Shen Fei understood. Nie Li's array not only converted the demon spirits' spiritual power, but also extracted the residual law fragments within them.
Demon spirits were crystallizations of demon beasts' souls. During cultivation, higher-level demon beasts would brush against the fringes of laws to some degree, and those law fragments would remain within their demon spirits after death.
Ordinary cultivators who devoured demon spirits could only absorb their spiritual power, not extract their law fragments.
This array extracted the law fragments as well. Though the amount was minuscule, for someone who had already mastered a law, every sliver of a law fragment brought a tangible improvement.
No wonder Nie Li had said this array had no side effects. Its conversion rate fell short of the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art's, but it made up for that with stability, sheer volume, and the added benefit of law extraction.
Shen Fei settled his mind and continued circulating his cultivation art. The spiritual power reserves in his dantian steadily climbed, approaching the threshold of black gold rank 4-star from the peak of black gold rank 3-star.
Spiritual power flowed ever more smoothly through his meridians, and the dark law in his soul sea continued to thicken. At the center of his soul sea, the Shadow Mantis quietly absorbed the law fragments settling there. The inky patterns on his phantom grew deeper, while the light in his compound eyes became increasingly subdued.
An hour passed. The soul force concentration within the array remained at roughly eight times normal. The dark-gold crystal atop the stone pillar kept spinning, releasing soul force without pause.
Everyone seated cross-legged in the courtyard was circulating their own cultivation art at full strength.
With his eyes closed, Shen Fei could hear the rhythmic breathing around him and the faint hum of