Forge your destiny into a sword, slash your soul and ascend to immortality

Chapter 187 The Divine God Emerges at the Perfected Earthly Fiend Banquet
A century of refinement and cultivation has thoroughly cleansed away Jing Qian's restlessness.

Within this illusion, Jing Qian's state has been completely transformed, and is no longer the same.

And the results of his cultivation over these hundred years are naturally incredibly abundant.

During this period, he completely wiped out all the insect demon souls within the space of the Life Stele.

It took him a full fifteen years just to comprehend the spirit of the Flower Bone Butterfly.

If it weren't for the power of the [Sitting in Oblivion Coffin], he would hardly have such a long stretch of time in the mortal world to focus on a particular cultivation practice.

By comprehending the divine souls of these great demons, Jing Qian successfully raised the level of his own [Sea of ​​Primordial Qi] to as many as 1,150.

But it's an extremely terrifying level of cultivation efficiency!

If his cultivation level weren't so low, he should have been able to directly condense his own unique [Immortal Qi] by now.

However, with the help of the Golden Immortal Spiritual Energy transformed from the Good Corn, he was firmly stuck on the 999th floor, unable to advance any further.

At least before his advancement to [Star Picking], the quality of his magic power had reached its limit and could not be improved any further.

More importantly, by eroding the souls of the insect demons, he successfully located the "Life Stele" of many insect demons on the "Mountain of Immortal Qi".

That was a nest of insects, enclosed by a group of insect demons' "Life Stele"!
Including the [Mother Insect's] [Life Stele], all the great insects in the [Insect Nest Universe] have established their cultivation foundation in this [Insect Nest].

Jing Qian kept this dimensional location firmly in mind, as it was a valuable resource.

Unfortunately, he lacked the strength to make a move at the moment.

In addition, his other great achievement lies in his cultivation of [spiritual energy].

Over the course of a century, the power of his [Sculpting of Wisdom] has been amplified countless times.

Under the relentless forging process, the [Qingping Sword Box] became the first item to advance to the first rank.

This is a milestone improvement!

This is because the [Qingping Sword Box] is the [spiritual essence] that he refined from scratch to its peak, and it resonates most deeply with his swordsmanship.

Its promotion brought about extremely peculiar changes!

Jing Qian then extracted the Qingping Sword Box from his own sea of ​​consciousness and placed it in the center of the Void Realm.

The sword box, originally of the highest rank, manifests externally as a ten-foot-tall jade wall.

Judging from its appearance alone, it is almost identical to the Sword Grinding Cliff in [Pure Yang Heaven]!
Upon arriving here, Jing Qian finally understood that the Sword Grinding Cliff must be the natal sword box of the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor.

After the Qingping Sword Box was promoted to the first rank, it also possessed a similar mystical quality to the Sword Grinding Cliff.

Jing Qian then activated a [Destiny Ghost], invoking his own [Qingping End] sword technique [Heavenly Mandate], and unleashed a sword light towards the [Qingping Sword Box].

The Sword Box drew upon a unique sword technique from this sword light and integrated it into Jing Qian's fundamental sword energy.

His fundamental sword energy was thus tempered by something from the outside world.

Conversely, the [Sword Box] also transmitted a trace of sword dao insights to that [Destiny Ghost].

With his control over the [Destiny Ghost], Jing Qian easily absorbed this insight.

This is undoubtedly a win-win situation!
For him, the swordplay practice between the [Destiny Ghost] and the [Sword Box] not only honed his fundamental sword energy but also generated insights into the way of the sword.

Moreover, the entire process required absolutely no attention from him.

He only needs to arrange the [Destiny Ghost] and then he can sit back and wait to reap the rewards, thus enhancing his swordsmanship.

Using the Book of Life and Death, Jing Qian easily created a thousand sixth-grade Sword Demons, each of which could control the destiny of the Azure Lotus End.

They dwell within the [Void Realm], surrounding the [Azure Lotus Sword Box], drawing their swords day and night to hone their fundamental sword energy and absorb insights into the way of the sword.

It became a sweatshop that contributed swordsmanship skills to Jing Qian.

And with the inspiration from the Book of Life and Death, and under the long illumination of the Source of Wisdom, it advanced to the first rank.

The two fundamental spiritual forces of the Pure Yang Heaven and the Yama Path have created a wondrous synergy.

The newly created Book of Life and Death also has a huge boost to its power.

In addition to the fact that the strength of each ghost itself has been significantly enhanced.

The production and recycling of ghosts has become even smoother!
Originally, it would take about fifteen minutes to create a large demon from the Book of Life and Death.

After the promotion, the ghosts almost instantly respawned, dying and reviving in an instant.

This relieved Jing Qian's thousand [Sword Demons] of their worries, allowing them to unleash even more explosive attacks on the [Qingping Sword Box].

Each of the [Sword Demons] began to self-destruct its ghostly body, burning all its magic power to unleash a desperate sword strike.

In an instant, the entire [Virtual Realm] was also filled with dazzling sword light, like a galaxy spreading across the ground.

During this process, the essence of the sword energy within the [Qingping Sword Box] is rapidly increasing.

The Book of Life and Death becomes smoother with use, and the Sword Demon alone becomes increasingly sharper between life and death.

Aside from failing to absorb the [Fire of Evil] and refine the [Life Essence] power, Jing Qian's cultivation progress can be described as perfect.

The enhancement of both [spiritual energy] and [primordial energy] is a more important aspect of cultivation than the enhancement of magical power.

However, he was so engrossed in the "Sitting in Oblivion Coffin" that his cultivation was relentless and he could not extricate himself from it.

However, the entire selection process for the Imperial Academy was thus completely wasted.

Over the course of a century, the other thirty-five candidates had already finished their infighting and determined the final winner.

However, he was unable to find the last competitor, which brought the entire selection process to a halt.

Over the course of a century, this victor has completely taken control of both the mortal realm and the cultivation world across the entire continent.

Whether it was a mortal emperor or a cultivator leader, he held all the power.

The entire continent was managed by him as if it were an iron barrel, and the resources he could draw upon were enormous.

Even so, he dug three feet into the ground, but still couldn't find Jing Qian!

It wasn't until Jingqian himself had completed his cultivation that he broke free from his hiding place and emerged from seclusion.

Within a short period of time, his cultivation had reached a bottleneck, and his efficiency in utilizing time had obviously decreased.

It's time to end this illusion!

He made no attempt to conceal his magical aura, and in a flash, he appeared high above the capital city of this continent, silently waiting.

This arrogant act quickly attracted the attention of many cultivators.

Before long, a dragon chariot flew up from beneath his feet and stopped in front of him.

A powerful and stern-faced monarch emerged from the imperial carriage.

He suppressed the prodigies of his generation and unified the power of the continent. Whether in cultivation or talent, he was among the very best, deserving of the position of [Imperial Son]. He then addressed Jing Qian, saying:
"Fellow Daoist, you've been hiding for so long, and you've finally decided to come out!"

"Between you and me..."

But before he could finish speaking, his pupils suddenly dilated, as if something extremely terrifying was about to happen.

A dazzling sword aura suddenly rose up and slashed towards him!
The monarch summoned a second-grade [Spiritual Ability] seal, which transformed into a magical shield in an attempt to block the attack.

The powerful [Spiritual Energy] shield, which was usually impenetrable, was shattered by the sword energy as if it were made of paper.

The sword energy, carrying boundless power, struck the monarch's neck with unavoidable force, decapitating him and completely annihilating his soul and body.

Following the imperial carriage were numerous cultivators and followers from the capital city beneath its feet. Upon witnessing their emperor being treated like a chick and killed with a single sword strike, they all instantly lost their composure.

Faced with the ruthless villain before them, the crowd didn't even dare to collect the emperor's body and scattered like birds and beasts.

Jing Qian didn't ask the last competitor's name at all, and he was too lazy to listen to the other party's rambling.

It's just a matter of one sword strike to settle things.

He easily killed his opponent and then silently awaited the new developments of the [Sitting in Oblivion Coffin].

A turbulent current of time began to ripple around him.

Using the Empress's power of time, he is about to descend into the mortal world carrying the accumulation of his cultivation over the past hundred years.

This process allowed him to once again appreciate the profoundness of the Great Dao of Time. The [Time Sequence] within his own sea of ​​consciousness was stirring, seemingly possessing a unique and wondrous quality, about to materialize.

Jing Qian put it aside for the time being, intending to study it in detail after completing the entire selection process.

When he rose from the "Coffin of Oblivion" and stepped out, the other thirty-five people had all disappeared.

Only Lu Fang was waiting for him.

Facing the only newly appointed [Imperial Academy] who had successfully passed the exam, this [Chancellor of the Imperial Academy] showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever, as if he had expected it all along.

He just opened his mouth and said:
“The son of the Su family, named Jing, has been admitted to the Imperial Academy and can go to the Fire Source Hall to cultivate for ten days.”

"Go then!"

After saying that, he seemed to have thrown away a hot potato, and with a wave of his magic, he teleported Jing Qian away.

Immediately afterwards, he disappeared into the depths of the Imperial Academy.

Jing Qian noticed that Lu Fang was acting strangely, and he knew there must be a secret behind it.

However, he couldn't be bothered to care. As he stood in front of the gate of the Fire Source Hall, feeling the surging fire inside, he felt that all his efforts had been worthwhile!

This is a [Fire Pool] that the entire [Boundless Heavenly Dynasty] built by squeezing out a massive amount of territory, ruling over the entire Northern Heaven.

It contains boundless [Limitless True Evil], which can sustain the cultivation of millions of [Spirit Officials].

Even if Jing Qian just crouches down at the entrance of this hall and sneaks in a couple of breaths, his magical power will greatly increase, saving countless resources.

Ordinary cultivators, and even many Dao Ancestors, could never comprehend just how exaggerated his thirst for [Fire of Fiends] truly was.

Even though he already had two extremely powerful sources of [Fire of Evil]: [Mahakala] and [Tower of Babel].

However, after cultivating for so long, he has not even reached the upper limit of his own magical power.

This opportunity to enter the Fire Source Palace is the cultivation opportunity he desperately needs, and for it he is willing to take great risks to venture into the Boundless Heavenly Dynasty.

Now, his wish has finally come true, and he can enter it to cultivate for ten days.

He was like an old, insatiable tinderbox, finally about to meet his own little flame.

Without the slightest hesitation, he plunged headlong into the [Fire Source Hall].

In an instant, he felt as if he had fallen into purgatory. The endless, extremely refined [Limitless True Evil], viscous like liquid lava, roared and completely engulfed him with a terrifying pressure that could burn stars and melt laws!

"Well done!"

Instead of being afraid, Jing Qian let out a low growl filled with extreme longing.

He mustered all his magical power and instantly met the boundless fire evil, as if he had encountered the fuse of heavenly thunder and earthly fire, and exploded with a roar!
hum!
His pores were wide open, and every acupoint transformed into a greedy vortex, unleashing a terrifying suction force.

That torrent of malevolent fire, powerful enough to instantly incinerate an ordinary [Spirit Official] into nothingness, was actually torn apart and swallowed whole by him!
"Ugh!"

The ferocious fire, so violent it was unimaginable, instantly surged into the body, like millions of red-hot steel knives, churning and plundering wildly within!
Excruciating pain swept through his soul, and Jing Qian's skin instantly turned charred and carbonized. However, it was rapidly regenerated under the tenacious repair of his supernatural powers. The cycle repeated itself, and his entire body sizzled with oil, already eight-tenths cooked.

His body became the ultimate battlefield where the [Fiendish Fire] and his own power clashed, merged, and sublimated.

Practicing magic in the Fire Source Hall is a completely different experience from that in the Great Black Heaven and the Heavenly Hall.

Elsewhere, his magical power was superior, allowing him to meticulously crush the [evil fire] and eat with care, without wasting a single drop.

Here he was being consumed by the [Fire of Evil], and he tried his best to resist it, causing the fire's power to leak out. But if he couldn't resist it, he would suffer the calamity of his physical body being burned.

However, burning me for ten days forged the foundation of my Dao and made my Great Dao complete!

For Jingqian, the agony of being burned alive was sweet as honey!
On the first day, Jing Qian absorbed 70,000 strands of [Limitless True Evil], refining his [Golden Root Life Essence] to its absolute limit for the first time!
A full 26,500 [Golden Root Life Essence] were the magical power that the twenty-six [Heavenly Mandates] behind him supported.

He struggled and schemed for so many years before finally accumulating more than half of his magical power.

Having only been in the [Fire Source Hall] for a day, he was already full!

The next day, he squeezed out all the [Golden Root Life Essence] and placed it inside the [Sage of Sumeru Holding a Sword to Open the Six Paths of Reincarnation], using the [Sage Image] as a stove to receive the immeasurable [Limitless True Evil] for tempering.

He struggled for two full days, consuming over 100,000 streams of [Fire of Evil], completely burning away all his [Golden Root Essence], forming a dense and profound embryonic form of [Immortal Spiritual Energy].

This nascent form of [celestial spiritual energy] was the foundation of Jing Qian's magical power for advancing to [Star Picking].

On the fifth day, he took out all twelve [Spiritual Abilities] from his body and threw them into the fiery aura to be roasted and tempered. In an instant, his aura became even more refined.

The Qingping Sword Box, the Qili Divine Seal, and the Book of Life and Death all possess a certain ability to store energy.

They ate and took things, having a wonderful time!

If you count carefully, in just five days, Jing Qian has already consumed three hundred years' worth of [Daheitian]'s output!

At this moment, he had already completed his cultivation of the [Earthly Fiend] realm.

If he had a suitable [Destiny Star], he could have advanced to [Star Picking] on the spot.

However, within his body, there is still a major consumer of [Firefire], which has been frantically devouring [Limitless True Fiery Energy] ever since he entered the [Fire Source Hall].

Jing Qian pulled out the [Feast God] that had already merged into his body and held it in front of him.

This external avatar is already full of spirituality and magical power. It only needs to rely on fire to completely eliminate the remaining material properties within it before it can be born.

And throughout the entire northern sky, there is no place more suitable than the Fire Source Palace for forging the Feast God!

Starting from the sixth day, Jing Qian focused all his efforts on connecting with the surrounding fire elemental forces to burn away the spiritual energy of the [Banquet God].

Another two hundred thousand [Limitless True Evil] were rapidly consumed, and this [Banquet God] spirit finally emerged!
(I'll resume single-update updates of 7k words tomorrow. Double-updates are causing a crazy drop in average subscribers, I'm about to break down.)
(End of this chapter)