86: Torturing the Demon Cultivator

Yang Kai was not one to give up easily, and this item was quite sinister. If he were to let it go, ordinary Qi Refinement Stage Disciples would likely find it difficult to handle. If he were to keep it by his side, he would have to solve the problem of how to control this Vengeful Spirit.

Next, Yang Kai tried various methods. He invaded it with his Divine Sense, only to find that its Sea of Consciousness had become a turbid mess, devoid of any spiritual consciousness. His Divine Sense also could not leave a mark within it; as long as the source was lost, the Divine Sense left in the Vengeful Spirit's Sea of Consciousness would slowly dissipate.

Moreover, this Vengeful Spirit seemed to have no physical form. Yang Kai's fists would pass right through it, and it was immune to Five Elements Spells and Divine Sense attacks. If he could firmly control it, it would be a great weapon.

This also piqued Yang Kai's interest, and he continuously experimented on this Vengeful Spirit. It was at this moment that Yang Kai suddenly remembered the only thing he had encountered that had some connection to the Demonic Path.

"Ascension Heart Sutra." The Demonic Path Cultivation Technique that Elder Qiu had imprinted in his mind that day appeared in Yang Kai's thoughts, and he felt some hesitation.

After all, this was a Demonic Path Cultivation Technique, and he didn't know what changes or risks practicing it would entail. But looking at the Vengeful Spirit before him, which was gradually struggling as the Seal dissipated, he decided to read this Demonic Path Cultivation Technique out of trust in Elder Qiu.

"So, this Vengeful Spirit is controlled in this way." Half a day later, Yang Kai's mind detached from the Demonic Path Cultivation Technique, having found a method to control the Vengeful Spirit.

Yang Kai circulated his own magic power, holding up two fingers. Magic power surged like a sword-light, engraving patterns onto the Vengeful Spirit's body.

"This Vengeful Spirit is a special existence formed by the convergence of a person's essence, Qi, spirit, and negative emotions like resentment and Killing Intent. To refine a Vengeful Spirit, one needs to use a Mortal with abundant essence as an embryo, then fill its mind with endless resentment, Killing Intent, and other negative emotions, supplemented by special refining methods, and gradually refine it. Most low-level Disciples of the Demonic Path will refine several Vengeful Spirits to defend against enemies; it is a common method for Demonic Path Disciples."

"Vengeful Spirits have a certain potential for growth, and the key to unlocking this growth is to engrave Cultivation Technique trajectories within the Vengeful Spirit's body after it forms, which is equivalent to reshaping the Vengeful Spirit's Meridians. Most Meridians are blocked when a person is born and require Acquired Cultivation to gradually open them up. The levels of Cultivation Techniques vary, and the number of Meridians required also differs. Generally, Cultivation Techniques that cover more Meridians are harder to Cultivate, but once successfully Cultivated, it also means that most of the Cultivator's Meridians have been successfully opened, and their strength naturally advances by leaps and bounds."

"And this Vengeful Spirit currently has no Meridians or Dantian, requiring Acquired shaping. The number of Meridians engraved into the Vengeful Spirit during this shaping determines its future potential and subsequent combat power. This type of Vengeful Spirit is divided into three Realms. The first Realm is to delineate a main Meridian that runs through the entire body. At this point, the Vengeful Spirit can be controlled, and due to its formless and intangible nature, it can be said to have few rivals in the Qi Refinement Stage."

"The second Realm is to imitate the human body's Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and even the Dantian is completely engraved. Only at this point does the Vengeful Spirit have the possibility of continuing to Cultivate and improve. Its power is even more extraordinary; it can cast Spells and is no different from an ordinary person. The final Realm is to reshape the Vengeful Spirit's Sea of Consciousness. If the Sea of Consciousness is successfully opened, the Vengeful Spirit might even be able to Cultivate the Dao independently like an ordinary person, which is extremely Heaven-Defying."

"However, all of this requires enormous resources. Even the first Realm requires quite a few Heaven And Earth Treasures to assist in refining. But I just obtained a large amount of Sect contributions, which I had no good use for anyway, so it's perfect for exchanging for these Materials. I will first construct a main Meridian for this Vengeful Spirit and completely control it."

Yang Kai mentally reviewed the plan, and after confirming there were no omissions, he began to implement it.

As Yang Kai's fingers danced, magic power was deeply engraved into the Vengeful Spirit's body. As a bright path appeared on the originally pitch-black Vengeful Spirit's form, the Vengeful Spirit gradually calmed down.

Seeing this, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, stopped, and took out Spirit Stones to restore his magic power. Such Spell casting consumed an extreme amount of magic power. Yang Kai repeatedly cycled through this process, finally completely forging this main Meridian.

"Buzz!"

As the engraving of this main Meridian was completed, Yang Kai felt a faint connection establish between himself and this Vengeful Spirit. With a thought from Yang Kai, the Vengeful Spirit moved left and right. Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction and put the Vengeful Spirit into a storage Magic Treasure. Only then did he slowly exhale a turbid breath. With the threat of the Vengeful Spirit removed, he could finally relax.

Just as Yang Kai eliminated the hidden danger of the Vengeful Spirit, the Peak Masters of the various peaks of the Flowing Cloud Sect and the many Elders in the Hall of Elders once again gathered on Qingyun Peak. Sect Master Qing Xuanzi sat at the top of the main hall, and the other Peak Masters and Elders also took their seats.

As everyone settled down, Sect Master Qing Xuanzi's indifferent voice echoed through the hall: "Hall of Relief Master Rong Da, you convened this Hall of Elders meeting, what important matter do you have?"

On the surface, the Hall of Relief Master was equal in status to the various Peak Masters and had a seat in the Hall of Elders, the highest authority in the Flowing Cloud Sect. However, in reality, his influence was somewhat weaker. Although he had the right to propose convening a Hall of Elders meeting, for many years, no Hall of Relief Master had ever proposed convening a meeting. Clearly, Rong Da indeed had an important matter to report this time.

"Reporting to the Sect Master and all Elders, the group of Demonic Cultivators who infiltrated the Sect has been captured. I suggest interrogating them here to prevent any unforeseen circumstances." After a period of training and adaptation, Rong Da was already quite adept at discussing Sect affairs, no longer as agitated and flustered as when he was first appointed.

"Audacious Rong Da! As an Elder of the Hall of Elders, you abuse your authority and dare to propose convening a Hall of Elders meeting for such a trivial matter. Historically, the interrogation of Demonic Cultivators has always been handled by the Punishment Hall. From your words, are you not implying that the Punishment Hall is ineffective?" The Peak Master of Piaomiao Peak, Wang Qing, the Grand Elder of the Wang family, slammed the table and launched an attack on Rong Da with strong words.

"Elder Wang, please calm down. It is truly that what these Demonic Cultivators said is shocking. The Flowing Cloud Sect's rules state that any matter endangering the Sect's safety must be discussed and decided by the Elders of the Hall of Elders. I dare not violate the Sect rules. If the Hall of Elders decides that I am making a mountain out of a molehill, I am willing to accept punishment." Rong Da had first-rate self-control. Hearing this, he did not get angry but spoke neither obsequiously nor arrogantly.

Wang Qing frowned slightly upon hearing this. He hadn't expected this Rong Da to have grown so much in such a short time. Faced with his coercion, he handled himself with appropriate advance and retreat, not someone he could easily manipulate as he had imagined. Thinking of this, Wang Qing promptly changed his strategy, no longer speaking, preparing to proceed slowly.

"Bring those evildoers up. I want to see who the mastermind behind this truly is?" Sect Master Qing Xuanzi's words sealed the matter. After Rong Da bowed slightly, he ordered several Disciples to bring the awakened Demonic Cultivators into the main hall.