Immortal Road.

Chapter 215 Ambition of Dual Cultivation
Volcanoes erupted, the earth's crust shook, and waves rose slowly in billowing smoke.

When magma erupts, it brings up a lot of water vapor. In the mist, sparks fly everywhere, and rivers of magma fall from the sky, dyeing the entire mountain a fiery red. The magma flowing downstream melts everything passing by into liquid, and its domineering momentum becomes more and more intense.

In the crater, a black and gold skeleton stepped out.

At this moment, his whole body exuded a tremendous pressure, and circles of surging ripples spread out from a singular point. Those were the ripples caused by the bottomless soul power, and the soul fire in his head was forging a large black pill.

The small holes on the surface of this pill are sprayed with gray airflow, which goes in and out and tempers the soul fire. This is the Hundred Aperture Soul Pill.

The outer skeleton is still dark in color, but it is dotted with golden spots. Each spot emits a dazzling golden light, while the dark skeleton absorbs light like a black hole. The two are extremely strange, yet they coexist and complement each other.

What is even more surprising is that behind it, a large flag flutters in the wind, rustling, and three sides of the flag are burning fiercely. The flames are blown away into the distance accompanied by billowing black smoke, but the flag cannot be burned out and keeps burning as if it is supported by an oil wick.

Looking at the flagpole again, it turned out to be a thick bone spur, growing out from the skeleton, reaching up to the sky, holding up a flaming flag.

Lin Shan looked at this scene and couldn't help but change his opinion of the Black Skull Demon Lord. He was so impressive when he appeared after recovering to the Golden Core stage. How impressive would it be when his original body was in the Nascent Soul stage in the Hell World?
The Black Skeleton Demon Lord walked through the void step by step to Lin Shan's front. The flaming flag behind him helped him fly, so he didn't need to use any flying tools or rainbows. However, the billowing black smoke from the burning process polluted the environment a bit.

Of course, as a creature from hell, it doesn't care about these things at all.

"Lin Shan! Why don't you bow to me when you see me?"

The Black Skull Demon Lord suddenly activated the soul pill in his skull, and a heavy spiritual pressure spread into the void. Through his dark eye sockets, only the mysterious soul fire inside could be seen, and the aura around him was surging like thousands of troops.

The group of sect monks below were all frightened out of their wits, their hearts were pounding and their livers were breaking!
Lin Shan was also suddenly startled, his whole body shuddered and he almost fell down.

But he reacted instantly and slapped him in the face.

"Snapped!"

"Ouch~ It hurts, it hurts, are you serious?"

The Black Skull Demon Lord was caught off guard and staggered after being slapped. The domineering aura he had just had was gone instantly. He covered his skull and screamed in agony, but he couldn't fight back due to the golden page of the contract.

"Are you still pretending to be me? I told you to pretend!"

"No, no, no, bro, I'm just joking with you, don't take it seriously!"

Lin Shan chased it and slashed at it fiercely. He was almost scared by it just now. Now he realized what was happening and was extremely angry. He stopped only after the Black Skull Demon Lord begged for mercy repeatedly.

In fact, it did have the intention of turning the tables just now. It just wanted to test Lin Shan to see if it could be on an equal footing with him and re-sort out the status of the two.

After all, I have now recovered to the Jindan stage, and the Yuanying stage is just around the corner. You order me around as you please now, but when I reach the Yuanying stage, aren't you afraid that I will hold a grudge against you and make things difficult for you?

But Lin Shan was not afraid at all, and did not care about what would happen in the future. Now, if you are a dragon, you have to coil up for me, and if you are a tiger, you have to lie down for me.

You are still trying to make things difficult for me. What the hell are you dreaming of?

When you reach the Nascent Soul stage, I can strengthen the contract. You will still be my employee. You will never be able to turn things around in this life except working for me!

If you serve me well, I will reward you with a bone. If you continue to be fickle and have ulterior motives like you are now, you will not even have a hair left!
Of course, the Black Skull Demon Lord didn't know Lin Shan's methods. He just thought that this kid lived in the present and didn't consider the future at all. He simply left no way out.

Of course, now that Skull was under someone's roof, he had no choice but to bow his head and accept his fate and continue to endure. In his heart, he was looking forward to severe revenge after he reached the Nascent Soul stage. By then, all his treasures would be his. When he thought of this, he couldn't help but open his mouth and laugh strangely.

The infighting between the two of them confused the monks from other sects.

A human being in the Foundation Establishment Stage actually dares to punch and kick a Jindan Stage ghost?

However, despite their suspicion, it did not affect their escape. The main reason was that the Black Skull Demon Lord made such a cool appearance that they thought it was a competition among their own sect and had alarmed the local ghost boss who was practicing in seclusion, so they dispersed immediately.

They all ran as fast as they could with their younger disciples, fearing that they would be caught up and killed to extract their souls and spirits.

The Black Skull Demon Lord didn't bother to pay attention to them. Instead, he looked at a flying magical weapon that had just risen in front of him. Under the command of a black-robed young man, a group of people from the Mu family took a lot of effort to sway into the sky and narrowly avoided the outburst of lava.

At this moment, the large lake surrounding Mount Liluan was filled with water vapor. High-temperature magma flowed into the lake, evaporating into a thick fog.

The Black Skull Demon Lord couldn't leave after just one look. The strangeness of the young man caught his attention.

"Huh? This boy seems to be somewhat extraordinary."

Lin Shan followed its gaze and found that it was pointing at the young man named Mu Yan. Thinking of what he had just seen and heard, he nodded slightly.

"It is indeed extraordinary. Can you tell what it is?"

The Black Skeleton Demon Lord walked over step by step, came to Mu Yan, circled around him twice, and looked at him carefully, as if he was watching a monkey performer on the street.

Mu Yan and other members of the Mu family felt a chill all over their bodies and were very nervous, not knowing whether the skeleton senior in front of them was a human or a ghost.

They have also heard about some evil monks who practice evil skills and often turn themselves into something neither human nor ghost, so it is often difficult for them to distinguish them.

The Black Skull Demon Lord sensed it carefully for a moment, nodded and shook his head, seeming very confused.

Lin Shan came over and looked around twice, but didn't find anything strange: "What's wrong?"

"I can feel that there seems to be a bloodline in this boy's body, with a hint of ancient aura, but it seems to be still dormant, and I can't make a clear judgment."

The Black Skull Demon Lord muttered a few words, took some blood from Mu Yan's wound, and after a hurried study he could only make a rough guess. However, this also scared the youngsters a lot. They trembled in fear, fearing that they would be caught and used as guinea pigs for research.

At the same time, they were also wondering, we are just an ordinary family of cultivators, how could we have any powerful bloodline that could arouse the interest of a senior in the Jindan stage.

The Black Skull Demon Lord put aside his research for the time being. Now was not the time to do this. He would go back and leave it for later. Instead, he said something shocking and spoke directly to Mu Yan:

"Would you like to be my disciple and work under me?"

Everyone in the Mu family was shocked, and Mu Yan himself was confused and then in a dilemma.

Lu was a Confucian country. Although the saints often said that there was no distinction between the classes in education and that all kinds of creatures and monsters should be influenced by benevolence and righteousness, in reality, they were still rather disgusted. If you worship a skeleton monster as your teacher, it would not sound good to say it out loud, and it would easily arouse the hatred of some monks who hate ghosts.

But then again, the Mu family is now in a precarious situation and has been regarded as a prey to be slaughtered by the surrounding forces. Seeing that there is no time for them to grow, the crisis of extinction is imminent, and they just need an umbrella to protect them.
Not long after, Mu Yan figured out the stakes involved and immediately bowed down:

"Disciple pays respect to Master. From now on, I am willing to lead the entire Mu family to seek refuge with you. I dare to ask Master to take me in!"

The Black Skull Demon Lord praised him highly and admired his courageous character. He helped him up with both hands and laughed:

"That's right. Good birds choose trees to inhabit, and good ministers choose masters to serve. You are the one hundred and twenty-seventh adopted son and disciple that this demon king has taken in from another world. As long as you serve me loyally in the future, I will not hide anything from you and will definitely train you to become a powerful man!"

Mu Yan said yes respectfully, and the group of Mu family members behind him followed his lead and obeyed him.

Just like that, as soon as the Black Skull Demon Lord broke through the Jindan stage, he gathered a group of people.

According to Mu Yan, the entire Mu family, a family of immortal cultivation, has more than 100 men, women, young and old, including more than 30 immortal cultivators, which is worthy of being a small family of the bottom. Lin Shan had long had the idea of ​​establishing his own power, and had discussed it with the Black Skull Demon Lord. However, to establish a power, one must have a team, so it is necessary to have the opportunity to recruit some people to fill his ranks. Moreover, Mu Yan of the Mu family is a little bit unusual and can be considered a talent, so Lin Shan naturally accepted it with pleasure.

In the following time, the Black Skull Demon Lord took the time to warn the small sects nearby one by one, hoping that they would not dare to continue targeting the Mu family, but he did not take action to avenge his disciple.

Mu Yan was not dissatisfied with this. When his cultivation level reached a higher level in the future, he would come to Pengpi County in person to seek revenge for today's humiliation.

Afterwards, Lin Shan and the Black Skull Demon Lord did not stay for too long, but led more than 20 cultivators from the tribe, including Mu Yan, to Luzhong County to participate in the alliance.

……

Along the way, Lin Shan asked in detail about the entire process of the Black Skull Demon Lord breaking through the Golden Core Stage, intending to learn from his experience.

The Black Skeleton Demon Lord had no way to refuse, and due to the contract he could only explain it to him in detail. It was just that the cultivation directions of the Skeleton Clan and the Human Clan were slightly different, and the condensation of the Soul Pill was somewhat different from that of the Golden Pill. Lin Shan listened with great interest.

At this moment, he suddenly had an idea. Since humans can condense a golden pill, can they also condense a soul pill?

When we are both in the Golden Core Stage, others only have a Golden Core in the Huangting, but I not only have a Golden Core in the Huangting, but also a Soul Core in my brain. With the assistance of the two Cores, I will have both Mana and Soul Power. If we really fight, won't I have the upper hand?
When he said this, the Black Skull Demon Lord was also stunned, as if he had never thought about this question before.

"It seems that it is not impossible for the human race to condense soul pills, but are you sure you can condense two pills at the same time?"

"I don't necessarily have to do two at once. Can't I do them one at a time?"

"It seems possible, but the problem is that theory is theory and it may not be so easy to put into practice."

"how do I say this?"

The Black Skull Demon Lord told him about the prerequisites for each race to condense soul pills in the hell world:
1. First of all, the power of the soul must meet the standard, both in quantity and quality, and must be sufficient to condense the soul pill, which is equivalent to the foundation;
Second, the purpose is to refine the soul with bone marrow, which is to refine the three souls and seven spirits, and to extract the special substance that can condense the soul pill. This mysterious substance is called "soul source" by their tribe, and it is also the reward that the races in the hell world can get after responding to the curse call of the immortal world and completing the task. This thing can not only assist in condensing the soul pill, but also has an excellent effect on the condensation of soul infants in the future, and even the higher level of "soul" transformation into "primordial spirit"!

The third is to condense the soul pill of a hundred orifices. Of course, the "hundred" here is just a general term. Whether one can break through a hundred orifices depends entirely on one's strength and luck. Some can break through a few or more than a dozen orifices. Those who break through more than a hundred orifices are geniuses among geniuses. The Black Skull Demon Lord has the experience of the Nascent Soul Stage as a backup, and this clone has 749 orifices, which is already very terrifying.

Finally, due to the physical differences between different races, the Skeleton Clan still needs a "bone metamorphosis". In order to take a shortcut and speed up the progress in this world, he chose a ready-made Jindan stage corpse as an aid.

However, as a human, Lin Shan does not need this step.

But for the first few, he must at least reach the level of the Hell Race, or at the very least barely pass the passing line, before he is qualified to try to condense the Soul Pill.

Finally, the Black Skull Demon Lord shook his head:
"Don't be too ambitious, kid. Just follow the path of the human race and save your life for your main cultivation. Dual cultivation is something only the immortal geniuses are qualified to consider. You..."

Having said this, it suddenly paused.

Lin Shan took over the conversation at the right time and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Am I not considered a genius of the immortal way?"

The Black Skull Demon Lord was stunned and wanted to refute, but when he thought about following this kid all the way, not only was he able to surpass his level, but he also possessed innate spiritual treasures, sect-suppressing magical seeds, and investment from powerful people in the immortal world, he couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.

He began to stutter, and his tone was even more strange:

"Well, let's count it. But you have to know how incredible it is to cultivate two paths at the same time. Do you still remember your cheap master, the Sword Saint Ma Yuanjue? Only such an incredible person would dare to cultivate two paths at the same time. He has a background and a history, and has the potential to become a big boss in the universe, but you..."

"What's wrong with me?"

Lin Shan straightened his back for no apparent reason. He felt offended by being looked down upon by a skeleton monster.

"I am a genius of the Immortal Path. I am not like my master who practices dual cultivation of the Sword Path Era and the Immortal Path Era. They are just two branches of the Immortal Path civilization, the Golden Pill Path and the Soul Pill Path. Why can't I do that?"

At first glance, this statement seems to make sense. The master practices two major systems from two eras, and the apprentice practices two small systems from one era. Isn't this natural?

The Black Skull Demon Lord was speechless for a moment, unable to refute.

It seems, as if, that it makes sense and is reasonable?

"But the problem is that, although your soul strength is boosted by star power, it is only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary late-stage foundation-building cultivator. Compared with us, the Skeleton Clan, it is far inferior. How can you condense a soul pill if your foundation is not stable?"

"The Skeleton Tribe should have a method to train their spirits, right? Why don't you teach me?"

"."

The Black Skull Demon Lord paused and thought to himself, this kid is really enough. He just knows how to exploit me all day long.

"What about refining soul with bone marrow? Can the little bone marrow in your human body support it? If you can't extract enough soul source by then, how can you condense soul pills?"

"Have you forgotten the investment that the Immortal Realm Great One made in me? Since he can give soul sources to you Hell creatures, what's wrong with him giving me some special treatment?"

"."

The Black Skull Demon Lord paused again, he almost forgot that this kid had investors behind him. So it seems that the soul source is indeed not a problem.

Lin Shan was thinking in his heart that the "Wu Dao Sect's inherited straw man" was a bond between him and the immortal weapon "The Seven Arrow Book with Nailed Heads". He could completely try to communicate with the spirit of the immortal weapon through this straw man. Anyway, he had already invested in my magical power seed once, so investing in my soul source again should be a piece of cake!
Sometimes it is necessary to be thick-skinned. It is better to take the initiative, lower your posture and ask, than to be timid and wait for opportunities to come to you.

Of course, whether the spirit of the immortal weapon is willing or not is another matter, but one must always strive for opportunities.

The Black Skull Demon Lord no longer tried to persuade him to give up. Instead, he seemed to support him in trying, and he also seemed to want to see what it would be like for a human cultivator to take the path of soul pills:
"When condensing a soul pill, the most important thing is actually the soul source. The amount of soul source is also related to how many orifices you can open."

"The amount of soul essence that each living being can naturally refine is limited, which is equivalent to the upper limit of your aptitude. Only when you break through a major realm can you refine more soul essence."

"Soul source can not only assist in breaking through realms, but also improve the strength of the soul. If you can obtain a large amount of soul source, then there is no need to slowly rely on refining essence into qi and refining qi into spirit to improve the soul. Instead, you can cooperate with the method of training the soul and use the soul source to quickly reach the standard of condensing soul pills in a short period of time."

……

Speaking of this, the Black Skull Demon Lord was extremely jealous. If Lin Shan could get rewards from the powerful beings in the Immortal Realm, then it would not be impossible for him to break through to the same "Soul Pill Stage" as him in a short period of time.

"Oh?"

Lin Shan's heart was pounding. If he could find another way first and break through along the Soul Pill Avenue and possess the strength of the Golden Core Stage, then he could give back to the Golden Core Avenue to protect it and search for various spiritual objects that could help him break through to the Golden Core Stage. It would be the best of both worlds!
However, whether the spirit of the immortal weapon is willing to invest in itself again remains to be discussed, and there is no rush now.

Because the three-month alliance against Dai was about to begin, he had no time to try it, so it would not be too late to leave it for later.

The two exchanged their experience in practicing the Soul Pill Avenue. The Black Skull Demon Lord taught everything, and Lin Shan listened attentively. The Mu family's subordinates outside helped them control the White Bone Flying Boat.

……

Five days later, the flying boat passed over countless hills and plains, and a large swamp was visible in the distance ahead.

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(End of this chapter)