"Without destruction, there can be no construction. This time, by absorbing nature’s spiritual energy laced with great amounts of Demonic Qi using his Heaven and Earth Root, An Jing indeed inflicted some damage on his own Spirit Root.
Although he purified it with the Heavenly Profound True Talisman, this risky move would indeed lower the efficiency of An Jing’s absorption of spiritual energy for a while.
But who would have known, that the Doulu Immortal Fire refining nature’s spiritual energy and condensing Innate Vital Qi, could not only heal but also nourish one’s Spirit Root!
"No, to be precise, what it nourishes is my Divine Abnormality, which is the external manifestation derived from my Spirit Root—essentially, it’s also gradually transforming the Yin Yang and Five Elements structure within me, subtly optimizing my Spirit Root... The outcome is the same, but the specifics are more complex!"
At this moment, An Jing also had some understanding.
Now, he is refining the highest grade of Mixed Element Demon Core within his body, meaning he needs to adjust the Five Elements conditions within his body to perfection.
Then what is the essence of a Spirit Root?
Isn’t it the physical manifestation best suited for absorbing nature’s spiritual energy?
So to speak, as long as An Jing condenses a high-grade Demon Core, his Spirit Root will also be adjusted to a higher level, and in the future, it might compare to a Heavenly Spiritual Root or even surpass it.
From this perspective, one can understand why, when the Qi Refinement Immortal Path was prevalent in ancient times, those lesser demon spirits could completely change their inherent ability after condensing Demon Cores—because their Spirit Roots evolved with the advancement of their Demon Cores; in fact, their cultivation speed kept getting faster.
The path of Demon Spirits is the most genuine path of accumulating depth and unleashing it thinly. Initially, it might take hundreds or thousands of years for a demon spirit to cultivate from a lesser state to a Great Demon Spirit (Martial Meridian Foundation Establishment), laying a solid foundation. But after that, their cultivation rates were indistinguishable from those of human geniuses.
And An Jing took it one step further: he possessed the Heaven and Earth Root, a Divine Abnormality from Enlightenment. The enhancement of his Spirit Root also increased his overall precision in controlling spiritual energy and the amount of spiritual energy he could release instantaneously.
Doulu Immortal Fire released boundless Spiritual Fiends, shining like the sun, filling with Innate Vital Qi centered around the heart, radiating towards An Jing’s limbs and body. An Jing calmed his mind, not contemplating others, focusing solely on constructing the Demon Core, guiding the Yin Yang Five Elements Qi, watering the Demon Core, making it gradually grow.
An Jing’s three Spirit Roots’ roots intertwined around the Demon Core, entwining together—and the Demon Core also derived many root systems. An Jing could discern that these roots had the attributes of ’water’ and ’fire’ that he lacked.
At the Demon Core’s core, as Innate Vital Qi continued to be infused, Yin Yang Qi was also nurtured and woven together.
With the aid of Doulu Immortal Fire, the growth rate of the Demon Core far exceeded the gradual refinement from his own cultivation by tens to hundreds of times. However, due to the immense amount of energy flooding in such a short time, An Jing began to feel his meridians swelling and aching, and the refining power of the Immortal Fire cared not whether An Jing could absorb or endure; it released energy wantonly like the sun, accelerating the pouring speed more and more fiercely.
It was only because An Jing practiced the Taibai Luminous Godly Ban and possessed the body of the Martial Meridian, otherwise, let alone cultivation, he would have burst within a few breaths.
At this moment, An Jing sat cross-legged under the Immaculate Wood tree. The Doulu Immortal Fire above his head shed Flame Light, while on his body, countless light-patterned veins like tree roots or blood vessels lit up, spreading across his entire body centered on the spine, squirming under the skin and flesh, appearing rather terrifying.
But in actuality, An Jing’s injuries were healing at a visible rate—the incomplete flesh and blood were replenished by the root systems derived from the Heaven and Earth Root, shattered bones began to fuse back together, and organs were mended by the rich Life Spirit Qi, even becoming stronger.
And in such a process, the fully meditative An Jing caught a glimpse of a purple-green brilliance.
His Divine Sense was clear, though descending from the Purple Mansion and entering something like the Demon Core, the feeling was as if ascending, rising with the heavens, reaching beyond the Heavenly Mystery.
For the Innate Qi gradually forming within the Demon Core was a simulation of the primordial scenery of the Great Heaven and Earth, and An Jing’s body was but a shell incubating a Small World.
With his spirit residing in it, at this moment, his Soul Spirit was both above and below, both within and without."
Within and without merging, unity of heaven and man.
An Jing entered the state of Unity of Heaven and Man.
The moment his mind fully resided in the Demon Core, An Jing’s Heavenly Mandate trembled, sending out vast waves of hot surges. Under the flushing torrents of Heavenly Mandate Feedback, his Divine Sense seemed to peel away from his own body, continuously merging with the Small World inside him.
This enlightenment should have been attempted only by Martial Meridians Martial Artists, or by Divine Repository True Persons. Not only did he achieve it, but he also outperformed them because, besides his own inner Small World, An Jing had the support of Heavenly Mandate.
Following the enlightenment given by Heavenly Mandate, An Jing sensed the conditions at the beginning of Heaven and Earth Creation in the Huai Xu Realm.
No. It was a drop of blood.
A seed that traveled from the far side of the boundless Great Void Sea and finally came to rest in the Sea of Void, seemingly a scale, yet resembling a drop of blood.
It brimmed with the aura of chaos and destruction, but it still lived, persisting. Strands of breath spread and flowed, stirring the Great Void, twisting, collapsing, and an infinite vitality within it derived many Small Worlds, flowing and vanishing in turn.
Who knows how long passed, this seed eventually overcame its destruction, began to take root, sprout, and then gradually... rooted itself in the Sea of Great Void, sprouting branches, leaves, stems, and becoming a...
This was a small tree with branches and leaves like flames illuminating the void. Its leaves carried endless complex Daoist Patterns, its trunk bore wild gorges and ridges like dragon scales, while its buds and flowers were dazzling suns that penetrated and burned even the chaos of nothingness, consequently transforming into a world that could be recognized and understood.
The tree’s branches stretched out, as the purple-green little tree grew, a vast universe then formed in the Sea of Great Void.
Heaven and Earth opened in its wake.
"The fire on this tree... is it Doulu Immortal Fire? No, it’s something superior, the Doulu Immortal Fire is only an imitation of it!"
An Jing’s eyes widened. He felt the Spirit Qi within him depleting crazily, almost completely drained in an instant — but at this moment, the Doulu Immortal Fire was precisely refining the endlessly incoming Spirit Mechanism for him. The inflow of Qi that could burst him was being completely consumed by the magnificence of this scene of Heaven and Earth Creation!
"An Jing? What happened?!"
At this moment, Subdue Evil also sensed something amiss. According to its estimate, even with An Jing’s exceptionally strong foundation, at most he would endure a day or two, repair all injuries, and meanwhile significantly advance the progress of True Spirit Blood — that is the limit. Doulu Immortal Fire though non-harmful, could still kill if one is force-fed excessively.
But now, far from being force-fed to death, the energy of the Doulu Immortal Fire was being continuously drawn away. The flames, which had just revived a bit, started to shrink and flicker, seemingly weak and fading.
Subdue Evil couldn’t see everything An Jing saw, but An Jing understood that this vision was Heavenly Mandate, what Heavenly Dao wanted him to see. It shouldn’t have been given to him just yet, but because of the presence of Doulu Immortal Fire and Subdue Evil, he received this opportunity, and hence, could witness and comprehend it now.