Chapter 436: The Difficult Path of Cultivation
What set demons apart from soul beasts was their intelligence.
In this world, unless a soul beast possessed an extremely high bloodline such as an auspicious beast it would typically take at least one hundred thousand years before it could develop intelligence comparable to that of a human. Even then, its intelligence might still be slightly inferior.
However, the Divine Enlightenment Technique could turn an ignorant, wild beast into a spirit, granting it intelligence equal to that of a human. The drawback was that this intelligence was acquired rather than innate and could not be passed down to offspring.
But by pairing the Divine Enlightenment Technique with Demonic Cultivation, a soul beast could gradually transform its own bloodline, evolving step by step until it fully became a demon. Once this transformation was complete, its altered bloodline would be inherited by future generations.
These newly born creatures would be demons from birth, never needing to undergo the arduous process of transformation that their parents endured. Even without cultivation, their intelligence would naturally develop with age, just like that of humans. Through continued reproduction, the demon race would gradually expand and strengthen!
This was the true terror of Demonic Cultivation it could forcibly reshape an entire species, creating a new race entirely distinct from soul beasts.
…
Having received Ye Cheng's guidance on Demonic Cultivation, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress immediately began their practice, determined to become the first demons of this world!
The first step in altering their bloodline was to gradually transform their soul power into demon energy.
This process also modified their genetic structure. Once all the energy in their bodies was fully converted into demon energy, it would signify the completion of their bloodline transformation. While the method itself was simple, the time required was enormous the stronger one's cultivation, the longer the transformation process. In contrast, weaker beings could complete it much faster.
For the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, who had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, converting their vast reservoirs of soul power into demon energy could take anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years perhaps even longer.
But Ye Cheng wasn't about to let them waste that much time. If they relied purely on their own efforts, by the time they succeeded, everything else would have already changed. He decided to give them a little… help.
Of course, to avoid arousing suspicion, he lied to them, claiming that he could borrow a portion of the Flying Rainbow Sword Fragment's power to accelerate their transformation.
Neither the Snow Empress nor the Ice Empress had any reason to doubt him. After all, they had no idea how difficult this process truly was, nor could they judge what a Creation God level being was capable of. They had no choice but to take his word for it.
They chose the deepest part of the cave as their training site.
This was also the Snow Empress's usual place for secluded cultivation just a simple, artificially carved out cavern. There were no grand structures, as such things held no meaning for soul beasts.
After the Snow Empress sat cross legged on the icy platform, Ye Cheng stood nearby and signaled that she could begin.
The Ice Empress remained at his side, observing the process so she could learn from the Snow Empress's experience.
The reason they weren't cultivating simultaneously was simple: Ye Cheng couldn't help both of them at the same time. Given their immense power, even with the limited energy he could manipulate from the fragmented sword, assisting just one of them was already pushing the limits.
The Ice Empress had no objections. The two of them were inseparable best friends, their bond spanning tens of thousands of years. In fact, she harbored feelings for the Snow Empress that were… a little more than friendship.
…
Sitting cross legged atop the icy platform, the Snow Empress took one last look at the two of them before closing her eyes, focusing on recalling the key principles of Demonic Cultivation.
After confirming that she fully understood the process, she began her practice.
At first, it was incredibly difficult. Even though she understood what to do, understanding and executing were two entirely different matters.
Altering one's genetic makeup and transforming an entire bloodline just thinking about it made it clear that this was nothing short of a rebirth, an act of divine creation. There was no way it could be done easily.
As expected, the Snow Empress failed dozens of times before she finally started grasping the essence of the technique. Slowly, she entered the right state, and the vast ocean of soul power within her began undergoing a mysterious transformation.
The process was agonizingly slow.
As she became immersed in her training, time lost all meaning…
No one knew how long had passed before, at last, a single wisp of energy emerged completely distinct from the soul power she had known.
Demon Energy!
However, compared to the boundless ocean of soul power within her, this newly formed demon energy was as insignificant as a single drop of fresh water in the sea.
If she wasn't extremely careful, it would be instantly assimilated and erased, wasting all her efforts.
To prevent this, the Snow Empress had to expend enormous effort to maintain this fragile wisp of energy, ensuring that her soul power did not overwrite it. She even had to continuously feed it small portions of soul power to nurture and strengthen it.
This required an extremely delicate balance. A single mistake could cause the newborn demon energy to collapse, forcing her to start all over again.
…
Meanwhile, in the outside world…
By the time the Snow Empress had managed to create her first thread of demon energy, half a month had already passed.
Ye Cheng, who had been closely monitoring her progress, finally saw signs of success. A smile appeared on his face as he thought to himself:
"I underestimated how long this would take. At this rate, if she continues on her own, she won't fully transform even in tens of thousands of years. Worse yet, a single misstep could set her back hundreds of years, forcing her to start over."
"Looks like it's time for me to step in."
With that thought, Ye Cheng raised his hand and summoned a fragment of the Flying Rainbow Sword.
Forming a sword seal, he controlled the fragment, sending it above the Snow Empress.
A brilliant, radiant light poured down, completely enveloping her.
…
At that moment, the Snow Empress, who had been painstakingly maintaining balance, suddenly felt her blood boiling!
At the same time, the vast ocean of soul power within her was forcefully frozen, becoming utterly rigid as lifeless as a still pond.
The only energy still flowing freely was the tiny thread of demon energy she had nurtured.
Realizing this, she acted without hesitation, immediately taking control of the demon energy and launching an assault against her frozen soul power!
Bit by bit, the demon energy began devouring and assimilating the soul power.
The previously fragile wisp of demon energy now grew at an astonishing rate!
The transformation process, which should have taken thousands of years, was suddenly accelerated by hundreds if not thousands of times!
The aura emanating from the Snow Empress began shifting dramatically.
Standing beside them, the Ice Empress widened her eyes, watching intently as she carefully analyzed the changes occurring in the Snow Empress.
Cross referencing these observations with the Demonic Cultivation Method stored in her mind, she rapidly deepened her understanding of the demon path.
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