Day had broken, but no scorching sunlight shone down.
Zhao Changfeng looked up and was surprised to find thick black clouds filling the sky, like a vast curtain separating heaven from earth.
The boundless desert was steeped in a stifling, oppressive atmosphere, much like his mood at that moment.
The scene that triggered my backlash must have been what they call demonic possession. That agony I felt back then-was it Xu Lang's? Or did it come from my own heart because I took part?
Zhao Changfeng simply could not tell.
But his intuition told him that similar scenes would surface again and again. Each time, he would have to step into Xu Lang's shoes and experience that ordeal capable of tormenting a person to death.
No wonder she suddenly hated me so much when I said I was willing to stay by her side, never leaving or abandoning her.
Merely receiving this memory from Ruan Meizhen had not affected Zhao Changfeng all that deeply before he experienced it himself.
Once he entered that scene, however, he broke down and suffered a backlash before he could even see the whole ordeal through.
This Heart-Demon Obsession was far too terrifying and overwhelming. No wonder Ruan Meizhen had failed to break through time after time, until she finally lost even the courage to keep living.
Should I try to resolve this Heart-Demon Obsession?
Once I resolve it, will this obsession stop infecting me over and over? Will I finally be free?
But how am I supposed to resolve it?
Thoughts surged through Zhao Changfeng's mind, but he had no idea where to begin and could only set the matter aside for now.
After taking deep breaths for a while, he emptied his mind of its tangled, agitated thoughts and restored his composure. Only then did he quietly examine his condition.
The blood on his chest came from biting his tongue. It was merely a superficial wound and had little effect on his fighting strength.
The qi-blood sea in his middle dantian was less than a third the size of the sea of spiritual qi in his lower dantian. He felt it was about the same size as his sea of spiritual qi had been at the beginning.
In the early yuanqi stage, he needed to fill his qi-blood sea little by little before he could use the qi and blood within it to temper his bones and internal organs.
However, before he could fill his qi-blood sea, his sea of spiritual qi first had to become abundant.
Only when it filled to overflowing could he begin gathering qi and blood from his body, using spiritual power to draw it into his middle dantian.
Qi and blood naturally existed in the human body, but cultivators at the yuanjing stage could not mobilize it, gather it, or refine it.
Only cultivators who had entered the yuanqi stage could use spiritual power to draw out the qi and blood in their bodies, channeling it little by little into their qi-blood seas, then repeatedly refining and tempering it.
Once they reached a certain point, they could use that refined qi and blood to nourish their flesh, bones, and sinews in turn.
At this stage, every cultivator became more eager to obtain nourishing substances that would help their bodies produce richer qi and blood.
Grains, berries, vegetables, birds, beasts, and medicinal pills and spiritual medicines containing qi and blood could all strengthen the body's qi and blood, though in varying amounts.
For those cultivating the Essence-Devouring Demon Art, however, this realm was a crucial stage in which they could pull ahead of others.
First-Rank Spirit Beasts with exceptional flesh and blood, such as Dryland Sand Lizards and Four-Eared Sand Foxes, were ideal sources of abundant qi and blood.
Before entering the yuanqi stage, the Essence-Devouring Demon Art refined only the power within beast blood, extracting its purer, more refined energy and directing it into the sea of spiritual qi.
Once he successfully entered the yuanqi stage, he could circulate the Essence-Devouring Demon Art to draw out power and extract the qi and blood from a Spirit Beast's sinews, bones, and flesh as well.
The Demonic Cultivation Art really is useful.
Zhao Changfeng could not help marveling.
Since he had chosen the Essence-Devouring Demon Art, his cultivation could advance at an astonishing speed as long as he had a sufficient supply of First-Rank Spirit Beasts.
The only hidden danger was the backlash during cultivation. Most terrifying of all was the inner demon born from Ruan Meizhen's obsession, which could erupt without warning at any moment while he cultivated.
This cauldron...
He did not dare practice the Demonic Cultivation Art for now, so he focused on examining the Small Cauldron suspended in his sea of qi.
The Small Cauldron had originally seemed illusory, but now the strange energy continually growing inside it appeared to be gradually making it solid. Even the mysterious patterns on its body had become slightly clearer.
What should I call that strange energy it slowly brews from Ruan Meizhen's Heart-Demon Obsession?
Forget it. I'll just give it a name. Let's call it willpower.
As Zhao Changfeng pondered, he began mobilizing his willpower again, and the Blood Shadow Art circulated naturally.
He opened one hand.
His palm was rather rough, its lines worn indistinct and marked by obvious calluses.
This was because the body's original owner had performed too much hard labor in the Lingxiao Sect.
Now, a deep crimson glow emerged from his palm and swiftly condensed into a small, luminous silhouette.
The crimson silhouette took the shape of a miniature human. At first, it was formed from the pure spiritual power in his sea of qi, but once he infused it with a strand of willpower, an indelible trace of black quietly appeared inside it.
At the same time, an aura mingled with endless spite and resentment, filled with a desire to twist and tear things apart, abruptly arose from the silhouette.
As the tiny human-shaped silhouette turned red and black, it seemed to gain a kind of warped life and intelligence as well, revealing a desire to vent its boundless spite and resentment.
Light flashed in Zhao Changfeng's eyes, and he instantly perked up.
When the Blood Shadow Art released the power within his body, it could take various forms according to his wishes-a long strip, a mass of bloody light, or scattered points of blood-colored radiance.
But the form that maximized the Blood Shadow Art's power was a silhouette as crimson as blood. The more human it looked, the stronger it became.
If the qi-blood sea in his middle dantian had not been dry, he could have mixed qi and blood with spiritual power, giving the silhouette the aura of flesh and blood.
Only then could the silhouette be called a blood shadow, and only then would it truly be the Blood Shadow Art.
Yet even that was not the Blood Shadow Art's strongest form. The strongest blood shadow united spiritual power, qi and blood, and Divine Sense.
Spiritual power gave the blood shadow strength, qi and blood gave it living vitality, and Divine Sense allowed it to act as though intelligent after leaving its caster. The caster could then control it with his primordial spirit, making its transformations unpredictable.
Rumor had it that the Great Demon Cultivator who created the Blood Shadow Art perfectly combined spiritual power, qi and blood, and Divine Sense within his blood shadows, allowing them to develop flesh, blood, and even souls.
Such blood shadows were like real people. They could not only help their caster slaughter opponents, but also perform many other tasks for him.
I haven't infused it with qi and blood yet. I've only combined my spiritual power with willpower, so why does it already seem to have a little intelligence?
Granted, that intelligence is filled with hatred and frenzied rage, but its violently explosive power was proven just now. It really is extraordinary.
Since it has intelligence, perhaps I can give it orders. But I haven't reached the Primordial Spirit Realm yet, so I can't control it with my primordial spirit.
If I'm only using it to kill enemies, its current power is enough.
Zhao Changfeng quietly mulled it over.
He did not know that rogue cultivator's true cultivation level, but the black-and-red blood shadow formed from spiritual power and willpower had killed the man as easily as slaughtering a chicken or a dog.
With this willpower at his disposal, his courage in the desert soared. He would even dare launch a deadly ambush against Chen Haoming, who was at the late yuanqi stage.
Since willpower was terrifying and unfathomable, greatly enhancing the Blood Shadow Art's might, he was in no hurry to rack his brains for a way to resolve the Heart-Demon Obsession within the cauldron.
Only while the Heart-Demon Obsession existed could it stimulate and produce more willpower, making his Blood Shadow Art savage and violent.
Drip!
A grayish-yellow raindrop fell through the leaden clouds and landed on Zhao Changfeng's open palm beside the black-and-red silhouette, like tainted blood flowing from its body.
"It's raining. That's rare."
Zhao Changfeng looked up at the sky and murmured.
"Demon Spirits have overrun the area!"
"All disciples of the Crippled Demon Sect must immediately proceed to Tamu Town at full speed! Prevent the Demon Spirits from crossing Tamu Town and infesting the Demon Kingdom's cities in the mortal world!"
"During this time, fighting and killing among fellow disciples is strictly forbidden. Anyone who disobeys will die!"
Old Devil Teng's voice, resonant as a mighty bell, suddenly rang out from the Black Iron Demon Token hanging at Zhao Changfeng's waist. His tone was exceedingly grave, with a faint, concealed edge of impatience.
Zhao Changfeng was shocked.
Only now did he discover that Teng Kun could use the demon token that marked his identity to transmit his voice and issue orders.
Demon Spirits have overrun the area. Head to Tamu Town and resist their invasion of the Demon Kingdom in the mortal world...
Something terrible must have happened.
Zhao Changfeng realized how dire the situation was. Not knowing whether Teng Kun could detect disciples disobeying his orders, he immediately packed his cloth bag and prepared to leave.
But which direction was Tamu Town in?
Thud! Thud, thud!
Footsteps sounded as feet sank deep into the sand. Ruan Meizhen, who had been gone for quite some time, hurried toward him, her heart-stirringly beautiful face filled with panic and alarm.
"Did you receive Master's message? Hurry, come with me to Tamu Town!"
She had intended to find some fellow disciples and rogue cultivators to intimidate, seizing the chance to collect spirit stones and restore her fighting strength before returning to put Zhao Changfeng back under her thumb.
But her luck had been poor.
There was not a single fellow disciple or rogue cultivator nearby. She had wandered for a long time without finding anything, and while hesitating over whether to turn back, she too received Teng Kun's voice transmission.
She immediately knew things had gone badly wrong. Even Demon Mountain had probably fallen, so she rushed back to call Zhao Changfeng and take him to Tamu Town.
"Zhao... Zhao Changfeng..."
Ruan Meizhen suddenly froze. A faint ripple stirred within her panicked mind, and confusion appeared in her beautiful eyes, which could inspire endless flights of fancy.
For some reason, seeing Zhao Changfeng again, she kept feeling that a new bond had formed between them.
She had spent only a few days with Zhao Changfeng in total and could hardly be called familiar with him, yet now she had the strange illusion that they had been together for a very long time.
She shook her head hard, as though trying to dispel that peculiar feeling, then urged sharply, "Go!"