dì liǎng qiān wǔ bǎi liù shí bā zhāng xīn mó zhī huǒ
第两千五百六十八章 心魔之火
Chapter 2568: The Fiery Heart Demon
lín xuān zài liàn gōng fáng zhōng pán xī ér zuò ， hún shēn shàng xià qīng guāng pēn bó ， shuāng móu jǐn bì ， zhǐ kàn jiàn líng máng shǎn shuò bù yǐ ， zhěng gè rén sàn fà chū yī gǔ shén mì xuán ào de qì xī 。
林轩在练功房中盘膝而坐，浑身上下青光喷薄，双眸紧闭，只看见灵芒闪烁不已，整个人散发出一股神秘玄奥的气息。
Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in the training room, his body emitting a vibrant blue light. His eyes were tightly shut, but the flickering spiritual light around him revealed an aura of mystery and profundity.
ér jiù zài tā shēn qián shù chǐ zhī dì ， yǒu yí gè zhí jìng shù zhàng dà xiǎo de guāng qiú xuán fú ， guāng qiú zhī zhōng ， jū rán shì yī xíng mào kě bù de yě zhū ， liáo yá wài lù ， xiǎn de shí fēn de wēi wǔ 。
而就在他身前数尺之地，有一个直径数丈大小的光球悬浮，光球之中，居然是一形貌可怖的野猪，獠牙外露，显得十分的威武。
A few feet before him, a spherical light ball hovered in mid-air, about ten meters in diameter. Inside this sphere was a terrifyingly shaped wild boar with exposed fangs, looking particularly fierce.
kě kàn qíng xíng ， míng xiǎn shì bèi fǎ jué jìn gù 。
可看情形，明显是被法诀禁锢。
However, it was clearly bound by some forbidden technique.
lín xuān xī le kǒu qì ， yuán běn jǐn bì de shuāng móu ， tū rán huǎn huǎn zhēng kāi ， lǐ miàn shén guāng zhàn rán 。
林轩吸了口气，原本紧闭的双眸，突然缓缓睁开，里面神光湛然。
Lin Xuan took a deep breath; his previously closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a profound spiritual light within.
suí hòu lín xuān yòu shǒu tái qǐ ， shǒu zhǎng píng tān ， yī tuán huǒ yàn ， cóng zhǎng xīn zhī zhōng yuè shēng chū lái 。
随后林轩右手抬起，手掌平摊，一团火焰，从掌心之中跃升出来。
He then raised his right hand, palm facing outward, and a flame leaped out from the center of his palm. The flame was multi-colored, with different hues swirling around it, making it appear exceptionally beautiful.
nà huǒ yàn wǔ sè liú lí ， bù tóng yán sè de guāng máng zài qí biǎo miàn liú zhuǎn bù yǐ ， xiǎn de fēi cháng de yàn lì 。
那火焰五色琉璃，不同颜色的光芒在其表面流转不已，显得非常的艳丽。
Phantasmal Heavenly Fire!
huàn líng tiān huǒ ！
幻灵天火！
That trace of eerie demonic energy had long vanished, having been refined by Lin Xuan.
qí zhōng de nà yī sī guǐ yì mó qì ， zǎo yǐ xiāo shī dé zōng jì quán wú ， bèi lín xuān gěi liàn huà diào le 。
其中的那一丝诡异魔气，早已消失得踪迹全无，被林轩给炼化掉了。
However, compared to just a few days ago, this Phantasmal Heavenly Fire now seemed somewhat different.
rán ér rú jīn de huàn líng tiān huǒ ， yǔ shù rì qián xiāng bǐ ， què míng xiǎn yǒu nà me yī xiē bù tóng 。
然而如今的幻灵天火，与数日前相比，却明显有那么一些不同。
Lin Xuan suddenly began waving his hands up and down, fingers flickering. Strange magical techniques appeared in his vision.
lín xuān tū rán shuāng shǒu shàng xià fēi wǔ ， shí zhǐ huàng dòng ， yí gè gè qí guài de fǎ jué chū xiàn zài shì xiàn zhōng 。
林轩突然双手上下飞舞，十指晃动，一个个奇怪的法决出现在视线中。
Boom!
hōng ！
轰！
The Phantasmal Heavenly Fire that had been hovering motionless on his palm suddenly changed. A black thread surfaced on its surface, rapidly expanding until the multi-colored spiritual fire turned pitch-black like ink.
nà yuán běn zài shǒu zhǎng shàng kōng xuán fú bù dòng de huàn líng tiān huǒ ， lüè yī zhuǎn dòng ， tū rán chéng xiàn chū bù kě sī yì de biàn huà lái le 。
那原本在手掌上空悬浮不动的幻灵天火，略一转动，突然呈现出不可思议的变化来了。
An unsettling aura emanated from it.
yī lǚ hēi sè zài huǒ yàn biǎo miàn fú xiàn ér chū ， suí hòu xùn sù kuò zhǎn ， bú dào shùn xī de shí jiān ， wǔ sè líng huǒ jiù biàn chéng le qī hēi rú mò de mó yán 。
一缕黑色在火焰表面浮现而出，随后迅速扩展，不到瞬息的时间，五色灵火就变成了漆黑如墨的魔炎。
Lin Xuan scrutinized this demonic flame; he hadn't expected such a change after refining away that eerie magic energy.
yī gǔ lìng rén bù ān de qì xī cóng qí biǎo miàn sàn fà chū lái 。
一股令人不安的气息从其表面散发出来。
However... It seemed to be an unexpected收获.
lín xuān duān xiáng zhuó yǎn qián de mó huǒ ， huàn líng tiān huǒ liàn huà cǐ guǐ yì mó qì hòu huì fā shēng zhè yàng de biàn huà biàn shì tā ， yě shì shǐ liào wèi jí de 。
林轩端详着眼前的魔火，幻灵天火炼化此诡异魔气后会发生这样的变化便是他，也是始料未及的。
Thus, Phantasmal Heavenly Fire gained another mysterious and profound attribute.
bù guò …… sì hū shì yì wài de shōu huò 。
不过……似乎是意外的收获。
The demonic energy originally wanted to devour the Phantasmal Heavenly Fire but was ultimately refined for use.
huàn líng tiān huǒ yīn cǐ ， yòu huò dé yī xiàng guǐ yì xuán miào de shǔ xìng lái le 。
幻灵天火因此，又获得一项诡异玄妙的属性来了。
Now, Lin Xuan intended to test this newly acquired power.
mó qì yuán běn xiǎng yào tūn shì huàn líng tiān huǒ ， kě xī zuì hòu què bèi liàn huà wèi jǐ yòng 。
魔气原本想要吞噬幻灵天火，可惜最后却被炼化为己用。
He raised his right hand and pointed it forward with one finger.
lín xuān cǐ kè ， jiù shì zhǔn bèi shì yī shì zhè xīn jìn jí de shén tōng 。
林轩此刻，就是准备试一试这新晋级的神通。
Pfft!
tā yòu shǒu tái qǐ ， yī zhǐ xiàng qián diǎn qù 。
他右手抬起，一指向前点去。
A faint sound entered his ears as the green light ball in front of him shattered into nothingness.
“ bō ！”
“啵！”
A deafening roar echoed. The wild boar's eyes glowed with ferocity, its nature being quite temperamental. Especially for a wild boar; once enraged, it would fight regardless of the opponent’s rank.
yī shēng qīng xiǎng chuán rù ěr duǒ ， nà xuán fú zài shēn qián de qīng sè guāng qiú dùn shí rú qì pào yì bān de pò liè huà wèi le xū wú 。
一声轻响传入耳朵，那悬浮在身前的青色光球顿时如气泡一般的破裂化为了虚无。
Moreover, Lin Xuan was now concealing his spiritual pressure, while the wild boar had been bound for a day and night, filled with rage. Upon breaking free, it immediately charged at Lin Xuan with its hooves, sending a thunderous roar into his ears.
“ áo ！”
“嗷！”
It was just a low-grade beast; Lin Xuan naturally showed no fear. However, this wasn't combat but testing the technique, so he remained extremely serious.
yī shēng hàn tiān dòng dì de lì hǒu ， nà yě zhū de yǎn zhōng xiōng máng sì shè ， yāo shòu de pí qì ， yě shì hěn bào zào de ， yóu qí shì yě zhū ， yí dàn fā nù ， gēn běn jiù bú huì guǎn duì fāng děng jiē rú hé ， xiān pīn le zài shuō 。
一声撼天动地的厉吼，那野猪的眼中凶芒四射，妖兽的脾气，也是很暴躁的，尤其是野猪，一旦发怒，根本就不会管对方等阶如何，先拼了再说。
As the beast approached within a few feet of him, Lin Xuan suddenly clasped his hands together and then spread them apart. As he did, the small ball of demonic fire suddenly grew in size. A black light flashed, and before the wild boar could touch it, it became wildly agitated.
jiā shàng cǐ shí cǐ kè ， lín xuān hún shēn de líng yā hán ér bù lù ， fǎn guān nà yě zhū ， zé bèi jìn gù le yī tiān yī yè zhī jiǔ ， xīn zhōng bèi bào zào gěi tián mǎn le ， yī tuō lí jìn gù ， lì kè èr huà bù shuō ， sì tí yòng lì ， jīng tiān dòng dì de lì xiào chuán rù ěr duǒ ， xiàng lín xuān pū guò qù le 。
加上此时此刻，林轩浑身的灵压含而不露，反观那野猪，则被禁锢了一天一夜之久，心中被暴躁给填满了，一脱离禁锢，立刻二话不说，四蹄用力，惊天动地的厉啸传入耳朵，像林轩扑过去了。
No... More accurately, it was extremely fearful, jumping around frantically as if struck by an unimaginable terror.
qū qū dī jiē yāo shòu ér yǐ ， lín xuān zì rán bú huì yǒu fēn háo wèi jù ， bù guò xiàn zài bú shì duì dí ， ér shì shì zhāo ， suǒ yǐ tā yě méi yǒu fēn háo qīng sōng zhī yì ， ér shì xiǎn de yán sù yǐ jí 。
区区低阶妖兽而已，林轩自然不会有分毫畏惧，不过现在不是对敌，而是试招，所以他也没有分毫轻松之意，而是显得严肃以极。
Indeed, it worked well.
yǎn jiàn nà yāo shòu jù lí zì jǐ zhǐ shèng xià shù chǐ ， lín xuān tū rán shuāng shǒu yī hé ， suí hòu zài xiàng liǎng biān fēn kāi ， suí zhe tā de dòng zuò ， nà tuán jī dàn dà xiǎo de mó yán tū rán bào zhǎng qǐ lái ， zhǐ jiàn qī hēi sè de guāng máng shǎn guò ， nà yě zhū hái méi yǒu jiē chù dào mó yán ， què tū rán biàn dé kuáng luàn 。
眼见那妖兽距离自己只剩下数尺，林轩突然双手一合，随后再像两边分开，随着他的动作，那团鸡蛋大小的魔炎突然暴涨起来，只见漆黑色的光芒闪过，那野猪还没有接触到魔炎，却突然变得狂乱。
Lin Xuan waved his sleeves, causing the rapidly growing demonic fire to shrink back into his sleeve like a whale sucking water.
bù …… zhèng què de shuō shì wèi jù yǐ jí ， shàng tiào xià cuàn ， fǎng fú tū rán zhī jiān ， shòu dào jí qí kě pà de jīng xià yì bān 。
不……正确的说是畏惧以极，上跳下窜，仿佛突然之间，受到极其可怕的惊吓一般。
He scanned the scene; the wild boar had retreated to a corner, huddled and trembling. Its eyes still conveyed confusion and fear.
“ guǒ rán bù cuò 。”
“果然不错。”
It seemed that after refining away that eerie magic energy, Phantasmal Heavenly Fire gained a new power targeting the mental realm.
lín xuān xiù páo yī fú ， nà bào zhǎng de mó yán xùn sù suō xiǎo le ， suí hòu rú zhǎng jīng xī shuǐ yì bān ， fēi huí le tā de yī xiù lǐ miàn 。
林轩袖袍一拂，那暴涨的魔炎迅速缩小了，随后如长鲸吸水一般，飞回了他的衣袖里面。
This wasn't surprising since the most terrifying aspect of an outsider demon was causing heart demons in cultivators.
lín xuān mù guāng sǎo guò ， zhǐ jiàn nà yě zhū yǐ pǎo dào yī páng de jiǎo luò ， juǎn suō zhe shēn tǐ ， sè sè fā dǒu ， yǎn zhōng de tòu chū de xìn xī ， yī jiù shì mí máng ér wèi jù 。
林轩目光扫过，只见那野猪已跑到一旁的角落，卷缩着身体，瑟瑟发抖，眼中的透出的信息，依旧是迷茫而畏惧。
What exactly is a heart demon? No book could explain it clearly. However, one thing was certain: heart demons were related to spiritual matters. Lin Xuan was confident about this.
kàn lái yǔ zì jǐ yuán xiān de yù liào shì yī yàng dì ， liàn huà le nà guǐ yì de mó qì ， huàn líng tiān huǒ huò dé de xīn shén tōng shì duì jīng shén céng miàn de gōng jī 。
看来与自己原先的预料是一样地，炼化了那诡异的魔气，幻灵天火获得的新神通是对精神层面的攻击。
The wild boar had been just a low-grade beast with minimal intelligence.
xiǎng xiǎng yě bù xī qí ， tiān wài mó tóu zuì wèi kě pà zhī chù ， yuán běn shì ràng xiū shì chǎn shēng xīn mó 。
想想也不稀奇，天外魔头最为可怕之处，原本是让修士产生心魔。
If his guess was correct, such mental attacks would be limited against beings of lower intellect. If humans or cultivators at the transformation stage faced it, the outcome might differ; perhaps not just agitation and fear but even causing them to go mad.
hé wèi xīn mó ， kǒng pà méi yǒu rèn hé yī běn diǎn jí néng gòu lùn shù qīng chǔ ， dàn yǒu yì diǎn shì kěn dìng de ， xīn mó zhě ， kěn dìng shì yǔ jīng shén céng miàn de dōng xī yǒu guān xì ， zhè yì diǎn ， lín xuān kě yǐ què dìng wú yí 。
何为心魔，恐怕没有任何一本典籍能够论述清楚，但有一点是肯定的，心魔者，肯定是与精神层面的东西有关系，这一点，林轩可以确定无疑。
Moreover, if there were no such obvious and powerful effects, merely making opponents dazed...
gāng gāng de yě zhū ， bì jìng zhǐ shì dī jiē yāo shòu ér yǐ ， líng zhì jí dī 。
刚刚的野猪，毕竟只是低阶妖兽而已，灵智极低。
Don't underestimate this. A momentary distraction could be fatal in a battle where every millisecond counted.
lín xuān ruò shì méi yǒu yù cuò ， zhè jīng shén céng miàn de gōng jī ， duì líng zhì dī de cún zài fǎn ér shì yǒu xiàn dì ， jiǎ rú huàn chéng rén lèi huò zhě huà xíng yǐ shàng de yāo xiū ， jié guǒ kǒng pà yòu bù xiāng tóng ， yě xǔ jiù bù jǐn jǐn shì kuáng luàn yǔ kǒng jù ， ràng duì fāng zǒu huǒ rù mó yě bú shì bù kě néng de 。
林轩若是没有预错，这精神层面的攻击，对灵智低的存在反而是有限地，假如换成人类或者化形以上的妖修，结果恐怕又不相同，也许就不仅仅是狂乱与恐惧，让对方走火入魔也不是不可能的。
This new addition to Phantasmal Heavenly Fire's abilities was highly useful. In critical moments, it might become a significant killing technique.
hé kuàng tuì yī wàn bù shuō 。
何况退一万步说。
Lin Xuan was extremely satisfied with the benefits he gained from his recent journey through the sealed space.
jiù suàn méi yǒu nà yàng míng xiǎn ér biāo hàn de xiào guǒ ， jǐn jǐn shì ràng duì shǒu jīng shén huǎng hū 。
就算没有那样明显而彪悍的效果，仅仅是让对手精神恍惚。
While Lin Xuan was content, recounting all the benefits and treasures he had acquired, outside the cave, the high-ranking cultivators of the Ethereal Immortal Palace were nearly as frantic as ants on a hot pan.
bú yào xiǎo kàn ， píng shí ， yī shùn jiān de fā dāi zǒu shén huò xǔ méi yǒu shén me ， rán ér gāo shǒu guò zhāo ， zhǐ zhēng lí háo ， zhè yī shùn jiān de huǎng hū ， jiù zú gòu zì jǐ shī zhǎn shǒu duàn ràng qí yǔn luò 。
不要小看，平时，一瞬间的发呆走神或许没有什么，然而高手过招，只争厘毫，这一瞬间的恍惚，就足够自己施展手段让其陨落。
...
kě yǐ shuō ， huàn líng tiān huǒ zhè xīn zēng jiā de shén tōng fēi cháng yǒu yòng ， zài guān jiàn shí kè ， shèn zhì yǒu kě néng chéng wéi zì jǐ yī dà shā zhāo 。
可以说，幻灵天火这新增加的神通非常有用，在关键时刻，甚至有可能成为自己一大杀招。
"Shi Di, did I hear you correctly? You said Senior Sister Ye and Brother Yun have already perished. Even Elder Grandmaster is severely injured, his cultivation level dropping by two ranks?" A pale-faced cultivator spoke up, his expression not looking any better.
lín xuān mǎn yì yǐ jí ， zhè yī cì fēng yìn kōng jiān zhī lǚ suǒ huò dé de hǎo chù jiǎn zhí shì bù shèng méi jǔ 。
林轩满意以极，这一次封印空间之旅所获得的好处简直是不胜枚举。
"Yes."
lín xuān zài nà ér xīn mǎn yì zú ， lì shù zhe zì jǐ suǒ huò dé de hǎo chù yǔ bǎo wù ， ér dòng fǔ wài ， piāo miǎo xiān gōng yī gān fēn shén jí bié de gāo jiē xiū xiān zhě ， yǐ jí dé yǔ rè guō shàng de mǎ yǐ chà bu duō 。
林轩在那儿心满意足，历数着自己所获得的好处与宝物，而洞府外，缥缈仙宫一干分神级别的高阶修仙者，已急得与热锅上的蚂蚁差不多。
The bearded man nodded solemnly: "I dare not speak without evidence; I heard it directly from the Elder Grandmaster."
……
……
"I don't doubt your words, Brother Shi. But this matter..."
“ wáng shī dì ， wǒ méi yǒu tīng cuò ba ， nǐ shuō yè shī jiě yǔ yún shī xiōng ， dōu yǐ jīng yǔn luò diào le ， lián dà zhǎng lǎo yě shēn shòu zhòng shāng ， xiū wèi shèn zhì diē luò le liǎng céng zuǒ yòu ？” yī liǎn sè là huáng de xiū shì kāi kǒu ， zhì yú biǎo qíng ， dāng rán shì hǎo bù dào nǎ lǐ qù le 。
“王师弟，我没有听错吧，你说叶师姐与云师兄，都已经陨落掉了，连大长老也身受重伤，修为甚至跌落了两层左右？”一脸色蜡黄的修士开口，至于表情，当然是好不到哪里去了。
The pale-faced cultivator sighed and turned to Senior Brother Feng: "What do you think?"
“ bù cuò 。”
“不错。”
He was asking a middle-aged cultivator around fifty years old with white hair. His appearance was unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, he was indeed an advanced-stage cultivator.
qiú xū dà hàn diǎn le diǎn tóu ， liǎn sè yě hěn chén zhòng ：“ zhè yàng de shì qíng ， xiǎo dì nǎ gǎn xìn kǒu kāi hé ， wǒ shì qīn kǒu tīng dà zhǎng lǎo suǒ shuō 。”
虬须大汉点了点头，脸色也很沉重：“这样的事情，小弟哪敢信口开河，我是亲口听大长老所说。”
Senior Feng sighed: "Elder Grandmaster is the pride of our sect and most likely to advance to the Transcendence stage. As for Brother Yun and Sister Ye, they are young yet have advanced to a later stage. Their talent far surpasses mine. Working together, it's hard to imagine anyone else could defeat them all."
“ yú xiōng bú shì bù xìn shī dì zhī yán ， zhǐ shì zhè jiàn shì qíng ……”
“愚兄不是不信师弟之言，只是这件事情……”
"Humph! Discussing this now is meaningless. I believe Shi Di isn't lying. Once the Elder Grandmaster awakens, everything will be clear."
liǎn sè là huáng de xiū shì tàn le kǒu qì ， suí hòu zhuǎn guò tóu lú ：“ fēng shī xiōng ， nǐ shì zěn me kàn de ？”
脸色蜡黄的修士叹了口气，随后转过头颅：“风师兄，你是怎么看的？”
A silver voice entered his ears, but its tone was extremely cold. The speaker was a petite female cultivator with fair skin like jade, though her appearance remained hidden behind a white scarf, revealing only her eyes and forehead.
tā suǒ xún wèn de duì xiàng shì yī nián yuē wǔ xún de xiū shì ， yī tóu huā bái de tóu fà ， róng mào méi yǒu fēn háo chū qí ， rán ér zǐ xì kàn ， zhè jū rán shì yī wèi fēn shén hòu qī de dà xiū shì 。
他所询问的对象是一年约五旬的修士，一头花白的头发，容貌没有分毫出奇，然而仔细看，这居然是一位分神后期的大修士。
Despite being short, she had advanced-stage cultivation and considerable authority. Her words silenced everyone else.
nà fēng xìng lǎo zhě tàn le kǒu qì ：“ dà zhǎng lǎo nǎi běn mén qiáo chǔ ， zuì yǒu kě néng jìn jiē dào dù jié qī ， zhì yú yún shī dì yǔ yè shī mèi ， nián jì qīng qīng ， jiù jìn jiē dào hòu qī ， lùn zī zhì ， yě yuǎn fēi lǎo fū kě yǐ qǐ jí ， sān rén lián shǒu ， fàng yǎn bīng hǎi jiè ， chú le nà yǐ jiǔ bù chū shì de xuán bīng lǎo yāo ， wǒ shí zài xiǎng bù tōng ， hái yǒu shuí ， néng gòu ràng tā men liǎng sǐ yī táo 。”
那风姓老者叹了口气：“大长老乃本门翘楚，最有可能进阶到渡劫期，至于云师弟与叶师妹，年纪轻轻，就进阶到后期，论资质，也远非老夫可以企及，三人联手，放眼冰海界，除了那已久不出世的玄冰老妖，我实在想不通，还有谁，能够让他们两死一逃。”
"Shi Di, you said the Elder Grandmaster mentioned he would awaken in ten days?"
“ hēng ， xiàn zài tǎo lùn zhè xiē hái yǒu hé yì yì ， wǒ xiāng xìn wáng shī dì shì bú huì sā huǎng dì ， děng dà zhǎng lǎo chū guān ， bù jiǔ yī qiè qīng chǔ 。”
“哼，现在讨论这些还有何意义，我相信王师弟是不会撒谎地，等大长老出关，不久一切清楚。”
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Chapter 2568: The Fiery Heart Demon
Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in the training room, his body emitting a vibrant blue light. His eyes were tightly shut, but the flickering spiritual light around him revealed an aura of mystery and profundity.
A few feet before him, a spherical light ball hovered in mid-air, about ten meters in diameter. Inside this sphere was a terrifyingly shaped wild boar with exposed fangs, looking particularly fierce.
However, it was clearly bound by some forbidden technique.
Lin Xuan took a deep breath; his previously closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a profound spiritual light within.
He then raised his right hand, palm facing outward, and a flame leaped out from the center of his palm. The flame was multi-colored, with different hues swirling around it, making it appear exceptionally beautiful.
Phantasmal Heavenly Fire!
That trace of eerie demonic energy had long vanished, having been refined by Lin Xuan.
However, compared to just a few days ago, this Phantasmal Heavenly Fire now seemed somewhat different.
Lin Xuan suddenly began waving his hands up and down, fingers flickering. Strange magical techniques appeared in his vision.
Boom!
The Phantasmal Heavenly Fire that had been hovering motionless on his palm suddenly changed. A black thread surfaced on its surface, rapidly expanding until the multi-colored spiritual fire turned pitch-black like ink.
An unsettling aura emanated from it.
Lin Xuan scrutinized this demonic flame; he hadn't expected such a change after refining away that eerie magic energy.
However... It seemed to be an unexpected收获.
Thus, Phantasmal Heavenly Fire gained another mysterious and profound attribute.
The demonic energy originally wanted to devour the Phantasmal Heavenly Fire but was ultimately refined for use.
Now, Lin Xuan intended to test this newly acquired power.
He raised his right hand and pointed it forward with one finger.
Pfft!
A faint sound entered his ears as the green light ball in front of him shattered into nothingness.
A deafening roar echoed. The wild boar's eyes glowed with ferocity, its nature being quite temperamental. Especially for a wild boar; once enraged, it would fight regardless of the opponent’s rank.
Moreover, Lin Xuan was now concealing his spiritual pressure, while the wild boar had been bound for a day and night, filled with rage. Upon breaking free, it immediately charged at Lin Xuan with its hooves, sending a thunderous roar into his ears.
It was just a low-grade beast; Lin Xuan naturally showed no fear. However, this wasn't combat but testing the technique, so he remained extremely serious.
As the beast approached within a few feet of him, Lin Xuan suddenly clasped his hands together and then spread them apart. As he did, the small ball of demonic fire suddenly grew in size. A black light flashed, and before the wild boar could touch it, it became wildly agitated.
No... More accurately, it was extremely fearful, jumping around frantically as if struck by an unimaginable terror.
Indeed, it worked well.
Lin Xuan waved his sleeves, causing the rapidly growing demonic fire to shrink back into his sleeve like a whale sucking water.
He scanned the scene; the wild boar had retreated to a corner, huddled and trembling. Its eyes still conveyed confusion and fear.
It seemed that after refining away that eerie magic energy, Phantasmal Heavenly Fire gained a new power targeting the mental realm.
This wasn't surprising since the most terrifying aspect of an outsider demon was causing heart demons in cultivators.
What exactly is a heart demon? No book could explain it clearly. However, one thing was certain: heart demons were related to spiritual matters. Lin Xuan was confident about this.
The wild boar had been just a low-grade beast with minimal intelligence.
If his guess was correct, such mental attacks would be limited against beings of lower intellect. If humans or cultivators at the transformation stage faced it, the outcome might differ; perhaps not just agitation and fear but even causing them to go mad.
Moreover, if there were no such obvious and powerful effects, merely making opponents dazed...
Don't underestimate this. A momentary distraction could be fatal in a battle where every millisecond counted.
This new addition to Phantasmal Heavenly Fire's abilities was highly useful. In critical moments, it might become a significant killing technique.
Lin Xuan was extremely satisfied with the benefits he gained from his recent journey through the sealed space.
While Lin Xuan was content, recounting all the benefits and treasures he had acquired, outside the cave, the high-ranking cultivators of the Ethereal Immortal Palace were nearly as frantic as ants on a hot pan.
...
"Shi Di, did I hear you correctly? You said Senior Sister Ye and Brother Yun have already perished. Even Elder Grandmaster is severely injured, his cultivation level dropping by two ranks?" A pale-faced cultivator spoke up, his expression not looking any better.
"Yes."
The bearded man nodded solemnly: "I dare not speak without evidence; I heard it directly from the Elder Grandmaster."
"I don't doubt your words, Brother Shi. But this matter..."
The pale-faced cultivator sighed and turned to Senior Brother Feng: "What do you think?"
He was asking a middle-aged cultivator around fifty years old with white hair. His appearance was unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, he was indeed an advanced-stage cultivator.
Senior Feng sighed: "Elder Grandmaster is the pride of our sect and most likely to advance to the Transcendence stage. As for Brother Yun and Sister Ye, they are young yet have advanced to a later stage. Their talent far surpasses mine. Working together, it's hard to imagine anyone else could defeat them all."
"Humph! Discussing this now is meaningless. I believe Shi Di isn't lying. Once the Elder Grandmaster awakens, everything will be clear."
A silver voice entered his ears, but its tone was extremely cold. The speaker was a petite female cultivator with fair skin like jade, though her appearance remained hidden behind a white scarf, revealing only her eyes and forehead.
Despite being short, she had advanced-stage cultivation and considerable authority. Her words silenced everyone else.
"Shi Di, you said the Elder Grandmaster mentioned he would awaken in ten days?"
PS: Please vote for recommended tickets; thank you, fellow daoists!