<h4>Chapter 1815 (Raw 1826 Repeated): Twists and Turns</h4>


    This time, Xiao Chen was no longer careless.


    He scanned the ind but did not find any unexpected danger.


    This ind was notrge. Xiao Chen soon finished checking the ce, and there were no other dangerous ferocious beasts.


    All he had to worry about was the horde of fish monsters in theke.


    However, the fish monsters apparently could not go ashore. Even if they could, they would be greatly weakened. Hence, they were not much of a worry.


    Xiao Chen arrived before the Blood Spirit Flowers and entered deep thought. More than seven hundred Blood Spirit Flowersy ruined on the ground.


    Their Medicinal Energy entered the ground and did notpletely vanish. He could actually still tap it.


    Suddenly, Xiao Chen thought about how several rotten Blood Spirit Flowers seemed to have already fallen to the ground before he came here.


    Who knew how many Blood Spirit Flowers had been buried here over time?


    The ground hid pure Demonic Qi, probably even more than the Blood Spirit Flowers on the surface.


    After thinking for a while, Xiao Chen had an idea.


    He picked the remaining Blood Spirit Flowers and ced them in his storage ring. Then, he directlyid a Spirit Gathering Formation on the ground.


    Xiao Chen intended to use the Spirit Gathering Formation, with the Blood Spirit Flowers at the nodes in ce of Medial Grade Spirit Jades, to gather the Demonic Qi underground.


    He looked at this formation that he was inspired to make and suspected that he was crazy.


    If one was not insane, one would not be able to be a demon.


    Since Xiao Chen already decided to step into the Demonic Dao, he might as well be crazy this once, topletely be a demon, to demonstrate his understanding of the Demonic Dao.


    My fate is not up to heaven. I do not believe in ghosts, deities, or Buddhas.


    Afterying the formation, Xiao Chen gently leaped up andnded in its center.


    He gently tapped on the formation, instantly activating the Spirit Gathering Formation. The hundreds of Blood Spirit Flowers ignited in the nodes.


    Xiao Chen, who was in the center of the formation, immediately felt the burning Blood Spirit Flowers turn into pure Demonic Qi.


    The surrounding Demonic Qi continuously poured into his body through the Spirit Gathering Formation.


    “Roar!”


    This was the first time Xiao Chen absorbed so much Demonic Qi on his own initiative. A certain wild beast seemed to wake in his heart.


    This beast let out a soundless roar in his body, and his eyes turned pitch-ck.


    It was like two clumps of ck demonic me burned in them. Faint ck Demonic Qi flowed all over his body.


    All sorts of negative emotions surged through his mind.


    Demonic Qi was impure by nature and contained many negative emotions corresponding with the seven emotions and six desires of humans.


    Many Demonic Dao cultivators turned into madmen because the Demonic Qi infinitely amplified their negative emotions to an uncontroble level.


    One might be a crazed murderer, taking delight in ughter, living to kill, increasing their cultivation through bloodshed.


    Perhaps one might be a glutton, taking pleasure in food and unable to resist the hunger in their heart, bing an extreme foodie.


    One might be very lustful...and there were many other examples.


    This was Xiao Chen’s first test. As he continuously absorbed the Demonic Qi, the various negative emotions grew infinitely, turning into terrible obsessions in his mind.


    He guarded his heart and watched coldly as the various desires red in his heart.


    This test was much easier than he had expected.


    Xiao Chen’s mental state already reached an extremely horrifying level. Even a Sovereign Personage’s might not be stronger than his.


    Be it the craving that came after his strength increased, the desire to kill after his demonic nature increased, or the temptation of lust, they were all ineffective on him.


    Before he knew it, two hours had passed. The two hundred-odd Blood Spirit Flowers were almostpletely drained.


    Xiao Chen felt his strength increase exponentially. His limbs and bones were all suffused with power, so much that he feared his body would explode. He could no longer contain it.


    Just as he was about to stop, his Primal Core suddenly released a resplendent golden light.


    All the stars on his 9-Star Primal Core lit up!


    The space inside the Primal Core expanded again—this time by more than tenfold.


    Cultivators who could condense a 9-Star Primal Core were already very rare in the world. However, cultivators who could light up all nine stars were even rarer.


    Even in the entire Great Thousand Realms, only a few outstanding talents or powerful demonic geniuses could do it.


    Nevertheless, Xiao Chen now joined their ranks.


    Due to some coincidences, Xiao Chen was also the only one simultaneously cultivating the Demonic Dao.


    The Primal Core was a container. Now that the container had expanded, the feeling of engorgement immediately disappeared.


    All the Demonic Qi in Xiao Chen quickly flowed into his Primal Core, turning into drops of ck Veritable Essence Energy.


    A storm of ck rain poured continuously in the space within the Primal Core.


    However, whenpared to the azure Veritable Essence Energy in there, the ck Veritable Essence Energy was still inferior, far from enough to sh with it.


    The two Veritable Essence Energies rejected each other naturally, unable to ept each other.


    An intense conflict started, each wanting to swallow the other up.


    Even though the falling rain continuously replenished it, the ck Veritable Essence Energy could not win. However, it still stubbornly resisted.


    The two vast pools of Veritable Essence Energies each turned into a dragon. One was a pure True Dragon. The other was a pitch-ck demonic dragon.


    When the two dragons fought, the ck demonic dragon became covered in injuries, always at a disadvantage.


    Nevertheless, with the ck rain continuously falling, the azure-colored True Dragon could not eliminate the ck demonic dragon.


    However, once the Blood Spirit Flowers in the formation were depleted and the Spirit Gathering Formation started to absorb the scarlet Demonic Qi in the ground, which had umted over a long time, the situation changed drastically.


    Overwhelming Demonic Qi poured into Xiao Chen, flowed through his meridians, and arrived at the Primal Core.


    This formed clumps of demonic clouds in Xiao Chen’s Primal Core. The demonic clouds immediately covered the top and instantly suppressed the True Dragon’s aura.


    The demonic dragon caught hold of this opportunity and recovered its energy. Then, it opened its mouth and absorbed the demonic clouds above.


    The demonic dragon revealed its ferocious side. Now that the situation reversed, it wanted to swallow up that pure True Dragon.


    The second test arrived.


    If Xiao Chen’s foundations were destroyed and all his Veritable Essence Energy turned into Demonic Qi, he would be swallowed up by the Demonic Qi next.


    He would be void of intelligence, a puppet of the Demonic Qi.


    The best oue would be if the two Veritable Essence Energies were in a bnce, neither side able to do anything to the other.


    At this moment, Xiao Chen felt somewhat anxious. The Demonic Qi in the ground far surpassed his expectations.


    Blood Spirit Flowers bloomed, then wilted. After wilting, they bloomed. This cycle had continued for many years.


    Over time, the Demonic Qi had umted, reaching a horrifying level.


    The sh of Veritable Essence Energies in Xiao Chen’s Primal Core was natural. He could not do anything to interfere.


    Even sages had to have failings. The most thorough deliberation would overlook some points.


    The second test simply caught Xiao Chen by surprise. A small weakness appeared in his mental state.


    The negative emotions that he had suppressed resurged at this moment.


    I cannot just sit here, resigned to my fate!


    A swastika appeared on Xiao Chen’s forehead. Suddenly, a golden Buddhist light shone from his body, which had been giving off a ck light.


    He wanted to take the initiative by using the Buddhist Might to suppress and refine the Demonic Qi.


    Sweat poured off his forehead. The Demonic Qi in the ground felt like a bottomless pit, the energy there exceptionally scary.


    Xiao Chen’s Buddhist Might zed with golden light. However, he still could not suppress the Demonic Qi.


    Just as he was at his wit’s end, he suddenly felt the Demonic Qi in the ground lessen significantly.


    —


    Far away in the ck Cuss, more than five thousand kilometers away, Xiao Suo was shocked to discover that the Yazi Beast carved on the back of the formation te in his hand was glowing.


    Despite the Yazi Beast not killing any ferocious beasts, the seventh pearl lit up slowly.


    “Strange. What happened?” Xiao Suo still felt confused after thinking about it. He looked into the distance, at the one hundred thousand great peaks, a trace of worry crossing his face.


    —


    At some point in time, a huge whirlpool appeared in the demonic clouds above the ind in the center of theke, looking exceptionally scary.


    Xiao Chen narrowly cleared the second test.


    However, the third test followed closely.


    Before the first wave was over, another wave arose. At this moment, his Primal Core seemed like it was about to explode.


    From the outside, it looked like there was a resplendent clump of light in Xiao Chen’s belly, an unparalleled radiance.


    Even a 9-Star Primal Core could not endure this continuing battle.


    The True Dragon and the demonic dragon, two conflicting Veritable Essence Energies, added together totaled a scarily vast amount of energy.


    Horror spread in Xiao Chen’s heart. He had never felt death so close before.


    If the Primal Core exploded, it would be hard for anyone to escape death.


    Under normal circumstances, Xiao Chen should smoothly advance to the Starry Sky Stage Cloud Sea Realm. However, he did not dare to do so.


    If he proceeded with his original n, he might be the first person in history unfortunate enough to die of their Primal Core exploding when advancing to the Starry Sky Stage.


    He would be the joke of the century, his misfortune passing into legend.


    Xiao Chen’s current situation was not very stable. His Primal Core turned increasingly resplendent. However, the two pools of vast Veritable Essence Energies were still not settling down.


    The two pools of vast Veritable Essence Energies were squeezed into the narrow space. Neither could do anything with the other, but neither was willing to submit, either.


    Calm down...calm down...calm down...


    For Xiao Chen, the gates of hell seemed to be within reach. Despite being so close to death, he did not panic or despair.


    Various thoughts shed through his mind like lightning.


    He rejected all sorts of ideas but immediately came up with new ones.


    I’ve got it!


    Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes and took out the ?arīra that the Mahe?vara Buddha left behind after he died. Then, he sighed, “Venerable, I’m sorry.”


    After saying that, he opened his mouth and consumed the ?arīra.


    The gentle Buddhist light of the ?arīra flowed around and soothed all the violent energy in Xiao Chen’s body.


    [Author Note: Many people are worrying that the main character will fall into the Demonic Dao and end up on the path that the Azure Emperor had set, bing a second Azure Emperor. In reality, I am writing about predestination, but this Demonic Dao is not truly demonic. As the story said, Xiao Chen would always remain that white-d desman that never changed, never to be the second Azure Emperor.]