Feather Refinement of the Heart

Stepping into the Mortal realm, the thin yet familiar turbid Spiritual Qi in the air allowed Nightmare, whose nerves had been taut, to relax slightly.

Compared to the pervasive wild Demonic Qi and deadly dangers of the Southern Wasteland Demon Domain, this place, though barren of Spiritual Qi, signified order and relative safety. At the very least, the Nascent Soul old monsters of the Qinglan Sect and those powerful demon cultivators would not easily set foot in such a Mortal land, lest they incur Karma or attract the attention of the Mortal Dynasty’s guardians.

He restrained the unsettling Devilish Qi around him, covering his body with only a faint Spiritual Power, making himself appear like a dusty, somewhat injured, down-and-out Loose Cultivator. His clothes, already tattered from successive battles, perfectly fit this image.

The small village ahead, with its rising smoke, crowing chickens, and barking dogs, was full of ordinary worldly life.

Nightmare did not disturb anyone. Like a true passerby, he silently circled to the back mountain of the village and found an abandoned hunter's cabin in a secluded mountain hollow.

The cabin had been uninhabited for a long time and was covered in dust, but its structure was still intact, enough to shelter him from wind and rain.

Nightmare carefully scouted the surroundings, and after confirming there was no danger, he set up a few simple concealment and warning Restrictions inside the cabin. Although crude, they were enough to guard against wild beasts and occasional passing Mortals.

After doing all this, he finally let out a true sigh of relief, and an indescribable sense of exhaustion surged over him like a tide.

The continuous pursuit, counter-killing, and escape had left him mentally and physically drained, even with his Demonic Venerable's resolve and current Cultivation.

He sat cross-legged on the dusty earthen bed, first taking a few Medicinal Pills. He slowly circulated the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture, absorbing the thin Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth and the power of the Medicinal Pills, healing the internal injuries that had not yet fully recovered.

The life leaf talisman, pressed against his chest, emitted a gentle and continuous vitality, nourishing his Physical Body and Divine Soul, with significant effect.

Time flowed by in silence.

Several days later, Nightmare's injuries were completely healed, and his state returned to Peak. Moreover, due to the tempering of successive fierce battles and the demonic vine's feedback, his Cultivation had advanced a little further, stabilizing at the Late Golden Core Stage.

It was time.

Nightmare took a deep breath, his eyes becoming extremely solemn. With a thought, the iridescent, sacred, and vibrant azure luan inheritance plume appeared in his hand.

The moment the plume appeared, the air inside the cabin seemed to become much fresher, imbued with a refreshing spiritual charm.

However, beneath this sacredness, Nightmare could feel an extremely arrogant and exclusive faint consciousness. This was the remnant Origin will of the Divine Beast Azure Luan. Although it had been eroded by time and was very weak, it instinctively repelled his demonic cultivator's aura.

Refining it would be far from easy. Forcibly suppressing it could very likely damage the plume's spirituality, or even cause a backlash.

Nightmare pondered for a moment, not immediately attempting to refine it. Instead, he slowly enveloped the plume with his Divine Sense, carefully, as if caressing fragile glazed pottery, sensing the fragments of Law and energy flow contained within.

The first thing he perceived was the vast and boundless Wind Law. It was light, swift, free, yet contained the ferocity to tear apart all things. This subtly aligned with the speed and unpredictability he pursued with his Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique.

Next, there was the incomparably pure power of Life Origin. Warm, nourishing, nurturing all things—this was diametrically opposed to his Demonic Path's power of deathly stillness, even conflicting with it.

Finally, there was a faint, even more profound sacred aura, lofty and transcending the mundane. This was perhaps the core Legacy of the Azure Luan Bloodline.

The difficulties were immense. But the opportunities were equally great.

If he could successfully refine it, even if he only initially grasped a sliver of the Wind Law, his speed would undoubtedly skyrocket to a whole new level! Although the power of Life Origin conflicted with Demonic Essence, if used properly, it might further strengthen his Physical Body and even compensate for some flaws in Demonic Path Cultivation Techniques!

Nightmare calmed his mind and focused, adjusting his state to the best, and began to try to draw out the power within the plume.

He first cautiously separated a tiny wisp of Wind Spirit Power and guided it to merge with his Demonic Essence.

However, as soon as the two forces met, they clashed violently like fire and water, instantly repelling each other!

Nightmare grunted, a stinging pain ran through his Meridians. That wisp of Wind Spirit Power instantly dissipated, which in turn triggered the plume's own resistance. A flash of colorful light, and a gentle yet firm push repelled his Divine Sense.

The first attempt failed.

Nightmare was not disheartened. It would be strange if an Earth Rank top-grade Legacy item were so easy to refine.

He fell into contemplation. Forcible Fusion seemed impossible; he needed to find a "medium" or a "conversion" method.

His gaze involuntarily fell upon the dormant demonic vine seedling in his Dantian.

The demonic vine had the characteristic of devouring all things and transforming energy. It could even devour and transform extreme powers like the Evil Source of the Sacred Tree. Perhaps... a bold idea emerged.

He once again extended his Divine Sense towards the plume, but this time, the goal was not to directly draw out power. Instead, he gently "provoked" the residual will of the Azure Luan with his Divine Sense, while secretly urging the demonic vine seedling to emit an extremely faint intention of desiring to devour.

As expected, the residual Azure Luan will, sensing the demonic vine's aggressive devouring intent, instantly became more vigilant and repulsed. The plume shone brightly, and its resistance grew stronger.

But this was exactly what Nightmare wanted!

Just as the resistance reached its Peak, he abruptly circulated the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture, but not to absorb. Instead, he simulated the unique fluctuation of the demonic vine devouring spatial power and evil Origin when he had previously refined the void meditation stone and the Evil Source of the Sacred Tree!

This fluctuation was extremely peculiar, mixing the deathly stillness of Xiangliu Poison, the profundity of the black stone Origin, the ethereal nature of spatial power, and the defilement of the Evil Source... This mixed and strange fluctuation seemed to cause the proud Azure Luan will to momentarily "stagger" and "be astonished," as if it couldn't comprehend what kind of existence this was.

Now!

Nightmare seized this fleeting opportunity. His Divine Sense transformed into the finest threads, like a butcher carving an ox, precisely "entwining" that purest, will-free fragment of Wind Law within the plume, and sharply peeling it away!

Then, instead of integrating it into himself, he directly guided this fragment of Law into the demonic vine seedling in his Dantian!

Buzz!

The demonic vine seedling trembled violently, and black light burst forth!

That proud fragment of Wind Law was like a bird caught in a spiderweb, struggling frantically, but utterly unable to resist the demonic vine's tyrannical devouring and assimilation power!

In just a moment, it was completely devoured, decomposed, and transformed!

The next moment, a faint, almost invisible azure stream of light appeared on the two tiny black tender leaves of the demonic vine seedling. The aura it emitted also gained a hint of lightness and swiftness.

It succeeded! The demonic vine successfully devoured and adapted to the Wind Law!

Nightmare was overjoyed. Following the same method, he carefully peeled off fragments of Law from the plume again, feeding them to the demonic vine.

This process was extremely taxing on his mind, requiring precise control. If it provoked a fierce counterattack from the Azure Luan's will, not only would all his efforts be in vain, but he might also injure himself.

But Nightmare was incredibly patient, like the most cunning hunter, weakening and eroding little by little.

Days passed one by one.

In the abandoned cabin, Nightmare sat motionlessly like a stone sculpture. The Azure Luan plume suspended before him still glowed, but the fragments of Law and Origin power contained within were being slowly converted and absorbed through the demonic vine, acting as a "transfer station."

The demonic vine seedling grew at a visible pace. Its leaves unfurled, their color deepening, and the porous patterns on their surface became more complex. Azure and black streams of light flickered alternately, emitting a strange aura that was both evil and deathly still, yet light and sacred.

And Nightmare also benefited immensely from it. Through the demonic vine's feedback, his comprehension of the Wind Law continuously improved. The operation of his Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique became more exquisite and harmonious, and his speed reached a new level! Even his Physical Body and Meridians became tougher and wider, nourished by the transformed pure energy.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but when the last trace of ownerless Law fragments in the plume was devoured and transformed by the demonic vine, Nightmare stopped his actions.

At this moment, the plume's light had become much more subdued. Although still sacred, it had lost some of its vitality, and the residual will seemed to have fallen into slumber due to the loss of its Origin.

Nightmare knew that the initial refinement was complete. Deeper levels of Origin power involved the core Legacy of the Azure Luan. With his current strength and Demonic Path Foundation, forcibly touching it would be harmful rather than beneficial, and might even awaken that residual will, making it not worth the gain.

But even so, the harvest had already far exceeded expectations!

With a thought, the demonic vine seedling appeared in his palm. The originally black seedling now had faint azure wind patterns flowing along the edges of its leaves. With a slight tremor, it could even stir the surrounding air, emitting a faint whistling sound.

Nightmare could feel that, if he wished, he could unleash extreme speeds far beyond his previous limits at any time with the help of the demonic vine! He could even cast some attacks imbued with the power of wind erosion!

"From now on, I shall call you the Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine." Nightmare gently stroked the seedling, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

He put the now docile Azure Luan Plume back into the System space, to be dealt with when his strength was sufficient in the future.

After doing all this, Nightmare slowly opened his eyes, ending this long seclusion.

By his calculations, more than a month had likely passed in the outside world.

It was time to leave here and inquire about news from the outside world. To what extent had the Qinglan Sect's pursuit order reached? What was going on with that demon cultivator named Ao Cang? And Gu Qingying... she lost the plume, how was she doing now?

Nightmare removed the Restrictions and walked out of the cabin.

Sunlight streamed down, and the distant village was still peaceful. But he knew that beneath this mundane tranquility, the undercurrents of the cultivation world never ceased to surge.

He needed information, a temporarily safe place to stay, and... more resources to increase his strength.

His gaze turned towards the distant horizon, to the faintly visible outline of a larger town.

There, he might find what he needed.

With a flicker, Nightmare, as if merging into the clear breeze, silently left this ordinary village that had given him a brief respite, and headed towards the town.

His aura was more restrained, his eyes deeper, like a demonic blade hidden in its sheath, about to re-enter the tumultuous world.