Chapter 805: Star Spirit Net

"I did it!" Qin Sang’s heart stirred. He quickly suppressed his stray thoughts and focused on completing the art’s hand seals.

The Luan entered his body and vanished without a trace.

This was merely a visualization, using the Luan as a medium to guide the power of the stars into his body.

Qin Sang could not see it, but a faint radiance had spread around him. It was the power of the stars from the cosmic orbit, and he had taken the very first step.

With the star essence entering his body, he skipped the tempering phase. Under the guidance of the incantation, the star power coursed through his entire being. A cool sensation spread across him, as if his very flesh and blood were rejoicing.

Just as Qin Sang was immersed in this comfort, a sudden change erupted in his upper dantian. A sinister and terrifying force invaded, heading straight for his primordial spirit.

"The stellar malevolence is here!" His heart sank as he focused entirely on the state of his primordial spirit.

He had great confidence in the Jade Buddha, yet there was still a faint worry that something unexpected might happen.

This power was strange, unlike anything he had encountered before.

In the immortal cultivation world, there were legends of the Mara from beyond the domain. They were creatures so terrifying they could slaughter even the most powerful cultivators. He did not know whether this power had any relation to them.

The name “stellar malevolence” had been given by the great demon which created the art.

Whoosh!

Inside his upper dantian, winds surged and clouds churned. Qin Sang felt an icy chill as the stellar malevolence brought with it an overwhelming dread.

It flooded toward his primordial spirit in a frenzy.

Yet, the moment it touched, the Jade Buddha’s radiance manifested without the slightest ripple. The stellar malevolence struck as if against an impenetrable wall, completely cut off by the Jade Buddha.

After failing to breach it, the stellar malevolence gradually dispersed.

As long as it could not invade the primordial spirit, driving it out was much easier. And the primordial spirit happened to be every cultivator’s most vulnerable point.

Qin Sang had just begun to relax when a tearing pain spread through his body, making him frown slightly.

He realised that once the star power from the cosmic orbit began tempering his body, the comfort faded. It was as though his flesh was repeatedly torn apart and reassembled. Pain and relief alternated throughout the refinement.

He pushed the art to its fullest, carefully feeling the transformation of his body.

When he finally emerged from meditation, he felt a clammy stickiness and found a thin layer of sweat covering him.

The tempering with star essence strengthened the body while expelling impurities. Yet Qin Sang, though never having cultivated a body-refining art, had still benefited from each breakthrough in his cultivation realm. Thus, the effect was not as dramatic.

The advantage of a higher realm was clear. Progress at the start was far swifter.

A flash of spiritual light shimmered across his body, cleansing away the sweat. Feeling refreshed, Qin Sang looked at the surrounding starlight that had yet to disperse. He thought to himself that this art made little disturbance when cultivated, so he could train freely on Baogu Mountain without needing to travel elsewhere.

He turned his gaze inward, checking the condition of his body.

Although he was practising an art of the demon race and his chosen heavenly demon visualization was the Luan, the process had gone smoothly. Still, he could not help but feel a trace of unease, worried some hidden issue might arise.

He examined himself thoroughly and, finding no sign of disharmony, resumed meditation to draw down more star power.

He continued until dawn, stopping only when the first rays of the sun brought with them a scorching warmth.

After a night of cultivation, he was well satisfied.

As expected of a top-tier art, he could clearly feel his body undergoing a metamorphosis under the tempering of the cosmic orbit’s star power. Reaching the level of the hook-nosed man was no idle fantasy.

"Years of wandering, several battles in Seven-Kill Hall, including two life-and-death duels against peak late-stage opponents, have deepened my understanding of the killing symbols. For now, there is no need to deliberately seek out more fights. With no news of the Ten Divine Woods, I suspect I will soon reach a bottleneck in my cultivation.

"Perhaps it is best to train in both arts together, practise the

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement

at night, and strive to break through to the third stage before the next opening of Seven-Kill Hall. With dual cultivation of body and arts, and power to rival late-stage peaks, I can then pass the path of swords."

Qin Sang resolved to walk this path. The

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement

gave him the means to carve out a unique route of his own.

"But breaking the bottleneck will not be easy. Star Essence Infusion..."

He recalled the description in the art. "The Star Essence Infusion requires a place where both cosmic star power and spiritual qi are abundant, the best being Zhitian Peak."

That was clearly out of reach for now, so he would have to find a similar special location within Canglang Sea.

"The second stage's bottleneck is not too demanding... Wait!"

Qin Sang suddenly remembered something. He quickly searched through the Thousand-Jin Ring and drew out a bundle of silk threads.

Though the bundle looked tangled, a light shake unfurled it into a vast net that floated in the air. It was the Star Spirit Net Granny Jing had given him.

This net had once helped him swiftly capture Elemental Star Stones, allowing him to take first place on Zhitian Peak. Now, it could serve him once again.

"Star power from the cosmic orbit that enters the body cannot be fully used. The starlight that dissipates is somewhat wasteful. By using the Star Spirit Net to trap it and reuse it, the efficiency is far higher than drawing in new power, which will make cultivation faster. Moreover, with the help of the Star Spirit Net, I can gather enough cosmic star power to complete the first Star Essence Infusion and break through to the second stage of the art."

The more Qin Sang thought about it, the brighter his eyes became.

He had not expected that an artifact which had lain in the Thousand-Jin Ring for decades could play such an astonishing role during cultivation.

Of course, without the Jade Buddha, all of this would have been nothing more than wishful thinking.

Other demonic beasts cultivating this art would be exhausted from tempering the stellar malevolence and would never have the mind to reuse it. Only he could afford to act so recklessly.

"The bottleneck of the third stage requires several times more star power than the second stage, far beyond the limit of the Star Spirit Net. However, the art also provides another method, which is to take body-strengthening spiritual herbs. It requires a combination of three different herbs, all of which I have never even heard of. I will have to inquire about them when I return.

"As for the fourth stage, the requirement is even harsher. One must first comprehend the Heavenly Demon Dharma Lakshana before breaking through. There is no shortcut, and it will likely be no easier than forming the Spiritual Infant. My current realm is too low, and it is far too distant to even think about."

The entire day, Qin Sang focused on consolidating his cultivation, exploring his potential, and deepening his understanding of the art.

When night came, he summoned the Star Spirit Net, letting it shroud his body, and began cultivating.

During the process, starlight surrounded him. The brilliance that would have normally dissipated was instead caught by the Star Spirit Net and channelled back into his body.

Thus, in a continuous cycle, his cultivation speed truly became much faster than the night before.

Qin Sang opened his eyes, his face filled with delight. This art suited him perfectly, though it was a pity that it had been created by a cultivating demon. For him, it could only serve as a body-refining art, making it incomplete.

Otherwise, when the path of the

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment

reached its end, he could have fully switched to cultivating the

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement

.

Having just started, Qin Sang was eager to make progress and chose not to leave the island.

For ten consecutive days, he cultivated at night and studied during the day to make up for any shortcomings. Only after fully grasping the true meaning of the art did he finally leave the deserted island and fly back to Tianxing Island.

He needed to break through to the second stage as soon as possible, for then he could cultivate the Heavenly Demon Transformation.

The Heavenly Demon Transformation was the most important supernatural ability in the first three stages of the art, granting unrivalled combat power.

Qin Sang was not yet certain whether he could master it in human form, but his heart was filled with anticipation.