Chapter 155 - Demonic Qi Refining
As the thoughts and desires of murder and massacre filled Yaan’s mind and heart, he suddenly stopped moving, standing dead still and closing his eyes. He realised that when he stopped and focussed on his internal condition, it actually became possible to sense the flow of the Slaughter Aura itself. Back when he cultivated in the Heavenly Path Sect, Yaan had been too weak to perceive this flow, but now…
A deep power that lingered in the atmosphere was drawn towards Yaan’s body and soul ceaselessly after he took the life of the Origin Soul Realm cultivator. This Slaughter Aura contained Yaan’s own killing intent reflected inwards towards himself, but also the Origin Soul Realm cultivator’s last regrets and the hatred that he felt subconsciously in his final moments…
Even if that old cultivator was unconscious throughout the entire process, he still felt aggrieved during the moment of his death. This feeling was born in his heart and had nowhere else to flow but towards Yaan, who was the perpetrator of his pitiful ending!
These feelings assaulted Yaan’s sound mind, attempting to urge him into losing his rationality. If a fiend failed to resist this slaughterous desire born from their own killing intent and the lingering resentment of the one they cut down, then they would completely lose their sanity, falling into a wretched state of endless bloodlust. Yaan knew all too well how severe this outcome truly was, as he had once lost himself to this extent back in Zong Village.
But for the present Yaan, resisting this urge was easier than he had expected. In fact, after getting over the initial shock caused by the sudden influx of slaughterous emotion, he was able to actively focus on refining the Slaughter Aura into Innate Qi!
Of course, currently, Yaan was not yet a Qi refining cultivator. His dantian was repaired, but he was yet to enter the Qi Gathering Realm. As he refined the Slaughter Aura, the refined Qi took on an unusual form. It was clearly a type of energy, but it was not yet Innate Qi. This energy was no longer merely Slaughter Aura, but it still possessed a deep slaughterous attribute.
The energy attempted to enter his dantian, but it was met with an enormous amount of resistance as it flowed through his body. This resistance was caused by Yaan’s Vital Energy cultivation. He now understood why it was said that cultivating Qi whilst having a higher realm vital cultivation was so difficult; the stronger Vital Energy interfered with the refinement of the weaker Innate Qi, making it extremely difficult to gather even a single spec of Innate Qi within the dantian!
Even the remnant of energy that did reach Yaan’s dantian was unable to help him enter the Qi Gathering Realm. In order to breakthrough into the Qi Gathering Realm, it was necessary to properly take command over this incoming energy, then transform it into one’s own Innate Qi. Until the Innate Qi settled within the dantian, the ascension would not occur.
However, as Yaan focussed on the incoming energy, he realised that the Slaughter Aura was growing stronger and stronger. It was as if this Slaughter Aura was enraged with Yaan for not taking it seriously!
Yaan did not panic as the Slaughter Aura grew stronger, but instead grit his teeth and crazily resisted the demonic temptations whilst manically refining this aura as rapidly as he could.
As the Slaughter Aura accumulated in a dense mist around his body, Yaan refined the Slaughter Aura, converting it into a strange slaughterous energy which had not yet transformed into Innate Qi, gathering densely around his dantian…
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In fact, the slaughterous energy seemed to flow in and out of his dantian and Qi Channels according to its own whim, it was extremely jarring and uncomfortable! However, Yaan suddenly had a strange feeling as he examined and tried to refine this energy…he felt as if this deep, slaughterous energy, was actually far stronger than simple Innate Qi, so why was it that this energy was demoted to Innate Qi when it was refined into the cultivator’s own power?
Yaan did not think about this for long, but this thought seemed to plant a seed of inspiration within his heart. After a short but excruciating period of refinement, suddenly…
Bang!
Yaan involuntarily gasped when he felt the energy which had been so resistant against entering his dantian, suddenly start to flow into his dantian rapidly!
He didn’t think too deeply about this right now, but Yaan had the feeling that the Innate Qi gathering within his dantian was extremely strange…it was as if it still possessed the quality of slaughter!
His refinement of the Slaughter Aura became more efficient, because now, Yaan had entered the Qi Gathering Realm!
There were two reasons for Yaan gasping aloud just now. Firstly, the shock of entering the Qi Gathering Realm, accompanied by the unexpected shockwave which spread out from his body, shook him heavily on a physical level. His Vital Energy cultivation had been resisting and pushing back against this ascension until now, so when it finally broke through, even Yaan’s dantian itself trembled from the sudden influx of Qi.
The second reason for him gasping aloud, was because at almost the very same instant that he entered the Qi Gathering Realm, he immediately reached the peak of the realm!
The Qi Gathering Realm was merely the first of the Qi refining cultivation realms, but right now, Yaan was refining the Slaughter Aura produced from the death of an Origin Soul Realm powerhouse. Combined with the fact that he had already entered and progressed through the Qi Gathering Realm when he was younger, it became a non-issue that his refinement of the Slaughter Aura was inefficient…even if he wasted most of this Slaughter Aura, the remaining quantity was already far more than enough!
Yaan’s face turned red as the feeling of being overloaded and filled to the very brim overcame him.
The Qi in his dantian built up to the Peak Qi Gathering Realm within seconds, causing Yaan to become certain now that his Qi really did possess a slaughterous attribute! The bloodthirsty desires lingered on his mind as a result of this strange phenomena, though it was not as strong compared to earlier. The Qi then continued to expand, further and further…
The density of Innate Qi within Yaan’s dantian was beyond what any Qi Gathering Realm cultivator should possess. This placed a large amount of strain on his dantian, threatening to cripple his cultivation once again! Yaan’s heart skipped a beat when he realised this terrifying fact, he had not anticipated that his cultivation would immediately become so dangerous!
In fact, it was as if his own Qi was trying to kill him!
Originally, he worried that the Slaughter Aura from the Origin Soul Realm cultivator would be too much to handle, but this ended up not being the problem. The problem was the massive amount of Qi that was being forcefully refined into his dantian in such a short period of time. If he did not immediately ascend to the Innate Qi Realm, he would likely become a cripple once again!
Yaan grit his teeth together and his eyes became bloodshot as he decided not to resist the endless refinement of excessive Qi, but instead, to embrace it!
His dantian was too full, but Yaan became determined to refine even more. He had no room to step backwards, so all he could do now was to move forwards with every ounce of strength that he could muster!
BANG!
A shockwave ten times more jarring than before exploded out from his body, damaging multiple of his Qi Channels and sending his body into a violent convulsion. He dropped to the floor for a few seconds, shaking uncontrollably, before he managed to push himself back upright.
It must be remembered that in the past, Yaan used the purple meridian poison during a cultivation session. This poison acted on his damaged Qi refining system, strengthening his body and improving his resistance against poisons. Initially, this action had damaged his meridians to an extent, but after completing the process, it actually tempered his meridians and Qi Channels using the unique poison, making them stronger and more durable.
With this in mind, the fact that Yaan’s Qi Channels had been damaged like this showed just how violent this ascension really was!
Whilst still shaking horrendously, Yaan closed his eyes once again and focussed on stabilising his internal condition. Despite his injuries, the Slaughter Aura was still being refined, his Qi was still increasing….and becoming more densely flooded with the element of slaughter.
From a single droplet of liquid Innate Qi, to a pond of Innate Qi, to a lake, to a sea and beyond…
After another few minutes, finally, this ordeal came to an end. As for the result, Yaan was completely speechless, he really found it difficult to believe that something like this was actually possible.
Peak Innate Qi Realm!
He had surpassed his former Qi refining cultivation level in less than a quarter hour, in a single, brief and intense cultivation session!
Was this still Qi refining? Was this still the path of cultivation that was said to be slow? The cultivation path that relied on talent and long periods of diligent but boring practice?
Well, this was the Qi refining cultivation path of a demon.