In the depths of the Spacetime Island, Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self sat in lotus position atop a jade platform within his private hall.
He was naturally shocked when the black pagoda in his upper dantian lobe reacted to the Black Devil Divine Pillar.
This time, the tremors lasted far longer than when he had first encountered the divine pillar. Wu Yuan focused intently on the black pagoda, but apart from the trembling, it showed no other signs.
Meanwhile, his mana body began receiving a deluge of information from the Black Devil Divine Pillar.
In the Chong Gu Galaxy, within an unassuming region of outer space, Wu Yuan’s mana body finally finished absorbing the information after a long while.
At the end, he vaguely ‘saw’ an endless range of black mountains stretching across the infinite cosmos, its length unfathomable. The undulating mountain range was a breathtaking display of majesty and grandeur.
At its center loomed a black throne, upon which a figure sat in a lotus position, his aura vast and unbounded. His eyes burned like twin stars, capable of surveying all realms of heaven and earth, and his gaze seemed to pierce the fabric of time to settle directly upon Wu Yuan.
“Those who possess the Black Devil Divine Pillar or the Black Devil Star,” the figure’s voice echoed like thunder, “sacrifice one thousand Devil Divine Pills, and you may enter the Black Devil Blood Hollow. Those who earn my favor shall inherit my legacy—the legacy of Sovereign Black Devil.” The figure’s features remained hazy, but his voice rang through Wu Yuan’s mind like a storm. “Haha! All the treasures I have amassed over countless eons are here. Come, if you dare to claim them.”
With a powerful rumble, the vision faded, and Wu Yuan’s mana body fully regained awareness, his mind reeling. Sovereign Black Devil?
So this black pillar is called a Black Devil Divine Pillar, an artifact left behind by Sovereign Black Devil? Wu Yuan mused silently.
If he called himself a Sovereign, he had to be a super powerhouse on par with Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi and Immortal Sovereign Bei You.
A wealth of knowledge flooded Wu Yuan’s consciousness, laying bare many of the mysteries that had puzzled him, including the reason for High Immortal Zhuo Hao’s involvement.
Most of the information pertains to the ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’, followed by the ‘Devil Pill Chapter’ which details the method to refine Devil Divine Pill, and lastly, details about the Black Devil Blood Hollow… Wu Yuan reflected, pondering the knowledge he now possessed.
A secret art, a pill formula, plus a trove of information.
This ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ secret art is truly remarkable, though regrettably incomplete. Wu Yuan gradually recalled the details of this secret art.
At the same time, Wu Yuan also understood how High Immortal Zhuo Hao had been able to wield the Black Devil Divine Pillar. In essence, it necessitated consuming Devil Divine Pills.
Devil Divine Pills contained a special power called Black Devil Power. Only through this extremely unique power could one employ the ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ technique and thereby control the Black Devil Divine Pillar. Then, one could receive the Black Devil Power bestowed by the Black Devil Divine Pillar. Black Devil Power was an immensely powerful external force.
Upon completing part one of ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ and consuming one Devil Divine Pill, one’s mana can briefly reach the level of a Third Tribulation High Immortal for ten breaths.
Upon completing part two of ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ and consuming ten Devil Divine Pills, one’s mana can briefly reach the level of a Seventh Tribulation Archimmortal for one breath…
Upon completing part three of ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ and consuming a hundred Devil Divine Pills, one’s mana can briefly reach the level of a Ninth Tribulation Archimmortal for one breath…
Upon completing the final part of ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’… Wu Yuan was inwardly astounded.
This teaching was divided into part one, part two, part three, and the final part.
The information provided by the Black Devil Divine Pillar was incomplete, including only the first and second parts. Part three and the final part were absent.
Theoretically, if an Earth Immortal completed part three and possessed a large quantity of Devil Divine Pills, they could briefly unleash power rivaling an Astral Lord.
Naturally, this only applied to the base power they could wield; it did not improve one’s Dao comprehension. Therefore, the true strength they could manifest would be far weaker than a genuine Astral Lord.
Even so, it was enough to glimpse how utterly incredible this burst-type secret art was.
In the past, Wu Yuan had known of some secret arts that burned one’s essence, but most only increased power by half a cultivation stage. [1] Those that could boost mana potency by a full cultivation stage were considered exceptional, and even then, the duration was very short with numerous side effects.
Meanwhile, the Black Devil Blood Sacrifice could increase one’s power by a whole cultivation phase. Though the mana gap between a Sixth Tribulation High Immortal and a Seventh Tribulation Archimmortal wasn’t as vast as that between an Earth Immortal and a High Immortal, it was still considerable. Yet through the Black Devil Divine Pillar, one could easily bridge this gap.
It seems that High Immortal Zhuo Hao likely employed part two of the Black Devil Blood Sacrifice to unleash such tremendous power, Wu Yuan deduced. However, he dared not use it consecutively, likely fearing the corrosive effects of the Black Devil Power.
With his extensive knowledge of powerful teachings, combined with the technique’s explanations, he could roughly discern the flaws in this seemingly extraordinary technique with just a bit of analysis.
Its first drawback was the requirement for Devil Divine Pills, which had to be crafted from the life essence of living beings. To employ the technique in future battles, a constant supply was needed.
Without a doubt, the reason High Immortal Zhuo Hao had committed such widespread killing across hospitable planets, and ordered Earth Immortal Yin Yan to refine medicinal pills, was all for the sake of creating Devil Divine Pills.
How many atrocities would be born from such rampant killing? It would likely incur the wrath of countless powerful beings, causing one to make innumerable enemies.
The second limitation was that it had requirements on the user’s immortal root. Anyone who used the technique had to possess a robust immortal root. Without it, the influx of power would result in deadly backlash.
An Earth Immortal could probably handle up to part two of ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ at most. Wu Yuan quickly assessed. Even if they managed to cultivate part three or the final part and had enough Devil Divine Pills, they wouldn’t dare to employ it carelessly.
Once employed, if it exceeded their limit of endurance, they might implode and perish instead of boosting their mana.
To withstand the power infusion of part three of ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’, one would need to be at the Fifth or Sixth Tribulation High Immortal level at least. Wu Yuan speculated inwardly.
The third drawback was the Black Devil Power itself! Consuming Devil Divine Pills meant absorbing Black Devil Power derived from the vital essence of countless beings, filled with resentment, karma, and wicked desires.
Black Devil Power was used to activate the Black Devil Divine Pillar, but it also left one susceptible to the will of the pillar.
With the slightest carelessness or overuse of Devil Divine Pills, one might be assimilated or even driven completely mad.
Black Devil? Wu Yuan silently observed the Black Devil Divine Pillar.
It floated within his storage artifact, ancient and sinister. Faint traces of blood sacrifice adorned its surface, and its aura pulsed with a bloodlust that seemed to beckon him toward mindless violence. Even gazing upon it stirred a faint urge to kill in Wu Yuan’s heart.
The Black Devil Divine Pillar is a double-edged sword, truly a devilish object. Wu Yuan realized this point.
Indeed, it was powerful and could grant its user incredible strength. Any ordinary High Immortal who obtained it, like High Immortal Zhuo Hao, could easily slay other High Immortals upon unleashing its power. But at the same time, it demanded endless bloodshed in return.
Slaughter begets karma. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. And there’s the corruption of one’s mind with constant use of Black Devil Power. If one’s Dao Heart and will aren’t strong enough, they’ll eventually be consumed by Black Devil Power, becoming a complete madman.
The gains and losses could not be easily calculated.
Whoosh! With a wave of his hand, Wu Yuan summoned nearly a hundred pitch-black pills that radiated a faint, blood-colored light. The aura they emitted was identical to the aura radiating from the furnace when Earth Immortal Yin Yan was refining pills earlier.
The Black Devil Power within the Black Devil Divine Pillar can only be considered an external power. During the process of overcoming the Immortal Tribulations, it will offer no help at all. Wu Yuan pondered silently. But what connection does it have to the black pagoda?
Why did it make the black pagoda tremble?
Wu Yuan couldn’t help but think of the blood mist produced by the black pagoda, which was also generated through the killing of enemies and also had various miraculous effects. In some ways, it seemed somewhat similar to the Devil Divine Pills.
However, Devil Divine Pills required refining from vital essence, a far more brutal and bloody process! The blood mist, on the other hand, was merely a byproduct of Wu Yuan’s battles against powerful opponents.
This ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’ secret art is remarkable, but also fraught with danger. I should take the Black Devil Divine Pillar back for my qi-refiner self to investigate thoroughly before deciding on the next step. Wu Yuan thought to himself.
Both of his true selves had black pagodas in their upper dantian lobes, but his mana body did not. So for now, Wu Yuan couldn’t verify the relationship between the black pagoda and the Black Devil Divine Pillar.
According to the information just received, a level above the Black Devil Divine Pillar is the Black Devil Star, which also holds vast information. The Black Devil Star might contain the complete ‘Black Devil Blood Sacrifice’. To obtain specific directions to the Black Devil Blood Hollow, one must sacrifice a thousand Devil Divine Pills?
These Devil Divine Pills weren’t for personal use, purely to be sacrificed to the Black Devil Divine Pillar. Once the sacrifice was complete, one would naturally receive the desired information from the Black Devil Divine Pillar.
This thing seems to be bait cast out by Sovereign Black Devil, luring countless powerful beings to kill for him, and then refine Devil Divine Pills. Wu Yuan continued to examine the Black Devil Divine Pillar.
As he continued his examination, Wu Yuan’s wariness grew. It was too bizarre. The methods of a Sovereign were truly unfathomable.
Moreover, logically speaking, the spacetime mission should have only requested us to either protect Earth Immortal Yin Yan or kill him. But why specifically demand that we protect him first and then kill him? Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. It doesn’t make sense!
The Spacetime Island typically didn’t interfere with usual acts of slaughter. Earlier, when Wu Yuan, Metal Devil, and Purple Secret were speculating on the purpose of the mission, they had considered the possibility that Earth Immortal Yin Yan might be involved in some secret that could affect the operation of the entire Spacetime Dao Realm. At the time, Wu Yuan and the others had dismissed such a notion, deeming it far-fetched.
Now? Wu Yuan felt there might be a possibility. That was because Earth Immortal Yin Yan had learned the method to refine Devil Divine Pills, unknowingly forming a karmic connection with Sovereign Black Devil.
And a super powerhouse like Sovereign Black Devil could potentially influence the entire Spacetime Dao Realm.
1. Eg. first-stage Golden Core to halfway of second-stage Golden Core ☜