Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

Consciousness broke free from the destructive torrent, like a drowning person returning to shore. Lin Xuan (possessed by Elwin) breathed heavily, cold sweat soaking his tattered mage robe, the orange flame at his fingertips flickering erratically due to the intense turmoil in his mind.

The deepest despair and pain in Erwin's memory, like a cold tide, repeatedly washed over his consciousness. It was not the sentiment of an observer, but the unforgettable trauma of someone who had experienced it firsthand. The manor burned down, his loved ones perished, his mentor died tragically, civilization collapsed... scene after scene, like brands, seared his senses.

Even with his unwavering resolve, he felt a heavy sense of oppression. The "weight" of this world far exceeded his previous expectations.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath—even though it was just cold, polluted air—and forcibly suppressed and stripped away the churning negative emotions. He was Lin Xuan, a cultivator from the Azure Netherworld, a traveler among the projections of the heavens, and he could not be completely assimilated by the tragedy of a vanished civilization.

His gaze fell once again on that faint flame.

This wisp of flame, ignited by his will and carrying Elwin's last hope, seemed so precious, yet so fragile. Relying solely on the will of this projected consciousness was ultimately like a rootless duckweed, unable to last long, let alone contend with the omnipresent undercurrents.

He needs help, he needs "fuel" to keep the flame burning.

A thought, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, suddenly illuminated his mind.

The magical network of this world has collapsed, its energy depleted and polluted, making it impossible to directly cultivate immortal techniques. However, Elwin's body, and the other possible survivors, possess relatively powerful "souls" (spiritual power) honed by magical civilization! What they lack is a new way to utilize their power, a method to transform, utilize, and even combat the negative energy of the "Dark Tide"!

In the world of cultivation, there are also demonic cultivators and ghost cultivators who are skilled at refining yin and filth for their own use. Their core principle lies in their unique cultivation methods and unwavering will, which forcefully bring external forces under their control, removing the dross and retaining the essence, and even turning poison into medicine.

So, could we combine the characteristics of the survivors of this world (powerful mental strength) to create a special method that would guide them to no longer rely on external pure energy, but instead directly refine the "dark tide" power that permeates this world?

"Drawing demons into the body, refining demons into the Dao..."

A bold and dangerous idea quickly took shape in Lin Xuan's mind. This wasn't orthodox cultivation; it was more like a treacherous path, a perilous journey along the edge of a precipice! A single misstep could lead to complete corruption by the undercurrents, turning one into a monster driven only by destruction. But perhaps, this was the only thing the creatures of this world could grasp in dire straits… a vine of power!

He glanced at the book "The Secret Text of the Roots (Fragment)" in his hand. Its discussions on the essence of the soul and the manipulation of rules could serve as the theoretical foundation for this new method.

No sooner said than done!

Lin Xuan first used his own projected consciousness as the core, combined with the meditation techniques in Elwin's memories, and the most basic Qi-guiding method in the cultivation world (not to introduce spiritual energy, but to simulate its circulation route and the concept of energy control), and began to carefully try to guide a very weak trace of dark current power into Elwin's body.

The process was extremely dangerous!

The moment the dark current entered his body, it displayed immense corrosive and destructive power, frantically assaulting Elwen's already fragile meridians and consciousness, bringing tearing pain and countless chaotic whispers of evil thoughts. If Lin Xuan hadn't used his powerful consciousness to forcefully suppress and guide it, his body would likely have collapsed instantly.

He carefully controlled this wisp of dark current power, guiding it along an extremely simplified path, similar to the "circulation of the celestial bodies," moving it very slowly within Elwin's body. At the same time, with his own will, which contained both destruction and a new realm of life, as the core, he continuously tempered and purified this wisp of power like a furnace, stripping away its chaotic evil thoughts and retaining only its most primal, cold characteristics of "destruction" and "darkness."

This was an extremely laborious process, and the speed was outrageously slow. It took him several hours to barely manage to circulate this tiny wisp of dark current power through an extremely small cycle, and to initially "tame" it, transforming it into a weak yet incredibly pure black energy with a cold and desolate aura, which settled in Elwin's dantian (approximate location).

This energy no longer possessed a frenzied corrosiveness; instead, it was like a docile pet, controlled by Lin Xuan's will.

It worked!

Although it was only a tiny fraction, it proved the feasibility of this path! This crude method, which he temporarily named "Dark Devouring Technique," possessed the most basic framework—using a powerful will as a guide and a special operating route as a cage to refine the dark tide and make it his own!

He sensed that as this wisp of pure dark energy settled, Elwin's body's resistance to the external undercurrents seemed to have increased by an extremely slight amount. More importantly, he seemed to have gained a faint connection with the pervasive "darkness" rules of this world.

"This method... may be passed down." A glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. He improved this method not just for himself. He wanted to use the hands of the survivors of this world to sow the "seeds" of the cultivation philosophy and see if different flowers could bloom on the soil of this magic-free domain.

He needs to find a "successor".

His divine sense, like tentacles, cautiously probed out of the shelter once more. This time, he no longer searched aimlessly for signs of life, but focused on sensing those beings who, despite their despair, still maintained a relatively clear will and whose soul fire had not yet been completely consumed by the dark currents.

The search area remains limited, and the process is fraught with the risk of being eroded by undercurrents.

Persistence pays off. Several miles away from the ruins of the mage tower, in a more concealed crevice formed by collapsed buildings, he sensed an extremely faint, yet exceptionally "sharp" will!

That will was filled with pain, anger, and resentment, like a wild beast trapped in a cage. Though weak, it still frantically pounded against the cage, refusing to succumb to the surrounding darkness and deathly silence.

Lin Xuan's consciousness stirred, and the wisp of pure dark energy he had tamed flowed slightly, increasing his control over this body. He stood up, his steps still unsteady, yet carrying an unprecedented firmness. He walked to the edge of the shelter, to the precariously crumbling protective array.

He extended his finger, using the pure dark energy as ink and his will as a brush, and began to sketch within the dim protective light barrier. He wasn't drawing magical runes, but rather an extremely simplified "Dao pattern" containing the most basic operational route and core will requirements of the *Dark Devouring Technique*!

This crooked and twisted pattern carries a profound and mysterious aura that points directly to the origin, quite different from the rune style of the magic system.

As the Dao patterns were completed, it glowed slightly before disappearing into the protective light shield. Immediately afterward, an extremely faint fluctuation of intent, carrying a specific frequency and information, spread slowly from the sanctuary toward the direction of that "sharp" will, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

This is a call, a guide, and a test. Only a soul with a firm enough will, an extreme thirst for power, and not yet completely corrupted by the undercurrents, can perceive this faint fluctuation and understand the entirely different path to power contained within it.

After doing all this, Lin Xuan (Elwin)'s face grew even paler, and he felt increasingly weak. He returned to his original spot and sat down, maintaining the wisp of orange-red flame at his fingertips, continuing to slowly refine the dark tide with the "Dark Devouring Technique" to replenish himself, while quietly waiting.

Time passed slowly, and the wind outside the shelter seemed to quicken, while the undercurrents subtly intensified, as if sensing the budding threat.

Just when Lin Xuan thought this attempt had failed—

From the shelter's entrance, which was originally only accessible from the inside and was half-hidden by rubble, came an extremely faint, yet persistent, scraping sound!

The voice was very soft, carrying a cautious probing, and an almost instinctive yearning for life.

Lin Xuan slowly raised his head, his emerald eyes (the depths that belonged to Lin Xuan) reflecting the flickering firelight as he looked towards the entrance.

coming.

With a thought, he gently moved a piece of gravel at the entrance with that wisp of tamed dark energy.

"Click".

With a soft click, the barrier at the entrance was moved aside, creating a gap.

The next moment, a pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with extreme vigilance, exhaustion, and a hint of indescribable madness, met Lin Xuan's (Erwin's) gaze through the gap.

It was a figure huddled outside the crevice, looking even younger than Elwin, perhaps only fourteen or fifteen years old. His (or her?) face was covered in mud and dried blood, his lips were cracked, and his body was as thin as a reed that might break at any moment.

But those eyes were frighteningly bright, like two obsidian stones stubbornly burning in the ashes. There was no childlike innocence in them, only a beastly will to survive and a desperate gamble on any possible opportunity when cornered.

He (tentatively identified as a boy) stared intently at Lin Xuan, or more precisely, at the wisp of orange-red flame at Lin Xuan's fingertip that emitted light and heat in absolute darkness, while making a hoarse, bellows-like sound in his throat.

Lin Xuan could sense that there was almost no magic power remaining in the boy's body, and his life force was extremely weak. However, his soul and his "sharp" will were like a rough embryo that had been forged through countless trials. Although it was full of cracks, it was exceptionally tough.

It was this unwavering will that allowed him to detect that faint fluctuation of thought and, following the guidance of the unseen, find this place.

Lin Xuan looked at him and spoke slowly, his voice coming from Erwin's throat, carrying a hint of hoarseness and weariness, yet possessing an undeniable calm power:

"Do you want to live?" "Do you want to possess... the power to tear this darkness apart?"

The boy's body trembled violently, and the madness and wariness in his eyes were gradually replaced by a more intense light called "hope." He nodded forcefully, almost with all his might.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Lin Xuan's lips.

The first seed has been found.

He stretched out his hand, and the orange-red flame at his fingertips seemed to flicker even brighter, in accordance with his will.

On this civilized crematorium, a heretical path called "Immortal Demon" quietly sowed its first seed.

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