Chapter 596: Evilheart Sect (II)
Lin Zheyu suddenly thrust out his right hand. The palm expanded rapidly as it swept toward the head of a hideous sea beast resembling a monstrous octopus. With a wet explosion, the creature's head burst apart.
So many powerful sea beasts actually live in the depths of the ocean... Lin Zheyu marveled inwardly.
Along the way, he had encountered no fewer than fifty terrifying sea beasts whose strength rivaled that of Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. If the sea clans could truly control all of these creatures, their overall power would be frightening. From what Lin Zheyu observed, however, these formidable beasts possessed little intelligence. Their immense size granted them tremendous strength, but it also came at a cost.
Their massive bodies made them ill-suited to leaving the deep sea. Outside their natural environment, that size would become a burden rather than an advantage, greatly diminishing their strength.
After making a few observations, Lin Zheyu lost interest in studying them further. Matters concerning the sea clans were problems for Great Wei's experts. As a rogue cultivator, he had no reason to concern himself with such affairs.
He continued descending through the depths. Soon, he sensed the aura of the space-time node. A powerful barrier, similar to the demon god barrier yet subtly different, stood deep beneath the sea. Its existence sealed off the demonic qi pouring out from the space-time node.
Lin Zheyu passed through the barrier and found seawater filling the interior as well. Dense demonic qi had mixed into the water, staining it a dark, inky black.
The moment he entered the barrier, he heard the roars of countless yao. Drawn by the demonic qi emanating from within, large numbers of deep-sea beasts had entered the barrier of their own accord. This space-time node was different from the one guarded by the Demon-Suppressing Army in the demon cave. That node had been opened from the other side.
The node guarded by the Demon-Suppressing Army had formed through an invasion initiated by the demon realm. Such nodes required a lengthy stabilization process before yao could pass through into this world. A node opened from this side by cultivators, however, connected to the demon realm and stabilized far more quickly.
This particular node appeared to have been intentionally opened by a powerful expert using a secret technique. It had already stabilized enough to allow yao from the demon realm to cross over. Within the barrier, vast numbers of deep-sea beasts were locked in bloody combat with the creatures emerging from the space-time node.
The entire barrier was saturated with the stench of blood. As more and more yao died in this world, the viscous fluids, energy, and traces of Dao resonance released from their bodies gradually corrupted the surrounding environment. The deeper the demonization became, the more stable the node would grow, allowing increasingly powerful yao to enter this world.
A trace of surprise crossed Lin Zheyu's face. "There are actually human cultivators here as well?"
He had not expected to encounter human cultivators at a space-time node hidden in the depths of the sea. Still, he merely spared them a glance before speeding toward the node itself. His purpose here was simple: to use the energy within the space-time node to refine and improve the Heaven-Deceiving Art, cultivate it to Perfection, and then integrate it into the Primordial Golden Body. Beyond that, he had no desire to become entangled in any unnecessary complications.
Weaving through the hordes of yao, Lin Zheyu soon arrived at the space-time node. In the darkness of the deep sea, a pitch-black rift hung suspended like the gaping maw of an abyss. Thick black liquid laden with astonishing amounts of demonic qi flowed endlessly from the crack.
Outside the rift stood a large number of powerful sea clan experts. They were busily setting up layers upon layers of formations to completely seal the space-time node. If left unchecked, the node would continue expanding until it became a fully stabilized bridgehead for the demon realm's invasion.
Such a development would be disastrous for the sea clans. Lin Zheyu even found himself wondering whether this deep-sea space-time node had been deliberately opened by experts from Great Wei who had infiltrated the area. The goal would be simple: to create trouble for the sea clans and tie down their resources.
It'll probably take at least another day or two for the formations to be fully completed and the node to be sealed. That should be enough time for me to push the Heaven-Deceiving Art to Perfection, Lin Zheyu calculated inwardly.
If time proved insufficient, he could simply find another space-time node. These days, many things were scarce, but space-time nodes certainly were not. The world had long since become riddled with holes, heavily eroded by the demon realm. Space-time rifts were appearing across the land in increasing numbers. The day would come when cultivators could no longer seal them as quickly as they emerged.
And when that day arrived, it would likely mark the beginning of the demon realm's full-scale invasion. Spreading out his senses, Lin Zheyu drew the surrounding demonic qi into his body. The divine patterns covering him rapidly darkened into a deep purple-black. One scale after another emerged from beneath his skin until his entire body was covered in sleek armor-like scales. In an instant, he appeared no different from a yao.
His purple-black wings beat once, and Lin Zheyu transformed into a streak of shadowy light that shot into the space-time node.
One of the sea clan members arranging the formations frowned and turned to a companion. "Aitchison, did a cultivator just enter the node?"
Her senses were naturally exceptional. The instant she glimpsed Lin Zheyu's figure, something about it had struck her as odd.
"You must have seen wrong." Aitchison shrugged and said, "Wasn't that a yao? Besides, even if it were a cultivator, what does it matter? As long as they don't interfere with sealing the node, there's no need to concern ourselves."
The sea clan member nodded slowly. "Perhaps. Still, be careful. That thing just now gave me an extremely dangerous feeling."
"Alright, alright. I'll inform the others."
Aitchison knew that Manson's senses were exceptionally reliable and that her instincts were rarely wrong. Taking the warning seriously, she retrieved a sea clan communication artifact and sent a message to the others.
***
Inside the space-time node, terrifying black winds howled through the void while violent rule energy raged across the empty expanse. Endless streams of yao poured out of the demon realm, crossing the void within the space-time node to enter Lin Zheyu's world. The moment he entered the void, he found himself face-to-face with a surging tide of yao. Fortunately, his disguise deceived the mindless creatures. Mistaking him for one of their own, they showed no signs of hostility.
As Lin Zheyu's understanding of demonic patterns and divine patterns deepened, his disguises became increasingly convincing. Even without using his Yao Transformation, the Primordial Golden Body, combined with his yao form, was enough to fool ordinary creatures completely. Intelligent yao, however, were another matter. They possessed unique methods for identifying their own kind. Against them, only a true transformation into a yao form would suffice.
Lin Zheyu plunged headfirst into the lake of energy below. A thought flashed through his mind. Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate the Heaven-Deceiving Art.
In an instant, the familiar sensation returned. His consciousness blurred for a moment before entering the familiar mental space, where endless cultivation began once more.
Dense black smoke billowed from his body as mysterious divine patterns emerged beneath his skin, radiating brilliant golden light.
Time passed slowly.
Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate Heaven-Deceiving Art 2.0.
***
Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate Heaven-Deceiving Art 3.0.
***
Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate Heaven-Deceiving Art 4.0.
***
Time flowed steadily onward. Drawing upon his vast foundation of knowledge and the insights gained through cultivation, Lin Zheyu continuously refined and improved the Heaven-Deceiving Art.
Within the lake filled with violent rule energy and demonic qi, Lin Zheyu suddenly opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 32]
[Techniques: Earth Shrinking Technique (Perfection), Heaven-Deceiving Art (Advanced Mastery 3%), Seven Absolute Sabers (Fifth Stage: 3%), Primordial Golden Body (Third Stage: 100%)]
Lin Zheyu glanced at the data within his consciousness and thought to himself, Just a little more. By tomorrow, I should be able to bring the Heaven-Deceiving Art to Perfection.
The technique had proven far more difficult than he had expected, and its consumption of Origin Force was likewise greater than anticipated. Fortunately, neither issue posed a serious problem.
"I'll leave first." Lin Zheyu made his decision.
If the sea clans happened to seal the space-time node while he was recovering inside it, Lin Zheyu had no idea what the consequences would be. He had no desire to find out firsthand.
With that thought, Lin Zheyu willed it into action. Vast amounts of demonic qi surged into his body, and sleek purple-black scales instantly spread across his entire form. He then circulated the Heaven-Deceiving Art to conceal his aura. Although his mastery over the technique had yet to reach Perfection, its effects were already quite remarkable.
Lin Zheyu carefully examined his current condition and pondered the matter. As expected, the Heaven-Deceiving Art still needs to be integrated into the Primordial Golden Body. Using it separately reduces its effectiveness.
When he activated the Primordial Golden Body and the Heaven-Deceiving Art simultaneously, the divine patterns within his body began to conflict. Though he could forcibly suppress the interference, doing so noticeably weakened both techniques.
I need to find a way to eliminate that conflict. If I can solve this problem, I won't have to integrate every new technique related to martial divine patterns into the Primordial Golden Body whenever I cultivate one.
As the thought crossed his mind, his figure blurred and shot toward the rift at the heart of the space-time node.