Chapter 366: Chapter 365: Heartless Demon Desire (5th update, ask for monthly tickets!)
Whoosh!
In the serene cave, as Shi Xiaole gently exhaled, the fragments of rock and clods of earth on the ground abruptly lifted three feet off the ground, hovering mid-air.
His breath was slow and rhythmic, the miscellaneous things in mid-air floated and sank accordingly.
At some moment.
Shi Xiaole suddenly opened his eyes, and his tongue burst forth like spring thunder, exclaiming loudly.
Boom!
The items floating in mid-air abruptly shattered in the open air. An invisible force spread out, pushing out countless droplets of water that were about to spill into the cave.
The aura on Shi Xiaole started to increase rapidly.
Spiritual-Passage Realm Fourth Tier, late stage.
Spiritual-Passage Realm Fourth Tier, peak.
Spiritual-Passage Realm Fifth Tier, early stage.
...
In just half a two-hour period, Shi Xiaole’s cultivation soared, advancing straight from the late stage of the Fourth Tier of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, to the peak of the Seventh Tier of the Spiritual-Passage Realm!
Within his meridians, the robust and vigorous Internal Power was like a torrential river and sea, capable of coursing through dozens of meridian cycles in a blink of an eye, an overwhelming force, comparable to the surge of thousands of troops and horses, providing Shi Xiaole with an ’expanding feeling’ that could contend with heaven and earth.
"The Faceless Divine Skill, indeed lives up to its reputation."
Even with Shi Xiaole’s calm and indifferent disposition, he couldn’t help but burst into hearty laughter at this moment.
Mr. Dongguo once said that with the right conditioning between the pre- and postnatal phases, even without the Innate Wuji Skill, it is possible to cultivate the Faceless Divine Skill in at most seven days. And, if one possesses the Innate Wuji Skill, it can be achieved in five days.
The ’achievement’ here most likely does not imply perfection, but great accomplishment.
The conditions of Shi Xiaole himself do not entirely accord with the Faceless Divine Skill, but given his comprehension surpassed ordinary individuals by ten times and his concentration was also extraordinary, he used up twenty-seven days to cultivate this unrivaled and domineering ultimate Inner Power Skill to the state of great accomplishment.
From Brahma-I Unity to the Faceless Divine Skill, the strength of Shi Xiaole’s Internal Power has increased by at least one-fold.
The rank of the Faceless Divine Skill is too high, to the extent that approximately seventy-five percent of Shi Xiaole’s Internal Power has transformed into the Inborn Gang Qi, promoting his cultivation tier to the peak of the Seventh Tier of the Spiritual-Passage Realm naturally and spontaneously.
Before cultivating the Faceless Divine Skill, Shi Xiaole’s Internal Power was his biggest weakness. But now, his greatest weakness has turned into his greatest strength.
In the Eight States Martial Arts World, first-rate martial arts, considered legendary, are by no means insignificant, especially since the Faceless Divine Skill is the top tier among the lower ranks of first-rate martial arts.
Now, with the strength of Shi Xiaole’s Internal Power, he can easily crush most of the warriors at the peak of the Ninth Tier of the Spiritual-Passage Realm who practice an upper-second-rate Inner Power Skill.
Taking into account other aspects it’s hard for Shi Xiaole to estimate the extent of his own strength. The only certainty is that the likes of the ’Fiery Fire Fist’ Xiu Qing at the limit of the Spiritual-Passage Realm can’t withstand one of his slashes.
In a flash, less than a third of a blink of an eye, Shi Xiaole arrived at a pond a hundred meters away and, looking at the hundred-foot waterfall cascading straight down in front of him, he thrust his left palm out.
A horrifying scene occurred.
Starting from the middle of the hundred-foot waterfall, a palm print appeared, continuously expanding, eventually cutting the waterfall in half. Shi Xiaole flicked with his right hand.
From the bottom, the lower half of the waterfall stretching over fifty feet, rolled up against the flow, clashed against the upper half of the waterfall. With a pop, a mist spread, enveloping a hundred-meter radius into a world of mist in an instant.
Within the mist, the figure dressed in green fluttered like an immortal, clothes untouched by water.
"This..."
At a distance, some young people passing by happened to witness this nearly magical scene, their mouths wide open, their jaws almost dropping.
"Eh, where did that person just go?"
A young man looked around, his face filled with bewilderment.
After the mist dispersed, the hundred-foot waterfall, as before, surged back into the pool, but the person by the pool, was already nowhere to be found.
"Was he a mortal or an immortal?"
Several young people looked at each other in dismay, all stunned on the spot.
...
Great Cold State, the secluded residence of the Lan and Huang union.
Lan Tian and Huang Rong stood outside the house, staring at the distant Mountain Cang, their brows furrowed, their eyes filled with anxiety they couldn’t hide.
It had been six months since the Holy Young Master had entered the next checkpoint and disappeared for quite half a year. According to the news from the high-ranking members of Lan and Huang households who maintained vigilance outside the blood pool, there were no signs of the Holy Young Master emerging yet.
But another half-month and the Mountain Cang grand meeting would take place, by then, if the Holy Young Master still doesn’t show up, it would be a big joke.
"Prime Minister, do you think the Holy Young Master might have run into...trouble?"
Huang Rong looked at Lan Tian and said in an uncertain tone.
"In my opinion, the Holy Young Master’s face indicates a life of great fortune and prosperity. Although he frequently encounters disasters, he can always turn misfortune into good fortune. He should be fine."
Lan Tian said, but his fist was clenched tightly under his sleeve.
The so-called facial features after all are just the words of metaphysics, it exists if believed, it doesn’t if not. Frankly, without seeing the Holy Young Master in person, Lan Tian was somewhat worried as well.
After all, no one knows what secret the Black Devil Divine Monarch left behind, whether it’s an opportunity or a trap...
Considering this, Lan Tian secretly regretted his actions. Had he known this would happen, he would not have taken the risks.
A hurried rush of footsteps sounded.
It was the two heads of their houses, Lan Ye and Huang Huan.
"Father, something has happened to the Demon Sky Sect."
The one speaking was Lan Ye.
"What?"
The hearts of Lan Tian and Huang Rong skipped a beat at the same time. The expressions on both sons’ faces were far from pleasant.
"That Demon Marquis, he has emerged from his retreat. It’s said that he has achieved the highest possible level, Heartless Demon Desire, hidden in the Demon Desire Divine Skill."
"What, Heartless Demon Desire?"
The atmosphere suddenly fell to a freezing point, as if the air itself had become solidified, and their expressions turned exceedingly grim.
In the past, the Divine Strategy Elder took on two disciples, one became the patriarch of the Demon Marquis, and one was the Black Devil Divine Monarch.
Just like the Devouring Demon Skill that the Black Devil Divine Monarch cultivated, the Demon Desire Divine Skill that the Demon Marquis’ patriarch cultivated was not eighteenfold, but rather, nineteenfold.
Legend has it, if one can accomplish the nineteenth fold - Heartless Demon Desire, one’s body could then transition at will into the dread-filled realm of ’heartless selflessness, unity with the universe’. The cultivator’s power would then soar unprecedentedly, far surpassing their past capabilities.
The original Demon Marquis had achieved the Spiritual-Passage Realm and its ninth peak. The preceding eighteen layers of the Demon Desire Divine Skill were already perfected, he comprehended the profound meanings and full power behind it, and is a top-notch Spiritual-Passage Realm pinnacle cultivator.
Ordinary Spiritual-Passage Realm pinnacle cultivators are not an opponent for him in a few moves.
Having now accomplished Heartless Demon Desire, just how formidable has his strength become?
After a moment of silence, Lan Tian was the one to break it and said: "Go call Tianci."
Not long after, Huang Tianci, known as Love Demon, strode over briskly. Likely due to the use of Life-linked Venomous Insects, half of his hair had turned white, wrinkles covered his face, and he looked even older than his father, Huang Huan.
Suppressing his anguish, Lan Tian said: "Tianci, it’s highly likely that the Demon Marquis has cultivated Heartless Demon Desire. Our chances of winning the upcoming challenge in Mountain Cang have dropped by at least thirty percent."
For the upcoming event in Mountain Cang, both the Demon Sky Sect and the houses of Lan and Huang had made considerable preparations.
For instance, Demon Sky Sect had brought together six publicly supportive veteran Demon Path cultivators to rally for them. Those six, all ranked high among experts on the list of Demonic Path cultivators decades ago. They sequestered and focused on their cultivation for many years, and their strengths were unfathomably formidable.
The Lan and Huang houses had rallied behind the Holy Young Master half a year ago, not only attracting many demonic faction forces but also receiving the support of seven veteran demonic faction cultivators.
While the reputation of the Black Devil Divine Monarch was still strong, and those seven veteran demonic faction cultivators also had more or less some connection with the Monarch.
Initially, the houses of Lan and Huang planned to secure an advantage in the upper level contest first, hoping that as long as the Holy Young Master lives up to expectations, with his talent and status, he could possibly replace the Demon Marquis.
However, all of these premises were reliant on the fact that the Demon Marquis could not step too much out of the line.
Know that Heartless Demon Desire is comparable to the nineteenth fold of the Devouring Demon Skill which is akin to devouring the heaven and earth. The Black Devil Divine Monarch back then, due to a lack of time, did not manage to cultivate to this step.
This indicates that the current performance of the Demon Marquis can be compared to the Divine Monarch of the same age. Considering his leadership ability as well, it’s highly likely that the moment the news breaks out, most of the neutral demonic forces including veteran demonic cultivators will sway in his favor.
Indeed, the Holy Young Master has good talent, but his age is too tender. When compared, he is likely to be completely overshadowed by the Demon Marquis!
Love Demon lowered his head, saying: "The Demon Marquis always keeps his cards close to his chest. It’s said that I am the person who understands him the best, yet the truth is, I have never truly understood him. However, things aren’t as bleak as we imagine."
"Oh, how so?"
All four of them knew that Love Demon was a man of his words, they couldn’t help but fix their eyes on him.
"Haven’t you all noticed? Our Holy Young Master is equally unfathomable as the Marquis. These few days, I’ve been listening to others describing his actions and behavior here, which made me more convinced of my speculation."
Huang Huan said: "Your words aren’t based on anything grounded. The upcoming event in Mountain Cang is of great importance, and it’s very likely that the Demon Marquis will wield the divine blade of the Monarch. By then, we won’t have any reasons to prevent him from unifying the Great Cold Demon Path."
Currently, the Lan and Huang houses are generally concerned about two problems.
The first is that Holy Young Master may not arrive before the event in Mountain Cang.
The second is that even if he does arrive, he may not be able to contend with Demon Marquis.
And unfortunately, these two problems are beyond their control, making their situation extremely passive.
Love Demon sighed softly to himself. He did not expect that his betrayal would not only fail to deal a heavy blow to the Demon Marquis but also helped him to climb higher.
Smiling, he said: "In these coming days, I will reach out to the neutral elder demonic cultivators once again. Besides, we should make other preparations as well, we should at least give it our best shot. Even if we fail, we can always make a fresh start in the future."
After discussing for a period of time, no one could think of a better solution, and they could only proceed as planned.
Sure enough, the news of the Demon Marquis cultivating the nineteenth level of the Demon Desire Divine Skill quickly spread throughout the demonic faction. For some time, the Demon Sky Sect and its allied forces were jubilant over the accomplishment.
In contrast, the Lan and Huang Union was plunged into a depressed mood.
Two days later, the experts of both the Demon Sky Sect and the Lan and Huang Union agreed to fight at a certain marsh. The Lan and Huang Union suffered a crushing defeat, and two peak Spiritual-Passage Realm experts perished in the process.
"So the Five Demons of Great Cold were just the publicly recognized experts bred by Demon Marquis, in the dark, he has cultivated another three experts whose abilities are higher than the Five Demons!"
"As the Mountain Cang event is approaching, the Demon Marquis only now reveals his trump card, he is indeed ruthless in his actions."
Bitter news kept coming in waves, one after another, severely demoralizing the Lan and Huang Union. Rumors started, and many demonic factions that were originally leaning towards the Holy Young Master were considering changing sides.
In the midst of such tense and uncertain atmosphere, the event in Mountain Cang drew nearer.
