The teachings of Patriarch Bodhi were wonderfully eclectic, covering not only the methods of human cultivation but also those of demons, encountering various peculiar and unimaginable techniques, some even bordering on madness, including one known as the Soul Searching Technique. Although this method sounds sinister, in truth, many righteous true immortals have utilized it; its function is to retrieve memories from the three souls and seven spirits of living beings.
Naturally, Mo Xuan had learned this technique.
In fact, within the confines of this formation space, Mo Xuan had accidentally stumbled upon a great advantage. Had it not been for Mo Ling King's carelessness, he would have long been dealt with and would now be on the receiving end of the same method.
Yet, due to his reckless over-extension, facing the backlash of the Li Huo, this poor Mo Ling King lost not just his demon energy and flesh but was reduced to a residual soul and thirty-six thousand ink feathers.
As for these ink feathers, Mo Xuan had them too, essentially the thirty-six thousand feathers that made up his original form. All living spirits, when cultivating correctly, would inevitably undergo a rebirth at a certain level; for demons, this meant transformation. After transforming, the first thing to do is to remold their incredibly potent body parts, much like forging magical treasures. Doing so enables them to defend against encountered troubles, and if forced into a corner, transforming back would greatly enhance their power.
Speaking of which, Mo Xuan was keenly aware of the extraordinary bag used by the Huangmei Old Monster in the Little Thunder Sound Temple, which could seemingly contain all the heavenly immortals called forth by the monkey, to the degree that the monkey could not even stir in defiance. That item was the post-heaven bag of Maitreya Buddha before attaining Buddhahood, often referred to as the Human Species Bag.
In nature, it operated similarly to the ink feathers. While the ink feathers' magical capabilities paled in comparison to the post-heaven bag, if cultivated properly, they could prove invaluable, perhaps even rivaling the post-heaven bag in the future, though that was another matter entirely.
Now, due to a fortunate turn of events, Mo Xuan found himself transformed not just into a shadow but had disappeared entirely, leaving him with only residual demon energy for use and lacking excess strength to forge his innate magical treasure.
At this moment, noticing that these ink feathers had not been consumed by the Li Huo but instead absorbed its very flames, he saw the originally dark feathers shimmering as if bathed in a layer of red, exuding an enticing warmth. Even if Mo Xuan was blind, he could tell this was a wondrous treasure. However, it wasn't the right time to collect them, nor did he have the capability to do so.
Mo Xuan's only task now was to recover his demon energy swiftly and grow stronger, allowing him to deal with matters henceforth.
Thus, he did not exit and employed the Soul Searching Technique to capture the residual soul of the Mo Ling King, extracting his memories. After thoroughly examining them, he couldn't help but lament that the fate of this dead crow was more fortunate than his.
Why did he say so? There was a reason—everything dates back three hundred years.
Three hundred years ago, the Mo Ling King was merely an ordinary crow, devoid of any awakened intelligence. On a day filled with thunder and lightning, this crow flew deep into the woods to avoid the rain, inadvertently venturing further into the shaded mountains, where it accidentally triggered a prohibition set by Zhuyuan. Whether it was due to divine providence or a mere coincidence, this lucky crow inexplicably harnessed the power of thunder and fire, gaining a modicum of spiritual energy. This spiritual energy did not even qualify as proper demon energy, yet it harmonized perfectly with the formation's prohibition surrounding the cave, allowing it entry into the Cave of Illusions, and with that touch of spiritual energy, it entered the formation layer where Mo Xuan currently was.
After passing through two formations, the crow inevitably absorbed some spiritual energy, awakening its intelligence. Within this space, it absorbed some fragments of residual memory left by Zhuyuan, instinctively consumed an elixir from the jade gourd, and in the course of three hundred years, evolved into a powerful demon.
Although this Mo Ling King gained intelligence and could understand the content of the Li Huo Xuan Gong and realized how to cultivate it, his intellect was quite low. Most of his actions had been instinctual; in the three hundred years since, he had shown some improvement, yet his intellect barely matched that of an eleven or twelve-year-old child. Recently, having just transformed successfully, he couldn't wait to venture out and cause troubles.
Whether this was fortune or misfortune remained to be seen – he encountered Mo Xuan.
As for that jade gourd and the elixirs inside, they were uniquely left behind by Zhuyuan for his successor.
It's worth noting that the ancient shamans relied on their physical bodies for sanctification over magical treasures. For instance, Zhuyuan's most valuable possession was indeed this jade gourd — a treasure he hardly looked upon. Its sole purpose was to act as an oversized storage unit.
After proper refinement, the internal space of the jade gourd became virtually limitless, capable of holding anything. According to information retrieved from Zhuyuan's remnants, it could even accommodate primordial stars without any issue.
However, this was its only function; it lacked the abilities of other storage treasures that can refine individuals within.
For Zhuyuan, its greatest worth lay in storing alcohol.
In his final moments, he assigned it a new task: to hold elixirs.
In fact, besides seven pills, there was nothing else in the jade gourd. These pills were carefully concocted by Zhuyuan specifically for his disciple, intended to aid in cultivating the Li Huo Xuan Gong.
The pills were made from Zhuyuan's blood and primordial herbs, containing elements of the fire god's powers. Though not an expert in alchemy, Zhuyuan knew the effects of the pills he crafted. He had created a total of nine pills; two had been consumed by the Mo Ling King, leaving seven contained within the jade gourd.
Upon acquiring one of these pills, Mo Xuan felt an overwhelming joy; this was precisely what he needed. Thus, without hesitation, he placed one into his mouth.
The pill dissolved instantly, and soon, a warm current rose from Mo Xuan's dantian.
He knew it was the blood of Zhuyuan taking effect and, per the cultivation method of the Li Huo Xuan Gong gleaned from the Mo Ling King's residual soul, began to gradually guide the heat flow.
Cultivation is not bound by the passage of time; when Mo Xuan finally opened his eyes again, he realized he had unknowingly spent an entire month engaged in cultivation.