Chapter 558: Simulated Cultivation Method (II)
A yao hundreds of meters long burst out from the depths of the demon cave with a thunderous roar. It had emerged from a nearby space-time node. As the node stabilized, more and more powerful yaos began crossing through it into the mortal world.
A streak of azure sword light cut through the darkness, slashing straight toward a yao's head. The stabilization of the space-time node had brought a vast number of yaos, but it had also drawn in a great many cultivators seeking opportunity. They flooded into the demon cave, competing for this rare chance. It was both a danger and an opportunity.
"Damn it, wasn't that guy supposed to come here? Where is he?" Woo Yixuan muttered from the shadows, his expression turning ugly as he watched Han Ge and his group charge into the node's rift.
He was not the only one. Ning Shu, also hidden in the shadows, was equally puzzled. According to the information he had received, Xiao Yu had indeed left Yanwu City and come to the demon cave.
Ning Shu frowned slightly, speculation flickering in his mind, Could something have gone wrong?
The path of cultivation was fraught with danger. No matter how powerful one's background or how monstrous their talent, countless cultivators perished before they could truly grow. Elsewhere, Fan Hongwei, hidden in the shadows outside the space-time node, waited for Lin Zheyu to emerge from the fissure. His expression was equally grim.
"It's been over twenty days... Entering the demon realm alone, no matter how prepared or how talented, it's hard to last this long. That kid... could he have died in there?"
Fan Hongwei's face darkened as his hands formed seals in rapid succession. Marks woven from spirit power gathered in his palms, assembling into a complex and mysterious rune.
After a moment, Fan Hongwei examined the result of his divination and let out a slight sigh of relief. He and Lin Zheyu were separated by worlds, and a node's rift connected them, so precisely tracking Lin Zheyu's location remained difficult. However, sensing whether he was alive or dead was not a problem.
Still alive. He may have run into trouble and gotten trapped somewhere, Fan Hongwei speculated inwardly. A trace of urgency rose in his heart. If he lost Lin Zheyu, finding another cultivator this suitable would not be easy.
Time passed slowly. Three days later.
A gloomy-looking middle-aged man stepped out from the darkness and respectfully bowed to Fan Hongwei.
"Greetings, Senior."
"I have a task for you. Enter the demon realm through this node's rift and follow this guide to bring that martial artist back." Fan Hongwei flicked his hand, and a special compass fell into the man's grasp.
This compass had been specially refined by Fan Hongwei over the past few days, designed to track the mark on Lin Zheyu.
"Understood." The man accepted the compass and vanished from the spot.
Holding the compass, the gloomy man curled his lips slightly, a hint of intrigue appearing on his face. "A mere martial artist, yet this senior is willing to pay such a high price to hire me. Interesting."
The man's name was Zhu Tong'en, a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. Though he was somewhat advanced in age and his latent potential had been exhausted, leaving him with no hope of reaching the Golden Core realm, he remained highly sought after among many factions.
Zhu Tong'en's strength was formidable. Among cultivators below the Golden Core realm, he stood near the top. Though his potential was exhausted, his long years at the Foundation Establishment realm had pushed his power to its limits. When going all out, he could even unleash strength comparable to that of a Golden Core realm cultivator.
Among the major factions, there were very few Foundation Establishment realm disciples who surpassed him. Cultivators like Zhu Tong'en were rare, and in this era, all of them were highly valued.
During the collision and merging of the two worlds, the opportunities involving rule fragments were restricted to cultivators below the Golden Core realm. Major factions would spend heavily to recruit Foundation Establishment realm cultivators like Zhu Tong'en, either as protectors or as companions to venture into the demon realm beyond the node to compete for these opportunities. Zhu Tong'en had originally agreed to work with another faction, but was unexpectedly pulled away by Fan Hongwei through various connections and a hefty price.
"Interesting, very interesting. Martial artists below the Shackles realm are all crude brutes. What is so special about this one that Senior Fan Hongwei is willing to pay such a price?" Zhu Tong'en mused with interest.
After passing the Demon-Suppressing Army's inspection, he leapt into the space-time node without hesitation. Zhu Tong'en was a frequent visitor to the demon realm. Before the nodes had fully stabilized, most of them could only support cultivators below the Golden Core realm. Zhu Tong'en often took on missions that required traveling into the demon realm.
Upon entering the endless dark void, Zhu Tong'en frowned slightly. The violent rules and energy here made him deeply uncomfortable, and every time he came, he left as quickly as possible. Other cultivators were the same. For those below the Golden Core realm, every extra second spent here required a massive expenditure of energy just to withstand the chaotic forces.
Even with Lin Zheyu's powerful physique and defense, when he first entered this place, he would not have dared linger if not for the energy lake here. Later, after cultivating two divine repository techniques and strengthening his physique further, the violent power of rules and energy here posed less and less of a threat to him. As long as he did not enter the turbulent energy lake, he could remain here for half a day without any real strain, waiting for the yaos outside to disperse.
Within the dark void, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes. He glanced at Zhu Tong'en, who sped past in the distance, then closed them again. This was not the first time he had encountered cultivators entering the demon realm. Most of them would pass through quickly and never linger. The chaotic rules and energy in this dark void severely suppressed a cultivator's spiritual sense. Hidden within the darkness, Lin Zheyu had yet to be discovered by anyone.
"Poor guy. The moment he steps out, he'll get beaten down by a pack of yaos," Lin Zheyu muttered before ignoring him.
His mind continued to revolve around the rules tied to demonic patterns. Ideas and hypotheses flashed through his thoughts one after another. Lin Zheyu constantly simulated different combinations, exploring how demonic patterns could integrate with formations, totems, and martial cultivation.
The data within his consciousness allowed him to easily judge the feasibility of a technique. As long as there was even a sliver of possibility, no matter how difficult the cultivation might be, any technique he conceived would appear within that internal data.
"Simulation 387 passed feasibility. Beginning to add constraint conditions..." Lin Zheyu murmured as he examined the data in his mind.
He had verified more than three hundred hypotheses and simulated hundreds of cultivation methods, yet fewer than five were viable. Even so, viability only meant they could be practiced; their actual effects remained unknown, and Lin Zheyu did not dare attempt them. After confirming a technique could be cultivated, he still needed to impose further constraints on its outcomes.
For instance, he might require the fleshy growths on the golden body totem to vanish and transform into elegant scales, or ensure that cultivation would not damage the existing golden rune structure. These and other constraints had to be added. Of the five viable methods, all but the one currently under evaluation had already been eliminated in subsequent testing.
After a few breaths, a trace of disappointment flashed through Lin Zheyu's eyes. Another failure. His current accumulation was still insufficient to create a perfect cultivation method for the third stage of the Primordial Golden Body.
"Heh..." A curious smile suddenly appeared on his otherwise disappointed face.
He looked toward the node's rift leading to the demon realm. The gloomy man who had just passed through it came rushing back in a miserable state, cursing as he fled. It was quite an amusing sight. When one was in a bad mood, watching someone else's misfortune could be strangely uplifting.
"Damn it, there are so many yaos over there," Zhu Tong'en cursed.
He clutched the compass Fan Hongwei had given him in his right hand, looking rather disheveled. He had already been cautious, yet the moment he stepped out of the fissure, he was met with a barrage of attacks. His luck was truly abysmal.
Looks like I'll have to stay here a while longer this time, Lin Zheyu thought as he watched the man's miserable state.
Several times now, he had reverted to his human form in the demon realm, revealing his human aura before quickly retreating into this dark void. Repeating this again and again seemed to have angered the yaos near the rift. Each time he went out, he noticed they lingered longer than before.
Fortunately, his physique had already reached a level comparable to the Golden Core realm. Staying here longer did not cost him much. If the yaos refused to leave, he could simply remain here and recover at his own pace.
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