In the boundless darkness, demonic qi surged as raging winds howled. The demonic river flowed steadily, neither fast nor slow, yet it churned with a constant rushing sound. Hideous yaos drifted within the river. Suddenly, a brilliant golden light burst forth in the endless dark, and a powerful vitality swept outward in all directions. The roaming yaos caught its scent like moths to a flame. Their twisted faces turned frenzied as they charged forward without hesitation.

True origin coursed through Lin Zheyu's body as dazzling lightning and searing flames erupted from him. This lightning came from the Thunderfire true intent contained within his true origin, a special effect it carried. When he had just broken through, these effects greatly boosted his combat strength. But as his power increased, their impact diminished. Compared to the core energy of true origin, these effects became far less significant.

These effects were like tasteless scraps. Not worth using, yet hard to discard. Now they only provided slight assistance during cultivation and barely mattered in battle. Vast mysterious energy surged through him, drawing in the energy of the demonic river. Demonic qi energy circulated within his body with constant sizzling sounds.

Under the influence of the mysterious energy, golden runes formed within his flesh out of nothing. Their numbers grew denser and denser, strengthening his physique further. Under his control, the runes slowly shifted within his flesh, as if forming a strange and mysterious pattern.

The cries of the yaos drew closer. As Lin Zheyu's strength rose, his vitality surged rapidly, driving the surrounding yaos into greater frenzy.

The yao closest to Lin Zheyu was about to strike when his eyes snapped open, a flash of lightning flickering within them. His immense vitality vanished in an instant, and a purple-black energy surged out, covering his entire body.

He leapt up from the demonic river and launched a simple, unadorned punch at the charging yao. Its roar cut off instantly. With a loud bang, it exploded like fireworks, black blood mist scattering through the air.

Lin Zheyu moved like a phantom through the darkness and his fists struck without pause. Drawn by the powerful vitality released during his recent breakthrough, the yaos burst apart one after another like fireworks, exploding into clouds of black embers.

"Another big one!" Lin Zheyu frowned. After blasting apart the yao before him with a punch, he turned sharply and vanished into the distant darkness.

As his strength continued to grow, the vitality around him became increasingly terrifying. When he used Origin Force to enhance himself, the concealment technique and the disguise formed by the purple-black runes lost control and could no longer be maintained. Once his powerful vitality erupted, it would inevitably attract even stronger yaos from the surroundings.

A thunderous roar erupted as a massive yao appeared in the blink of an eye. A huge claw slammed down in the distance. With a deafening boom, the entire ground shook violently.

A streak of green escape light suddenly shot off into the distance.

The young man within the escape light looked terrified, filled with regret as he muttered, "Damn it! How could such a monster appear here? Was it drawn by that aura from earlier?"

Suddenly, fear filled his eyes. A terrifying pressure descended. Before he could react, a massive black claw struck him. With a dull pop, he exploded midair. Hidden among a distant group of yaos, Lin Zheyu watched the cultivator burst apart, his brows twitching slightly.

So strong!

After entering the demon god barrier and expending over 300 units of Origin Force, Lin Zheyu's strength had increased significantly. Yet facing such a terrifying yao, he still felt immense danger. He glanced at it from afar, then immediately looked away, lowering his head and not daring to observe further. At that level, a being's perception and instinct were frighteningly sharp. Even a casual glance might draw its attention.

Lin Zheyu fully circulated his concealment technique, using the disguise of purple-black runes to blend into the group of yaos. Borrowing their aura, he hid his own presence.

What rank is this yao? Its pressure feels similar to the last one. A six-pattern Golden Core realm?

He had studied many yaos. Pure yaos all possessed demonic patterns. The more patterns within their bodies, the stronger they were. Having dissected many, Lin Zheyu had gained a rough understanding of these patterns. They were inscribed within the flesh and would manifest on the surface as a mysterious rune when the yao unleashed its strength.

Though it appeared as a single rune, its inner structure was astonishingly complex, as if composed of countless tiny, densely packed symbols. These runes were extremely similar to those Lin Zheyu formed after cultivating demonic arts, as if they shared a common origin. Yet there were clear differences. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

If I could capture a six-pattern yao and study its markings, it should greatly help me refine the Primordial Golden Body technique.

Lin Zheyu speculated that techniques like the Ninefold True Demon Body, Nether Severing Demon Scripture, and Seven Fiend Ghost Manual were all created by studying the demonic patterns on yaos.

The Seven Fiend Ghost Manual combined Immortal Dao corpse refining techniques, using special demonic patterns to replace restrictions and formations, tempering the corpse body into one with bronze skin and iron bones. The Ninefold True Demon Body and Nether Severing Demon Scripture, on the other hand, were more pure, incorporating fewer Immortal Dao elements. They felt more like techniques developed from scratch through the study of yaos.

After cultivating it to Perfection, Lin Zheyu discovered the differences between the two. Upon reaching the fifth stage of the Ninefold True Demon Body at Perfection, special demonic patterns formed within his flesh. These patterns were nearly identical to those inside yaos, with only minute differences. However, they were distinct from ordinary golden runes.

Under the influence of Origin Force, the cultivated demonic patterns were dissolved by the powerful regenerative ability of his consciousness space, leaving behind only fragmented, incomplete runes. It seemed that the harmful portions were erased, while the beneficial parts remained. These fragments, under the effect of the golden energy within Lin Zheyu and the restoration of the consciousness space, formed entirely new golden runes.

This was why Lin Zheyu wanted to study powerful yaos. The stronger the yao, the more potent the demonic patterns within it. Though complete patterns carried severe side effects for humans, they still contained useful elements. Through observation and study, he could not extract the essence and discard the flaws using his own energy. But he did not need to.

He only needed to fully replicate them and find a way to cultivate them. With the help of Origin Force and golden energy, the process of keeping the essence and discarding the impurities would happen automatically, allowing him to refine the Primordial Golden Body technique.

The powerful yao did not leave. Thunderous sounds continued to echo. Lin Zheyu dared not move. He could only remain hidden with extreme caution, not even daring to look. Out of boredom, he turned his attention to the data in his consciousness.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 80]

[Skills: Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Primordial Golden Body (First Stage: 19%)]

3 units of Origin Force had raised his Primordial Golden Body progress by 19%. The first stage was not difficult. Having cultivated many demon arts and body-refining techniques, his physique had already reached an astonishing level. The first stage of the Primordial Golden Body merely integrated these techniques and elevated them further.

As a result, the difficulty was much lower. It would take only around 16 units of Origin Force to reach Perfection in the first stage. The second stage, however, would be far more difficult. That stage represented the true essence of Lin Zheyu's fusion of demon arts, body-refining techniques, and martial cultivation.

A massive claw slammed down ten meters from Lin Zheyu. Several yaos exploded on impact, and he, along with the others, was hurled away by the terrifying energy. He did not resist at all, letting himself be thrown over a hundred meters like the rest.

"Is this thing not done yet?" Lin Zheyu said, exasperated, as he hit the ground.

With his current physique, such an impact felt like a mere itch and caused no real harm. But as long as that yao remained, he had no way to leave.