Back at Star Gazing Tower, Lu Li went straight into the cultivation chamber.
Rumble.
A thunderous boom rang out as the stone door to the chamber closed.
Lu Li licked his lips and swept his hand. A heap of treasures flew out and landed on the floor before him.
He began to tally his possessions.
One thousand seven hundred and sixty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, the Soul Gathering Banner, the Flowing Gold Sword, the White Jade Snuff Bottle, and Azure Flood Dragon True Blood.
Right!
He also had a Spirit Ghost!
"I can refine the Azure Flood Dragon True Blood right away!"
Lu Li didn't waste any time. He placed a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones into the Spirit Gathering Array.
A hum rang out.
The Spirit Gathering Array activated, shimmering with green light.
In an instant, wisps of dense spiritual energy seeped from the array patterns in the floor and spread through the chamber.
Lu Li sat cross-legged in the array, holding the Azure Flood Dragon True Blood in one hand and forming a hand seal with the other. With a thought, a blood-red Spirit-Devouring Fish took shape.
The next moment, guided by his spiritual sense, the Spirit-Devouring Fish swam out and circled the Azure Flood Dragon True Blood.
Then, like a fish gulping down food, it swallowed a wisp of azure mist from the blood.
Whoosh.
Almost instantly, the chopstick-thin Spirit-Devouring Fish swelled to the size of a fist, turning into a big goldfish with an enormously bloated body!
It lazily swished its tail and swam over to Lu Li at a leisurely pace.
Then it suddenly darted forward!
It burrowed straight into the space between his brows.
Lu Li immediately felt a small bump rise between his brows, as if a mosquito had bitten him.
It was hot and itchy!
But he paid it no mind.
Once the bump shriveled away, that would mean the wisp of Azure Flood Dragon blood energy swallowed by the Spirit-Devouring Fish had been fully refined and absorbed. It would be completely converted into cultivation, raising the level of his Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art.
Ding.
A clear chime rang in his mind:
"You swallowed a wisp of Azure Flood Dragon blood energy."
"Your Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art has begun refining it... Estimated time until refinement is complete: one incense stick."
"Your Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art has been nourished by the powerful spiritual blood. It is in an exceptionally joyful mood, and its cultivation effect has increased by 8,000%."
The effect was actually this powerful?
Lu Li couldn't help but feel a little shocked.
No wonder Ghost Demon True Person was confident he could reach Foundation Establishment within a month!
So this was the proper way to cultivate the Kunpeng Devil Art!
A flicker of delight passed through Lu Li's heart.
But then he reconsidered. Demonic cultivation techniques did raise one's level quickly, but they left one's foundation unstable, making it easy for something to go wrong—or for one to suffer cultivation deviation.
"System!"
Lu Li's expression turned solemn as he silently called out.
Whoosh.
The system panel immediately appeared before him.
Host: Lu Li. Cultivation: Fifth Level of Qi Refining. Great Might Heavenly Dragon Dharma Incantation: Second Layer (Progress: 10%). Great Strength Vajra Dharma Incantation: Second Layer (Progress: 13%). Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art: Fifth Layer (Progress: 88%). Indestructible Vajra Divine Art: Fourth Layer (Progress: 20%). Great Mercy and Great Compassion Palm: Tenth Layer (Complete). Spirit Ghost Phantom Step: Tenth Layer (Complete).
Progress: 88%?
Lu Li's face brightened when he saw it.
He would soon reach the sixth level of Qi Refining!
Moreover, the Kunpeng Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art had risen in rank, taking third place, just below the two Dharma Incantations.
That meant this demonic art was extremely powerful—it had already surpassed the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art!
"Not bad, not bad!"
Lu Li nodded to himself, then shifted his gaze to a jade slip before him.
The Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords!
"Let's see how powerful this sword art is!"
A glint flashed in Lu Li's eyes. He reached out, picked up the jade slip, and pressed it directly against the space between his brows.
At once, a roar echoed through his mind!
An immensely powerful spiritual sense forcibly invaded his sea of consciousness and transformed into the figure of an azure-robed old man who looked down upon the world.
"The Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords follow the way of the Heavenly Demon. They feed on the power of the seven souls and seven emotions, condense supreme Sword Qi, sever the soul and shatter the spirit, and slay unseen..."
The azure-robed old man's voice was like the thunderous resonance of the Heavenly Dao, shaking Lu Li's sea of consciousness.
Soon, a ding rang out.
The system notification followed:
"Congratulations, Host. You have learned the Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords."
"You have learned the first sword of the Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords: Instant Sword Technique."
"Current progress: 0%."
As the voice faded, a cracking sound rang out.
The jade slip against Lu Li's forehead crumbled into powder and fell from between his fingers.
"I learned it just like that? And it's such a sinister sword art? It turns people into Heavenly Demons?"
Lu Li's expression was one of shock.
Heavenly Demons referred to Outer Realm Heavenly Demons. Formless and intangible, they were everywhere. Whenever a cultivator developed a heart demon, they would attract the gaze of the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons.
If one wasn't careful, a Heavenly Demon would invade, causing immediate cultivation deviation and burning the cultivator to death.
Normally, Outer Realm Heavenly Demons would secretly lurk on cultivators, feeding on the Power of Seven Emotions produced by their seven souls to grow stronger.
Humans had three souls and seven spirits, and the seven emotions they produced came from those seven spirits.
The seven emotions were joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and desire.
The Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords taught one to imitate a Heavenly Demon, absorbing the Power of Seven Emotions from others and condensing it into one's own supreme Heavenly Demon Sword Qi.
The more people one drained, the purer and more powerful the Sword Qi became.
What a stroke of demonic genius!
No ordinary human could ever come up with something like that!
Lu Li couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.
The next moment, his brow furrowed.
This was undeniably an evil demonic art!
It was simple: those who gazed into the abyss would be gazed into by the abyss in return!
If he recklessly absorbed other people's Power of Seven Emotions, how would he be any different from a Heavenly Demon?
It would surely attract the attention of countless Outer Realm Heavenly Demons!
Besides, he couldn't absorb the Power of Seven Emotions just from anyone. The seven emotions had to be directed at him, or arise because of him.
That was both difficult and easy.
With his handsome looks, if he went out and sold himself, quite a few women would probably feel "desire" toward him in an instant.
The emotions of joy, anger, fear, and hatred would also be easy enough to stir up.
But making someone grieve for him, let alone fall in love with him, would be incredibly difficult.
"Forget it. This sword art is too dangerous. I won't cultivate it! I'll find a slightly more normal sword art later."
After weighing it over and over, Lu Li decided to give up on the sword art.
But—
Right at that moment, a clear chime rang out:
"Your Heavenly Demon Twenty-Three Swords absorbed Wrath of Seven Emotions and Evil of Seven Emotions. It is exceptionally excited, and the Heavenly Demon has awakened. Cultivation effect increased by 20,000%."
"Cultivation progress +1%."
???
Lu Li's eyes instantly widened.
No way!
How had it started cultivating automatically?
And at two hundred times the cultivation speed?
Besides, where had the Wrath of Seven Emotions and Evil of Seven Emotions come from?
Lu Li was utterly baffled.
Yellow Springs Peak.
Inside a Gold Stone Cave Abode.
"Ahhhhh! Lu Li, I swear I'll kill you! I'll slay my heart demon and break through to the Golden Core stage! I'll avenge my younger brother!" Li Jing's eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his teeth and forced the words out one by one.
Every word seemed to carry a thousand years of resentment and ten thousand years of curses.
Inside the cultivation chamber.
Lu Li's brow furrowed slightly.
Fine, let it cultivate. He wouldn't cultivate it on purpose, so this sword art shouldn't improve very quickly.
Besides, the Great Luo Dharma Incantation was keeping it in check. He doubted it could turn the tables.
With that thought, Lu Li put his mind at ease.
His gaze shifted to the Flowing Gold Sword and the White Jade Snuff Bottle before him.
"What a fine sword!"
Lu Li picked up the Flowing Gold Sword and examined it closely, unable to resist praising it.
The three-inch golden sword gleamed with a crystalline sheen. It was neither metal, stone, nor wood, and felt incredibly light. He had no idea what material it had been forged from.
The entire blade had a perfect, streamlined shape. Though it bore no carvings or patterns, anyone who saw it would think it a work of art.
And even without activating it with his magical power, the Flowing Gold Sword gave off a sharp edge.
Lu Li plucked out a strand of hair and laid it on the blade.
Whoosh.
He blew gently.
The hair split in two.
One had to know that, thanks to his current Indestructible Vajra Divine Art, even his hair was harder than steel wire. The fact that a gentle breath had severed it showed just how sharp the Flowing Gold Sword was.
Lu Li was very pleased with it.
"This White Jade Snuff Bottle..."
The next moment, Lu Li picked up the other treasure Lady Red Furnace had given him and fell into thought.
Lady Red Furnace was suspected of being a Dao Alliance spy.
Before leaving, she had given him this snuff bottle. It felt like there was some deeper meaning behind it.
And before she left, she had tapped him between the brows three times.
What did that mean? Was she telling him to visit her in the middle of the night?
That couldn't be it.
Pondering, Lu Li circulated his magical power and poured it into the White Jade Snuff Bottle.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened.
The White Jade Snuff Bottle really was a rare treasure. It could store magical power, which could be drawn upon in a pinch.
Could it be...
Suddenly, Lu Li's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something.
The next moment, his expression turned solemn. He changed the cultivation formula in his body, switching to the Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture.
After circulating spiritual energy through his body, he condensed a wisp of Five Elements Sun True Qi.
Without hesitation, he urged the wisp of Five Elements Sun True Qi into the White Jade Snuff Bottle.
Still, nothing unusual happened.
"Did I guess wrong?"
Lu Li gripped the White Jade Snuff Bottle, his brow furrowing slightly.
His gaze shifted, and he spotted the Flowing Gold Sword beside him. Suddenly, he understood.
Then he picked up the Flowing Gold Sword, inserted it through the mouth of the White Jade Snuff Bottle, and poured another wisp of Five Elements Sun True Qi into the bottle.
After that, he flicked the snuff bottle three times with his finger.
A hum rang out.
The White Jade Snuff Bottle began to tremble, glowing with a brilliant blue light. A plume of white smoke immediately burst from its mouth and condensed into a human figure.
"Three hundred years! Three hundred years, and then another three hundred! Do you know how I spent those three hundred years?"
As soon as the figure appeared, she tipped her head back at a forty-five-degree angle, tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked utterly aggrieved.
Then she lowered her head and fixed her excited, beautiful eyes on Lu Li, her voice trembling slightly:
"You're my subordinate, aren't you?"
Before you continue