Dao of The Demonic Cultivator

Chapter 40: The Auspicious Clouds and the Soul-Cleansing Golden Rain

Chu Xuan stepped out of the array's bounds, content with his work. A sudden impulse made him look up, and to his astonishment, he saw the sky filled with multicolored auspicious clouds.

These clouds churned and transformed into the shapes of dragons and phoenixes, mythical creatures that showered the earth with the light of good fortune. Bathed in this auspicious light, Chu Xuan felt an enlightening clarity wash over him, his spirit buoyant as if ascending to immortality.

All his previous confusions regarding the Blood Evil Demon Refining Scripture seemed to dissolve instantly as if he had been granted profound insights. Moments later, the skies rumbled with the sound of spring thunder, yet there was no hint of darkness on the horizon.

Soon, a fine rain began to fall. Astoundingly, the droplets were golden, as though forged from molten gold. Chu Xuan stood motionless in this golden shower, each drop that touched him quickly merging into his body.

With his eyes closed, he deeply sensed the rain's effect and was amazed to discover his soul expanding at an incredible rate. Previously, he could control a maximum of ten corpse puppets at once. If any of these possessed a higher rank, his capacity diminished further. For instance, with corpse puppets like Long, Hu, and Bao, he could manage only three at most. Should any of them advance to the rank of Corpse General equivalent to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, he would not be able to control any others.

Now, after the baptism of the golden rain, he felt capable of controlling up to twenty corpse puppets—even if Long, Hu, or Bao advanced to Corpse General, he could manage them with ease.

"Auspicious clouds and soul-cleansing golden rain…" Chu Xuan finally opened his eyes, marveling at the phenomena. This was indeed the merit accrued from slaying nearly a hundred thousand zombies.

Compared to the previous manifestation of golden blossoms that had subtly enhanced his fate and longevity, the benefits brought by this celestial event were significantly greater.

The soul-cleansing golden rain had enhanced his soul—a rarity for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, who had few methods to strengthen their spirits.

Chu Xuan was aware of a technique within the Infinite Sect called Soul Refining Technique, which even at its pinnacle only slightly bolstered the soul—perhaps by ten to twenty percent at most. Yet, nothing compared to the golden rain, which had doubled the robustness of his spirit.

Looking down, Chu Xuan noticed that even the unknown wild grass at his feet had undergone a transformation under the golden rain, appearing unusually lush and vibrant.

"Perhaps one day, you too shall transcend the mundane and ascend to sanctity."

With a faint smile, Chu Xuan commanded his Heavenly Star flying sword and turned to leave. After his departure, the wild grasses suddenly began to vie for the remaining soul-cleansing golden rain. Their roots turned into iron chains and their leaves into swords, relentlessly slaughtering their kin. Fields of grass perished, their sap splashing out in golden hues.

Ultimately, only one victor survived. It unearthed its roots and thrust them into the bodies of its kin, reaching into the splattered golden sap. Quickly, it absorbed all that remained of the soul-cleansing golden rain. Within minutes, it blossomed and bore fruit rapidly.

A bird flying overhead spotted the fruit and swooped down to consume it effortlessly. Not knowing how far it had flown, the bird suddenly slowed and ultimately plummeted to the ground, dead. Inside its body, a vibrant green sprout emerged, rapidly growing into a lush wild grass indistinguishable from the others—except perhaps when the fierce wind blew, one might notice the sharp fangs it seemed to grow.

...

At Black Blade Security Company, after two days, all members had returned to their original positions. However, everyone watched the dense fog in the distance with apprehension, always half-expecting it to spread someday and engulf the entire city of East Lake. Wang Yong would stand at the highest nearby point every day, keeping a vigilant watch over the fog morning, noon, and night.

On this day, as usual, he activated his Farsight and looked towards that area, only to be abruptly stunned. There, magnificent five-colored clouds spread across the sky, condensing into dragons and phoenixes of an incredibly mystical nature. Golden rain began to fall from the sky.

Wang Yong's eyes widened in amazement. Such an auspicious omen! To think he would be so fortunate to witness such a spectacle in his lifetime! Not only did he see this phenomenon, but other early risers within Black Blade Security Company also caught sight of it from afar, equally astounded.

Word quickly spread, and soon, nearly half of Black Blade's personnel gathered on the rooftop, looking out at the scene.

"What exactly is happening?"

"It feels like the celestial omens recorded in ancient histories."

"Could it be that East Lake City has birthed an immortal?"

"Should we get closer to have a look?"

The crowd buzzed with speculation. Some, bolder than others, suggested approaching for a closer inspection.

"Shut up!" A stern voice called from behind. The man approaching, with a buzz cut and notably robust arms and strong build, was none other than Wang Gangjian.

"Before you returned to the company, I had already ordered that no one should approach within a kilometer of the foggy area. Can't you understand human speech?" Wang Gangjian stared down the crowd, his rebuke cutting through the murmurs.

The people lowered their heads, overawed by the authority of a level-two Superhuman—they dared not meet his gaze.

"Those who just mentioned wanting to approach the fog, confine yourselves for three days!" Wang Gangjian's stern voice commanded.

"Yes..." came the feeble response from one of the individuals.

"Disperse now, and attend to your duties," Wang Gangjian waved his hand, and the crowd quickly scattered.

Wang Yong sighed lightly and turned to Wang Gangjian, "Brother, do you think this is good or bad?"

"It's a multicolored auspicious cloud; it should be a good omen," Wang Gangjian responded seriously. "I suspect this auspicious sign is related to that cultivator. From now on, we must enforce stricter controls over our company members. We cannot allow anyone to approach that area."

Wang Gangjian was somber, "The death of one is a minor matter; if that one person were to anger that cultivator, no amount of remedy would suffice afterward."

Wang Yong, Tang Jinchuan, and Song Dayi all nodded seriously in agreement. "Understood."

...

Two months flashed by in the blink of an eye.

At Haotai Hotel, Chu Xuan exhaled a breath of turbid air and looked at the flawless mid-grade magic tool in front of him, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. These two months were not spent solely in sedentary cultivation; instead, he practiced tool refining daily.

Tool refining differs slightly from pill concoction. While pill concoction primarily uses spiritual herbs, tool refining uses metals, which often obstruct spiritual thoughts, making tool refining somewhat more challenging. This was precisely why Chu Xuan had started practicing early, accumulating experience.

Clearly, the immense merit he carried once again provided assistance. After several failures, he became adept at producing lower-grade magic tools with a low failure rate of only thirty percent. After refining lower-grade tools for a month and reducing the failure rate to ten percent, Chu Xuan began attempting mid-grade magic tools.

Now, he had managed to control the failure rate of mid-grade magic tools to thirty percent. In the Mystic Azure Realm, Chu Xuan, with such a level of proficiency, would be considered a bona fide tool refiner!

After a brief rest, Chu Xuan laid out new materials with confidence. Yin Evil Steel, White Bone Bamboo, Intoxicating Vine... These materials were essential for crafting the Evil Soul Chain.

As for a powerful living soul, Chu Xuan had yet to decide on one. However, this was not a pressing issue. The strength of the Evil Soul Chain lay in its flexibility—once the magic tool was forged, a living soul could be selected and infused at any time.

Chu Xuan planned to extract the soul of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator or demonic beast upon his return to the Mystic Azure Continent, maximizing the power of the Evil Soul Chain.

"Begin!" Chu Xuan exhaled a breath of turbid air and started crafting his life-bound magic tool, the Evil Soul Chain.