Chapter 6, First Retreat

Upon sensing the change in the inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python, Ding Hao concealed himself in the cold pool. As soon as he entered the cold pool, he felt the chill as if it were penetrating directly through his skin and surging into his bones. Although it was midsummer, he felt no warmth at all; his hands and feet were rendered immobile by the penetrating cold.

The internal alchemy of the Eight-Winged Purple Python has a limited duration for each occurrence, which will not cease due to Ding Hao's diligent cultivation. After the occurrence, Ding Hao checked his dantian and immediately realized that cultivating below was approximately twice as fast as cultivating above.

It is precisely for this reason that Ding Hao felt his body gradually returning to normal, the pain having completely left him. The true energy provided by the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner elixir was still increasing, but now, as soon as the inner elixir produced true energy, it was entirely absorbed by this energy, posing no threat to his body any longer

Ding Hao has already begun to tremble violently, as if every organ and cell in his body is pulsating in sync with the inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python. Sweat has long soaked his clothes, and both his body and mind are enduring inhuman torment, feeling as if time has completely come to a standstill at this moment. The inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python shows no signs of ceasing its eruption, but rather seems to be escalating in intensity.

Curiosity was immediately piqued. Who had excavated such a cave here, and for what purpose? Ding Hao could not help but wonder. Upon entering the cave, he discovered that the source of the chill came from a dark long sword without a hilt. The sword was about five feet long and half a foot wide, significantly longer than an ordinary flying sword, made from a peculiar material that was neither stone nor metal. The dark long sword emanated a chilling aura that made it impossible for anyone to ignore its presence. Beside it lay a pile of withered bones and a storage ring, with nothing else in sight. The long sword felt extremely heavy in his hand, and he almost dropped it due to a momentary lapse in caution.

The true energy flows slowly along the trajectory of the Wujima Gong, returning to the Dantian after each complete cycle. The spiritual energy provided by the inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python is still only a small amount, yet Ding Hao has already felt significant benefits. The true energy in his Dantian is growing stronger, and Ding Hao's mind is completely immersed in this cultivation.

The true energy emitted by the inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python grew weaker and weaker, essentially being completely devoured and digested by the boundless demonic power as soon as it was produced. After a moment, the true energy returned to normal. At this point, Ding Hao realized that this episode had passed, and he began to look forward to the next occurrence arriving sooner. Just this brief period of activation made him feel that he had gained tremendous benefits, and he would no longer have to worry about the pain caused by the inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python in the future

The Dao gives birth to the One, the One gives birth to the Two, the Two give birth to the Three, and the Three give birth to all things. All things carry yin and embrace yang, and they achieve harmony through the interplay of these forces

Ding Hao moved around the bottom of the pool, and despite his heightened senses, he did not discover anything unusual. The only thing that surprised him slightly was that with his continuous movement, there were extremely subtle differences in water temperature. This difference was not obvious; if one were not attentive, it would be completely imperceptible. Being a person of keen observation, and with no other findings, Ding Hao decided to use his body to sense the areas in the pool where the coldness was most intense.

Before him lay a cave, and the traces at the entrance clearly indicated that it was man-made. A chill was slowly emanating from within the cave, and the cold air at the entrance already made Ding Hao feel somewhat uncomfortable.

However, the flow of the Infinite Demon Technique remains completely unaffected, continuing to flow slowly, and the speed at which it devours the spiritual energy of the inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python has not changed in the slightest.

Thus, every time Ding Hao experienced the onset of the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner elixir, he devoted himself entirely to cultivation. After the onset, he began to study the foundational knowledge of cultivation contained within the jade slips. When a person's energy is fully concentrated on a task, they can forget the existence of time

He no longer knows how much time has passed—whether it has been a few days or a few months

The inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python began to emit a scorching power, and Ding Hao could sense the terrifying spiritual energy contained within the small inner elixir of the Eight-Winged Purple Python. The spiritual energy grew from small to large and started to become chaotic, completely beyond Ding Hao's control. The previous sensation of pain piercing to the heart returned once more

After more than an hour of searching, Ding Hao arrived at the place where the cold was most intense

However, this vital energy is completely under Ding Hao's control, and each circulation makes Ding Hao feel that his dantian has grown stronger by a few degrees

The primary purpose of the Qi Refinement stage is to open the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, specifically the Ren and Du meridians, allowing true energy to flow freely within the meridians. One can either achieve this through personal effort or with the assistance of others. If one relies solely on self-cultivation, it often takes one to two decades. However, with the aid of the Eight-Winged Purple Python Inner Elixir, Ding Hao believes he can significantly shorten this process

At this moment, Ding Hao recalled the peculiar reaction of the long sword he had just wielded against the Infinite Demon Technique. After channeling the demonic power once more to strike the ring, it surprisingly opened immediately. After thoroughly examining the contents within the ring, Ding Hao finally gained a completely new understanding of the Infinite Demon Sect

A chilling sensation surged deep into his soul, and in an instant, Ding Hao became an ice man. The boundless magical power automatically activated, and the incredible chill of the long sword dissipated instantly, causing the entire cold pool to return to a normal temperature. Ding Hao could feel as if the long sword possessed life, rejoicing at the return of its master.

A surge of ecstasy flooded his heart; indeed, it was as such. The Boundless Demon Technique, while absorbing the heat from the inner core of the Eight-Winged Purple Python, was also able to draw in the faint chill from the Black Pool. Although the chill was much softer compared to the heat of the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner core, it was enough to make Ding Hao ecstatic, as the flow rate of the Boundless Demon Technique had significantly increased

As the internal heat of the Eight-Winged Purple Python grew stronger, the rotation speed of the Infinite Demon Technique also accelerated. Eventually, it could no longer keep pace with the absorption speed of the Infinite Demon Technique. At this moment, Ding Hao felt a burning sensation throughout his body, and the water around him emitted bubbling sounds. Above his head, at the location of the cold pool, bubbles rose one after another, resembling water boiling in a pot. Fortunately, there was still a mist about one zhang high above the cold pool, which prevented this situation from attracting the attention of other disciples of the Infinite Demon Sect.

On this day, Ding Hao, while reading foundational texts on cultivation, came across a passage stating that after the fusion of yin and yang, cultivation could achieve twice the result with half the effort. The true energy of the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner elixir is scorching hot, belonging to fire, which is yang, while water belongs to yin. Where could one find yin to achieve this fusion?

Only then did he have the time to observe the situation of this cold pond. There were no fish in the pond, the water was clear, and there were no plants at all, which was quite strange

Due to his training over the past few days, Ding Hao has developed significant resistance in his body, and he has not yet reached a point of unbearable difficulty. The spiritual energy of the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner elixir has ultimately become violent, and his body seems to have become the center of a storm, with waves of piercing pain beginning to assault Ding Hao's body and nerves

To abandon this unparalleled cultivation method and instead pursue other techniques, Ding Hao began to perceive the members of the Wujimo Sect as the most foolish cultivators in the world

Upon re-entering https://mhetushucom.com, Ding Hao could already fully sense the fluctuations of the true energy operating within his body—albeit still very faint.

After an unknown period of time, Ding Hao suddenly sensed that the fluctuation pattern of the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner elixir began to behave abnormally. Initially, it completely ceased to operate according to its own trajectory, and then it started to pulse gently, giving Ding Hao the illusion that his body had two hearts.

Ding Hao is no longer a completely ignorant cultivator. Although there are no advanced cultivation methods in the study, there are still introductions available. He has read several books, but he has never heard of any cultivation or demonic arts that possess such abilities

When Ding Hao felt he could no longer endure, he unexpectedly discovered something strange: although his true energy was flowing chaotically, there were small streams that inadvertently followed the trajectory of the boundless magical technique. Initially, this stream of true energy was extremely weak, to the point that Ding Hao could not perceive it at all, yet it was devouring other true energy and gradually growing stronger.

After Ding Hao began his seclusion, he did not immediately start his cultivation. A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wishes to do good work, so he first recalled the most basic knowledge of cultivation contained in the jade slips.

This pool is over 100 meters deep. When Ding Hao sank to the bottom, he was able to regain movement in his hands and feet thanks to the protective effect of the limitless magical power. However, his agility had significantly diminished, and he began to cultivate after sitting cross-legged.

Moments later, Ding Hao could no longer ignore its presence. In just the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, it had already become the largest source of true energy within Ding Hao's body, while the other chaotic energies were gradually being devoured by it. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before it completely consumed everything else.

Ding Hao has ceased his cultivation and instead is studying the jade slips and the fundamental techniques of cultivation from books. Although he has been reading and researching during his free time these past two days, the amount of knowledge required in the cultivation world is simply too vast for him to digest in such a short period.

Upon careful consideration, it seems incorrect. Chen Ling and Ma Feng's cunning is certainly not characteristic of foolish individuals. They must have encountered issues during their cultivation that prevented them from manifesting such abilities; otherwise, the Wuji Demon Sect would never have fallen to a state where it could be easily bullied by others

Water belongs to Yin? Water belongs to Yin! Not bad, the cold pool is just right. Thinking of this, Ding Hao decided to try cultivating in the cold pool the next time the inner dan of the Eight-Winged Purple Python erupted. At this moment, Ding Hao had already opened the eight extraordinary meridians, and both the Ren and Du meridians were unblocked, having reached the stage of embryonic breathing. He could completely rely on internal breathing without needing to depend on his mouth and nose, making it entirely feasible to cultivate in the pool!

At this moment, Ding Hao began to feel that the Wujimo skill might not be entirely useless; the ability to devour other true qi to enhance one's own power was something he had never heard of before

No matter how I look at it, it does not seem like an ordinary item. After studying it for a long time, I still cannot figure out what is going on. Holding the storage ring in my hand, I am unable to use it no matter what I do. I have tried the communication methods recorded in the cultivation texts multiple times, yet they remain ineffective.

Ding Hao fully understands what this ability means; he suddenly feels as if he has stumbled upon a treasure. To devour the true power that others have painstakingly cultivated and transform it into his own is undoubtedly in line with the malevolent principle of harming others for one's own benefit

Ding Hao knew that the time for the reactivation of the Eight-Winged Purple Python's inner elixir had finally arrived. He felt no fear, only anticipation. For him, this was the most critical moment. Although he was well aware of the threat the inner elixir posed to his body, he also understood the greater benefits it could bring him. Ding Hao enjoyed challenges