Translator: CinderTL
"Demonic Spirit!"
Based on the fragmented information, Li Chunjun identified the origin of this mysterious creature.
It was a being known as a Demonic Spirit by other intelligent life forms in this star system.
His earlier premonition had been correct.
In this area of vibrant Dao Rhythm, a Cultivator race did indeed exist: the Demonic Spirits.
However, unlike the material beings most people were familiar with, Demonic Spirits were symbiotic, soul-based creatures.
They were incredibly difficult to eliminate.
They had to attach themselves to Advanced Intelligent Life, feeding on the stray mental energy and spiritual essence that these beings emitted.
Once they passed their infancy and growth phases, evolving into their complete form, they awakened a mind-penetrating attack. By corroding the host's mind, they could control the Advanced Intelligent Life they parasitized.
Then, they would gradually devour the host's soul, bit by bit, using it as nourishment to evolve into their ultimate form.
After consuming one target, they would move on to another, repeating the cycle endlessly.
"Demonic Spirits that haven't reached maturity cannot leave their host, an Advanced Intelligent Life. When the host dies, the Demonic Spirit perishes with it. The reason there are so few Lesser Thousand Worlds in this star region—only a hundred or so—is because..."
Li Chunjun's heart trembled. "A powerful civilization destroyed and annihilated Lesser Thousand Worlds to reduce the number of Advanced Intelligent Life, thus hindering the Demonic Spirits' growth!?"
Demonic Spirits don't rely on any external environment other than Advanced Intelligent Life.
When they can't find a host, they devour each other until only a few fully matured Demonic Spirits remain.
These fully matured Demonic Spirits can hibernate, waiting to be awakened by Advanced Intelligent Life.
During hibernation, only Cultivators who have cultivated Mind Power can sense their presence; even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs cannot detect them.
"No wonder for over two months, Su Fang, Zuo Cheng, Yu Jin, and I—despite sensing something amiss in this star region—couldn't pinpoint the problem."
They couldn't sense them!
Moreover, the Demonic Spirits hibernating in this star region were awakened by the mental fluctuations emitted by the Human Race, an Advanced Intelligent Life.
In the fallen Demonic Spirit's fragmented memories, he knew of over a thousand fully formed Demonic Spirits.
As for how many Demonic Spirits truly existed in this star system, no one knew.
Two months had passed.
Heaven only knew how many Primordial Spirit True Monarchs had been silently corrupted and parasitized.
Li Chunjun's heart tightened.
Expanding territory had always been the most perilous endeavor.
Leaving the familiar comfort zone for a completely unknown environment meant no one could predict what bizarre races they might encounter or what level of danger they might face.
In this realm of complete mystery and uncertainty, the sudden demise of even Void Refining Great Powers wouldn't be surprising, let alone Primordial Spirit True Monarchs like them.
"We must leave this star system immediately!"
Li Chunjun felt a sense of urgency.
It wasn't just the lingering effects of the Starquake.
More importantly, no one knew how many fully formed Demonic Spirits lurked in this star system.
But as soon as this thought surfaced, he forced himself to calm down.
Fully formed Demonic Spirits possessed the ability to split.
They could divide into spiritual seeds and plant them within other Advanced Intelligent Life forms, growing alongside their hosts.
The more Advanced Intelligent Life in an environment, the faster Demonic Spirits grow.
If he were to suddenly enter a prosperous star region teeming with Humans without eliminating these Demonic Spirits...
Those spiritual seeds would rapidly transform into nascent Demonic Spirits, which would then quickly mature and evolve into their complete forms.
If one of these complete Demonic Spirits were to gestate an ultimate form impervious to Mind Power...
Even Void Refining Great Powers who had mastered Mind Power might fall prey to their corruption!
"Though I've reached the second layer of the Heavenly Heart Eternal Method and possess the 'Resilience' trait, claiming my Mind Power surpasses that of a Void Refining cultivator would be arrogant. Who among those who've cultivated to Void Refining solely through their own efforts hasn't achieved at least the third Mind Realm?"
Li Chunjun quickly regained his composure.
He needed to find a way to eliminate these Demonic Spirits.
"Fortunately, I've cultivated Mind Power, giving me the ability to destroy complete Demonic Spirits. Moreover, the Heavenly Heart Eternal Method's trait grants my mind defense against Demonic Spirit corruption that rivals even true Void Refining cultivators."
Li Chunjun "glanced" at the Human Emperor Banner.
"Killed a Level 27 creature. Experience +4115!"
[Life Level: 31 (20184/100000)]
That Demonic Spirit was only equivalent to a Level 27 creature.
This meant a fully formed Demonic Spirit was only comparable to a Human Primordial Spirit True Monarch.
While Demonic Spirits possessed strange and unpredictable abilities, Li Chunjun's foundation in Essence, Mind Realm, and mental cultivation gave him a reasonable degree of safety, provided he didn't encounter an Ultimate Form Demonic Spirit that might rival a Void Refining cultivator.
With this thought, Li Chunjun immediately took out his Message Jade Talisman to contact Yu Jin.
However, after a moment's consideration, he decided against contacting Yu Jin alone, lest it arouse suspicion. Moreover, since the Demonic Spirit had fallen at his hands, he needed to quickly ensure the safety of the leading figures to prevent any unforeseen developments.
Therefore, he notified Yu Jin, Zuo Cheng, Huang Tian, and Su Fang simultaneously.
Among the four Ninth Tribulation True Monarchs, Huang Tian arrived the fastest.
"Sword Prodigy Li? Do you need assistance with your cultivation?" True Monarch Huang Tian asked eagerly.
"I've gained some insights in my cultivation that require a True Monarch's help," Li Chunjun replied.
"Oh? It's my honor. How can I assist you?" True Monarch Huang Tian immediately agreed.
"Simply relax your Heart-Mind," Li Chunjun said, activating the Heavenly Heart Eternal Method.
Mind Power, carried by his Divine Sense, rapidly penetrated True Monarch Huang Tian's defenses.
Due to Li Chunjun's imprecise control over Mind Power, True Monarch Huang Tian seemed to sense something.
Not only did he not raise his guard, but he deliberately lowered his mental defenses, allowing Li Chunjun's Divine Sense to probe him.
This almost complete trust made Li Chunjun vaguely realize something.
"No wonder that fully formed Demonic Spirit wanted to control me. On the one hand, I've only revealed Nascent Soul Realm cultivation to the outside world. No matter how talented I am, my soul power wouldn't surpass that of a Ninth Tribulation True Monarch at this level. On the other hand..."
Li Chunjun controlled his Divine Sense to continue probing. "Once it corrupts my mind and controls me, all Primordial Spirit and Nascent Soul cultivators on Blue Star will become its easy prey."
Compared to the potential gains, the risks were negligible.
After a thorough examination, he withdrew his Divine Sense.
"That's enough."
True Monarch Huang Tian was trustworthy. He detected no lingering Demonic Spirit energy on him.
"Oh? Did this examination help Sword Prodigy Li's cultivation? If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Huang Tian will answer everything I know, without holding anything back."
True Monarch Huang Tian said.
"I'll explain later, True Monarch," Li Chunjun replied.
After examining True Monarch Huang Tian, Su Fang and Zuo Cheng came forward one after another. Li Chunjun examined them as well.
Over the past two months, the Demonic Spirits seemed not to have fully recovered. Still unfamiliar with their group, they were clearly cautious when facing the most powerful figures among them—Huang Tian, Su Fang, and Zuo Cheng.
Yu Jin hurried back and, after Li Chunjun's Mind Power-wrapped Divine Sense had scanned the area, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?"
Su Fang, always sensitive to danger, quickly sensed something was amiss.
Without hesitation, Li Chunjun immediately recounted the attack he had just survived.
However, upon hearing Li Chunjun's description of the Demonic Spirit, Yu Jin, Huang Tian, and Su Fang's expressions turned grave. "Heart Demon Clan!?"
"Heart Demons?" Li Chunjun asked, surprised. "You know about them?"
"The Human Race has records of these clans! Heart Demons are a branch of the Heavenly Demon Clan—a formless, incorporeal life form!" Huang Tian explained solemnly. "This unique life form holds a significant advantage over Human cultivators. Due to their preference for inhabiting advanced intelligent life forms, the Human Race often becomes their primary target for infiltration."
He added, "It's not because we Humans are the pinnacle of advanced intelligent life, but rather... because we are numerous! For Heart Demon Clan beings, quantity sometimes outweighs quality! Their extraordinary talent allows them to achieve qualitative leaps through quantitative changes!"
"Does the Human Race have any countermeasures?" Li Chunjun asked immediately.
"Mind Power is their greatest nemesis!"
True Monarch Huang Tian said, then added, considering that only Li Chunjun currently possessed Mind Power: "Supreme Yang energy also affects them to some extent, but at best, it only serves to drive them away. Unless there's a significant cultivation realm advantage, it's difficult to completely eliminate them."
"Supreme Yang energy..." Li Chunjun mused.
At that moment, Su Fang spoke slowly: "The Heart Demon Clan has a clear advantage over us humans. However, their attacks often present a rare opportunity for those of us who haven't yet cultivated Mind Power."
Li Chunjun was surprised.
He realized then that while True Monarch Huang Tian, Su Fang, Yu Jin, and Zuo Cheng all wore expressions of caution toward the Heart Demon Clan, beneath their wariness...
their eyes shone with a peculiar brilliance.
Su Fang continued, "A fully formed Heart Demon Clan member can silently erode the mind and consciousness of someone who hasn't cultivated Mind Power. Each of them is a top-tier Mind Great Master. But for the same reason, every time a cultivator is invaded by a Heart Demon, it's also an excellent opportunity to hone their mind!"
His voice carried a strange excitement: "If the person being honed can defeat and refine the Heart Demon... there's a high probability they'll directly cultivate Mind Power, even for a Ninth Tribulation True Monarch!"
"Cultivate Mind Power?" Li Chunjun was stunned.
"Yes! This unique lifeform is incredibly effective for those in the Human Race who are stuck at the Mind Power threshold. The Supreme Research Institute once even proposed classifying the Heart Demon Clan as a Class 1 Protected Species and establishing Heart Demon Economic Protection Zones to cultivate them!" Su Fang declared emphatically.
"..."
Class 1 Protected Species. Li Chunjun hadn't considered that.
"Moreover, fully formed Heart Demons aren't just effective for Ninth Tribulation True Monarchs; they work for Void Refining Great Powers as well." Su Fang looked at Li Chunjun, his eyes gleaming. "The more powerful the Heart Demon, the more significant the effects of defeating and refining it!"
(End of the Chapter)
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