Chapter 194: Two Years

The Black Temple?

Chen Luo swiftly accessed his external brain, only to discover that apart from himself, none of the other external brains could detect the presence of the Black Temple.

An illusion! Chen Luo realized instantly.

Deceiving the minds of Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators might be possible, but Core Formation stage minds were far more resilient. Moreover, among the external brains Chen Luo commanded, there was one that surpassed his current understanding—a withered corpse’s brain. With its oversight, he doubted anything could deceive him; at least, no entity he had encountered thus far possessed such capability.

Ignoring the apparition of the Black Temple, Chen Luo rapidly activated his cultivation technique to absorb spiritual energy.

He focused on his primary practice: the Demonic Heart Art.

After refining the ‘Blackstone Secret Technique,’ the speed of his art multiplied several times over. The power of the fruit flowed into his body, circulating repeatedly as six spiritual energy dragons surged to life, hungrily devouring the room’s spiritual essence.

Second-order meridians poured spiritual energy like flowing water, synergizing with the spirit medicines within his body. Soon, a seventh spiritual dragon began to coalesce in Chen Luo’s core. Normally, forming these dragons took years, but now it felt as if someone had pressed an accelerator—his spiritual energy was converging wildly.

Soon, the eighth spiritual dragon emerged.

Then came the ninth, followed by the tenth.

The bottleneck of Mid Foundation Establishment was breached effortlessly. Not only that, but the spiritual energy within him continued to surge wildly—the eleventh, twelfth…

His aura grew more intense with each passing moment.

Before long, Chen Luo had twenty spirit dragons within him. Then thirty, forty, until he reached the peak of Mid Foundation Establishment: forty-nine. Only then did this power shift from purely spiritual aspects to physical ones, beginning to enhance Chen Luo’s fleshly body.

The Iron Body Art, already highly accomplished, broke through once again. The jade bones, which had previously failed to form due to the lack of a Jade Bone Pill, materialized instantly. From the first segment to the second, all the way to the complete formation of the first part, before the medicinal efficacy finally dissipated entirely.

Haaah.

Chen Luo exhaled a breath, his eyes flickering—a sign of spiritual energy manifesting externally. His internal spiritual energy had grown too rapidly; it would take time for him to adapt.

Finally, there was the soul banner. Chen Luo took it out.

After two battles, the soul banner’s condition was dire. It now held only three main souls and twenty-seven auxiliary souls. The rest had been absorbed by the Black Temple. Recalling those events, Chen Luo gained a clearer understanding of the methods employed in soul cultivation.

Another issue was his divine abilities. Due to his short time in cultivation, he had acquired a hodge-podge of skills. This wasn’t apparent during ordinary situations, but when facing an opponent at the late Foundation Establishment stage, these shortcomings were starkly highlighted. His recent battle with Old Demon Fang had exposed this problem.

Whether in physical or magical cultivation, Fang’s divine abilities far surpassed Chen Luo’s, keeping him constantly on the defensive throughout their duel. If not for wielding that Soul Banner, Chen Luo would likely have fallen to Old Demon Fang.

Most cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage faced similar predicaments. They typically resolved such issues through trial and error over time, gradually finding paths suited to themselves.

However, Chen Luo didn’t wish to follow this well-trodden path. With his external brain as an innate advantage, it would be foolish to ignore its potential and mimic others’ experiences. Instead, he chose to leverage his unique asset.

Everyone should learn to harness their own strengths effectively.

Thus, Chen Luo once again accessed all the minds within his external brain from the Foundation Establishment stage and beyond. He prepared to examine his current situation from multiple perspectives, hoping to gain valuable insights into addressing his problems.

Abandon physical cultivation techniques and focus on divine abilities! My Transformation Art is truly unparalleled.

The first response came from Old Demon Fang’s brain.

This problem Chen Luo faced was partly due to Old Demon Fang himself; he had always held this belief during his lifetime.

Spiritual and sword cultivators are all wimps! Physical cultivation is where it’s at! The ‘Demon Bone Array Sigil’ I passed down to you is top-notch. Once refined, you’ll be able to sweep through everything with your bare hands—no weapon necessary!

Your so-called sword path hasn’t even begun yet. You should abandon everything else and concentrate solely on cultivating sword intent. A clear heart holds no illusions—it must rely on nothing but itself! I am the sword, the sword is me! At this level, any enemy becomes just a matter of drawing my blade.

Raise three thousand unique insects and feast upon every delicacy in the cultivation world!

If you can nurture an Undying Mite, you’ll fear no adversary.

Once my array formation is complete, none below Core Formation will stand a chance against me!

Soul refining, soul refining…

As Foundation Establishment cultivators, each one was utterly confident in their chosen path. Chen Luo analyzed their perspectives one by one, discovering that each argument held considerable merit.

Finally, Chen Luo shifted his viewpoint to that of the Core Formation brain.

From the perspective of a Core Formation cultivator, these views seemed somewhat narrow. After reaching Core Formation, a cultivator could harness the vital energy of heaven and earth. With this power, their Golden Core Domain allowed them to control everything within it. Any cultivator who couldn’t utilize this vital energy would struggle to even unleash their divine abilities inside such a domain. Whether they were physical, sword, or magical cultivators, all could be crushed with ease by someone wielding this power. Thus, the advice from the Core Formation brain was clear: focus on cultivating one’s realm first. Once your realm advanced sufficiently, any technique or method would become secondary, easily mastered at will.

The Demonic Heart Art is quite effective, thought Chen Luo, and the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art can lead to an extraordinary path. Techniques and divine abilities are merely external tools; the true foundation lies within oneself. The same sword technique, when wielded by different individuals, can either fail to defeat a single enemy throughout a lifetime or cleave through celestial bodies.

When considering this issue from the perspective of the mummy brain, yet another set of insights emerged.

Cultivate oneself?

Chen Luo furrowed his brow, finding the concept somewhat abstract and unsure where to begin.

However, he did note the two divine abilities mentioned by the mummy brain: the Demonic Heart Art and the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art. Given that he didn’t know what lay ahead, he decided to start with these techniques. Fortunately, thanks to the Neverliving Fruit, he had just completed transforming the first part of his jade bones. This provided an opportune moment to attempt inscribing array sigils upon them.

This step may sound simple, but it is the most challenging part of cultivation.

Body refinement techniques differ from the other two types, primarily focusing on transforming one’s physical body. According to Zhu Chungan’s vision, the first step in inscribing array sigils was to forge ‘jade bones.’ Afterward, using divine abilities, he would then engrave ‘array sigils’ onto these bones. These thirty-six array sigils were culled by Zhu Chungan over nearly his entire lifetime. The first sigil represented strength, its source derived from the bone patterns of a powerful monster beast.

Zhu Chungan believed that such monstrous creatures possessed extraordinary strength due to the presence of these heaven-and-earth patterns on their bones. Consequently, he recorded this pattern and summarized what he called the ‘Strength Sigil.’

Chen Luo sat cross-legged with eyes closed, his mind fully immersed in the first piece of jade bone.

Under the influence of his spiritual sense, he began directing the external brain to assist him in inscribing the ‘array sigil.’ Since each jade bone constituted an integrated region, the process had to be carried out simultaneously across all parts. This synchronization was the most difficult aspect of the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art, and also the primary reason even Zhu Chungan himself never managed to perfect it.

As spiritual energy flowed, delicate lines emerged on the surface of the bone.

The entire left chest area lit up uniformly, adorned with identical patterns.

Time slipped away like water through cupped hands, and before Chen Luo knew it, two years had passed.

These twenty-four months had solidified his cultivation realm completely. He now showed faint signs of breaking through to late Foundation Establishment. The first part of the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art was fully mastered, bringing about a world-shattering transformation in his strength.

Since embarking on the path of cultivation, fifteen years had flown by. It had been nine long years since he left Sacred Lake Immortal Sect. In that time, he had leaped from a mere Qi Refinement cultivator to the pinnacle of mid-Foundation Establishment, wielding forty-nine spiritual energy dragons. Were he to return to Sacred Lake Immortal Sect now, save for his master, Void Sage, no combination of elders on the main peak could match him in battle.

“Congratulations, fellow Daoist,” came a voice as Chen Luo emerged from his cave dwelling. Lady Bai Gu stood outside, her presence both serene and formidable.

Like Chen Luo, Lady Bai Gu had also broken through to late Foundation Establishment. However, compared to his achievement, her progress seemed rather ordinary. With four centuries of cultivation already behind her, her current realm was purely a testament to the power of time. Without extraordinary good fortune, she would never achieve full mastery of Foundation Establishment nor extend her lifespan further. In contrast, Chen Luo’s future prospects were truly limitless.

At this moment, Chen Luo’s strength was nearly equal to that of Lady Bai Gu.

Two months ago, a newly promoted Old Devil at the peak of Foundation Establishment had attempted to seize this spiritual vein but was repelled by their combined efforts. Now, working together, they could stand against such formidable adversaries—a significant portion of this newfound strength owed to Chen Luo’s rapid advancement.

“I’m planning on making a trip out,” Lady Bai Gu announced.

“My time is running short; I must find that demon bone if I have any chance.” Their relationship had grown considerably closer, reaching a point where some matters no longer needed concealment between them.

“Did you uncover a lead?” Chen Luo inquired.

He had known about the demon bone for quite some time. His initial venture with Lady Bai Gu to confront the Roshana had been precisely to obtain it. Unfortunately, their efforts yielded nothing but trouble, nearly costing him his life. The only silver lining had been his opportunistic gain during the chaos, while Lady Bai Gu suffered heavy losses—she failed to secure the bone and depleted much of her accumulated resources.

If not for later capturing Second Stage Spirit Meridian from Khan Jiu, the Gu Demon, she might never have broken through to her current state. In fact, without that acquisition, she wouldn’t have even recovered from her injuries.

“News trickled out from Blackstone City, though its veracity remains uncertain,” Lady Bai Gu said, her expression wistful.

In truth, she didn’t harbor high hopes herself.

Yet, resigning herself to death was unconceivable. She had endured untold hardships on her journey of cultivation, reaching her current realm through sheer perseverance. She vividly recalled her exhilaration upon achieving Foundation Establishment, when she vanquished the Great Gray Bear King and became the ruler of Bai Gu Ridge. For two centuries, she reigned supreme as the Mountain Lord.

All cultivators within that domain operated according to Lady Bai Gu’s will alone.

Ah, time slips by imperceptibly, even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator—eternal life is but a myth.

Two days later.

Lady Bai Gu departed.

Standing at the edge of the formation, Chen Luo watched her receding figure with his gaze fixed in silence.

He knew not if Lady Bai Gu would find the Rakshasa Bone this time, nor whether she’d return alive. Or perhaps, it was all a ruse—a conspiracy hatched by those coveting their secluded place of cultivation.

Anything seemed possible now.

The mountain grew even quieter.

Chen Luo ascended to its peak, gazing down at the swirling clouds below.

At the foot of the mountain lay a small village. Farmers trudged through muddy paths, balancing wooden poles across their shoulders, while cattle herders sat astride old oxen, scanning their surroundings.

A fresh rain fell, invigorating the air with its crisp scent.

As the wind swept past, the mist dispersed, revealing the scene anew.

Perched atop an old ox, the young cattle herder stared wide-eyed at the figure standing amidst the clouds, unable to contain his astonishment.

“Dad! There’s an immortal on the mountain!”