Chapter 3：Celestial Devil Tempering

Two days later, Ji Mo dragged his lethargic body back to Tianyuan Academy.

It was a strange development of events. Earlier, he had been injured by a punch from Nan Hao. However, once the ancient cauldron entered Ji Mo's body, he realized that the wound on his back had recovered on its own as if he had consumed some sort of spiritual medicine. Ji Mo gasped at the miraculous properties of the cauldron. It seemed like he was in luck.

'Capability. Nan Hao was so arrogant towards me because of his capability. Obviously, I can't go on like this. Without capability, anyone can bully me. My clan might be influential, but they can't help me forever. I must rely on myself if I want to be a greater man.'

After this deadly pursuit which lasted for several days, Ji Mo finally got his first taste of hopelessness and his first near-death experience. Nonetheless, it was because of this pursuit that he now understood this concept.

"Du Jia…" A feminine silhouette appeared in his mind's eye. Ji Mo immediately clenched his fists. "I can't believe you betrayed me and got someone to kill me for the Nine Suns True Qi. Damn you!"

Inhaling a deep breath, he shoved his frustrations to the back of his mind. Now, what he wanted to do was to figure out what that little cauldron was instead of brooding.

He headed straight for his residence. He did not live in Tianyuan Academy but in a small town nearby. Specifically. He lived in a little courtyard located in a serene area.

When he was back in his room, Ji Mo sat cross-legged on his bed and scrutinized the condition of his body. The ancient little cauldron remained still within his tanzhong and nothing extraordinary occurred. Although the cauldron harbored the Nine Suns True Qi, at the moment, Ji Mo was only at the third tier of the Acupuncture Point Unblocking Phase, so he could not use the Nine Suns True Qi at all.

Presently, Ji Mo was cultivating the Tiger Leopard Tempering Art, which was an intermediate Body Tempering Art. It might not be as powerful as the Dragon Elephant Tempering Art that Nan Hao cultivated, but once this Body Tempering Art had been successfully cultivated, he would attain the strength of a ferocious tiger and the agility of a leopard.

Ji Mo's will shifted and touched the cauldron. He wanted to see whether he could remove that object from his body.

Nevertheless, as soon as his will touched the cauldron, an unusual pulse resonated from within the ancient object. This strange pulse was like a message which penetrated his mind. As he was cast in a daze, he seemed to notice a woman.

It was a woman in a green dress. She was lying on a jade-colored bed and her back was facing Ji Mo, thus her face could not be seen. However, judging by her curvy figure, he concluded that she must be an Immortal. A light aura of sorrow emanated from this female Immortal, causing one to feel sympathy for her.

A voice appeared in Ji Mo's mind. "I couldn't fulfill my wish in the end…"

"The path of Immortality is obscure. However, this is what happens at the end of the path. I failed and didn't succeed in the end. I'll use my flesh and blood to craft the Heavenly Cauldron and store the Nine Suns Immortal Qi within it. Then, it'll be sent to the Mortal Realm. I hope someone will use it properly in the future."

"The Nine Suns Immortal Qi!" Ji Mo exclaimed, "I can't believe this is the Qi of Immortals and Spirits. Only the fabled Realm of Immortals and Spirits can nurture the Nine Suns Immortal Qi. I remember reading about it in an ancient book. Many years ago, a cultivator who had failed in the Ascension Stage got a peek of the Nine Suns Immortal Qi just before his death. The Qi is a pure form of Immortal Qi which came from the Realm of Immortals and Spirits. By relying on the Nine Suns Immortal Qi, the man underwent a transformation, attained a True Body, broke through the void and left the Mortal Realm."

In spite of Ji Mo's aversion towards cultivation, he was knowledgeable about the bizarre side of the cultivation world. He knew several versions of the story behind the Nine Suns Immortal Qi.

Never did he expect that this tiny cauldron would harbor the Nine Suns Immortal Qi. It was something that came from the Realm of Immortals and Spirits and did not belong to the Mortal Realm.

"The Heavenly Cauldron mustn't be visible here. The only way is to hide it in the Mortal Realm, but mortals are unable to control the Nine Suns Immortal Qi. If one isn't careful, it will destroy him. Therefore, I've sealed this Celestial Hell technique within the cauldron. Celestial Hell evolved from the Path of Hell and it can control the Nine Suns Immortal Qi. Whoever intends to cultivate Celestial Hell must first cultivate the Celestial Devil Tempering Art. Once the Celestial Devil's Body is cultivated, he can control the Nine Suns Immortal Qi!"

The voice and the scene disappeared. The figure of the woman in green dissolved into thin air.

At the same time, a huge message materialized in Ji Mo's mind. It forced itself into his head violently and nearly caused Ji Mo to falter and pass out. In a split second, he was covered in sweat and felt as if his head was about to burst.

Fortunately, the message integrated itself into his mind very quickly. An unforgettable memory imprinted itself there and it was the miraculous technique known as Celestial Hell and the Celestial Devil Tempering Art the woman mentioned earlier.

Ji Mo exhaled a long sigh of relief. His heart was beating with excitement.

He had neither heard nor seen a technique that could control the Qi of Immortals and Spirits.

The Nine Suns Immortal Qi was a True Qi of the Realm of Immortals and Spirits. No matter how impressive techniques of the Mortal Realm were, they could not control True Qi of Immortals and Spirits at all unless it was the legendary Miraculous Technique of Immortals and Spirits. Only experts from the Realm of Immortals and Spirits could do that, coupled with the cultivation of the Miraculous Technique of Immortals.

Ji Mo could not believe that such an item would fall into his hands. If other people learned that he possessed this Miraculous Technique, he would likely be pursued relentlessly. Everybody, including experts of the cultivation world, hungered for the Miraculous Technique of Immortals and Spirits and would do anything to obtain the technique.

"The Path of Hell suppresses everything in existence and uses one's lifeblood to transform him into a Celestial Force of Hell and take the form of a Celestial Devil, and his flesh will craft a scorching Hell. Hell is me and I am Hell, and those who betray me shall be condemned to Hell for eternity!"

Each word in those two sentences roared in Ji Mo's mind until he felt dizzy. It took him more than ten minutes to regain his senses.

It was the summary of Celestial Hell.

"This is the Celestial Force of Hell! How mighty, how brutal! I am Hell and Hell is me. I've never heard of this technique before!"

Hell was a mythical and mysterious place. Countless vicious Devils were suppressed in Hell, and even Immortals and Spirits were suppressed there. In the end, they were corrupted by the Qi of Hell and transformed into Celestial Devils who could tear through the skies.

Celestial Devil was a terrifying name. It represented extreme might and extreme evil. They were the Devils of Hell. The appearance of a Celestial Devil would spell disaster for the world.

Ji Mo spent the whole day digesting this information. Gradually, he understood his current situation. With his present third-tier Acupuncture Point Unblocking Phase, he would not be able to cultivate Celestial Hell and control the Nine Suns Immortal Qi. What he had to do now was to cultivate the Celestial Devil Tempering Art. Doing so would allow him to cultivate Celestial Hell and gain the immense strength of the Celestial Force of Hell.

He was not sure which level the Celestial Devil Tempering Art belonged to, but if he could cultivate the Celestial Devil's Body with it, so it must be an advanced technique.

"Hmm…If I want to switch to cultivating the Celestial Devil Tempering Art, I must get rid of the Dragon Tiger Tempering Art. The cultivation summary states that the Celestial Devil Tempering Art requires one to spend a huge amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. In other words, I must have sufficient spiritual medicine. What a pain! I hate taking medicine." Ji Mo rubbed his temples as he spoke.

A stage where the cultivator has to go through many trials and challenges before ascending to a greater level.