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Chapter 374: The Art of Returning to Nothingness
Chapter 374: The Art of Returning to Nothingness
Shen Yi seemed to be in a daze as he wandered through the shelves. He reached out to pick up a jade slip from a broken shelf, glanced at it, and then tossed it back casually.
The Spider Emperor's eyes twitched at the sound of the slips being thrown back. These items might not be of much use, but each one was crafted with great effort and time, sometimes taking hundreds or even thousands of years to create. To see them being treated so casually by this lion was like seeing a cow chewing on a peony—a waste of something beautiful.
Finally, Shen Yi seemed to tire of his game and placed the last jade slip back on the shelf. "I thought there would be something good here, something worth your cautious guarding. Is that all?"
As he turned away, the golden light in his eyes flickered, threatening to dissipate due to his turbulent emotions.
[Returning to Nothingness (Rare): Infinite Dao Emperor Palace—Not Yet Initiated]
This was the first cultivation technique Shen Yi had come across in his search through the jade slips that didn't require any prior foundation. The first sentence was a disclaimer, stating that it was obtained by a senior elder during their travels, and its origins were unknown.
Perhaps because of its rarity, it had been included in the collection of the Law-Concealing Pavilion, shelved alongside the other jade slips.
"Hmph, you are the second one to lay eyes on these secrets besides me. Don't overstep your bounds," the Dark Spider Emperor said coldly, rearranging the jade slips neatly.
It could afford to be a little lenient with this lion, but that didn't mean it would tolerate any disregard for the proper hierarchy.
"And who was the first?" Shen Yi asked, glancing sideways.
"That's none of your business!" the Dark Spider Emperor snapped, its voice tinged with annoyance as it glared at Shen Yi.
Unbidden, the image of a young man in a blue robe flashed through its mind. That person, despite being only at the Transformation stage, had managed to successfully visualize the embryonic form of the Dao Palace at a critical moment between life and death. Not only had he severely injured the Spider Emperor, but he had also escaped the clutches of six opponents single-handedly.
On that occasion, Nie Jun had stolen numerous cultivation technique jade slips, all of which the Spider Emperor had spent years unlocking and retrieving from their protective arrays.
And because of that incident, the old dog had forbidden it from tampering with the collection in the Law-Concealing Pavilion ever again.
"Anyway, if that person dares to show up again, they will surely die!" the Dark Spider Emperor added.
"..."
Seeing the Spider Emperor's furious expression, Shen Yi instantly guessed the identity of the person in question. To anger one of the Ten Great Demon Emperors and still be alive—it could only be one of the cultivators from Wutong Mountain.
It was probably not the old ancestor, as he was capable of leading the Three-Way Alliance against the Thousand Demon Caverns. Most likely, it was a Returning to Nothingness cultivator, and if the demons could have killed him, they would have done so already instead of letting the situation drag on.
Apparently, Nie Jun was even stronger than Shen Yi had imagined. As long as he didn't venture into the Thousand Demon Caverns, even these powerful Demon Emperors seemed unable to touch him.
Shen Yi decided that unless absolutely necessary, he would refrain from wandering around in his demon form from now on, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention and becoming a target for that killing star.
"Alright, I've shown you what you wanted to see," the Dark Spider Emperor said, curling back into its cocoon. It reached into the corner of the desk and withdrew a scroll, which it then threw to Shen Yi. "Here, this is for you. With your intellect, you can make use of this."
Shen Yi caught the scroll, on which was inscribed the words, "Contemplating the Bathing Purple Orchid Immortal."
"..."
To avoid arousing suspicion, Shen Yi suppressed his curiosity and infused his soul sense into the scroll.
Once again, a scene unfolded in his mind, similar to what he had experienced the last time.
As the mist cleared, a cerulean lake came into view, surrounded by a diverse group of cultivators, each exuding a startlingly powerful aura. Some stood atop precious boats, while others rode upon golden-scaled beasts.
All eyes were fixed on the lake.
This puzzled Shen Yi. What kind of immortal was this that drew such a crowd to admire her bath?
In the next instant, ripples disturbed the azure lake's surface, and a white dragon, nearly a hundred zhang long, leaped out of the water. Its purple-tinted whiskers and coiled body exuded an otherworldly beauty.
It surveyed the surrounding crowd with clear, indifferent eyes, a mix of disdain and resignation in its gaze.
Then, without another glance, it turned and disappeared into the clouds.
The scene froze, and mist enveloped everything once more.
Shen Yi withdrew his soul sense and was about to speak when a notification popped up on the desk.
[Returning to Nothingness: Dragon Soaring Heaven's Female—Not Yet Initiated]
His eyelids twitched.
This was no bathing beauty scroll; it was a cultivation technique!
Just by witnessing the purple-whiskered white dragon's bath, this cultivator from Nanyang Sect had comprehended a Returning to Nothingness-level movement technique.
"Tsk."
The Dark Spider Emperor caught the glint of joy in Shen Yi's eyes and felt a twinge of disdain.
But it quickly masked its emotions.
Having weaknesses wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If this lion were truly apathetic, it might have found that more unsettling.
"Focus now. It's time to attend to more important matters," the Dark Spider Emperor said in a softened tone. "With Youwei gone and Leiti dead, their territories are unguarded, and this will surely attract the attention of cultivators. Don't forget, there are still disciples from Wutong Mountain hiding within the Thousand Demon Caverns."
"Go and bring them to me," it commanded.
Leniency had its limits and required reciprocity.
"..."
Shen Yi glanced at the distant shelves. He had only scratched the surface of the Returning to Nothingness techniques, having learned just one movement skill. There were surely many more secrets waiting to be discovered.
As for capturing the disciples of Wutong Mountain... as long as that group wasn't foolish, after the previous battle, they would most likely have already left the Thousand Demon Caverns.
Shen Yi left the Pavilion of Law-Concealing and casually found a quiet place to settle down.
He opened the panel once more.
The previous prompt about the Divine God-Refining Silk had already stopped.
[24,000 years later, you have already thoroughly integrated and comprehended the entire technique, but you still cannot pass the final assessment. The Iron Painting Silver Hook Array resembles a lotus and is composed of several parts. With your current soul strength, you can only complete about 30% of it.]
Shen Yi closed the prompt.
He didn't bother to dwell on this; after all, it was just one question.
He wasn't a disciple of the Nanyang Sect, so there was no need to worry about it.
The Iron Painting Silver Hook consisted of three styles: trapping, killing, and sealing.
Even when used independently, each part could be quite effective and wasn't as complicated.
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 94,000 years]
Thanks to the contribution of 32,000 years of lifespan from the Lightning Hoof Demon Emperor, the remaining amount was surprisingly more than what he had before cultivating the Divine God-Refining Silk.
Shen Yi looked at the two newly acquired styles of the technique, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The next moment, he channeled the vast demon lifespan into that palace technique once more.
[In the first year, you summoned the Old Ancestor of Greenhill and began to study the Infinite Dao Emperor's Palace. Your reading was extremely abstruse, and when you looked up, you saw that the old fox was also breaking into a cold sweat. The two of you stared at each other in dismay.]
"..."
This was the first time Shen Yi had seen such a prompt.
He had a good understanding of himself, but the old fox's reaction was a bit exaggerated.
What happened to having extensive knowledge and experience?
Where was the calm and composure from when it was teaching him about array formations? Shen Yi remained silent for a moment.
He could only watch helplessly as the demon lifespan disappeared before his eyes.
...
Within the Thousand Demon Caverns.
Suddenly, a four-winged eagle began to convulse uncontrollably before being pulled down without a sound.
As it struggled frantically, it also caught a glimpse of the faces of several people nearby, its eyes filling with terror.
Four figures stood there, their hands casually at their sides, and their faces equally expressionless and cold.
"I will only give you one chance," said the woman who seemed to be the leader, taking a slow step forward. "Where is the Golden-Eyed Lion now? Is he still alive?"
Behind the woman, Tong Xinquan, Miao Qinghui, and even Qingfeng Zhenren, whose face was still youthful, all had thick killing intent in their eyes.
"In the cave mansion of the Youwei Demon Emperor," the four-winged eagle replied, and before it could finish, it felt a spiritual pressure enter its eyes and inflate inside its skull until its eagle head exploded with a loud bang.
Qingfeng Zhenren took a deep breath. "I've left a lot of messages outside the Thousand Demon Caverns, but there's been no response, so I'm afraid that even the Golden Body has left..."
"The lion is still alive, but he's given up on the idea of revenge. It seems that young Shen might have met with some trouble." Qingfeng looked to the side.
Upon hearing this, only Miao Qinghui showed a hint of emotion, her eyes revealing a trace of regret. "The last time it was that Golden Body that saved you."
"So, I have to do something in return." Li Qingfeng gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
"I don't care who you're talking about." Lingxi Zhenren indifferently withdrew her hand and said, "I just want Master to see that there's someone called Lingxi in Wutong Mountain."
She took another step forward, walking towards the front.
"As far as I know, this is the first time the Senior Master has taken action, and I didn't expect it to be so decisive."
Miao Qinghui spoke to relieve Qingfeng's embarrassment.
"..."
Tong Xinquan remained silent.
For some reason, even though the Senior Master had the cultivation of a perfect Nascent Soul and was the first person under the Master in terms of realm, he couldn't bring himself to trust her.
There was no particular reason for this; it was just an instinctive reaction.
In his opinion, they should have made more preparations first, such as contacting Da Qian to ask about the whereabouts of that Yin God cultivator.
But when Senior Master's temper flared up, who could stop her?
It was clear that she was still unable to control her emotions due to the incidents involving Jiang Qiuluan and Nie Jun.
"Regardless, at least her cultivation is genuine, so I hope there won't be any mistakes."
Tong Xinquan sighed inwardly and followed after her.
Just as the four of them were approaching the cave mansion of the Youwei Demon Emperor.
Inside the cave mansion, a voluptuous figure was lying down.
"Tsk."
The Golden-Winged Demon Emperor propped his head up with his hand, feeling that something was amiss the more he thought about it.
Earlier, he had been tricked by that lion's words.
But when he returned, he realized that the lion hadn't actually explained anything clearly, so this time, he had to get a clear answer.
(End of Chapter)
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