Demon Taming: Start by synthesizing a Lantern Ghost with Divine and Demonic Talents

Chapter 128, Part 127: The Sixth-Rank Black Lotus, the Heavenly Soul Returns to Its Place
Li Chunfeng gave up on deducing the third grade of the "Black Lotus Sutra of the Turbid World" because his level of understanding was too low.

He did not believe that his deductions could surpass the speculations of so many predecessors.

Having had experience with simulating "Void Walking," he knew that the more he prepared, the smoother the simulation would go and the less energy he would expend.

He could have gathered more materials before proceeding with the [Derivation Method].

Secondly, the third-grade black lotus is ultimately too simplistic, and using it now with the [Evolutionary Method] seems wasteful.

However, now that the technique had been triggered, Li Chunfeng did not want to waste any more time.

There are some spells related to the way of space that still need to be completed.

So he once again pulled out the Void Rune Set from his mind.

Human-level basic void runes, numbering three hundred and sixty cycles.

Spirit-rank Void Runes, number seventy-two Earthly Fiends.

Yellow-rank void runes, the number of the thirty-six Heavenly Generals.

The Xuan-level Void Runes represent the number fifty-five of Heaven and Earth.

When I accumulated enough to reach the Yellow Rank last time, I had already generated seven deducible routes.

He chose the third path: the Void Walk escape technique.

And with this void escape technique, his combat power was greatly enhanced.

Now that fortune is abundant again, the path of this method has changed, including the previous deductions.

I. Spatial Perception: "Echoes in an empty valley, ripples on still water." It can perceive changes in the surrounding space, thereby anticipating enemy attacks or detecting traces hidden in the void.

2. Mirror Flower Water Moon: Creates a mirror-like space that can confuse the enemy and also reflect some of the attack back.

3. Draw a circle on the ground as a prison: Create a spatial barrier that can trap enemies or be used to protect one's own side.

IV. Pocket Dimension: As the name suggests, it creates a small pocket dimension that can hold more items or provide a hiding place.

5. Void Shattering Blade: It can cut through space and can also be used for attack.

VI. The Heavenly Realm and the Sun and Moon: "Reflecting the heavenly realm and the sun and moon, let us not speak of the turmoil of the mortal world." Earthly Fiend Supernatural Power.

7. Taking things out of a bag: Allows the opening of a small, fixed space for moving objects, taking them out and putting them away at will. Earthly Fiend Supernatural Power.

8. Spatial Wormhole: A wormhole can be opened at any time within the same world, leading to a parallel, non-intersecting space, achieving instantaneous teleportation. Earthly Fiend Divine Power.

9. Celestial Vortex: Creates spatial gravitational turbulence, drawing surrounding objects and creatures into the center of the vortex for control and destruction. Earthly Fiend Divine Power.

10. Chaotic Revelation: Triggers spatial collapse, annihilating all matter and energy within a small area, resulting in a devastating blow. Earthly Fiend Divine Power.

Both are extremely attractive, but Li Chunfeng, having experienced the "walking in the void," knows that the beginning is easy but the end is difficult.

The prerequisite spell, [Spatial Awareness], cannot be avoided.

Otherwise, even if you walk in the void, it's like looking at the world through a veil. It's fine for normal travel, but once you enter a dangerous battle, inaccurate positioning is extremely unsafe.

Therefore, he prioritized the deduction of [spatial perception].

Judging from the progress of its calculations, it will not consume too much luck.

There is also room for maneuver in the subsequent arrangements.

Soon, they arrived near the second black lotus.

This is a fourth-grade black lotus, emanating a profound rhythm even stronger than that of a third-grade lotus. Just being near it evokes an impulse to be subservient to it, to want to prostrate oneself in worship.

The sea was silent. Li Chunfeng sat upright on the huge flat head of the Black Water Serpent, shifting his gaze from the fourth-grade black lotus. He slowly raised his head to look at the thin rosy clouds in the sky, and after gazing at them for a few moments, he closed his eyes and quietly recited the first three levels of the "Black Lotus Scripture of the Turbid World," a cultivation method for strengthening the soul.

"The soul resides in the divine aperture, which is the abode of all gods and the spiritual platform of all Buddhas. Visualize the black lotus, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, allowing it to flow into the crown of the head, inch by inch, until it merges with the soul..."

The illusion struck instantly, but Li Chunfeng remained focused on his spiritual platform. The light of his heart lamp and the green leaves of the soul tree shone brightly as he visualized the entire fourth-grade black lotus in his mind.

Floating like swirling snow in a flowing breeze, ethereal like light clouds veiling the moon. Numerous illusions, like a gentle breeze caressing the body, make one feel as if floating on air, like an immortal.

Cultivating the spirit involves visualization, stillness, and complete immersion. When the real becomes the fake, the fake becomes real; a single loss of focus can lead to utter destruction. The dangers of cultivation are greater than those of martial arts.

Fortunately, Li Chunfeng was experienced and had many helpers, so he didn't need to worry about external factors and could just focus on visualizing the lotus platform.

As he meditated, the fourth-grade black lotus was also disturbed by his aura, emitting an unknown substance that, along with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, was absorbed into his body. He didn't know how much time had passed; within his inner world, the thoughts of over 250,000 third-grade black lotuses shattered and reformed repeatedly. He felt utterly exhausted until finally, they transformed into fourth-grade black lotuses, no longer in bud form, but fully bloomed.

Each fourth-grade black lotus thought was radiating light, with purple rays of light shining like pillars on a section of the Heavenly Pool.

Like the many black lotuses in this Black Sea.

Li Chunfeng slowly opened his eyes. The number of spiritual thoughts in his mind had decreased rather than increased, and there were only a little over 200,000 left.

However, he felt that the power of his divine soul was even greater than before, and his progress in cultivating the second level of the "Black Lotus Sutra of the Turbid World" had increased by another level.

"Whoo~"

He lay wearily on his back on the Blackwater Serpent's head, touching its icy, hard scales that felt neither slippery nor smooth.

Spiritual practice is like fighting a war. Contemplating the black lotus in this way is nothing less than overthrowing one's past self and rebuilding order.

It's even more tiring than fighting.

"Hiss, shall we continue?"

The Blackwater Serpent uttered a questioning sound.

"Go! My journey has only just begun! I will trouble you, senior."

"Sigh~"

With a flick of its large tail, the Blackwater Serpent carried Li Chunfeng toward the next black lotus.

"Boom!"

A bolt of lightning exploded in the sky.

Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared over the Black Sea, transforming the once calm and still underground sea into a raging torrent. Then, a torrential downpour descended, turning the entire sea into a swirling mass. Visibility was severely obstructed, and the previous glimmers of light were no longer visible.

Li Chunfeng, protected by his divine sense shield, wasn't caught in the rain, but he discovered that the rainwater here possessed extremely strong corrosive properties. The drops falling onto the transparent shield actually created ripples.

He consumed more soul power than usual.

The Blackwater Serpent traversed the three-zhang-high waves as if walking on flat ground. Occasionally, it would suddenly accelerate, crashing into a giant wave tens of zhang high. A group of strange-looking manta rays chased after the waves, being thrown out of the spray. The serpent would swallow hundreds of them with a single gulp, while many others landed on its broad back.

This fish is so ugly that words cannot describe it.

Its most striking feature is the small lamp on its head that emits a purplish-black light, connected to the tentacles extending from the back of its head—its unique skill for luring and capturing sea creatures.

Li Chunfeng's heart stirred, and he used his 'mind's eye' to probe.

[Icescale Lanternfish: Spirit Fish, No Rank. Influenced by the aura of the Black Lotus of the Turbid World, it inherited the Black Lotus Spirit Fire talent. The Black Lotus Spirit Fire originates from an ancient and mysterious land, a strange fire formed by the intertwining of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and dark power. This fish has an extremely delicious taste; regular consumption can enhance dark talents.]

"Such a good thing."

He immediately reached out and his hand grabbed the giant fish from the void.

Although the Icescale Lanternfish has no rank, it possesses extraordinary strength; a mere flick of its tail can exert a force of at least ten thousand jin. If Li Chunfeng's Void Handprint hadn't already reached the 10th level of the Profound Rank, he might not have been able to catch it.

Before they rolled into the sea, they scooped them up in large quantities, catching more than thirty.

Upon arriving at the location of a fifth-grade black lotus, Li Chunfeng sensed a force field around him that was preventing any intelligent beings from getting close.

Fortunately, the Blackwater Serpent led the way, allowing him to reach the optimal meditation position.

However, this force field made his visualization even more difficult, and coupled with the harsh weather, it constantly disturbed his various fantasies.

Li Chunfeng spent three times as long visualizing this fifth-grade black lotus as before.

Whenever I was exhausted, I would lie down on the back of the black snake to rest.

When he had completely transformed all the divine soul thoughts in his inner world into a fifth-grade black lotus emitting a purplish-black light, there were no more than 200,000 divine soul thoughts left.

What troubled him was that he was clearly getting stronger.

However, when using the 'Heart Lamp Light and Shadow Embryo Treasury Great Barrier', it still consumed 33,333 divine soul thoughts, and the number did not decrease.

"So where exactly has my spiritual consciousness progressed? Is my direction of understanding correct?"

If it were someone else in this situation, they might have already fallen into a state of confusion and uncertainty.

Fortunately, Li Chunfeng still had the incomplete jade disc.

The large, gleaming gold characters on the jade disc clearly displayed his progress in the cultivation technique.

[Black Lotus Sutra of a Turbid World - Second Level: Level 6 → Level 7 (1588/7000)]

Characteristics: The Black Lotus Undying Soul, the Three Souls and Seven Spirits Combined, Divine Thought Transformed into Divine Consciousness, Condensing the Black Lotus Divine Embryo.

He had already sensed a mysterious connection, which was forming a close bond with the Black Lotus Undying Soul. It was the last of the three souls and seven spirits, the Heavenly Soul that was outside, stirring restlessly.

The Heavenly Soul, also known as the "Fetal Light," governs life. If it resides in the human body for a long time, it can make one feel refreshed and energetic, and prolong life.

The three souls are the trunk, and the seven spirits are the branches and leaves.

Now that the Black Lotus Undying Soul is nearing completion, it is eagerly summoning the Heavenly Soul back into its body, but it is still just a little short of completion.

Compared to the blessed land of the Dark Abyss Ruins, this Black Sea is the best sacred place to cultivate the "Black Lotus Scripture of the Turbid World". Even if he ultimately fails to comprehend the subsequent techniques of the "Black Lotus Scripture of the Turbid World", Li Chunfeng feels that this progress has been worthwhile.

Li Chunfeng felt he could still hold on, so he continued searching for the next black lotus.

During this time, he had completed the deduction of his 'spatial perception' spell.

I gained many insights into the void, and the newly acquired 'spatial perception', like 'void walking', is at the maximum level of Yellow Rank.

With this ability to perceive, Li Chunfeng was no longer blind when he entered the void and became invisible.

This spell is a hybrid of passive and active. When activated actively, it creates void vibrations, acting like sonar to detect all movement within the void. Like "echoes in an empty valley, ripples on still water," it can detect traces of the surrounding void over a wide area.

Even without activating spells, it can greatly enhance spatial awareness.

If he were to face the Void Shadow Wolf Demon Lich clone again now, he certainly wouldn't be in such a sorry state, at least he wouldn't be ambushed by the suddenly appearing figure.

The deduction of 'spatial perception' consumed about one-tenth of our luck.

The [Derivative Method] function can still be used.

Li Chunfeng did not act rashly, but instead refined another Xuan-rank spell advancement stone, raising [Spatial Perception] to the Xuan rank as well.

The Blackwater Serpent swam freely in the dark sea, as if it were swimming in its own backyard pool, precisely guiding Li Chunfeng to find the next Rank 6 Black Lotus on the ocean.

"Buzz!"

The powerful, invisible force field of the black lotus had already begun to affect Li Chunfeng from ten miles away.

When he got within a hundred meters of the Black Lotus, he felt an intense sense of pressure and even had difficulty breathing.

"Hiss, should we continue forward?"

Li Chunfeng breathed a sigh of relief. Just looking at this sixth-rank black-faced figure from a hundred meters away, he was already filled with fantasies and illusions.

How can one still practice visualization and meditation under such circumstances?
He was naturally unwilling to accept this.

"Such a rare opportunity, must we only be able to stop here in the end?"

With a thought, black mist surged around him, white bone masks intertwined on his face, and he was draped in a nightmare black robe, the wildfire-like hem of the robe dancing wildly in the wind.

He chose to merge with the lamp.

Once the Heavenly Rank Psychic Power Shield was activated, I immediately felt much more relaxed.

"Please come within another fifty meters."

With a flick of its long tail, the Black Water Serpent brought Li Chunfeng to the Black Lotus.

The heart lamp shone brightly, and the soul tree in the inner world grew taller and taller, its lush green branches blocking out the sun and shielding him from endless external disturbances.

A delicate fragrance lingers in the air, enveloping the soul.

Li Chunfeng had already exerted all his strength. He endured the immense pressure of the force field and the various illusions that arose from it, and began to carefully contemplate this sixth-grade black lotus.

Pain is the best way to stay awake.

Time passed slowly, and Li Chunfeng had completely abandoned external things. The grand examinations and the Qingyun Ranking seemed to have nothing to do with him anymore.

He only had eyes for this sixth-grade black lotus.

I don’t know how much time has passed.

A sudden tremor ran through the depths of his soul, waking him from his meditation.

With a quick thought, he immediately realized that this was his chance for a breakthrough.

His senses entered the inner world of the small realm, sank into the Black Lotus Undying Soul, and merged with the soul, feeling extremely excited.

"The soul is back!"

When he activated the Three Souls and Seven Spirits Unification Technique within his cultivation method, the entire inner world of his small inner realm suddenly trembled.

All their thoughts and emotions were filled with joy and excitement, as if they were welcoming the happiest day, or as if all the good things were happening at once: a long-awaited rain after a drought, meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the wedding night, and passing the imperial examination.

In this joyful state of mind, the Heavenly Soul naturally appeared and naturally merged with the other souls.

Li Chunfeng felt a jolt, and a sense of fulfillment welled up within him.

A brand new sky lantern was lit above the soul's head.

The Heavenly Soul, Earthly Soul, and Life Soul gather together, and the three lamps converge at the top.

This means that he has officially reached the late stage of the Burning Lamp Realm.

The fusion of the Heavenly Souls was like a comet falling into the sea, stirring up a violent whirlwind of soul energy throughout the entire inner world.

Waves surged in the Moonlit Heavenly Pool at the very center, and the Bodhi Soul Tree emitted a rich sandalwood fragrance. All the thoughts and ideas of the divine souls were undergoing subtle changes, becoming more and more perfect and more and more brilliant.

The cracked inner walls of the divine apertures are also being repaired rapidly. At this rate of recovery, it won't be long before they are completely healed.

The fusion of the Heavenly Soul also brought about a surge in one's own divine soul thoughts.

His soul power increased by another 30%, and what he had previously lost was regained, even more than before. Moreover, each of these newly formed divine soul thoughts was a full, crystalline fifth-grade black lotus shape, emitting a purplish-black light.

With his three souls and seven spirits united, Li Chunfeng's lifespan also increased. If he remained healthy and free from illness and disaster, he could live to be three hundred years old.

This is the greatest advantage that cultivators of the Divine Soul have over those who rely on martial arts.

The effects of the late stage of the Burning Lamp Realm are enormous. The most obvious one is that Li Chunfeng suddenly found that the pressure brought by the sixth-grade black lotus had been reduced by more than half.

Li Chunfeng was overjoyed. He quietly recited the calming mantra to suppress his wandering thoughts and returned to meditation.

The visualization process, which was originally thought to be far off, is now progressing rapidly.

Once the image of the sixth-grade black lotus was fully visualized in his mind, his cultivation progress in the "Black Lotus Sutra of the Turbid World" had reached level 8.

The divine thoughts derived from the soul's thoughts become more tangible, like light and lightning. With a single thought, an area of ​​three hundred feet in radius is within perception.

The divine thought underwent a subtle transformation, evolving into divine consciousness, increasing its power by more than 50%.

Finally, once the Black Lotus Undying Soul is completely condensed into a Black Lotus Divine Embryo, the Burning Lamp Realm will be at its peak.

Afterwards, the Blackwater Serpent carried Li Chunfeng to the deeper reaches of the Black Sea, where they witnessed many strange sights. Enormous creatures hidden in the depths of the sea even leaped out of the water, attempting to challenge the Blackwater Serpent's majesty. However, the Blackwater Serpent flicked its long tail, swatting them back into the sea like flies, creating towering waves.

Li Chunfeng escaped unharmed.

He had thought that the black lotus would be grade 7 this time, but instead, a grade 8 black lotus stood tall on the distant sea.

The dazzling purplish-black beam of light, like a divine fire, illuminated the surrounding area for hundreds of miles.

Led by the Black Water Serpent, Li Chunfeng successfully reached a mile away from the eighth-grade Black Lotus, but could no longer venture deeper.

I felt quite regretful, knowing that this trip should end here.

He was quite reluctant to leave, but he remembered this Black Sea.

The questions that Headmaster Qi Qianxun left him no longer needed to be considered.

He will continue to cultivate the "Black Lotus Sutra of the Turbid World," so he will definitely not be able to go to the Imperial Academy of Biyou Palace.

Xu Changliu appreciated the kindness, but could only apologize to him.

When Li Chunfeng returned to the karst cave on the coast, he chose to read the "Black Lotus Sutra of a Turbid World" written by others.

But merely watching doesn't lead to deep understanding.

Or rather, it's about inputting more material into the 'incomplete jade disc'.

All the techniques of the "Black Lotus Sutra of the Turbid World" are similar in their first three levels.

It was only from the fourth level of the technique that disagreements gradually arose.

It's like a thousand people, a thousand faces. If you show the same item to a thousand people and ask them what it is, you'll get a thousand different answers.

The previous techniques were mostly at the fourth or fifth level, clearly meant for beginners with shallow cultivation to comprehend.

On the stone steps, there are also many people's reflections and comments.

After reaching the seventh level of the technique, the quantity decreased sharply.

The medium for recording the techniques also changed from books with gold and jade leaves to special stone carvings, and some were even written on the rock walls on both sides.

They are all written in etched script, with densely packed, very small characters that are difficult to decipher without careful observation.

But the fact that it's written here proves that it wasn't just randomly written.

Seventh level of exercises, eight levels of exercises, eighth level, eighth level, ninth level, ninth level, ninth level... tenth level? ?

Tenfold cultivation technique, is it real or fake?
Li Chunfeng immediately went to the place where the ten levels of the cultivation technique were recorded, and found that the medium was a thick tortoise shell. The first nine levels of the technique were written in etched script, but the tenth level was written in chaotic lines that he couldn't understand at all.

At this point, he undoubtedly needed a teacher to guide him.

The old man was no longer there; perhaps he knew Li Chunfeng was full of questions and was deliberately avoiding him.

Unable to do so, he barely managed to memorize these techniques.

Led by the Black Serpent, they returned to the ground.

(End of this chapter)