Feeding on malicious thoughts and delighting in manipulating the human heart—such an existence, once it appears, becomes the most terrifying demon under heaven. It can peer directly into the seven emotions and six desires of people, can perceive the weaknesses in human nature, and constantly exploit the flaws therein. A being like this is more dreadful than a heart demon, more troublesome than a heavenly demon. It can shift freely between reality and illusion.
As long as malice and desire persist in the world, it cannot be destroyed.
From this, one could imagine how terrifying this Evil Emperor truly was.
Initially, it was merely a mass of malicious thoughts, evil intent, and the desires of all beings. Once it developed a will, it was destined to endanger all life. Thus, upon discovery, it was suppressed by a mighty being into the Four Symbols Pill Furnace, in an attempt to refine and annihilate it. But unexpectedly, it still managed to condense into an Evil Emperor Dao Pill, even developing its own consciousness.
It proclaimed itself the Evil Emperor.
The moment it emerged, it sought to seize a body through possession.
Of course, with the Evil Emperor's power, it didn't truly need to possess anyone. Possession was just a means of assuming an identity, avoiding hidden dangers, and discarding its shell at any moment. The black mist that formed its body was its shell, shifting between illusion and reality at will.
"Possesses the Myriad Evil Dao Body—able to absorb all evil qi, malice, and emotional desire from the world to strengthen itself. As long as evil and malice exist, it can continuously grow. Undying and indestructible. The more evil exists in the world, the faster it grows in strength. Its potential is limitless. It is the sovereign of all evil."
"Myriad Evil Dao Body. Essence of Evil Spirit. Without consciousness, it can be refined as a Second Nascent Soul or as a true clone. One of the highest-grade vessels for avatars in existence."
In an instant, an immense amount of information surged forth from the Wordless Heavenly Tome, all merging into Yi Tianxing's mind.
As he absorbed this, Yi Tianxing felt a jolt of shock and a creeping sense of dread. Somehow, this Evil Emperor felt...familiar. Then suddenly, fragments of memory surfaced in his mind.
He muttered to himself, "Right... No wonder it felt familiar. This Myriad Evil Dao Body seems connected to what I once saw in Xianjian—a terrifying being known as the Evil Sword Immortal, formed from countless malicious thoughts and evil intent, ultimately condensing into a powerful demon. That demon plunged the world of Xianjian into chaos and upheaval. Killing it was unimaginably difficult."
"The Evil Sword Immortal and this humanoid Evil Emperor Dao Pill are nearly identical lifeforms—both feed on the malicious and evil thoughts of the world. Their growth speed outpaces ordinary cultivators by dozens or even hundreds of times. In mere years, they can attain strength others would need centuries—or millennia—to reach."
"This Myriad Evil Dao Body is a truly one-of-a-kind terrifying existence. If it could be refined into an avatar, it would undoubtedly be one of the most powerful clones in the world."
External incarnation—this is one of the greatest divine abilities in existence. Two minds in one. Two bodies. The advantages are innumerable. Most avatar techniques rely on illusions or temporary manifestations, which disappear after a short time.
It's akin to Sun Wukong's hair clones—they have combat power, but are notably weaker than the original, and their time is limited. They can fight minor monsters, but can't handle true threats. Still, with enough numbers, they can be formidable.
This is the principle behind avatar techniques.
But the most supreme among them is the Second Nascent Soul technique.
By using a secret art to sever a portion of one's own Nascent Soul and fuse it into a suitable vessel, one creates a true Second Nascent Soul—a genuine avatar. The most famous techniques of this kind come from the Shushan World, where they are widespread and perfected.
In Shushan, almost all powerful cultivators aim to cultivate a Second Nascent Soul. It's an ultimate life-saving method. Even in times of calamity, one can rely on the Second Soul to reincarnate and rise again.
Yi Tianxing even speculated that the legendary Sanqing-slaying technique passed down by Hongjun Dao Ancestor might, in essence, be a form of avatar cultivation—an elite technique where slaying the three corpses leads to breakthroughs in cultivation.
Similarly, Laozi's One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones also creates avatars of immense power, nearly on par with the original body—top-tier clone techniques.
Even those shadow clone techniques used by ninjas qualify as decent forms of avatar magic.
Clearly, avatars are an alternative path to vastly enhance one's power.
They can do what the original body cannot. When used wisely, their impact is far greater than the sum of their parts.
"If I could refine this Myriad Evil Dao Body into a Second Nascent Soul, the benefits would be immeasurable. I could send my main body into dangerous regions to train and grow while this evil body continues to absorb malice and grow on its own. It wouldn't even need to cultivate—the world's evil would feed it. It could even purify the evil within my domain, uplifting people's hearts."
Yi Tianxing was utterly captivated. The temptation was overwhelming.
Others spend lifetimes seeking a suitable vessel for their Second Nascent Soul, and yet here before him was a top-tier vessel, delivered into his hands.
All he lacked was the secret art for cultivating the Second Nascent Soul.
Once he acquired it, he could begin the process immediately, forming a clone with limitless potential.
"Looks like I must search for the secret technique to cultivate the Second Nascent Soul. Such a method is rare, yet not impossible to find. With the right fate, I might stumble upon it by chance. Without it, I could search endlessly and still fail."
Taking a deep breath, Yi Tianxing looked at the Evil Emperor Dao Pill still imprisoned in the chaos space, murmuring to himself.
The desire in his heart had been thoroughly stirred.
This was an irresistible opportunity.
Even great cultivators would go mad for it.
This Myriad Evil Dao Body was virtually unkillable. Even erasing its evil will was incredibly difficult. If it hadn't attempted to possess Yi Tianxing and entered his Sea of Consciousness, allowing his Soulshaking Bell to shatter its will, there would've been no chance to refine it. That series of events involved too much luck to replicate.
Casting one final glance at the Dao Pill still sealed within the chaos space, Yi Tianxing turned and departed.
Outside, his body slowly opened its eyes.
He looked at the Four Symbols Pill Furnace before him—an artifact of heaven and earth. After a brief moment of contemplation, he waved his hand and stored it away.
Though the process had its risks, the outcome was an unexpected windfall.
"Where exactly is Dark City? That city clearly didn't come from the fusion of realms, but existed before. Which means this Four Symbols Pill Furnace either belonged to the former city lord or was left behind. Otherwise, it wouldn't be hidden in the lord's residence, stored in a secret chamber."
"Was the previous lord of Dark City intentionally refining an Evil Emperor Dao Pill, or was it an accidental product? Clearly, the city hides unknown secrets. The current city lord also seems to be absorbing the desires and malice of the citizens to recover strength—just like the Myriad Evil Dao Body. Could there be a deeper connection between them?"
Countless thoughts surged in his mind, a tangle of mystery and speculation.
But for now, all he could do was set it aside. These answers wouldn't come just by guessing.
One thing was certain—he wasn't letting any of the benefits go to waste.
"In the Life Aperture Realm, all original apertures are reflected in the sea of divine consciousness. Among them, my Innate Yin-Yang Eye has the most profound origin, having been born innately. Its foundation is the strongest. I'll start by evolving it to the Stellar Stage."
This secluded cultivation had two goals: to open the Dragon Heart Life Aperture, fully forming the five core apertures; and to condense a Life Aperture Star, a massive step forward.
Not even the Evil Emperor's emergence would change that goal.
"Initially, projecting a life aperture into the void only forms its shadow. But to condense a Life Aperture Star, one must use its origin power to form the core Aperture Rune, much like when first opening an aperture. However, now the goal is not to open but to condense into a star. If the origin power runs out, the process halts. But this can be repeated—an act of perseverance."
Yi Tianxing silently reviewed the second stage cultivation method of the Life Aperture Realm.