One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

This strike was more than three times more powerful than the previous one. Wherever the blade passed, the air was torn apart, space was distorted, and a deep trench was cleaved in the ground, its edges lined with charred rocks and melting snow.

But the cost is also high.

The moment the blade was drawn, the demonic energy retaliated fiercely, attempting to seize his sanity. Countless terrifying illusions flashed before his eyes—mountains of corpses and seas of blood, desolation everywhere, countless people screaming, weeping, and reaching out to him…

"Domination!"

Nie Lingfeng gritted his teeth and activated the Demon Heart Crossing technique at full power. Dark red runes lit up on his chest, like a seal that suppressed his demonic nature.

The illusion vanished.

He was panting heavily, his whole body soaked in sweat.

"The Demon Blade... is still too dangerous," he thought. "But its power is indeed immense. The key is to maintain a proper balance; you can't unleash its full power, nor can you completely suppress it."

He continued practicing.

Swords, spears, halberds, fists, palms, legs, and claws—I practiced them all, gaining understanding with each experience.

Practicing boxing on the ice wall. When a punch is thrown out, the first half is the soft force of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm, like clouds and mist, penetrating everywhere; the second half suddenly turns into the cold force of the Frost Fist, and a thick layer of ice condenses on the ice wall as the fist wind passes by.

Practicing legwork in the snow. With a kick, the Wind God Leg moves as swiftly as the wind, its shadows blurred, making it impossible to discern its true form; halfway through its trajectory, it suddenly merges with the intense heat of the Qilin Fire, igniting golden-red flames on its leg, instantly evaporating the snow in its wake.

Practicing finger techniques on the rock face. With a flick of the finger, the "finger" technique of the Ten Strong Martial Arts is as sharp as a sword, the finger wind cuts through the air and emits a sharp whistling sound; within the finger wind, there is also the violence of a demonic blade, making people tremble.

Before I knew it, it was dark.

He returned to the cave, covered in wounds. His clothes were torn, several cuts were bleeding, and his arms and legs were covered in bruises. But he had a smile on his face.

That smile was the joy of a successful harvest.

Nighttime is his most "dangerous" time.

As the moon rose, the yin energy gradually increased. Inside the cave, the warm blue light of the jade intertwined with the moonlight, casting dappled, eerie shadows.

Nie Lingfeng sat cross-legged in his stone chamber, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate the Demon Heart Crossing.

The cultivation of the Demon Heart Crossing requires confronting one's inner demons.

His mind sank into the depths, arriving at that dark space.

This is the "abyss" in his heart.

In the darkness, countless voices echoed—

"You shouldn't be here..." a voice said, hoarse and sinister.

"You're a time traveler, you stole someone else's body..." another voice said, sharp and piercing.

"You can't protect anyone... Chen Duo will die... Zhang Chulan will die... Feng Baobao will die... Everyone will die..." the third voice said, low and suppressed.

"Kill them...kill everyone...with the demonic blade...with the power of the Qilin...kill everything..." said the fourth voice, violent and insane.

From the darkness, countless eyes emerged. Blood-red eyes stared at him maliciously, like countless venomous snakes lurking in the shadows.

Then, the owners of those eyes began to emerge.

Those were people he had killed.

Wang Kui of Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain, his crazed eyes and maniacal smile before his death.

The "administrator" of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley struggles in the Phoenix True Fire.

The remnants of the Wang family roared in despair before their deaths.

And then there were the countless wronged souls he had never seen, but who appeared in his illusions while he was cultivating the Demon Blade.

They surged out of the darkness, reached out, and grabbed at him.

"Give me back my life..."

"You killed me..."

"You deserve to die..."

Countless voices and countless hands drowned him out.

Nie Lingfeng did not move.

He sat there cross-legged, letting those hands grab and pull, letting those voices roar.

Because these are all illusions.

It's an illusion created by inner demons.

He knew that if he made the slightest move, if he felt even the slightest fear or wavering, his inner demons would seize the opportunity and completely devour him.

He closed his eyes and activated the Wuqiu Yijue (a technique for purifying oneself).

I am the wind.

The wind is formless and shapeless; you cannot catch it.

I am snow.

The snow is pure and flawless; you cannot pollute me.

I am a mountain.

The mountains stand still, and you cannot shake me.

I am the heavens.

The heavens encompass all things, and you are but a speck of dust within them.

Gradually, those illusions began to dissipate.

Those hands could no longer grasp. Those voices grew fainter. Those bloodshot eyes closed one by one.

Finally, in the darkness, only he remained.

He sat there cross-legged, surrounded by a faint light. It was the light of the Wuqiu Yijue, the light of the Demon Heart Crossing, and his own light.

"Inner demons..." He opened his eyes, looking into the darkness before him, "You cannot trap me."

A sigh came from the darkness.

That sigh contained helplessness, anger, and also a hint of... appreciation.

Then, the darkness receded.

He opened his eyes and returned to reality.

He was drenched in sweat, his heart pounding. But he knew he had won again.

With each victory, the "domination" over the demonic nature deepens.

Those violent, murderous, and destructive impulses were no longer suppressed beasts, but gradually became part of his power. Like a sharp knife, though dangerous, it could be used to slay enemies as long as it was held in his hand.

The hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM) is when Yin and Yang alternate, making it the most active and chaotic time of day in terms of energy.

Nie Lingfeng would sit on the largest piece of warm jade in the center of the hot spring and try to fuse the five elemental powers.

Wind, cloud, frost, fire, demon.

Five forces, each with different attributes, even mutually antagonistic. The wind is ethereal, the clouds are ever-changing, the frost is icy, the fire is scorching, and the demon is violent. They are like five powerful figures with vastly different personalities, none willing to submit to the others.

Forcibly merging can backfire if not handled carefully.

In the first few days, Nie Lingfeng was injured almost every day.

First attempt—

He channeled the powers of wind, cloud, and frost into his dantian, intending to fuse them, when the power of fire suddenly surged forth, like an enraged bull charging into the vortex. The four powers collided violently, and his dantian felt as if it were about to explode, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood from the pain.

Second attempt—

He had learned his lesson and first stabilized the fire power before slowly adding the demonic power. However, the moment the demonic power entered, it was like adding fuel to the fire; the already raging vortex instantly spiraled out of control, the five powers clashing wildly within his body, pushing his meridians to the brink of collapse. He gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing the attack and barely managing to stabilize it, but his meridians had already suffered considerable damage.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

Every attempt ended in injury. Sometimes it was coughing up blood, sometimes it was damage to the meridians, and sometimes it was mental turmoil, almost leading to qi deviation.

But he did not give up.

He learned from each failure and gained experience from each injury.

"The formlessness of the wind can serve as a carrier and a link..." he thought.

Wind is formless and intangible, yet it is everywhere. It can encompass all things and connect all things. Like air, you cannot see or touch it, but without it, nothing can survive.

"The unpredictability of clouds can resolve conflicts and embrace all things..." he thought.

Clouds are ever-changing, sometimes like cotton candy, sometimes like veils, sometimes like thick fog. They have no fixed shape, so they can adapt to any form. Just like water, it becomes round in a round cup and square in a square cup.

"The ruthlessness of frost can freeze restlessness and stabilize structures..." he thought.

Frost is cold and merciless, capable of freezing all restlessness. Just like winter, when all things slumber, awaiting the revival of spring. It is a power of "stillness" that can balance the power of "movement".

"The heat of fire can provide a continuous source of power..." he thought.

Fire is the source of life, and also the source of destruction. It is violent, it is intense, it is always burning, always in motion. It is a force of "movement," the root of all change.

"The violence of the demon can be transformed into the sharpest aggression..." he thought.

Demons are a collection of negative emotions: murderous intent, anger, and the desire for destruction. But if you can master them, they can be the sharpest knife, the most ruthless sword, and the most effective weapon for killing enemies.

"Perhaps... we can do it this way..."

He had a flash of inspiration.

It's not about forcibly merging the five forces together, but about giving them a "structure".

Like a galaxy.

At its center is a star—the core of the Qilin's power, providing light and heat.

Surrounding it are planets—wind, clouds, frost, and demons, four forces revolving around the star like planets. They run in their own orbits, not interfering with each other, yet connected by gravity (potential).

He closed his eyes and began to try.

First, stabilize the fire energy. Let it sink into the center of your dantian, forming a stable core.

Then, the power of wind is introduced. It is made to revolve around the power of fire, forming the first orbit. The formless nature of wind allows it to contain the heat of fire, without conflict or repulsion.

Next, the power of the clouds is introduced. It is then allowed to circulate further out, forming a second orbit. The ever-changing nature of the clouds allows it to adapt to any change and adjust its shape at any time.

Then, introduce the power of frost. Let it circle the outermost edge, forming a third orbit. The frost's ruthlessness allows it to remain calm and unaffected by other forces.

Finally, introduce the power of magic. Place it on the outermost layer of all powers, like a barrier, or a sword hanging overhead. It can absorb the "aggressiveness" of all powers and erupt instantly when needed.

"Buzz—!"

Within his dantian, the hazy, three-colored vortex of energy suddenly trembled violently.

Then, with the infusion of five forces, it began to slowly deform and expand.

At the center of the cyclone, a dark golden spot of light slowly lit up—that was the core of the Qilin's power.

Around the point of light, four colors of light began to slowly rotate, like planets orbiting a star.

The blue wind, ever-flowing and never still;

White clouds, ever-changing;

Blue frost, cold and pure;

A black demon, violent and cruel.

Four colors, four powers, four "planet" orbiting in their respective orbits, intermingling yet clearly distinct.

The entire cyclone changed from a hazy gray to a chaotic, indescribable color that seemed to contain all colors yet also seemed to have no color at all.

"It's done..."

Nie Lingfeng opened his eyes, a hint of fatigue flashing in them, but more so joy.

The brand-new "Three-Part Returning Qi" integrates five attributes.

Although it's not perfect or stable yet, at least... it has taken the most crucial step.

He looked down at his palms.

With a thought, a ball of dark golden flame appeared. At the center of the flame, one could faintly see the wind flowing, the clouds shifting, the frost condensing, and the demon roaring.

"I'll call you... Three-Part Return to Origin, Five Elements Realm," he said in a low voice.

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