fish, a sharp glint flashed in Li Yi's eyes as he instantly drew the Ancient Sword and pointed it at the newcomer from afar.
The one who had come to seize the treasure was called Great Immortal Green Eyes. Naturally greedy, he had committed no small amount of murder and treasure-seizing in this region. He possessed the cultivation of early Golden Immortal. Because other Golden Immortals adopted a detached attitude of indifference towards affairs that did not concern them, whereas the targets Great Immortal Green Eyes preyed upon were always Heavenly Immortals and Mystic Immortals, never provoking Golden Immortals—not even Golden Immortals weaker than himself—Great Immortal Green Eyes had consequently never encountered any major trouble and lived quite comfortably.
This time, hearing that a Mystic Immortal was walking about holding an Innate Spiritual Treasure right under his nose, how could he possibly restrain himself? Without another word, he had rushed right over.
"Hehe, brat, obediently hand over the spiritual treasure, or else I'll make your life a living hell!" Great Immortal Green Eyes shouted arrogantly, thinking that a mere Mystic Immortal was simply there for the taking.
Li Yi did not utter a single word. With a direct pinch of his Hand Seal, green light surged on Green Lotus Ancient Sword, transforming it into a heaven-supporting giant sword that stabbed toward Great Immortal Green Eyes like lightning...
This battle reduced a fifty-li radius to complete ruins; Li Yi was heavily injured, and Great Immortal Green Eyes died.
Three months later, early Golden Immortal powerhouse Purple-haired Demonic Lion died; Li Yi remained heavily injured.
One year later, early Golden Immortal powerhouse Three-eyed Golden Scorpion died; Li Yi suffered minor injuries.
Three years later, mid Golden Immortal powerhouse Blood-devouring Demonic Tree died; Li Yi was heavily injured.
Seven years later, mid Golden Immortal powerhouse White-winged Bat died; Li Yi suffered minor injuries.
Ten years later, late Golden Immortal powerhouse Flame Demon suffered minor injuries, while Li Yi escaped with heavy injuries.
Thirteen years later, Flame Demon died; Li Yi was heavily injured.
Sixteen years later, peak Golden Immortal powerhouse Stone Demon died; Li Yi was heavily injured.
Nineteen years later, peak Golden Immortal powerhouse Six-winged Mantis died; Li Yi suffered minor injuries.
Time drifted by as twenty years passed. Li Yi sat cross-legged upon the peak of a small mountain, his face completely exhausted, his hands habitually resting upon Green Lotus Ancient Sword—a posture that had formed naturally starting twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago, the ones who initially came looking for Li Yi were all after the Innate Spiritual Treasure. But as Li Yi killed more and more Golden Immortals and his reputation grew increasingly grand, those who came solely for reputation arrived as well, whom Li Yi killed just the same. Then there were those who attempted recruitment and, failing that, wanted to obliterate Li Yi; Li Yi killed them just the same...
There were simply too many, far too many who came looking for Li Yi harboring all sorts of motives. As long as they held ill intentions, Li Yi slaughtered every single one of them without exception.
If they were merely after treasure, it would be fine; these cultivators generally possessed no background, or else they would not lack a mere Innate Spiritual Treasure. But harboring other motives was troublesome. Generally, these cultivators belonged to some faction, yet Li Yi had nearly killed all of these people, consequently also drawing a continuous stream of assassinations. Fortunately, Grand Unity Golden Immortals had not been dispatched yet; otherwise, Li Yi would not even have had the chance to flee.
While slaughtering, he reflected, and the moniker of Sword Maniac rapidly spread far and wide across the Primordial World.
Li Yi's comprehension of the Power of Slaughter grew increasingly profound, the fusion between the Power of Slaughter and Green Lotus One World grew faster and faster, Li Yi's sword techniques grew sharper and sharper, and naturally the number of people he killed increased...
Finally, Li Yi killed a person with an extraordinary background: Double-pupiled Golden Eagle Jin Shi, an elder of the Eternal Sacred Dynasty and the grandson of Grand Unity Golden Immortal Golden Eagle King.
Li Yi knew this might spell big trouble, but how was this not also a crucial opportunity to comprehend the essence of slaughter? At worst, he could summon Main Body. Of course, that would be in a situation of last resort; Li Yi decided to take advantage of this opportunity to attain the Golden Immortal realm, and thus quietly restored his vigor while making a few preparations, awaiting the arrival of Golden Eagle King's revenge.
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