Chapter 584: The Soul as the Spiritual Aspect—A Terrifying Cultivation Speed |
On my left and right shoulders, there were actually sixteen figures lying on them.
Saying 'figures' isn't quite right, because these things—or rather, for now, we can only call them human-like—have humanoid shapes, but they exist in a spirit form, floating in mid-air with only half a body.
Saying 'lying on the shoulders' isn't accurate either; more precisely, they were biting. They all had their mouths wide open, biting into my shoulders, and their cheeks were bulging as they chewed with great relish. The intoxicated expressions on their faces made it clear they were enjoying themselves immensely.
Combined with the playful words these spirits had just uttered, it was obvious that from the moment I arrived in this world, I had already been entangled by them. The weak bone form's previously muddled state of mind and the inexplicable bouts of violent emotions that had welled up in my heart were clearly all their handiwork.
"Eh? Hey, everyone, look! Is this kid looking at me?"
Xia Hong's thoughts raced, but in reality, only an instant had passed.
The spirit creature on his left shoulder met his gaze and, somewhat uncertain, voiced a question to the other spirit beings.
"I think you're looking for death!"
Not being able to see them before was one thing, but now, seeing these dozen or so spirits and understanding the reason for his earlier disorientation in the darkness, aside from a lingering fear, Xia Hong couldn't help but feel a towering rage surge within him.
As he roared in anger, coincidentally at that moment, the Soul-Illuminating Lamp before him finally lit up completely. Once lit, it directly transformed into two streams of spiritual light that shot into the pupils of the dark red bone form behind him.
The bone form's two eyes instantly blazed with intense light. Simultaneously, in the space three chi above Xia Hong's physical head, an oil lamp quietly lit up.
"'Using the body as a boat, the soul as a guide, gathering the spirit form in the eyes, igniting the underworld fire atop the head'—so that's what it meant!"
The moment Xia Hong realized this, he looked around again. The environment, which had been pitch-black and impossible to see, instantly transformed completely.
The heavens, the earth, and all things had quietly turned blue!
Not a bright, vibrant blue, but a very eerie, dark blue, almost identical to the color of the light emitted by the Soul-Illuminating Lamp above his head. Because the sky, earth, and everything around him were all this color, the lamplight above his head now became completely inconspicuous.
The moment he saw the spirits, Xia Hong realized that the Yang Side mirror in his left eye had already returned to normal. So, after his furious shout, his left eye immediately shot out a Shattering Divine Light, striking that spirit directly.
At the same time, the Soul-Calming Cauldron within his body also fully recovered. A wave of warmth, centered on his body, rapidly spread outwards, instantly raising the temperature within a five-kilometer radius significantly.
No, wait. At this moment, Xia Hong could no longer feel temperature.
What was raised should be described as brightness instead!
"Ahhh.........."
Struck by the Shattering Divine Light, the spirit immediately let out a miserable scream. Its already flickering and unstable form instantly disintegrated, then transformed into a tiny speck of light that flew into the dark red bone form behind Xia Hong.
.......
This was only the beginning. The Soul-Calming Cauldron also took effect. The other dozen or so spirits that had retreated and fled hadn't even flown a few meters before they suddenly burst into flames all over, emitting sharp, piercing screams. Like the first one, they turned into specks of light that were continuously absorbed by the bone form.
The bone form, absorbing these Ice Abyss light specks, was visibly recovering at a rapid pace. As the bone form recovered, Xia Hong, who had previously been somewhat muddle-headed, also quickly began to clear his mind. His train of thought suddenly became sharp and clear.
"'Spirit form,' or 'Revered Form,' refers to the soul body. The bone form should be the vessel for the soul. My earlier muddled mind, inexplicable emotional outbursts, and inability to calm down to think of a strategy were all because I was entangled by these dozen or so evil spirits..."
"Ah... ah, spare me, spare me, my lord!"
The dozen or so spirits screamed incessantly as they were burned by the great fire emitted from the Soul-Calming Cauldron. However, these soul bodies varied in strength. The weaker ones instantly turned into wisps of black smoke. Only two relatively stronger ones were still stubbornly holding on.
However, those two did not try to escape. Instead, they turned back towards Xia Hong's direction, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Xia Hong's eyes flickered. He first allowed the flames to burn one of them to ashes. Only when the last one was burned down to just its head did he will the Soul-Calming Cauldron to stop with a thought.
Xia Hong walked slowly over to the barely surviving spirit. He reached out his hand, trying to grab it, but his palm passed right through the spirit.
"Shattering Divine Light works. The Soul-Calming Cauldron works too. But these are all external means of direct extermination. How should I deal with them directly..."
Xia Hong lowered his head in thought. Looking at the bone form behind him, a guess slowly surfaced in his eyes. Then, with a surge of his aura, he unleashed his full strength.
"Only 65 Jun of strength. I've recovered about half, I guess!"
The bone form had been devoured for the most part by those dozen spirits earlier. Just now, exterminating those spirits only restored a portion.
Xia Hong frowned deeply. After unleashing his full strength, the bone form behind him also seemed to come alive. He reached out his hand again, grabbing towards the spirit that was now just a head.
As he made the motion, the dark red bone form behind him also stood up, reaching out to grab the spirit being.
"Indeed..."
The bone form directly grabbed that head in its hand!
"At the Sun Manifestation Level, I cannot activate the bone form independently. To use the bone form, I must unleash my full strength. So, even against such weak spirits, if I want to deal with them on my own, I must go all out. The key is, after I summon my bone form, the power I can exert seems to be less than it..."
Xia Hong's expression was somewhat complicated, because he could feel that the spirit being held by his bone form actually showed signs of breaking free.
Consider this: this spirit had already been burned once by the Soul-Calming Cauldron's great fire. Now, it was just a head. If just a head could break free, then in its previous peak state, wouldn't I, relying solely on my bone form, be unable to defeat it?
Xia Hong frowned deeply, gazing into the distance. After the Soul-Illuminating Lamp above his head lit up, his vision could see very far. The key was that the Dark Realm's base tone was blue. In this environment, the fluorescent light emitted by spirits was very conspicuous.
He could see spirit beings drifting about in all directions. Although most resembled the dozen or so spirits he had just exterminated, there were also quite a few medium and large-sized ones among them. Moreover, their forms varied—there were beasts, objects, vegetation, and even things like flowing water and gaseous forms, looking extremely bizarre.
Xia Hong lowered his head in thought for a moment, then finally fixed his gaze on the head being held by his bone form. He asked in a deep voice, "What region is this place? Who is the Jade Skull Madam you mentioned earlier, and where is she?"
The head struggled for a bit, then, realizing it couldn't break free from the grip of Xia Hong's bone form, seemed to resign itself to its fate. Upon hearing the question, it immediately spoke up, "The Dark Realm's Qishan Territory. This place is called the Misty Marsh Forest. To the west is the White Bone Mountain. Madam Jade is the master of White Bone Mountain."
Qishan!
Hearing this name, Xia Hong's expression stiffened abruptly, and his face immediately changed.
"The Yin Yang Mirror of the Dark Realm Qishan Demon Lord... it also descended into the Ice Abyss!"
"Qishan Demon Lord... the Yin Yang Mirror of the Qishan Demon Lord... how could you have this thing? How is that possible? Ah... ah..."
Xia Hong first heard the words 'Qishan' from Master Wusheng's mouth. The second time was during Great Xia Year Nine, when crossing the Bone-Erosion Path. He used Shattering Divine Light against the Black Wind General, and the other recognized it, mentioning it again.
Although it was just two mentions, Xia Hong's memory of them was exceptionally profound.
The power of the Yin Yang Mirror goes without saying. Since Great Xia Year One, when he and He Yuanhun divided the two mirrors, the Shattering Divine Light function alone had repeatedly helped him escape danger and defeat powerful enemies.
The origin of this mirror was too significant!
Almost any Abomination could recognize it. The White Dew Abomination, including subsequent Abominations encountered, could all recognize it at a glance. Its power was immense, its origins astonishing. From these two points alone, one could infer that its true master, the Qishan Demon Lord, must be an extremely terrifying existence.
In a place like the Dark Realm, to be called a 'Demon Lord'—could such a being be simple?
Ending up in the Dark Realm by accident was one thing.
But to have, by sheer coincidence, arrived directly in the Qishan Territory!
Xia Hong's expression turned grim. Then, as if thinking of something, he raised his head to gaze into the distance. His gaze finally settled on the eastern side, and his body trembled violently.
After just regaining his vision, he had only given a cursory glance around and hadn't examined things carefully. Now, looking closely, he discovered that in the sky to the east of his location, a shadow he had previously mistaken for a black cloud was actually a towering, majestic mountain rising from the ground.
The lower part of that great, majestic mountain emitted a large amount of fluorescent light. He had noticed it earlier but thought it was just because it was too far away, with many spirit beings gathered together, creating such a visual effect.
Now, with a sudden realization, he thought: if the fluorescence was this bright from such a distance, how vast would the area of fluorescence be up close?
A guess surfaced in Xia Hong's mind. He swallowed slightly and asked the head in his hand, "What is that white fluorescent light below the mountain body?"
The spirit head was momentarily stunned. Then, following the direction Xia Hong pointed, it saw the location clearly, and intense fear immediately rose in its pupils. It whispered, "Those are all the billions of spirit forms imprisoned by the Demon Lord. The Dark Realm has no physical entities. The Demon Lord captured these spirit forms to continuously elevate Qishan. The rumor is he wants to break through the top of the Dark Realm and descend into the Great Abyss."
Great Abyss?
Hearing this name, Xia Hong's brow furrowed slightly. He then looked up at the sky of the Dark Realm. It was similar to when he looked before; everything he saw was that dark blue, with no other colors visible.
But when he looked through the Soul-Illuminating Lamp above his head, he made a new discovery.
Behind the dark blue light, there was actually a faint, shimmering layer of frost-white!
No, not just a faint layer, but a vast, overwhelming expanse of frost-white. If not for the dark blue light blocking it, it would be a world completely covered in white frost.
"So, the Great Abyss is the Ice Abyss, just a different name. The Qishan Demon Lord has always wanted to descend into the Ice Abyrus. What does he want to do there?"
Xia Hong's heart skipped a beat. He continued asking, "How are the strength levels of you spirit beings divided? What level is the Jade Skull Madam you mentioned earlier? How far is White Bone Mountain from here?"
The earlier conversation of these spirits had already revealed a lot of information. Li Baobao, along with Xiahou Yong and Jiang Yiqing, had all gone towards White Bone Mountain. He could disregard Li Baobao's life or death, but not Xiahou Yong and Jiang Yiqing.
Those two only had Warmth Realm cultivation. Forget a spirit form, they hadn't even condensed a bone form yet. He didn't know how they had managed to survive.
"In the Dark Realm, the lowest level, like me—unformed spirits—are usually called Scattered Spirits. If a spirit body takes form, it's called a Demon Spirit. If one can completely solidify the spirit body, capable of wielding underworld weapons and wearing underworld armor, then they are a Demon Soldier. Above that are Demon Generals who have gathered a physical body. The realms beyond that, I only know they are called Demon Kings. The specific details, this humble one does not know."
Although the introduction was rough, after listening, Xia Hong's expression still became grave.
He was at the Sun Manifestation Level, with an over-eight-zhang Golden Body bone form, yet he couldn't even properly control a Scattered Spirit in its peak state. Then, for the subsequent Demon Spirits, Demon Soldiers, and even Demon Generals and Demon Kings... if he didn't have the Soul-Calming Cauldron and the Yang Side mirror, he could only wait for death.
"The White Bone Forest is to the west, about seventy kilometers from here. Madam Jade is the master of White Bone Forest. Under her are seven great Demon Generals, three thousand Demon Soldiers, and tens of thousands of Demon Spirits. Although her own strength is only at the early Demon King stage, she has the Blood Pool Patriarch as a powerful backer. None of the surrounding Demon Kings dare to provoke her; they usually avoid her."
"Who is the Blood Pool Patriarch?"
"Under the Qishan Demon Lord, there are seventy-two Ancient Demons. The Blood Pool Patriarch is one of them, ranked thirty-eighth. His strength is extremely terrifying, and he is deeply trusted by the Demon Lord. He has already been dispatched to the Great Abyss."
"What are Ancient Demons?"
"This... this humble one also only heard it from other Scattered Spirits..."
Xia Hong looked at the head in his bone form's hand, his eyes flickering.
"My lord, spare me! This humble one is very familiar with the Misty Marsh Forest area. I know all the dangerous zones around here. I can guide you..."
*Crack!*
Before the Scattered Spirit could finish speaking, Xia Hong's bone form quietly exerted force, directly crushing its head. Like the previous Scattered Spirits, its head shattered and transformed into a stream of spiritual light, which was directly absorbed by the bone form.
"There are so many Scattered Spirits. Am I lacking you as a guide? Besides, the key right now isn't going to White Bone Forest, but first recovering my strength. With my current meager strength, I probably can't even make it seventy kilometers!"
Not knowing before was one thing, but now that he knew he was currently within the Qishan Territory, how could Xia Hong dare to use the Yin Yang Mirror recklessly?
Forget the Yin Yang Mirror; he didn't even dare to use the Soul-Calming Cauldron carelessly.
The Qishan Demon King!
If he attracted such a terrifying existence, it would all be over.
"The bone form is the vessel for the soul form. The physical body is useless here. So, to increase strength, I can only continue to enhance the bone form. This forces me to stay put and cultivate. I've used the Yin Yang Mirror and the Soul-Calming Cauldron once each. It's unlikely to attract major enemies, but I must still use them cautiously. Moreover, I don't know the upper limits of these two methods. What if I encounter something too strong and they don't work? That would be disastrous..."
In the end, it still comes down to increasing strength.
Earlier, during the Scattered Spirits' conversation, they revealed that Tribulation Qi could restrain spirit lifeforms. So, having Tribulation Body Realm cultivation would provide a certain degree of self-preservation ability.
"I do have all the Tribulation Qi Beads with me, and my cultivation pills are fairly sufficient. But to break through to the Tribulation Body Realm in such a short time..."
Impossible!
Xia Hong shook his head, dismissing the thought of a breakthrough.
But cultivation must still continue. Any improvement is better than none, especially for the sake of survival. The dangers on the way to White Bone Mountain aside, how to rescue Xiahou Yong and Jiang Yiqing once there is an even bigger problem. Without strength, it definitely won't work.
Having made up his mind, he no longer wandered aimlessly. He found a relatively concealed spot, made some additional cover, then directly sat cross-legged, took out the pills he carried, and began cultivating.
However, as soon as he started cultivating, he immediately noticed something unusual.
As he swallowed the Molting Bone Pill and the medicinal potency spread, the light specks that had just been absorbed by his bone form also diffused along with the medicinal power.
Simultaneously, the dark red bone form behind him, which hadn't fully recovered and was relatively incomplete, began to visibly restore itself.
In less than ten minutes, his bone form had completely recovered, returning to its original height of eight zhang and five chi. The previously broken and damaged meridians had long been restored.
As he continued cultivating, after another twenty minutes or so, his bone form actually began to visibly grow and enlarge.
"Eight zhang, six chi. I... I'm not seeing things, right? Half an hour, and it grew to eight zhang, six chi. This..."
Xia Hong's face was full of astonishment. He checked and rechecked the growth of his bone form, confirming it had truly grown to eight zhang, six chi. Instantly, intense joy surged in his pupils.
"The Dark Realm can enhance my cultivation efficiency... No, no, it should be that it can rapidly enhance my bone form. And it's related to those light specks just now—the spirits absorbed by the bone form!"
Xia Hong temporarily suppressed the wild joy in his heart. He lowered his head in deep thought for a long time, until a sentence suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"'Void Fire... how do you have Taixu Karmic Fire... spare me, spare me, Transcendent Being, spare me! I know how to enter the Dark Realm. With Taixu Karmic Fire, a Transcendent Being can refine souls infinitely within the Dark Realm, achieving the Supreme Revered Form. Spare me...'"
This was what the Six-Armed Cyan-Faced Evil Abomination hidden within Yang Zun's bone form said when begging for mercy during its extermination.
"'The bone form should be the primary form of the Revered Form. 'Infinite soul refinement' probably means this..."
A flash of speculation passed through Xia Hong's eyes. He temporarily suppressed the confusion in his heart and continued to immerse himself in the pleasure of rapid improvement.
That Six-Armed Cyan-Faced Evil Abomination—he hadn't directly exterminated it back then. Its true body sculpture was currently in his Yellow Mustard Bag.
"That Six-Armed Cyan-Faced Evil Abomination probably knows a lot. I'll cultivate first, then summon it later to get some answers!"
Twenty minutes, and the Golden Body grew by 0.1 zhang. Experiencing such terrifying cultivation speed for the first time, Xia Hong naturally found it sweet and satisfying. He wished he could go catch more spirits and cultivate until the heavens went dark and the earth turned upside down.