Chapter 224 (continued)

The Flower of Evil spoke up from a neglected corner, "Yes! What a great opportunity! If I didn't already hold the Authority of Evil, I would have devoured her long ago!"

Si Kui glanced at the Flower of Evil.

The Flower of Evil's back was taut, and her already sturdy frame stood even straighter.

However, this was too deliberate and only revealed his nervousness.

Si Kui already knew about the Flower of Flower of Evil, and although she deeply disliked this infamous creature in the Astral Realm, but...

Since Li Yang had accepted him, she wouldn't question anything.

Li Yang quickly asked, "Teacher, do you mean that as long as Lianlian chooses to cultivate the Power of Time, she can then wield..."

Lianxin: "Fellow Daoist, what matters is not power, but the path."

Si Kui nodded and said, "That's right. It's difficult for him to choose to cultivate in seclusion anymore; instead, he'll continue to devour Star Wielders possess the Power of Time."

Li Yang's heart tightened; she understood why Lianxin was unwilling to take this path.

She thought of the Flower of Evil and asked again, "Why does the Flower of Evil only require malice?"

The Flower of Evil never felt ashamed; on the contrary, she was very proud. "Before I advanced to the Divine Venerable Realm, the people I ate could fill the entire Evil Domain!"

That makes sense; the Flower of Evil is infamous in the Astral Realm precisely because of its proven track record.

The Flower of Evil paused, then continued, "Malice isn't so easily gathered... and before one wields the Authority of Evil, the pent-up malice that's painstakingly cultivated is often stolen away..."

Li Yang remembered that Xuanyuan's first disciple was someone who cultivated the Power of Evil.

After the Flower of Evil advances to the Divine Venerable Realm, it will be robbed of its malice by him, not to mention before it advances to the Divine Venerable.

Simply put, devouring is a simpler and more stable way to cultivate.

Relying solely on malice is tantamount to practicing asceticism.

Si Kui explained, "It is indeed possible to cultivate using only the Power of Time, but it is extremely difficult. Moreover, as the Power of Time increases, he becomes more susceptible to temptation, and once he chooses to devour it, there is a high possibility of losing control."

If one has never absorbed anything, one will not know about this shortcut, and one can still honestly go and cultivate in seclusion.

Once you've been devoured, things change. To cultivate in seclusion requires immense willpower to fight against the urge to devour.

Such confrontation is risky.

The longer the struggle lasts, the greater the risk; if we can't hold on any longer, we'll go insane.

Li Yang was distressed to hear this and asked, "Teacher, is there no other way?"

After thinking for a moment, Si Kui said, "I'll go check your grandmaster's notes to see if there are any relevant records."

Li Yang's eyes lit up, and she said, "I'll wait for your news!"

Si Kui had barely arrived in the Evil Domain when she returned to the Huaxia Heavenly Palace.

Nature Pavilion may appear drafty, but it actually contains many hidden doors, which are known to very few people.

Si Kui returned quickly.

Li Yang looked on in surprise. "Teacher, you..."

Si Kui hesitated for a moment, then said, "There really are relevant records... Your grandmaster once went to the Lotus Domain."

Li Yang: "!!!"

The fact that the old pavilion master had actually been to the Lotus Domain was something Li Yang hadn't expected.

Si Kui continued, "The notes were concise; she mentioned the creatures of the Lotus Domain and had a lengthy period of contact with them..."

Li Yang stared at her intently and asked, "What did Grandmaster say? Did she mention Lianxin?"

She recalled the name the Flower of Evil used for the Lianxin and said, "It's the Pure Lianxin."

Si Kui shook her head and said, "It's not the Lianxin, but... the Lotus Leaf."

The Flower of Evil spoke up, "Oh, so it's that guy."

"You know him?"

"You wouldn't call it knowing each other, but you definitely know each other. If you were to understand it in your Huaxia way, it's like a person and a dog."

Li Yang: "..."

The metaphor startled her for a moment, but she quickly caught up with the flower of Flower of Evil's thought process.

Just as there are different races in the Huaxia Realm Domain, presumably the Lotus Leaf, the Lianxin, and the Flower of Evil are also different races.

They all belong to the Lotus Domain, so they must have something in common.

Si Kui said, "Master met a Lotus Leaf, and her cultivation method gave Master a lot of inspiration, so she recorded it in her notes."

Li Yang held her breath, then heard Si Kui say, "You could indeed take Lianxin back to the Lotus Domain... and then try this method."

Li Yang: "What method?"

Si Kui looked at her and said, "First, Lianxin needs to eat an equivalent number of Ninth Grade Lotus Seed, and then you will teach him to comprehend the Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra."

Li Yang: "!"

Si Kui continued, "The Lotus Leaf Lady that Master encountered was Ninth-Grade Supreme. Her situation was similar to that of the Flower of Evil. Thousands of years ago, she was a renowned figure in the Astral Realm, but no one knew that she came from the Lotus Domain."

"At that time, Master was only at the Eighth Grade Realm and was looking for someone to break through to the next level through battle. So he set his sights on the infamous Lotus Leaf. The two chased each other for decades and ended up falling into the Lotus Domain together. After returning to the Lotus Domain, Lotus Leaf actually 'awoke'. Facing Master who was chasing her, she did not kill him, but instead carefully healed her wounds until she woke up..."

"After Master woke up, he noticed that Lotus Leaf seemed like a different person. She had become harmless and gentle, and Master also abandoned his idea of using her to break through his cultivation realm, instead starting to understand her situation."

"After returning to the Lotus Domain, Lotus Leaf regained her senses by consuming Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Leaf. However, having consumed too many people before, she found it difficult to accept her past self and only managed to stay conscious until now, driven by her desire to save her master."

"Seeing that her master had woken up, she decided to end her own life..."

"Master stopped her and decided to help her find a solution, but Lotus Leaf's condition was very bad. She was lucid one moment and bloodthirsty the next. Only by taking the Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Leaf could her condition be stabilized."

"But the problem is... the Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Leaf is limited."

"By a fortunate coincidence, her master taught her to cultivate the Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra,' and she was able to maintain a conscious state for longer periods."

The Flower of Evil listened, stunned, and said, "That Lotus Leaf is really stupid! Now that you've returned to the Lotus Domain and obtained the Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Leaf, you should hurry up and cultivate properly!"

Li Yang asked him, "Were you able to stay conscious at that time?"

The Flower of Evil paused, then said, "Before the Ninth Grade... I was less lucid, but after returning to the Lotus Domain and taking all the Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Flower with me, well, I also obtained the Authority of Evil, so I can stay lucid all the time."

Si Kui said, "You're lucky to have obtained the Authority of Evil; otherwise, you would have just wasted Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Flower."

Flower of Evil: "..."

After hearing about Lotus Leaf's story, he was still somewhat shaken.

He was indeed lucky; otherwise, he might have followed in Lotus Leaf's footsteps.

Li Yang then asked Si Kui, "And then, what happened to this Senior Lotus Leaf...?"

Si Kui's expression darkened, and she shook her head, saying, "It's too late. If she had cultivated the Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra earlier, perhaps she could have neutralized the pollution caused by devouring. Unfortunately, she had already reached the Ninth Grade, and the pollution was deeply rooted. In addition, the number of Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Leaf was insufficient... The Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra only helped her delay for a while. In the end, she begged her master to let her kill her."

Li Yang's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but turn her gaze to Lianxin.

If one day Lianxin also begs her to kill him...

The thought flashed through Li Yang's mind for only a moment before freezing her heart.

No way!

She would never let Lianxin go that far!

After recounting this past event, Si Kui concluded, "Lianxin isn't eating much right now, but the God King of Time's status is too high; even if she eats very little, it has a significant impact."

"Take him back to the Lotus Domain first, and use the Ninth Grade Lotus Seed to temporarily suppress the portion he ate. Then teach him to cultivate the Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra... Although it will be slower, once he masters the Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra, he can purify it."

Li Yang asked again, "Does it have to be Ninth Grade Lotus Seed? Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Flower...?"

Before Si Kui could say anything, the Flower of Evil shouted, "What a joke! He's the Lianxin, I'm a petal, how can we be the same?! Think about the food you eat and the dog food you eat, can they be the same thing?"

Li Yang rolled her eyes and said, "When people are starving to death, even dog food tastes delicious."

The Flower of Evil knows how to seize the key point. "You called me a dog!"

"You said it yourself."

"I..."

"If it's not Lianlian, then it can only be you."

"You..."

Si Kui read with great interest. She had originally been wary of the Flower of Evil and the Lianxin Heart, but after reading her master's notes, she relaxed a bit.

These beings from the Lotus Domain are pure at heart.

Given that Li Yang is naturally calculating, it's really hard to say who will bully whom.

"The Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Flower won't do," Si Kui said. "Lotus Leaf then, because there was a shortage of Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Leaf, Master suggested that she try another Ninth Grade Sacred Artifact, but it didn't work."

Flower of Evil: "Of course it won't work! To me, Ninth Grade Lotus Seed is like a pebble on the roadside; I wouldn't even bother kicking it away!"

Li Yang: "To Lianlian, the Ninth Grade Sacred Heart Flower is just a roadside clump; even glancing at it would be an eyesore."

Flower of Evil: "..."

Si Kui couldn't help but smile and said, "Alright, stop bickering. Let's try this method. If it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."

Li Yang was constantly thinking of Lianxin, and she said again, "Teacher, why don't you pass on the Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra to Lianxin? I'm afraid I lack the experience..."

Si Kui shook her head and said, "There is a strict condition for the 'transmission' of Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra: the transmitter must have a sufficient understanding of the recipient."

Li Yang said blankly, "I heard my martial uncles say..."

"Yes, the mental cultivation method of Sparse Words, Natural Heart Sutra is not limited to the Nature Department. Anyone can use it to cultivate, but I'm referring to its transmission, not self-comprehension."

"One can achieve great success through self-comprehension alone, it just takes longer. Given Lianxin's current situation, it's faster to teach her."

Li Yang understood.