Chapter 8: Heaven-Swallowing Immortal Art

The Shrouded World.

After Qin Sheng completed the first wish of the Douluo Qin Sheng, the portion of essence belonging to him was immediately integrated by Qin Sheng.

Talent and comprehension improved, his origin grew stronger, his primordial spirit matured...

Every time he integrated the essence of a deceased Qin Sheng, it was an all-encompassing boost for him.

That nameless ancient scripture seemed to have been triggered, spontaneously circulating at this moment, causing even more peculiar changes within Qin Sheng’s body.

When Qin Sheng regained his clarity, he discovered that he had already mastered the basics of the nameless ancient scripture.

"This... could this really be the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art?" Qin Sheng felt a shock in his heart.

A moment later, Qin Sheng found Elder Li and informed him that he had mastered the ancient scripture.

Elder Li was astonished and immediately took him to see the Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak praised him three times in a row, clearly very satisfied with this result.

"Qin Sheng, you have given me a surprise. To master the Sacred Art in such a short time—I must reward you well!"

"From now on, all your treatment within the Holy Land will be raised to the level of a candidate Holy Son. These Source stones are an extra reward for you."

"Additionally, I will impart the complete Sea of Bitterness and Dao Palace chapters of the Sacred Art to you."

The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak said, "You are very suited to cultivating the Sacred Art; your future is limitless."

He took out the black jade talisman once more and transmitted the technique to Qin Sheng.

This time, what appeared in Qin Sheng’s mind, besides the content for increasing his cultivation, included how to refine artifacts, and...

The Dao of Devouring.

This really was the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art!

"Peak Master, what is the method of devouring origins recorded in the ancient scripture?" Qin Sheng feigned ignorance.

"The scripture you are learning is the fundamental inheritance of my Dragon Pattern lineage: the Heaven-Swallowing Immortal Art."

Qin Sheng pretended to be shocked. "The Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art?"

"That is the outside world’s slander against the Sacred Art and our Progenitor. Do not use that term again."

The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak looked displeased. "The Progenitor was also a Human Emperor. She had great achievements and was a credit to the human race, yet she was stigmatized by those calculating, treacherous people."

"You need not be afraid. This is an Emperor Scripture; there are few in the entire Eastern Wasteland. It is a stroke of fortune that you can obtain such a supreme scripture so easily. It will forge the strongest foundation for you, and furthermore..."

"The Sacred Art possesses divinity. Once you master it, there is no turning back."

Divinity? It’s demonic nature, surely!

"Peak Master, why did you transmit the Sacred Art to me directly?" Qin Sheng asked cautiously.

"Naturally, it is because you have the talent and a clean background," the Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak said as if it were obvious.

"Although our lineage hides in the shadows, we have never stopped recruiting disciples and continuing our inheritance."

Qin Sheng was speechless. That was a very logical point.

Recruiting disciples and continuing the lineage was a matter of course.

"The Dragon Pattern Tripod can test whether a person is suitable for cultivating the Sacred Art. Every disciple of Dragon Pattern Peak has undergone this test."

Qin Sheng was truly surprised now. "All the disciples of Dragon Pattern Peak cultivate the Sacred Art?"

"No, only a minority cultivate the Sacred Art. Most still cultivate the Yaoguang scriptures; they don't even know of the existence of our Progenitor's lineage."

The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak continued, "We control Dragon Pattern Peak and recruit disciples normally. To others, there is no difference between us and the other branches of the Holy Land."

Great hermits hide in the city—that was the logic.

Most disciples of Dragon Pattern Peak were normal, and their normalcy was used to cover up the minority who belonged to the Ruthless lineage.

"Only those who are suitable will we absorb into the Progenitor's lineage, and you are such a person."

The Ruthless lineage needed talent like Qin Sheng.

"Remember, nothing regarding the Sacred Art may be leaked, or no one will be able to protect you."

In Beidou, the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art" was truly a complicated matter; once you touched it, you could never get away.

Once of the Ruthless lineage, always of the Ruthless lineage.

The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak said, "Go now. Elder Li will explain some things to you; you must keep them in mind."

Qin Sheng took a deep breath and left the ancient hall.

Elder Li was also of the Ruthless lineage. He gave Qin Sheng many instructions, focusing on how to hide himself and providing psychological counseling to help Qin Sheng accept the facts as soon as possible.

In addition, Elder Li took Qin Sheng to comprehend the inheritance scripture of the Yaoguang Holy Land, the "Yaoguang Scripture," which was a Quasi-Emperor scripture.

Every disciple of the Ruthless lineage had to do this, using the "Yaoguang Scripture" to mask the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art."

The Holy Son of Yaoguang had played this role perfectly.

Returning to his cave dwelling, Qin Sheng couldn't wait to start comprehending the complete Sea of Bitterness chapter.

The inheritance he received this time was even more miraculous than before. It was no longer just text, but a black vortex that appeared in his mind.

Qin Sheng’s spirit touched the vortex, feeling the impact of a "Dao." Endless techniques and insights rose in his heart, allowing him to understand the meaning of every word and every sentence.

How to cultivate in each realm, what to pay attention to when breaking through, and other such questions were all expounded within the "Dao."

Qin Sheng could understand the Sea of Bitterness chapter of the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art" most intuitively, without the slightest error.

This was the true transmission, the Emperor Scripture; its profoundness was simply incomparable to other scriptures.

The true words of the Great Dao and the celestial music of the heavens were immersive.

The Devil Art circulated instinctively within his body, reshaping his foundation and re-cultivating his Sea of Bitterness. The common scriptures he had practiced before were completely overwritten and erased.

With the help of the Great Dao’s true transmission, this process happened naturally, perfectly coordinated.

At the same time, Qin Sheng also felt the demonic nature of the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art," which made one crave origins from the bottom of their heart.

Scriptures, by their nature, exert an influence on people.

Qin Sheng began to further refine the portion of the Douluo Qin Sheng’s origin, causing it to undergo mysterious changes.

During this process, Qin Sheng glowed as if a god had descended into the world. The essence within the Source stones was continuously absorbed by Qin Sheng, driving his transformation.

Time passed—one month, two months...

Qin Sheng had not left his seclusion. The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak had observed his cave dwelling from afar and felt satisfied.

A good seedling, becoming more and more plump.

During his seclusion, Qin Sheng’s flesh, organs, bones, and even his spirit withered and died several times, losing all vitality, with a feeling of impending death.

But not long after, vitality would emerge, allowing him to achieve a different kind of rebirth.

This was the cultivation of the Other Shore realm.

In this realm, a cultivator enters a cycle of withering and rebirth. After nine such cycles, like a butterfly breaking out of a cocoon, one is considered truly complete.

This is the Nine Transformations of the Other Shore.

After the nine transformations, one can look toward the Dao Palace and attempt to break into that secret realm.

This time, Qin Sheng remained in seclusion for a full half-year. When he awoke, his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, as if they could swallow everything.

Feeling the changes in himself, Qin Sheng sighed softly.

"What a Sacred Art. Truly extraordinary."

Switching to the Devil Art not only allowed Qin Sheng to forge the strongest and most solid foundation and background, but it also greatly increased his combat power.

Combined with the combat power boost from the Infinite Land, Qin Sheng’s strength had seen a leap in progress.

"My foundation now is definitely no worse than anyone else’s, and the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art suits me very well. This move was the right one."

Qin Sheng thought to himself, "It’s just that the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art is different from what I initially expected."

At first, Qin Sheng thought the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art" was about devouring and merging origins, but after actually cultivating it, he realized it wasn't like that at all.

This Devil Art does indeed require devouring, but it doesn't use one's own origin to merge with others; rather, it is a combination.

Merging: becoming one completely.

Combining: becoming one temporarily.

At least, that was what the inheritance Qin Sheng had received so far indicated.

"I remember in the original work, the Holy Son of Yaoguang fought Ye Fan, and after being injured, origins of various constitutions fell out. One could tell at a glance what they were; they were distinct and separate."

"This is clearly a sign that the Holy Son of Yaoguang failed to truly merge other origins. Perhaps the later chapters of the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art are difficult to achieve true fusion, or perhaps it’s just that the Holy Son of Yaoguang wasn't good enough."

As it stands, the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art is not "uniting ten thousand into one," but "using one to command ten thousand."

Using one's own origin as the master to command other origins, forcing them to combine into one, and finally "assembling" an acquired Chaos Body.

That is why the Chaos Body it cultivates is flawed, and why later generations who cultivate this art find it difficult to attain the Dao.

The Chaos Body of the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art is an assembled version, like a piece of porcelain glued together, covered in cracks, not round or perfect at all.

The Ruthless Empress could attain the Dao because her talent was truly too high. Not to mention the Shrouded World, even in the ancient eras before it, excluding the protagonist, there was only one Ruthless Empress in the nine heavens and ten earths.

How could others possibly imitate her?

"The problem that countless origins are not completely digested by the master of the Devil Art and are constantly in conflict with one's own origin is simply too great. Even with the talent of the Ruthless Empress, she was deeply troubled by it after becoming an Emperor."

A person’s origin contains their essence, energy, spirit, and even their Dao.

If you eat such things but cannot digest them completely, if you don't go mad, who will?

This is the origin of the demonic nature of the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art."

"Looking at it this way, the Ruthless Empress abandoning her demonic body in her later years and refining it into the Heaven-Swallowing Jar was an incredibly wise choice," Qin Sheng thought, noting that the Ruthless Empress was indeed ruthless enough.

An Emperor’s body from one lifetime is a tumor; it must not be kept.

"With the same talent, cultivating the 'Dao Scripture' can lead to the Quasi-Emperor realm."

"But cultivating the 'Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art' and devouring origins wantonly might lead to death from origin conflict at the Great Power realm or even earlier."

Qin Sheng felt a bit of emotion; this Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art was truly a dead end.

However, this does not mean the ancient scripture is weak. On the contrary, its extremely obvious flaws give it extremely powerful strength.

If the Ruthless lineage dared to cultivate the Devil Art without restraint, their strength would expand to the extreme in a short time.

Unfortunately, they are also afraid of death and fear the Devil Art.

"Within the Ruthless lineage, those who are truly valued cultivate the 'Undying Heaven Art.' Those who cultivate the Devil Art can be inheritors of the Ruthless lineage, or they can be..."

Qin Sheng’s eyes were deep. "Food."

The Devil Art feeds on origins, and the Heaven Art feeds on the Devil Art!

The Heaven Art specifically counters the Devil Art!

The Peak Master of Dragon Pattern Peak taught Qin Sheng the Devil Art so easily and decisively not just because he was suitable for it, but more because the old guy had ill intentions.

"How could there be any good people among those who cultivate the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art?" Qin Sheng was very calm.

Including the Ruthless Empress herself, she could never be called a good person.

Qin Sheng certainly knew the relationship between the Heaven Art and the Devil Art, but he still wanted to cultivate the latter.

Because after deeply comprehending this Devil Art—riddled with hidden dangers, extremely dangerous, and devoid of hope—Qin Sheng discovered...

The "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art" was even more suitable for him!

Origin conflicts, difficulty in merging, being countered by the Heaven Art—these problems did not apply to Qin Sheng.

"I am truly capable of walking the path of merging all origins to forge a perfect Chaos Body. This is something even the Ruthless Empress could not do back then."

It can be said that Qin Sheng cultivating the "Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art" is the most perfect version of the Ruthless Empress that she dreamed of in her first life...

Flawless Chaos Body = Great Emperor.

The Ruthless Empress created a scripture for Qin Sheng that leads directly to the Great Emperor...

Who said this was a Devil Art?

This is clearly an Immortal Art!