Chapter 206 - 204: Black Flower, ’Demon Qi

Chapter 206: Chapter 204: Black Flower, ’Demon Qi

In the training hall, Fu Juemin gathered the dozen or so scattered, ancient, thread-bound books and slowly rose to his feet.

His state of mind was different now.

If his previous journey on the Martial Dao resembled that of a specialized prodigy who skipped all the way to university by rote-memorizing answers, then the secret collection Zhao Jigang left behind had opened the door to a far more profound and vast temple of theory.

Many of them were rare and unique editions—the kind of lucky find money couldn’t buy—that perfectly filled a critical gap in his cultivation: he knew *what* worked, but not *why* it worked.

The rest would require the slow, meticulous work of study and contemplation.

The focus of his recent cultivation had been on the Inner Cultivation Method of the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique. Just yesterday, after he took the last specially crafted Poison Pill, the five "Poisonous Seeds" lodged in his torso were finally, fully formed.

Now, it was time to test the power of the newly formed Five Phases Poison Seeds.

’Of the Five Phases Poison Seeds, only two are augmented by a Demon Soul. I’ll start by gradually releasing the three seeds that lack a matching soul.’

Fu Juemin stood quietly in the center of the room, his thoughts shifting.

In the center of his chest, three newly formed Poisonous Seeds were silently released, spreading through his various meridians to every corner of his body.

He undid the knotted buttons on his training tunic, revealing his fair, firm chest. Upon it, a web of bluish-black veins slowly blossomed like some bewitching, demonic flower rooted in his heart.

During this process, his meridians burned and stung slightly, and the flow of his Qi Blood quickened significantly.

Besides imbuing one’s Vitality with its corresponding traits, the greatest effect of the Poisonous Killing Qi cultivated from the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique was its ability to forcibly stimulate potential and ignite Qi Blood.

The common methods used in Martial Arts to stimulate potential also often involved potent toxins and powerful drugs, combined with techniques like the Secret Golden Needle Acupoint Stabbing... their principles were similar.

This was one of the most domineering and alluring aspects of the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique—a successful practitioner could, at any moment during a fight, continuously stimulate their own potential, casually unleashing terrifying combat power several, or even dozens, of times greater than their normal state!

Of course, the price was a shortened lifespan and a corroded foundation. Thus, for practitioners of this technique, every fight was a gamble with their own life, and most did not meet a peaceful end.

He let out a long breath.

Fu Juemin casually raised a hand. The distortion of Vitality extending from the edge of his palm tore a murky ripple through the air.

With three Poisonous Seeds activated, his original Glazed Qi was tainted. It no longer possessed its characteristic glazed luster, but its power had clearly risen a level.

’Next... the Snake Phase Poison Seed.’

As the fourth seed, the Snake Phase Poison Seed, dispersed, the black flower of veins on Fu Juemin’s chest abruptly bloomed another layer outward. Numerous veins turned pitch-black and bulged from his skin.

At the same time, a profound resonance was achieved. The Demon Soul Force of the Black-Scaled Snake Demon within him used the Snake Phase Poison Seed as a bridge to swiftly permeate his body. Wisps of Formless Qi steamed from the pores all over his body, shrouding him in an indescribable, sinisterly cold and dark aura.

Fu Juemin was familiar with this state. This was far from the first time he had activated the Snake Demon Soul.

In this state, with the Demon Soul Force suffusing his body, Fu Juemin’s strikes would carry the damp, treacherous aura of a Snake Demon. Many of his techniques would naturally take on sinister, wicked variations.

’My Vitality has grown stronger, but it’s also become much murkier...’

Fu Juemin examined the edge of his palm and saw that his Vitality had changed from being slightly murky to an almost grayish color.

In this state, the stinging pain in his meridians grew more intense, but it didn’t affect his ability to strike.

The toxic corrosion in his meridians was well within the range of what he could self-heal, thanks to the Pure Body granted by his Great Success Pharmacist Skill and the regenerative abilities from his 18 points of [Life].

’And finally, the newly formed Guardian Poison Seed.’

Without delay, Fu Juemin silently dispersed the final Poisonous Seed within him.

In that instant—

THUMP!

A muffled sound, like the beat of a war drum, echoed from within his chest. An indescribable, scorching torrent erupted from beneath his skin, as if dormant magma deep underground had just been detonated!

In the center of his chest, the demonic black flower of veins burst into full bloom. Countless bulging veins swiftly spread to cover half of his torso!

Fu Juemin’s face twisted into a ferocious grimace. The half-unbuttoned training tunic on his torso was ripped to shreds as if by a pair of giant, invisible hands, sending fragments flying everywhere!

He braced himself. His entire body seemed to be outlined in a distorted, formless "black border." His Qi Blood boiled like oil set ablaze, and a terrifying momentum, akin to his Demon Body transformation, burst forth!

BOOM!

Countless streams of murky energy swirled around Fu Juemin, coursing violently like giant pythons and lizards and whipping his slightly long black hair about.

He stood in the center of the room, the muscles of his bare torso as sleek and defined as if carved from jade, creating a stark contrast with the "Black Flower" blooming on his chest. A halo of black light pulsed around him, its demonic flames seeming to lick the very heavens.

K-K-KRAK—

Amid the harsh grinding of bones, Fu Juemin’s frame began to swell and expand... His already terrifying momentum surged, climbing even higher!

Reaching a critical point, Fu Juemin abruptly thrust his palm forward!

Infinite Seal Technique!

ROAR—

The sound that ripped through the air was no longer the pure, mighty roar of a dragon or trumpet of an elephant. Instead, it was a twisted, sinister, and oppressive shriek that seemed to issue from the deepest abyss!

Inside the training hall, a murky, almost-black, "transparent" ball of energy silently imploded, frantically devouring all surrounding light and sound. The inlaid hardwood floor and the stone tiles beneath were ripped up in great sheets as if scoured by an invisible grinding disc, only to be torn apart, crushed, and pulverized into dust in mid-air...

As the destructive aftershocks of the Palm Wind slowly subsided, dust drifted down like snow. A steady, long breath echoed in the center of the room.

Amid the pillars of light cutting through the settling dust, Fu Juemin stood silently in the center of the wreckage, his hands hanging naturally at his sides.

His body had returned to its normal size, his skin smooth and unblemished. Only his eyes were startlingly bright, as clear as if they had been washed in a glacial spring.

"So that’s how it is..." he muttered to himself, unable to hide his excitement.

"It’s just like how I stumbled upon creating the [Demon Body] transformation. I never thought that drawing two Demon Souls into my body at the same time with the Poisonous Killing Qi would also produce such an incredible, wonderful transformation!"

"The key is, I can still activate my Talent in this state!"

For the longest time, Martial Dao Qi had been little more than icing on the cake for Fu Juemin.

In terms of Defense, it was far inferior to his [Copper Hide], and the Attack boost it provided seemed negligible compared to the overwhelming brute force of his [Demon Body] state.

The Demon Martial Arts he’d been struggling to create were meant to solve this very weakness.

Yet now, spurred by the resonance of two Demon Souls, the quantity and quality of his Vitality had instantly skyrocketed by more than tenfold! The sinister, heavy, and unpredictable feeling of this power had completely transcended the scope of ordinary Martial Arts Vitality.

’And this is just with two Demon Souls... If I had all Five Poisonous Creatures, gathered all Five Souls, and activated them simultaneously...’

Fu Juemin gently stroked the fading Black Flower of veins on his chest, a brilliant light swirling in his eyes. The very thought of that image was enough to make his heart race. Perhaps that would be the moment his very own heaven-scorching ’Demon Qi’ was born!

’I’ll call this state "Black Flower."

Activating it from my normal state can push my explosive power to a terrifying height, nearly matching my [Demon Body].

If I stack this on top of my [Demon Body], the power should multiply, but the consumption of Innate Primordial Qi will also increase dramatically...’

’Right now, controlling the Four Souls in One Body state is too difficult. I’m better off trying this other approach: gathering the Five Phases Demon Souls. The burden on my body is far less than activating my Talent, but the boost to my combat power is no less significant...’

Fu Juemin’s mind raced as he stood there, deep in thought.

In the early stages of creating Demon Martial Arts, many things had to be constantly revised and perfected through repeated trial and error.

The transformation brought about by the resonance of the Five Poison Five Phases Demon Soul pointed him in a new direction, sparking a host of new ideas.

If he were to encounter Luo Zhengxiong now, he likely wouldn’t need to risk using Four Souls in One Body. With this transformation in his Vitality alone, he could fight and hold his own, avoiding the pathetic state he’d been in at the end of their last fight...

*Click.*

The faint sound of a door being pushed open in the spacious training hall interrupted Fu Juemin’s thoughts.

He looked up toward the sound and saw the figure of Big Cat, who had appeared silently in the doorway and was now walking steadily toward him.