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

Chapter 194: The Scorpion Transformation, the Dragon Horns Rise
Greed leads to ruin.

Li Chunfeng's current cultivation tasks are already very heavy.

Fortunately, he was very clear about priorities.

The reason I took the risk of cultivating the ancient Qi Refining Method was precisely to improve my swordsmanship aptitude.

Sharpening knives does not miss woodcutters.

Now, his swordsmanship aptitude has been raised to the level of Earth Spirit Root, and the effect is very obvious.

The profound mysteries of the two supernatural-level sword techniques, whether it is the "Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Nourishing Mind Sword Technique" or the "Azure Star River Sword Technique," which were previously impossible to comprehend, can now be grasped with a little serious thought.

This feeling is just amazing.

It's like a blockhead suddenly having an epiphany.

Li Chunfeng was not a proponent of "aptitude-based theory," but those with exceptional aptitude can easily achieve results in a certain field that require ten times the effort of others, making rapid progress. You have to admit the importance of aptitude.

Currently, his sword aptitude is only at the Earth-grade spiritual root level, far inferior to the likes of Li Chang'an (Innate Sword Body) and Wen Xiangzhu (Innate Sword Saint Body).

But with hope in sight, the path to becoming a swordsmanship genius is not far off.

Perhaps one doesn't need to cultivate the "Nine Revolutions Chaotic Intent Sword Body Technique" to a very high level to elevate their sword aptitude to the level of a Heavenly Spiritual Root. If Han Fan attempts to use this technique to control him, he is making a grave mistake.

Li Chunfeng also took the opportunity to review what he had learned.

Especially the main cultivation techniques.

The current martial arts body-refining manual, "The Chaotic Ancient Demon Embryo Scripture," contains a "Qi and Blood Demon Embryo," making cultivation progress even faster than before.

He had already progressed very quickly with the "Black Lotus Sutra of the Turbid World," and he had the shortcut of giving back to his ancestors by lighting lamps, so he had never worried about it.

He had almost given up on the "Night God Breathing Technique," but as he entered the Core Formation Realm, the progress of this soul martial arts technique was surprisingly fast.

With improved swordsmanship aptitude, mastering two divine-level sword techniques will be a piece of cake.

Now that I'm in the Spirit Realm, there's no need to rush. Just practice your sword skills regularly.

Therefore, Li Chunfeng tended to shift his focus in his future cultivation to the "Star Soul Bone", "Nine Transformations of the Celestial Stars", and "Star Devouring - Stellar Body Refining Method".

All three are interconnected and extremely important.

The 'Star Soul Bone' body tempering and bone refining is merely a byproduct; its essence lies in the inheritance of the ancient Bone Spirit Empire.

It is about cultivating the soul and bones.

The soul is the key.

The latter, the "Star Devouring Manual," is based on star power that is more relevant to refining the stellar magic weapon, the "Heavenly Starship."

Li Chunfeng intends to go to Dongzhou to bring back Mosquito Daoist, and the opportunity will most likely fall on this Starry Sky Magic Treasure.

You have to put in a lot of hard work.

Thinking of this, Li Chunfeng took out the sixth-order Star Lion Horned Beast Star Crystal.

Since he was not in the Earthly Realm at the moment, he could not detect what kind of stellar magic seed was contained in this sixth-order star crystal. Compared to the seed, he was more concerned about the vast stellar power within the star crystal, so he decided to refine it and transform it into his own strength.

He immediately activated the Star Devouring Technique to refine the star crystal.

The star power, which originated from the same source as the Star Lion Horned Beast, was rapidly refined, and Li Chunfeng's physique became increasingly powerful.

The games "Star Soul Bone" and "Nine Transformations of Stars" are linked to it.

Within the 108 bone orifices that had been opened, the surging stellar power began to slowly condense into star cores.

The first of the Nine Transformations of the Stars is the Scorpio Transformation, in which the seven constellations of the Azure Dragon in the East shine exceptionally brightly.

Li Chunfeng felt that many acupoints in his body were faintly mirroring the celestial phenomena in the sky.

Among them are more than a dozen bone acupoints, but most are other acupoints in the physical body, involving a total of 128 acupoints.

Li Chunfeng was immediately moved. He channeled his divine soul, harnessing the immense power of stars, blood, and true essence, and rushed towards the unopened acupoints.

"Mwah~"

After a series of explosions within his body, Li Chunfeng actually managed to open up many acupoints by using the surging star power of the sixth-order star crystal.

"Om~"

With a thought, Li Chunfeng unleashed a series of sixth-grade black lotus divine soul thoughts, instantly forming a massive nebula in the sky.

A giant scorpion appeared in this nebula.

This scorpion, composed of thoughts, draws in boundless stellar power that adheres to it, like some mysterious star array in the universe.

"Scorpio Star Array, Primordial Starry Sky, Unity of Heaven and Man, Nine Transformations of the Stars! Scorpio Transformation, unleash!"

As the thought arose, a vast expanse of starlight, like a cloud, suddenly appeared in the sky. Within the nebula, a scorpion bared its fangs and claws, seemingly a tyrant ruling over billions of stars.

In the distant depths of the universe, a starry sky suddenly seemed to open up, revealing a real nebula with many stars shining, seemingly forming a giant scorpion.

The stellar power of the Scorpio constellation, composed of stars, was drawn down, and the starlight and the thoughts of the Scorpio transformation completely merged.

Empowered by the power of the stars, the Star Scorpion within the Nebula Array suddenly emitted a ferocious aura of a domineering ruler who roamed the universe and dominated billions of stars. The "Scorpion," a combination of power and ferocity, let out a piercing long cry, its long tail flashing with lightning-fast barbs.

The Star Scorpion's barb is enormous, stretching for miles and as thick as a bucket. The barb is covered in crystalline light, shimmering blue and constantly trembling, emitting a buzzing sound.

Before the hook could even make its mark, bursts of starlight erupted in all directions, like countless sharp flying swords, enveloping all the mountain peaks.

"Boom~"

Starlight scattered, and the mountain peak was riddled with countless holes before collapsing with a deafening roar.

"Such power..."

Li Chunfeng was taken aback. This Scorpion Transformation was incredibly powerful and costly, consuming over 77,000 divine soul thoughts. It was an absolute divine power-level attack.

He still underestimated the inheritance bestowed upon Lu Yun'er by her maternal grandfather.

This is hardly some kind of immortal cultivation technique; it's clearly a divine-level spell. Every strike is an application of the laws of the stars. If Li Chunfeng can comprehend even a fraction of it in the future, its power will be even more unpredictable.

If he had mastered this Stellar Transformation technique before the battle with the Abyss Giant, he wouldn't have had to fight so hard.

With all the sixth-order star crystals consumed, Li Chunfeng unsurprisingly failed to refine a single rune, but the primordial star power contained within them was completely depleted.

【Star Soul Bone: High-grade Heavenly Rank, Level 6 (56%)】

[Zhou Tian Xing Chen Nine Transformations Technique: Current Realm, First Transformation, Scorpio Transformation (68%)]

【Star Devouring - Stellar Body Refinement Method: Star Core (13%)】

There are 206 acupoints in the body (108 bone acupoints + 98 spiritual acupoints), but some of these acupoints have not yet formed star cores.

After doing all this, Li Chunfeng knew it was time for him to leave the temporary cave dwelling where he had lived for several months.

As for the 'Starlight Cleansing' method, it requires the Other Shore Flower, the unicorn horn of the Star Beast, and the Strange Snail Worm.

The first two are ready, but the Strange Snail Worm is nowhere to be found.

Li Chunfeng set up a simple bewitching array around the ash of the spider lily.

In fact, monsters instinctively seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. Knowing that the alluring red spider lily is poisonous, they generally dare not even approach it.

This was simply to prevent foolish monsters from accidentally wandering in and damaging the flower field.

After doing all this, Li Chunfeng immediately opened his mouth and spat out a five-colored cloud, which swirled around him once before transforming into a five-colored somersault cloud.

With a cloud-like movement, it instantly transformed into a five-colored beam of light and disappeared into the valley.

A strangely shaped mountain, with two giant rock peaks winding upwards, together forming two towering gateways to the mountain.

Located in a valley between these two mountain peaks is the ancestral home of the famous Dragonhorn Spirit Clan.

The village houses, large and small, are scattered in a pleasing, staggered pattern. Tall men, women, and children occasionally appear; most of the men are shirtless, wearing only leather trousers that reveal their strong muscles and the spiritual patterns etched on their skin. Whenever they pass a stream or waterfall halfway up the mountain, they respectfully bow.

Beside the waterfall pool, there sits a stone house that is clearly older than the other buildings.

At this moment, the area in front of the stone house was crowded with people of all ages, while various noises could be heard coming from inside the ancient stone house.

"The shaman's health is deteriorating; he may not last much longer. Hasn't a new shaman arrived yet?"

“Everyone in the tribe has been tested eight times, but not a single one has the talent of a shaman.”

"Are we really going to entrust this to an outsider?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Taiichi and Princess Xingling are not far away."

An old man, smoking a large pipe and covered in totem-like spiritual patterns, listened to the argument and tapped his pipe hard. "Then what should we do? I've told you all before that you should open your minds, not be bound by bloodline talents, and absorb more other spirit races into our race, but you just wouldn't listen. The reason we're in this situation now is because our bloodlines are too close, causing each generation to be worse than the last."

A silence fell over the room. After a while, someone suggested, "Why don't we ask that dragonfish when the new shaman will arrive?"

"Cough cough~"

At that moment, a clear cough came from a cave dwelling against the mountain wall inside the house.

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the entire venue.

"Come in, everyone."

An old voice came from inside the house.

The curtain inside was lifted, and the spirit shaman Jiao Xuan, dressed in a black robe, was helped out by a man over three and a half meters tall, with a scar on his face, bare-chested, wearing leather pants, extremely burly, and with long black hair. He had a pair of long horns about a foot long resembling bull horns on his head, a long beard like dragon whiskers on his mouth, and dragon-shaped spirit patterns on his body that had spread up to his neck.

"Witch, Chief!"

The crowd came to pay their respects.

Lingwu Jiaoxuan waved his hand, indicating that he had something to say, and the scene immediately fell silent.

Jiao Xuan spoke slowly but firmly, “The matter of the new Spirit Shaman was a revelation I received after burning dragon horns as a sacrifice to the Dragon God. He is a powerful being, like a young Dragon God, with immeasurable future potential. You must not underestimate him. I am old and my days are numbered. This is all I can do for the Dragon Horn Tribe in the end. I have a premonition that if I can truly entrust the Dragon Horn Tribe to that great man, it will be the greatest contribution I, Jiao Xuan, can make to the tribe in my lifetime.”

"I know some of you are feeling uneasy, but once you see him, all your doubts will disappear. I hope that after I leave, you will all respect that person as you respect me."

Upon seeing the aged and decrepit shaman, everyone suppressed their sorrow and unanimously declared, "Yes."

Chief Kai Xuan frowned, his eyes reddening, and said in a hoarse voice, "Witch, we have troubled you."

During a recent hunt, the Black Flame Tribe would have suffered heavy casualties if the shaman hadn't intervened.

That's why the witch was seriously injured, her very essence was damaged, and her lifespan was shortened, forcing her to find a successor as soon as possible.

“Child, don’t think too much. I’ve watched you all grow up. How can I stand by and watch my own children die?” Wu Ciai patted Kai Xuan, who was much taller than him, and then looked up into the distance. “I hope that Venerable One will arrive before I leave.”

He had already gone all in.

With everyone present, the shaman made some arrangements and plans, as if to handle the aftermath.

Just then, a cry that sounded like a dragon's roar suddenly came from outside.

Jiao Xuan was taken aback, but immediately strode out, showing no signs of old age. The others hurriedly followed.

In mid-air, Longyu Taiyi revealed his true form, with a Star Spirit girl sitting on his back. "Xuanwu, my master is coming and asked me to inform you."

"It's really here!"

Jiao Xuan was overjoyed. "Quickly, inform the entire tribe that everyone, regardless of age or gender, who is still in the tribe should come with me to welcome them. Do not neglect them."

"Yes!"

Soon, tens of thousands of people from the tribe gathered at the foot of Twin Horn Mountain to wait, but no one came for a long time.

But the shamans and leaders at the front of the line remained silent, waiting patiently. Suddenly, the shaman looked up at the horizon and whispered, "They've arrived!" The crowd jolted.

Before long, a five-colored ray of light appeared on the horizon. Taiyi Dragon roared and transformed into a beam of light to meet it.

The colorful rays of light quickly approached from afar and reached the sky.

Jiao Xuan stepped forward and said, "This old man, along with the entire Dragon Horn Clan, respectfully welcomes Your Excellency's arrival at the Dragon Horn Tribe."

The colorful rays of sunlight slowly fell to the ground, revealing the people inside.

Immediately, the somersault cloud transformed into a lively, colorful cloud, revealing human-like features, and swirled around Li Chunfeng.

Sometimes it would fly into the tribe's crowd and circle around quickly, causing many children to laugh and play.

Li Chunfeng returned the greeting to Jiao Xuan, noticing that the old man's aged appearance had deepened. "Let's dispense with the title of 'Venerable One.' My name is Chunfeng, and I belong to the rare spirit race, the Dragon Lantern Clan. I have come today as agreed! We are all of the same path, so how about we address each other as equals from now on?"

Jiao Xuan was overjoyed. "Then I will call you Fellow Daoist Feng. If you don't mind, you can call me Xuanwu."

"Very good."

"Wind Shaman, please follow me inside."

"Please, Mystic Shaman."

The crowd surged, with the core members of the tribe following nearby, while children huddled on the periphery, some even bare-bottomed, bouncing and hopping behind the crowd, peering inside. Those who had been instructed by Jiao Xuan immediately understood why the shaman so highly regarded him when they saw Li Chunfeng.

A pair of eyes as deep as the starry sky is a sign of a soul cultivated to an extremely high level.

What's most remarkable is the dragon horn on his head. Although it doesn't quite match the characteristics of the Dragon Horn Tribe, the dragon spirit aura it exudes is remarkably similar to the bloodline of the Dragon Horn Tribe. This is naturally due to Li Chunfeng using 'Form Transformation' to simulate the primordial aura on Taiyi's body.

Some powerful totem warriors even sensed an extremely strong life force emanating from Li Chunfeng.

This proves that he was not only a shaman, but also a physically powerful warrior.

Taiyi and Xingling happily surrounded Li Chunfeng. While being observed by others, Li Chunfeng also secretly observed the Dragon Horn Tribe. The tribe didn't have many people, only a little over ten thousand, with some other spirit races mixed in among them.

There are many strange races, some with cat ears on their heads, some with wings on their backs, and some with snake tails on their buttocks...

Of course, most of them are dragon-horned spirits with horns on their heads, but their horns don't quite resemble dragon horns. They come in many colors, such as red, green, black, and yellow, and resemble bull horns, ghost horns, sheep horns, and deer horns. They are quite different from the dragon horns that he transforms into.

After a long and heartfelt conversation, Li Chunfeng learned the basic information about the Dragon Horn Tribe.

The overall situation isn't very good.

Long-standing isolationist policies and excessive inbreeding made it impossible for healthy newborns to be born within the tribe, and deformed offspring often did not survive long. Later, the tribe gradually opened up and began to accept exiled spirit tribes who had lost their tribes, allowing them to intermarry with outsiders. However, the inherent xenophobia made this process very slow, because intermarriage with other tribes would further dilute and pollute the bloodline of the next generation of the Dragonhorn tribe.

The tribe now numbers less than 15,000, and only about 1,800 warriors have fully embraced the totem.

However, among these 1,800 people, there are 18 fifth-tier totem warriors, and their leader, Kai Xuan, is a powerful being who is close to the sixth tier.

This is undoubtedly a powerful army with a legacy from the Abyss.

Li Chunfeng was already inclined to join this tribe.

Only by immersing ourselves in it can we better understand this world.

For some time afterward, Li Chunfeng followed Jiao Xuan and began learning about the Spirit Clan's spirit shamans. The tribal chief, Kai Xuan, was a silent, burly man who would personally visit every day, bringing some demon beast meat and spirit fruits. Despite his deep concern for the tribe's affairs, he never asked a single question.

In theory, the chief is in charge of hunting, while the shaman is in charge of internal affairs; one is responsible for external matters, and the other for internal ones, and both have equal status.

However, the shaman has the obligation to be responsible for the tribe's inheritance and sacrifices. Inheritance is above all else, and ancestors are above all else. Therefore, in many matters, the role of a shaman is far greater than that of the chief.

The status of the shaman was subtly elevated through these major decisions and crises.

However, those were all Jiao Xuan's prestige. If Li Chunfeng inherited the position of the Dragon Horn Clan's Spirit Shaman, perhaps the clansmen would respect him out of respect for the old Spirit Shaman, but he would have to build his prestige slowly on his own.

A week later, Li Chunfeng had become familiar with the basic operations.

As if making his final arrangements, Jiao Xuan imparted all the inherited information of the Dragon Horn Clan to Li Chunfeng in one continuous stream.

Fortunately, Li Chunfeng's spirit was strong, and he knew that Jiao Xuan's days were numbered, so he did not object to it.

On this day, the Somersault Cloud transformed into a rocking chair, supporting Li Chunfeng's body and swaying back and forth. Beside him, Xingling was fawningly massaging his shoulders, while Taiyi was cooking a large pot of delicious meat soup on the other side.

Mr. Li, with the air of a lord, held a scroll of animal hide in one hand, looking relaxed and content.

In his other hand, he held a Sumeru ring and was refining the restriction.

This Sumeru ring was discovered in front of the mysterious spirit race corpse in front of the Starry Sky Stone Palace in the Starry Sky Secret Realm. At the time, I didn't have time to examine it closely. Only after careful inspection did I realize that it was also a Sumeru ring of the magic treasure level.

It contains thirty-six Earthly Fiend Restrictions and is a fourth-tier magic weapon.

He has not yet refined it.

However, this ring was ultimately ownerless, and after enduring the ravages of the great array storms within the Starry Sky Secret Realm for so many years, it was no longer what it used to be, finally giving Li Chunfeng an opportunity to take advantage of it.

We're currently working on breaking through this ring at an accelerated pace.

Just then, people came down from the mountain.

As expected, Chief Kai Xuan followed the instructions of the shaman, treating Li Chunfeng with the same respect he would show him. Today, as usual, he went up the mountain to greet him, but this time he brought a little girl with him.

She didn't look like Kai Xuan at all. She wore a well-fitting animal skin outfit and had a very cute and charming appearance. She had a chubby little face, a round little belly, big red eyes, and delicate skin. The most eye-catching feature was the pair of three-inch-long red curved horns on her head, which made her look petite and exquisite.

A tiny dragon-horned girl.

Li Chunfeng thought to himself, "I wonder if it has a tail."

He joked, "Kai, is this your child? He's much better looking than you."

A hint of tenderness flashed across Kai Xuan's scarred face as he said in a deep voice, "She is my child, Chan'er, who is three years old this year."

The little baby, listening to the bulging belly, asked in a childish voice, "Are you the new witch?"

"Yes."

"Witch, what are you sitting on? Can Chan'er sit here?"

"Come on, little baby."

The little baby looked at his father, and after receiving permission, rushed over with a whoosh. With one leap, he jumped five meters high and landed heavily on the sofa-like somersault cloud.

The children of the tribe, even at a young age, are far superior to the children of the human race in the mortal realm.

As the child of the leader Kai Xuan, his bloodline talent is naturally even more extraordinary.

Li Chunfeng simply got up, and his somersault cloud instantly transformed into a colorful whirlwind, swirling around Chan'er's armpits, making the little one giggle incessantly.

"Kai, is there anything I need to do up the mountain today?"

"Is it because I want the witch to help me see if Chan'er has the potential to become a witch?" He was still unwilling to give up.

Li Chunfeng saw through Chan'er's true nature at a glance: "Her bloodline is strong, but her spirituality is not apparent. This may not be a good thing."

Upon hearing this, Kai Xuan's eyes dimmed.

Chan'er had naturally undergone many tests, and Jiao Xuan had said similar things. He simply wanted the tribe to have another successor to the shaman, and Chan'er was his most outstanding child.

“…However, they are too young. All children in the tribe who are under the age of sixteen have the potential to become shamans. I have a rich tradition of training shamans, so we absolutely cannot give up on any child,” Li Chunfeng continued.

Kai Xuan was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but get excited, "Witch, are you telling the truth?"

"nature."

"That...that's wonderful!" Then, remembering something, she added, "This inheritance must be extremely precious. Are you really willing to give it up?"

Li Chunfeng said with a half-smile, "That depends on you. Since I've decided to join the Dragon Horn Tribe, I'll treat you as my own people. The key is whether you'll treat me as a shaman?"

Kai Xuan's expression turned solemn, and he couldn't help but pat his chest, saying earnestly, "Kai is willing to respect you as he would Xuanwu!"

Li Chunfeng remained noncommittal, saying, "Time will tell. There's no need to be nervous. I'm quite easy to get along with."

"Kai, you've come at the right time. Come with me for a walk around the tribe today."

Li Chunfeng decided not to wait until the 'Fire Festival' to officially take over as shaman before taking action. His time was precious, so he would start making some advance preparations from today.

Li Chunfeng rarely took the initiative to make such a suggestion, so Kai Xuan naturally followed suit.

"Daddy, witch, it's so much fun!" the little one called out sweetly.

"Then let's play here."

With a thought, Li Chunfeng's somersault cloud transformed into a vast expanse of clouds, lifting the two of them up.

Under the watchful eye of Jiao Xuan in the other cave, they descended the mountain together and walked around every corner of the tribe.

Li Chunfeng used the image-recording bead to record everything he saw.

In his view, the facilities in the Dragon Horn Tribe were extremely backward. There were also many orphans, whose parents had died in hunting or war, and they all lived in stone caves at the foot of the mountain under unified management. The children were not allowed to go hungry, but their living conditions were certainly not good, and education was even more backward.

When Li Chunfeng arrived, he saw several mischievous children fighting.

These kids fought fiercely and relentlessly, punching each other straight to the head, while a totem warrior stood by, arms crossed, watching the spectacle. Clearly, this kind of fighting was the norm in the tribe.

"Very energetic!"

Mr. Li offered a comment.

Kai Xuan's gaze turned serious. "Their aptitude is too low, and the clan doesn't have many resources for their cultivation. That's how it should be, but now... this place also needs to be taken seriously."

Li Chunfeng nodded. "Young people are the future, and they need to be valued!"

Then we arrived at the infirmary, where there were more than a dozen patients, all of whom were soldiers who had been injured or poisoned during the last hunt.

Upon seeing the arrival of the chief and the shaman, they all stood up and bowed.

Li Chunfeng glanced at everyone's injuries; they were all superficial wounds. The poisoned individuals had already been cured, and their vital energy had only been damaged.

With a snap of his fingers, the Dawn Halo rose from behind their heads, enveloping them.

Their injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The group was astonished and excitedly revealed their spiritual patterns to express their respect to Li Chunfeng.

Chan'er's eyes widened as Kai Xuan witnessed Li Chunfeng's actions, his senses gradually calming down.

The tribe wasn't large. Li Chunfeng walked around carefully, and wherever he went, everyone was very respectful, which made him feel quite good.

"Witch, is there another place I'd like to take you to see?"

"Oh? Then you can give me directions."

Guided by Kai Xuan, they arrived at a place on the mountainside, which resembled a sheer cliff.

Upon arriving at a protruding boulder halfway up the mountain, I sensed that the spiritual energy emanating from the area was unusually concentrated. It was far too dense; there must be a hidden blessed land nearby.

Once the cover was removed, a huge cave was revealed.

The cave is also heavily guarded; even the gatekeepers are fifth-tier spirit race warriors.

Kai Xuan was very strict; he didn't even allow his own daughter to enter the cave. Only he and Li Chunfeng were allowed to enter.

As the two entered the cave, a hidden natural paradise was completely revealed before their eyes. The cave contained a vast and mysterious space, within which grew many strange spiritual trees. There weren't many trees, only about a hundred, but each one was covered with densely packed fruits resembling jade swords.

'Cunning!'

Dragon Sprout Rice: Eighth-grade spiritual rice. Rooted in dragon energy and nourished by beast blood.

(End of this chapter)