Chapter 376 - 367: If Not a Calamity, How Can Tribulation Descend? Becoming a Jiao

Chapter 376: Chapter 367: If Not a Calamity, How Can Tribulation Descend? Becoming a Jiao

The mountain hollow wasn’t large, and inside was a small pond.

The trees on the small surrounding slopes had been chopped down for firewood during the winter, leaving them bare.

Fu Juemin undressed by the side of the pond.

It wasn’t because he wanted to bathe, but because he was worried his impending transformation would destroy his clothes, leaving him with nothing to wear on his return to the city.

He had brought almost nothing with him on this trip. Taking off his long robe, he stood stark naked by the pond. The gentle breeze in the hollow brushed against his skin, making him feel as if he had grown a little closer to the world.

Fu Juemin didn’t rush to transform immediately. Instead, he first looked at his panel.

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that a deep blue "+" had lit up next to his [Life] Attribute at some point.

His three Basic Attributes had always increased rapidly due to his Cultivation Techniques, which meant his accumulation of blue Attribute Points often couldn’t keep up with the demand for adding more points to his Attributes.

Ever since his [Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique] reached Perfection and his [Life] Attribute broke through the 30-point mark, the cost to add a single point to it had risen to 4 Attribute Points.

He had never saved up enough and had almost completely ignored this option.

After this recent period of seclusion, however, he had unknowingly accumulated enough.

’I can now save up one Attribute Point in about ten days. That means I can add a point to [Life] every forty days... That’s not a slow pace at all.’

’It’s just that I’ve been cultivating too quickly.’

Fu Juemin glanced at his panel. Of his current main Martial Arts, only the [Five Beasts Skill] had yet to reach Perfection.

Reaching Perfection in the [Five Beasts Skill] was certain to add to his [Life]. If his base [Life] was lower now, then less of the bonus from the [Five Beasts Skill] Perfection would be overwritten later.

Therefore, the way to maximize the value was to first bring the [Five Beasts Skill] to Perfection, and only then add points to [Life].

However, he then considered that if he could obtain the [Bodhi Golden Body Formula] from the Lushan Martial Arts Library, he would have to save his Skill Points to prioritize this last of the four great Iron Body Strange Skills. The [Five Beasts Skill] probably wouldn’t get its turn anytime soon.

So, Fu Juemin went ahead and added the point.

With a flash of blue light, [Life] changed from 30 to 31, and the Life Primordial Liquid in his Dantian nearly doubled in size.

’First it was qi, now it’s liquid. If I keep leveling this up, I wonder if I’ll end up condensing an Innate Essence Pill inside my body.’

Fu Juemin looked at the mass of Innate Primordial Liquid in his lower abdomen, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Then, without further delay, his thoughts shifted, and the three Talents—[Enchanting Heart Demon Bone], [Profound Skin Dragon Armor], and [Meat Mountain]—all activated at once!

"[Three Souls in One Body]!"

BOOM!

By the side of the pond, a visible shockwave of air instantly erupted outward.

The instantaneous blast of pressure sent countless ripples across the pond’s surface. The ripples overlapped, forming a foot-high wave that spread out to either side...

When the shockwave subsided, Fu Juemin stood quietly by the water’s edge in the basic Demon Body state of Three Souls in One Body.

His new basic Demon Body was over three meters tall, but not quite four. In this state, Fu Juemin looked less like a Demon Fiend and more like he was wearing a suit of exaggerated, ferocious, and bizarrely shaped armor.

"Next... [Hundred-legged Fire Walk]!

Four Souls!"

BOOM!

Without a moment’s pause after Three Souls, Four Souls activated!

CRACK CRACK CRACK—

A horrifying sound, like shells cracking, came from Fu Juemin’s back. Accompanied by visible waves of orange fire, a full six Fire Centipede Steps sprouted from beneath his shoulder blades.

This was two more than in his previous [Flame Monarch] form. Combined with his own two arms, he now had the eight-limbed posture of a Dharma Form!

Not only had their number increased, the newly grown Fire Centipede Steps had also become much thicker and longer. Compared to their previous, elegant, spear-like state, they now resembled six demonic legs flowing with flaming magma!

WHOOSH—

Fu Juemin exhaled lightly. As his "eight limbs" stretched, a wave of heat radiated in all directions.

The pond beside him began to churn, sending up billows of white steam. In the blink of an eye, the heatwave had roasted the water to a near boil, and fish from the bottom floated to the surface one by one, their white bellies showing.

"And now, [Celestial Star], [Shadow Control]!"

After Four Souls came Five Souls, then Six Souls, in quick succession!

It was as if someone in the void had swung an invisible sledgehammer, striking Fu Juemin’s body with immense force!

RUMBLE!

Fu Juemin’s frame trembled violently. CRACK, CRACK, CRACK! His Demon Body, which was already over four meters tall, continued to grow, stretching ever upward.

It only stopped completely when it reached a height of over six meters, approaching seven.

The seven-meter-tall Fu Juemin now stood at the bottom of the hollow, nearly level with the shortest of the adjacent slopes.

The thick, long Scorpion Tail brought by [Celestial Star] hung behind him, swaying slowly and silently. Meanwhile, [Shadow Control] draped a mysterious and obscure black veil over his Demon Body, which was already covered in fiery patterns and radiated an arrogant heat.

Now, not only were flames leaping and burning all over his body, but viscous, ink-like wisps of shadow also flowed across his form, occasionally dripping downward.

HUFF— HUFF—

The Six Souls in One Body state.

Every one of Fu Juemin’s breaths was terrifyingly heavy, stirring the air and creating a hot, flowing wind within the hollow.

This was a state he had never attempted before. In this state, Fu Juemin felt as if a translucent membrane had grown over his eyes, causing the world to appear slightly inverted and distorted.

"[Lifting Power]!"

Fu Juemin didn’t stop there. He activated [Lifting Power]!

BOOM!

This time, there were no overly obvious external changes, but his entire Demon Body swelled, growing even more robust.

Seven Souls in One Body!

Fu Juemin abruptly opened his hand. Where his palm was aimed, the now-boiling pond suddenly exploded. A pillar of water from the pond’s center, driven by his [Lifting Power], roared into the sky like a water dragon.

Then, with a loud SPLAT, it burst apart, turning into billowing hot steam that slowly descended.

Amidst the countless droplets and clouds of vapor, a terrifying demonic shadow seven meters tall, wreathed in a distortion several meters wide, leaped up from the bottom of the hollow. It landed heavily on a small hilltop with a loud BOOM, nearly flattening the earthen slope beneath its feet!

’I feel... I feel like I’m still missing something!’

Standing on the high ground, Fu Juemin no longer cared if anyone saw him.

The Seven Souls in One Body state was somewhat taxing, even for him.

’The Demon Form is complete, and I’m in the Seven Souls in One Body state... Logically, I should be able to reach the Flood Dragon Level by now...’

Fu Juemin stood on the slope, the [Celestial Star] Star Map on his chest pulsing with light. He felt as if an enormous, scorching sphere was churning within his body, constantly emitting an inexhaustible supply of fiery power.

’What am I missing? What is it?’

Through the membrane over his eyes, Fu Juemin looked up at the sky. Its color remained unchanged.

He thought for a moment, then focused his mind on the Innate Primordial Liquid in his lower abdomen and tried to increase its output!

This was the method for entering the Second Form of his Demon Body.

Before his Demon Magic Dharma Form had taken shape, Fu Juemin had been unable to do this, as his completed transformation was already his most perfect state.

Even a slight increase in the output of Primordial Liquid could have shattered the delicate balance he had painstakingly constructed.

But now that his Demon Magic Dharma Form had taken shape, Fu Juemin’s Demon Body was unprecedentedly stable. On this foundation, there was still room to improve.

His current state wasn’t his limit. He was simply used to fighting at this size and with this level of consumption. He had been unwilling to become larger and clumsier, as the increased consumption of Primordial Liquid could paradoxically lead to a decrease in combat strength.

Now, however, he couldn’t worry about any of that.

As he unstintingly poured out his churning Primordial Liquid, Fu Juemin’s aura soared higher and higher!

His physical form, the Scorpion Tail at his back, and his Fire Centipede Steps all grew in tandem.

A seventh, an eighth, a ninth...

More Fire Centipede Steps tore bloodily from his back, and the distorted space around him expanded ever wider.

His frame quickly surpassed seven meters, then eight, then nine...

At some point, the sky above began to change.

Dark clouds began to gather, cluster by cluster, obscuring the heavens’ light.

Fu Juemin gazed at the heavens. As his aura and body continued to swell, he felt himself drawing ever closer to the essence of this world.

Or perhaps, he was more clearly perceiving the will that existed within this "heaven and earth."

His mentality began to shift as numerous epiphanies surfaced in his mind.

"I understand!"

"Great Demon... Great Demon... so the emphasis was on the ’Great’ all along!"

This "Great" didn’t refer to physical size.

It referred to the Force Field, the spirit, and even the will of a Demon Fiend!

By now, Fu Juemin’s frame had swelled to over ten meters tall. Countless Fire Centipede Steps sprouted densely from his back, and a black, python-like Scorpion Tail coiled around his waist. He looked like an ancient and immense Great Demon, a veritable titan just broken free from its subterranean seal!

At that moment, he felt as if he had touched some kind of invisible barrier. With a shift in his thoughts, he increased the output of the already dwindling Innate Primordial Liquid in his Dantian—

POP!

The barrier shattered!

As the invisible barrier shattered, Fu Juemin’s aura surged once more. Paradoxically, however, his enormous and terrifying body began to shrink rapidly....

CRACK CRACK CRACK—

Amidst the violent sounds of flesh and bone compressing and reshaping, the dark clouds that had been brewing in the sky finally finished forming.

They formed a vortex of clouds, similar to the one that appeared when he broke through to Heart Intent.

Only, this vortex was black, and its power and scale were more than ten times greater than the one from his breakthrough to Heart Intent.

Oppressive and gloomy, faint bolts of lightning churned within the clouds!

Amidst the violent tremors and changes of his massive Demon Body, Fu Juemin’s eyes shone brightly. In that instant, he achieved complete understanding.

’In the end, it’s the same as the Martial Dao. The advancement of a Demon Fiend is also a form of leaving one’s mark on heaven and earth!’

’To become a Great Demon, one must have the heart and soul of a Great Demon!’

’Without the will to challenge, devour, wreak havoc, and destroy heaven and earth, how could one be worthy of the name Sin?’

’If one does not become Sin!’

’Why would heaven and earth send down a tribulation?!’

Thinking this, Fu Juemin laughed heartily and stomped his foot, shattering the small hillock beneath him.

His entire body shot toward the black cloud vortex, which resembled the malevolent eye of the heavens!

The lightning in the clouds had yet to descend, but as Fu Juemin’s figure leaped into mid-air, it suddenly exploded with a BOOM, erupting in endless miasmic smoke and fire!

An aura that truly belonged to a Flood Dragon-Level, Sin-Level Great Demon soared upward from within the billowing black smoke and fire!

Beneath the black, thunderous vortex, the miasmic flames faintly outlined the phantom of a Dharma Form—one with four faces, eight limbs, and an evil aura that pierced the heavens....

...

「Meanwhile, far away in Yingjing City.」

Within the quiet and oppressive Inner Imperial Palace.

At the base of the Thousand Blessings Tower, a Little Novice Monk was slowly sweeping up fallen leaves and dust.

Suddenly—

VMM— VMM—

The air hummed. The copper bells of all sizes hanging from the eaves of the Thousand Blessings Tower began to tremble in unison, and the prayer flags hanging in the air all pulled taut.

A sudden, inexplicable shiver of horror ran through the Little Novice Monk.

He stopped sweeping and quietly raised his head.

He saw that the entire sky above him had suddenly gone dark.

An enormous black bat, its body covered in countless sinister, scarlet eyes, was silently gliding past, right over his head and the top of the Thousand Blessings Tower...