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

Chapter 186: The Pursuit

"Senior, are there any demonic beasts around here?" Xingling asked softly from within the somersault cloud.

"There is none within a radius of 60,000 meters."

Xingling stuck out her tongue inwardly and complimented, "Senior is amazing."

Relieved, she looked up to confirm the sun's position and then directed the somersault cloud: "Let's fly north."

Li Chunfeng reached out and guided a wisp of seven-colored cloud into Xingling's hand. "This cloud is called Somersault Cloud. It has a spirit. You can use this wisp of cloud to guide it to fly somewhere."

Xingling squeezed the colorful cloud in her hand strangely, "Oh, then I'll talk to the Somersault Cloud."

When she probed the cloud with her spiritual sense, she discovered a lively thought. Immediately, as if she had found something interesting, she began to manipulate the somersault cloud to fly around.

Li Chunfeng glanced at her briefly and then ignored her.

He instructed the Taiyi Protector to sit cross-legged in the Somersault Cloud and diligently cultivate the Foundation Establishment Chapter (10th to 18th levels) of the Nine Revolutions Chaotic Intent Sword Body Technique.

As one practices this method for a longer period of time, its difficulty becomes more clearly apparent.

With a spiritual strength comparable to that of a Yin God Realm cultivator, he should have made rapid progress in cultivating the Qi Refining Technique of the Foundation Establishment Chapter, but his daily progress could only be described as barely passable.

It takes about ten days to half a month to advance one level.

This speed is something that people like Han Fan wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Li Chunfeng, however, was not satisfied.

He began using the captured mid-grade source stones to aid his cultivation, and his speed increased dramatically, advancing one level in almost every three to five days.

The spiritual energy contained within mid-grade source stones is pure and refined, making them extremely rare cultivation resources. Even the demon race of the Myriad Demon Realm wouldn't easily use mid-grade source stones as currency. In the Myriad Demon Realm, the exchange rate between high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade source stones is approximately 100.

However, exchanging inferior items for mid-grade items often fails to achieve the desired result.

Not to mention top-grade Originium.

High-grade source stones are all kept by powerful demon races.

Li Chunfeng discovered that this was only the Foundation Establishment stage of the cultivation technique, and that each advancement in the technique required an enormous amount of resources.

The tenth level of the technique requires thousands of mid-grade source stones, equivalent to tens of thousands of low-grade source stones.

This kind of consumption is simply unbelievable.

The eleventh level requires twice as many resources.

The sheer amount of energy required is something most people can't handle.

The initial stage is manageable, but the path to immortality is long, and each step forward requires double the energy expenditure. If this continues, with the energy increasing at a doubling rate, let alone reaching the later stage, even if one barely manages to reach the middle stage, the result will be an unimaginable astronomical figure.

Even those cultivation families that have passed down their skills for generations would probably find it extremely difficult.

It could even be said that the gains outweighed the losses; such expenditure would have been enough to cultivate many other outstanding disciples.

"And these are just the problems discovered in the early stages of cultivation. There will definitely be far more problems in the later stages, and there may be even more demanding and difficult conditions."

But just thinking about it, this technique can compensate for what is lacking and improve one's swordsmanship aptitude.

It doesn't seem so unbearable.

"But Han Fan doesn't have a wood-type spiritual root, so his spiritual root aptitude is definitely much worse than mine. Will cultivating this technique achieve the desired results?"

Li Chunfeng couldn't help but wonder how Han Fan had cultivated to the Golden Core Realm.
He was stunned for a moment, feeling that the road ahead was bleak and that the path of Qi cultivation seemed extremely difficult.

Having a knot in your heart is like having a fishbone stuck in your throat.

But he quickly realized that if the 'Nine Revolutions Chaos Sword Body' could be easily mastered, it would lose its meaning. The more difficult the road ahead, the more extraordinary it is. Going against the current, scaling cliffs, and traversing abysses, he would go as far as he could, and perhaps he could even look towards the summit.

Walking in the wilderness.

Ancient trees reach for the sky, presenting a primeval scene. Even from a distance, one can hear deafening roars of monstrous beasts, and faintly hear waves of ominous aura. Strange, ferocious birds can also be seen circling in the sky, their bodies several meters long and enormous.

"Sister Xingling, there are lots of spiritual herbs and trees there, let's fly over there!"

Taiyi's childish voice rang out, tugging at Xingling's sleeve and pointing in a certain direction.

Xingling blinked, and unconsciously took on the role of the older sister amidst the cute way the dragonfish addressed her, "Are you sure, little Taiyi?"

"Mmm." Taiyi, dressed as a young Taoist disciple, nodded affirmatively.

Xingling, half-believing and half-doubting, guided the somersault cloud over, and soon discovered a large area of ​​rare spiritual trees and herbs. The lowest quality items were at least third-tier, and she was overjoyed.

Just as Xingling was about to go down to pick some, she saw Taiyi instantly land among the spiritual trees and begin cultivating.

Immediately, the life force of the spirit tree was drained at a speed visible to the naked eye. Above where he was cultivating, a huge vortex was formed, and the celestial phenomena were changed. A phantom of a divine dragon appeared and disappeared.

Xing Ling was stunned for a moment before realizing that it was this little Taoist boy who had rescued her from the demonic bird's mouth by unleashing that Azure Thunder Dragon Claw.

He looks like a little boy, but he is actually a powerful demon general. It's truly astonishing.

Xingling couldn't help but reflect on whether she had been disrespectful to Taiyi these past few days. Fortunately, she was a polite and well-behaved child.

The wilderness is rich in resources, but dangers lurk everywhere.

Along the way, they continuously collected rare spiritual herbs and trees, often venturing into places rich in spiritual energy despite the dangers. Fortunately, none of the demonic beasts guarding the spiritual herbs they encountered were a match for Taiyi.

They added dinner to his meal out of thin air.

Li Chunfeng entered a period of seclusion, and Taiyi, not wanting to disturb him, was having a great time playing with Xingling.

But the further north you go, the more places brimming with spiritual energy you find. Majestic peaks rise one after another, and endless forests stretch out before you. Some of the ancient trees are astonishing, their canopies soaring into the sky, reaching thousands of meters high, even taller than some of the mountains themselves, blocking out the sun. As for the vines, their age is unknown, and several adults cannot encircle them as they grow, twining around the mountains like powerful, writhing dragons.

Some spiritually rich places are comparable to the blessed lands of the Earthly Realm, while others are unclaimed and filled with countless spiritual plants, all of which Taiyi has absorbed to his heart's content.

Some areas are occupied by powerful ferocious birds and monsters, many of which are ancient and strange species that are extremely difficult to deal with.

The Zapdos, slicing through the sky with intense golden light, left a deep impression on them.

The Scaled Ape King, covered in scales and leaping over a hundred meters high from the mountain peak, deeply impressed them.

However, if he encounters an ancient, strange creature that even Taiyi cannot defeat, he still has a way to deal with it. —Calling for the Burning Lamp Brothers.

Several days later, Li Chunfeng reached the twelfth level of cultivation.

He ran out of mid-grade Originium and began to use high-grade Originium extravagantly.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in high-grade source stones is more refined and pure, to the point that it can be transformed into one's own true energy with just a little refining, without the need for further refining.

Li Chunfeng advanced to the thirteenth level in just one day.

Then, the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth... levels were forced to end the seclusion.

His superior source stones were also completely used up.

He then woke up and looked at this unfamiliar place, a look of doubt on his face. "Xingling, are you sure this is the right direction?"

Xingling was taken aback at first, then jumped high: "Senior, are you doubting my sense of direction? This is an insult to my character, the greatest insult! I am a Star Spirit! My ancestors once guided other spirit races in the star sea. Identifying directions is the most basic ability of the Star Spirit."

These past few days together have made the girl feel less of a stranger to Li Chunfeng. After becoming familiar with Taiyi and Randeng, she has plenty to eat and drink, and can even roam around killing powerful monsters under the guise of their power. She couldn't be happier, and now she even dares to yell and shout at Li Chunfeng.

Li Chunfeng glanced at the jumping-up spirit girl, and Xing Ling immediately shut up.

The girl puffed out her cheeks and said weakly, "The Star Guiding Technique points in this direction, right?"

She was clearly uncertain as well.

Although Li Chunfeng was in seclusion, he was well aware of the situation outside. He said, "Have you noticed that as we travel north, the terrain is getting higher and higher, the river channels are getting narrower and narrower, and we are seeing more and more corpses along the way? I have a feeling that the further we go, the more dangerous it becomes."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Xingling looked down at the somersault cloud with surprise. With her divine sense, it was clear that she could not keep track of all the changes in terrain along the way.

Xingling was a little flustered. "Senior, please wait a moment. I... I am not a useless person. I still have a 'Starry Sky Eye' spell that can reflect the terrain of the wasteland. But this spell consumes a lot of star power, so please protect me, senior."

"Try it out and see."

To demonstrate her value and prove that she wasn't just eating and drinking for free, the girl took a deep breath and quickly made hand seals with a serious expression.

Li Chunfeng's senses fell upon her, and he clearly felt the surging star power within her. The spell's wind-up time was quite long, no wonder he was taking it so seriously.

A moment later, starlight suddenly flashed, and a undulating mountain topographic map appeared before them.

It's still a 3D map.

It shares a similar concept with Li Chunfeng's "Heart Light Halo," but its scope is significantly broader than that of the Heart Light Halo.

But it lacks the exquisite detail of reality illuminated by the lamplight.

"Whoo~"

Xingling breathed a sigh of relief, her aura somewhat weak.

"Senior, please take a look. This is a rough topographical map of this desolate region. The Northern Wilderness is a vast world, its length and width unknown to millions of miles. Its mountains and rivers are teeming with countless demonic beasts. Since ancient times, the entire Northern Wilderness has been the territory of the demon race, with more demons than spirits in the world. If the Spirit Realm is a world jointly ruled by the spirit and demon races, then the Northern Wilderness is ruled by the demon race."

"Over the years, if it weren't for the emergence of some extraordinary figures among my Spirit Clan, the Spirit Clan people might still be food for demons. These extraordinary figures, who have slaughtered gods and demon gods, have spent countless hours to carve out a vast area in this Northern Wilderness world for the Spirit Clan people to live in."

"This desolate region was once the battlefield where powerful spirit race warriors fought against demon gods in ancient times. Therefore, many mountain ranges are said to be the transformations of powerful demon gods. Senior, do you think the mountain range we are in resembles a snake?"

Li Chunfeng looked closely and saw that it was winding and twisting like a dragon or snake.

But most mountains look like this, and I'm not a feng shui expert, so using analogy here isn't appropriate.

Xingling said, "This should be a branch of the Panlong Mountain Range. Panlong Mountain is the center of the Northern Wilderness. We're heading north, and the direction to the far north is Panlong Mountain. I understand now. Could that star beast have headed towards Panlong Mountain?"

"It's over, it's over. If we really go to the Panlong Mountains, our plan will fall through. But the Star Guiding Technique is definitely pointing in this direction. Look at this line, it follows the river. Could the Star Beast be traveling by water..."

Xingling pointed to a thin line on the star map with a startled expression, showing it to Taiyi and Randeng, who were staring wide-eyed.

Li Chunfeng memorized the star chart and ignored the girl's loud and boisterous explanations.

He regained control of the Somersault Cloud and, following the direction indicated by the Star Guiding Technique, used the 'Colorful Cloud Escape Technique,' causing the Somersault Cloud to surge forward at breakneck speed to catch up.

This time, they were traveling at full speed, more than ten times faster than when they were traveling at a leisurely pace before.

According to Xingling, the closer he gets to the Panlong Mountains, the more likely he is to reach the perilous central mountain range of the Northern Wilderness in about six months, provided he continues his journey without dying at the hands of demonic beasts.

Along the way, Li Chunfeng deliberately avoided powerful auras. After more than three days, they finally reached the end of the river. The lush green forest in front of them was gone, replaced by a vast expanse of yellow earth cliffs, a stark contrast to the scenery he had traveled through, as if they were two completely different worlds.

Looking at the strange scene ahead, Li Chunfeng stopped his somersault cloud and, with a thought, used a restriction formation within the cloud to conceal the aura of the people inside.

It then transformed into an inconspicuous white cloud and slowly drifted inside.

The terrain along the way went higher and higher, but the steep cliffs on both sides became narrower and narrower. Li Chunfeng ran for nearly a hundred kilometers without seeing a single trace of a demon beast. This had never happened before in all the days they had been searching for a way out.

Li Chunfeng traveled for another half an hour and saw that ahead lay a narrow canyon, with towering mountains on both sides reaching into the clouds. The towering mountains clearly emanated powerful auras. Li Chunfeng did not traverse the high mountains, but instead rode his somersault cloud, blending into the clouds, and slowly drifted into the narrow canyon. However, as he crossed the mountains, he was astonished to see that the entire land ahead was a vast expanse of white, like a wild forest after a heavy snowfall. The pristine white snow shimmered and sparkled under the sunlight, a truly beautiful sight.

"Wow, so much snow! Did it snow heavily here not long ago?"

Xingling asked curiously, "But it's still a long way from the winter month, so why is it snowing?"

Li Chunfeng glanced at it and said, "This isn't snow. Didn't you notice the temperature hasn't dropped?"

"Huh?" Xingling peeked out from the clouds, looking bewildered.

"Stupid!"

Taiyi threw a meat bone down, and with a "whoosh," the entire meat bone instantly sank into the snow.

“This is certainly not snow, these are all ashes, the ashes of the demon race and the spirit race!” Taiyi said.

"What?" Xingling was stunned for a moment.

"Perhaps we've found the right place."

With a wave of his hand, Li Chunfeng entered a pale, desolate world.

(End of this chapter)