Cultivation

A terrifying demonic hall, a terrifying Nine-Headed Monster Lion, and terrifying divine abilities.

Ji Tian ruefully realized that he was still too weak. When faced with danger, all he could do was run and hide; he had no strength to fight back.

There were too many powerful beings in this world.

They had all evolved from the Power of Creation bestowed by Heaven's will, but their origins lay in Great God Pangu's Essence, Qi, and Spirit, his flesh, and his blood. Every one of them was born powerful and inherited cultivation methods from birth. This was the inheritance of Heaven's will.

What he had obtained were naturally incomplete cultivation techniques. After all, Pangu's Remains had been shattered, and some of Pangu's Remnant Souls might have dissipated or been buried.

He had to search little by little and grow little by little.

Ji Tian thought it over, piecing together the memories and imprints he knew of from the remains, then slowly sorting them out. Among them were Great God Pangu's insights in chaos, and the insights left in his remains after the World-Opening. It was all rather complicated.

He gathered together everything that was useful to him now, seeking his own path of cultivation through contemplation.

That finger bone was also an untapped treasure. The absence of the remnant soul within it made it difficult for him to obtain the power it had preserved.

Ji Tian had also gained an insight in the pool. The world's spiritual energy wasn't limited to soul power; there were many kinds of spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth. Even the power of restrictions could be absorbed if one knew how to refine it. The problem was that this Sealed Space was too barren, and he lacked the corresponding refining methods.

He had once thought that the Malevolent Qi and Death Qi in this space couldn't be drawn upon. Now it seemed he simply lacked the right techniques. Death Qi, Malevolent Qi, killing intent, and the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth were all primal substances that made up the power of Heaven and Earth; they simply yielded different kinds of power. The spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth could be converted into any kind of power, strengthening one's foundation and improving one's cultivation. But cultivating with Death Qi could only increase one kind of power, and the rate of improvement was much slower.

If he mastered this strange method, his cultivation could make great strides.

His only regret was that he had been born as a ghostly body, without Great God Pangu's formidable physique or his power that looked down upon the world. Even the remains that had survived could now make his attacks unstoppable. What an enviable power that was.

There couldn't be only one path of cultivation in Heaven and Earth. Surely there were methods suited to a ghostly body; he simply hadn't found them yet.

Perhaps that finger bone would bring him a pleasant surprise.

A sudden voice entered Ji Tian's Spiritual Sense. "You seem so familiar to me. Who am I? And who are you?"

Ji Tian smiled wryly. "That deranged Nine-Headed Monster Lion is going mad again."

Black Demonic Cloud churned through the great hall. The Nine-Headed Monster Lion drew Pangu's Remains, which had been floating in the hall, toward itself and studied them closely.

One moment it was lucid, the next confused, then it would go berserk.

Fragments of Spiritual Sense kept entering the Black Bone Relic.

"I remember being born in chaos. What is chaos?"

"This bone is so frightening. Boo-hoo, so frightening."

Ji Tian was taken aback. Could this crazy creature really have come from chaos?

"I killed the Yang God, leaving only the Yin God. Who killed me?" A furious roar shook the hall. "Who killed me? Who? Why am I here?"

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion clutched a black bone in its forelimbs and wailed. "Who was it? Why?"

Ji Tian was suddenly enveloped in sorrow. He couldn't help but feel a fierce, grief-stricken will and a desolate aura.

They came from memories hidden deep within the Black Bone Relic.

"Heaven and Earth gave birth to me so that I might perish and become all things. I have no regrets. My soul cannot remain in Heaven and Earth. I have no regrets. But I have my own Dao. Even Heaven and Earth cannot make me submit. No matter how powerful the being, I will resist. I dare to slay the gods, destroy Heaven, and destroy the Dao. I have no regrets, even in death."

Ji Tian saw Great God Pangu gather the Xuanhuang Essence of the dawn of the World-Opening, shape it into a blood-red halberd, and swing it at Heaven's will.

Ji Tian's soul trembled—not with fear, but with excitement. What kind of heroic spirit was this? To raise a blood-red halberd against Heaven's will, unafraid even of being reduced to dust.

One should die standing, never live on one's knees. If Heaven stands in the way, destroy Heaven; if the Dao stands in the way, destroy the Dao. Better to shatter like jade than remain intact like a tile.

Slaughter wasn't for the sake of survival, nor was it for slaughter's own sake. It was for the conviction in one's heart. That was the Way of Slaughter.

This was the Dao he pursued—the true Way of Slaughter.

Just then, Ji Tian suddenly entered a state of enlightenment, grasping the Way of Slaughter that Pangu had comprehended.

The killing intent in the Sealed Space swiftly gathered toward the Black Bone Relic. A strange power flowed through Ji Tian's heart. This was the power of conviction. Only with such conviction could a cultivator join the ranks of the strong.

Unable to endure the surging killing intent, the Nine-Headed Monster Lion kept retreating, growling warily.

More Soul Power attacked the Black Bone Relic, and that Soul Power stirred Ji Tian.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion's Soul Power was mostly an understanding of the Dao, a way of wielding the laws of the Great Dao.

Heaven and Earth operated according to certain rules and principles, forming the will of the Dao, which we call laws. They contained many kinds of power, and their purpose was to maintain the proper order of Heaven and Earth and destroy anything that disrupted it.

Every kind of power contained the will of the Dao. Cultivators sought to comprehend that will, making themselves one with it so they could draw upon the rules and principles governing Heaven and Earth, grow stronger, and transcend life and death.

"The Soul Law!" Ji Tian cried in astonishment, and hurriedly focused on comprehending it.

A human being had three souls: the first was the Heavenly Soul, the second the Earthly Soul, and the third the Soul of Life. There were seven corporeal spirits: the first was the Celestial Surge, the second the Spiritual Wisdom, the third Qi, the fourth Strength, the fifth the Central Pivot, the sixth Essence, and the seventh Brilliance. The souls were Yin, and the spirits were Yang. (Yunji Qiqian)

The Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul joined to produce the Soul of Life, giving rise to a person. When the Soul of Life ended, it divided into Yin and Yang and returned to Heaven and Earth. The Soul of Life was the main soul of the human body. Through the Celestial Surge and Spiritual Wisdom spirits, it governed thought and intelligence. Through the Qi, Strength, and Central Pivot spirits, it governed action. Through the Essence and Brilliance spirits, it governed the body and its strength.

In his state of enlightenment, Ji Tian sensed the Soul Law. It was a powerful and terrifying force. On a small scale, it could affect another person's mood and emotions; on a larger scale, it could control their body; at its strongest, it could directly destroy their primordial spirit and soul.

The souls of living beings resided in their Spiritual Platforms, while the soul of a ghostly body dwelled in the sea of consciousness within its primordial spirit. Ji Tian absorbed the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's method of cultivating the soul, gradually strengthening his Spiritual Sense and tempering his soul.

His sea of consciousness was golden, a golden ocean. When Ji Tian opened his eyes, he clearly sensed the change within it: it had grown a full circle larger, and a vigorous life force was brewing inside. At its very center, the ripples churned more violently, and bubbles burst forth like a spring. When they broke, they formed golden mist that completely shrouded the area, making his sea of consciousness seem profoundly mysterious.

Ji Tian both contemplated the Way of Slaughter he had grasped and let the killing intent flow into his consciousness, refining and merging with it. It was continually being refined into a new kind of power. Though still weak, it was steadily gathering strength. With continued cultivation, it would surely become a formidable force.

At the same time, he tempered his primordial spirit. He now had a conviction of his own, and his soul seemed to have been infused with life. The power of conviction forged his soul.

A black vortex gathered around the Black Bone Relic in the great hall, constantly drawing in and releasing killing intent. The Demonic Cloud surrounding the Nine-Headed Monster Lion was swallowed up as well.

The Demonic Cloud was a mixture of Death Qi, killing intent, and Malevolent Qi, refined by the Nine-Headed Monster Lion.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion roared furiously and unleashed one divine ability after another at the Black Bone Relic. But it realized that not only could it do nothing to its opponent, it might even be swallowed up itself.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion struggled to open its other closed eyes. Its instincts told it that doing so would make it stronger. The drifting black Demonic Cloud rapidly gathered inside its body. The eight phantom heads drooping at its sides gradually took on substance, and one black head seemed to be waking from sleep, slowly opening its bewildered eyes.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion's expression changed. An ancient, weathered aura spread from it. It glanced toward Heaven and Earth and roared, "Yang Mei, I hate you!"

In an instant, Heaven and Earth shifted. A pressure that transcended Heaven and Earth arose. Every living being in the world felt it and prostrated themselves, except for a few places where powerful beings were being nurtured. They radiated dazzling light and resisted the pressure.

The eye the Nine-Headed Monster Lion had just opened quickly closed again, and its peerless aura rapidly faded. But it had still gained a formidable power.

"Sword Slash!" Nine golden swords condensed from Soul Power, carrying overwhelming might as they slashed toward the Black Bone Relic.

The Black Bone Relic seemed to sense the pressure. The broken finger bone suddenly shone brilliantly, gathering the killing intent it had just devoured into a black finger that jabbed toward the golden swords.

There was no clang of metal. The first golden sword shattered and recoiled, turning into fragments of Spiritual Sense.

The third golden sword cleaved through the black finger. The black killing intent scattered, but the golden sword shattered as well. The remaining six swords slashed toward the Black Bone Relic one after another.

The Black Bone Relic blazed with black light. A phantom fist appeared and shattered the remaining six golden swords. At the same time, the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's body broke apart, turning into clouds of Demonic Cloud. Some fragments of its Spiritual Sense swiftly sank into the floor of the great hall.

Ji Tian felt dizzy. This was the first time he had used this divine ability without borrowing the remnant soul inside the Black Bone Relic, relying instead on his own Soul Power.

The Black Bone Relic seemed about to fall from the air, but it still hovered unsteadily.

With the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's attack gone, the Black Bone Relic swallowed up all the Demonic Cloud in the hall, along with some fragments of Spiritual Sense.

My thoughts have been a bit jumbled these past few days. The content I've written feels jumbled too, and I've been writing slowly. Sigh, I've run out of inspiration. I hope this is just a transition.