Chapter 435: Demon Immortals and Demon Fiends
The reason Ye Cheng sought to create a new path for soul beasts and give rise to demons was that he found soul beasts, as products of the Divine Realm's system, to have far too little potential.
Soul beasts in the Douluo world were somewhat similar to demons in that they absorbed external energy to grow. However, there was a fundamental difference: their intelligence developed far too slowly. The vast majority of soul beasts had extremely low intelligence!
The primary distinction between soul beasts and demons lay in their wisdom.
In the Douluo world, a soul beast needed to cultivate for a hundred thousand years before reaching the intelligence level of an average human. And even then, if they wished to take human form, they had to abandon their beastly body permanently transforming into a short lived human. If they failed to become a god within their limited lifespan, they were doomed.
Abandoning their longevity to become human meant that these soul beasts could no longer truly be called soul beasts. Yet, they weren't quite human either, leaving them stuck in a limbo of mediocrity, neither here nor there, with limited potential.
Demons, however, were different. Even the weakest among them could take on human form and possessed intelligence comparable to humans. Moreover, their lifespans were far longer than those of ordinary people. In many ways, becoming a demon was the ideal state for a soul beast.
The key to transforming from a mere beast into a true demon lay in demonic cultivation. Ye Cheng's plan was to begin with a Divine Enlightenment Technique, which would awaken the intelligence of weaker soul beasts and transform them into demonic beasts. No longer would they rely solely on instinct to absorb the energy of the heavens and earth in a slow, inefficient process. Instead, with intelligence and an understanding of cultivation techniques, they could walk the path of true demonic cultivation.
Of course, the demons Ye Cheng envisioned were not the traditional malevolent creatures known for wreaking havoc. His focus was on cultivating wisdom, guiding demons toward the path of Demon Immortals, much like Bai Suzhen from the Legend of the White Snake, who walked the righteous path.
Those who succumbed to their base instincts devouring humans and indulging in bloodlust would be nothing more than Demon Fiends, forever unable to attain enlightenment.
Ye Cheng had no intention of creating a race solely to prey on humans.
According to his vision, the more demons cultivated, the more they would resemble humans. Conversely, those who clung to their beastly instincts and engaged in evil would remain mere monsters.
Of course, in this world, light and dark coexisted. Good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, immortals and fiends these forces were bound by the laws of balance.
After all, without the existence of Demon Fiends, how could the virtues of Demon Immortals be fully realized?
Thus, once demonic cultivation became widespread, there would naturally be those who walked the righteous path and others who strayed into darkness. This was no different from humanity, where good and bad people coexisted.
To Ye Cheng, the Far North was the perfect place to start from scratch and develop a new race of demons. As for the Silver Dragon King's faction, they were already well established and deeply influenced by the Divine Realm's system. Forcing a change in their cultivation method would be an arduous task. It was better to let them continue on their path of forming bonds with humans through contracts.
…
After some time had passed.
"I've finally completed the calculations."
After spending a considerable amount of time in "seclusion" within the fragment at least, that's what he made it seem like Ye Cheng decided that enough time had passed. He finally delivered the much anticipated news to the eagerly awaiting Snow Empress and Ice Empress.
"Did you succeed?" The two women could hardly contain their impatience. Even the usually aloof Snow Empress, whose expression was perpetually cold, had a faint blush of excitement on her delicate face. It was truly an endearing sight.
"Yes, I did."
Reappearing in his physical form, Ye Cheng nodded with a smile and explained, "The path of demonic cultivation was actually mostly complete before my death. The most crucial parts had already been worked out. Given more time, I could have perfected it entirely. However, the invasion of the Abyss left me with no choice but to put it on hold. Now, with the memories I've gathered from the other fragments, I've managed to fill in the missing pieces. Finalizing it completely was not difficult."
Had Huo Yuhao or the Skydream Iceworm been listening, they would have immediately realized that Elder Ye was lying through his teeth.
After all, according to what he had previously told them, the Demonic Cultivation Method was merely a rough framework far from completion. Yet now, Ye Cheng was claiming that most of it had already been finished before his death.
These two versions of events weren't just contradictory they were worlds apart. Clearly, one of them was a lie.
But even if Huo Yuhao and the Skydream Iceworm discovered the inconsistency, Ye Cheng wouldn't be the least bit concerned. He could simply brush it off by saying, "I'm just a fragmented soul. My memories are incomplete I probably got things mixed up." That alone would be enough to fool them.
…
Having declared that the Demonic Cultivation Method was now complete, Ye Cheng casually raised a hand and sent two beams of white light into the foreheads of the Snow Empress and Ice Empress.
Instantly, a massive flood of information surged into their minds.
The sheer amount of knowledge was so overwhelming that they instinctively furrowed their brows, closing their eyes as they focused on absorbing and processing the information.
It took a long while before the Snow Empress whose cultivation was higher finally opened her eyes. She gently rubbed her temple with her pale fingers, her icy blue eyes filled with astonishment and admiration, as if she had just glimpsed into an entirely new world.
"So this is the Demonic Cultivation Method… A path I had never even imagined." She was completely amazed, her usual cold demeanor nowhere to be found. The sheer depth of the knowledge flooding her mind had utterly shaken her worldview. It was nothing short of revolutionary.
"But…" she hesitated before adding, "This technique is far too profound. Even with my intelligence, I cannot fully grasp it in a short amount of time. Let alone the younger and weaker soul beasts there's no way they'll be able to understand or practice it. It doesn't seem like something that can be widely taught."
"Demonic cultivation is essentially a process of continuously refining and transforming one's bloodline," Ye Cheng explained. "Once the first generation of soul beasts successfully cultivates and transforms into demons, their refined bloodline will be passed down to their offspring.
"This means that future generations won't need to cultivate from scratch they will be born as demons. From birth, they will possess intelligence equal to that of humans.
"As they grow, the memories stored in their inherited bloodline will gradually awaken, guiding them on how to cultivate. So you don't need to worry once the first few generations make the transition, it will become a self sustaining cycle."
Hearing this, the Snow Empress relaxed slightly, though she still had some doubts.
The biggest issue was that the Demonic Cultivation Method was so complex that even a hundred thousand year soul beast would struggle to comprehend it, let alone younger, weaker ones.
And hundred thousand year soul beasts were incredibly rare the entire Far North had fewer than twenty of them. Even if every single one of them successfully cultivated and reproduced, it would barely make a difference in creating a new race.
When she voiced her concerns, Ye Cheng simply smiled and said, "Of course, I've already considered that. That's why, in my past life, I developed a special technique the Divine Enlightenment Technique!"
"The Divine Enlightenment Technique?" The Snow Empress was puzzled.
"This technique serves one purpose: to awaken intelligence in the ignorant," Ye Cheng explained with a grin. "Even if I were to use it on a mere ten year old soul beast, it would instantly gain the wisdom of a hundred thousand year soul beast."
At this early stage of demonic cultivation, he planned to use the Divine Enlightenment Technique to grant soul beasts intelligence, allowing them to comprehend cultivation and begin their journey as demons.
Over time, as more soul beasts transformed into demons and bore offspring, generation after generation, the need for the Divine Enlightenment Technique would naturally disappear.
(End of Chapter)
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