I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"Zhou kid, this guy really holds a grudge against you!"

The Great Evolution Divine Lord's mocking divine thought transmission resounded directly in Zhou Yuan's mind, and only he could hear it.

Zhou Yuan remained indifferent, ignoring the venomous curses from the bearded man.

After tormenting and sealing the other party for so many years, what does it matter if I get a few curses?

He simply said calmly to the Great Evolution God, "God, it's up to you now."

"What are you looking at? What deity?"

Upon hearing this, the bearded man's nascent soul was taken aback, and then an ominous premonition arose within him.

The golden nascent soul looked around warily.

But apart from Zhou Yuan, he did not sense any other powerful beings around him.

However, just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, a terrifying divine power, invisible and intangible yet vast and boundless enough to make his soul tremble, suddenly descended like a net from heaven and earth!

This divine sense did not belong to Zhou Yuan; its purity and strangeness far exceeded his imagination!

The next moment, a semi-transparent giant hand, composed entirely of highly refined seven-colored divine thoughts, appeared out of thin air.

It ignored the instinctive resistance of the barbarian's nascent soul and the remaining protective divine light on its body.

As easily as taking something out of a bag, it was gently placed on the small head of his nascent soul!

"Ah! What are you doing... No! This is... Soul Search?! No—!"

The bearded man instantly understood the other party's intention and let out a shrill, terrified scream.

He struggled desperately, trying to unleash his last bit of primordial power to self-destruct, or to activate the secret technique within the Heaven-Supporting Demon Art that protects his soul once more.

But in the face of this seven-colored divine hand, all his resistance seemed so pale and powerless.

That hand seemed to contain some strange rhythm and rules as it gently stroked.

The self-destructive thoughts that had been building up in his mind vanished like bubbles, and the secret technique for protecting his soul was peeled away layer by layer, as precise and efficient as a skilled butcher dissecting an ox.

The bearded man's cursing stopped abruptly, and the brilliance in the Nascent Soul's eyes quickly faded, becoming empty and lifeless.

He felt as if he had fallen into a colorful vortex, where his entire life's memories, techniques, insights, secrets... were being read thread by thread by an irresistible force.

The whole process was incredibly fast, yet it felt like it took forever.

The bearded nascent soul stood frozen in mid-air, trembling slightly, its light growing dimmer.

A moment later.

The seven-colored divine hand slowly loosened, receding like the tide and disappearing into nothingness.

The bearded man's nascent soul slumped limply on the table like a puppet with its strings cut. Its aura was extremely weak, and it seemed difficult to even maintain its nascent soul form. Its light flickered erratically, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

"Did it succeed?" Zhou Yuan asked calmly, looking at the weak nascent soul on the table.

"Of course it was a success. How could such a small matter stump this old man?"

The Great Evolution Divine Lord's proud voice rang out, tinged with a hint of lingering satisfaction: "This 'Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art' does have some merit, focusing on tempering the physical body and protecting the soul. Especially for demonic cultivators, it is a top-tier body-refining technique. However, compared to my 'Great Evolution Technique,' it still falls short. This person's life memories are fragmented, with few useful ones, but his memories of cultivation techniques are complete. I will now make a copy for you."

At this time.

The bearded man's nascent soul trembled violently, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only endless resentment, despair, and desolation.

"Zhou Yuan! You...you..."

He could only utter weak, hoarse sounds, filled with resentment and deep-seated hatred.

"I never imagined... that after a lifetime of dominance... I would still fall into your hands... my cultivation techniques... would ultimately be... taken by you..."

Zhou Yuan didn't even glance at him, as if he were just an insignificant object.

He raised his hand and waved.

A condensed azure sword energy shot out, precisely piercing into the bearded man's nascent soul.

With a soft "poof" sound.

The nascent soul burst like a bubble.

The bearded man's already extremely weak nascent soul couldn't even let out a final scream before shattering inch by inch in the sword energy.

It turned into tiny specks of golden light, then completely vanished and disappeared into the air.

Thus, the infamous and ruthless demonic overlord, Barbarian Beard, who once roamed the chaotic star sea, was annihilated, and he ceased to exist in the world.

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, took out a blank jade slip that he had prepared beforehand, and handed it to the bamboo tube "Dongfutian".

"Thank you, Divine Lord, for making a copy of the 'Heavenly Demon Art' here."

"Young Zhou, if I hadn't read this person's memories, I truly wouldn't have known you were such a monstrous talent!"

The Great Evolution God did not immediately begin making a copy, but instead sighed with a complex tone.

"Oh? Why do you say that, Divine Lord?"

Zhou Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly.

"From the fragments of this bearded man's memories, I have seen some of your deeds."

The Great Evolution Divine Lord's voice carried a hint of disbelief, "In less than a hundred years, from the mid-stage of Core Formation, he has advanced unstoppably to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul! Perhaps... he's not far from the late stage? This kind of cultivation speed is simply..."

"Inconceivable!"

"Even I, the Divine Lord, who once boasted of being a genius, spent nearly three hundred years from the Core Formation stage to the late Nascent Soul stage!"

Compared to you, I am truly…

He paused, a hint of self-mockery in his voice: "The younger generation surpasses the older. It seems that while I've been trapped for ten thousand years, the outside world has undergone a complete transformation, producing a figure as extraordinary as you."

Compared to you, I am truly…

He paused, a hint of self-mockery in his voice: "The younger generation surpasses the older. It seems that while I've been trapped for ten thousand years, the outside world has undergone a complete transformation, producing a figure as extraordinary as you."

"You flatter me, Divine Lord. I was merely lucky and had some fortunate opportunities; it was all by chance."

Zhou Yuan's tone was flat.

He showed no sign of pride whatsoever.

He knew that his success today was due to the incredible boost from his equipment, his foresight, and his numerous near-death experiences.

It cannot be explained by talent alone.

If the Great Evolution Divine Lord knew that he was a cultivator with four spiritual roots, he would probably be even more surprised.

"Luck is also a part of strength."

The Great Evolution Divine Lord said no more, and a seven-colored light thread emerged from the bamboo tube.

The blank jade slip that ended up in Zhou Yuan's hands.

The surface of the jade slip instantly shimmered with light, and densely packed silver ancient seal characters and several meridian diagrams quickly appeared and solidified.

A moment later, the light filament retracted.

Zhou Yuan probed the jade slip with his divine sense, and after a brief examination, he was overjoyed.

It truly is the complete and flawless "Heavenly Demon Art"! It covers everything from the Qi Refining stage to the late Nascent Soul stage, and even includes a vague deduction about breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage.

The text provides a particularly detailed and profound explanation of the tempering of the physical body and the protection of the spirit.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhou Yuan solemnly put the jade slip away.

With this skill, his path of body refinement will become more systematic and powerful, which will greatly benefit his future attempts to break through spatial nodes and enter the spirit world.

"It's simply a matter of each getting what they need."

"The Great Evolution Divine Lord said calmly."

Having obtained the cultivation technique, Zhou Yuan felt much more at ease.

Instead of leaving Tiandu First City immediately, he decided to try cultivating in the pavilion of Qingxin Garden.

He activated all the protective restrictions in the attic and sat cross-legged on a futon in the quiet room.

Holding the jade slip containing the "Heavenly Demon Art," he once again immersed himself in it, carefully comprehending its essential principles.

Although this technique is a top-tier body-refining method in the demonic path, it is not the kind of vicious technique that requires self-harm or absorbing evil energy.

Instead, they follow a righteous path of "proving the way through strength," constantly exploring their own physical potential, absorbing various pure energies from heaven and earth, and tempering their bodies.

Zhou Yuan's cultivation level has reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage, his realm is far advanced, and his understanding of cultivation techniques far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators.

In addition, he had taken Dragon Blood Pill, which strengthened his physical foundation.

More importantly, he has an equipment slot that enhances his comprehension, making his cultivation efficiency far exceed that of ordinary people.

Therefore, for him, there were almost no "bottlenecks" in the first few levels of cultivating the "Heavenly Demon Art". All he needed to do was to operate the technique step by step, absorb spiritual energy, temper his flesh and bones, and accumulate power.

He calmed his mind and focused his spirit, following the instructions of the cultivation method, guiding the magical power within his body to circulate along a peculiar route, while simultaneously drawing upon external spiritual energy, which seeped into his skin, flesh, bones, internal organs, and even his nascent soul...

Time slipped away quietly in the stillness of cultivation.

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

In the quiet room, Zhou Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a dark golden glint flashing within them before he concealed it.

He raised his palm, and faint dark gold lines flashed beneath his skin, his entire palm seemingly containing explosive power.

"Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art, Sixth Level".

Zhou Yuan sensed the changes within his body, and a smile appeared on his lips.

In one year, he went from nothing to cultivating the "Heavenly Demon Art" to the sixth level, which is equivalent to the body refinement realm of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

If word got out about this speed, it would be enough to terrify a whole bunch of cultivators who specialize in body-cultivating techniques.

But for Zhou Yuan, it was simply a natural progression.

At this moment, his physical strength is comparable to that of a level four demonic beast!

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator doesn't activate any protective aura and relies solely on his physical body to withstand the spells, he will hardly suffer any damage.

Of course, this improvement is insignificant compared to his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, and is even quite "useless".

But what Zhou Yuan values.

This is the potential and future of this technique.

The further you progress in the "Heavenly Demon Art," the more terrifying the enhancement to the physical body becomes.

If one can cultivate to a high level, one can withstand magical treasures of the same level with just one's physical body, and one's survivability and close combat ability will undergo a qualitative leap.

This will have immeasurable benefits for dealing with even more powerful enemies in the future, traversing spatial rifts, and resisting heavenly tribulations.

"It's time to leave."

Zhou Yuan stood up.

Once you've mastered the basics of the technique, further cultivation is not something that can be achieved overnight; it requires long-term, persistent effort and the accumulation of resources.

Staying in the guest rooms provided by Taizhenmen is not a long-term solution.

He needed to stay in his cave, settle down, and cultivate.

On the one hand, preparations are being made for subsequent plans.

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yuan removed the restrictions on the meditation room, pushed open the door of the attic, and walked out.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard outside the attic, I ran into two familiar figures.

It was Lu Weiying and the Marquis of Nanlong.