Creation Immortal Art
The post-war wind, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, swept across the battlefield, stirring up the tiny green shoots and lingering golden light, yet it could not dispel the faint hissing sounds emanating from beneath the soil—a sign that the evil power was breaking free from purification and re-condensing. The ashes of the Ink Nightmare, once utterly torn apart by the Golden Giant Dragon, were now churning violently beneath the earth like boiling asphalt. With the sound of bubbles bursting, wisps of thick, black mist broke through the damp soil, twisting and entwining in the air like countless venomous snakes intertwining, their scale-like edges gleaming with a bluish-purple light, ultimately managing to piece together the incomplete phantom of the Ink Nightmare.
His left side was still shrouded in drifting ash, each movement carrying the faint, mournful sobs of vengeful spirits, as if countless wronged souls were struggling and howling within it. A distorted cultivator's face could be vaguely seen flashing through the ash, black tears of blood flowing from the empty eye sockets. His right side, however, was forcibly solidified by an overwhelming, impenetrable evil power. Beneath his bluish-gray skin, veins bulged like coiled dragons, and black liquid flowed from his blood vessels. Each pulse caused a subtle distortion in the surrounding air. His eyes were two leaping Black Fire, their tongues clearly reflecting the entire... The battlefield was filled with madness and resentment. "Ren Xiaoyao! Do you really think that by destroying my physical body with your meager cultivation, you can eradicate the evil power I've accumulated over three thousand years? I used the essence of a million vengeful spirits as a guide to cultivate the ' Undying Wraith Body.' As long as the essence of my soul remains, my evil power will never be exhausted! Unless you can crush this wisp of my essence into dust, I will surely return with a vengeance, soaking every inch of this continent in blood, turning all living beings into food for my army of vengeful spirits, and reducing Cang Xuan's three thousand years of protection to nothing!"
Before the words were finished, Ink Nightmare's mangled body slammed into the ground, his evil power crashing down like a thousand-pound hammer. A deafening roar echoed as the earth trembled violently. Several deep trenches, each several feet deep, radiated outwards from beneath his feet. Soil crumbled away from the edges of the trenches, revealing the inky black soil beneath, long since corroded by evil power—the traces of countless vengeful spirits' resentment over three thousand years. Fragments of white bone were embedded in the soil, gleaming with an eerie blue light under the black aura. Then, countless... Black tentacles, as thick as a child's arm, burst forth from the bottom of the ditch. Their surfaces were covered with sharp barbs, from which hung rotten strips of cloth and bits of flesh. Dark green corrosive liquid dripped from their tips, falling onto the newly sprouted green shoots. The shoots instantly withered and turned black, turning into a pool of sticky black mud. The surrounding soil, within a half-foot radius, was also stained black, emitting a pungent, fishy stench, like the smell of rotting corpses mixed with rust. The stench was so strong that nearby cultivators couldn't help but cover their mouths and noses, and many gagged on the spot.
Tentacles rapidly intertwined in the air, forming a massive black net. Countless tiny, vengeful phantoms entwined within its meshes: there were the remnants of cultivators, their robes tattered and their hair disheveled, dried bloodstains clinging to the net's ropes; there were the souls of birds and beasts, their fur charred and wings mutilated, claws scratching wildly in the air, emitting hoarse cries; and there were phantoms resembling children, howling and struggling within the net's meshes, their faces deathly pale, their hands outstretched towards the distant cultivators, their eyes filled with pleading. They stretched out their pale fingers, their nails gleaming with a bluish-black light, attempting to grasp any living thing. Their shrill cries were as sharp as nails scraping against metal, piercing the cultivators' eardrums with pain. Many of the weaker cultivators immediately covered their ears, their faces turning pale, their spiritual energy disrupted by the shrill cries, and tiny beads of blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.
At this moment, Ren Xiaoyao was being carefully helped onto a stretcher by two cultivators dressed in gray robes. The wooden poles of the stretcher bent slightly under his weight, making a soft creaking sound, and his bloodstains were still visible on their surfaces. His wounds were still bleeding, his Blood-Stained Robe were tattered, and his exposed skin was covered with hideous scars. Some of the scars were still oozing blood, which was congealing into dark red scabs. His face was as pale as paper, and even his breathing was weak and trembling. His chest rose and fell like a candle in the wind, as if he would faint completely at any moment. But just as the evil power of the Ink Nightmare was re-condensing, a faint but unusually firm golden light suddenly appeared in his dantian, like a firefly that would never go out in the darkness. As the evil power of the Ink Nightmare increased, the golden light gradually became brighter, forming a small Light Orb in his abdomen, emitting a warm aura.
The scenes of his life-or-death battle with Ink Nightmare flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern: how the boundless golden light erupting from the Creation Chaos Cauldron tore through the thick black clouds and purified the pervasive Baleful Evil Force; how the "Fusion" pattern on the cauldron resonated with his own Essence Blood; how the "Life, Life-Annihilation-Devour" three patterns on the Creation Spear echoed the cauldron and gradually forced back the surrounding poison; how the golden light on the spear collided with the Baleful Evil Force; how the Golden Giant Dragon opened its massive maw and devoured the Evil Baleful Spear along with the vengeful spirits; how the golden light on the dragon scales purified the Evil Mist... Countless fragmented insights, like mountain streams, slowly converged along his sea of consciousness, finally condensing into a clear Daoist rhyme at his spiritual platform. He seemed to see the figure of Senior Cang Xuan standing atop the mountain, wielding a long sword to slay demons and monsters; he saw how the long sword in the senior's hand drew upon the life force of heaven and earth as a blade, transforming Baleful Evil Force and malevolent energy into Void; he also saw the essential nature of the life force and Baleful Evil Force in the world, Mutual Generation and Restraint and restraining each other, cycling endlessly, as natural as the Day and Night Cycle. His heart suddenly became clear.
"So that's how it is... The true essence of Martial Dao is not just about brute force, but also about 'fusion'—to integrate the vitality of heaven and earth into one's own, and to transform Baleful Evil Force energy into nourishment, so as to be able to live endlessly and remain invincible." Ren Xiaoyao suddenly opened his eyes, and golden light burst forth in them, like two miniature blazing suns suspended in his sea of consciousness. The light pierced through his pupils, illuminating the astonished faces of the surrounding cultivators, and even his pale face was gilded with a layer of golden light. The meridians that were originally broken in his body were repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye. A faint golden light emanated from the broken parts, as if they had been stitched back together with golden thread. The muscles that were originally tense due to the intense pain gradually relaxed, and the blood beads at the wounds slowly solidified under the golden light, no longer seeping out.
The Chaos Energy had been empty within his dantian surged anew, no longer the violent and disordered energy of before, but instead becoming condensed and pure, like a warm, smooth jade slowly rotating within his dantian. Each rotation emitted a faint vitality, flowing through his meridians and throughout his body, repairing his damaged flesh and blood. He slowly rose, and as his feet touched the ground, a golden ripple spread across it. Wherever the ripple reached, the scorched black soil, polluted by evil energy, visibly faded from its blackness, becoming moist and fertile once more, with fine water droplets emerging from the soil. Tender green shoots sprouted again from the roots of the previously corroded and withered plants, their tips gleaming faintly. Some tiny Flower Buds even quietly bloomed at the tips of the Flower Buds, pale pink with golden edges on the petals, emitting a faint, sweet floral fragrance that contrasted sharply with the stench in the air, allowing the cultivators' tense nerves to relax slightly.
This was the new realm he comprehended on the brink of life and death—the "Dao Fusion Realm." Once this realm was achieved, one could draw upon the sunlight, rain, and vitality of plants and trees from the world, transform Baleful Evil Force, malevolent energy, and resentful spirits into one's own power. Baleful Evil Force were no longer a threat but could instead become nourishment for cultivation, and vitality was an aid that could be drawn upon at will. With every move, one could manipulate the power of heaven and earth, truly achieving "Heaven and Earth Breathe Together, and coexisting with all things." Even in dire straits, one could draw power from the surroundings.
Ink Nightmare Ren Xiaoyao had not only instantly healed his injuries but also broken through to a new realm that even he couldn't perceive, Mo Yan's eyes blazed with Black Fire, Mars flying, and a hint of barely concealed fear flashed across his face. He could clearly sense that Ren Xiaoyao's aura was far superior to before, even carrying a hint of pressure that restrained evil power, like the natural suppression of Baleful Evil Force by the life force of heaven and earth, causing a slight stagnation in the evil power within his own body. But he still forced himself to continue channeling his evil power, trying to disturb Ren Xiaoyao's mind with words. "So what if you break through? My ' Undying Wraith Body ' can infinitely regenerate using the power of millions of vengeful spirits. You can afford to wait, but the creatures of this continent can't! As long as I delay, the Spiritual Qi of this continent will be completely polluted by my evil power. At that time, all cultivators will become my puppets, and even those you protect will personally push you to your death, letting you taste the bitterness of being betrayed by everyone!"
His hand seals moved with incredible speed, his fingertips flashing and leaving trails of black energy in the air. As the trails dissipated, the malevolent Sha Qi in the air intensified, even condensing into tiny Black Ice Crystals. These Ice Crystals, upon hitting the ground, dissolved into wisps of black mist that re-entered his body. The black energy around him surged like a tsunami, rapidly coalescing into a Evil Baleful Giant Shadow hundreds of feet tall. The shadow was entirely composed of pitch-black Evil Mist, its face indistinct, yet countless vengeful spirits could be seen writhing on its surface. There were cultivators dressed in tattered Daoist robes, Black Blood trickling from their mouths, the hems of their robes fluttering in the wind, revealing stark white bones; there were birds and beasts with charred fur and broken wings, their feathers dripping with dark green liquid; and there were illusory figures of Mortals with pierced abdomens and exposed internal organs, their hands clutching their wounds, their faces contorted in agony. They all opened their mouths, emitting shrill screams, the sounds converging into a sonic wave, like an invisible blade, sweeping towards the cultivators. Many cultivators were struck by the sonic wave, instantly staggering back several steps, their blood churning.
The colossal figure slowly raised its hand, its palm carrying a dense Evil Fiendish Qi as it slammed down towards Ren Xiaoyao. Wherever it passed, the air creaked and groaned, as if it might crumble at any moment. Stones on the ground were shattered into tiny fragments, which, upon contact with the malevolent energy, instantly turned black, as if soaked in ink. Even cultivators in the distance felt a suffocating pressure, involuntarily taking several steps back. Some even sat cross-legged, circulating their spiritual energy to resist the oppressive force, fine beads of cold sweat beading on their foreheads. Their spiritual energy circulated rapidly within their bodies, and a faint spiritual light emanated from their skin.
Ren Xiaoyao neither dodged nor avoided, his gaze fixed on the Creation Spear beside him. Although the spear was still dim, and the cold light at its tip was not as sharp as before, dark red bloodstains remained on the shaft. The bloodstains gleamed dimly in the sunlight, but under the pull of his "Dao Fusion Realm" aura, the three patterns of "Life-Annihilation-Devour" on the spear shone with a faint golden light, as if a sleeping creature had been awakened. The golden light flowed slowly along the patterns, like three agile golden snakes, slithering and coiling on the spear, each movement adding a touch of luster to the spear.
He raised his hand and grasped the gun barrel, the familiar coolness of his palm returning. The pain of his old, torn wound had vanished, replaced by a warm energy flowing from his palm into the gun. The barrel trembled slightly, as if responding to his power, completely merging with his aura to form an invisible resonance. He leaped into the air, his figure tracing a graceful arc, his Blood-Stained Robe billowing like a soaring eagle. The bloodstains on his robes shimmered like red plum blossoms in the sunlight. The tip of his gun pointed directly at the palm of the Evil Baleful Giant Shadow, and he uttered a soft cry, "Merge!"
In an instant, the energy of heaven and earth seemed to be awakened by this command. The sunlight overhead poured down like water, flowing into the spear shaft from the tip, forming golden streams of light on the shaft, like golden creeks rushing through the spear. Wherever the light streams passed, the darkness of the spear gradually faded; the vitality of the grass and trees on the ground transformed into countless tiny green light spots, swirling around the spear shaft like a green Nebula, enveloping it. The light spots merged into the spear shaft, making the light of the "Life" pattern even more dazzling; even the faint evil energy remaining in the air was forcibly drawn towards the spear shaft by the suction of the "Swallow" pattern, forming a small Black Vortex at the tip, which was then transformed into pure golden energy by the Daoist rhyme of the "Merge" character, flowing into Ren Xiaoyao's body along the shaft.
The three runes of "Life-Annihilation-Devour" on the spearhead lit up simultaneously, their brilliance surpassing anything seen before. The golden lotus nurtured by the "Life" rune was no longer limited to purifying Baleful Evil Force; sharp golden light emanated from the edges of its petals, resembling golden blades that spun rapidly around the spearhead. The fragrance it emitted directly soothed the restless minds of cultivators. Many cultivators who had previously been disturbed by Baleful Evil Force and whose spiritual energy was disordered instantly regained their senses upon smelling the fragrance, their spiritual energy stabilizing once again, and the blood beads at the corners of their mouths ceasing to seep out. The Sword Qi of the "Destruction" rune, merging with the power of heaven and earth, was no longer just a few feet long, but transformed into a Golden Sword Qi tens of feet long. The Sword Qi energy was so sharp it could Duan Kong, drawing a golden arc in the sky. Wherever the arc passed, even the space itself rippled slightly, as if it were about to split the heavens and the earth. The Sword Qi energy also carried the True Meaning of Martial Arts left behind by the Senior Cang Xuan, causing the Evil Baleful Giant Shadow to pause for a moment. The vortex of the "Devouring" pattern expanded several times, like a small golden Black Hole, and began to directly devour the Evil Mist on the surface of the Evil Baleful Giant Shadow, converting it into pure energy. This energy flowed into Ren Xiaoyao's body along the spear shaft, nourishing his cultivation. The Chaos Energy in his dantian spun faster and faster, his aura became more profound and stable, and the golden light around him became increasingly intense.
"Impossible! This is impossible!" Ink Nightmare roared, filled with despair and resentment. His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows, and every word was laced with tearing pain. Under the golden light, the edges of his mangled body began to melt away. He could clearly feel that the Evil Baleful Giant Shadow he had painstakingly condensed was being rapidly weakened. The Evil Mist on his body surged toward the Creation Spear like a tide, and even the power of the vengeful spirits within the giant shadow was being forcibly drawn away. The giant shadow's body was becoming thinner at a visible speed, and its originally ferocious face was gradually becoming blurred.
The moment the Evil Baleful Giant Shadow's hand touched the spear tip, it began to rapidly dissolve. Golden energy spread along the shadow's arm, and wherever it passed, the dark, Evil Mist vanished like snow meeting the blazing sun, revealing countless terrified and struggling phantoms of vengeful spirits within the shadow—freed from the shackles of evil power, their eyes filled with liberation, they fled in all directions. But the moment they touched the golden energy, they turned into white specks of light and dissipated. The specks of light fell to the ground, nourishing the soil, causing even more green shoots to sprout, and even tiny vines to grow along the specks of light, entwining the previously shattered rocks, with tiny white flowers blooming on the vines.
Using the momentum, Ren Xiaoyao leaped into the air, his body flipping and sweeping his spear horizontally. The Golden Sword Qi, like a giant blade of a god, carried an irresistible majesty, directly severing the body of the Evil Baleful Giant Shadow. The shadow collapsed with a bang, turning into a sky full of black mist, which was then completely absorbed by the "Devouring" pattern vortex and transformed into pure energy. Even the shockwave generated when the shadow collapsed was used by Ren Xiaoyao with the power of the "Dao Fusion Realm," transforming it into a Golden Barrier that steadily protected the cultivators and children behind him. The golden light emanating from the barrier also purified the Baleful Evil Force remaining on the cultivators' bodies, making their spiritual light even brighter.
Immediately afterward, Ren Xiaoyao's gaze locked onto Ink Nightmare's mangled body, his eyes devoid of any pity—he knew all too well that as long as Ink Nightmare's primordial soul remained, the evil would never find peace. If he did not completely eradicate it today, it would surely become an even greater calamity in the future, and the three thousand years of protection by Senior Cang Xuan would be in vain. He poured all his "Dao Fusion Realm" cultivation into the spear, and the spear tip erupted with a dazzling golden light, as bright as the midday sun, causing all the cultivators to squint. The golden light, like a shooting star piercing the darkness, carried the force of tearing through the Sky-Rending Strike, leaving a golden afterimage in the sky before piercing straight into Ink Nightmare's mangled body.
"Ah--!" Ink Nightmare let out an extremely shrill scream, his voice filled with pain and despair, echoing throughout the entire battlefield and even reaching the distant valleys, causing rubble to fall from the cliffs. His mangled body trembled violently under the golden light, the vengeful spirit within him forcibly extracted, transforming into wisps of black mist that twisted and struggled in the air like dying venomous snakes, flicking their tongues in an attempt to escape, but ultimately being completely absorbed by the "swallowing" pattern vortex and purified into harmless white vapor. The vapor fell to the ground, nourishing the newly grown grass and trees, and even attracted several colorful butterflies that flew from the distant mountains and forests, landing on the blades of grass, fluttering their colorful wings, the patterns on their wings sparkling like jewels in the sunlight, as if celebrating the complete dissipation of the Baleful Evil Force.
Ink Nightmare's remains faded at a visible speed, his bluish-gray skin gradually becoming transparent, and the evil power within him vanished rapidly like a receding tide. Even the Black Fire flickering in his eyes began to weaken, until finally only a palm-sized Black Jade Slip remained, slowly drifting down from the sky. The surface of the jade slip was engraved with intricate cloud patterns, and a faint aura of immortal power flowed within the patterns, completely different from the previous Evil Fiendish Qi. One could even sense a trace of pure vitality contained within it, and the edges of the jade slip shimmered with a faint golden light, as if it had been nourished by immortal power.
Ren Xiaoyao reached out and caught the jade slip. The moment his fingertips touched it, an extremely pure immortal power overflowed from the jade slip, flowing into his sea of consciousness through his fingertips. This immortal power was gentle yet powerful, completely different from the spiritual power of the Mortal Realm. Like a gentle stream, it nourished his sea of consciousness, instantly clearing his mind, which had been exhausted from the battle. His mental strength also increased several times over, and the Central Plains his mind became clear. He focused on examining the contents of the jade slip. On the front of the jade slip were three ancient seal characters—"The Creation Immortal Art." The characters were vigorous and powerful, and the strokes contained the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. It seemed that every character was telling the true meaning of becoming an immortal. Faint immortal light flowed between the characters, and when it touched his sea of consciousness, it transformed into Information Stream.
The back of the jade slip was covered with densely packed Cultivation Method Mnemonic, recorded in the same ancient script as the complete cultivation method: from how to draw the sparse Immortal Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth into the body to plant Immortal Seed in the dantian; to how to condense Mortal Realm spiritual energy into pure Immortal Essence to nourish the growth of the Immortal Seed; to how to break through the shackles between the immortal and mortal realms, condense Immortal Bone, and give the physical body the foundation for immortality; it even recorded the preliminary methods of using immortal techniques such as "Qi Manifestation Sword" and "Spirit Condensation Shield." Every word contained profound Daoist rhymes, and the Mnemonic also marked the precautions for cultivation. It was actually a genuine Immortal Realm inherited Cultivation Method, enough to allow Mortal Realm cultivators to embark on the path to immortality!
He held the jade slip, looking down at the revitalized earth beneath his feet, and instantly understood: Ink Nightmare had probably obtained this "Creation Immortal Art" by chance in some High Antiquity Immortal Realm ruins, but due to his evil nature, he was unable to comprehend the core essence of the Cultivation Method— "integrating life force and transforming Baleful Evil Force"—instead distorting the Immortal Method, forcibly activating it with the power of vengeful spirits, replacing Immortal Spiritual Qi with resentment, thus cultivating the harmful "Undying Wraith Body." If Ink Nightmare could have abandoned his evil thoughts and cultivated the righteous path, he might have already broken through the Mortal Realm, embarked on the Immortal Path, and become a powerful immortal. Unfortunately, he was blinded by evil thoughts, chose the wrong path, and ultimately met a tragic end, his soul scattered. Even this precious immortal technique became someone else's fortuitous opportunity, a true cycle of cause and effect.
Upon seeing this, the cultivators in the distance all knelt down, bowing in reverence towards Ren Xiaoyao. Many were filled with awe and gratitude, some even weeping with emotion—they knew that Ren Xiaoyao had used his power to completely eradicate the scourge of Ink Nightmare, protecting this continent, their homes, and their loved ones. The child, who had been tightly held in his mother's arms, now peeked out, his face still wet with tears, and waved vigorously in Ren Xiaoyao's direction, his clear voice echoing between heaven and earth. "Big brother is so amazing! Big brother defeated the bad guys! No more monsters will bully us!" The child clutched a freshly picked wildflower in his hand, its petals glistening with dew, swaying gently with his wave.