Chapter 118.1: Origin Divine Technique

The shriveled corpse had no physical form, and even the monk’s robe was a manifestation of soul energy. In truth, the monk was a condensation of inner demons—a mass of malice given form.

Once it attacked, it stirred the Myriad Evil Gate—also known as the Myriad Phenomena Gate—causing countless inner demons within to gnaw and tear at Qi Yuan’s soul.

"You and I are the same, harboring the vilest evils of the mortal world... Greed, arrogance, lust—all sins alike. Come, fall into blissful damnation with me!"

Qi Yuan blazed with boundless blood energy. His crimson robe rippled despite the lack of wind. A broken sword condensed within his grasp, its edge emanating a malevolent, eerie aura. After slaying countless devils, his Demonic Origin had reached its peak.

A chilling smile touched Qi Yuan's lips. "Fall into depravity?"

His killing intent was more terrifying than that of the countless demons. Qi Yuan was akin to a sovereign among spawns.

"You are just a bunch of EXP, and you want me to fall with you?" Qi Yuan’s blood-red sword, forged from his Demonic Origin, exuded an evil energy rivaling that of the inner demons. "Become my nourishment!"

With a tremor of his sword, every inner demon that bit into him was broken to smithereens.

Because of the gate’s anomalous power, the demonic energy he extracted fused into his Demonic Origin. Every demon he slew strengthened him, as though he were absorbing his own kin.

Step by step, Qi Yuan advanced, cutting down inner demons that sprang up. "No wonder every cultivation art in the Canglan World is flawed, cultivators themselves become the nourishment! Damn, absorbing essence like this really does feel good!

He kept on killing, paying no heed to the inner demons. His Demonic Origin swelled like a storm.

[You have comprehended the Origin. Mutation Ability +9999] [You have comprehended the Origin. Charisma +1] [You have comprehended the Origin. Laziness +1]

Then, he began ascending the steps.

The desiccated corpse clung to his back, whispering hoarsely in his ear, "One step forward, an abyss of endless evil, the Supreme Sin World. One step back, an infinite realm of desire, the Demon Paradise. Fall with me into the Myriad Demon Gate, and become one with it!"

Countless pale hands stretched from the bottomless darkness, gripping his ankles, clawing at his robes. The corpse kept whispering. Endless inner demons swarmed all around.

Just then, a line came to Qi Yuan. "I am the Sun!"

As soon as he uttered those words, he blazed with infinite radiance. He’d use the light of his own sun to purify the demonic realm! The boundless radiance swept across the void. Qi Yuan believed it could eradicate every demon and cleanse the gate.

However, things took an unexpected turn. Instead of fleeing, the inner demons threw themselves at his light as though moths to a flame, their twisted faces filled with ecstasy.

"Hey! I'm not your damn father!"

Their fanaticism only made him strike harder. Engulfed in crimson light, more and more inner demons were reduced into his Demonic Origin.

"How come the inner demons aren’t afraid of me when I shine like the sun? Is it because my light is blood-red? ... You colorist bastards!" Furious, Qi Yuan unleashed even more power.

The endless light devoured all demons. He strode up the endless stairway akin to a demonic sovereign wading through a sea of sin. Endless insights and evils coursed through him.

If he so wished, he could already condense his Origin Divine Technique.

...

The Seven Deadly Sins—seven Origin Divine Techniques—would merge into one. The ultimate Origin Divine Technique that could seize every soul's heart, and drag all beings into the endless abyss.

***

At Divine Radiance Sect, Five-Light Peak.

Kang Fulu stood outside the cavern abode, respectfully facing the rippling water curtain. Inside sat his master, the Peak Master of Five-Light Peak, Lord Taiguang. The man was imparting the essence of Core Formation to Kang Fulu.

Lord Taiguang’s hoarse voice echoed. "To form a Core, one must first endure the Inner Demon Cataclysm, then the Heavenly Tribulation. With the treasure bound to your soul as the Core, let spiritual qi condense into substance, thus forming the Core. Since heaven and earth have changed, the Heavenly Tribulation no longer manifests. Regardless, you may still achieve your Core by enduring the Inner Demon Cataclysm.

“The Inner Demon Cataclysm is difficult, yet not impossible. The stronger your obsession, the steadier your will, and the harsher your trial. Still, if you act freely and stay true to yourself, unbridled by desire, you may find no demons in your heart and pass easily. Like Qi Yuan of Seven-Color Peak. He is infatuated with one thing alone, his heart devoid of distractions. He may pass easily. Remember, do not be bewitched by inner demons. You must kill them without mercy."

Kang Fulu replied while pondering his master’s words, "I understand, Master."

Inner Demon Cataclysm...

***

Meanwhile, within the Myriad Evil Gate, inner demons of every kind filled the space.

Qi Yuan shone with a crimson light. As he climbed toward the final door, countless inner demons piled upon him, making him resemble a living mountain.

Every second, tens of thousands of demons fell into ashes, yet countless more swarmed up again. They clung to him as if he were the most delicious existence in the world: the Great Demon himself. Ironically, they were the ones being devoured, merging into his Demonic Origin. The Seven Deadly Sins flowed through him, countless emotions flickering in his red eyes.

"At this point, I really do look like some oversized inner demon." Qi Yuan chuckled, before sensing something. He roared, "All inner demons shall become my sustenance! If I command you to live, you live! If I command you to die, you die!”

[You have comprehended the Origin. Reincarnation Power +1]

Qi Yuan froze upon reading the notification. For the first time since he’d entered the Myriad Phenomena Gate, he’d obtained a truly profound ability.

Could it be... just talking big could lead to comprehension?

Qi Yuan was excited and couldn’t wait to test it out. "I hereby command the Great Void! I am omniscient, omnipotent—the source of all things! When I close my eyes, an epoch ends and the cosmos collapses. When I open them, a new era dawns and the universe is reborn. Time is but a strand of my hair; space, the distance between its ends. The Heavenly Dao is my idle dream, and matter and spirit exist only because I imagine them."

After exhausting every grandiose word he knew to make himself sound transcendent, he waited eagerly.

[You have comprehended the Origin. Boasting Ability +]

Qi Yuan. "...That's it?"

He regretted wasting so much effort for such a useless gain.

The dry corpse whispered again, "Turn back! One more step forward, and you'll be trapped in eternal damnation, forever lost in the Myriad Demon Gate!"

Qi Yuan's eyes flickered. "Even if there are endless inner demons, they’re all my nourishment. What’s there to fear?"

The corpse howled, "No being can withstand the corruption of an entire world's sin! Not even Arhats! Not even Buddhas!"

From below the stairway, an infinite tide of demons surged upward.

Qi Yuan's eyes were completely crimson now, his skin glowing blood-red. He gazed up at the gate.

Is my dao the Demonic Origin?

Should I forge my Origin Divine Technique from it?

There could only ever be one Origin Divine Technique. Once chosen, it could never be changed. Should he choose this path?

Under the crushing weight of countless inner demons, Qi Yuan felt the full burden of his choice. He could barely contain the energy anymore. He needed release.

This trial was thousands—no, millions of times worse than any he had faced before.

Taking another step forward, he reflected on his own nature. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember. Just then, he understood, and a smile spread across his face.

"Since you all worship me so devoutly, I'll be merciful and make you part of my Origin Divine Technique!"