All Thoughts

The bizarre space had neither night nor day, and even the passage of time could not be measured.

Ji Tian walked helplessly, utterly lost and confused.

Yet a different scene had appeared within Ji Tian's body.

Ji Tian's soul stood in confrontation with a mass of black mist. A sense of helplessness rose within him; his very soul was telling him that the other party was terrifying.

The two had faced each other in silence for several days. The black mist seemed not to have absolute confidence in victory either, merely clinging to him like a shadow.

Ji Tian's soul retreated step by step. Before the black mist, he did not even have the thought of resisting.

This situation was related to Ji Tian having previously devoured some remnant souls of the Nine-Headed Monster Lion.

Those remnant souls had come from different living beings, yet every one of them carried intense thoughts of fear—fear of heaven and earth, fear of death. Even when they had been refined by the Nine-Headed Monster Lion, that terror had only deepened. As they were swallowed by Ji Tian's Sea of Consciousness, those fearful thoughts had likewise fused into his soul.

When Ji Tian's soul lacked the support of a powerful conviction, those fearful thoughts could not stir up a single wave. But now, thoughts of fear had arisen in his heart.

The terror buried deep within his soul took this opportunity to gather in Ji Tian's Sea of Consciousness and steadily grow stronger.

Ji Tian felt his soul trembling. His hands clenched weakly as he muttered inwardly, Don't come over. Don't come over.

Time passed. The black mist gradually grew stronger, and the pressure it exerted on Ji Tian became ever greater.

The black mist gradually transformed into Ji Tian's likeness. With a pair of cold, merciless eyes, it stared at the trembling Ji Tian, waiting for its chance to strike.

Ji Tian also watched the transforming black mist. Suddenly, it threw back its head with a long howl and waved a hand, unleashing a divine ability.

A gigantic palm swept toward Ji Tian's soul.

With a bang, Ji Tian was flung far away. His entire soul split apart and tumbled continuously through the Sea of Consciousness. Fortunately, the golden seawater of the Sea of Consciousness repaired it; otherwise, Ji Tian's soul would have scattered.

The black soul said to Ji Tian's golden soul, "You should obediently let me devour you. That way, you'll suffer a little less."

Though terror filled Ji Tian's heart, he still roared with difficulty, "No..."

The black mist gave a Jie Jie laugh. "Then I'll shatter you bit by bit before devouring you." With a beckoning motion of both hands, the seawater throughout the Sea of Consciousness churned. It condensed into golden water arrows that shot toward Ji Tian.

"Ah... ah..." Ji Tian's soul was pierced again and again by the golden arrows, growing weaker and weaker.

Seeing this, the black mist laughed Jie Jie. "Haha, explode for me!"

The golden arrows transformed and exploded within Ji Tian's soul one after another, blasting it full of holes.

Ji Tian fled uncontrollably. He was running.

What am I afraid of? Why do I feel so terrified inside?

Am I really going to be devoured? I actually lost to myself.

Why would I lose to myself?

I am me. How could I lose to myself? Where did that black version of me come from?

"Run. I'm so lonely that I ought to find some amusement. Hunting you down is my amusement. Hahaha!"

Ji Tian could feel the other's arrogance. It had every reason to be arrogant—it was he who had given it that reason. He did not even have the thought of resisting and could only flee in disgrace.

Rather than running away so pathetically, I might as well let it devour me. If I am this pathetic, what need is there for me to exist in this world? And I still speak of fighting against heaven, contending with the Dao? I cannot even defeat myself, nor do I dare strike back.

Ji Tian stopped and slowly turned around. He could not keep running like this. Even if he were to be devoured, he had to fight. Like Great God Pangu, even if he were smashed to pieces, he would still deliver that strike against heaven.

Ji Tian felt a force boiling within his soul. It was the power of conviction.

"Ah, ah! Why aren't you running anymore? You want to resist? Can you? I'll stand right here—do you even dare make a move?" the black mist clamored.

Ji Tian slowly raised an arm that was still trembling slightly and said to the black mist, "Why wouldn't I dare? Life is no more than death in the end, but even in death, I will die standing upright."

Ji Tian felt his strength continuously returning, and his body no longer trembled. He swept both hands forward, and the entire Sea of Consciousness roared.

"I could devour you once, and I can devour you a second time. Perish!"

A monstrous wave rose within the Sea of Consciousness. More terrifying still, the entire wave emitted a dazzling golden radiance.

The black mist cried out in alarm, "Ah! What is this?"

Ji Tian said calmly, "This is the power of conviction. I possess an unyielding conviction."

The black mist felt itself being melted away by the golden ocean and let out cries for mercy.

Ji Tian's heart stirred. Perhaps he should keep it; he still did not understand exactly how it had formed.

The remaining black mist was refined by Ji Tian into a black sphere.

Ji Tian floated silently in the Sea of Consciousness, examining the black sphere in his hand. A thought of fear emerged from the depths of his soul and swiftly merged into the little sphere.

Ji Tian gave a bitter smile. So it was his own fearful thoughts. The more afraid he was, the stronger it became. He had nearly been devoured by his own fear.

Ji Tian wanted to destroy it with a casual flick of his hand, but after thinking it over, he tossed it into the Sea of Consciousness. Since he had overcome fear, he would keep it.

The black sphere fell into the Sea of Consciousness and transformed into a steep mountain. The mountain was like a sword, gleaming with sharp brilliance.

Ji Tian gazed at the Mountain of Fear within his Sea of Consciousness and sank into deep thought. At the beginning of life, one encountered many desires. Hardships and the unknown could make people feel fear; temptation could give rise to greed; toward what one could not bear to part with, obsession would arise. People could rage and hate. Every person harbored more or less chaotic thoughts, and these stray thoughts could grow strong. Those whose minds were not steadfast, who harbored fear or inner hindrances, would gradually have their souls drowned by these stray thoughts. Those who cultivated the Dao had to sever and refine these thoughts so that their Dao Heart could become complete.

Perhaps he could use these stray thoughts to defeat his enemies.

Having refined his fear, Ji Tian felt refreshed and clear-minded. Even if towering mountains, perilous obstacles, mountains of blades, and a Sea of Fire lay ahead, none would halt his advancing steps. I shall press forward without hesitation.

Ji Tian's Primordial Spirit became clear. He had fallen into this unknown space and could not escape for the moment, but there had to be a way out.

That Nine-Headed Monster Lion was definitely connected to this. Who knew where that fellow had hidden himself?

Ji Tian closed his eyes and pondered, wondering how he could find that strange fellow.

Although the "Soul Summoning Technique" was incomplete and its summoning range was limited, it might work in this chaotic expanse of space. He would use the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's own method to summon it here—learn the barbarians' skills to subdue the barbarians. Fortunately, he had refined that creature's remnant soul, though he had yet to erase its consciousness.

Ji Tian smiled faintly. "This is why the Nine-Headed Monster Lion refined the remnant souls it captured instead of directly erasing the original consciousness. It wanted to use the Soul Summoning Technique to gather remnant souls of the same origin."

Ji Tian drew out a strand of Spiritual Sense from his sea of consciousness. It carried the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's awareness.

He then condensed spiritual power into a three-inch divine altar, imprisoned that strand of Spiritual Sense upon it, continuously formed hand seals, and silently chanted an incantation.

An invisible ripple spread outward from the divine altar at its center.

Ji Tian struck the divine altar with the final hand seal and roared, "Return, wandering soul—gather!"

The ripples around the divine altar shuddered. Ji Tian's brows drew tight as he muttered, "Not good. That fellow's Soul Power is too strong." He hurriedly poured his own Spiritual Sense into the altar, then seized a strand of fear from Fear Mountain within his sea of consciousness, condensed it into a Sword of Fear, and cast it into the altar to slash at it. He roared again, "Return, wandering soul—gather!"

An unwilling roar sounded out, followed closely by a black monster lion struggling as it was summoned over.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion trembled all over, roaring weakly.

Ji Tian could only count himself fortunate now. If he had not refined the thought of fear, he truly would have had no way to deal with the Nine-Headed Monster Lion. After all, the other party's soul and Spiritual Sense were no weaker than his own.

The Nine-Headed Monster Lion's heart was now filled with terror. It was a remnant soul of the Chaos Living Being, the Nine-Headed Savage Lion, and the thought of fear was strongest within it. Great Immortal Yang Mei had shattered its soul with spatial arts, condemning it to suffer the agony of being sliced apart by the Blade of Space for all eternity. Had Great God Pangu not opened the world and freed a sliver of its remnant soul, it might still have been suffering the Blade of Space's thousand cuts even now. Ji Tian's previous punch had already deepened the fear in its heart, and then he had dealt it a savage blow with the Sword of Fear.

Ji Tian no longer knew how to handle this Nine-Headed Monster Lion. Its soul was nearly drowned in thoughts of fear, and its Soul Power had weakened to the utmost limit. Even if he refined it, he would gain little Soul Power, while such powerful thoughts of fear would simply drain away in vain.

Could he perhaps fuse it with his own thoughts of fear and create a peculiar existence?

A ghostly body dominated by thoughts of fear.

Ji Tian still needed to refine the Nine-Headed Monster Lion's soul first. He needed to obtain its memories—an inheritance that could be said to have originated from chaos.

Ji Tian obtained a vast amount of information, though much of it was exceedingly hazy. So soul arts could be used in this manner as well. They mainly included Illusion Techniques, curse arts, control arts, and more.

The Soul Summoning Technique was a type of control art. It could be used to refine a Soul Summoning Banner, forcibly seize another's soul, or use Soul Power to command the Ghosts within the soul banner to battle enemies.

The Death Spirit Technique was a type of curse art that required sacrifice, borrowing power from heaven and earth by offering up a part of one's own body. The Death Spirit Technique was relatively simple; one merely needed to sacrifice a strand of one's Spiritual Sense.

A ghostly body had no physical form and could only cultivate an ethereal spirit, becoming a Ghost Immortal. However, there were many obstacles along the path of cultivation, and it feared objects of utmost yang above all else. Fortunately, there was the method of possession.

A ghostly body feared divine lightning most of all. Nine Heavens Divine Lightning—violet radiance streaked wildly through heaven and earth, annihilating everything. The Nine-Headed Monster Lion's fear of divine lightning had been deeply branded into its soul.

This space was a part of the Nine Nether White Bone Array. Great Immortal Yang Mei was truly ruthless. Fearing that the Nine-Headed Savage Lion's soul might escape, he had actually used the Bone Powder of the White Jade Bone Bell, the Nine-Headed Savage Lion's magical treasure, to set up this Nine Nether White Bone Array. Had Great God Pangu not broken open one corner of it, the Nine-Headed Savage Lion's remnant soul would sooner or later have been sealed to death alive by the array.

Ji Tian delved deep into his golden sea of consciousness and carefully examined the Nine-Headed Monster Lion that had been refined into an incarnation of fear. It lay curled atop Fear Mountain. Though it was still asleep, the surging thoughts of fear rising and falling from it nearly caused Ji Tian himself to sink into oblivion.

Ji Tian muttered, "From now on, your name is Nine Fear." One of the sleeping Nine-Headed Monster Lion's heads twitched, as though acknowledging the name.