Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme - Chapter 323
Chapter 323: Chapter 214: True Demon_1
Five Viscera Pills, as the name suggests, are made from the five viscera.
Although this sounds alarming, Xu Yang was not surprised.
In this world, the practice of Yuan Spirit is the main cultivation method, and there isn’t a high demand for moral character.
As such, the customs of the Cultivation Realm and the characters of cultivators can be imagined—the law of the jungle is the basic ecology.
Moreover, when Demonic Calamities run rampant and the common folk are in despair, abandoning humanity and embracing one’s animalistic instincts become a matter of course.
During those years of Dark Chaos, not to mention using humans for alchemy, treating them as livestock and even cannibalism were not surprising.
Humans, no, life, in the struggle to survive and reproduce, can make any change—either adapt the environment to oneself or adapt oneself to the environment.
Among the Dark Chaos, the Corpse Resolution Immortal Law and Five Viscera Pill techniques emerged in response to the times, which was a reasonable development.
The last of the Ancient Immortals had clearly anticipated such an evolution, so they stood guard until the end of their lives. They would rather decay in this Filthy Demon World than leave the Demonic Calamities to run rampant, ascending alone in search of a sliver of life.
Such great righteousness!
However, such righteous people have long been buried in the sands of time.
After Ancient Times, the Dark Chaos, the whole world was cleansed.
New rules were born, a new order established, a new pattern formed…
The Corpse Resolution Immortals that succeeded from the tomb of Ancient Immortals, although they barely ended the Dark Chaos, did not entertain the idea of guarding the world and suppressing Demonic Calamities like the Ancient Immortals did. Their only pursuit was ascension, to flee this realm.
There is no fault in this, after all, the trend was such, irreversible—how can one be forced to stay and await death?
The only improper aspect was the Five Viscera Pill technique…
Everything that exists does so for a reason.
But having a reason does not mean it is rational, and being rational does not mean it should be done.
In Xu Yang’s view, the Five Viscera Pill technique was something both irrational and should not exist.
During the Dark Chaos, those ancient cultivators, through exploration and research, discovered the secret that the body of living beings can neutralize Demonic Qi and reduce demonic nature. They thus created the “Spirit Consuming Cultivation” method, which became widely practiced during the Dark Chaos, even becoming the mainstream technique at one point.
After the Corpse Resolution Immortals ended the Dark Chaos, this Spirit Consuming Cultivation method not only wasn’t prohibited, but was further developed into the even more refined Five Viscera Pill technique. They harvested the five vital energies, especially from young children, and with the Theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, refined extraordinary Five Viscera Pills.
These Five Viscera Pills can not only aid in cultivation, but also neutralize Demonic Qi to a certain degree, and reduce the corruption and erosion of the demonic nature on the spirit, with an effectiveness close to that of Demon Transformation Spiritual Objects, making them essential Spirit Pills for high-tier cultivators.
At the height of this technique’s popularity, the Five Viscera Pills even replaced Spirit Stones, becoming the primary currency among cultivators.
One can see the extraordinary usefulness of these pills.
However, what thrives must also wane, and the culmination of this technique led directly to a terrible consequence.
Setting aside the hidden dangers of using humans for pill refinement and cannibalism, the effect of this pill technique alone was enough to destroy a nation, a civilization, or even a world.
This is not alarmist talk.
A hare’s death is a fox’s grief, and it pains one to see their own kind suffer.
If even lowly intelligent beasts feel this way, what about mankind, that thrives on all things?
Unless you possess absolute power, to think of raising humans like pigs or dogs for slaughter is wishful thinking.
Rebellion is inevitable and everlasting.
Furthermore, the “flesh-eaters” are not a monolith.
As the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, when you use others for alchemy, have you ever considered that you might become material for someone else’s alchemy?
If things continue this way, the end result would be the entire world becoming a Gu Cultivating Field, breeding a great demon that devours everything.
Therefore, after “Dark Chaos”—this world entered the terrifying “Bloodstained Chaos” because of the Five Viscera Pill technique.
Eventually, all major Sects and Corpse Resolution Immortals came to an agreement and strictly prohibited the spread of the Five Viscera Pill technique, which finally put an end to the chaos.
But… while the Corpse Resolution Immortals and the major Sects pursued Ascension, the high-tier cultivators under the Corpse Resolution Immortals also needed the Five Viscera Pills to neutralize demonic nature.
Where there is demand, there will be supply, and it is impossible to fully prohibit it. At most, it will be moved from the public eye to underground operations.
The major Sects allowed this, to an extent, as they themselves held the largest share.
But tolerance is one thing; this delicate issue could not be publicly acknowledged, nor could they recklessly trigger another “Bloodstained Chaos!”
Therefore, the major powers came together and created a set of inherent rules and order. Although fragile, they have mostly been followed.
That is the ecology of this world, chaotic yet ordered, ordered yet chaotic, with madness born from despair.
For Xu Yang, this serves as a bloody lesson.
The current state of this world, aside from the contamination and worsening effects of the Heavenly Devil Qi, might be largely attributed to the havoc wreaked by the Five Viscera Pill technique.
As for those Corpse Resolution Immortals that cultivated using the Five Viscera Pill, their current state is also questionable.
Is the Five Viscera Pill truly without a single hazard?
Can Corpse Resolution truly sever the Demon Fetus?
Xu Yang did not dare to make a definitive statement but remained skeptical.
No matter what hidden dangers there might be, he had no intention of cultivating the Five Viscera Pill technique, nor of spreading it to the World of Dao and Law.
At most, he would study it as a reference material.
…
The origins and consequences, and the global trends and the structure of the Cultivation Realm are now clear.
Next, it’s time to consider methods of breaking through this stalemate.
In the Demon Realm, how can one break the encirclement?
According to the memories of “Taoist Zhu Yang,” once trapped within the Demon Realm, death is almost certain, with the slimmest chances for life.
Because the fundamental nature of the Demon Realm is not ordinary demon creatures but comes from True Demons!
The so-called True Demons are the genuine articles, different from demon seeds and demon fetus mutations. True Demons originate from the Demon Realm beyond our domain and belong to the same class as the Heavenly Demons that descended during Ancient Times.
At the end of the ancient war, Ancient Immortals shed blood and the Heavenly Demons retreated. Their subordinate True Demons were either slain or sealed within the Death Land Demon Region.
However, demon creatures are tricky and unpredictable, with the realm of Heavenly Demons causing trouble behind the scenes, much like a centipede that doesn’t fall after being struck. Even the Ancient Immortals couldn’t eradicate them completely.
After the Ancient Immortals reached the end of their lives, True Demons leaked out, creating Demon Regions around the world, devouring living beings and causing chaos everywhere, eventually linking up and bringing the world into the terrifying era of “Dark Chaos.”
The Demon Regions formed by the True Demons are like natural grand formations, with themselves as the cornerstone nodes, rooted in heaven and earth, connecting to the world of the Heavenly Demons. Even Grandmasters of the Array Formation are hard-pressed to cleverly unravel it and can only attempt to assault it with overwhelming force.
However, the Demon Regions are corrupt, and the concentration of Demonic Qi and the extent of demonic contamination significantly increase. Whether ordinary humans or cultivators, all will be eroded and gradually mutate into demon creatures, strengthening the power of the Demon Realm and the True Demon itself.
Only an Immortal can offer a glimmer of hope in the face of such Demon Regions.
But the world is vast, and Demon Regions are numerous. The Corpse Resolution Immortals are few and far between, so how could they eliminate the myriad demonic calamities?
Thus, hope is faint, unless the situation is of great importance or if they happen to encounter it by chance; otherwise, there is almost no possibility of survival.
As for cultivators below the level of Corpse Resolution Immortals, those with high cultivation have deep-rooted demonic nature and avoid Demon Regions at all costs, while those with low cultivation lack the power to deal with them.
It’s a dilemma without a solution!
This is Taoist Zhu Yang’s understanding of the Demon Realm.
All bad news.
But there is also good news.
And that is that Demon Regions also vary in strength.
Those True Demons have gone through both the war of Ancient Times and the Dark Chaos, repeatedly suppressed by Ancient Immortals and Corpse Resolution Immortals. Although the Demon Realm supports them from death, they are only not dead, and most of them have been severely injured, in a state of serious “battle damage.”
Some of these severely damaged True Demons are even weaker than Golden Cores, relying solely on the pollution of Demonic Qi to ward off higher-tier cultivators.
As long as one is not afraid of the pollution of Demonic Qi and has a certain level of strength, then it is possible to seal the True Demon and dissolve the Demon Realm.
This is how the Corpse Resolution Immortals operate.
Great Xing, however, is a small country, and its ancestors are only at Golden Core cultivation. They are far from the minimum threshold of Nascent Soul required for Corpse Resolution and cannot be relied upon.
As for Corpse Resolution Immortals from other nations, they are only concerned with sweeping the snow from their own doorsteps and not the frost on others’ roofs. In the current situation, they are already doing well to manage their own territories, let alone spare the time to help outsiders.
Corpse Resolution Immortals are not to be counted upon.
The self-disappearance of a Demon Realm is even more unlikely than survival, hardly different from waiting for death.
Being passive is not Xu Yang’s style; he has decided to take the initiative to break the encirclement, intending to seal this region’s True Demon.
If that True Demon is severely battle-damaged, and its strength is at Golden Core or even below, then he may have a chance to break through.
Otherwise, if that True Demon’s injuries are minor, and its strength is above Golden Core, then he will have to start over and invest another Yang God incarnation.
The risk is great, but he has no choice. He must make an all-out effort and must do so quickly. Otherwise, as the Demon Realm grows and mutates all the fishermen of Wuzhe and the martial cultivators of various powers into a large number of demon creatures, further enhancing the power of the True Demon, he will have absolutely no chance.
He must act quickly!
Although time is pressing, Xu Yang did not panic; he remained seated and merely took out a Storage Bag.
Knife Sharpening does not misjudge the effort needed to chop wood.
He is currently only at Perfect Qi Refining. Despite his many techniques, his power is limited by his cultivation level, and he struggles to unleash his full potential.
In contrast, the True Demon’s bulk is plain to see. No matter how severe the damage, it should not be underestimated as less than Foundation Establishment, even in the worst-case scenario, they possess Golden Core cultivation.
With his accumulated potential, he naturally had no problem with Qi Refinement surpassing Foundation Establishment. But when it comes to Golden Core—in particular, True Demon—it becomes more doubtful.
Xu Yang has never liked to fight beyond his tier, to take the weaker position against the stronger. Although he now has no choice, he wants to increase his cultivation as much as possible to enhance his combat power.
Therefore, he must establish his Foundation.
Not only that, but he must also achieve the Five Spirits Foundation Establishment to increase his combat power to the utmost extent.
Five Spirits Foundation Establishment requires Five Elements Spiritual Objects.
He lacks them.
But others have them.
The Storage Bag opened, revealing a dazzling array of treasures.
These were the collections of “Taoist Zhu Yang.”
Although this man was a Loose Cultivator, he was not ordinary; by chance, he acquired the inheritance of an ancient cultivator, becoming the cross-generational successor of that cultivator. This was how he knew secrets such as the Dark Chaos and the Five Viscera Elixir Skills.
His insight was extraordinary, and his possessions were no less so.
Xu Yang selectively sifted through and managed to find three second-tier Spiritual Objects corresponding to the Five Elements from within.
The Spiritual Objects here are not like the Spiritual Fish King, a type of Demon Transformation object but ordinary Spiritual Objects grown amidst Demonic Qi.
Even so, their value is not insignificant, as they serve various purposes in cultivation, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining.
For the Five Elements Foundation Establishment, five second-tier Spiritual Objects corresponding to the Five Elements are required; Taoist Zhu Yang directly contributed three to him.
Unfortunately, there are only three, not a complete set.
“I have to make another trip!”
Xu Yang shook his head, stood up, and went outside.
