“Come, then. Let this storm be even more intense,” Xiao Chen quietly mumbled to himself.
Before Xiao Chen realized it, he had already been in the Kunlun Realm for close to eight years. Since the day he announced his identity as the Azure Emperor’s descendant, he had been waiting for this moment for too long.
Lan Shaobai was still busy helping Xiao Chen choose a day. Xiao Chen could not stop, either. The sense of impending danger made him cultivate even more anxiously.
Twenty thousand Essence Stones were sufficient for Xiao Chen to cultivate for a long time. There was no need to worry about cultivation resources.
Aside from the cultivation of Primordial Energy, Xiao Chen spent the rest of his time on the comprehension of his saber soul and tempering it.
After learning of Xiao Chen’s needs, Mo Chen contacted the various large merchant associations in Heavenly Dragon City. Adding in the contacts of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, she managed to gather ten Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks.
Even after making use of such vast connections, Mo Chen only managed to get hold of ten Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks.
This showed how rare this item was. According to Mo Chen, as long as this item appeared at an auction, there would be Martial Emperors immediately buying it. Even Sovereign Martial Emperors would be interested.
It was already an incredible thing for Mo Chen to obtain ten for Xiao Chen. Even those Holy Lands might not be able to do so within such a short time frame.
Naturally, ten Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks would not be sufficient for Xiao Chen to advance his seventy-percent-comprehended saber soul into a fully comprehended saber soul and transform it into a Saber Domain.
However, there would not be any problems with raising his saber soul to eighty percent comprehended. If he was lucky, he might even be able to get his comprehension to ninety percent.
Seated at a peak dedicated to his use, Xiao Chen held a Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rock in his hand and took in a deep breath. Then, he brought his saber soul into contact with the Demon Fiend Rock, tempering his saber soul.
Cultivating with the Demon Fiend Rock was not easy. It was easy to create a heart demon. This process was extraordinarily risky. If one was not careful, one would injure their mind.
When Xiao Chen’s saber soul touched the Demon Fiend Rock, a layer of black Demonic Qi covered his body. The Demonic Qi changed shape, making it look like a human-Demon ghost shrouded him.
The scene before Xiao Chen suddenly changed. A large amount of Deep Abyss Demonic Qi seemed to appear out of nowhere, charging at his sea of consciousness.
Huge waves surged up in his sea of consciousness. Many black demons in various forms appeared there. Sometimes, these demons even took the shape of a ferocious and malicious Xiao Chen, which looked extremely strange.
What appeared before Xiao Chen’s eyes was not an illusion. However, it was not real, either. It was hard to differentiate between what was real and what was fake.
Xiao Chen’s true sea of consciousness could be said to be very calm, with no waves at all. However, if left unchecked, these illusionary demons would be able to injure him.
The injury would not be to just his wills but also his soul and mind; they would all suffer significant damage. In more severe cases, the demons might even eat up his soul, turning him into a crazed, murderous demon submerged in the Demonic Dao.
Just based on the name “Demon Fiend Rock,” one would realize that this was no ordinary natural treasure. Using it to progress would be like dancing on a tightrope.
“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!”
These demons let out sharp, ghostly cries. The sound waves were overwhelming, and their auras appeared horrifying.
Xiao Chen’s heart remained as calm as still water, his gaze sharp. The saber in his hand was the form of his saber soul. He said coldly, “My heart will not change; all these are just fabrications. Die!”
He started an intense battle with these demons in this sea of consciousness with surging waves. The scene seemed fraught with danger, no less than a real battle.
It might even be crueler than reality. Sometimes, these demons would take on Xiao Chen’s appearance, even the appearance of Ao Jiao, Liu Ruyue, Mo Chen, and other people that he cared about.
If Xiao Chen hesitated, thousands of sabers would pierce through his heart and inflict incredible pain. The torture would be too cruel a sight.
Furthermore, he still had to maintain a calm heart amid this frenzied killing. He could not sink into the depravity of massacre. This showed how difficult the cultivation of the saber soul was.
When Xiao Chen killed all the demons, an illusionary seven-colored glassy saber light appeared in the sea of consciousness.
This was the essence of the Demon Fiend Rock after removing the demons of negative emotions. A different amount of this essence would appear depending on one’s performance in the test and the grade of the Demon Fiend Rock.
“This is my first time to see a seven-colored saber soul essence. The Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rock is indeed different.”
Previously, when Xiao Chen used Superior Grade Demon Fiend Rock, he obtained silver-colored essences. However, this time, he got a seven-colored essence. He did not know how much his saber soul would improve after he absorbed it.
He narrowed his eyes and pushed off with his feet, heading for that seven-colored light.
Saber light moved about as the seven-colored saber soul essence turned into pieces and entered the saber in his hand. When he finished absorbing all the light, he suddenly opened his eyes. The illusion disappeared entirely; he had already drained the Demon Fiend Rock in his hand.
Xiao Chen’s gaze turned sharper. It looked like it would be able to pierce through space, making others tremble at the sight of it.
He sank his consciousness somewhat impatiently into the sea of consciousness and discovered that the illusionary little saber beside the Lightning Talisman had turned more solid.
“Seventy-six percent comprehended, that is an incredible effect. With another piece of Demon Fiend Rock, I definitely can advance it to eighty percent comprehended. There are still nine pieces of Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks. Perhaps I might be able to surpass ninety percent comprehended and condense my own Saber Domain,” Xiao Chen exclaimed in joy. He had not expected the effects of Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks to be so incredible.
In reality, there were a few reasons for this. If a Martial Emperor used this Demon Fiend Rock, he would not be able to achieve the same effect as Xiao Chen had.
Firstly, this was the first time Xiao Chen used the Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rock. Naturally, its effects would be extraordinary. No matter what natural treasure it was, it would show the greatest effect during the first use. The efficacy would slowly weaken with subsequent use until there was no impact whatsoever.
Secondly, Xiao Chen’s mental state was stable. His heart remained as calm as still water, not affected by the negative emotion demons at all. He killed all the demons without mercy, not leaving any of them. Naturally, he could achieve the best results.
If Xiao Chen left behind a large number of these demons, he would not be able to filter out the impurities of the Demon Fiend Rock so thoroughly. Perhaps, he would not even be able to extract half of that seven-colored essence.
When one reached Martial Emperor, the higher one climbed, the more one would find that a strong mental state would bring great benefits to one.
Casting aside his thoughts, Xiao Chen took out the second Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rock and continued to refine it.
The first time, he spent half a day before he managed to eliminate all those demons. This time, he used only four hours to do so.
However, the improvement that he obtained had him opening his eyes wide. Seventy-nine percent comprehension. He was still slightly short of an eighty-percent-comprehended saber soul.
This dealt a blow to Xiao Chen, shattering his dreams. He frowned and said, “The effects weakened really fast. I was too naive to think that I could use ten Demon Fiend Rocks to break through to Saber Domain.”
If he could advance his saber soul into a Saber Domain before the ceremony, he would be more confident in dealing with the mockery of some of the Martial Emperors.
He would be able to fight a Second Heaven Martial Emperor without using the Cycle Banner.
Xiao Chen sighed somewhat helplessly and continued to absorb the third Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rock. After he finished, his saber soul reached eighty percent comprehension.
However, he did not evince any joy at this. This third piece of Demon Fiend Rock pushed his saber soul only to eighty percent comprehension, not even eighty-one percent comprehension.
If this went on, not to mention a fully comprehended saber soul, he might not even be able to reach ninety percent comprehension, far short of his target.
“Absolute suppression is impossible with only an eighty-percent-comprehended saber soul. It is not that different from a seventy-percent-comprehended saber soul.”
Frowning heavily, Xiao Chen took out all the remaining seven Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks. Then, he entered deep thought.
What should I do?!
Within one month, I will be announcing the reestablishment of the Dragon’s Gate to the world. I also need to send out invitations. I already exposed my Sharp Spirit Finger trump card. If I do not gain another trump card, how am I going to suppress those people with malicious intents?
In Xiao Chen’s anxiety, he could not think of any methods. The effects of the Demon Fiend Rock decreased sharply. With every absorption, the effects became much weaker.
Why do I have to absorb them one by one? Why don’t I just gather them all together and absorb these seven Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks at the same time?
Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up as inspiration flashed in his mind, solidifying into this idea.
What are you thinking of doing? Don’t mess around!
When Ao Jiao saw Xiao Chen place the seven Demon Fiend Rocks in a row, looking like he intended to refine all of them together, she felt startled in the Immortal Spirit Ring.
“I plan to refine all seven Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks at once.”
You idiot! To think that you really intend to do that! The Demon Fiend Rock is a naturally evil item. It is not something good. You are already risking your life every time you refine a piece, and now you want to absorb all of them in one go? Are you tired of living?
Ao Jiao lectured, Don’t think that you are a genius for thinking of this. There have already been some crazy people who tried it. Refining the Demon Fiend Rocks at the same time can indeed magnify the effect. However, one can refine only three Demon Fiend Rocks at the same time. That is the limit. If you cross this limit, you will either go crazy, lose your soul, or turn into a cripple. No one who tried it had a good end.
Even the people who succeeded in refining three in one go were mostly of the Deity Race, who are extraordinary at Mental Energy cultivation. Very few people of other races succeeded.
Xiao Chen had initially been hesitant. When he heard this warning, it ended up firming up his determination, instead.
Xiao Chen had transmigrated, living two lives. His Mental Energy was more than two times stronger than that of ordinary humans. Furthermore, he cultivated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, allowing his Mental Energy to become even stronger, condensing into Magic Energy.
In terms of Mental Energy, even the Martial Emperors of the Deity Race would not be stronger than Xiao Chen. Of course, in terms of Mental Energy usage, he definitely was not as strong nor had as many means as the Deity Race.
Back then, when the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign made a move on Xiao Chen, he had to return with nothing to show for his efforts.
After thinking of this, Xiao Chen felt more confident. “Ao Jiao, I never do anything rash. However, this time, I have to gamble on this. The reestablishment of the Dragon’s Gate is very important. I do not have the necessary strength. If I just rely on the Supreme Sky Prime, I will not be able to suppress that group of people harboring malicious intents.”
“Pu ci!”
Before Ao Jiao could say anything more, Xiao Chen’s eighty-percent-comprehended saber soul surged out with a flicker from his forehead. The instant the eighty-percent-comprehended saber soul appeared, all the bladesmen on Heavenly Star Island felt a formless power setting the sabers in their hands atremble.
The saber intent that shot out buzzed endlessly.
Fortunately, this phenomenon ended as quickly as it began. The moment the saber soul came in contact with the seven Peak Grade Demon Fiend Rocks, the scattered saber intents immediately vanished.
Black fog surrounded the peak, and cold winds blew. A horrifying demon took form in the black fog. This strange phenomenon attracted the attention of all the cultivators around the mountain range.
“What’s going on? Why is there such terrifying Demonic Qi around the mountain peak where Xiao Chen is cultivating?”
“That demon is very horrifying. With just one glance, it made the darkness in my heart surge endlessly; I couldn’t restrain my killing intent.”