"..."
Xu Qing's expression was peculiar; it seemed this Immortal was not yet aware of the Twelve Golden Men transforming into Corpse Puppets and their resurrection in the Yin River.
"Ascendant Fuluan, don't underestimate the bonds between sovereign and subjects!"
The Immortal furrowed his brows, not quite comprehending Xu Qing's words.
However, just as he was about to inquire further, he heard the Demon Exorcism True Monarch who had just finished consuming a skeleton ghost speak:
"Today, this ghost tastes incredibly bland, even a candle has more flavor than this."
Ascendant Fuluan hurriedly stepped forward to appease him, saying, "True Monarch, don't be upset. Since the taste is not to your liking, I will catch a new ghost right away!"
After speaking, Ascendant Fuluan carried the Sword Box on his back and hurriedly left the Bone Temple.
Xu Qing gazed at the black-faced man with increasingly violent aura and felt a rising sense of urgency within him.
Now, having comprehended two of the various Celestial Spirit Divine Techniques from the Ruyi Treasure Book, and having learned most of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Divine Techniques, he had also made progress in the Earthly Fiend Transformations he learned in the Little Water Curtain Cave Heaven.
Cultivating the Earthly Fiend Transformations involves transformations of both static and dynamic objects.
The former requires observing the shapes of all things, while the latter requires understanding the spirit of dynamic creatures.
To transform into a static object, one must visualize its form until one's mind perfectly aligns with it, and when the indistinct image becomes vividly clear in the sea of consciousness, they can attempt the transformation.
To transform into a tiger or leopard, one must learn the movements, postures, and demeanor of tigers and leopards, even during hunting.
When one can emulate these to perfection with their human body, they have just begun to master the transformation; thereafter, it's a matter of honing the skill.
While comprehending the Earthly Fiend Transformations, Xu Qing discovered a shortcut—a quick-fix method derived from combining the art of livestock creation obtained from the old shepherd's deliverance and the Earthly Fiend principles, constituting a kind of 'Evil Technique.'
With this technique, to transform into a mouse, one only needs a piece of mouse skin. At the moment of transformation, by placing the skin on one's head and performing the rituals of the Earthly Fiend Transformation, if one rolls on the ground, they will become a mouse.
The Earthly Fiend belongs to yin, and the Celestial Spirit corresponds to yang, one turbid and the other clear.
The Earthly Fiend method is inherently prone to deviating into demonic paths, and Xu Qing happens to know many cultivation principles of Evil Techniques.
When these converge, it's no wonder he could deduce such an Evil Technique.
Yet, Xu Qing quickly extinguished the thought of using skins for cultivating the Earthly Fiend Transformations.
Disregarding whether this method would harm the natural order, if Xu Qing were to rely on a heap of skins for each transformation, it wouldn't be long before the Little Water Curtain Cave Heaven's owner beats him senseless!
Moreover, the authentic Earthly Fiend Transformation allows for changes at will without relying on external objects. If he didn't strictly discipline himself, in future duels, any delay in transformation speed would expose him to vulnerabilities, leaving no room for regret.
The master of the Little Water Curtain Cave Heaven, endowed with exceptional talent and comprehension, learned all transformations in just a few years. Although Xu Qing lacked in talent and comprehension, he possessed patience.
If he achieves nothing in ten years, then a hundred years; if not a hundred, then a thousand. As the saying goes, good things are worth waiting for, so he merely needs to spend more time, and time is what he has in abundance.
Seizing the opportunity of Ascendant Fuluan's departure, Xu Qing found a quiet spot to practice the transformations he had already mastered.
He transformed back and forth, sometimes into a monkey from Monkey Mountain, sometimes into a Xuan Cat resembling Xuan Yu by seven or eight parts but with two bells swinging.
Then he transformed into a hideous, black-and-white Immortal Crane, a majestic tiger with a golden brow and flickering eyes, and a fluttering human-faced raven.
After learning the Earthly Fiend Transformations, Xu Qing frequently observed the small animals in the Immortal Hall. Over the years, he became adept at transforming into those crawling on the ground, but flying creatures remained a challenge.
For instance, with the raven, after transformation, it either looked realistic but couldn't fly, or it could fly but retained remnants of its original form.
This drawback in bird transformations wasn't because Xu Qing observed inadequately, but rather because his cultivation lagged behind.
Xu Qing considered that perhaps once the Flying Corpse was perfected, and he had a ten-thousand-year cultivation, breaking through the Three Types of Kui Ba realm, he could freely transform into any flying creature without constraints.
Aside from the raven, there's another transformation Xu Qing lamented deeply: the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox Transformations.
Initially, Xu Qing attempted to deceive Bai Qiuyu into transforming into a fox for his... observation.
However, this fox refused any contact; the moment Xu Qing touched its tail, without fully savoring the sensation, it reacted defensively and refused to revert to its original form.
If he had known earlier, he might have restrained himself, but at the end of the day, who but a Saint could resist touching that tail?
Xu Qing persistently practiced the speed of transformations; even mortals practicing archery must strike first, and while transformations weren't directly offensive arts, they required shortening the casting time even more.
A few more months passed, and Xu Qing's relentless cultivation led to significant progress. Besides gaining deep mastery over Divine Techniques, he could now perform Earthly Fiend Transformations at will, instantly changing into familiar static or dynamic creatures.
Yet none of this could truly ease Xu Qing's mind.
Whether it was the transformation methods avoiding three disasters and five calamities or various Celestial Scriptures and Divine Techniques from the Ruyi Treasure Book, they were at most methods of safeguarding the path.
When confronting the Ghost Law or aiming to exterminate it, these proved ineffective in crucial moments.
For Xu Qing to genuinely feel at ease, he must further enhance the Celestial Spirit Axe Technique, advancing from the current limit of thirty-two layers still needed a breakthrough.
The Celestial Spirit Axe Technique comprises thirty-six layers in total; the first twenty layers weren't challenging for Xu Qing, but each layer beyond twenty equated to the combined difficulty of all prior layers.
After crossing the threshold of the thirty-second layer, Xu Qing realized he had underestimated the difficulty of cultivating the Divine Technique of Creation.