The Ninth Chapter

Luohu saw through it with a single glance, pointing out Lu Tian's shortcomings.

The Vajra Body originated from a Mystic Gate secret scripture. Its complete form should possess three heads and six arms, yet Lu Tian had only condensed one head and two arms so far.

"Since you've passed the trial, I shall help you advance further!"

Luohu let out a hearty laugh, rolling demonic energy surging within the dreamscape and pouring into Lu Tian's body.

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

Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture!

The highest inheritance of the demonic path!

Lu Tian merely skimmed through it, but he was already shaken by its insane philosophy!

Within the scripture, Luohu envisioned devouring the Heavenly Dao after proving himself a Sage, replacing the Heavenly Dao with his own will!

This ambition coincided with Hongjun's, though Hongjun's method was gentler, first merging with the Dao before gradually replacing it.

The two truly are destined enemies, Lu Tian mused inwardly.

Luohu had one loss and one victory, their outcomes vastly different.

The victor takes all. Hongjun had already merged with the Dao and was gradually replacing the Heavenly Dao.

Luohu, however, could only entrust his inheritance to another in this dreamscape.

But Lu Tian soon had no time for further thought.

Boom!

His Vajra Body shattered!

The excessive demonic energy pouring in had disrupted the balance of immortal and demonic energies within his Vajra Body, causing his manifestation to disintegrate!

Fortunately, this was merely a dreamscape, and Lu Tian recovered instantly.

"Again!"

He uttered a low, deep cry, once more simulating the surging demonic energy and injecting it into himself.

This time, he carefully controlled the balance of immortal and demonic energies.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His Vajra Body exploded like bubbles, only to be reshaped continuously.

"Again!"

He didn't know how many failures he endured.

Lu Tian's eyes were bloodshot.

Only within this dreamscape could he attempt this repeatedly!

Finally, after countless failures, Lu Tian succeeded!

His aura shifted dramatically, transforming from his true form to the Vajra Body.

The current Vajra Body was entirely different—

What was once a wrathful Vajra with a single head and two arms had now transformed into a Daoist Heavenly King, adorned with a crown, wielding a golden whip, and clad in battle armor.

And beside the Heavenly King's head, a ferocious demonic head had appeared, with a green face, fangs, and emanating a dense demonic aura!

Two heads, four arms, Dao and Demon Symbiosis!

The manifestation of Dao and Demon Twin Birth was finally achieved!

Lu Tian had completely revamped his Vajra Body!

It could almost be said...

He had completely broken free from Jieyin and Zhunti's conception, evolving towards an unknown realm!

"A pity, the Buddhist system is not yet mature."

"Otherwise, perhaps I could have forged a Vajra Body where Dao, Demon, and Buddha were unified."

Lu Tian felt a slight regret.

The current Western Teachings still belonged to the Mystic Gate lineage. Although it was evolving towards Buddhism, progress was limited.

After all, Buddhism would only truly take shape during the Journey to the West Calamity.

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

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

Even so...

The power of the current Vajra Body was already several times greater than before!

Witnessing Lu Tian's Vajra Body, Luohu couldn't help but praise him repeatedly.

"Magnificent! Your comprehension is truly rare, perhaps on par with my own."

"A pity his innate talent is flawed; it's ultimately hard to compensate for."

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

If Lu Tian's innate talent had been superior, the Primordial World would likely have gained another powerhouse capable of shaking heaven and earth!

Lu Tian muttered to himself upon hearing this:

My flawed innate talent, isn't that a result of the great battle between you and Hongjun back then?

He suppressed his stray thoughts and focused on comprehending the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture passed down by Luohu.

Seeing Lu Tian remain silent, Luohu wasn't annoyed. Instead, he sat down, furrowed his brow, as if deep in thought.

In the dream realm.

Lu Tian and Luohu sat opposite each other, both entering a state of meditation to comprehend the Dao.

In terms of comprehension, both were at the peak of the Primordial World.

Lu Tian possessed the Saint-level comprehension granted by the system, making deduction as easy as picking something up from a bag;

Luohu, as the progenitor of the demonic path, had innate talent that suppressed the Primordial World, comparable to Hongjun!

At this moment, both figures were immersed in a profound realm.

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

"Upon reaching completion, one can even devour the Heavenly Dao and replace it..."

Lu Tian's heart surged with emotion.

The more he comprehended, the more he realized the scripture's infinite profundity.

A crazy thought sprouted in his heart:

Since it can devour the Heavenly Dao, why can't I devour others' innate talent to mend my own deficiency?

Although it was a demonic method, it was worth a try!

Luohu hadn't created a method to devour innate talent because he was a reincarnation of a primordial demon god with innate talent that surpassed the Primordial World; he simply had no need for such a method!

With such a profound foundation, he had no need to plunder others' cultivation.

However, this did not mean the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture was without value.

Lu Tian believed that if this scripture could be slightly improved, perhaps it could achieve the miraculous effect of devouring innate talent.

He fully activated his Saint-level comprehension, dedicating all his energy to studying the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture, completely ignoring external disturbances.

Coincidentally, Luohu had the same intention!

He was naturally most familiar with this scripture, which he had personally created.

He immediately began to work on improving it.

The two spent over ten thousand years in peace.

Lu Tian's brow remained etched with worry.

During these ten thousand years, although he hadn't fully deciphered the Demon Heart Swallowing Heaven Scripture, he had grasped about seventy to eighty percent of it.

After all, this was a secret technique that Luohu had spent countless years deducing and perfecting.

With Lu Tian's current realm, he was still slightly inferior.

When he truly began to modify it, he discovered the scripture's exquisite intricacies.

The entire scripture was a cohesive whole, every word a gem, and every circulation route meticulously crafted.

Often, moving one part would affect the entire system, and even a slight alteration could lead to complete collapse!

After ten thousand years of research, he had made some progress and created a new secret technique.

It still seemed to be missing something...

Lu Tian muttered softly, his thoughts stirring, and he conjured a demon of peak Golden Immortal cultivation in the dream.

It was the Crow Daoist, whom he had personally killed.

The Crow Daoist in the dream was identical to his real-world appearance.

Lu Tian raised his hand, summoning the Vajra Scepter, and struck the Crow Daoist heavily on the head, causing him to perish once more.

He then reached out and grabbed the Crow Daoist's remains.

An invisible force flowed from the Crow Daoist's body, continuously pouring into Lu Tian's meridians.

Spiritual light surged around Lu Tian, and his pressure suddenly increased.

His cultivation instantly advanced by a significant margin, his aura becoming even more profound.

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

The efficiency of devouring spiritual power was too low; a peak Golden Immortal demon only yielded the equivalent of eight hundred years of arduous cultivation.

Based on this calculation, he would need to devour a hundred peak Golden Immortal powerhouses to help him break through to the peak Golden Immortal realm.

If the cultivator had better innate talent, the absorption efficiency should be higher.

And...

His foundation remained unrepaired.

Lu Tian carefully recalled his recent insights.

He had clearly absorbed the Crow Daoist's origin, which should have replenished his foundation.

But after the origin entered his body, it immediately broke down into spiritual energy, only improving his cultivation.

Fortunately, Luohu's creation ** did have its unique aspects.

There were no impurities left during the absorption process.

Where exactly did it go wrong?

Lu Tian lowered his head, lost in thought.

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

"What an exceptionally perceptive young man, you're almost as good as I was back then!"

Luohu's eyes gleamed, his gaze on Lu Tian growing more intense.

"When you absorbed the origin using your self-created secret technique just now, did you notice the spiritual energy converting too quickly?

Did you always feel like ** was missing a crucial link?"

Lu Tian nodded upon hearing this.

He did indeed feel that this secret technique was not yet complete.

"As expected! Your secret technique is ingenious; even I haven't created anything like it.

However, I have another method that perfectly complements yours.

I was originally troubled about how to improve your aptitude, but now with both methods combined, the problem is easily solved!"

Lu Tian's spirits immediately lifted.

He never doubted Luohu's perceptiveness!

"Boy, study it carefully!"

Luohu laughed and pointed a finger, a profound incantation instantly entering Lu Tian's forehead.

Lu Tian focused his gaze and discovered that this method aimed to reshape the physical body and condense the Demon Heart.

After reading through, he suddenly understood.

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

Just as there are no two identical leaves in the world, the origins of living beings also vary greatly.

Previously, his forceful integration of the Crow Daoist's origin was like a forced blood transfusion, naturally making it difficult to succeed.

The Demon Heart has three miraculous uses:

First, to convert different origins;

Second, to benefit one's own foundation;

Third, to amplify demonic power.

The only restriction is--

It will refine all of the opponent's cultivation and memories during absorption.

If one chooses to repair the foundation, it becomes difficult to increase one's cultivation.

"Marvelous!"

Lu Tian clapped his hands and laughed. The issue with his foundation was finally ** , and the progress of his cultivation was secondary.

With his comprehension, he might have figured this out himself given time.

But creating such a technique would take tens of thousands of years; Luohu's action saved him countless efforts.

He immediately began practicing in the dream world.

Dark demonic energy surged, entering Lu Tian's body like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea...

The pitch-black demonic energy flowed like thick mercury across the ground of the small world.

Lu Tian, dressed in white, sat cross-legged amidst the demonic energy **, forming a stark contrast. A massive amount of demonic energy continuously poured into him, being completely absorbed. Luohu stood quietly to the side, his youthful face holding a deep gaze unfitting for his age.

After thirty thousand years of deduction in the dream world, the two finally perfected and merged the origin absorption and Demon Heart secret techniques. After another thousand years of simulating and practicing tens of thousands of times, and confirming there were no errors, they returned to reality. Luohu couldn't help but sigh at the profoundness of this technique, lamenting that if he had possessed it back then, he might have been able to defeat Hongjun.

A thousand years in reality, ten thousand years in dreams. Upon returning, Lu Tian immediately began cultivating the Demon Heart secret technique, spending another few hundred years absorbing demonic energy. At this moment, demonic energy swirled around his heart, and as the Daoist incantations changed, all the demonic energy eventually merged into his heart.

A powerful heartbeat echoed through the space. Lu Tian, with his Demon Heart newly formed, opened his eyes, exhaustion evident in them. Ten thousand four hundred years of deduction in dreams and several hundred years of refinement in reality had finally led to perfection.

"The Demon Heart is formed; there's no need to linger. Luohu resumed his smile, "I will await you to reach the Grand Unity and Grand Unity realms before bestowing further inheritance." Lu Tian bowed and took his leave, being sent out of the small world.

The outside world was still desolate and dilapidated, making him feel as if he had crossed into another life. Two thousand years spent solely on cultivating one technique, Lu Tian ascended into the air and left.

The Phoenix Forest had gradually descended into chaos after the Crow Daoist's demise, its treasury becoming a site of continuous conflict. Two thousand years of slaughter had resulted in several Golden Immortals carving out their own territories. The original cave dwelling was now occupied by a late-stage Golden Immortal Snake Demon, who had gathered many cultivators under his command and was at the peak of his power.

"Hiss hiss... the peak of the Golden Immortal realm is within reach."

Cold whispers echoed through the forest.

"Once I control the Phoenix Forest and devour this realm's spiritual energy, perhaps I can glimpse the mysteries of Grand Unity and return to the Eastern ancestral land!"

"That fool who slew the Crow Daoist actually completed me, hehe..."

Ambition flickered in the snake demon's eyes as he reveled in his future dream of dominating the East.

Suddenly, a chill brushed his neck.

He looked down and found his body separated from his head!

The snake demon's heart trembled.

Fortunately, having cultivated to this level, losing his head was not a fatal blow. Just as he was about to use a secret technique to reshape his demonic body, his head was suddenly seized by five fingers.

"A three-way standoff? This saves me the trouble of eliminating them one by one."

A clear voice carried a hint of mockery.

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