Chapter 11: Passing Down Techniques and Cultivation

The rat-eyed man collapsed.

On the outside, his complexion showed nothing unusual beyond a full-body flush of red.

But inside, everything had been shattered — crushed by Lin Jiufeng's thirty-dragon, thirty-elephant force.

All from a single palm strike.

For a Fifth Seal cultivator, thirty dragons and thirty elephants was a terrifying force — utterly impossible to withstand.

Lin Jiufeng carried the rat-eyed man's corpse out of the Canon Pavilion. On a nearby hilltop, he used his True Qi to blast open a large pit and buried the body on the spot, giving it at least a place to rest.

Afterward, Lin Jiufeng returned to the Canon Pavilion and began examining the secret manual, [Ten Kings of Hell].

The [Ten Kings of Hell] manual was utterly unremarkable in appearance. Opening it revealed a jumbled, disorganized mess of content — which was precisely why no one had ever paid it any attention.

But Lin Jiufeng scrutinized it carefully, channeling True Qi into it and continuously activating its hidden nature.

The seemingly ordinary manual slowly changed color. A dark golden radiance surfaced across its pages, carrying a deep and abyssal aura — one glance at it felt as though it could draw a person's Essence, Qi, and Spirit right into its depths.

"Legend has it that three hundred years ago, Shakya Demon King transcended the mortal realm and entered sainthood through this very technique — the [Ten Kings of Hell]."

"This is a remarkable cultivation technique. Upon successful mastery, one can condense within the body the legendary Hell of the Ten Kings, drawing upon the power of the Ten Kings of Hell to strengthen oneself."

Lin Jiufeng pored over the [Ten Kings of Hell] with great care, studying it thoroughly. Even among all the books and cultivation techniques housed in the Canon Pavilion, only the [Yuhua Ascension Scripture] could compare to the [Ten Kings of Hell].

"Whether it is the Demon Sect, the Daoist Order, or the Buddhist Order — I can cultivate them all."

"The sea embraces all rivers; it is great because of its capacity."

"I shall gather the strengths of a hundred schools and merge the sources of ten thousand methods, forging my own invincible art."

Lin Jiufeng took the [Ten Kings of Hell] back to his study. Beneath the light of a solitary lamp, he read through the night.

Time slipped away in silence. The darkness retreated, and the first rays of morning sunlight spilled down. Within Lin Jiufeng's mind, his comprehension of the [Ten Kings of Hell] had reached a far deeper level.

He recalled the hells described in Daoist scriptures — the eighteen layers of hell, the Ten Kings of Hell, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons, the soul-reaping envoys, and more...

He also recalled that the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vow Sutra" contained records of hell and the Kings of Hell as well.

Hell had always existed in the imagination and legends of the world. Whether it truly existed — no one knew.

Yet it had been passed down as such since ancient times.

The Ten Kings of Hell were: King Qinguang, King Chujiang, King Songdi, King Wuguan, King Yama, King Biancheng, King Taishan, King Dushi, King Pingdeng, and King Zhuanlun.

Each of the Ten Kings of Hell presided over their own domain, each with their own function, all immensely powerful — together they upheld the realm of hell, commanding countless ghost soldiers and ghost generals beneath them.

To successfully cultivate the [Ten Kings of Hell] technique, one had to visualize and manifest the Ten Kings of Hell, then draw them into the body, forming a terrifying combat force.

And so Lin Jiufeng began continuously visualizing all manner of hellish scenes within his mind.

Within his body, at the Great Dragon of his spine, energy surged and churned, carving out a dwelling place for the [Ten Kings of Hell].

Lin Jiufeng housed the [Ten Kings of Hell] within the Great Dragon of his spine — each vertebra of the Great Dragon serving as the residence of one of the Ten Kings. Together, the [Ten Kings of Hell] became the very backbone supporting Lin Jiufeng.

When that moment arrived, how fearsome a combat force would be unleashed by the union of his flesh's Dragon-Elephant Power and the [Ten Kings of Hell]?

"I cultivate the Divine Soul through the [Yuhua Ascension Scripture] and the [Divine Soul Transcendence Method]. I temper the physical body through the [Dragon-Elephant Power] and the [Ten Kings of Hell]. The two paths do not interfere with each other, yet they are intertwined."

"By dual-cultivating both the Divine Soul and the physical body, I shall together reach the legendary Ninth Seal. At that time, my body will be inhabited by the visualized host of demons, and my Divine Soul will contain the comprehended host of gods. The two combined — perhaps I can shatter the barrier of the Ninth Seal that no one has broken in recent times."

Lin Jiufeng harbored a grand and soaring vision.

His path of cultivation was one of embracing all rivers, tempering a hundred scriptures in a single furnace.

He would use his Divine Soul to uphold the legendary host of gods.

He would use his physical body to suppress the host of demons from hell.

Between heaven and earth — he alone would stand supreme.

This was the path Lin Jiufeng intended to walk going forward. Though he had little to show for it now, he firmly believed that if he kept walking it, both his physical body and his Divine Soul would transcend all limits.

And so, Lin Jiufeng quietly continued carving out the dwelling place of the [Ten Kings of Hell].

Days passed one by one. Lin Jiufeng settled his mind and devoted himself entirely to cultivation. The vertebrae of the Great Dragon were opened one by one.

The visualized [Ten Kings of Hell] moved in to take residence, and then the technique began to circulate.

Rumble!

Within Lin Jiufeng's body, energy surged like a flood, washing through his flesh. The immense force of his original thirty dragons and thirty elephants was swept and baptized by this energy, growing ever more powerful.

In that moment, the Five Element Divine Beasts coiled within Lin Jiufeng's five visceral organs, letting out roars. The Ten Kings of Hell dwelled within the Great Dragon of his spine, rumbling in resonance, shaking his physical body. Within his Soul Sea, his Divine Soul orbited like stars, trembling in unison.

His power began to surge upward — leaping directly from thirty dragons and thirty elephants to forty dragons and forty elephants.

Lin Jiufeng's cultivation realm also rose, reaching the very pinnacle of the Fifth Seal's Divine Soul Master peak.

Yet he still had not broken through to the Sixth Seal.

* * *

On this particular day, the sunlight was warm and gentle, and a soft breeze brushed against the skin.

The sun bathed the earth; all things stirred back to life. The winter snow had melted away, and spring had arrived.

Inside the Canon Pavilion, the fragrance of tea drifted through the air, and the scent of sandalwood cleared the mind.

Lin Jiufeng brewed tea while checking in on the cultivation progress of the three little ones.

The three of them had always been diligent and never slacked off, so their progress was quite good.

But cultivation was always easier at the start and grew harder the further one went.

All three were stuck at the peak of the Second Seal, unable to cross the threshold into the Third Seal.

So today, they had come to ask Lin Jiufeng for guidance, hoping to break through the barrier of the Third Seal.

When the three little ones finished their cultivation session, they immediately ran to Lin Jiufeng's side and stared at him with eager, expectant eyes.

"Uncle-Master, what exactly do I need to do to break through?" Wen Xinyun, as the Senior Sister, took the lead in asking.

The other two little ones also stared at Lin Jiufeng with wide, hopeful eyes.

Lin Jiufeng smiled and said, "There is nothing wrong with your cultivation. As long as you keep accumulating, the Third Seal will come naturally — don't let your hearts grow restless."

"Uncle-Master, Yuhua Sect is in grave danger right now, so we want to break through as soon as possible to help you and our Master." Wen Xinyun said urgently.

"That's right — the Taishang Sect has gone too far, actually besieging our Yuhua Sect. We want to grow strong quickly and do our part for the sect," Zhou Tianzi said.

"Uncle-Master, we know you are vastly learned, and we know cultivation cannot be rushed — but the situation is dire right now. Please give us more guidance," Yue Dashan said sincerely.

Lin Jiufeng looked at the three little ones' earnest faces and felt a warmth in his heart. Thinking of how the day was drawing ever closer when the Taishang Sect's Dao Ancestor — who had just broken through to the Eighth Seal — would arrive, he found himself saying, "Besides the [Yuhua Ascension Scripture], you haven't been cultivating any other techniques, have you?"

The three little ones shook their heads in unison.

Lin Jiufeng then said, "In that case, I will pass each of you a technique."

The three little ones' eyes lit up, and they looked at Lin Jiufeng with excitement.

"Wen Xinyun — you are a woman, but your character is tenacious and your willpower is exceptional. I will pass you the [Grass-Wood Sword Art]."

"Zhou Tianzi — you are steady and composed by nature, broad-minded in character, and you enjoy studying all manner of different things. I will pass you the [Ten Kings of Hell]."

"Yue Dashan — your constitution is unique, with a divine brilliance hidden within, and you hold limitless potential. I will pass you the [Dragon-Elephant Power]."