Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The Shadow Splits in Two—Two Golden Body Dharma Idols!

Li Yan had just obtained the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp. Without pausing to examine it, he sat cross-legged at the entrance of the Martial Treasury.

Now that the toxic miasma is so dense, I can’t afford to waste a single drop!

Seated at the entrance, Li Yan began absorbing the concentrated Yin Miasma.

System: Host detected coming into contact with Yin Miasma possessing severe side effects!

Side Effects: Yin Miasma erodes the soul. Those enveloped by it will have their souls shattered and dissipated, leaving their bodies as mindless living corpses.

Side Effects Neutralization: Absorbing this power to strengthen the host’s soul and convert the excess into Life Power.

The dark purple toxic miasma gradually transformed as it touched Li Yan’s body.

As it was drawn into his body, it turned into strands of sacred golden qi that flowed through his Qi Channels.

These golden strands poured into Li Yan’s Dantian, where his crimson Dantian Qi Sea slowly began to turn golden.

Host has broken through to the eighth layer of the Blood Qi Realm.

Host has broken through to the ninth layer of the Blood Qi Realm.

Host has reached the peak of the Blood Qi Realm!

It wasn’t just his cultivation base that had improved; Li Yan’s soul itself had undergone a subtle transformation.

Host’s soul strength has increased to Qi Seed Soul.

At that moment, within Li Yan’s flowing blood, golden threads composed of Yang Qi coursed like fine veins.

In the Yang Palace where his soul resided, a grain-sized Yang Qi Seed had crystallized within his soul, radiating a faint reddish-golden light.

After absorbing all the poisonous mist into his body and converting it into cultivation energy, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes. He gazed into the surrounding fog, sensing a subtle shift in his perception of the world.

He could now perceive things he couldn’t see before.

“I never imagined there was such a fine thread connected to my soul, leading to who knows where.”

“Xuanwang must have planted it to monitor me.”

Li Yan extended two fingers, concentrating golden Qi between them.

He pinched his fingers together, severing the soul thread binding him.

Outside Broken Sword Valley, Old Ghost Xuanwang chuckled to his disciples, sensing the faint scent drifting from the depths of the valley.

“See for yourselves! This is the fate of a traitorous disciple!” he sneered. “Hunted down by us, he’s trapped in the heart of Broken Sword Valley, left to rot like a stray dog!”

With that, Old Ghost Xuanwang raised a Soul Lamp.

The lamp bore the inscription “Mingyan”—Li Yan’s Soul Lamp.

Still wary, he needed confirmation of Li Yan’s demise.

The lamp emitted an eerie blue glow. The flame within flickered weakly, growing fainter and fainter until it finally extinguished.

“Dead! The traitorous disciple is truly dead.”

The moment the Soul Lamp went out, the one-eyed Xuanwang twisted his face into a grotesque, malevolent grin.

As the Soul Lamp’s flame died, the scene shifted back to Li Yan.

After severing the soul thread that had bound him, Li Yan mused thoughtfully.

“I didn’t notice this thread before. My soul strength must have been too weak.”

Closing his eyes, Li Yan used his Mind’s Eye to scan several miles away, where Old Ghost Xuanwang and his group were.

The old ghost seemed convinced of Li Yan’s death, his vigilance completely relaxed.

They had begun leading their disciples deeper into Broken Sword Valley to search for treasures, completely unaware that Li Yan was hiding in the depths.

“The old ghost has let his guard down. My chance has come.”

“But they’re two Blood Shifting Realm experts at their peak. The gap between our strength is too vast.”

Li Yan was a cautious man. He never acted rashly without absolute certainty, lest he alert the enemy prematurely. His previous failure had already instilled fear in Xuanwang. If he attempted another move now and failed to kill the Old Ghost, allowing him to escape Broken Sword Valley, he would miss the best opportunity to eliminate him.

His composure in dealing with Xuanwang stemmed entirely from the dense mist permeating Broken Sword Valley. Without it, he stood no chance against two peak Blood Shifting Realm cultivators. The enemy was exposed, while he remained hidden—this was his only trump card.

As he pondered his next move, Li Yan’s gaze fell upon the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp he had just retrieved from the Ancient Martial Treasury. The moment his fingers closed around the lamp’s handle, his soul quivered within his Yang Palace.

Evil Artifact Detected: Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp. This lamp fuels its evil techniques by burning souls.

Side Effect Reversed: Prolonged handling of the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp will gradually strengthen the host’s soul.

What?!

A cursed artifact designed to consume its master’s soul had been transformed into a soul-strengthening tool by the Side Effect System? Though the progress was slow, Li Yan could feel his soul growing stronger with each passing moment.

“What if I want to activate this Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp?”

Li Yan pinched his fingers into a hand seal and chanted to the lampwick, “Ignite!”

Whoosh!

The Blood Glazed Lampwick erupted in golden flames.

Originally a sinister artifact, the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp had transformed into a sacred lotus lamp radiating holy light in Li Yan’s hands.

Yet, reflected in the blood-colored glazed glass, the golden light took on a crimson tinge, creating an aura that was both righteous and malevolent.

Simultaneously, the mechanical voice of the Side Effect System echoed in Li Yan’s mind.

Host has activated the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp. Soul strength is rapidly increasing.

Warning: While training soul strength, the soul will also experience fatigue, similar to muscle fatigue after intense physical exertion.

As the scarlet-gold flames blazed, Li Yan felt a distinct strain.

The sensation resembled weightlifting or martial arts training—exerting his spiritual muscles.

Though his soul strength continued to grow, the accompanying fatigue was palpable.

But the most astonishing development was that his shadow had split into two!

“Could it be… does the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp synergize remarkably with the Blood Shadow Art?”

With this thought, Li Yan immediately activated the Blood Shadow Art.

His two shadows rose from the ground, transforming into two colossal Golden Body Dharma Idols.

If a shadow could divide into two, so too could its Dharma Idol.

“Two Golden Body Dharma Idols!”

Excitement gleamed in Li Yan’s eyes as he realized the idols’ strength hadn’t diminished at all.

The cultivation base of the Golden Body Dharma Idols spawned from the shadows was directly linked to his own.

“If a shadow can split into two, couldn’t it split into three, four, five, six, seven… even a hundred?”

“But for now, I can only control two shadows. It must be related to the strength of my soul.”

The Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp in his hand emitted a faint glow, barely illuminating the surroundings.

Li Yan suspected this was also related to his soul’s strength.

With two shadows at his command, Li Yan’s mind raced, formulating a plan.

He possessed far more Magic Artifacts than he could possibly use alone.

With a wave of his hand, he tossed the artifacts he had retrieved from the Treasure Vault to the two shadows.

One shadow grasped the Soul-Hooking Rope, while the other claimed the Soul-Locking Banner.

Arming them with swords and other weapons completed their setup.

“I’ll have the shadows attack Xuanwang. Su Mo, prepare to shed your blood.”

“Understood!”

The Silver-Haired Fairy beside him stood obediently, awaiting his command.

Her Yin Blood was the perfect fuel for the Blood Shadow Art.

Li Yan maintained a stern expression, gripping the Blood Glazed Lotus Lamp tightly in his left hand. With two fingers of his right hand, he formed a hand seal and pressed them against his forehead.

“Go!”

The two shadows moved like extensions of Li Yan’s own body, their dark forms swiftly gliding across the ground to ambush Xuanwang in the distance.

This time, Li Yan was two hundred percent certain he would claim Xuanwang’s head!