Chapter 579: Yuan Spirit Transformation, Artistic Conception Weapon, Heavenly Demon Growth

Cultivation knows no years.

Wang Yu was sixteen when he entered the cultivation world. This year, he is four hundred and fourteen, surpassing the lifespan limit of Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, Soul Transformation cultivators have a lifespan of three thousand two hundred years. For him, his cultivation journey had just begun.

Meanwhile, in a temporary cave dwelling on an unnamed desolate island in the East Sea, six months had passed since he had comprehended the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter.

On this day, his Nascent Soul, reborn from its chrysalis, completed its transformation within the Niwan Palace. The longsword formed from the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter had fully integrated into his Nascent Soul, and the golden Nascent Soul now bore intricate patterns of blood-red veins. A mere glance would terrify an ordinary person into idiocy due to the horrifying killing intent. It was as if one was entangled in an endless sea of blood, reaching out endlessly, yet only sinking deeper into the bloody abyss.

Wang Yu slowly awakened. His eyes flickered with a cruel killing intent, as if his humanity had completely vanished. While powerful, the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter also possessed an insidious quality; the killing intent, deeply ingrained in the essence of his Nascent Soul, reminded him of Jin Miaoshan's repeated loss of control back then. This was strikingly similar to the demonic corruption caused by the Ancient Demon of Slaughter. However, thanks to the effects of his Glazed Heart State, its ability to suppress and control killing intent was far superior to its performance against demonic corruption. Almost instantly, the light of his humanity was restored.

"Controlling power is the righteous path. If one is enslaved by power, then that power is better off discarded..." he murmured to himself. Another fundamental scripture swiftly appeared in Wang Yu's mind: the Soul Transformation inheritance, "Rakshasa True Demonic Scripture," gifted to him by Xie Xie'an during the Blood Abyss trial!

The initial methods of this inheritance were lost, leaving only the cultivation profoundness for the Soul Transformation stage, along with a few divine abilities, secret techniques, and crafting diagrams for demonic treasures like the Heavenly Demon Bell. He had previously refrained from cultivating this method due to his aversion to demonic corruption. After mastering the Demon Transcending Heart Incantation, combined with the power of his Glazed Heart State, demonic corruption could be completely dispelled, even transforming into nourishment for his Heart Lake space.

Both the Rakshasa Scripture and the Asura Scripture originated from the Ancient Demon of Slaughter. For the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter to continue evolving, there was, in fact, a shortcut. That shortcut was to comprehend the inheritance of the Slaughter Demon. The Asura Scripture was in Jin Miaoshan's possession, and he could easily obtain it if he wished. Now, his Nascent Soul had undergone its initial transformation, reaching the late Soul Transformation stage in strength.

Although the sword carrying the Path of Slaughter had no physical form, it was a seed for forging an Artistic Conception weapon. By continuously infusing it with killing intent to solidify and transform it, and baptizing it through slaughter, it would eventually give rise to the second stage of artistic conception cultivation: an Artistic Conception Weapon! This item also had a more esoteric name: a Dao Fruit Seed!

While the next step for an artistic conception was to integrate into the Soul Transformation dharma idol, its own strength could also continue to increase. Condensing it into a physical artifact to carry the Dao was the second stage. The third stage involved the cultivation of Void Refinement and even Dao Harmonization cultivators, and was currently unknown, but the direction of this advancement was established. Generally, a peak Soul Transformation cultivator mastering one artistic conception met the standard, and an artistic Conception weapon was one of the cultivation goals for Void Refinement cultivators.

Although the nascent form of the Path of Slaughter had sword-like characteristics, it was not suited to the attributes of the Yanluo Son of Heaven Sword. To use it for slaughter and gain bloody baptism, he needed to forge a demonic sword of slaughter as the foundational vessel for the artistic conception's power, which would also accelerate the formation of the artistic conception weapon itself. Therefore, besides comprehending the Rakshasa Scripture to enhance the strength of the Path of Slaughter's artistic conception, he also intended to find a demonic treasure from it to serve as the artistic conception's vessel. He didn't even need to fully forge it; a sword embryo would be the best vessel, capable of growing alongside the illusory artistic conception weapon, allowing him to gauge progress at any time.

"Let me see.""Rakshasa Heavenly Demon Bell... Dark Fiend Soul Extinguishing Spear... Yincha Sacred Evil Banner... Spirit-Confusing Soul-Locking Pagoda... and this one is..."

The crafting diagram for the last demonic treasure quickly caught Wang Yu's attention. If the Asura Scripture's compatible demonic treasures were led by the Asura Divine Sword, then this Rakshasa Soul Sword was arguably the strongest demonic treasure recorded in the Rakshasa Scripture.

The Rakshasa Scripture primarily focused on the soul, with cultivation advancements and divine/secret techniques all based on a powerful soul. Thus, it essentially belonged to the Ghost Dao, differing slightly from orthodox immortal cultivation. The Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter, besides its extreme destructive capability against physical matter, also had considerable effects on Nascent Souls and spirits, though it was certainly not as specialized as described in the Rakshasa Scripture. To kill the body and sever the soul, completely obliterating the traces of a living being—this was the complete Dao of the Ancient Demon of Slaughter. Although Wang Yu did not cultivate the Ancient Demon's scriptures, he could still emulate its Dao and forge his own path.

"The Path of Slaughter's artistic conception's offensive effects against the Nascent Soul are not truly a weakness, but rather an advantage. However, compared to the Rakshasa Soul Sword's effects, they are significantly inferior. If this demonic treasure is used as the foundation for the artistic conception's growth, it will surely integrate the profoundness of Rakshasa, making both body-slaying and soul-annihilation far surpass normal power."

Until one day, the artistic conception weapon fully materialized. When the ethereal devoured the real, transforming into a truly tangible sword, then this method would be considered complete.

The Rakshasa Soul Sword, without a doubt, belonged to the level of a top-grade Soul Transformation spiritual treasure, which Wang Yu's current artifact forging skill was insufficient to craft. The Sun-Piercing Demonic Bow came from the master-level craftsmanship of the Myriad Treasures Artifact Spirit. The Yanluo Son of Heaven Sword, on the other hand, was purely a matter of serendipity. Fortunately, this time he only needed to forge a sword embryo and let it grow through endless slaughter, making it a simple and straightforward evolving demonic sword.

Considering the materials he possessed, Soul-Living Gold could serve as the primary material for the sword embryo, while Blood Essence Stone, Arctic Mithril, and Lunar Jade Marrow could be secondary materials. Furthermore, sacrificing a million demon souls from the Yanluo Son of Heaven Sword to form the foundation of the Soul Sword should allow him to successfully forge the sword embryo. The Soul Sword existed in a form similar to a Nascent Soul artifact. It existed between reality and illusion, capable of attacking Nascent Souls. Once it carried the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter, it would become another trump card for Wang Yu, not considered a conventional offensive method.

Therefore, while continuing to comprehend the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter, the Ice-Flood Dragon Pill Flame once again transformed into a workhorse, forging treasures for Wang Yu.

It is worth mentioning that Artistic Conception comprehension could also be placed in the idle slot. However, even with Wang Yu's greatly enhanced comprehension, the time required was no less than for deducing Void Refinement cultivation methods.

Idle Slot 7: Path of Slaughter (Fifth Tier/Artistic Conception)"Path of Slaughter (1/100): Continuous tempering, complete in three hundred years."

This would be a long and arduous journey. In comparison, the advancement of his fundamental cultivation method was more eagerly anticipated.

Idle Slot 1: Ten Directions Frozen Demonic Dao (Fifth Tier)"Ten Directions Frozen Demonic Dao (80/100): Twelve practices a day, complete in twenty years."

This inheritance came from the Ancient Frozen Demon. The Ice Soul Holy Demonic Scripture could hardly meet the Void Refinement stage standards, but the Frozen Demonic Dao was different; its first four tiers of cultivation methods were once found in the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. Wang Yu only obtained this inheritance during his second trip to the Endless Ice Plains. Once the cultivation method was complete, he could leverage the idle slot to acquire a sixth-tier Void Refinement cultivation method. According to the pattern of top-grade cultivation methods, it could even support him all the way to the early Dao Harmonization stage, definitely classifying it as a first-tier profound inheritance. With his comprehension having been enhanced multiple times, the time required for completion had significantly decreased, potentially allowing him to fully cultivate it before visitors from the upper realm arrived. The Ten Directions Frozen Demonic Fist, which Wang Yu had previously set aside, could also be picked up again for continued cultivation.

In summary, this secluded cultivation session was still not yet complete. After consuming another Enlightenment Tea Leaf, the idle slot was tasked with comprehending the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter, while his main body began to ponder the breakthrough of the Yellow Springs Dharma Intent.

Thus, year after year passed. Six more years passed. Just as the Yellow Springs Dharma Intent was on the verge of a breakthrough, an external disturbance abruptly roused Wang Yu's consciousness. He didn't even have time to regret the Yellow Springs Dharma Intent, which was just one step away from completion. The demonic skull suddenly broke free and floated before him. The Heavenly Demon inside was struggling violently. After his previous seclusion in Myriad Longevity City, Wang Yu had chosen to feed it living beings to accelerate its growth. By this day, those 'feed' had long been depleted. The Heavenly Demon had entered a state of transformation and was now fully grown. This particular Heavenly Demon also belonged to the lineage of the Six Desires Demonic Lord, but its power of desire was exceptionally unique: it wielded the True Power of Six Desires, integrating all six types of desires!

Seeing this, Wang Yu's expression grew slightly strange. If his guess was correct, this Heavenly Demon was likely one of the Six Desires Demonic Lord's direct descendants. The concept of Heavenly Demon reproduction differed from that of other beings. It was a form of asexual reproduction, where all descendants were individuals split from the progenitor. While they possessed their own will, they were also a unique type of clone. There were countless Heavenly Demons, and the offspring of each were innumerable, yet they all shared a single origin. This was why various Heavenly Demon lineages had formed: the Six Desires Demonic Lord, the Deceptive Demonic Lord, the Mind-Snatching Demonic Lord... and so on. Each type of Heavenly Demon had a bloodline origin, the progenitor Heavenly Demon. Accidentally capturing a Six Desires Demonic Lord's descendant was not a low probability, as strictly speaking, every desire-type Heavenly Demon was a descendant of the Six Desires.

However, this one was special. It simultaneously controlled the power of all six desires, meaning its bloodline was very pure, reaching the level of a direct descendant. It was likely a split entity produced within the second or third generation. Killing a descendant of such purity, akin to persecuting a human prodigy, would greatly increase the likelihood of attracting the Six Desires Demonic Lord's attention, and the risk of undergoing the Divine Transformation tribulation would sharply rise. But Wang Yu was not worried at all. There were always six wild desire Heavenly Demons residing in his Heavenly Demon Map. When the time came, releasing one of them to proactively undergo the tribulation would be much safer than re-establishing contact with the Heavenly Demon Realm to draw a demon into his body.

Returning to the main point: The Heavenly Demon's maturation meant the time for the Innate Demonic Embryo Body's transformation had arrived. However, he still lacked a guaranteed method for safely absorbing a fully grown Heavenly Demon. Direct absorption was absolutely out of the question; the risk was too great.

"Second Nascent Soul Secret Technique..." Wang Yu sorted through the information in his mind. This secret technique came from the ruins of the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect; he had obtained it years ago when breaking through to the Golden Core stage. Although he had comprehended it, he had not cultivated it. The Mysterious Primordial Demonic Embryo Secret Technique, on the other hand, came from Venerable Demonic Heart. In the past, he had chosen to combine the Outer Body Incarnation technique with the Second Nascent Soul Secret Technique to refine a Heavenly Demon, making it a suitable object for absorption. However, he ultimately failed and died tragically at the hands of the Heavenly Demon.

Theoretically, this path was viable. The problem lay in the Heavenly Demon's instinctive possession, which would cause the incarnation to become uncontrollable, thus preventing integration. It could even seize control of the main body at a critical moment. There were two solutions here: first, completely eradicate the Heavenly Demon's will, thereby being able to resist its instinctive possession reaction. The second... was to completely enslave the Heavenly Demon's will. Complete enslavement meant controlling every single thought of the Heavenly Demon, not merely its life and death, otherwise, it would be meaningless. Thought enslavement could potentially be achieved through mental power secret techniques, but unfortunately, Wang Yu lacked such a method. Therefore, he could only choose the first method. At that point, he would have to rely on himself to resist the Heavenly Demon's instinctive possession. While lacking direct will control, this risk was still within an acceptable range, though it remained a high-risk endeavor. Wang Yu estimated the success rate to be less than fifty percent, but it was worth a gamble.

As for the method to eradicate the Heavenly Demon's will, he happened to have one ready. Wang Yu extended his hand and summoned. The Rakshasa Soul Sword, refined over six years, was now complete. The sword embryo was entirely grayish-black, densely covered with dizzying Rakshasa demonic patterns. A mere glance caused a stinging sensation in one's Nascent Soul. Wang Yu had always prioritized the transformation of his Innate Demonic Embryo Body, so the Yellow Springs Dharma Intent's breakthrough could be delayed. The advancement of the demonic embryo body held more value for his growth.

At this moment, he activated the Artistic Conception of the Path of Slaughter, and crimson blood threads began to merge with the Rakshasa Soul Sword embryo. As a vessel, it was inherently incredibly compatible with the Path of Slaughter. The fusion process could only be described as effortlessly natural. Moreover, it had integrated a portion of Wang Yu's Nascent Soul essence, which greatly enhanced its offensive power against Nascent Souls. At the same time, it could preserve a Nascent Soul seed for Wang Yu. Should his physical body be afflicted or his Nascent Soul perish one day, there would be an opportunity for rebirth within the Soul Sword, akin to the concept of a soul reliquary. This was also a secret art recorded in the Rakshasa Scripture, and given its value, Wang Yu would naturally learn it. Furthermore, after integrating a portion of his Nascent Soul essence, the Soul Sword's growth rate could receive positive benefits from Wang Yu's Nascent Soul. After each cultivation session of the Heavenly Star Controller's Soul Nurturing Marvelous Technique, both would experience synchronized growth. This Nascent Soul-level integration would further enhance his control over the Soul Sword and deepen his comprehension during slaughter, forming a mutually reinforcing cycle with endless marvelous uses.

Now, it was time for its first display of power. He certainly needed to give it a thorough test.

Within the demonic skull cage, the Six Desires Heavenly Demon displayed an extremely ferocious nature. Its various powers of desire were like flailing limbs, continuously striking the inner walls of the skull. Hoarse, grating roars continuously echoed. Wang Yu flicked his fingers, and the Soul Sword shrunk to a finger's length, swiftly darting into the demonic skull cage and fiercely stabbing towards the Six Desires Heavenly Demon. The latter immediately split into six clouds of black smoke. While dodging the attack, it transformed into six different desire Heavenly Demons. This momentarily prevented Wang Yu from discerning its true body.

"Hehehehe!!!" Six chains of desire simultaneously shot out, instantly coiling around and binding the Soul Sword. The Six Desires Heavenly Demon's eyes showed a human-like mockery. The six demonic bodies actually followed the connection of the chains and entered the Soul Sword. This action was likely intended to seize control of the Soul Sword and thus break free from the demonic skull cage's restraint. Little did it know, a smile of successful scheming lurked in Wang Yu's eyes. This Six Desires Heavenly Demon had been raised by him since its infancy. Its growth had been under his close supervision. He naturally understood the opponent's strength. The Heavenly Demon's instinct would make it try to seize everything, and since the Soul Sword had a Nascent Soul reaction, it could naturally be possessed by a Heavenly Demon. Thus, a trap was born.

"Path of Slaughter - Refine!" A scarlet hue filled Wang Yu's eyes, his pupils turning into black dots. His humanity completely vanished, leaving only endless, cold killing intent.

Inside the Soul Sword, the Heavenly Demon, having just entered, had not yet had time to locate the source of the Nascent Soul reaction when it found itself plunged into a bizarre landscape of blood. Looking up, it saw black clouds roiling in the sky, from which Wang Yu's face emerged like the very Dao of Heaven. His gaze swept over, causing the Heavenly Demon's body to completely stiffen.