Dao Ye is going to ascend

Chapter 681 The Shadow Demon's First Enlightenment, Inviting Guanfatian (Two Chapters Combined)

The nine-colored mist flashed by in an instant and had already reached the outside of the bamboo house courtyard.

"The divine runes are complete!"

The infant was quite travel-worn, but when he thought of Li Yuan's promise to help him cultivate his magical power, he suddenly felt that the past few months of travel were nothing.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Li Yuan walked to the front of the courtyard, reached out and took the small white gourd and the Nine-Smoke Silk. He glanced at them and saw that there were 174 divine patterns in the gourd. He had taken at least two of each type.

"Master, I took good care of it, it's completely unharmed!"

The white-skinned gourd was showing off its accomplishment.

"reward."

Li Yuan flicked his finger and released a burst of Kunpeng magic power, which the latter swallowed in one gulp. Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Master, your magic power is so pure, it seems to have the aura of a superior grade!"

"You are quite perceptive."

Li Yuan smiled and hung the small gourd on his waist. The Nine-Smoke Silk naturally turned into wisps of mist, which disappeared into his robe and absorbed the magic power in his body to nourish himself.

After Jiu Yanluo unleashed the Ninefold Artifact Restriction, the amount of magical power required for daily nurturing increased, but for him now, it was only a drop in the ocean.

"You said before..."

Looking at Li Yuan, whose appearance remained unchanged but who exuded an indescribable aura, the infant felt somewhat uneasy, but this was due to his concern.

"Come find me after you have bathed."

Li Yuan glanced at Li Yi, who had already gone to prepare a medicinal bath to wash the little dragon away.
"I said I'd help you refine your techniques, would I go back on my word?"

"Thank you."

The mirage baby happily agreed and followed Li Yi away.

Li Yuan returned to the third-floor balcony and moved all the divine runes stored in the white gourd into his divine realm. He matched them one by one without any mistakes.

"The little dragon is becoming more and more reliable in her work, no less so than Liu Zheng and Wang Peiyao. Well, she is quite old after all, she just looks young."

Li Yuan nodded secretly, but couldn't help thinking of his old friends.

From Gaoliu County to Hengshan City, he had become accustomed to having two people help him with miscellaneous tasks, and he was quite unaccustomed to it after arriving at Dongxuan Mountain.

"A calamity from the heavens..."

Li Yuan silently made his plans.

After more than three years of training, he has begun to build a social circle. In addition to Ling Shu Tong Zi, he has also begun to enter the small circles of Yu Huan Zhen and Qi Yun.

However, moving stars is by no means easy, especially since the Grand Luck Star is still under the influence of the Eight Directions Temple. They had just made friends and had no business dealings, so he found it difficult to ask for permission.

“Ling Shu Tong Zi cannot descend the mountain without his master’s permission. Yu Huan Zhen might not refuse, but he will most likely have to go to the Demon Refining Ground she mentioned. As for Senior Brother Qi Yun, he has just completed his Dharma Heaven cultivation and his tribulations have not yet subsided…”

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly, feeling that the time was not right. Speaking rashly might not work out and could even damage their relationship.

As he pondered, footsteps approached, and the mirage baby, having just finished bathing, entered with joy.

"sit."

Li Yuan took out a prayer mat, and the Mirage Infant tried to sit cross-legged. She was in the shape of a child, with rather short legs, so sitting cross-legged was quite difficult for her.

"Tell me your doubts about the cultivation method, as well as the process of cultivating the method in the past, the more detailed the better."

Li Yuan asked softly.

"Ah."

The mirage infant took a deep breath and began to recount its understanding of the art of cultivation, the difficulties it had encountered, and detailed the entire process of its many failed attempts at cultivation.

Li Yuan listened quietly, nodding encouragingly from time to time, while analyzing and evaluating in his heart.

"The Mirage Dragon Clan still has some foundation, and their understanding of refining techniques is quite profound... There are no major errors."

"My foundation was a bit unstable, but this fall from the Unity Realm has actually solidified it... I do have a solid foundation for refining techniques."

"A talent level below the third rank is a bit low, but it won't affect the refining technique..."

……

Before the mirage baby could finish speaking, Li Yuan had already thoroughly analyzed it in his mind.

"You have met the requirements for refining the technique, and you have an eight or nine out of ten chance of success."

Li Yuan gave his own evaluation.

"what?"

The mirage baby, who had been feeling a little apprehensive, cheered upon hearing this, but then asked uncertainly, "W-can it really work?"

"Refining techniques isn't that difficult."

Li Yuan nodded: "The reason you failed the previous times is because the fundamental technique you learned was at the 'Gong' level, while the Mirage Dragon's power should be at the mid-grade level."

"But your talent is a bit lacking."

Li Yuan's evaluation was very objective and direct:

“You are of the blood of the Mirage Dragon King, so your clan should not lack treasures and methods to change your innate talents. If you had practiced one or two of them back then, you would have succeeded in practicing them long ago.”

In his view, the little dragon's failure in cultivating the technique was partly due to her low aptitude, but also because of her impetuous nature and lack of composure.

However, after the ordeal, his temperament became much calmer and his foundation was much more solid, giving him a great chance to successfully cultivate the technique.

"Talent..."

The baby mirage looked miserable, but couldn't help but mutter to itself.

She is indeed a member of the Mirage Blood Royal Family, but her father was a good father with dozens of brothers and sisters. Where would he get so many treasures to change one's innate talents?

As for the method...

"There are many methods to change one's innate talents, but changing one's innate talents is not that easy..."

The mirage baby suddenly fell silent as she spoke. She suddenly remembered that the person in front of her had changed his or her innate qualities many times.

Fortunately, it's not a big deal.

Li Yuan didn't say much.

He naturally understood the difficulty of changing one's innate talents. If it weren't for the military rank, how could he have changed his appearance so much in just twenty years?
It should be understood that a martial artist with average or below-average aptitude might not be able to master the White Ape Cloak technique even in twenty years.

But the Mirage Dragon clan is different. This little female dragon was born with the Dao and her lifespan far exceeds that of humans. Even if she doesn't succeed in a few decades, she will eventually succeed in a few hundred years.

"That……"

The mirage baby's eyes were filled with anticipation.

"I will teach you how to condense divine restrictions."

With a wave of his hand, Li Yuan instantly engulfed the two of them in a sky-blue mist. In the next instant, the light and shadow shifted dramatically, bringing the little female dragon into his divine realm.

"What a magnificent divine realm!"

On Xuan Teng Island, the Mirage Baby looked around and saw towering trees, a vast island, and an endless ocean, many times larger than her divine realm.

'Our ancestors once said that the size of one's divine realm is related to one's own innate talents and foundation. This... this is too vast...'

The infant clam felt a sudden surge of awe, even a touch of fear.

If it weren't for the chance encounter with Li Yuan many years ago, how could she have been qualified to ask such an extraordinary genius to guide her in refining techniques?

"Dongxuan Mountain has various methods for condensing divine restrictions, but due to the sect rules, I cannot teach them to you. What I am about to use is a condensation restriction method from another dimension. Please take a closer look."

Li Yuan coughed lightly to bring her back to her senses.

"Another... a dimensional stagnation technique? This..."

The mirage baby wanted to say, "You haven't practiced yet," but after opening its mouth, it swallowed the words back.

Although I haven't grasped much, I can still guide you without any problem.

Li Yuan saw through her thoughts but didn't explain further. He simply moved his mind and took control of the ancient scroll of the 'Shadow Demon Divine Art' and the Yuan Ying Pure Yang Tree.

hum~
The next instant, a deep black light surged in Li Yuan's eyes.

In an instant, he felt his five senses disappear, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss, and could see nothing but deep darkness.

In a daze, he drifted in the darkness for countless years, and in a moment he caught a glimpse of light. He rushed toward that light madly, and finally, he emerged from the shadows.

Birth, ignorance, understanding the world, practicing the Shadow Demon Divine Skill...

In an instant, Li Yuan seemed to experience the long life of a person named 'Changyin', until he exhausted his life's cultivation and condensed a pure yang treasure tree.

"Shadow Demon Divine Skill."

Coming back to his senses, Li Yuan felt that the interplay of light and shadow around him had become incredibly familiar, as if he could move freely between the flickering lights with just a thought.

This is the fifth level of the Shadow Demon Divine Art that Elder Yuan Ying, named Chang Yin, has cultivated throughout his life!

"Okay."

After regaining his composure, Li Yuan raised his hand and summoned a divine rune hidden under the shadow of a tree, which transformed into a stream of light and entered his palm.

"Aren't you going to make some preparations?"

The Mirage Baby felt he was being a bit too casual; this was an interdimensional technique that even he hadn't mastered!
I'll only teach you once!

Li Yuan glanced at her. Because of the blessing of the Pure Yang Treasure Tree, he couldn't help but look at the shadow under her feet. He felt that with just a thought, he could first devour her shadow and then destroy her body and spirit.

The Shadow Demon Divine Skill is the supreme demonic skill of the Yuan Ying Realm!

This divine skill, when practiced by those in the Yuan Ying Realm, requires one to first refine their entire being—flesh, blood, and spirit—into a seemingly illusory shadow, making it exceptionally ferocious.

When fighting, it only needs to pounce to devour the body and spirit of the opponent, turning them into a demonic shadow as well.

Before his death, Changyin, the owner of the Pure Yang Treasure Tree, had refined 80,000 demonic shadows. With a single pounce, they could devour all life on a life star!
"oh oh."

The mirage infant was highly focused, paying close attention to Li Yuan's every subtle movement, not daring to miss the slightest detail.

Li Yuan slowed down, calmly refining the divine restriction. To make it easier for her to learn, he didn't even use his magic power, but relied on his mental power to blend the divine runes and evolve the divine restriction.

"Is this really a technique he's never practiced before?"

The more he looked at the mirage baby, the more terrified he became.

All one could feel was that Li Yuan's movements were casual yet fluid, as if he were flowing through clouds and water. No matter how complex the combination of divine runes was, it was all condensed and completed in one go, so smoothly that it was unbelievable.

"Om~"

After a long while, Li Yuan finished combining the last strand of divine restriction. He spread his five fingers, and a shadow kept changing in his palm, changing at will.

"How much did you write down?"

"I've written them all down."

The mirage baby hurriedly answered.

“Condensing divine restrictions is not difficult. As long as you understand the characteristics of divine runes, you can use the characteristics of different divine runes to balance divine restrictions and stimulate the power of divine runes.”

Li Yuan explained it to her in detail again, but due to the fundamental law of the Mirage Dragon clan that cannot be passed on to outsiders, otherwise he would definitely have given this little female dragon a 'foolproof guide to sealing and binding'.

"Thank you."

The mirage baby was in high spirits, feeling that the cultivation technique was about to be completed.

"Don't be anxious, take your time."

Watching the little dragon leave the bamboo house, Li Yuan opened his palm, and the shadow that gathered various divine patterns surged out from his palm. People in the Yuanying Realm need to refine their flesh and blood to practice this technique because they were originally born from shadows, while cultivators from the outside world need to refine their own shadows.

This step is very difficult. If Li Yuan hadn't possessed the Military Scroll and seen that the Shadow Demon Ancient Scroll and the Yuan Ying Pure Yang Tree could be paired together, he wouldn't have learned this technique.

But with the support of the fifth level of Shadow Demon Divine Art, things are naturally different.

"call!"

Li Yuan cast aside the shadow and watched it fall into his own shadow.

"Stab~"

Like cold water poured into a hot oil pan, Li Yuan felt a slight stinging pain in his mind, as if something invisible was gnawing at his soul, causing him to frown.

There is only one way for cultivators from other realms to practice this technique: to create a half-finished Shadow Demon, let it devour their own shadow, and then reclaim control.

During this process, the cultivator cannot resist, otherwise the unfinished Shadow Demon will immediately shatter.

At this moment, Li Yuan frowned, still suppressing the instinctive counterattacks of the Dharma Robe, the Nine Smoke Garland, and the Kunpeng Spirit Image.

"Chichi~"

Under Li Yuan's gaze, his shadow twisted violently, as if two invisible beasts were frantically devouring each other.

At the same time, his vital energy, life force, and magical power were constantly being lost. Even the Kunpeng spirit form that he had suppressed in the divine realm let out a mournful cry, as if something was gnawing at it.

"too slow."

Li Yuan's pain tolerance was already at its maximum level. He only felt that the half-finished Shadow Demon's devouring speed was worrying, but he couldn't actively release it, for fear of bursting it.

He endured it and waited for a full half hour before his vision went black, and the already intense pain instantly intensified many times over.

It was as if his soul had been split in two!
"The Pure Yang Treasure Tree!"

Almost simultaneously, Li Yuan, who had been waiting for a long time, had a thought, and a precious tree, half bright and half dark, rose in his mind. With this precious tree, he suppressed the newly born Shadow Demon.

He wanted to create a second incarnation, but he didn't expect to actually damage his own soul.

"Om~"

Li Yuan's spirit returned to Niwan.

The divine realm was the same as before, and at first glance it seemed to have no change. But upon closer inspection, one could feel that the shadows in the divine realm had become much darker.

The shadows of trees, the hearth, the island, the spirit's shadow, the vast ocean...

It's as if there's a divine realm hidden in the shadows!
"Shh!"

Li Yuan looked at the Xuan Teng tree, whose shadow twisted and grew limbs and a trunk. As it slowly walked out, the light and shadow on its body changed, and countless sets of clothes were constantly changing, just like its ever-changing facial features.

In less than a moment, the light and shadow on the shadow stabilized, transforming into a black Taoist robe, and after countless changes, the facial features turned into a bronze ghost mask that Li Yuan was very familiar with!

At first glance, he looks exactly like Han Chuijun!

"This Shadow Demon Divine Art is indeed a second-level primordial spirit technique, and its grade is not low."

Li Yuan sensed the Shadow Demon Body he had cultivated and realized that the cultivators of the Yuan Shadow Realm had not fully explored the true potential of this demonic art!

This demonic skill is priced very low. This price was determined by Yuan Han. The reason is that this demonic skill can only reach the fifth level at most, and it is impossible to maintain it to advance to the sixth level.

Because the cultivators of the Yuanying Realm are beings born from the shadows, Yin cannot generate Yang.

However, as a second primordial spirit technique, it is different. As long as his main body cultivates the Dharma Heaven, the Shadow Demon born from him can naturally advance to the sixth realm.

"This body was born from my shadow. Even if it is destroyed, it can be reborn from my shadow. Moreover, if someone tries to kill it from afar, it can automatically resist the curse..."

"If I combine it with the Mystic Vine Tree, it's practically like having a second life!"

Li Yuan was quite satisfied. After thinking for a moment, he took out the Yuan Ying Pure Yang Tree and handed it to the Shadow Demon Body, who then walked towards the Xuan Teng Tree.

Before long, the shadow of the mystic vine twisted violently again, and after a long time, branches that were completely different from the mystic vine grew out of the shadow!

"Could this be considered that the Mystic Vine Tree has also cultivated a second incarnation?"

Li Yuan sensed that the Yuan Ying Pure Yang Tree had initially merged with the Xuan Teng Tree Shadow. As the latter continued to grow stronger, the former would inevitably continue to grow as well.

Of course, at present, the Xuan Teng Tree is far inferior to the Chun Yang Tree. After all, although the latter was severely damaged, it was nurtured by a fifth-realm cultivator through a lifetime of cultivation.

“The future is promising!”

Inside the bamboo building, Li Yuan summoned his Shadow Demon form.

Although the newly born Shadow Demon Body is only at the first level and has no magic power or spells, as his reflection, this Shadow Demon Body has enormous potential.

The second primordial spirit can cultivate spells and magical powers different from the original body!

"Whoo~"

Li Yuan raised his hand and released a stream of Azure Emperor's magic power. The Shadow Demon's body trembled, and then it was integrated into its body, which it could use without hindrance, just as if it had been created by itself.

"The Shadow Demon Body can absorb the Azure Emperor's magical power without damage, but once it's used up, it's gone. Unless it also cultivates the Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture, its magical power cannot be regenerated..."

Li Yuan wasn't surprised; almost all second primordial spirit techniques were like this, and the Shadow Demon Body was no exception.

"The Shadow Demon Body and the Yuan Ying Pure Yang Tree share the same roots and origins. Using it as a seed, there is no problem in cultivating the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture. Of course, the Shadow Demon Divine Art will progress even faster."

The Shadow Demon Divine Skill possesses all the characteristics of demonic martial arts: it is dangerous, brutal, and progresses extremely quickly.

Li Yuan tried to enter the space with his mind and felt as if he could control his own body, but all the spells were stored in his Niwan point and he could not activate them freely.

"Once the Shadow Demon Body is formed, we can try exploring places that were previously inconvenient to do so, such as the Hidden Corridor, or the Dream Entry Technique of the Dream Master..."

With his mind returning to his original state, Li Yuan was in an excellent mood:
"But before that, we must first ensure that the Shadow Demon has the ability to protect itself..."

He had planned for this long ago; the biggest advantage of refining demonic arts with his second primordial spirit was that progress was extremely fast.

"Breaking through realms is possible, and with the Demon Refining Technique, I might even advance faster than I did on my own!"

……

Gas extraction platform.

Water vapor and blue light intertwined like clouds and mist. Within the mist, twelve skeletal demons stood in formation, scanning their surroundings with great vigilance.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged, practicing his internal energy cultivation techniques, with a small gourd gently swaying on each of his left and right shoulders.

"Woo~"

In a fleeting moment, a barely perceptible ripple appeared in the void.

"cut!"

The two small gourds reacted extremely quickly, letting out a sharp shout and releasing gourd sword energy that crossed in the air like scissors, instantly splitting the attacking demon in two.

"call!"

Almost simultaneously, a shadowy figure pounced on the demon's body, and with a single strike, the demon's remains vanished.

"Is this already the second realm?"

Li Yuan raised his hand to catch the shadowy figure, his eyes brightening slightly. He immediately released a burst of Azure Emperor magic power into the shadowy figure.

"Shh!"

In the next instant, the shadow expanded, instantly covering the Qi-gathering platform, and twisted violently, sometimes transforming into various demons, and sometimes into various human figures.

The skeletal demon seemed oblivious, but the two small gourds were startled and fell, only to see their own reflections in the distorted images.

"call!"

A moment later, the shadow that had covered the entire mountain flowed back, disappearing into Li Yuan's body like ripples on water, and he had already advanced to the second realm!

"The Heavenly Demon Realm is indeed a treasure land for cultivation. In just a few days, the cultivation of this Shadow Demon Body will catch up with mine."

Li Yuan felt that his choice to cultivate the Shadow Demon Divine Art was absolutely the right one.

His progress in demonic arts was already rapid, and with ample supplies and the blessing of the Pure Yang Treasure Tree, the Shadow Demon Body didn't require him to worry about anything before reaching the sixth realm, and there were no bottlenecks to speak of.

What limits its advancement is actually its own level of understanding.

"The Second Primordial Spirit Technique still has its shortcomings. If it weren't limited by the inability to surpass the original body, would it be possible to push the Shadow Demon Body to the fifth realm in one go?"

Li Yuan was somewhat unsatisfied.

The second primordial spirit cannot surpass the original body. This is not a limitation of the Shadow Demon Body, but a limitation of all primordial spirit techniques.

The biggest disadvantage of the Shadow Demon Body is that it cannot develop intelligence, but this is not a disadvantage for it, and it does not even need to worry about the second primordial spirit surpassing its own level.

how...

"That's enough."

Li Yuan stretched out his hand, and a dark, heavy magical power surged from his fingertips:
"This magical power is of extremely low quality, the lowest of the low..."

This is the first strand of shadow magic power forged by the Shadow Demon Body. The divine runes within it are chaotic and disordered, making it an extremely low-grade magic power.

"But the Shadow Demon Body needs this kind of chaotic magic power. Isn't extreme chaos also a kind of order? The cultivator from the Yuanying Realm who created the Shadow Demon Divine Art is not to be underestimated..."

With a long breath, Li Yuan finished his cultivation practice for the day. With a thought, he entered the weapon control space.

We're getting ready to explore that secluded corridor that's been open for nearly twenty years.

……

After several expansions, a huge archway stands at the edge of the now quite spacious and empty gray stone platform.

[Secluded Corridor]

[Number of steps available: 1]

[Entry Rank: First Heaven]

"The first heaven is the outermost layer of the secluded realm."

Staring at the archway before him, Li Yuan felt deeply aware of his own caution. The surface realm of the Netherworld was not safe; it also contained five realms of perilous lands, which were extremely valuable but also extremely dangerous.

He had thoroughly searched the vast universe for information about exploring the Netherworld. Almost every day, there were explorers in the Netherworld and the Strange Land, including some cultivators of the fourth or fifth realm.

Even though it's so dangerous, cultivators still flock to explore these mysterious and dangerous places because the rewards are huge!
"The mysterious place contains all the magical treasures, Dao weapons, and spirit puppets that the cultivator possessed during his lifetime, but what is even more valuable is the 'seed of supernatural power' left behind by the cultivator."

Information about the dungeon surfaced in Li Yuan's mind.

A seed of supernatural power may not necessarily contain supernatural power, but it is much more valuable than a seed of divine runes, because the former will at least contain some spells and corresponding divine runes!
The orb of light he found in the Netherworld was the lowest grade of divine power seed, but after refining it, it instantly became a spell, and that was before he had even cultivated any magical power.

"Shadow Demon Body".

With a thought, a shadowy figure rose from beneath Li Yuan's feet and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a shadow demon clad in a black robe and wearing a ghost mask.

"The most suitable way to explore mysterious and strange places is through incarnation."

Li Yuan diverted his attention to the Shadow Demon body, picked up the prepared Fragrance Cauldron, and slowly walked into the dark corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly.

He himself sat on the platform, throwing out a stick while listening to the constant stream of sounds.

Is it this long?

Light and shadow appeared in Li Yuan's eyes. It was the perspective of the Shadow Demon. Under the light of the incense sticks, the long corridor seemed to have no end.

"what?"

Just as Li Yuan was about to speed up, a thought struck him, and he opened his eyes to find that it was the Common Knowledge Sphere that was vibrating.

Qi Yun calmed the disturbance in the Dharma Heaven and invited him to observe the Dharma Heaven together.

(End of this chapter)