Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 515 - 510: Heavenly Demon Attack, Advancing to Refinement Void_1

Chapter 515: Chapter 510: Heavenly Demon Attack, Advancing to Refinement Void_1

"Another has condensed a Virtual God? Talents seem to be emerging one after another in our sect recently."

「Ten years had passed since Ji Ning’s breakthrough.」

Of the several cultivators who had entered seclusion at the same time, two out of five successfully advanced to the Lianxu Stage. One had their Divine Soul merge with heaven and earth, their body becoming an empty shell, perishing along with their Dao. The remaining two showed no signs of progress, stuck at the Virtual God bottleneck.

With some successfully advancing to the Lianxu Stage, cultivators whose cultivation levels were insufficient were one thing, but others felt spurred on and entered seclusion one after another. Those who went into seclusion were all powerhouses. The cultivators who did not go into seclusion continued with the Demon Cultivator trials. They had to face even more Demon Cultivators, and their luck was abysmal.

The only consolation was that the incoming Demon Cultivators were at the Divinity Transformation Stage, mostly from ordinary backgrounds. Whether in terms of treasures or Divine Skills, they were far inferior to the Lingbao Sect Cultivators. To this day, not a single life had been lost, and the trials proceeded without mishap.

"Who has made the breakthrough this time?" Cloud Tiger was all smiles as he gazed towards the source of the Virtual God’s commotion. A moment later, his expression turned complex and strange.

Good heavens, this boy was hiding his strength so deeply!

Clearly at the peak of the Divinity Transformation Stage, yet disguised as a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator. Even I was fooled!

Although Cloud Tiger said this, an irrepressible smile graced his face.

Jia Ren advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage less than two hundred years ago. Such a rapid advancement from the Divinity Transformation Stage to the Lianxu Stage in such a short time—is this a fortuitous encounter? Or is it the effect of the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art?!

Even as a Body Integration Realm cultivator, Cloud Tiger couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

This kid is in for some trouble now!

Jia Ren’s advancement speed astonished even Cloud Tiger, a Body Integration Realm cultivator, let alone other Lingbao Sect Cultivators. It was inevitable that some would harbor ulterior motives afterward, trying to uncover the secret behind Jia Ren’s swift progress.

Jia Ren is a promising candidate to become a Heaven-reaching Refiner; he mustn’t be harmed! If anyone dares to cause trouble under my watch, I will make an example of them to rectify the Lingbao Sect’s atmosphere.

Within the Second Lingbao, many cultivators sensed the Virtual God’s shadow. They initially assumed it was a cultivator from the Combat Law Sequence who had secluded themselves earlier. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Jia Ren.

The cultivators of the Second Spirit Treasure Sect were one thing; they knew little about Jia Ren. Their only impression was that he was a Refining Master and a future Heaven-reaching Refiner.

He was just a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator; how could it be his turn to break through to the Lianxu Stage...

The reality was too astonishing for the Lingbao Sect’s Fire Seeds who had arrived together; their faces were etched with disbelief.

Isn’t Jia Ren’s Spiritual Root Aptitude merely Middle-grade?

He hadn’t been a True Disciple for long, and the Lingbao Sect’s Fire Seeds who came with him had advanced to the Divinity Transformation Stage much earlier. Some were still at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, yet this fellow had quietly advanced to the Lianxu Stage. Most crucially, he had always concealed his cultivation level, and no one had discovered it.

So devious!

More people wondered: Jia Ren’s Spiritual Root Aptitude wasn’t high, so how could his realm advance by leaps and bounds?

The Heavenly Treasure Spirit Cultivation Technique?!

This cultivation technique depended on the level of one’s Lifebound Spirit Treasure. The Lingbao Sect had few treasures to rapidly enhance a Lifebound Spirit Treasure, and most were prohibitively expensive. The vast majority of Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators only had lifebound treasures at the Magical Treasure grade, far inferior to the Spiritual Treasures bestowed by the sect. Relying on the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Cultivation Technique to improve their cultivation was incredibly difficult. If not for this, the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Cultivation Technique wouldn’t have become an exclusive technique for those with the Heavenly Treasure Body.

The second possibility was the Lingbao Sect’s renowned Spirit Devouring Treasure Art, which held a formidable reputation within the sect. It was rumored that if this Divine Skill were to spread widely, the Lingbao Sect could be renamed the Treasure Devouring Sect. This highlighted the value of the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art. Perhaps the Lingbao Sect, considering its legacy and not wanting the foundation of its artifact refining to be shaken, had ensured that despite many coveting it, no one outside the Jikong Lineage had obtained the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art.

While many were unsure of the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art’s effects, Jia Ren was a living testament. As a Refining Master, he never lacked Spiritual Treasures. Combined with the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art, this allowed him, despite his Middle-grade Spiritual Root Aptitude, to cultivate at a speed far surpassing those with Supreme Grade Spiritual Roots.

Who wouldn’t be tempted by such a Divine Skill capable of rapidly increasing one’s cultivation realm?

Jia Ren was unaware that his condensation of the Virtual God had stirred undercurrents within the sect, with many cultivators secretly plotting against him.

With the Virtual God successfully condensed, the next step was to merge with heaven and earth, allowing the Divine Soul to mobilize and influence the nature’s spiritual energy within its range. The larger the range of influence, the stronger the Virtual God. This was an indispensable step after condensing a Virtual God. The Virtual God unfurled, like spilled ’ink,’ influencing the surrounding heaven and earth wherever it passed. With a mere thought from Jia Ren, the nature’s spiritual energy within his control moved as if it were an extension of his limbs.

Below the Divinity Transformation Stage, cultivation primarily focused on the body’s interior, using a personal microcosm as the core to form a unique Spiritual Power cycle. Upon reaching the Divinity Transformation Stage and subsequent realms, cultivators deepened their exploration of the external world, transitioning from their personal microcosm to the greater macrocosm. One’s physical body had its limits; only by using heaven and earth as one’s body to form a grand cycle could one transcend these fleshly shackles. This enhancement also had limitations: its effectiveness was greater in areas with denser nature’s spiritual energy. Entering a land devoid of spiritual laws would mean suffering from abysmal luck.

The Virtual God gradually explored the space between heaven and earth, its influence radiating to ever more distant regions. The ’Virtual God’s domain’ steadily expanded, growing rapidly.

Ten miles!

A hundred miles!

A thousand miles!

The nascent Virtual God felt fatigued, its state becoming listless. Mobilizing and controlling were two different things; Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators couldn’t hope to snatch even a bit of nature’s spiritual energy from Void Refinement Cultivators. The requirements for controlling nature’s spiritual energy were several times more demanding. A newly born Virtual God of a Void Refinement Cultivator could typically control nature’s spiritual energy within a radius of one hundred to three hundred miles. Jia Ren, relying on his powerful Divine Soul, had instantly increased this limit severalfold.

A thousand miles was not the limit for the early Lianxu Stage. As the Virtual God strengthened, this distance would expand to thousands of miles, even tens of thousands of miles.

Before the Virtual God could return, an immense pressure descended.

The Heart Demon Pass?

Every breakthrough to a new realm involved a Heart Demon Pass. When the Virtual God returned and one’s mind was unsettled, Heart Demons would be triggered.

This feels more like an invasion by external demons! The Heavenly Demon!

Starting from the realms after the Divinity Transformation Stage, breakthroughs carried a chance of encountering Heavenly Demons; no one could predict if they would face one. Jia Ren had successfully broken through today, his luck exceptionally good. Encountering a Heavenly Demon now, however, signified a drastic reversal of fortune.

Black qi streaked forth like lightning, invading the Virtual God in an instant, quicker than one could cover their ears. The newborn Virtual God was visibly tainted with a streak of black.

"Today is your lucky day. Your Virtual God is powerful. Join our Heavenly Demon clan!" The invading black qi possessed consciousness, gradually infiltrating the Virtual God, subtly attempting to convert it. This was an attempt to transform Jia Ren into a Heavenly Demon in one fell swoop.

A faint golden light emerged from Jia Ren’s body, the medicinal power of the fifteen-patterned Returning Void Pill, gradually expelling the black qi from the Virtual God. The hundred percent probability of breaking through to the Lianxu Stage was no mere boast! Even when facing a rare Heavenly Demon, he possessed formidable resistance, sufficient to keep it at bay. Once the Virtual God returned and integrated spirit with flesh, solidifying the mental altar, there would be no room for a Heavenly Demon invasion.

With a stir of his divine intent, Jia Ren’s Virtual God traversed the distance, flying back to his cultivation Cave. This was a unique ability of the Virtual God: within its sphere of influence, it could reach any location with a single thought, forming a virtual projection of oneself with potent combat capabilities. After advancing to the Body Integration Realm, the Virtual God would merge with the physical body, enabling instantaneous physical teleportation.

"JIE JIE, such a fine specimen. I can’t let you go." In the Void, an entity with bull horns and Three Heads and Six Arms materialized. Its six arms embraced the Virtual God, and mouths sprouted from its arms and elbows, continuously gnawing at the Virtual God. Golden light bloomed from the Virtual God, constantly resisting the Heavenly Demon’s power.

"Heavenly Demon’s Subjugation!" A corrupting power flowed from the Heavenly Demon’s mouths, surging into the Virtual God, attempting to forcibly defile it. In that instant, the Heavenly Demon in Jia Ren’s eyes transformed into the shadow of a colossal demonic god that blotted out the sky. Each of its six hands exuded suffocating pressure.

A Golden Bell flew out, and the furious visage of a child appeared. "Master, I am here to assist you!" The golden light vibrated, transforming into a Golden Dragon that lunged at the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon initially paid it no mind. They could shift between corporeal and ethereal states; ordinary Spells and Divine Skills were useless against them. Only attacks targeting the mind or soul were effective. The Soul-Shaking Bell was a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure specifically designed to target the Divine Soul.

"How do you possess a soul-type Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure! What rotten luck! I must not have checked the almanac before coming out!" The Heavenly Demon lost its earlier arrogance, abruptly vanishing into nothingness, attempting to flee.

Freed from the Heavenly Demon’s entanglement, the Virtual God, unaffected by Illusion Techniques, smoothly returned to Jia Ren’s body and merged with it. Jia Ren’s eyes, closed for ten years, snapped open. Electricity seemed to flash in the Void, and remnants of golden light lingered in his gaze.

With a thought, Jia Ren connected with the Soul-Shaking Sound Wave, the Golden Dragon manifestation of the Soul-Shaking Bell. Instantly, its speed surged, and it pierced into the Void. A large cloud of black qi exploded in the Void, accompanied by the Heavenly Demon’s wails and screams. It paid the price for its ignorance and foolishness.

"Spare my life..." The Soul-Shaking Bell’s full-powered strike had dealt it a considerable blow; the Heavenly Demon’s shadow dimmed. The Golden Dragon Soul-Shaking Sound Wave, however, did not slow its assault, opening its maw and biting down.

"My main body will not let you escape..." Sensing its demise, the Heavenly Demon’s voice was filled with venomous resentment. Before it could finish its words, the Soul-Shaking Sound Wave had annihilated the offending Heavenly Demon, reducing it to ash.

In the Void, a black crystal, a byproduct of the Heavenly Demon’s death, fell from the sky.

Its main body? Was it trying to intimidate me? Or is there truly a more powerful Heavenly Demon?

Having destroyed one of its incarnations, he had made a bitter enemy. The Heavenly Demon had tried to murder him by exploiting his vulnerability during his breakthrough.

This was a feud of life and death. If it happened again, I would make the same decision. Retaliation from a more powerful Heavenly Demon... that would likely only affect me once I advance to the Body Integration Realm. Heavenly Demons find it difficult to influence cultivators, let alone descend into the real world. At worst, I can refine a Divine Soul treasure integrated into the Demon-Sealing Pagoda System and upgrade it to Combined Body Perfection. I believe I can deal with any descending Heavenly Demon then. I’ve only just advanced to the Lianxu Stage; the Body Integration Realm is still a long way off. It won’t be too late to address this problem once I reach Lianxu Stage Completion.

Jia Ren raised his hand and retrieved the black crystal dropped by the deceased Heavenly Demon. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

I don’t know what this object is, but perhaps it will be useful one day.

I killed it too quickly earlier; it wasn’t suitable to experiment within the Lingbao Sect. I wonder if the Longevity Gui Talisman works on Heavenly Demons?