Chapter 1261: Devil Realm
Within the cave, a cocoon of devilish energy had wrapped around Xiang Shaoyun. He seemed to be undergoing some sort of transformation. He had been in this cave for about a year. He had remained in the same state. It was unknown just what had happened to him.
One day, the black cocoon suddenly cracked. A powerful aura rippled out of it. Numerous leeches were crushed to death, and the survivors scattered in all directions. A black storm of devilish energy swept through the cave as though a natural calamity had descended.
Eventually, the black storm stopped, revealing a person. That person was none other than Xiang Shaoyun. A clear devil rune was visible on his forehead, and his long hair was drifting about in the air as his eyes glowed with an enchanting radiance. A sinister aura rippled out of his body.
Standing there, he looked both divine and fiendish, giving off an incredibly contradictory impression. However, the same divine and fiendish bearing he had about him also made him look much more charming. Any woman would be instantly smitten the moment they looked at him.
He first rubbed his forehead before looking at his body. A smirk formed on his lips as he said, "My blood might have been completely changed, but I still have the body of a human. Unless my body is changed as well, I am still part human. This blood infusion is merely to teach me how to utilize devilish energy. I still don't look much like a devil. As for this rune, it really doesn't matter. Hahaha!"
His laughter was carefree. Not only had he escaped from death, but he had also transformed greatly. His strength had grown, and the devilish transformation had transformed his body like the Limit Stimulation Technique, further strengthening his physical body. His body was now comparable to a pseudo-Saint's. Upon further increasing his cultivation, he would be able to easily form a saint body.
During his blood transformation, he had also utilized the Limit Stimulation Technique to further temper his blood and reach the ocean of life force stage. This was the second-to-last stage of his Limit Stimulation Technique, one stage away from full mastery.
The ocean of life force stage not only increased one's lifespan but also replenished one's blood in situations of excessive blood loss. In short, even without any outside supply, he could still rapidly generate and replenish his own blood supply internally.
Of course, the benefits of this stage would only show when he was badly injured. It essentially served to help accelerate his recovery. Additionally, the stronger one's life force, the stronger one's physical strength would be.
As for the crystallized devilish energy in his forehead, it had formed something different from all other devils. Instead of a devil core, he had formed a devil pearl that was connected to his Imperial Nether Domain. The two complemented each other, and his Imperial Nether Domain had grown much stronger than before.
Based on the memories in his bloodline, he learned that he had reached the ninth-stage Devil Sovereign Realm. In other words, if he utilized only devilish energy, he was as powerful as a late-stage Devil Sovereign. He had even more devilish energy than astral energy.
The reason for his excessive growth was his powerful Imperial Nether Domain, his saint soul, and the purity of his bloodline. There was no lack of devilish energy in his surroundings. If it wasn't for the fact that he still needed to further temper his body and his lack of understanding of devilish energy, he could have probably entered the Devil Saint by now.
After waking up, Xiang Shaoyun did not leave the cave immediately. He started studying his surroundings as he had a feeling that the Imperial Nether Clan had some treasures hidden in the cave. After undergoing such a torture and having even his blood changed, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he didn't get some benefits from this place.
The cave was filled with devilish energy. Visibility was low, and all the leeches seemed to have vanished. Xiang Shaoyun spread out the senses of his Imperial Nether Domain only to find that his senses were greatly obstructed. He could not get a clear look at the cave.
Nevertheless, he had still discovered that there were many devil bones and skins in the cave. There were so many that even he was shocked. This place was more like a burial place. Any regular person would be unnerved by it.
Xiang Shaoyun wasn't a coward. He had experienced a lot as well. Thus, he quickly regained his composure. The bones and skins in the cave all belonged to imperial nether devils.
He did not know if they were those who had perished in battles or those who were punished with death. He didn't care either. He only wanted to know if there were any treasures to be found.
Unfortunately, only the dead could be found here. No treasure was in sight. Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to leave in disappointment, he found a certain item not far away. He dashed over and reached for the item unhesitatingly.
"What is this?" Xiang Shaoyun muttered as he looked at the soft black lump in his hand.
This thing didn't look like a stone. It felt like a black heart containing some dark red blood, and a thin layer of fur grew around it. As a whole, it looked like an item formed of devil blood.
After observing it for a while, some memories awakened from his bloodline. His pupils shrank as he muttered, "Is this a devilblood heart?"
A devilblood heart was essentially a fusion of a devil heart and some devil blood. It was a saint-grade object that required an exceptionally long time to form. This was a treasure fatally attractive to any Imperial Nether Clan member.
With a devilblood heart, one could quickly reach the Devil Saint Realm. That was because this devilblood heart was extremely powerful and capable of strengthening one's body and bloodline.
Even for a Devil Saint, a devilblood heart would still be extremely helpful since it was the crystallized blood of numerous imperial nether devils. It could also allow a Devil Saint to reach greater heights.
Unfortunately, Xiang Shaoyun had just completed his blood swap and completed his devil cultivation. He wouldn't be able to absorb this devilblood heart for now. However, it would be helpful when he tried to enter the Devil Saint Realm in the future.
Of course, he still didn't fully accept devilish cultivation. He did not even intend to use this devilblood heart. He only kept it away because he wasn't sure if he would need it in the future. Little did he know, this devilblood heart he had accidentally found would play a crucial role in helping someone close to him in the future.
"Time to leave. I really hope I can leave this place alive," muttered Xiang Shaoyun as he flew away.