Chapter 84: The Secret Pearl Black Sky Great Bodhisattva, the Twelve-Petal Lotus Yang Soul Body

The snake power is for biting, the scorpion power is for hooking, the spider power is for entangling. Before the bite, it entangles you to keep you still; after the bite, it entangles to drag you back.

The toad power is for breathing—one exhale pushes people away, one inhale conceals oneself. The centipede’s thousand hands, one hand one hidden weapon, scattered like a heavenly maiden’s flowers. If you get close, one exhale pushes you away, and hidden weapons shoot you dead. If you fight with all your might to get closer, one inhale blocks you again, and the hidden weapons continue to shoot.

Among these, the spider power and toad power are two points of connection. For example, the toad power can open a path for the snake power to tear and bite; the spider power can entangle a person back and forth, letting the opponent be toyed with in the palm of one’s hand. This is just like the head and torso’s control over the four limbs.

The five poison powers of the Five Poisons Sect cover the limbs, torso, and head, forming a complete whole.

It could be said… a bottle filled with stones, with no more room to fill.

A mountain range climbed to its peak, with no higher point to ascend.

The five powers were actually already very good, a complete inheritance from an ancient sect.

Ning Xuan had no confidence, but he had to try.

First were the two powers of燕鸣 (Yàn Míng – Swallow’s Cry) and 燕尾 (Yàn Wěi – Swallow’s Tail).

The Swallow’s Cry was a shattering power, the Swallow’s Tail a cutting power.

On this day, he went out and caught a troublemaking black fish demon in the river near the newly expanded irrigation canal of the rice paddies, and began his attempt…

The black fish demon’s demonic art was a special environmental type. Once in the water, its power and speed multiplied. It was a typical case of “if you’re not of that race, you can’t learn it.”

Thus, Ning Xuan began to try to integrate the two powers of Swallow’s Cry and Swallow’s Tail into the five poison powers.

A hundred years passed in a flash.

The black fish demon was quite resilient. Ning Xuan, on the other hand, had gained a sixty-year cycle of lifespan for his body due to breaking through to the fourth grade.

Seeing that the black fish demon was on its last legs, Ning Xuan came before it, decisively killed himself, and then began the second hundred years.

He finally understood why “a key point of cultivation lies in the power veins of the second grade; how many you can connect at this first grade is likely how many you can connect in the future.”

First, they couldn’t be connected. The powers formed their own systems, with no room for further development. Unless the inheritance you received from the start was an exceptionally powerful one, otherwise… don’t even think about it, because it has already been fully deduced, leaving no room for you to add anything.

If it were so easy to add, the Five Poisons Sect would have changed its name long ago, to something like the Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten Poisons Sect.

This matter was more difficult than creating something from nothing, building a high-rise from flat ground.

Before, his thoughts were beautiful, wanting to fuse numerous powers. But now he discovered that even if he only integrated one power, he would already be a great prodigy capable of truly establishing his own sect.

Second, even if you wanted to connect them, you would have to open a cut in the already “sealed” Yang Soul Body to connect this new power.

Difficult, difficult, difficult!

Difficult, difficult, difficult!

The second hundred years passed.

Ning Xuan let out a long sigh.

It was truly as difficult as ascending to the blue sky…

He decisively began the third hundred years.

In this third hundred years, he entered the water and sank to the bottom of the river.

The black fish demon sensed his approach and naturally launched an attack. With a swing of its tail, its pitch-black body shot forward like a heavy-armored cannonball.

However, water was also a medium of connection.

When Ning Xuan stood there, his spider power had long since spread to all directions.

The moment the black fish demon came within a hundred zhang of him, its body lost control. Its straight-shooting body tilted slightly and grazed past Ning Xuan’s head. The black fish demon turned its body and continued to shoot, but every time it would shoot past Ning Xuan, unable to touch him in the slightest.

A ferocious look actually appeared in the black fish demon’s eyes.

In contrast, the man in the water was completely lost in thought, his eyes distant, muttering to himself, “Starting with the spider power, it can connect to the snake bite’s power, and the thousand hands’ power. But the most suitable to connect with the Swallow’s Cry and Swallow’s Tail powers should be the snake bite…”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and made a virtual strike.

One strike like a snake bite. After biting, it shatters, crushing the prey. After crushing, sensing the opponent still has residual power, the scorpion tail hooks, hanging them in mid-air, followed by the cutting power of the revolving Swallow’s Tail.

A chain of four powers, each power containing a dual force from the move and the wriggling of flesh and blood.

But his thoughts were beautiful, yet he couldn’t do it at all.

He had the form, but nowhere to place it.

The power veins in his body had been completely transformed. Where was there room to place the power veins of Swallow’s Cry and Swallow’s Tail?

As he pondered, his power was casually unleashed.

The river he was submerged in boiled because of his power, from time to time erupting in waves several zhang high.

Within the river, one vortex after another formed.

The mud and sand from the riverbed were all stirred up, the river water became turbid, and the sand and stones within were even imbued with force, spinning like knives.

*Clack…*

*Boom boom boom!!*

*Crack crack crack crack!!*

The black fish demon wanted to attack again, but was hit a few times by some peripheral sand and stones from a distance, knocked until it lost its temper and its courage. It hurriedly found a chance to climb ashore, away from the river, and slipped away.

Ning Xuan paid it no mind at all. He was completely immersed in his own world, as if obsessed, like a madman.

“The only way is to continue building power veins.”

“A bottle filled with stones can still have sand poured in. Even if it’s filled with sand, water can still be poured in.”

“Although the five poison power veins cover the whole body, I can try to build smaller power veins within these power veins.”

“Dual-layered power veins.”

Having found a possible direction, Ning Xuan immediately began to try.

He first chose the Swallow’s Cry shattering power.

Thirty years later.

Ning Xuan was ecstatic.

“It worked! As long as the Swallow’s Cry power vein is constructed smaller and finer… it can really exist.”

He threw his head back and laughed heartily.

He could completely feel that his body now had six types of power veins.

Five of them covered his entire body, and another was hidden beneath these five powers.

He had already tried it on a small scale.

No problem.

“Let’s try it!”

Ning Xuan got into position and began to unleash his power.

Still no problem.

He struck while the iron was hot, hurriedly integrating this sixth power vein into his Yang Soul Body.

A month later…

*Boom!*

First, there was an explosion, followed by an endless “crackling” sound, as if a thousand-li dike had collapsed in an instant.

Along with these dense explosions, Ning Xuan saw his flesh and blood splitting inch by inch. The flesh and blood inside began to be destroyed due to bearing an “error.” At this moment, even his bones were exploding, let alone his internal organs.

He understood.

His sixth power vein had a problem.

This problem could still be suppressed by his realm when it was just power, but once this layer of power vein was also raised to the height of a fourth-grade Yang Soul Body, all the previously inconspicuous small errors would be infinitely magnified, magnified to the point of demonic deviation and self-destruction.

The fourth hundred years.

Ning Xuan sat for a long time.

He had completely forgotten himself.

What his eyes saw, what his mouth said, was all his power.

“Since the sixth vein could be successfully carved, it means this is feasible. There can still be small power veins under the large power veins.”

“The problem is that when these small power veins become a Yang Soul Body and fuse together, they will explode due to disharmony.”

He thought for a while.

“In that case, what if I don’t connect the small power veins to the whole body, but only to a certain large power vein, thus forming a separate cycle, a separate whole? Is that feasible?”

Decades later.

*Boom!!*

Ning Xuan’s leg exploded.

He was left with only his upper body sitting on the mud of the nightmare world, yet there was no pain, only a look of crazed obsession.

“It’s different, this time it’s different! This time the explosion wasn’t because of disharmony, but because my construction was insufficient. Power is formed from three. The inheritance of the Five Poisons Sect’s Yang Soul Body also said that if one wants to forge a Yang Soul Body, at least three powers are needed.”

“One more time!”

The fifth hundred years.

Decades later.

Ning Xuan raised his hands to the sky, his face full of joy.

He had succeeded.

The small power vein chains of the Swallow’s Cry and Swallow’s Tail powers were linked into the snake power, forming a separate small power vein outside the large connection, but the effect was not weakened.

Well… actually, there was a little bit.

That is, he could only use his legs to unleash the power of the seven-power chain. Other parts of his body could not connect to these two powers.

In other words, right now… his legs were the strongest.

Since he had succeeded, Ning Xuan directly slaughtered the black fish demon and then returned to reality.

Everything in the nightmare was ethereal, becoming a memory that had already ended, like a past dream. Although long and lonely, once he woke up, it would fade… If not for this, Ning Xuan, who had experienced all kinds of hellish nightmares, would have long gone mad.

After waking up, he was still him.

A hundred years in a dream would not dilute a single day in reality.

—

At night.

Lu Xuezhi’s lower abdomen was bulging. Ning Xuan held her from behind, gently stroking her belly.

Ever since she was truly pregnant, the great General Lu no longer spoke of fighting and killing.

She most liked to grab Ning Xuan’s hand and press it together with hers on her bulging abdomen, to sense the small life gestating inside, a gentle smile on her face.

Even though she was pregnant and couldn’t dual cultivate, there was still a different kind of fun for a husband and wife in the same room.

Afterwards.

Lu Xuezhi asked, “What have you been doing in the blacksmith’s shop recently?”

Ning Xuan said, “Comprehending the fourth grade.”

Lu Xuezhi was silent for a while, then said worriedly, “If you can practice, then practice. If you can’t, then slow down. Your cultivation speed is too fast… I… I’m worried you’ll practice yourself into trouble. You must have supplemented with demon pills, that’s why your speed is so fast. But don’t go any faster… the third grade is already very strong, it’s enough. Let’s take it slow.”

Ning Xuan smiled, “If I don’t practice, how can I defeat that Heavenly Martial King? Isn’t that your mission?”

Lu Xuezhi said, “Then I’m canceling that mission. I don’t want you to go and defeat him. What does he have to do with us anyway? He can be his Heavenly Martial King, and we can be our… our…”

Ning Xuan smiled, “Generals who have reported sick and returned to their hometowns, waiting for orders in the countryside?”

Lu Xuezhi said, “How strange.”

Ning Xuan said, “There are many strange things in the world.”

Lu Xuezhi touched her lower abdomen, “After this child appeared, I… I don’t have those thoughts anymore. I don’t want you to go fighting and killing. It’s already very good for our family to be together.”

Ning Xuan asked, “What about His Majesty’s blood edict?”

Lu Xuezhi turned over and hugged him tightly, “I don’t know, I’m very scared. Because a strange thought I’ve never had before is slowly emerging in my heart.”

Ning Xuan asked, “What strange thought?”

Lu Xuezhi said, “I feel that the child in my belly, and you by my side… might be more important than His Majesty’s empire. I don’t want you to take risks anymore.”

Ning Xuan held her, combing her long, ink-black hair, and commented, “That’s not strange.”

The loneliness of cultivating in the nightmare was slowly being compensated for by family affection, filling the possible defects in his heart.

Isn’t home always like this?

It’s not only your harbor from the storm, but also your reason to strive.

The two closed their eyes, silent in the darkness.

The summer cicadas chirped noisily, frogs croaked in the distant rice paddies, the neatly woven bamboo mat would still leave imprints on the skin after sleeping for a long time, the sound of each other’s breathing in their ears, and in that lower abdomen, a small life with a million ties to you was forming.

Suddenly, Lu Xuezhi spoke again.

She spoke intermittently, saying whatever came to mind.

“By the way, our mother said that Kushan Monastery is quite efficacious. When she was young, she went to pray for a good marriage, and then she met our father.

She saw you were a good-for-nothing dandy, so she went to pray for you every year, hoping you wouldn’t be worthless. As a result, when you were sixteen, you soared to the sky, rising step by step.

She knew you were slaying demons everywhere and it was extremely dangerous, so she went to pray for you every month, hoping you would be safe. As a result…”

As she spoke, Lu Xuezhi started to laugh, “As a result… we rolled and rolled in the vortex of the great desert, but came back completely unscathed.”

Ning Xuan said, “Isn’t the Buddhist hall at home enough? She burns incense and copies scriptures every day.”

“Mother said it’s not enough.” Lu Xuezhi lay in her man’s arms, “She said Big Brother became the prefect and works day and night, and you retired to the countryside with internal injuries, all because she was praying in the family’s Buddhist hall during this time. It’s not efficacious. This is the Buddha’s punishment for her lack of piety.

Seeing that both I and Big Sister-in-law are pregnant, Mother is determined to take us to Kushan Monastery in Wangyue Prefecture, not only to pray for these two children, but also to pray for you and Big Brother.”

Ning Xuan said, “Do you want to go?”

Lu Xuezhi said, “Since I got pregnant with this child, I’ve been with Mother and Big Sister-in-law every day. I’ve never lived like this before. It’s quite nice, I quite like it.

Besides, Big Brother is the prefect of Wangyue Prefecture. Although it seems a bit chaotic now due to the influx of refugees from Leizhou, Big Brother will definitely keep a tight rein on Kushan Monastery, which Mother is about to visit. It’s unlikely there will be any problems.

Even if there are problems… hmph hmph hmph hmph…”

She clenched her small fists in the dark, “Have you forgotten who your wife is?”

Ning Xuan understood.

His wife wanted to go too.

He didn’t say anything to spoil the mood, just smiled and nodded, “Alright.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “We’ll go tomorrow, leave early and return late. You can be busy with your things.”

Ning Xuan said, “Alright.”

—

The next morning.

Ning Xuan did not go far.

He watched the carriage carrying his mother, sister-in-law, and his wife leave the Ning Mansion, then followed. He controlled the time, arriving at Wangyue Prefecture half an hour early, and came to Kushan Monastery.

The incense in Kushan Monastery curled up, a scene of peace and harmony, with a continuous stream of pilgrims.

And perhaps because the Ning family was coming today, “Ugly Slave” Ning Gang had already made arrangements. Under the shade of a tree next to Kushan Monastery, a Heavenly Master and a Daoist boy were sitting.

On the surrounding streets, armored soldiers were patrolling.

Originally, Ning Gang wanted to clear everyone out, but his mother wouldn’t allow it, saying that the Bodhisattva wouldn’t bless them then. Ning Gang could only give up.

At this time, Ning Xuan naturally had to take a look.

The old abbot of the monastery hadn’t changed. It was the same one from when Ning Xuan was still in Wangyue Prefecture, with the Dharma name “Cihai.”

His appearance was kind and benevolent, his movements slow, but every action was full of Zen nature, giving people a feeling of extreme seriousness and piety.

At this time, Cihai was sitting in the Mahavira Hall, striking a wooden fish on one side, and quietly chanting scriptures on the other.

No one approached him, forming a pure land of his own.

Pilgrims who came here would consciously quiet down, silently burn incense, pray, and then, whenever they were about to give incense money, they would be stopped.

Although the young monks were reluctant, this was the abbot’s request, so they had to accept.

Kushan Monastery, the monastery was as its name suggested.

The monks inside lived a rather austere life. When they said they ate vegetarian food, there was truly not a single drop of lard in their noodle soup.

The reason it could be maintained was mostly because the temple made incense, and the abbot was good at calligraphy. The incense money, the scripture money, earned a little…

The monastery’s repairs were paid for by local wealthy merchants and the prefect.

But even so, that Abbot Cihai would not show the slightest bit of flattery, nor would he accept any extra money, as if the money would burn his hands if he took it.

It was precisely this kind of piety that made Kushan Monastery quite famous.

If it were a temple full of pot-bellied, fat-headed monks, decorated in gold and splendor, and incomparably grand, the First Madam of the Ning family would have cursed “vulgar things” and then not come.

After Ning Xuan arrived, without a word, he found a bush next to the Mahavira Hall, threw out the light barrier bell to block sight and sound, and then directly summoned the [Incense-Stealing Rat] Heavenly Demon Record, operating the incense-stealing technique.

The incense-stealing technique stole incense, the kind that was fatal, the kind that could be condensed into a golden body.

There was no demonic qi in this kind of incense, and Heavenly Masters couldn’t feel it…

But once this kind of incense appeared, it would only appear in the company of demons.

The small Incense-Stealing Rat, this incense-stealing technique was not simple at all.

After a long time.

Ning Xuan saw a wisp of incense drifting over from afar, slowly wrapping around his fingertip, then seeping into his body, becoming a part of his golden body.

His pupils shrank in astonishment, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

With a flick of his finger, he dispersed the incense. With an upward blow, a fierce wind suddenly rose between heaven and earth.

The wind and sand boiled, blinding all the pilgrims.

The Heavenly Master under the tree immediately looked up, scanned the main hall, found nothing unusual, and did not detect the slightest bit of demonic qi.

The Daoist boy next to him said, “What a gust of wind, it’s quite cool.”

The Heavenly Master said, “Be vigilant.”

The Daoist boy’s eyes lit up, “I heard that the legendary General Lu will also come. What could happen? I heard General Lu is pregnant.”

The Heavenly Master closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, no longer listening to his gossip.

And at this very moment…

In the Mahavira Hall, Cihai, who was striking the wooden fish and chanting scriptures, opened his old eyes.

The cover of the light barrier bell enveloped him and Ning Xuan.

And because there was a large empty space around Cihai, no one outside noticed anything unusual.

Cihai looked at Ning Xuan and calmly asked, “Patron, what brings you here?”

Ning Xuan squinted at him.

There was not a trace of demonic qi on this old abbot.

But since there was a problem with the incense, he was very likely to have a problem too.

Ning Xuan did not answer, but sneered, raised his hand and channeled his power, striking directly at Cihai.

“Die!!”

He shouted “die,” but the power on his fist was only that of a first-grade martial artist.

He could release and retract it at will, just like that day on the mountain road, when the opponent had lifted the mountains and rivers like a scroll, not an inch more, not an inch less, landing only before his feet.

When the fist was in mid-air, the old abbot was still calm.

But just as the fist was about to arrive, the old abbot’s compassionate and calm eyes instantly broke. With the speed of a dramatic face-change, they instantly became ferocious and playful. He jumped up quickly. The withered old hand that was striking the wooden fish in his kasaya suddenly grew stronger, thicker, and hairier, turning into a bear claw with sharp claws that swung towards Ning Xuan’s fist.

*Bang!*

Ning Xuan instantly increased his power.

*Crack… bang bang bang!!*

A bursting fire dragon seemed to have shot into the bear claw. Starting from the fist, to the arm, to the body, to the internal organs, to the feet, the fire dragon shot through and exploded all the way…

Cihai instantly sat down, withered.

He had to sit down, because with just one punch, his insides had already exploded. The only reason he could still sit was because Ning Xuan had left him a tiny bit of life.

Looking again…

How was this Cihai?

A bear abbot, striking a wooden fish, worshiping a Buddha statue, wearing a kasaya to pretend to be human.

And a soft, white animal fur was sliding down from his body, floating down.

The bear abbot looked at the white animal fur. He actually ignored the injuries all over his body, ignored his impending death, and directly pounced over, then protected it tightly.

Ning Xuan squatted down, pushed aside his bear paw, but did not touch the white animal fur. Instead, he blew gently.

The white animal fur flew up, flying up from between the bear abbot’s arms.

The bear abbot’s eyes also followed the animal fur up.

Ning Xuan smiled, “I will throw it into the latrine. You are the one who lost it and let it be humiliated like this.”

He didn’t know what this white animal fur was.

He also had a belly full of doubts.

He was even terrified of how long this bear abbot had been here, whether he had been lurking here even before he became a general.

But, he didn’t ask.

He just said this with a very despicable, very playful smile, stabbing fiercely at the place the bear abbot cared about most.

“Please don’t, please.”

The bear abbot was about to die, yet he was still begging for a single white animal fur.

Ning Xuan’s heart immediately calmed down a little.

This bear demon didn’t recognize him.

That meant this bear demon had most likely only recently arrived. Otherwise… it would be impossible not to recognize him.

He sat down cross-legged and did something the bear demon couldn’t understand at all.

He grabbed the wooden fish, struck it with a pious expression, and then said, “I also believe in Buddha.”

Bear Demon: ???

Ning Xuan said, “It’s just that there has never been a true Buddha in this world. How am I to believe?”

The Bear Demon said, “It’s just that you haven’t met one!”

Ning Xuan put down the wooden fish, glanced at the white animal fur again, mentally calculated his mother’s arrival time, and said, “I’ll give you half an incense stick’s time to convince me. Don’t say any empty, pretentious things. It’s a waste of both our time.”

The Bear Demon said, “I believe in the Secret Pearl Black Sky Bodhisattva. This is an attendant Great Bodhisattva, who has a chance to become a Buddha in the future.

If you join my religion with me, you… you should be able to directly obtain the qualification to compete for the position of a boy attendant under the Bodhisattva.

You are a native here. The Bodhisattva is now thinking of selecting some strong people from the natives. Normally, you wouldn’t even have this opportunity!”

Ning Xuan said, “Then… then how do I compete for the position of a boy attendant under the Bodhisattva?”

The Bear Demon looked at the white animal fur, “This is the token of the Secret Pearl Black Sky Great Bodhisattva, and also a treasure. It contains the power of the Xuan Yin Fox. A single hair attached to the body can hide demonic qi and change at will, allowing one to walk among humans and spread the teachings.

You only need to perform meritorious deeds for the Bodhisattva and recruit more believers. Then… in the future, you can not only become a boy attendant, but even have a chance to appear next to the Great Bodhisattva statue and share the incense.”

Ning Xuan understood.

This white animal fur was like the other incense treasures he had seen before, but it looked like it was a one-time use item.

But its rank was very high.

Seeing him quiet, the Bear Demon thought he was moved and continued to strike while the iron was hot, “I know you either want to achieve merits, or you want to protect this land.

But I’m telling you, it’s useless.

The Leizhou post station is open, and our demon race is continuously rushing over. Even if you kill me, there will be many, many more demons coming. You can’t handle it.

It’s better to take refuge in my Buddha and believe in the Secret Pearl Black Sky Great Bodhisattva with me. In this way, you can not only attain the fruit position, but also allow the common people of this land to be protected by the Great Bodhisattva.”

“Then how do you recruit believers?”

“By burning incense and praying before the Great Bodhisattva statue, and listening to the chanting of the ‘Black Sky Sutra’ which is imbued with the Great Bodhisattva’s power. It’s just that the more people there are, the worse the effect. If it’s one person, they can enter my religion in an instant.”

Ning Xuan showed interest and continued to ask.

The Bear Demon desperately tried to win him over, as if it was a great merit to be able to bring a powerful believer to the Great Bodhisattva.

Seeing that half an incense stick’s time was up, Ning Xuan directly finished off the Bear Demon, spent some effort to dispose of it, and then took out a small Bodhisattva statue hidden behind the Buddha statue.

It wore a dark red hood that covered its face, sat cross-legged on a lotus platform, with the backs of its hands joined together, fingers opened like a lotus flower, showing a mysterious and strange, dignified treasure-like appearance.

And as the Bear Demon died, a sutra on the table suddenly began to fade and disappear.

Ning Xuan roughly understood the origin of this Bear Demon.

It had entered with the refugees, used the identity of a refugee to come to Kushan Monastery, killed Cihai, used the Bodhisattva’s token to impersonate Cihai, then placed the Bodhisattva statue inside the Buddha statue, and then recited the “Black Sky Sutra” here, trying to convert the people here into believers in a “subtle and silent” manner.

But the sutra and the Bodhisattva statue seemed to be different.

The Bodhisattva statue was purely for condensing incense. The sutra was the core.

Worshiping the Buddha, listening to the sutra, one could become a believer.

Ning Xuan could be considered to have had his first contact with this.

The next moment, he directly summoned the [Xuan Yin Fox] Heavenly Demon Record, transformed himself into the appearance of Cihai, sat in front of the wooden fish, and then removed the light barrier bell.

The young monk did not notice. He had not seen the abbot just now and only thought he had left for a moment.

*Tap… tap… tap…*

Ning Xuan quietly struck the wooden fish.

After a while, it suddenly became quiet outside, and three women walked into the Mahavira Hall.

Ning Xuan continued to strike the wooden fish.

A young monk came over to remind him, “Abbot, the distinguished guests from the Ning family have arrived.”

Ning Xuan was unmoved, as if he had completely settled down, and continued to strike the wooden fish at a steady pace.

The manager hurried forward to take over the “business,” began to entertain the three women, leading them to burn incense, worship the Buddha, and pray.

After the three women left, Ning Xuan found another old monk in Kushan Monastery named Cijue, transferred the position of abbot to him, only saying that he needed to travel.

Although Cijue found it strange, Ning Xuan transferred it quickly and left even faster, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

When Ning Xuan returned to Xinghe County, the three women had also just returned not long ago, and were now discussing the scene of today’s prayer.

Yun Yi was quite angry.

“That abbot saw us coming and didn’t even get up to say a word.”

The old mother said, “That’s a truly eminent monk. Only in a temple with such an eminent monk will prayers be efficacious. You, and the child in Xuezhi’s belly, will definitely be fine and grow up strong and healthy.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “I told Ning Xuan about this last night. He was actually quite worried. I wonder if he secretly followed today.”

The old mother smiled, “If he followed, he followed in vain. Everything went smoothly today. The prayers will definitely be efficacious.”

Ning Xuan watched the three happy women from a distance and also smiled faintly.

However, his thoughts suddenly drifted far away.

First, he couldn’t see through the token of the Secret Pearl Black Sky Great Bodhisattva. He had to tell his wife a few more words tonight, to have them avoid going out as much as possible. At least in the mansion, he could use the incense-stealing technique to test from time to time.

Second, some of the things the Bear Demon had said, especially the sentence, “The Leizhou post station is open, and our demon race is continuously rushing over. Even if you kill me, there will be many, many more demons coming. You can’t handle it.”

Leizhou and Hanzhou were adjacent.

Otherwise, as soon as something happened in Leizhou, they wouldn’t have transferred Immortal Aunt Yaozhen and Chaoyinzi over.

*’Alright, I was just worrying about not having enough varieties of demons. Starting tomorrow, I will go around catching them, just in time to complete my power vein cultivation.’*

—

In the blink of an eye.

Half a year passed.

In the past half year, Ning Xuan had been catching demons on one hand, looking for suitable powers on the other, and cultivating in the nightmare world, trying to maximize the opportunity to construct his power veins.

Although only half a year had passed in the outside world, for Ning Xuan, he had stayed in the nightmare for a full one thousand eight hundred years.

One thousand eight hundred years of time had finally allowed him to successfully complete the construction of his power veins.

A construction that had reached the extreme.

Thirteen powers linked.

With the “snake power” as the core.

Externally linked to five large power veins, internally linked to nine small power veins.

As for constructing with other powers as the core, it was not possible.

Ning Xuan had tried to construct power veins with the “centipede power” as the core, but in the process of accumulating power, a conflict arose, and he directly exploded and died.

Nine and five was the most stable, and also the ultimate he could achieve.

This also destined that his strongest part was his legs.

At this time, Ning Xuan had already completed the construction of these “Nine-Five Thirteen Powers” power veins.

He returned to the blacksmith’s shop again and began to carefully construct his Yang Soul Body.

Because of the one thousand eight hundred years of attempts, his cultivation at this time was extremely smooth.

In another blink of an eye.

Another month passed.

The heat waves in the blacksmith’s shop formed giant pythons that began to dart around, circle, and spin.

Ning Xuan stood up amidst this, opened his mouth, and spat.

This time, the spider was gone. He spat out a child.

The child grew with the wind, standing behind him, but its appearance was still tender, not yet fully developed.

Ning Xuan looked at it with affection. Looking closer, he felt that this child actually looked similar to him when he was one or two years old. It just lacked a mortal body, but appeared even more perfect and flawless.

At the center of this child’s eyebrows was a twelve-petaled white-gold pattern, like a twelve-petaled red lotus formed by flame patterns.

*’It seems that the increase in the number of power veins has not only made my Yang Soul Body stronger, but has also caused it to undergo a qualitative change.’*

*’It’s no longer a spider, but has become myself.’*

This change was somewhat unexpected for Ning Xuan.

But he had finally completed the construction of his Yang Soul Body.

He continued to sense this Yang Soul Body.

As the yang qi flowed, he had a feeling of being one with heaven and earth.

In this state, he could go without eating or drinking, but his lifespan would still decrease with each passing day.

—

Winter night.

A deep winter night.

The house was brightly lit, but outside it was cold and severe, increasingly dangerous.

And just then, a loud cry broke the night.

Ning Xuan listened; it came from his own room.

He smiled. It seemed that his and his big brother’s status would be reversed in the next generation.