A Demon Art That Goes Out on Its Own

Night fell quickly.

Lu Li opened his eyes on the jade bed, a gleam flashing through them.

Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art: First Layer (Progress 2%)

Two hours of bitter cultivation had earned him 1% progress!

In other words, cultivating the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture for one daytime could grant the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art 6% progress.

Adding its automatic cultivation at night, it should gain another 3%.

In roughly ten days, the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art would break through to the second layer.

By then, he would also break through to the second layer of Qi Refinement.

The Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art had twenty layers in total. The first ten were for Qi Refinement, while the latter ten were for Foundation Establishment, corresponding one by one.

"Still feels a little slow."

Lu Li frowned slightly.

At this rate, it would probably take three years to cultivate to the peak of Qi Refinement.

However, according to the annotations left by Ghost Demon True Person, directly devouring powerful spiritual blood could increase cultivation speed a hundredfold and rapidly raise one's realm.

The fastest cultivators could reach the peak of Qi Refinement in less than half a year.

His unorthodox method was good, but it only increased his cultivation speed by 300%—three times at most.

Did he really have to use Spirit Stones to purchase powerful spiritual blood?

Lu Li pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

He was all alone. He had no Spirit Stones, only talent with nowhere to put it, along with an extraordinarily handsome face... Hm?

All of a sudden, Lu Li thought of something.

Living off a woman?

That seemed feasible.

But after thinking it over carefully and recalling the terrifying rumors about the cauldron drug dregs in the Demon Sect, Lu Li still strangled that thought in its cradle.

Forget it. Better work hard at cultivation.

Lu Li settled his mind and returned to the underground cultivation chamber. Sitting cross-legged within the Spirit Gathering Array, he drew in and exhaled the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, continuing his cultivation of the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art.

The moment he woke the next day, the system's good news rang out in his mind:

"Your Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art devoured Sun True Qi, was greatly satisfied, and cultivated diligently. Progress increased by 5%."

Not bad, not bad!

Lu Li was very pleased.

At this rate, in seven or eight days, he would be able to break through to the second layer of Qi Refinement.

At that moment, the system's crisp voice continued to ring out:

"Because you cultivated another powerful demon art, White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm felt invigorated and cultivated diligently. Progress increased by 4%."

"Relying on the might of the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art, White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm challenged Indestructible Vajra Divine Art once more, only to return in crushing defeat. Feeling gloomy and dejected, its cultivation regressed by 8%."

"To avenge its humiliation, White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm cultivated desperately. Progress increased by 10%."

"Why does this White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm feel a little adorably stupid?"

After hearing that, Lu Li's expression became rather strange.

Still, it did not matter. So long as it gained more progress than it lost, no matter how many times it went back and forth, it would eventually break through.

With that thought, Lu Li stopped paying attention. He rose to begin a new day of cultivation.

And so, his days became extremely regular.

He rose in the morning, embraced the sun, and cultivated the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture for the entire day.

Until the evening glow faded and the stars and moon rose.

Then he switched to the Blood Devouring Demon Art, devouring the Five Elements Sun True Qi he had just cultivated.

After that, he entered the Spirit Gathering Array, absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and continued cultivating.

Whenever he grew tired from cultivation, he simply went to sleep.

When the morning sun rose the next day, he continued cultivating the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture.

The days were dry, tasteless, and monotonous.

On the ninth day.

Inside the cultivation chamber.

A chime rang out.

"Congratulations, Host. Your Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art has broken through to the second layer."

Boom.

As the system notification sounded, a stream of icy yin energy burst forth from his Dantian Purple Mansion like a flooding torrent, washing through every limb and bone in Lu Li's body.

An invisible bottleneck was instantly smashed open.

His realm broke through!

Second layer of Qi Refinement!

Lu Li opened his eyes, a trace of delight flashing through them, and directly summoned the system panel.

Host: Lu Li.

Realm: Second Layer of Qi Refinement.

Indestructible Vajra Divine Art: Third Layer (99%).

Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art: Second Layer (1%).

White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm: Fourth Layer (75%).

Spirit Ghost Phantom Step: Fourth Layer (6%).

Compared to nine days ago, White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm's progress had increased by 60%.

It was a diligent and studious good child. Though it had not gone to Ten Thousand Ghost Cave to deliver restless ghosts, it automatically cultivated every day and gained 6–7% progress.

By contrast, Spirit Ghost Phantom Step had only gained 4% progress over the nine days.

What a lazy ghost.

Lu Li decided that when he had the chance later, he would definitely switch to a more diligent movement technique.

For now... continue cultivating!

He had to break Indestructible Vajra Divine Art through to the fourth layer as soon as possible!

Lu Li's gaze darkened, and he slowly closed his eyes again.

Faintly, he seemed to hear the voice of Eighth Senior Brother Bai Jinfei.

But he ignored it.

Twenty-one days later.

Rumble.

The stone door of the underground cultivation chamber slowly opened.

Lu Li sat cross-legged in the Spirit Gathering Array. He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long arrow of turbid air, delight surfacing in his gaze.

An entire month!

He had finally broken through to the third layer of Qi Refinement!

Host: Lu Li.

Realm: Third Layer of Qi Refinement.

Indestructible Vajra Divine Art: Third Layer (99%).

Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art: Third Layer (1%).

White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm: Fourth Layer (99%).

Spirit Ghost Phantom Step: Fourth Layer (16%).

The Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art had finally reached the third layer!

Because it had not gone to deliver restless ghosts, White Bone Heart-Destroying Palm was depressed. It remained stuck at the fourth layer, advancing and retreating, hopping from side to side, but once it went to deliver restless ghosts, it should be able to break through.

Spirit Ghost Phantom Step was still as lazy as ever.

This was the result of a month of closed-door bitter cultivation!

Overall, he was fairly satisfied.

Lu Li nodded to himself and began sensing the changes in his body.

The mana within his body had also grown several times stronger.

Mana at the first layer of Qi Refinement was like a small cup of water. At the third layer of Qi Refinement, it felt like a basin of water.

Now, he could unleash thirty percent of the Ghost Raising Tower's power.

Besides that, the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art's Blood-Devouring Demon Light had also condensed.

"Condense!"

Lu Li formed a strange hand seal with one hand while circulating his demon art. Before him, he swiftly traced out a Demon Talisman.

Whoosh.

A wisp of clear wind blew past.

At the tip of his index finger, a faint thread of blood light, thin as a hair, condensed into being. It flickered on and off, radiating waves of icy cold energy.

The temperature around him began to plummet.

The formation patterns branded into the floor crackled as a thin layer of frost formed over them, spreading toward the surrounding stone walls.

This was the Blood-Devouring Demon Light of the Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art.

In the future, so long as he frequently devoured spiritual blood to nourish the demon light, it could rapidly grow, becoming soundless, lightless, traceless, and formless—killing without form.

Buzz.

With a tremor, the blood light burst apart and vanished.

Lu Li's mana was exhausted, and he dispersed the hand seal.

The Blood-Devouring Demon Light was powerful, but it consumed mana far too fiercely. In just three breaths, it had drained all his mana completely dry.

Moreover... in order to break through to the third layer of Qi Refinement sooner, he had also paid a price.

The next moment, Lu Li reached into his robes and pulled out three azure Low-grade Spirit Stones, unable to keep his brows from furrowing slightly.

To raise his realm quickly, he had used nineteen Low-grade Spirit Stones during cultivation.

Now, only three Low-grade Spirit Stones remained on his entire person.

He could not even afford the most worthless storage ring.

In one word: poor.

Fortunately, after reaching the third layer of Qi Refinement, Lu Li faintly sensed that the bottleneck of Indestructible Vajra Divine Art had loosened somewhat.

He estimated that once he reached the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, Indestructible Vajra Divine Art would be able to break through.

"Fifth layer of Qi Refinement... that will probably take three months?"

Lu Li's brow furrowed even tighter.

Three months was neither particularly long nor short, but if Ghost Demon True Person emerged from seclusion during that time and saw how slowly his cultivation was progressing, he would probably be dissatisfied and fly into a rage.

What might happen then was impossible for anyone to predict.

At that thought, Lu Li's expression turned solemn.

"Looks like I'll have to visit the Scripture Depository again."

He hoped he could find a solution in the Scripture Depository.

Having made up his mind, Lu Li closed his eyes and began absorbing spiritual energy to restore his mana.

The next day.

The instant Hao Sun rose, Lu Li opened his eyes on time.

A chime rang out.

Three system notifications sounded one after another in his mind:

"Because its realm has broken through, your Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art's appetite has greatly increased, forcing it to go out alone to devour food."

"Your Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art devoured extreme yin energy in Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, ate and drank its fill, and greatly increased its cultivation. Progress increased by 5%."

"Your Blood-Devouring Heaven-Swallowing Art discovered a Low-grade Spirit Ghost in Ten Thousand Ghost Cave."