Peerless Demon Immortal - Chapter 2 - Cultivation

The next day, a sharp pang of hunger jolted the ape spirit awake from his sleep. After a day of crying and another day of rest, his emotions had settled considerably. Though he longed to stay in the cave, his survival instincts drove him to venture out in search of food.

He cast a reluctant glance at the stone before turning away and stepping out of the cave. In the past, the old demon had always been the one to find food, so locating sustenance wasn’t particularly challenging for the ape spirit. Swiftly and skillfully, he swung through the trees, eventually arriving at a grove of fruit trees.

The grove was filled with an abundance of fruit-bearing trees, their branches heavy with a variety of colorful fruits. Some were vividly bright, others a luscious red, and still others a mix of yellow and blue. These fruits exuded a rich fragrance that could make anyone’s mouth water. However, most of them were highly toxic-just a single drop of juice from some could be fatal. Of course, not all fruits were poisonous; some were not only safe to eat but also contained traces of spiritual energy, which could enhance longevity for ordinary people.

Having lived in this area for years, the ape spirit knew exactly which fruits were edible and which were not. He quickly leaped onto a tree so thick that it would take three people to wrap their arms around its trunk and began picking its fruit.

The fruits were a dull yellow, with no enticing aroma and an unremarkable appearance-resembling clumps of dirt, if anything. Yet the ape spirit knew these fruits were the best in the grove. Not only did they satisfy hunger, but they also produced a warm sensation in the stomach, soothing any discomfort. He wasn’t aware that this was due to the abundant spiritual energy within the fruits; he simply ate them because they tasted good.

As he stared at the ripe wild fruits, his stomach growled loudly, prompting him to devour them eagerly. Before long, his previously flat belly was rounded and full.

After eating his fill, he instinctively gathered a few extra fruits and returned to the cave.

Upon seeing the empty stone, he was reminded of the old demon’s passing. The fruits he had been holding fell to the ground with a clatter, and a wave of sorrow washed over him once more.

It took a full month for the ape spirit to gradually emerge from his grief. Only then did he begin to reflect on the old demon’s final words. Clearly, the inheritance referred to the newfound knowledge in his mind.

With this realization, he eagerly attempted to access the information in his head. As soon as the thought occurred, a flood of knowledge surged forth like an ocean wave.

Though the information was vast, it wasn’t chaotic. It appeared in his mind in an orderly fashion, and he quickly absorbed it all, integrating it into his memory. However, he could sense that there was still more locked away, inaccessible despite his efforts. Eventually, he gave up trying.

Among the wealth of knowledge, the ape spirit was most intrigued by the cultivation method. He immediately recalled the details of the technique.

“Demon tribe cultivation is inherently defiant of natural order, so I named this method the ‘Defying Destiny Technique.’ Humans in cultivation need only establish a foundation to absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy and convert it into true essence. However, unlike humans, the beast tribe must first absorb sun and moon essence to become demon beasts, temper their bodies, and then absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy to convert it into demonic power and form a demon core. This puts them far behind humans from the start, making the speed of absorbing sun and moon essence crucial. After years of research, I finally discovered the fastest method.” The technique then detailed the optimal times and postures for absorbing sun and moon essence.

It happened to be noon, the ideal time for absorbing sun essence according to the Defying Destiny Technique. Following the illustrated instructions, the ape spirit positioned himself correctly, tilted his head skyward, opened his mouth wide, and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. For the next half-hour, he maintained this posture, diligently practicing the technique.

Yet, for some reason, he felt no change. This left him puzzled. Were it not for his trust in the old demon, he might have given up entirely.

Another half-hour passed, and the ape spirit’s body began to ache. His wide-open mouth was dry, his neck stiff, and his muscles cramped. Just as noon was about to end and he was on the verge of abandoning the effort, something finally happened.

During a deep inhale, he felt a faint warmth accompany the air entering his body. Though barely perceptible, he recognized it immediately.

Despite his outward appearance as a mere monkey, the ape spirit was remarkably intelligent. With the old demon’s guidance, his intellect now rivaled that of humans. He quickly realized that this warmth was the elusive sun essence.

Encouraged by this small success, he renewed his efforts with vigor, lifting his head higher and opening his mouth wider to take another deep breath.

Though the warmth remained faint, it was enough to keep him motivated.

As more and more warmth entered his body, he began to feel a growing heat spreading throughout. The accumulated warmth gradually dispersed, reaching every part of his body and causing his fur to stand on end. The aches and pains he had felt earlier slowly faded away.

He continued absorbing sun essence until the sun set. Were it not for his growling stomach demanding attention, he might have transitioned directly to absorbing moon essence without pause.

The ape spirit returned to the fruit grove and began picking wild fruits. He didn’t notice that he was eating nearly twice as much as usual.

After satisfying his hunger, he hurried back to the cave. Looking up, he quickly located the moon and, without considering whether it was the optimal time for absorption, positioned himself and began to inhale deeply.

As with the sun essence, his initial breaths yielded only air. However, having learned from his earlier experience, he remained patient and continued following the technique.

Time passed, and still, there was no change. The moon had risen high into the sky.

The ape spirit demonstrated remarkable perseverance, maintaining his posture for two hours as he attempted to absorb moon essence. Fortunately, the warmth from the sun essence he had absorbed earlier sustained him, preventing exhaustion.

Finally, his efforts bore fruit. He felt a faint coolness enter his body-a sensation distinctly different from the warmth of sun essence. This refreshing energy was undoubtedly moon essence.

Unlike sun essence, moon essence brought a soothing, invigorating sensation. Remarkably, it harmonized perfectly with the warmth of sun essence already within him.

As more moon essence entered his body, it began to balance with the sun essence. The two energies worked together to rejuvenate his cells, causing his fur to grow longer and his body to emit a gentle white glow.

When the two energies reached equilibrium, the ape spirit found himself unable to absorb any more moon essence. He wisely decided to stop, knowing further attempts would be futile.

Following the instructions in his memory, he began circulating the energies within his body.

Here, the ape spirit possessed an advantage unique among demon beasts: he understood how to utilize the energies within him, akin to how humans manipulated true essence.

While other demon beasts could also absorb sun and moon essence, they lacked the knowledge to circulate these energies to strengthen themselves. Instead, they merely stored the energies within their bodies until the accumulation triggered automatic circulation. When the energies reached the limits of their bodies’ capacity, they would condense into demon cores. Though this process seemed straightforward, it posed a significant challenge for demon beasts. Success depended not only on innate potential but also on fortuitous circumstances. This difficulty explained why, despite their numbers, few demon beasts ever achieved true cultivation. Had they all succeeded, the battle of humans and demons might have ended differently. This highlighted the critical importance of inheritance for the demon tribe.

The ape spirit followed the instructions to circulate the sun and moon essence within his body. Initially, he struggled, making several mistakes. Fortunately, as he was just beginning, these errors had no serious consequences-he simply had to start over.

After several attempts, he grew more adept, and the circulation of energy became increasingly smooth. However, he noticed an odd sensation of emptiness during the process. Though he couldn’t understand its cause, he didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on using the energy to improve his body.

The old demon’s inheritance had bestowed the ape spirit with immense benefits. Not only had he received all of the old demon’s knowledge, but his body had also been transformed by the old demon’s demonic power. His meridians were widened, and his physique was optimized for storing sun and moon essence.

Ordinary demon beasts couldn’t store sun and moon essence within their bodies during their first absorption. It typically took years for their bodies to adapt before they could retain the energy. This alone gave the ape spirit a significant advantage. As for why the old demon hadn’t transferred all of his demonic power to the ape spirit, there were two reasons: first, the ape spirit’s body couldn’t handle such an overwhelming force; second, the old demon feared that sudden, immense power might lead the ape spirit astray. Though the old demon had lived for ten thousand years, he was far from invincible. Compared to the Great Sages and demon immortals of the past, his strength was modest. If the ape spirit became arrogant and reckless with newfound power, he could easily be destroyed. Thus, transferring demonic power would have done more harm than good.

Instead, the old demon had focused on enhancing the ape spirit’s body, ensuring he started with an advantage over other demon beasts. He believed in the ape spirit’s intelligence and potential to surpass him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have entrusted him with such a legacy.

That night, the ape spirit immersed himself in cultivation. Under the moonlight, his frail body appeared fragile, yet it was steadily growing stronger. From that moment on, the ape spirit officially embarked on the path of demon cultivation.