Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 112 - Will of Divine Desolation

They wore a flowing robe that swirled around them, their bare feet stepping lightly on the skulls beneath. Their eerie and captivating eyes fixated on the lonely moon above. Behind them, three snow-white fox tails fluttered.

"Moon Fairy!" An unexpectedly warm, soft voice broke the eerie silence.

The silver-haired figure turned, spotting a misty white fog rising from the base of the mountain. Within moments, the fog solidified, revealing a young woman. Her skin was pale as fresh snow, her body slender and graceful. Her face held a playful allure, her waist was as flexible as a serpent's, truly a beauty to behold.

"Ling'er." Moon Fairy's lips twitched upwards, his gaze intensifying, "What's the news?"

Pouting in a charming fashion, Ling'er replied, "My father watches too closely. I failed!"

"Failed? Oh." Moon Fairy's expression cooled, and he began to turn away.

"Wait!" Ling'er reached out, grabbing his arm. With a mischievous giggle, she said, "Just pulling your leg! I got it."

"Show me." Moon Fairy cast a fleeting glance at her, secretly thinking, Nice lanterns, extra points for that slender waist...

She complied, producing a black jade box from her possession. Snake patterns writhed on the box's surface, creating an eerie appearance. A blazing aura emanated from within, pushing away the cold gloom and bringing heat to the haunted mountain.

Both Moon Fairy and Ling'er soon broke into a gentle sweat. The young woman's face flushed, giving her a uniquely charming appearance.

"I had to sneak this out." Ling'er carefully placed the jade box in his hand. "Once you're done, we need to return it. If my father finds out, he'll kill me!"

"And giving it to me outright wasn't an option?" Moon Fairy mused.

"That's out of the question! It's my father's most treasured possession." Ling'er pouted.

"I'll head back to my cave to cultivate then," Moon Fairy said.

"I'll stand guard at the entrance for you." Ling'er nodded enthusiastically.

"Good girl." Moon Fairy pinched her cheek affectionately, "If my cultivation succeeds, I'll reward you later, my little danger noodle."

"Hey!" Ling'er shot him a sultry glance, "How can you call me a noodle?"

Moon Fairy chuckled, his face revealing a playful smirk. Without another word, he disappeared into a nearby cave in the mountain.

Once inside, Moon Fairy eagerly placed the jade box on a boulder.

"Blue Star! Hurry, we've got the Desolate Essence!" He shouted into the void, looking every bit the madman.

Though no one replied, he appeared to be deep in listening. Soon, a smile of relief formed on his lips. "Good, I've got it. Just the initial stage, should be easy enough." He then sat cross-legged, his long silvery hair cascading down, and his enchanting eyes fixed on the jade box before him.

"This is the Star grade Desolate Essence, known as the Bone Phosphor Flame. It's the only one in the entire Sword Realm and has been passed down through several generations of Demon Lords..."

It was an absolute treasure!

"Demons refine their flesh with the hope of reaching the ultimate state, the Immortal Demon. And this Desolate Essence birthed by the Grand Wasteland are crucial for refining the body. Without this Star grade Bone Phosphor Flame, the Grand Wasteland wouldn't have produced so many age-old Demon Lords!" Moon Fairy chuckled, his cold eyes gleaming. "Too bad, from today onward, it'll be gone."

Taking a deep breath, Moon Fairy opened the jade box.

HUM! Inside, a blazing white flame burned fiercely, illuminating the dim cave like daylight and causing the temperature to soar. The moss on the walls withered and charred instantly, transforming the cave into a furnace.

"Worthy of a Star grade Desolate Essence!"

Blue Star had mentioned that this was a unique variant of spiritual energy, possessing myriad properties like wind, fire, water, earth, and thunder. It filled the entire realm. Cultivators use it to craft magical tools or aid in pill refinement, while demons used it directly to forge their physical bodies...

"All Desolate Essence share one common characteristic, a tremendous amount of stored energy. For instance, successive Demon Lords used this Bone Phosphor Flame to refine their bodies by immersing themselves in it, letting the flame scorch their flesh, refining themselves as if they were the main ingredient of a pill." Moon Fairy cast a glance outside the cave.

Ling'er, the girl outside, was the beloved daughter of the Grand Wasteland Demon Lord. He'd recently been using the Bone Phosphor Flame to refine her body. How else could she have sneaked it out for him?

Moon Fairy's icy eyes settled back on the Bone Phosphor Flame. His gaze became distant and ethereal, murmuring, "Among the Six Ancestral Gods, there's an ancient Demon God named Divine Desolation."

Both Blue Star and Red Moon were the soul beasts of the ancient bronze coffin, brothers to the Creator Immortal, not mere pets. However, this Divine Desolation Demon God was a gatekeeper raised by the Creator Immortal...

All this was shared by Blue Star moments ago.

"The Creator Immortal founded the path for demons to ascend, gifting this Demon God with the Will of Divine Desolation. But like the Primordial Void Technique, what diverged to create thousands of demon paths was merely the Lesser Divine Desolation. The one recorded within the soul beast is the Greater Divine Desolation."

Will of Divine Desolation! Primordial Void Technique! The former for fleshly refinement, the latter for qi cultivation!

Whether for demon cultivators or human cultivators, both paths led to the heavens. The origin of all these paths was none other than the Creator Immortal!

"Using the Will of Divine Desolation with the power of the Star grade Desolate Essence can refine the Bone Phosphor Flame directly into one's flesh, enhancing one's power exponentially!" This technique was the genesis of all demon arts. And yet, the Bone Phosphor Flame was nothing more than a mundane flame.

"Blue Star, with this body double of mine practicing the Will of Divine Desolation to its utmost, can it be integrated back into my main self?" Moon Fairy seemed to be musing to himself.

After a moment, he chuckled, saying, "Ah, I see! So, whatever my double cultivates can be instantly merged back into my true form, bolstering my strength and giving me the Divine Desolation Physique? So, it's like multitasking—running two versions of me, the big and the small, training them simultaneously.

"It's perhaps more fitting for me to cultivate this using a demon form. Otherwise, if folks mistake my true self for a demon, it'd be quite the blunder!" If need be, he could merge or separate his two selves at any time.

"Damn, that's awesome! The genius of the Creator Immortal never fails to amaze me!

"Well, let's get started then!" Moon Fairy's eyes locked onto the Bone Phosphor Flame.

"While the Primordial Void Technique comes with the Heavenly Dao Sarira, allowing for instant elevation, this Will of Divine Desolation requires the absorption of Desolate Essence and promises intense agony." Moon Fairy furrowed his brows for a moment but soon relaxed. "It's just a body double. If it gets wrecked, I'll chuck it. Sure, it'll hurt a bit, but I can endure it."

With that in mind, Moon Fairy began reciting the incantations of the Will of Divine Desolation..

A hum echoed through the fiery cave. Moon Fairy, stripped down, was enveloped in a white ethereal mist. Suddenly, he transformed into a snowy three-tailed fox. Even though the fox was male, it had an alluring charm inherent to its species, a gift that Moon Fairy had used quite conveniently to procure the Desolate Essence.

Now, the fox expertly landed on all fours, squinting at the Bone Phosphor Flame. Within its eyes, two pale whirlpools emerged, reminiscent of the dawn of the universe. As the Will of Divine Desolation took effect, this seemingly average fox underwent a profound transformation, its very essence mirroring the vast expanse of the universe.

WHOOSH! Without further ado, the fox gulped down the Desolate Essence revered by generations of demon lords.

"Ugh..." Instantly, the fox curled up in agony. Its body trembled violently, bloodshot eyes reflecting its torment. Blazing white flames surged, incinerating its fur to ashes in a flash!

This wasn't cultivation; it was more like a grisly self-immolation!

The Desolate Essence was the flame used in alchemical concoctions and infusing swords. Even the most formidable of demons, with their resilient bodies, dared only to touch it externally. And here was a mere Demon Emperor, daring to consume it with his flesh and blood?

In this realm, any demon audacious enough to devour the Desolate Essence was effectively signing their own death warrant. The sole outcome was to be incinerated to ash.

"Damn, that hurts!" Moon Fairy groaned. Every inch of him was aflame. Bones, intestines, heart, and flesh, all seemed to be roasting on a spit. The agony was beyond human endurance.

For a moment, Moon Fairy contemplated giving up. But then he recalled what he'd said earlier. He repeated to himself, "It's just a body double. I can endure it!"

And endure he did, until the scorching fire of the Desolate Essence reached his Demon Core. The true transformation of the Will of Divine Desolation began here.

"The cultivation system of demons differs from that of human immortals. Although the third realm for both is the core, the fourth realm diverges distinctly."

"While the way of human Immortals transforms the core into a dragon, the way of the demons is far more ruthless, shattering the core into the body, fusing demonic power and flesh as one. Instead of gathering in the Dantian, the stronger the body, the greater the demonic power.

"So, the fourth realm for demons is called the Sovereign Physique Realm."

The Sovereign Physique Realm and the Sovereign Dragon Realm were comparable in strength, but different in method and expertise.

"Now, let's see if this ultimate treasure of the Grand Wasteland, the Star grade Desolate Essence, can elevate my Demon Core quickly, shatter it in one step to enter the Sovereign Physique Realm, and forge the initial stage of the Divine Desolation Physique."

The Will of Divine Desolation formed an abyss-like maw on his Demon Core, biting the Desolate Essence flame and drawing it atop.

HUM! The two kept merging, and Moon Fairy's Demon Core expanded. Finally, in a moment of crescendo, the core shattered, its demonic power surging throughout, filling every sinew, tissue, and bone. The three-tailed demon fox's body emitted crackling sounds, signaling the inception of the Divine Desolation Physique...

WHOOSH!

The demon fox was suddenly enshrouded in even more ferocious white flames. However, unlike before, its flesh wasn't charred but reborn. Under the blazing inferno, strands of gleaming silver fur regrew, and it transformed back into a beautiful fox.

Subsequently, it morphed into its human form.

Moon Fairy's waist-length silver hair billowed out like a majestic curtain. When he opened his eyes, they had transformed to a piercing silver, with twin orbs of pale, intense flames dancing within. Silver luminescent patterns, reminiscent of otherworldly tongues of Bone Phosphor Flames, coursed over his entire body. Even his features sharpened, adopting an otherworldly, enchanting allure...

"It's done." A sly smile crept upon Moon Fairy's lips. "Onto the second path!"

He rose gracefully, and although his frame appeared slender, a power surged from within him, reminiscent of ancient, formidable beasts. His demonic power now seemed to meld seamlessly with his very flesh.

WHOOSH! White mist spiraled around him, and within this mist, numerous illusions took on a more tangible form.

"Even my demon magic has improved!" Moon Fairy mused. The transformation was, indeed, profound. "Worthy of the Will of Divine Desolation, worthy of the Divine Desolation Demon God, worthy of the Creator Immortal!"

Unlike his main body and the Primordial Void Technique, the Will of Divine Desolation focused on refining the physique. There was no Dantian restriction; he simply needed to continually fortify his body through the wasteland's influence.

Though this approach was somewhat limiting in the types of techniques available, its initial growth stages were undoubtedly simpler.

"Most importantly, I can transfer the Divine Desolate Physique to my main body at any time," Moon Fairy muttered. This was crucial. The Creator Immortal was, after all, unified.

"With over 18,000,000 Spirit Stones supporting my main body, after meditating for a single day, I've already broken through two stages, reaching the Establishment Origin Core Realm! My combat power seems to be nearing the peak of the Sea of Swords. I wonder, if my main body were to duel with this body double, who would win?" Moon Fairy mused curiously.

"My current Divine Desolation Physique's demon magic might be stronger, but it probably can't withstand my main body's hundred-layer Sword Aura and Sword Soul." At this thought, Moon Fairy chuckled, murmuring to himself, "It's sort of like having my left hand fighting the right. There's likely no clear answer."

Confronting oneself? How would that even work? Punching yourself in the face?

With a deep exhale, Moon Fairy adjusted his posture and slowly raised his gaze to the endless demon mountains beyond his cavern dwelling.

"The Grand Wasteland Pact?" He chuckled to himself. Slipping into a roomy robe, his silvery hair, luminous as moonbeams, cascaded down his back. Barefoot, he made his way toward the entrance of his cavern.

The world outside was deep in the throes of midnight.

A lithe young girl, snake-like in her flexibility, was dozing against a rock by the cavern's entrance.

"Ling'er," Moon Fairy called out gently.

Stirring with a murmur, the girl, Ling'er, lifted her drowsy head. Catching sight of him, her eyes lit up. "You seem... different somehow."

"Different how?" His gaze was icy as he watched her.

"Even more handsome! Did you use one of your demon magic on me again?" she teased with playful, flirty eyes. Standing, she moved closer, her face flushed. "I stole the Bone Phosphor Flame for you. You said you'd reward me..."

"Come inside," he beckoned, taking her hand and leading her back into the cave. Ling'er's heart raced in response.

Inside the cavern, Moon Fairy turned and pulled her into an embrace. With a blush painting her cheeks, Ling'er whispered, "You know, I've decided. If my father still refuses, I'll elope with you!"

"Why does he refuse?" he asked, his tone chilly.

"He says snakes and foxes don't mix; we're not of the same kind. So annoying!" she pouted.

"He has a point," Moon Fairy murmured, bending down so that their faces were barely an inch apart. His hands found her waist. "Ling'er, do you truly care for me?"

"I do! You're so much more handsome than those crude brutes, and you're funny... and a little bad," Ling'er confessed with a shy smile.

"Is that so?" His voice dropped an octave. "Well, tonight, let's see just how bad I can be."