Chapter 9

Luohu saw through Lu Tian at a glance and pointed out his shortcomings.

The Vajra Body originated from the profound sect's secret canon. Its complete form should have Three heads and six arms, yet Lu Tian had only condensed one head and two arms so far.

Since you have passed the test, I shall help you advance further!

Luohu laughed loudly as surging demonic qi churned through the dream and poured into Lu Tian's body.

At the same time, a supreme secret art emerged in Lu Tian's mind—

Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture!

The supreme inheritance of the Demonic Path!

After giving it a cursory read, Lu Tian was stunned by the madness of its concepts!

Luohu envisioned in the scripture that after attaining the Dao and becoming a Saint, one would devour the Heavenly Dao and replace its will with one's own!

This notion coincided with Hongjun's, though Hongjun's method was gentler. He first merged himself with the Dao, then gradually replaced it.

The two truly deserved to be fated enemies.

Lu Tian silently sighed.

Luohu had failed while Hongjun had succeeded, and their endings were worlds apart.

The victor took everything. Hongjun had already Merged with the Dao and was gradually replacing the Heavenly Dao.

Meanwhile, Luohu could only entrust his inheritance to another within this dream.

However, Lu Tian soon had no time for further thought.

Boom!

His Vajra Body shattered!

An excess of demonic qi had flooded in, disrupting the balance between immortal and demonic power within the Vajra Body and causing its Dharma form to collapse!

Fortunately, this was only a dream, and Lu Tian recovered in an instant.

Again!

He shouted in a low voice and once more simulated vast demonic qi, pouring it into himself.

This time, he carefully controlled the balance between immortal and demonic power.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Vajra Body burst repeatedly like a bubble before continuously reforming.

Again!

No one knew how many failures he endured.

Lu Tian's eyes were bloodshot.

Only in this dream could he attempt it over and over without restraint!

At last, after countless failures, Lu Tian succeeded!

His aura abruptly changed as he shifted from his true body into the Vajra Body.

The Vajra Body was now completely different—

The original wrathful Vajra with one head and two arms had become a Daoist Heavenly King wearing a crown, wielding a golden whip, and clad in battle robes.

Beside the Heavenly King's head, an additional vicious demonic head had appeared, its face blue and fangs bared, radiating chilling demonic qi!

Two heads and four arms, Dao and Demon Symbiosis!

The form of Dao and Demon Twin Birth had finally been achieved!

Lu Tian had completely transformed the Vajra Body!

It could practically be said...

He had completely surpassed Jieyin and Zhunti's original conception and evolved toward an unknown realm!

"Unfortunately, the Buddhist system has yet to mature."

"Otherwise, perhaps I could forge a Vajra Body that united the three aspects of Dao, demon, and Buddha."

Lu Tian felt somewhat regretful.

The Western Teachings still belonged to the profound sect's lineage. Though it was evolving toward Buddhism, its progress remained limited.

After all, Buddhism would not truly take shape until the Journey to the West Calamity.

The Witch-Demon Calamity had not yet passed, so it was far too early.

Even though Jieyin and Zhunti had become Saints, they were still exploring a Dao path unique to the West.

Even so...

The Vajra Body's current power had already surpassed its former strength several times over!

Witnessing Lu Tian's Vajra Body, Luohu could not help praising him repeatedly.

"Wonderful! Your comprehension is truly rare. You are likely not much inferior to me in my prime."

"Unfortunately, your innate foundation is flawed. In the end, it will be difficult to make up for."

His attitude toward Lu Tian had shifted from indifference to regret.

Had Lu Tian possessed superior innate foundations, the primordial world might have gained another mighty expert capable of shaking Heaven and Earth!

Lu Tian silently grumbled upon hearing this:

Wasn't my flawed foundation caused by your great battle with Hongjun back then?

He suppressed his stray thoughts and focused on comprehending the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture that Luohu had passed on to him.

Luohu was not angered when he saw Lu Tian remain silent. Instead, he sat cross-legged with furrowed brows, seeming deep in thought.

Within the Dream World.

Lu Tian and Luohu sat facing one another, both entering meditation to comprehend the Dao.

In terms of comprehension, both stood at the pinnacle of the primordial world.

Lu Tian possessed Saint-level comprehension bestowed by the system, making deductions as easy as taking something from his pocket;

As the ancestor of the Demonic Path, Luohu's talent overwhelmed the primordial world and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hongjun!

At this moment, both figures were immersed in a mysterious state.

"The Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture can devour all things..."

"When cultivated to perfection, it can even devour the Heavenly Dao and replace it..."

Lu Tian's heart surged.

The more he comprehended it, the more boundless its mysteries seemed.

A mad thought began to sprout within him:

Since it could devour the Heavenly Dao, why could it not seize another's innate foundation to make up for his own shortcomings?

Though it was a method of the Demonic Path, it was worth trying!

Luohu had not created a method for devouring innate foundations only because he himself had been the reincarnation of an innate demon god. His foundation was unmatched in the primordial world, so he had never needed such a method!

With such a deep foundation, he had no need to plunder the cultivation of others.

However, that did not mean the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture was worthless.

Lu Tian believed that if he could make slight improvements to the scripture, perhaps he could obtain the miraculous ability to devour foundations.

He fully activated his Saint-level comprehension and devoted all his energy to studying the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture, turning a deaf ear to the disturbances outside.

Coincidentally, Luohu had the same intention!

This scripture had been personally created by him, so naturally, he was the most familiar with it.

He immediately began improving it.

The two spent more than ten thousand years in peace like this.

A look of worry remained fixed between Lu Tian's brows.

Over those ten thousand years, although he had not fully comprehended the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture, he had grasped seventy or eighty percent of it.

After all, this was a secret art Luohu had refined through countless years of deduction.

At Lu Tian's current realm, he was still ultimately somewhat lacking.

Only when he truly began modifying it did he discover the scripture's exquisite nature.

The entire scripture was a seamless whole. Every word was a gem, and every circulation route was incomparably ingenious.

Often, moving one strand would affect the entire body; even the slightest alteration would cause the whole structure to collapse!

After ten thousand years of study, he finally gained a little insight and created a new secret art.

It still seemed to be lacking something...

Lu Tian murmured softly. With a thought, he conjured a peak Golden Immortal demon within the dream.

It was Crow Daoist, whom he had personally slain before.

The Crow Daoist in the dream was no different from the one he had seen in reality.

Lu Tian raised his hand and summoned the Vajra Scepter, smashing it heavily onto Crow Daoist's head and killing him once more.

He then reached out and seized Crow Daoist's remains.

An invisible force flowed from Crow Daoist's body and poured endlessly into Lu Tian's meridians.

The spiritual radiance around Lu Tian surged, and his pressure suddenly rose.

His cultivation instantly advanced by a measure, while his aura became increasingly profound.

Even so, Lu Tian's brows remained tightly furrowed.

The efficiency of devouring spiritual power was too low. A peak Golden Immortal demon was only equivalent to eight hundred years of arduous cultivation.

By that calculation, I would need to devour a hundred peak Golden Immortal experts to break through to the peak Golden Immortal realm.

If they were cultivators with better foundations, the absorption efficiency should be higher.

And besides...

His foundation had still received no benefit whatsoever.

Lu Tian carefully recalled what he had just comprehended.

He had clearly absorbed Crow Daoist's origin. Logically, it should have been able to repair his foundation.

Yet once the origin entered his body, it immediately broke down into spiritual power and only improved his cultivation.

Fortunately, the scripture created by Luohu truly had unique qualities.

Not a trace of impurity remained during the devouring process.

What exactly was missing?

Lu Tian lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

As Lu Tian pondered, Luohu beside him suddenly burst into laughter!

What remarkable comprehension, brat! You are nearly comparable to me back then!

A sharp gleam flashed in Luohu's eyes, and his gaze toward Lu Tian became increasingly fervent.

When you used your self-created secret art to devour the origin just now, did you notice that the spiritual power was transformed too quickly?

Did you always feel that the secret art lacked a crucial link?

Lu Tian nodded at his words.

He had indeed felt that this secret art was still incomplete.

Just as I thought! Your secret art is exquisite, and even I have never created such a thing.

But I have another method that can complement yours perfectly.

I had been worrying over how to improve your aptitude. Now that the two methods can be combined, the problem will be solved with ease!

Lu Tian's spirits immediately rose.

He had never doubted Luohu's comprehension!

Brat, study it carefully!

Luohu laughed as he brought two fingers together and pointed. A profound technique instantly entered Lu Tian's brow.

Lu Tian focused and examined it closely, discovering that this method was meant to reconstruct the physical body and condense a Demon Heart.

After reading it all, he suddenly understood.

This Demon Heart was like a furnace capable of harmonizing origins of different kinds.

Just as no two leaves in the world were exactly alike, the origins of living beings varied greatly as well.

Previously, he had forcibly merged Crow Daoist's origin into himself. It was like forcing in mismatched blood, so failure was only natural.

The Demon Heart had three marvelous functions:

First, it transformed origins of different kinds;

Second, it strengthened one's own foundation;

Third, it amplified the power of the Demonic Path.

Its only limitation was—

During devouring, the target's cultivation and memories would all be refined away.

If one chose to repair one's foundation, it would be difficult to increase one's cultivation.

Wonderful!

Lu Tian clapped his hands and laughed. The problem with his foundation had finally been solved; advancement in cultivation was secondary.

With his comprehension, given enough time, he might have realized this principle on his own.

However, creating a technique required ten thousand years of effort. Luohu's action had spared him countless hours.

He immediately began practicing it in the Dream World.

Demonic qi surged as it flowed into Lu Tian's body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea...

Pitch-black demonic qi spread and flowed across the ground of the small world like thick mercury.

Lu Tian, dressed in white, sat cross-legged amid the demonic qi, creating a striking contrast. Vast amounts of demonic qi continuously poured into his body and were completely absorbed. Luohu stood silently nearby, his youthful face carrying a gaze deep beyond his years.

After thirteen thousand years of deduction in the Dream World, the two finally perfected the fusion of the two great secret arts, origin devouring and the Demon Heart. After another thousand years of simulated practice and tens of thousands of trials, they confirmed that there were no flaws and returned to reality. Luohu could not help sighing at the art's profundity. Had he possessed this secret art back then, he might have defeated Hongjun.

A thousand years passed in reality, while ten thousand years passed in the dream. Upon returning, Lu Tian immediately cultivated the Demon Heart secret art, then spent several hundred more years devouring demonic qi. At this moment, demonic qi swirled around his heart. As his Dao formula changed, all the demonic qi finally merged completely into his heart.

The sound of a powerful heartbeat echoed through the space. Lu Tian opened his eyes after initially forming the Demon Heart, unable to conceal the exhaustion in them. Fourteen thousand years of deduction in the dream and several hundred years of refinement in reality had finally brought it to completion.

Now that the Demon Heart was complete, there was no need to remain. Luohu smiled once more. Return when you advance to Taiyi and Daluo to receive the subsequent inheritance. Lu Tian bowed in farewell and was sent out of the small world.

The outside world remained desolate and ruined, making him feel as though ages had passed. Two thousand years had been spent solely to cultivate one art, and Lu Tian stepped into the air and departed.

After Crow Daoist's death, Phoenix Forest had gradually descended into chaos. His treasure vault had sparked ongoing conflict. Two thousand years of slaughter had created a situation where several Golden Immortals each held their own territory. His former cave dwelling was now occupied by a late-stage Golden Immortal snake demon, who had gathered many cultivators beneath him and was at the height of his power.

"Hiss... The peak Golden Immortal realm is within reach."

A cold, sinister whisper echoed through the forest.

"Once I rule Phoenix Forest and devour the spiritual energy of this realm, I may glimpse the mysteries of Taiyi and return to the Eastern ancestral land!"

"That fool who wiped out Crow Daoist has done me quite the favor. Hehe..."

Ambition gleamed in the snake's eyes as he indulged in fantasies of one day dominating the East.

Then, in an instant, a chill brushed across his neck.

Lowering his head, he saw that his body had somehow been separated from his head!

The snake demon's heart jolted violently.

Fortunately, after cultivating to this level, losing his head was not yet enough to frighten him. Just as he was about to use a secret technique to rebuild his demonic body, five fingers suddenly clamped around his head.

"A three-way balance of power? That saves me the trouble of wiping you out one by one."

The clear voice carried a teasing note.

Just as the snake demon was about to speak, he felt his thousand years of cultivation collapse like a receding tide.