Chapter Six: Achieving Mastery!
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Chi Yang and the others had rarely seen such a demonic artifact. When Yang Nan completed its forging, they stepped forward to observe. This Xuanming Yinsha Banner could have as many as eighty-one pieces. If one could gather all eighty-one Xuanming Yinsha Banners, and each carried eighty-one indestructible Yin Spirits of grandmaster level, then after forming the Xuanming Yinsha Formation, its power would be enough to rival a master at the Honored One realm!
Even a single Xuanming Yinsha Banner wielded considerable power. Although the Yin Spirits of a grandmaster level were not as strong as a grandmaster cultivator, they still held an advantage over ordinary masters.
This particular Xuanming Yinsha Banner was transformed from six kinds of Buddhist magical tools, crafted from exceptionally fine materials, nearly on par with a sacred artifact.
Yang Nan held the command flag, using the Indestructible Yin Wheel to enact a spell, instantly drawing the souls of the six restrained monks, including Elder Duo Yuan, into the banner. The Indestructible Yin Wheel converted demonic energy, and with the Soul Condensation and Spirit Dissolution technique, he began to refine the six souls.
Yang Nan was not a disciple of the demonic path and originally could not use demonic incantations. But with the Indestructible Yin Wheel converting demonic energy and the Soul Condensation and Spirit Dissolution technique to refine souls, forging this Xuanming Yinsha Banner was complicated but not impossible.
The souls of Elder Duo Yuan and his five brothers cursed, resented, and roared within the banner but could never break free. Gradually, they were tainted by endless demonic energy, eventually merging into a terrifying, grotesque Yin Spirit with six heads and two legs, wreathed in swirling demonic energy.
Witnessing the sinister nature of the Xuanming Yinsha Banner, everyone felt a chill. Yang Nan held the banner with a smile and said, “These monks have slain countless demons in their lives. If they were evil spirits, it would be one thing, but regardless of good or bad, they killed so many. This is their retribution! You need not worry; without my spell to activate it, the Yin Spirits on this banner will never harm anyone.”
After their souls were drawn in, the six monks fell to the ground, lifeless. Yang Nan smiled faintly, clapped his hands, and from their bodies flew out six dazzlingly radiant relic beads. These were treasures akin to cultivator’s soul pills. Though these six beads were not as remarkable as the one Bu Xu had seized, Yang Nan did not disdain them. He refined them again, combining these six beads with the first one he had obtained, condensing them into a single piece. When it took shape, the magical power within the relic beads was immense and truly extraordinary!
Six masters died at Vajra Temple today. Undoubtedly, they would come seeking vengeance. Yang Nan was about to roam the world and was fearless. These six monks had killed over ten of his personal guards. Yang Nan, always protective of his own, would never let this pass.
After wiping out the monks, the spiritual spring remained. Yang Nan ordered everyone to guard it beneath Dragon’s Mouth Peak. To prevent disturbances during his advancement to master, Yang Nan considered carefully and handed the Xuanming Yinsha Banner to Fang Qingyan, teaching them the activating incantation and instructing them to keep vigilant.
Advancing to master also meant facing the tribulation of the heart demon. Fang Qingyan and the others understood the gravity of this and responded resolutely without hesitation.
Old Crab led two thousand personal guards to form an array. Chi Yang, Golden Summit Roc, White Pegasus, Old Crab, and three women stood around the spiritual spring. Seeing everything in order, Yang Nan began his incantation and flew above the two streams of spiritual spring, starting to reverse the flow of their gushing energy, directing it entirely into himself.
To become a master, one must nurture oneself with spiritual spring water, transforming the spiritual apertures until one’s magical power is inexhaustible. The spiritual power in Yang Nan’s Upper and Lower Spirit Apertures had long been condensed and solidified, like a tangible cloud. Now, he needed to use the spiritual spring’s energy to fully convert these two apertures from intangible to tangible, truly becoming an everlasting source of his magical power.
Suspended midair, Yang Nan formed a hand seal. Suddenly, the two streams of spiritual spring burst forth like water pillars, enveloping him completely in an instant.
The spiritual power of the two streams seemed endless. Yang Nan used the Indestructible Yin Yang Wheel to guide the energies into two separate apertures. Though rarely used by others, Kunlun’s history had prodigies like Master Qingya who had excelled in such aperture refinement, and Bu Xu had given him many pointers on this method.
Yang Nan was not unfamiliar with the process. Immersed in his sea of consciousness, he saw the two streams of clear spiritual energy entering the two apertures. The Azure Dragon and Black Serpent intertwined within the Indestructible Yin Wheel, freely moving within the apertures, continuously refining the spiritual spring energy. The two streams merged using the magical weapon as a bridge—this was the supreme method of using weapons as conduits to refine spiritual energy into force.
As long as the space within the apertures could be fixed and the spiritual essence solidified, the rank of master would be attained.
Yet, becoming a master was no small feat. The path of cultivation was never smooth. Magical power was easy to cultivate, but the heart tribulation was harder to overcome. When seizing the essence of heaven and earth, the heart demon would sneak in. Yang Nan calmed his mind, holding fast to his primordial unity. As the two apertures gradually expanded and solidified, a surge of Yin Fire suddenly ignited from the Yongquan acupoint beneath his foot. This fire was not real flame but the heart fire of a cultivator!
All the karmic burdens from a cultivator’s past life and deeds burst forth at this moment. Any misstep would cause all previous efforts to be lost!
The heart fire tribulation was dreaded by all. It was filled with illusions and strange phenomena. If a cultivator’s resolve wavered, the heart demon would take advantage, scorching both soul and body to nothingness.
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Yang Nan’s soul was hidden within the Indestructible Yin Wheel. The heart fire quickly scorched his entire ethereal sea, and countless illusions appeared vividly.
No matter where one hid, the world was devoured by the heart demon…
The bustling flow of traffic in a city appeared instantly. Yang Nan found himself in the middle of a metropolis, the crowded streets around him filled with people, vehicles, and shops—each perfectly real!
This was his past life’s scene!
Surprised, Yang Nan walked slowly through the city streets, the cars rushing past. If his heart had not been firm, he might have believed he had been reborn into the modern world. He stood on the street, nearly knocked down pedestrians as cars swerved to avoid him. A driver poked his head out angrily, shouting, “Are you blind? How do you walk like this?”
Yang Nan was not angry, only smiling gently as he passed through the traffic, seemingly indifferent. He realized he wore a white shirt and jeans. Touching them felt real; the air smelled hot and dry…
Such a real world—an illusion? The heart demon’s trick?
To use my own memories to transform such a perfectly real world…
A faint smile curved Yang Nan’s lips. Suddenly, he leapt onto a car roof and began running. After a long time, he realized he could not escape this illusion no matter what he did.
Without the Dao or magical weapon, how could he break this cage?
‘Since my deepest secrets are known, I must abandon the past to awaken as if from a dream...’ Yang Nan suddenly understood. It was the karmic entanglement of his past life that created this heart demon illusion. Fortunately, having lived two lifetimes, his heart was resolute; he would not be deceived by this illusion.
To break the illusion, he must let go.
Letting go meant forgetting everything and severing all attachments!
He casually entered a shop, grabbed a fire axe, and swung it at the people around him!
The crowd screamed in terror and scattered as Yang Nan’s madness erupted. With a cold smile, he wielded the sharp axe mercilessly.
“Nan, you’re back?” neighbors called out... chop!
“Yang Nan, tomorrow’s the reunion, let’s go admire some beauties!” a university classmate laughed... chop!
“Nan, dinner’s on me tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to a girl!” a lifelong friend smiled teasingly... chop!
“Nán, your father’s ill. Come home with your mother...” a tearful woman looked at him... chop!
...
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The sharp axe in Yang Nan’s hands felled a great many classmates, relatives, friends, and family!
The surrounding crowd screamed in horror. Yang Nan was stained with countless splashes of blood, like a mad demon. Corpses lay everywhere, as if in a hellish battlefield, yet his eyes remained clear. In his heart, he calmly thought: “The past cannot be chased. If I do not abandon this burden, how can I hope for the future?”
“Since I am already dead, all past affairs can be severed!” he said, raising the axe and slashing fiercely into the void. A cracking sound rang out as the world tore apart. Yang Nan realized he was still within the Indestructible Yin Wheel. The endless heart demon had quietly retreated. The Yin Corrosion weapon gleamed with spiritual light. The eighteen magical crystals within the two apertures had merged into a single orb. The apertures shone brightly, nearing completion!
The apertures were fixed, the weapon’s sharp aura surged. The black serpent and azure dragon grew ever more vivid, their scales shining with a chilling light!
The constantly gushing spiritual springs were drying up. Yang Nan sat silently in the void, a beam of spiritual light radiating from his brow, scattering like heavenly rays!
He suddenly rose and let out a clear whistle that rippled across the distant sea. A black moon emerged from his brow, shifting shapes in the air. Suddenly, it transformed into a terrifying black serpent several dozen feet long.
Yang Nan’s body flickered and merged with the serpent.
The black serpent’s eyes glowed with a dark light, its body like a dragon swirling and flying through the air. Its black scales glittered, exuding a fierce aura like dark clouds rolling.
At this moment, Yang Nan felt himself and the serpent as one—serpent and man, head, tail, and body moving in perfect harmony, exhilarating beyond measure.
The Indestructible Yin Wheel rotated gently; the black energy instantly turned white, and a wave of water mist spread out. The black serpent suddenly contracted, sprouting horns and five claws, transforming into a true azure-scaled dragon!
Yang Nan raised his head and released a thunderous dragon roar. As he moved, countless clouds surged forth. A powerful and terrifying force flowed within the dragon’s body—this was the water-element Dao法 of the master rank!
Yang Nan tested various divine powers. Eventually, his human form separated from the magical weapon, which transformed once more into a black serpent and returned to his brow.
At this level, the myriad transformations in the Record of Demonic Weapon Devouring Heaven presented no obstacles. His transformations were smooth and powerful, incomparable to the master rank!
Thus, the rank of master was finally achieved!
Yang Nan descended to the ground, his eyes clearer than ever before. The past life was abandoned, his soul purified. The magical power in his two apertures was unprecedented. With a mere thought, the orb within the apertures responded, releasing a vast ocean of spiritual power, endless and pure. Such refined power was quite different from the overwhelming strength of supreme demonic bodies.
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