I Can Merge Techniques

In an instant, the strength of his Divine Sense, boosted by the power of the Array Map, skyrocketed exponentially!

With this extreme focus and enhancement, Chu Fan once again directed his Divine Sense, like an invisible hand, to grip the Demon Suppression Stele fiercely.

This time, he wasn’t met with dead silence.

Chu Fan clearly sensed it: the black stone stele, heavier than a mountain, quivered in the void!

Though the movement was so slight as to be almost negligible, it had undeniably moved!

’It really works!’

Chu Fan was ecstatic.

This proved his hypothesis was correct: the key to communicating with and controlling the Demon Suppression Stele was the strength of one’s Divine Sense.

As long as his Divine Sense continued to grow stronger, there would come a day when he could completely master this mysterious object.

In the Cultivation Realm, it was common knowledge that Magical Treasure Secret Artifacts were ranked from lowest to highest: Magical Artifacts, Spirit Soldiers, Profound Weapons, Ancient Treasures, and Divine Weapons...

His Demon-locking Chain was a Spirit Soldier, and the Five Elements Cauldron was a High-Grade Profound Weapon.

And the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which he considered his greatest trump card—one he dared not use lightly even in the face of a powerful enemy—was a high-grade Ancient Treasure.

Even a supreme treasure like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which he was hesitant to use, was still somewhat within his control.

Yet this Demon Suppression Stele, despite having already been refined and absorbed into his body, required every ounce of his strength just to make it budge.

’Above Ancient Treasures are the legendary Divine Weapons...’

Chu Fan’s throat went dry, and a fervent glow burned in his eyes.

This Demon Suppression Stele was very likely a Divine Weapon—or even... an existence beyond that of a Divine Weapon!

However, after the initial rush of excitement, he glanced at the pollution value on his panel, and his elation was instantly extinguished as if doused with cold water.

Pollution was a hurdle he couldn’t avoid.

Chu Fan sat cross-legged again and fell into deep thought.

’Since this world is inherently poisonous, and since cultivation inevitably leads to contamination...’

’...what if I stop absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism?’

The moment the thought appeared, it spread like wildfire in his mind.

Chu Fan opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

His cultivation, after all, didn’t rely entirely on the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism.

His greatest strength right now wasn’t the meager Primordial Qi he had at the Third Heaven of the Divine Power Realm, but his incomparably tyrannical physical body—the Vajra Undying Body!

He was walking the path of becoming a Saint of Flesh.

’If I abandon the path of Qi Refining, sever my connection to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, and focus solely on cultivating my True Body, can I completely shut out the pollution?’

’This seems like the perfect solution.’

But a moment later, the harsh reality of the situation gave him pause.

Primordial Qi was the Power of Heaven and Earth. Though tainted by pollution, its wonderful uses were endless.

Without Primordial Qi, he would be unable to cast all manner of exquisite Magic.

Worse still, he wouldn’t be able to activate his Magical Treasures!

If he didn’t cultivate Primordial Qi, then both the Five Elements Cauldron and the terrifyingly powerful Ten Thousand Souls Banner would be nothing more than worthless junk in his hands!

To sit on a mountain of treasure but be unable to use it while trying to survive in this world fraught with peril—this was an unacceptable loss.

Unless his Vajra Undying Body could become stronger than an Ancient Treasure...

Activating a tyrannical Ancient Treasure like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner required both immense Primordial Qi and a vast Divine Sense; neither could be lacking.

Chu Fan rubbed his temples, feeling as if he were trapped in a vicious cycle.

To get stronger, he had to absorb Spiritual Mechanism, but absorbing Spiritual Mechanism would lead to contamination.

If he didn’t absorb Spiritual Mechanism, he couldn’t use his powerful Magical Treasures. His combat strength would suffer, and he’d likely die even faster.

After a long while, a deep sigh echoed in the room.

’Can’t give up eating for fear of choking.’

Chu Fan had made his decision.

Since he couldn’t completely cut himself off, he would strike a balance.

First, he would raise his cultivation to the late Acupoint Realm... At that point, he would be able to activate the Ten Thousand Souls Banner at will, without it draining him of his Primordial Qi.

At that time, once he had enough power to protect himself, he would immediately cease advancing his Qi Refining, completely seal his Qi Sea, and go all-in on cultivating his True Body—to walk the path of the eternally indestructible Saint of Flesh!

’It’s settled then.’

Clarity returned to Chu Fan’s eyes.

Now that he had a direction, there was no need to be lost any longer.

But he still didn’t take out the Wind Spirit Stone to cultivate the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture.

Since he had already chosen the path of becoming a Saint of Flesh—a path fraught with thorns, yet one he would tread without hesitation—he was no longer in a rush to cultivate other Divine Techniques.

More pressing than a surge in his Primordial Qi Cultivation or an upgrade to his various Divine Secret Skills, two more urgent obstacles now stood before Chu Fan...

First, how to dramatically expand his Sea of Consciousness and enhance his Divine Sense without breaking through to the next Realm.

Second, how to make his physical body break its shackles and advance from the first layer of the Vajra Undying Body to the second layer, and even to the legendary Realm of Undying Immortality.

He didn’t plan on recklessly increasing his Cultivation, but if he didn’t shore up the weakness of his Divine Sense, it would become his greatest vulnerability.

Chu Fan sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes deep and profound.

Whether it was wielding high-grade Magical Treasures, cultivating the supremely domineering Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture, or forming intricate Spirit Array Maps, Divine Sense was the foundation for it all.

If his Divine Sense was weak, he would not only be unable to unleash the full might of his body and Primordial Qi, but it would also become a fatal vulnerability in a duel against a master—one that could lead to his Divine Soul being obliterated in a single strike.

With a thought, Chu Fan looked at the panel in the depths of his consciousness.

[Technique: Great Dream Reincarnation Technique (Uninitiated) Progress: (0/100) (Trait: None)]

This Cultivation Technique was obtained from the black-robed woman from the Moon Worship Sect whom he had killed in the All-Seeing Mirror.

When he refined her Magical Treasure, the Black Talisman Tower, this abstruse Cultivation Technique was imprinted upon his mind, along with all of the black-robed woman’s cultivation experience.

This was a pure Soul Forging Technique.

Previously, Chu Fan had been wholly devoted to the Martial Dao, viewing the path of the Warlock as a heterodox discipline. As such, he had set this technique aside.

After all, the cultivation of a Martial Artist begins with Body Forging. They break through the five passes of Foundation Establishment, then undergo Mortal Transformation. They seek a body like a furnace, with the power to swallow mountains and rivers.

A Warlock’s cultivation, however, begins with Soul Forging. They temper the Five Passes of Divine Soul Tempering, seeking to command Magic with a single thought, becoming unfathomable and unpredictable.

They were two completely different paths.

The black-robed woman was the strongest Warlock he had ever killed, yet she had only just scratched the surface of her Great Dream Reincarnation Technique.

This Cultivation Technique was exceedingly mysterious.

A Cultivator had to enter a meditative state within their dreams, experience the myriad states of the mortal world, and live through the cycles of ages.

They used the illusions of the dream world to nourish their real-world Divine Soul.