Chapter 87: Heaven-Demon Yama Devouring-Origin Outer Pill Art

On Qingfeng Mountain, countless Captains stood guard.

A few demon hunters in plain clothes inspected the Qingfeng Sect disciples before them, one by one.

Among them was the one who had earlier clung to Hong Lei's thigh begging for help; his face now showed lingering fear, and as he underwent the inspection, there was not the slightest trace of resistance.

The moment they were forced to raise their swords against the Captains was tantamount to actively attacking a man of the imperial court; being able to keep their lives was already cause for celebration.

Though joining Zhen Mo Si had come somewhat suddenly, and from then on they would have to await orders, becoming hounds of the imperial court, no longer free and at ease as they had been on Qingfeng Mountain, when he thought of that ancestral sword, and of Elder Rage Sword's resentment before his death, that so-called "freedom and ease" no longer seemed so important.

Even the two white-haired Core Formation elders had changed into ink-black robes, standing silently behind Old Man Chen Qiankun.

Other Zhen Mo Si personnel carried crates out from the various side halls, filled with martial arts manuals and pill recipes and precious medicines, transporting them down the mountain in orderly fashion.

At the great mountain gate, a falling leaf drifted past, lending an inexplicable air of desolation.

Led by Hong Lei, Shen Yi returned to the Sword-Watching Gorge where they had previously made camp.

"Brother Shen, get a good night's rest. Tomorrow we return to Outside Qingzhou. Apply this medicine to your wounds, don't skip the flesh beneath either, and you'll be healed within three days at most. The pills of Qingfeng Mountain—there's no harm in using them, no need to be stingy."

"Many thanks, Brother Hong."

Under the other's generous instruction, he had gained much.

Shen Yi cupped his hands, took the medicine bottle, and stepped into the tent.

Some twenty-odd Golden Eagle Captains glanced sideways slightly, then rose in silence, standing ramrod-straight around him to keep watch through the night.

Seeing this, Hong Lei sighed and shook his head. This was the first time he had heard that address "Brother Hong," and probably the last; once they returned to Outside Qingzhou, even he himself would have to address the other as "Lord Shen."

The night was deep and still; in the ravaged forest only the rustle of wind remained.

Shen Yi sat upright inside the tent, his face lit by the flickering candlelight.

He shed his outer robe, revealing a sturdy upper body, and a Qi suffused with golden light surged over those terrifying wounds.

Taking out the pitch-black salve from the bottle, Shen Yi's brow furrowed slightly; he reached out and smeared it on his wounds, then twitched at the corner of his eye... It wasn't that he was unafraid of pain, only that he was unaccustomed to showing it before others; after all, a beast that licks its wounds is the easiest target for a hunter.

The old flood dragon was dead, but the Yangchun Jiang Jiao clan remained.

Perhaps there were other demons and monsters who bore him a grudge as well.

Even if there were nothing, being cautious was never wrong; with over three hundred years of lifespan, if he were to die carelessly, that would be far too great a pity.

"Besides the Core Formation method, I must learn a few more body-tempering martial arts."

Shen Yi gathered his thoughts. To say he was unhappy about the promotion would certainly be a lie, but to truly stay by that general's side for three years—he was somewhat unwilling.

The other was so formidable; any demon or monster daring enough to provoke such an expert would likely be difficult for him to handle. He couldn't just keep relying on luck to snatch kills.

Moreover, the Qingfeng Sect Master had led over a thousand disciples and elders, fully confident they could trap this great general of Zhen Mo Si.

Yet simply because the other had broken through a small realm, he had been cut down so easily.

Shen Yi grew ever more curious about that realm a mere half-step away. Three years was really too long; if his luck were bad, he might have to wait another five or ten years...

Not to mention, with such abundant demon lifespan in hand, it was time to try that so-called Demon Treasure Crystal.

Thinking of this, he summoned the panel.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 3,264 years. Can be condensed.】

【Demon Treasure Crystal: An object that gathers the remnant grudges and memories of a demon in life. When infused into a martial art, it can use the demon's memories to perform deductions; consuming it has the effect of prolonging life.】

A thousand years to condense just one—better not let himself down.

Even if he couldn't deduce a Core Formation method, he still had to show solid, tangible progress.

His divine sense stirred slightly, and in a single breath a thousand years were spent; he clenched his fists with a slight pang of heartache... This Qingfeng Mountain medicine wasn't much good either—not even the slightest pain-relieving effect.

【Remaining Demon Treasure Crystal quantity: One】

After a slight hesitation, Shen Yi still infused it into the Wind-Thunder Molten Sun Canon.

As things stood, whether it was the imperial court or the noble clans and sects, the most tightly controlled thing was still that Core Formation method—this was something nearly impossible to obtain in a short time.

Though Shen Yi kept Hong Lei's words in mind, he didn't pay them too much heed.

Catch the sects slipping up? If it were that easy to catch, there would be no "Sixingliu Sect" in Outside Qingzhou today.

Even though the Qingfeng Sect Master colluding with demons was a nailed-down fact, such an action would inevitably draw covert counterattacks from the other powers.

The great general of Zhen Mo Si could withstand it; he might not be able to.

【Year One. You consumed the Demon Treasure Crystal, and while communicating with new acupoints, you began to study whether this method had any possibility of continuation.】

【Lifespan extended by twenty years.】

【Year Two. Clearly, you had no clue, but at this moment, the fox demon's remnant will described to you the legends of an Outer Pill from Qingqiu, and you gained a slight understanding.】

【Year Five. You finally understood that so-called Outer Pill method, but because the fox demon was young and did not know its true solution, you were unable to deduce the specific means.】

【Year Thirty. The flood dragon demon's remnant will became slightly clearer, gradually recalling that the aquatic race possessed a sinister technique that fit rather well with this Outer Pill method, and imparted it to you.】

【You successfully communicated one acupoint.】

【Year Ninety-Three. With the help of the demon remnant wills, you attempted to combine it with the Wind-Thunder Molten Sun Canon.】

【You communicated another acupoint.】

【Year Two Hundred and Eight. The flood dragon demon's remnant will helped you complete the final step; you named it the Heaven-Demon Yama Devouring-Origin Outer Pill Art.】

【Core Formation. Heaven-Demon Yama Devouring-Origin Outer Pill Art (Not Yet Initiated)】

【The Molten Sun Furnace formed by two hundred and seventy-five acupoints grew ever more flawless.】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 2,056 years.】

【Remaining Lifespan: 316 years.】

A string of gains swiftly appeared before his eyes.

With a crack, the medicine bottle in Shen Yi's palm was unconsciously crushed.

His pupils contracted slightly, his breath inexplicably burning, his mouth dry and parched; only after a long while did he suppress the shock in his heart.

Even though he had already known roughly what it could do in advance, the marvel of the demon-monster treasure crystal still defied comprehension—it could actually let the lingering grievances of those demon-beasts he had slain temporarily awaken, and turn around to enlighten him and transmit their methods.

Originally, deducing a single martial art technique—wasn't it supposed to take hundreds or even thousands of years?

However… Shen Yi came back to himself. Why did this Core Condensation Method sound so strange when he heard its name?

The next instant, a vast flood of information crashed into his mind, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut; it took a good while before he managed to digest it all.

When he opened his eyes again, an unusual glint surfaced in Shen Yi's pitch-black pupils.

With the help of those demon-monster remnants, what had been deduced was not any Core Condensation Method—strictly speaking, it was yet another unorthodox shortcut, a forced breakthrough to the Jade Liquid Realm!

They rarely cultivated any martial arts, relying more on the demon race's innate gifts and unorthodox methods. Combining these things with the Wind Thunder Molten Sun Canon, the result naturally could not be anything proper.

The earlier parts were pretty much as he had guessed—through some mysterious means, the jade dew throughout the body was condensed into a core.

The later parts, however, were completely different.

The outer core was not connected to his own acupoints and meridians; it hung suspended above the qi sea, suppressed by the Molten Sun Treasure Furnace!

Moreover, since it was separated from the acupoints and meridians, naturally it could not draw qi from heaven and earth either.

This outer core relied solely on devouring demon-monster beast-element inner cores, forcefully gathering all that ferocious demonic power within itself for his own use.

Once it was used up, if he wanted to replenish it, he could only continue plundering. The beast elements required were endless—one could not imagine how much slaughter it would take. It truly lived up to the name Heavenly Demon Yama.

He had to admit—

Shen Yi somehow felt it suited him rather well… Slaying demons to seize their lifespans, devouring their essence to take their cultivation—simply gnawing them clean, not wasting a single bit.

He slowly took out the Tuolong inner core and the Jiao core.

If he had understood correctly, then as long as he swallowed the Jiao core, his entire realm and cultivation would instantly become equivalent to that of a Core Condensation Jiao demon, until his foundation was completely spent?

Thinking of this, Shen Yi too felt his heart pound faster.

It wasn't that he feared any demon-monster tricks—when the blood fiend first entered his body, he didn't even have the Molten Sun Treasure Furnace to suppress it. Look at him now; the Heavenly Gang Blood Fiend was almost muscle memory.

So what if it was a bit unorthodox—as long as it worked, that was fine.

Shen Yi just felt there was something he couldn't quite grasp.

If one Jiao core, once swallowed, could be fully absorbed, then what if he could hold two… relying on a single Heavenly Demon Yama outer core, crushing the Core Condensation Realm in sheer density of qi?

Using this method to break through to the Outer Core Realm.

Even that one flaw seemed like some kind of joke.

The Heavenly Demon Yama outer core needed to devour beast elements to replenish itself. Did Core Condensation Realm martial artists rely solely on the stingy, measly heaven and earth? They too had to rely on treasure pills refined from beast elements—and with an extra step to boot.

(End of this chapter)