Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 363: Chapter 334: The Clouds Part, A Blessing in Disguise

The sky was dim, a thick layer of inky black clouds blocking out all light. Beneath them, Demonic Qi, so dense it was almost pure, filled every corner of the Inner City like a fog so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

In the heart of the city, the colossal True Demon, having seemingly exhausted all its strength during its rampage, lay prone in the center, motionless.

A deathly silence still hung over the city. Looking across the entire Inner City, there seemed to be not a single trace of life.

In the Blood Pool, Chu Mu had lost count of how many times he had repeated the cycle.

He would release the seal, actively absorb the Blood Pool’s energy, then reseal it. He would then refine that energy to heal his wounds, temper his body, and even further purge the influence of the Demon Nature and the True Demon Remnant Blood.

Once everything was complete, he would remove the seal again and absorb more of the Blood Pool’s energy...

Again and again, the cycle repeated.

The wounds, severe enough to have ended the Immortal Path of an ordinary Cultivator, had long since healed.

Under the effects of the Blood Pool’s energy, his physical body was also rapidly evolving to a higher level.

Roaring True Flame coiled around him, inside and out. The True Flame of Supreme Yang and Firmness and the Demon Blood and Qi Food of the Extremely Yin and Evil—two completely incompatible existences—had long ago formed a wondrous balance within Chu Mu’s body.

Time flew by under this strange equilibrium.

The entire Chu Capital Inner City, under the presence of this True Demon, remained a deathly, blood-soaked Demon Realm.

The Grand Array kept them isolated. The True Demon was still present. Any survivors had long since gone into hiding, daring not to show themselves.

They were all waiting for the True Demon to leave... for the Grand Array to dissipate, or for a Great Power to descend and suppress this Demon Realm.

「In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.」

On this day, the True Demon, which had been motionless for more than ten days, finally seemed to awaken from its slumber.

As its scarlet, beastly eyes slowly opened, the tyranny of its Demon Nature dissipated, almost visibly. The clarity and reason of humanity clearly gained the upper hand.

The Demon Body slowly rose. As its massive frame stood up, a ferocious roar echoed out. The dense, pure Demonic Qi that had accumulated in the city instantly transformed into a surging torrent, pouring straight into the True Demon’s gaping maw.

With this great inhalation, the gloomy Demonic Qi that had shrouded Chu Capital City for half a month weakened considerably. The brilliant light of the scorching sun fell, for a rare moment, into this grim Demon Realm.

"A True Inheritor..."

Amidst the ruins, a blood-soaked Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t hide his terror.

"This demon..."

Xu Changqing hesitated.

The situation was clearly very strange.

The True Demon had revived, and for no apparent reason, had suddenly gone berserk. The shift between tyranny and reason was as if someone was fighting it for control of its body.

And now, the tyranny was gone, and reason had returned...

’Did... he succeed?’

Xu Changqing’s heart grew heavy, but he couldn’t help but feel a sliver of anticipation.

If the original person had succeeded, at least it would be a human-turned-demon. He might still hold on to some sentiment and follow some rules.

And it seemed Xu Changqing’s guess was correct. After inhaling the Demonic Qi for a moment, the Demon Body’s massive frame transformed, turning into a handsome young man.

Although the man’s face resembled the True Demon from before, it held none of that cold, sinister feeling. Instead, it had a strangely magnificent and righteous aura.

’It’s not the original person...’

Xu Changqing froze, the anticipation he felt instantly vanishing.

’He should know the inside story...’

’Was this his plan... or...’

Xu Changqing looked toward the Imperial Palace, lost in thought.

Then, under the gazes of the few survivors, the man transformed from the True Demon leaped up and landed on the ruins of the Imperial Palace.

He reached out and grabbed. Like a volcanic eruption, the earth and dust exploded as a magma of blood sprayed forth, forming a blood-red dragon that roared and coiled around him. The sky-filling crimson completely enveloped the man.

Amidst the crimson light, the man’s expression suddenly turned strange, as if he had noticed something.

His gaze shifted, piercing through the layers of earth and blood to lock onto the figure sitting cross-legged on the altar.

"True Flame Demon Refining..."

The man’s lips curled into a slight smile. With a wave of his hand, a crystalline, blood-red mass floated before him.

Staring at the crystalline blood mass, the man’s expression grew complex, tinged with a strange sense of sorrow.

"So be it. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."

Finally, the man sighed. The crystalline blood mass shot through the bloody water, sank into the earth, and came to a stop, hovering above the altar.

At the same time, a message sent via Telepathy rang in Chu Mu’s ears.

Chu Mu paused, looking up at the sky. The blood swirled like a tornado, obscuring everything else from view.

He looked back at the cave before him. The Blood Pool had run dry, completely drained.

He reached out, and the crystalline, blood-red mass was in his hand.

Demon Beast Bloodline Essence, extremely pure and dense.

He pondered for a moment, and with a thought, the Bloodline Essence vanished into his Storage Space, sealed away for safekeeping.

At the same time, the Great Sun True Flame coiling around his body slowly died down.

He sensed his body. In just half a month, the festering wounds that had been such a massive headache for him had completely healed.

Tempered by the essence of the Blood Pool, the transformation of his physical body had gone exceptionally smoothly.

’Equivalent to... the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!’

He muttered to himself, unable to hide his delight.

The Great Sun Scripture was for Dharma and Body Cultivation. His Cultivation had broken through to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment back in Jingmen, which meant both his Qi Cultivation and Body Refining had reached that level.

But this time, after surviving this disaster by a strange twist of fate, the Blood Pool’s essence had healed his wounds and tempered his body. His physical form had transformed, and his Body Refining Cultivation had actually broken through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!

And due to the complementary relationship between Essence, Qi, and Spirit, a breakthrough in Body Refining Cultivation to the Late Stage would undoubtedly affect his Qi Cultivation and the progress of his Divine Soul. The difficulty of his future Cultivation Progress would surely be greatly reduced!

’A blessing in disguise...’

Feeling the surging Power within his body, it took Chu Mu a long while to calm his turbulent emotions.

True Flame surged forth once more. Under the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," his Divine Sense Perception, now capable of seeing the most minute details, flowed through his body, inspecting every inch of flesh and every blood vessel.

He used True Flame Body Forging to temper every part of his body again, ensuring no stray True Demon Remnant Blood or corrosive Demonic Qi was left behind.

Meanwhile, in the city, the crimson color that filled the sky was visibly dissipating as time passed, the viscous blood fading away.

In just over half an hour, the crimson that had blanketed the sky vanished completely.

The man stood tall in the sky, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly still digesting the essence from the blood food.

A moment later, the man’s eyes opened. With a wave of his hand, a crack was torn open in the towering City Defense Array.

He then leaped up and vanished into the crack. Afterward, the crack healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Grand Array remained majestic, and the city was still deathly silent. However, the main culprit behind this silence... was gone.

Amidst the ruins, the few surviving Cultivators of the Longevity Sect stared at each other, speechless.

Chu Mu leaped out of the Blood Pool pit and landed on the roof of a collapsed palace ruin. The deathly silence and blood-soaked state of the entire city filled his vision.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, Chu Mu still felt a little dazed.

’It’s only been about half a month, hasn’t it...’

A bustling city had transformed into this silent Demon Realm.

The tens of thousands of Cultivators in Chu Capital... who could have imagined that their lives would be snuffed out so easily, and what’s more, that they would become... blood food...

’The blessings and calamities of the Immortal Path are truly unpredictable...’

"Fellow Daoist, are you all right?"

Just then, a voice reached his ears as a figure in snow-white robes descended from the sky.

"You could say... it was a blessing in disguise."

Chu Mu didn’t hide anything. Xu Changqing knew the consequences of using a saber for Sword Control far better than he did.

Hiding it would only lead to suspicion, which for him, would do more harm than good.

Xu Changqing was silent for a moment before getting straight to the point. "This demon’s... transformation. Fellow Daoist, do you know the details?"

Chu Mu paused. Seeing Xu Changqing’s solemn expression, he pondered for a bit before slowly beginning to explain.

Leaving out the parts constrained by his Dao Heart Oath, he recounted the general course of events.

This time, he chose not to hide anything either.

The transformation of Chu Capital into a Demon Realm was sure to be a major event that would shake the entire Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World.

Being at the center of this disaster, he was bound to attract attention.

He was just a Loose Cultivator; a behemoth like the Longevity Sect wouldn’t hesitate to deal with him.

After Chu Mu finished speaking, Xu Changqing’s face grew pensive. After a moment, he said worriedly, "If what you say is true, Fellow Daoist, then this Residual Soul’s Cultivation in life was likely far beyond just the Golden Core realm!"

"The Demon Body belongs to a True Demon from the Demon Realm. With this Residual Soul having obtained the body of a True Demon, I’m afraid it won’t be long before it recovers its Cultivation. And with the power of a True Demon, it will be even more terrifying!"

"What this demon will do is still unknown," Chu Mu said, pointing at the City Defense Array, which was still standing tall and majestic. "The most important thing right now is to break this array. We need to get word out as soon as possible so that we can be fully prepared."

He looked at Xu Changqing, his expression turning more serious. "Regarding this matter, I hope you will keep it confidential, Fellow Daoist."

After speaking, Chu Mu gave a self-deprecating smile. "I’m just a Loose Cultivator. I can’t afford to be caught up in something this big."

"I understand."

Xu Changqing nodded. "I promise, this matter will not involve you in the slightest, Fellow Daoist."

...

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