Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Shadow Slaves and Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation

Li Yan gazed at the shadow beneath his feet, a faint golden light radiating from its depths.

The effects of reversing the Blood Shadow Art’s side effect flashed before his eyes:

You are cultivating the Su Clan’s Secret Manual (Blood Shadow Art), a technique with a severe side effect.

Current Technique: Elementary Rank

Blood Shadow Art Side Effect: Prolonged cultivation of the Blood Shadow Art will gradually lead to the practitioner being replaced by their shadow, ultimately becoming a Shadow Slave.

Side Effect Reversal: Your shadow will become your loyal servant. As your cultivation progresses, you can eventually refine it into the Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation.

After reading about the side effect, Li Yan stroked his chin in contemplation.

“So, those who cultivate the Blood Shadow Art for too long eventually become Shadow Slaves? Could it be…!”

His gaze shifted to Corpse Puppet Su Mo before him. Why had this Blood Pill Realm Fairy fallen? Why had the Su Clan used her as a bargaining chip?

Everything clicked into place.

“The so-called immortal cultivation family, the Su Clan…”

“From beginning to end, they’ve actually been controlled by the Blood Shadow! The entire Su Clan is a clan of Shadow Slaves!”

As Li Yan spoke these words, Corpse Puppet Su Mo blinked curiously, her eyes filled with confusion.

It was to be expected.

She was no longer the Su Mo of old; the original Su Mo’s soul had long since dissipated.

The connection between this Corpse Puppet and its former master was tenuous at best. One could essentially regard her as a newborn child.

The Corpse Puppet Su Mo retained little of her original master’s memories, her mind as blank as a pristine sheet of paper.

“Never mind,” Li Yan said, waving his hand dismissively to reassure the somewhat wooden puppet. “You wouldn’t understand anyway, and it has nothing to do with you.”

He turned his gaze toward the entrance of his Cave Mansion.

Jingle! Jingle!

The rhythmic chime of bells drifted into his ears.

Li Yan closed his eyes and activated his Mind’s Eye to survey the surroundings.

He saw Old Ghost Xuanwang accompanied by a burly Daoist.

The newcomer wore a Daoist robe, but his rough demeanor reeked of banditry.

Within the dense mist, the side effects of Li Yan’s Mind’s Eye amplified his senses, allowing him to easily eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Xuansha? Old Ghost Xuanwang’s Senior Brother?”

Listening to their exchange, Li Yan learned that this newly arrived Martial Uncle had also come to capture him.

As Martial Uncle Xuansha shook his bell, the villagers plastered with white talismans hopped and skipped ahead, clearing a path for the two old ghosts.

These two old ghosts were determined to capture Li Yan, the traitorous disciple, today, no matter what!

Observing the scene in the mist, Li Yan remained calm, radiating an air of composed confidence.

“If we were outside, I wouldn’t stand a chance against you,” he thought. “But since you insist on venturing deeper, I might as well test the Blood Shadow Art.”

In the mist-shrouded Broken Sword Valley, Li Yan felt utterly confident.

This was a cat-and-mouse game. Xuanwang and Xuansha could only see twenty or thirty steps ahead with their naked eyes.

But Li Yan, using his Mind’s Eye, could perceive movements and sounds up to six li away.

Even though he was only at the seventh layer of the Blood Condensation Realm, the dense mist allowed him to evade the two peak Blood Shifting Realm Old Ghosts.

Li Yan formed a hand seal and silently chanted the Blood Shadow Art.

His shadow began to stretch forward, slithering into the distance like a massive python.

“An Elementary Rank Blood Shadow Art can only extend my shadow about one li beyond my position. Outside Broken Sword Valley, its effectiveness would be limited.”

“But within this mist, the Blood Shadow Art is ridiculously powerful!”

As he spoke, a smirk crept onto Li Yan’s lips. His shadow had already advanced hundreds of steps.

Daoists Xuanwang and Xuansha were leading their disciples forward, probing the terrain.

Unnoticed, Li Yan’s shadow quietly materialized beneath their feet.

Li Yan, still rooted to his spot, suddenly threw a punch with all his might!

The lurking shadow erupted in golden light.

A twelve-foot-tall Golden Body Dharma Idol rose from the ground, towering nearly two stories high!

The bare-chested Dharma Idol stood tall, its body radiating a dazzling golden glow. Its translucent, glass-like flesh faintly revealed the pulsing flow of blood through its veins.

Every chiseled muscle was sharply defined, as if carved by a master artisan’s chisel, exuding raw, untamed power.

Li Yan threw a punch, and his Dharma Idol mirrored the motion, its fist crashing down with earth-shattering force.

A terrifying boom erupted as the fist sliced through the air, unleashing a gale-force wind.

Caught completely off guard, the disciples were sent flying by the force of Li Yan’s strike.

Several spat blood as they hurtled backward, crashing into the ancient stone walls of Changyuan.

Before they could recover from their dazed state, the ancient resentment buried within the walls reached out with shadowy arms, dragging the injured disciples into the stone.

“Master, save me!”

Their desperate cries faded as the unfortunate disciples were absorbed into the Changyuan walls, becoming one with the stone, their voices silenced.

Li Yan’s punch had been carefully calculated.

By controlling his Shadow Dharma Idol to blast his opponents backward, he exploited the terrain to drive them into an ancient trap.

Efficient, effortless, and deeply shocking to his enemies.

The benefits of the Blood Shadow Art became even more apparent after this strike.

The towering Twelve-Foot Golden Body, which had just risen from the ground, instantly retreated into Li Yan’s shadow. By the time Old Daoist Xuanwang and the others could react, Li Yan’s shadow had vanished without a trace.

“Intriguing,” Li Yan mused. “With the Blood Shadow Art and the mists of Broken Sword Valley, I can truly strike from the shadows.”

Li Yan grinned as he watched his shadow instantly shrink back beneath his feet. “Now that the Blood Shadow Art has been properly refined, the Golden Body Dharma Idol it summons is truly perfect for me.”

“Moreover, the Su Clan’s Secret Manual states that when the Blood Shadow Art is mastered to its fullest extent, the shadow can transform into the Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation…”

Having tasted the sweetness of the Blood Shadow Art, Li Yan was even more determined to master this secret technique to its utmost.

This way of manipulating shadows to manifest a Golden Body Dharma Idol… I love it!

Concealed within the dense mist, he controlled his shadow to launch surprise attacks, completely outmaneuvering the two old Daoists.

With each successful ambush, Li Yan’s skill grew sharper.

He couldn’t help but marvel, “Su Mo, stumbling upon you and obtaining this Su Clan’s Secret Manual… it’s truly my good fortune.”

With that, Li Yan reached out and patted the Corpse Puppet’s head.

The fairy’s face lit up with an expression of contentment. Though she didn’t understand why Li Yan was pleased, sensing her master’s mood, she broke into a dazed, silly smile.

In her pure, untainted spiritual world, she didn’t know why she was smiling, only that she was simply happy for her master.

Li Yan’s current ease and delight were clearly built upon Xuanwang’s suffering.

As the Traitorous Disciple manipulated the Golden Body Dharma Idol with the Blood Shadow Art, causing it to emerge repeatedly from the mist, each ambush caught Xuanwang completely off guard.

“This blasted Mist Restriction!”

“If not for this accursed mist, would you dare act so arrogantly, you traitorous disciple?!”

The One-Eyed Old Daoist, his face twisted with rage, erupted into a hysterical roar.

As if Li Yan’s victory were somehow dishonorable?

How laughable.

The two old Daoists combined were centuries old, both at the peak of the Blood Shifting Realm. Yet even with their two-against-one advantage, they couldn’t subdue Li Yan.

Who’s really fighting unfairly here? The truth lay in the eyes of the beholder.

While Xuanwang and Xuansha seethed impotently in the mist, Li Yan savored the moment. Their frantic shouts were merely attempts to trick him into revealing his position.

He wouldn’t be foolish enough to respond and let them pinpoint his location. Silence was his camouflage, allowing him to lurk in the mist and watch Old Ghost Xuanwang scramble in panic.

Enough playing around, Li Yan mused inwardly. Killing his disciples would be pointless.

Perhaps… it’s time to try that move?

A mischievous idea sparked in his mind, and his gaze turned to the Corpse Puppet Su Mo beside him.