My Beasts Grind Proficiency For Me

Chapter 365 - 224: Nine Yang Cave Mansion

Yinjiao accepted the Jade Scroll from his master, Yang Jing. After reading through the Sword Scripture it contained, he felt the Swordsmanship within was perfectly polished and without flaw. Compared to the Fire Dragon Sword Scripture and the Water Dragon Sword Scripture, it possessed an ineffable Spiritual Essence.

He was utterly stunned. ’My master’s Talent is truly immense, so high I can’t even see the top.’

’I haven’t even fully grasped the Water Dragon Sword Scripture, yet Master has already created a new Sword Mantra all by himself.’

For the next half a year, the defensive line surrounding the Demon Realm maintained a steady advance. Under the onslaught of numerous Spirit Veins, the Demon Realm retreated slightly. The Demonic Qi within the Demon Soil couldn’t last long before being washed completely clean, and new Arrays were immediately set up on the purified ground.

Today, a bored Wanhua Child was sprawled across the rim of the Demon-Catching Tripod. Having absorbed too much Celestial Demon Essence Qi, he had grown a full size plumper. The Demon-Catching Tripod beneath him experienced a massive surge in its aura; its brilliant golden body glowed with a precious light, appearing as a rare Exotic Treasure at first glance.

The number of Celestial Demons that needed to be refined each day was so immense that he only had time to process a small fraction. The majority were turned into Blood Pearls by Yang Jing and Chi Yu, who used the Celestial Demon Blood Transformation Divine Light.

Yang Jing was sitting cross-legged beside the Demon-Catching Tripod. Five months ago, he had already re-condensed and polished his unstable Magical Power to the point where he could command it as effortlessly as pointing a finger.

Afterward, he had also tried trapping other Celestial Demons in his Inner World for Refining.

The Spiritual Qi produced from refining a Low-level Celestial Demon was roughly equivalent to a single Tier One Upper Grade Water Cloud Pill, while a Mid Tier Celestial Demon was comparable to a Tier One Upper Grade Five Elements Pill.

If Yang Jing’s Cultivation were still at the Qi Cultivation Stage, these Celestial Demons would have been like Spirit Pills with no Elixir Poison or diminishing returns, a massive boon to his progress.

But now that Yang Jing had advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, refining Low-level Celestial Demons was less effective than simply absorbing nature’s spiritual energy, making it a waste of his time.

Mid Tier Celestial Demons, however, could still be beneficial in large quantities.

If he refined several dozen Mid Tier Celestial Demons at once, the resulting surge of Spiritual Mechanism in his Dantian would be equivalent to a month of his normal cultivation.

It was still a way to save some time on his training.

Since Mid Tier Celestial Demons were plentiful in the Demon Realm, he could capture over a hundred in a single day.

As for High Tier Celestial Demons, refining a single one could yield nearly ten drops of Magical Power. While this was a far cry from an Other-Transformed Self-Free Celestial Demon, it was still equivalent to nearly a year of Yang Jing’s cultivation.

Unfortunately, in the past six months, Yang Jing had only managed to capture a single High Tier Celestial Demon.

He couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. He had been too quick to slaughter the Celestial Demons before, to the point that High Tier Celestial Demons had now become rare within the Demon Realm.

By refining Celestial Demons, he had condensed another twenty-seven drops of Magical Power in the last six months. He had now accumulated more than half the Magical Power required for the Fifth Layer Foundation Establishment.

This pace was already terrifyingly fast.

If he couldn’t use the Inconstant Illusionary Form Technique to conceal the fluctuations of his aura, he really wouldn’t dare to increase his Cultivation so wantonly.

Of course, his gains over the past six months didn’t end there.

Although Yellow Foot was somewhat lazy by nature, with his level of Talent, his progress in cultivating the Jade Water Skill was naturally swift and dramatic.

The upper limit of this Cultivation Technique was fairly low, so even with the boost from his Infinite Talent Sea of Qi, his Magical Power was only twice as profound as Iron Head’s had been at the time.

Yang Jing shared his Talent Divine Great Strength Great Strength.

This Talent overlapped with the Carrying Mountains Talent that Yang Jing had previously stolen from the White Ape Iron Armor. However, perhaps because the criteria for fusion weren’t met, they didn’t combine into a single, Epic Level Talent.

Even so, with the boost from this Talent, Yang Jing’s Qi Power directly doubled.

This Talent was also related to physical size; if he could manifest a Dharma Aspect, his Qi Power would surge once more.

This helped Yang Jing understand why Yellow Foot possessed such an aptitude for the Inner Scenery Divine Transformation Demon Suppression Scripture—it was because of the boost from this Talent.

In fact, Yang Jing had also considered whether sharing Yinjiao’s True Dragon Transformation and Yellow Foot’s Kunpeng Transformation might allow the two Talents to fuse.

But after much hesitation, he still chose the Talent Divine Great Strength Great Strength, which could immediately boost his combat power. Yinjiao’s cultivation had been rising extremely quickly ever since he obtained the True Flood Dragon Pearl, but he still hadn’t reached the Second Layer Foundation Establishment. Sharing his Talent now could easily destabilize his Cultivation, potentially dropping him back to the Qi Cultivation stage.

As Yang Jing was condensing his Magical Power, a soldier entered. Seeing that Yang Jing was cultivating, he stood cautiously to the side.

"What is it?"

Yang Jing asked.

The soldier jolted and said respectfully,

"Minister, we have discovered another Cave Mansion."

Yang Jing opened his eyes.

As the Demon Realm receded, more and more Cave Mansions belonging to Nine Yang Sect disciples were being uncovered. Most of these belonged to Inner Sect Disciples. After a thousand years of erosion from Demonic Qi and destruction by Celestial Demons, very little of value was left inside them.

However, a few useful items could still be salvaged from each Cave Mansion.

Apart from making a copy of any Jade Scrolls he found, Yang Jing didn’t take a single coin for himself, distributing all the remaining wealth among the Demon Suppression Army soldiers who had discovered the Cave Mansion.

This greatly fueled the Demon Suppression Army soldiers’ enthusiasm for finding more Cave Mansions. They even went back to previously searched areas of Demon Soil and dug three feet deep to re-examine the ground.

"This Cave Mansion is different from the others. It’s on a cliff face."

the soldier said.

Yang Jing’s eyes lit up. He had his own selfish reasons for concentrating his forces and advancing from the south.

The Cave Mansion that held the Five Dragons Hibernation Scripture was located in the southern part of the Demon Realm.

However, Yang Jing’s memory of that specific Cave Mansion was hazy, so he had to personally investigate every one that was uncovered.

This Cave Mansion on the cliff greatly intrigued Yang Jing. With a pull of his Magical Power, the Demon-Catching Tripod beside him flew up, shrank down, and attached itself to his belt.

The closer they got to the ruins of the original Nine Yang Sect, the more precipitous the mountains became. This was because peaks had the effect of sheltering from wind and gathering energy, which greatly enhanced an Array’s Gathering and Locking Spiritual effects.

A High Tier Spirit Vein located on a plain would gradually split into several Low Tier Spirit Veins.

To enhance the Spirit Veins within their domains, the founding patriarchs of various Sects would even use Great Magical Power to raise mountains from the earth, using them in conjunction with Arrays to lock Spiritual Qi within the Sect’s territory.

The cliff where this Cave Mansion was located was quite scenic. Even though the Demonic Qi infestation had long since killed off all the Spirit Plants and Exotic Herbs once planted there, one could still faintly make out the former vistas of green mountains and clear waters.

"Minister!"

A Yu Hou and seven soldiers were already waiting at the entrance to the Cave Mansion.

They were the ones who had discovered it.

They hadn’t entered rashly, however. The Cave Mansions of the Nine Yang Sect’s True Cultivators were all built in auspicious locations that gathered energy. After the Demon Realm receded, these places became like tide pools, perfect hiding spots for Celestial Demons.

Anyone who entered recklessly could easily fall prey to a Celestial Demon.

Though Yang Jing’s Power had grown immensely, he didn’t dare be careless. He was, after all, someone who was well-versed in ambushing others.

Ambushing an opponent and seizing the initiative is the best way for the weak to defeat the strong.

"Springs cascade down the cliff, where the immortal’s grotto hides in purple mist.

Heaven’s rain carves the gorge, its clear pool cleanses the dust of the mortal world."

Yang Jing glanced at the couplet on either side of the entrance, then took out the Demon-Catching Tripod. With a surge of Magical Power, it reverted to its original size, and he tossed it into the Cave Mansion.

Of Yang Jing’s many Spiritual Artifacts, the Demon-Catching Tripod was the sturdiest, as it was forged from Tier Four Demon Gold. Even a Golden Core Cultivator would find it extremely difficult to cause it any damage.

The Tripod’s Artifact Spirit, Wanhua Child, was also very clever and a natural counter to all types of Celestial Demons, making it perfect for scouting ahead.

A few moments later, Yang Jing led the Yu Hou and the seven soldiers into the Cave Mansion.

Lingering Demonic Qi still swirled within the Cave Mansion. Several Low-level Celestial Demons were already ensnared by the Demon-Catching Tripod’s Spiritual Light Chains and were being dragged inside.

"Minister, this must be the Cave Mansion of a Nine Yang Sect True Disciple."

Yu Hou Kuang Shuli said with delighted surprise.

This Cave Mansion was over a hundred zhang deep, making it far larger than any they had previously encountered.

The previously discovered Cave Mansions of Outer Sect Disciples had been clustered together in large groups, but this one occupied an entire mountain peak by itself.

Although the Nine Yang Sect was one of the sects that made the Western Crossing to the Western Continent, a mere Inner Sect Disciple would never have received such a grand residence.

"No, this must be the Cave Mansion of a Golden Core Cultivator. Despite the long-term erosion from Demonic Qi, I can see traces of Array Formation on the surrounding valley and cliffs. This entire mountain was once enveloped in a Tier Three Grand Array."

Even a True Disciple couldn’t afford a Tier Three Grand Array. Furthermore, the Nine Yang Sect was a sect where Body Cultivators were prevalent; they weren’t skilled in Array Formations, making a Tier Three Grand Array even more of a rarity for them.

Upon hearing that it was the Cave Mansion of a Golden Core Cultivator, Kuang Shuli and the other men’s faces lit up with elation.

Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts and Magical Artifacts could hardly survive the corrosion of Demonic Qi, but that wasn’t necessarily true for Tier Three Magical Treasures.

Even if their Artifact Spirits had dissipated, they were still rare treasures. Moreover, Tier Three Spiritual Gold and Spiritual Materials would suffer little damage even after a thousand years of exposure to Demonic Qi.

Yang Jing scanned the interior with his Grotto Dark Dharma Eye and confirmed that there were no anomalies. He had Wanhua Child stand guard in the main hall while he himself followed the layout of the Cave Mansion toward the Quiet Chamber, where its master would have practiced Qi Refining.

Most of the time, Cultivation Method Manuals were stored in the Quiet Chamber for easy reference during cultivation.

Wisps of Demonic Qi flowed like water through the Cave Mansion. The furnishings used by the original owner were quite exquisite and made of superior materials; even after a millennium, they showed no signs of decay.

However, under the corrupting influence of the Demonic Qi, all these furnishings had turned an unsettling shade of black.

All former splendor was buried and gone; a glance around revealed only a desolate scene, with nothing left of its former glory.

The once-magnificent Cave Mansion was now in a state of ruin, showing no trace of its former grandeur.

Soon, Yang Jing stepped into the Quiet Chamber. The chamber had once been protected by a Restriction, but after a millennium of erosion from the Demonic Qi, it had long since failed completely.

With just a gentle push, he opened the door and entered.

As a place for cultivation, the Quiet Chamber was quite simple, to avoid distractions. A single, decayed Meditation Cushion sat in the center. Beside it was a bookshelf made from the wood of a Pure Yang Apricot Tree, upon which rested a dozen or so Jade Scrolls.

A skeleton sat cross-legged on the Meditation Cushion. Its bones were like golden crystal, and even after being tainted by Demonic Qi for a thousand years, they still faintly emanated Pure Yang True Gang.

His mastery of the True Yang Body was far greater than Yang Jing’s.