Embers of Sword

Chapter 548 Inheritance of Supernatural Powers

Speculation about Lu Yuzhen and the Great Dao Brush...

That's where the trail went cold.

Xuanming shook his head; he stopped thinking about it.

The events of a thousand years ago have been weathered away by time.

Xuanming now has only one thought in his mind.

That was during the remaining time that we witnessed the [Yuan Tun Sacred Realm] regain its vitality.

"Junior Brother...from this day forward, you shall be the Lord of this Holy Realm!"

Xuanming looked at the young man beside him and said softly, "Although you cannot release this Yuan Tun Sacred Realm before you become a Celestial Being, you can use it as a divine soul artifact."

This Primordial Sacred Realm is now located and suppressed within the Heart Lake.

A "True Immortal-level" divine soul artifact.

This means that Xie Xuanyi's soul defense capabilities will become extremely powerful.

All attacks targeting the soul must first be filtered through the [Primordial Devouring Holy Realm].

"Besides that, you can also begin cultivating the Dao intent, array patterns, and inheritances within the Holy Realm."

Swish.

Xuanming flipped his palm over, and a luminous bamboo slip appeared in his hand.

"I have compiled all the important traditions in the Holy Realm."

Xie Xuanyi took the bamboo slip, scanned it briefly with his divine sense, and then quickly withdrew.

The legacy of the Primordial Devouring Sacred Realm is far too profound—

The four disciples under the Great Sage Bai Ze are "Chongming Bird", "Red Python", "Azure Phoenix" and "White Fox".

These four disciples, blessed by the Great Sage, inherited the Daoist lineage and integrated supernatural powers and techniques with the innate talents of the demon race...

All of these are included in the inheritance!

The profoundness of the Yuan Tun Sacred Realm's inheritance is comparable to that of the Great Sui Sword Palace; to fully cultivate it would likely require an extremely long period of time.

"Junior brother, you are not a demon."

Xuanming said softly, "Many supernatural abilities in the Holy Realm's inheritance require 'demon blood talent.' The contents of this jade slip may not be of much benefit to you..."

A thousand years ago, the relationship between humans and demons was not tense.

Many of the close friends that Bai Ze made in his life were human cultivators.

Therefore, this inheritance of the Yuan Tun Sacred Realm is not limited to any particular race. As long as the conditions are met, any being can attempt to refine the Dao Stele.

"However... now that you have comprehended the 'Way of Birth and Death,' you probably wouldn't be interested in most of the supernatural powers here."

Xuanming laughed.

He knew how formidable his junior brother was.

Simultaneously comprehending the two top-tier Dao realms of birth and death... If this were a thousand years ago, with abundant vital energy, this junior brother would definitely have become the strongest in the sect.

If one cultivates for a hundred years, one will surely surpass oneself.

In this way, the supernatural powers of the demon race in the Holy Realm are indeed no match for the sword cultivators' techniques.

"Whether we learn these supernatural abilities or not is irrelevant—"

Xuanming paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "The most important thing is still the 'Primordial Devouring Technique'."

Xie Xuanyi held his breath.

Yes.

He was indeed not very interested in the supernatural powers of the demon race. On the one hand, he was unable to cultivate them, and on the other hand, he had already cultivated the Dao Domain of "birth and death".

What he most wanted to cultivate was the magic that Bai Ze, the Great Sage, was most proud of throughout his life—

Yuan Tun!

"The inheritance of the Yuan Devouring Technique was originally divided into four parts, which were passed down to four disciples respectively."

Xuanming slowly said, "Those who enter the secret tomb can obtain a portion of the Yuan Tun inheritance as long as they can obtain the 'Key to the Secret Palace'."

"The Key to the Secret Palace?"

Xie Xuanyi's mind stirred slightly.

He summoned four bone armors.

"Not bad, you are quite observant."

Xuanming smiled when he saw the bone armor and said, "However, for you... these four Secret Palace Keys are no longer of much use."

Xie Xuanyi has now become the master of the Yuan Tun Holy Realm.

The disciple of Bai Ze, the Great Sage.

The inheritance of this Yuan Devouring Technique is destined to fall on his shoulders.

"The reason why the Yuan Tun Technique fell into the hands of the four disciples is not because Master was biased."

Xuanming said gently, "It's because this technique is extremely difficult to cultivate, and it is divided into four volumes. Being able to cultivate even one volume is already an extraordinary supernatural ability. Of the four disciples, I cultivated three volumes. The other three junior brothers and sisters, in the end, only cultivated two volumes."

Xie Xuanyi's expression was solemn.

"The four volumes are 'Devouring the Primordial Essence,' 'Devouring the Dao,' 'Devouring the Qi,' and 'Devouring the Soul.'"

"These four volumes of supernatural powers are of equal quality."

"Master created this technique to create a perfect holy realm. The birth of a holy realm requires external power, hence this 'Primordial Devouring Technique' was created."

Xuanming slowly said, "The reason it is divided into these four volumes is because a thousand years ago, the four sources of power that cultivators drew upon were Yuan, Dao, Qi, and Hun."

"Those who cultivate the essence draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and rely on their natal treasures to build a bridge between themselves and heaven and earth."

"Those who cultivate the Tao comprehend the Tao and its meaning, enriching their inner world."

“Those who cultivate Qi are martial artists who ignite the primordial fire through the major acupoints of their physical body to generate the source of Qi.”

“Soul cultivators are the opposite of martial artists. They abandon their physical bodies and only cultivate their souls, so they can change their physical form at any time.”

In fact, these four types of cultivators still exist today.

The Great Jade Sword Palace, the Daoist Gate, and the Brahma Sound Temple symbolize the three great paths of cultivation in the secular world: cultivating essence, cultivating the Dao, and cultivating Qi.

All three roads lead to the summit!

As for soul cultivation...

Xie Xuanyi, however, hadn't heard much about it.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Xuanming flicked his sleeves, and suddenly, numerous Great Dao Realms appeared within the chaotic fog. These Great Daos solidified into physical forms, resembling long rivers or ribbons of silk, swirling around Xuanming. This was the very scene Xie Xuanyi had witnessed when he entered the Holy Realm.

Seeing this scene again, Xie Xuanyi was still deeply shocked: "This is..."

"I cultivate the 'Swallowing Dao' scroll."

Xuanming said softly, "What you see is the Dao intent accumulated by the Devouring Dao Scroll. These Dao intents should have flowed away like water, but they were preserved because of my existence."

He raised his hand slightly.

These profound principles and meanings then trembled and resonated—

Xuanming alone is the "master" of dozens or even hundreds of Great Dao Intents!
“A thousand years is too long. The Holy Realm has withered, and my junior brothers and sisters, my clansmen… have all died one after another…”

Xuanming lowered his eyes and smiled, saying self-deprecatingly, "After they died, the Dao and Dao intent they cultivated became the nourishment for my 'Devouring Dao Scroll.' Perhaps even the 'Devouring Dao Technique' that my master cultivated back then couldn't compare to the abundance I have accumulated now. I originally thought that after a few more years, these Dao and Dao intents would dissolve with me."

"Can you summon and use all these great paths?"

Xie Xuanyi murmured.

The Dao that Xuanming alone possesses is almost comparable to the thirty-three grotto heavens of the Great Sui Sword Palace.

even……

It is even more powerful and profound than the Dao intent of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Caves!
"good."

Xuanming calmly said, "But the 'Devouring Dao Scroll' is not as powerful as you imagine. I can only use these Dao intents once."

There are nearly a hundred major principles and meanings here.

They appear majestic and imposing, but in reality, they are all candles that should have been extinguished long ago.

Because of the existence of the [Primal Devouring Technique].

Xuanming left behind these candles, but if lit, they would be gone forever once the flames burned out. "The part of the 'Dao' you comprehended earlier has vanished forever."

Xuanming calmly said, "The Yuan Devouring Technique is a supreme divine power that must follow the fundamental principles of heaven and earth. Every drink and every bite has its cause and effect. Even leaving behind just a candle flame comes with a price to pay. This is the most difficult aspect of cultivating the four volumes of divine powers: the more you gain, the more you lose."

Xie Xuanyi was somewhat bewildered.

“Take the ‘Swallowing Path Scroll’ as an example.”

Xuanming lowered his head slightly and said, word by word, "My Dao is called 'Chongming,' which resides in my eyes. I use my pupil techniques to fight enemies, and I am invincible. After cultivating the 'Devouring Dao Scroll,' the Dao intent of Chongming began to become uncontrollably turbid and mixed..."

Because this road is no longer the only one.

"Is this the reason for the strange phenomena that occurred during the previous battle?"

Xie Xuanyi was startled.

"good……"

Xuanming spoke with a slightly heavy tone: "These strange phenomena are all born from the Dao and its intent. If I release all the Dao intent absorbed by 'Devouring the Dao,' these strange phenomena that do not belong to me will vanish. In order to bear these 'Dao and its intent,' I covered my eyes and closed my Double-Bright Eyes."

The art of swallowing the Dao is not as perfect as it appears on the surface.

The more you absorb the essence of the Tao, the better.

The more turbid one's own path becomes, the more impure it will be.

Of course... the advantages and disadvantages depend on the cultivator's own strength.

Xuanming was powerful enough that the "Chongming" Great Dao was high above, suppressing all other Dao Realms. Even after swallowing nearly a hundred Great Daos, he remained safe and sound.

If it were someone else, they wouldn't have the ability.

Swallowing so many Dao Realm cultivators... will definitely cause a backlash!

"Those who absorb the Dao find the Dao itself to be complex and varied."

"Those who devour the primordial energy have turbid primordial energy."

Xuanming said seriously, "...Everything in this world has its balance. The more powerful a divine ability is, the more price it requires. The Yuan Devouring Technique is indeed powerful, but cultivating it comes at a price. Junior Brother, I must make this clear to you."

"……I see."

Seeing this scene, Xie Xuanyi felt a little more at ease.

The drawbacks of the Yuan Devouring Technique.

He wasn't surprised.

Is there any perfect supernatural power in this world?
Even the most powerful cultivator can only cultivate two major paths in their entire life.

Xuanming has nearly a hundred Dao Realms accompanying him... This is already an extremely heaven-defying miracle. If there were no burden, this Yuan Devouring Technique would be too contrary to the laws of nature!

"However, there's no need to worry too much."

Xuanming smiled and comforted him in a gentle voice, "I left behind so many great principles because I missed my deceased friends."

Regarding spiritual practice...

Xuanming had long since given up on it.

No matter how much profound knowledge and understanding he accumulates, it's all meaningless.

He will never be able to leave the Yuan Tun Holy Realm in this lifetime, nor will he ever encounter any so-called "enemies".

The reason for accumulating so many great Dao principles is simply to retain a trace of the aura of an old friend, so that one can have a thought to hold onto in the lonely Holy Realm.

"If you only accumulate a few Dao intents, there won't be much of a negative effect..."

Xuanming said sincerely, "In my opinion, the Yuan Devouring Technique should be regarded as a supplementary technique. You might as well understand the word 'devouring' as... 'controlling'."

"Control?"

Xie Xuanyi was taken aback.

“That’s right. First, you absorb the Dao intent, then you control the Dao intent, and finally you consume the Dao intent.”

Xuanming said solemnly, “Your sect should have a Great Dao Stele. The purpose of the ‘Devouring Dao Scroll’ is simply to provide you with a Great Dao Stele that you can carry with you… The Great Dao essence you absorb can always be with you. If these Great Daos can resonate with ‘birth and death,’ then they will help you take another step forward in your understanding of birth and death.”

Xie Xuanyi seemed to be deep in thought.

"Devouring the primordial essence, devouring the vital energy, devouring the soul... all follow this principle."

"On the great path of cultivation, how can one progress faster by practicing alone in silence than by drawing upon the wisdom of others?"

Xuanming smiled and said, "My master is naturally carefree and loves making friends. He has a wide range of knowledge in all the great arts of the world, including supernatural powers, spells, weapon crafting, and array formation. That's why he has this 'Yuan Devouring Technique'. I don't cultivate the soul, so I haven't comprehended the 'Soul Devouring' technique. My other three junior brothers and sisters also have their own unique skills."

Say it.

Xuanming took out four green slips.

Previously, the inheritance of the four disciples, as well as the knowledge of the Holy Realm, was carried on a single green bamboo slip.

And now.

The Yuan Devouring Technique then divided into four pieces—

This demonstrates the immense importance of the Yuan Devouring Technique!

"Junior brother. As per our master's instructions, you are now the master of the [Primal Devouring Sacred Realm] and the successor of the Primal Devouring Technique."

Xuanming said gently, "You must keep these four green slips safe. With your aptitude, you should be able to cultivate all four Yuan Devouring Techniques... I have already explained the advantages and disadvantages to you. How you arrange things next is entirely up to you."

"...Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Xie Xuanyi took the green slip and immersed his divine sense into it.

He does indeed have a special identity.

Because of his reincarnation and rebirth, Xie Xuanyi's soul is exceptionally robust compared to other cultivators of the same realm.

In addition, he has now cultivated a "Martial Arts Divine Embryo", possessing both the "Great Dao of Life and Death" and the "Natal Flying Sword".

All four Yuan-swallowing supernatural powers can be cultivated.

"All four techniques are top-tier supernatural abilities."

Xie Xuanyi calmed his mind; this was the first time he had faced such a choice.

Too much to chew.

He understands this principle.

Now that I have many choices... I should first choose a magical technique or supernatural power to cultivate.

"The Devouring Yuan Scroll should be the best choice if placed a thousand years ago."

Xie Xuanyi's gaze swept over them one by one.

Now that he has cultivated to the embryonic stage of the Great Dao, he needs a large amount of primordial energy to achieve the Yang God realm... In the past, King Youhai launched the Tide Sacrifice to advance to the Yang God realm in order to gather this primordial energy. If he had the Devouring Yuan Scroll, his speed in achieving the Yang God realm would be much faster.

Unfortunately, the vital energy of heaven and earth is now depleted.

Even if one is cultivating the Devouring Yuan Scroll, one still needs to find a blessed land.

The amount of vital energy required for one's advancement to the Yang God realm is extremely large... Even the Great Sui Sword Palace does not possess a blessed land that can meet such conditions.

As for other places.

Xie Xuanyi really couldn't think of anything.

As a result, those who cultivate the Devouring Yuan Scroll find themselves in an awkward situation of "having power but nowhere to use it".

"The Scroll of Devouring Qi, the Scroll of Devouring Souls..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the other two scrolls and shook his head as well.

A martial artist, a soul cultivator.

These two volumes of supernatural powers are indeed powerful, but I don't really need them right now.

Perhaps the Qi-swallowing scroll will be of great use when I condense my "Martial Arts Saint Body" in the future.

As for the Soul Devouring Scroll, it's utterly useless.

"The Scroll of Devouring the Dao".

After some thought, Xie Xuanyi quickly made a decision.

His divine sense landed on the second green slip.

Now, if I want to achieve the Yang God realm, what's more important than accumulating vital energy is to cultivate the "Life Dao Realm" to perfection.

He had previously endured countless hardships in order to condense the Dao of Life.

If one could obtain the "Swallowing Dao Scroll" to assist in cultivation, the speed of one's practice of the "Way of Life" would be greatly accelerated!

(End of this chapter)