Chapter 319 - 310: Celestial Star Firepower, Five Poisonous Creatures Perfection, Five Phases Enter the Palace

Chapter 319: Chapter 310: Celestial Star Firepower, Five Poisonous Creatures Perfection, Five Phases Enter the Palace

As Fu Juemin poured in all of his crimson flames without reservation, a point of light on the Star Map gradually began to form a vortex.

At the same time, the four unfurled centipede-like legs on his back converged on a single point.

At the point of convergence, a "Red Star" lit up!

Then a second vortex appeared, and a third.

The "Red Star," positioned at the tips of the centipede legs and guarding the center, grew increasingly brighter. Its light was blinding. Within the Ning Family’s rear garden, it was as if a Celestial Star had fallen from the sky and a second crimson sun had begun to rise!

The Red Star emitted an indescribably terrifying aura that distorted the surrounding air. Like a stone dropped in water, it sent out waves of translucent, pale red ripples...

Fu Juemin pushed the Demon Fire Force of his Hundred-legged Fire Walk to its absolute limit, just barely managing to ignite three of the nine points of light on the Star Map into vortexes.

Even so, the resulting "Celestial Star fire" had accumulated to a truly frightening degree!

He didn’t dare actually unleash this "Red Star," fearing he would destroy the Ning Family’s rear garden.

’So *this* is the proper way to use the Celestial Star!’

Fu Juemin slowly dispersed his concentrated fire power. The appendages on his back fanned out, the "Red Star" vanished, and the Tail Star map on his chest dimmed.

’I’ve always lacked a skill that could fully unleash the power of my Demon Body. The Celestial Star Talent is the perfect solution for that shortcoming.’

’Lighting just three stars of the Tail constellation is already this terrifying. What would it look like if all nine were lit at once?’

’If I ignited the Innate Primordial Liquid and activated the Second Form of Five Souls in One Body, perhaps I could light even more...’

A jet-black Scorpion Tail swayed gently behind him. Fu Juemin looked down at his current Demon Body, a satisfied expression crossing his face.

Even without using the power of Tail Star, his strength had skyrocketed with this Five Souls in One Body Demon Body alone.

’I must be closer to the Flood Dragon Level...’

Fu Juemin looked up at the somewhat hazy sky, unable to stop himself from frowning slightly. ’But why am I still not showing the slightest sign of triggering a celestial phenomenon?’

’Could it be... I’m a special case?’

This theory wasn’t impossible; after all, he was still fundamentally human, a far cry from a natural-born Demon Fiend.

After activating his Demon Body, the naturally formed negative-energy magnetic field was probably a notch weaker than that of a normal Demon Fiend. ’In other words,’ he thought, ’it’s possible I’ve already reached the Flood Dragon Level, but the magnetic field I generate only has the strength of the Elephant Level?’

If that were true, it would actually be a hidden blessing. After all, Fu Juemin had no desire to be struck by lightning the moment he activated his Demon Body transformation one day.

’Those Flood Dragon Level Great Demon Fiends in the center of the Imperial City, and even the ones stronger than them—is the reason they aren’t struck by lightning because the Esoteric Array conceals and blocks it?’

As Fu Juemin deduced this, his eyes suddenly lit up. ’Does that mean these Great Demons look intimidating, but in reality, they can’t leave the great Array at all?’

’The moment they step out, they’ll get struck!’

This was absolutely good news.

Of the Demon Capital Nine Banners, what Fu Juemin feared most were the First and Second Grade—and even Supreme—Great Demons who served as Tributors for the Upper Three Banners and the Top Royal Banner.

If those Demon Fiends could only remain within the Array, unable to leave easily, then he could act far more audaciously in the Demon Capital.

Fu Juemin exited his new Flame Monarch form, casually picked up the long robe he had tossed aside, and put it back on.

Then, he glanced at his character panel and decided to go ahead and max out his Five Poison Skills, which were currently at the Great Success realm.

He had already assembled the Five Poison Five Phases Demon Soul and had an abundance of Skill Points. There was no reason to leave his Five Poison Skills languishing in the Great Success Realm.

To advance the Five Poison Skills from Entry Level to Great Success had only cost 1 Skill Point per level. This time, however, going from Great Success to Perfection cost 2 points.

The golden "+" on the panel flashed. In an instant, a bizarre and grotesque vision appeared before Fu Juemin’s eyes.

—

He saw himself sitting atop a high, black mountain. Beneath him, countless scorpions, centipedes, geckos, toads, snakes, spiders, and other incredibly venomous creatures formed a horrifying, surging tide, flowing ceaselessly toward him.

The creatures threw themselves forward one after another, dying heedlessly beneath him as if on a pilgrimage. After death, their combined Poison Force formed a vast river of venom that poured ceaselessly into his body...

It was unclear how long this vision lasted, until a bolt of black lightning suddenly streaked across the scene!

CRACK—!

Fu Juemin’s eyes snapped open. All over his body, a dense, web-like network of black channels was visible just beneath his skin.

The phenomenon lasted for less than a breath before suddenly vanishing. Looking at his skin again, it seemed even more translucent than before, taking on a somewhat sickly pale complexion.

On the panel, the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique now showed the "Perfection Realm" status. What Fu Juemin hadn’t expected was that the Perfection Realm version of the technique came with an additional bonus Attribute: "Life +10".

Although the fanfare for those 10 points of Life was quite exaggerated, when reflected in his Basic Attributes it only pushed Fu Juemin’s original 27 Life past the 30-point threshold. Even so, it was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

’When yin reaches its extreme, yang is born. Does this mean Vitality can arise from a place of absolute death?’

Fu Juemin mulled it over for a moment, and a flash of understanding dawned on him.

Judging from the vision he had seen while allocating the points, he realized that even if the method for cultivating the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique to the Realm of Perfection was spread throughout the world, it would be impossible for anyone but him to succeed.

’Setting aside whether one could even withstand the process, where on earth would a normal person find a mountain-and-sea-like horde of venomous creatures?’

After his Life increased, the Innate Primordial Liquid in Fu Juemin’s Dantian grew by about half.

If the initial amount of Innate Primordial Liquid he formed was set as a baseline of 1, his current reserves were at 5.

After his Five Poison Skills reached Perfection, the Poison Meridians in Fu Juemin’s body expanded, and the original five great Poison Acupoints transformed into five great "Poison Palaces"!

Sensing the changes within his body, Fu Juemin pondered for a moment before acting on a thought.

HUMMM—

Along with a ripple-like fluctuation in the air, ethereal images of the Black-Scaled Demon Python, the Ink Jade Guardian, the Hundred-legged Fire Centipede... all five Demon Souls flashed into existence behind him one by one before vanishing.

The rippling sensation grew more and more intense, and Fu Juemin’s robes and hair began to stir on their own, as if in a nonexistent wind...

Gradually, his entire figure began to blur.

When the invisible ripples in the air built to a crescendo—

WHOOSH—!

Fu Juemin’s eyes snapped open, and a sudden gale erupted around him, sending sand and stones flying and whipping the surrounding plants into a frenzy.

In the areas swept by the gale, the green of the garden vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye. Vibrant life withered, decayed, and rotted in an instant...

It was as if a cold, "dark miasma" was spreading silently outward from Fu Juemin, exuding a killing intent that extinguished the Vitality of all creation!

"Five Evils Reincarnation! Five Phases Enter the Palace!"

Fu Juemin made a downward pulling motion with his hands. From his palms, two terrifying streams of Vitality surged forth. They looked like countless chaotic, intersecting black lightning bolts dancing between his arms and hands, giving off an impression of incomparable violence and ferocity!

Immediately after, Fu Juemin changed the motion of his hands.

The black lightning transformed into a black, liquid stream. The sense of violence instantly vanished, replaced by a profound, yielding softness.

Then it became black flames, then black smoke... until finally, it seemed to dissolve into nothingness, becoming a black "wind"!

Each time this black Vitality changed form, its nature changed with it, representing entirely different characteristics.

’The Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique! Before, even at the Great Success realm, what I had mastered could at best be called the "Five Poisons"!’

’Only now is it truly the "Five Evils"!’

"Profound Evil True Gang!"

Bathed in the glow of the fluidly shifting, bizarrely unpredictable Profound Evil True Gang, Fu Juemin himself seemed to take on a demonic and bewitching air.

He stared at the Profound Evil True Gang in his hand. This Gang Qi appeared to be pure, jet-black, but upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of iridescent, multi-colored light within the blackness.

’Could this be the legendary ’colorful black’?’

Fu Juemin shook his head, amused.

The density and strength of the Profound Evil True Gang were slightly weaker than the molten-gold True Gang formed by fusing his Glazed True Gang and Dragon Elephant True Gang.

But that was without activating the "Five Phases Amplification."

With "Five Phases Enter the Palace," the five great Demon Souls were entrenched within their respective "Poison Palaces" in Fu Juemin’s body. The Demon Soul Force combined with the Evil Force; with the slightest physical stimulation, his potential would surge forth like water from a burst dam, vast and inexhaustible....

Heaven only knew to what extent this "Evil Force" would skyrocket once the "Five Phases Amplification" was fully activated!

’However, this amplification has pretty much reached its peak.’

A glint flashed in Fu Juemin’s eyes. ’After advancing from the "Five Poisons" to the "Five Evils," the potential of this Martial Art, the Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique, has been completely exhausted.’

’If I want to advance it any further, I’ll have to combine it with my Muddy World Saber and move toward the legendary Five Muddles...’

The leap from the "Five Evils" to the "Five Muddles" was enormous; it was naturally impossible to achieve overnight.

Fu Juemin’s idea was to use the Perfection Realm Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique as a foundation, merge it with his Muddy World Saber, and create an entirely new Cultivation Technique or Saber Technique.

This new technique would need to be recognized by the panel, and then... he could continue using Skill Points to upgrade it.

The panel would naturally handle the subsequent development and refinement for him!

The difficult part was still clearing the "Entry Level" hurdle.

’There’s no rush for now. The perfected Five Evils is more than enough.’

Fu Juemin retracted his technique, feeling an eagerness to test his new strength.

He was now itching to find a few Martial Artists of the Heart Intent Realm to test his skills against.

Although he was still stuck in the Gratitude Sensing Realm and didn’t even know what a Heart Scene was, the old saying still held true— "So-called Martial Arts Realms are merely boundaries arbitrarily drawn by those who came later to measure strength."

"In a true battle of life and death, methods don’t matter, only the result!"

"The one left standing is strong; the one who dies is weak!"

He had now mastered three top-level Martial Arts to the Perfection Realm. Even though he was unclear on the specific divisions within the Heart Intent Realm, he suspected that ordinary Early Stage—or even Middle Stage—practitioners wouldn’t be a worthy match.

To satisfy him, he would need to fight an expert who had achieved Heart Intent Mastery, or one at the Peak of Heart Intent who was facing the Heart Demon Barrier.

’There are Grandmasters in Demon Capital City, after all.’

Fu Juemin clenched his fist, unclenched it, then clenched it again... repeating the motion slowly, deliberately.

’And they are Masters of Concealing who have integrated Supreme Great Demons, no less...’

Lost in thought, Fu Juemin continued to walk forward aimlessly, his expression serene.

Yingjing City was truly his "blessed land." He had only been in Yingjing for a few days, and he had already "devoured" two Demons, his strength increasing by leaps and bounds.

He just didn’t know...

...how long these good days would last.

...

「The next day, at the residence of the White Banner Chaha Family.」

Several luxurious carriages, each drawn by Demon Horses, were parked at the entrance to the residence.

The sides of the carriages were engraved with the emblems of the Blue Banner and the Cyan Banner.

Inside the Chaha Residence, within a magnificent reception hall, Fu Juemin sat casually on a chair with his legs crossed, lazily examining his fingernails.

Flanking him were two figures. One was Mu Feng, who stood expressionless, though it was clear he was in a good mood.

The other was Ning Yuan, his face grim and his gaze flickering with uncertainty.

The Martial Tributors from the Ning and Mu families were positioned around the room.

"Excellent! Just excellent!"

Patriarch Chaha Shuo, a man of about fifty with a fair, beardless face and a tall, sturdy frame, stood at the head of the main hall. His eyes, narrowed to slits, were like daggers scraping across the faces of Ning Yuan and Mu Feng.

"I never expected your two families to actually join forces..."

Chaha Shuo stared at Ning Yuan, a cold sneer fixed on his face. "Cyan Banner Ninggu Clan, I, Chaha Shuo, have truly underestimated you."

Ning Yuan’s face was taut, his hands clenching into fists inside the sleeves of his jacket. The corner of his eye twitched, but no matter how sharp and interrogating Chaha Shuo’s gaze became, he met it with resolute silence.

"Alright, that’s enough! Cut the damn chatter!"

Suddenly, a figure below the main dais shouted impatiently.

Mu Tingzhou strode forward, his expression arrogant.

He casually sized up Chaha Shuo on the dais before turning to Ning Yu at his side.

"You or me?"

Ning Yu bit their lower lip, a complex storm of confusion, nervousness, panic, and disbelief flashing in their eyes. They said nothing.

Seeing Ning Yu’s pathetic state, an expression of utter contempt and disdain appeared on Mu Tingzhou’s face. He cursed scornfully, "Useless."

After saying his piece, he excitedly rolled up his sleeves and strode toward the stunned and uncertain Chaha Shuo...