876 Unknown Power
Kacha!
The sounds of something breaking echoed in the endless void, and Di Tian opened his eyes, his complexion paler than the whitest snow. He knelt in the void while breathing heavily.
He gazed at Wang Wei with unmatched fury, his eyes dripping with tears of blood. However, his eyes were no longer the same as they used to be. They now contained an underlying sadness and pain forever etched deep in his mind.
Di Tian knew he was not the same man he was a few minutes ago. A part of him died, and he might never regain whatever he lost. For a moment, he regretted killing Li Jun. However, he understood he could not go back and did not want to.
With the last remaining sanity he had left, he tried to remove the memories of what he experienced in that illusion. Sadly, Wang Wei seemed to have used a potent curse to engrave these memories deep in his soul.
Di Tian immediately used his knowledge of curses to remove these memories, but his attempt failed again. Curses can infinitely power depending on how much of a price their casters are willing to pay.
Unfortunately for him, Wang Wei paid a high price. He sacrificed the spiritual power equivalent to a Great Emperor to ensure the curse remained, and Di Tian will be plagued with these memories for a long time.
Di Tian cursed inward as he understood that it would take him a few years–even a decade- to remove them from his soul even if he proved the Dao. That's how far Wang Wei was willing to go to make him suffer.
Di Tian's aura suddenly became chaotic. His agitated mood made
his collapsing spirit even worse. Two lights inside his Sea of Di Tian's aura suddenly became chaotic. His agitated mood made his collapsing spirit even worse. Two lights inside his Sea of Consciousness became more intense as they continued soothing and repairing his Primordial Spirit.
Meanwhile, Wang Wei was calmly watching. While Di Tian was in this weak and chaotic state, his eyes could see things he could previously not.
So, he saw the Bodhi Tree and another artifact trying to maintain Di Tian's spirit. Furthermore, he knew these two things working together allowed Di Tian to escape his illusion.
If it were up to him, he would have tortured him until the end of time.
'This thing should be his Proving Dao Artifact,' said Wang Wei as he looked at the floating pagoda releasing brilliant black and white lights. 'Why is it so powerful?'
Wang Wei could tell the artifact was similar to his–it contained a mysterious Dao Rhyme indicating its power and potential. And after the Grand Dao Baptism, after proving the Dao, it should give a boost of at least 5%.
However, he also discovered Di Tian's artifact was more potent than his.
'Is it because he used more Chaos Treasure to refine and temper it?' analyzed Wang Wei, his mind working extremely fast. Although he was in a state of unmatched rage and no bottom line, his fury was also a silent and calm one.
He knew the battle's importance and would not let his emotions affect the outcome–especially now that the same stakes were even higher. He cannot lose this battle if he wishes to see Li Jun again
and as soon as possible.
'The Chaotic Rhyme released by the artifact is indeed much higher than mine. But that's not the main cause of its uniqueness.'
Based on his analysis, Di Tian's artifact will give him a minimum of 6% Grand Dao Source Boost, and that's only the minimum. As such, he wanted to know why since it could be a major factor that decides the outcome of this battle.
'It could be due to the baptism of Samsara.'
Cultivators can reincarnate with their powers. In fact, it is how most cultivators who choose to reincarnate do. The artifact will then serve as their protector and ensure they survive the early stages of reincarnation.
It can also ensure they begin to walk the path of cultivation before awakening their memories by storing their cultivation techniques in the artifact. The artifact can also serve as a Luck Condensing Artifact to ensure that the reincarnator has plenty of luck to survive and grow.
As such, reincarnating with a weapon or artifact is a prevalent thing.
From what Wang Wei learned from the Oracle Mirror, Di Tian had a Bloodline Artifact in his first life when he fought against his ancestor–Qiyuan.
However, after his defeat, he cultivated the Origin Path and created a Proving Dao Artifact. Wang Wei did not know whether Di Tian used his Bloodline Artifact and turned it into a Proving Dao Artifact, or he fused them or did something else with it.
However, he does know the latter has been using the same artifact for nine lives, thus making it very special.
'No, the aura of Samsara on the artifact is very pure and potent. However, there seemed to be something else unique about it. This weapon seemed as powerful as a real Emperor Artifact.'
Wang Wei knew the implications behind such a truth. No matter how powerful Emperor Artifacts are, they are someone else's thing and cannot be adequately wielded by mortals with foreign aid like formations and faction luck–even if they pay a hefty price.
However, Proving Dao Artifacts are the best weapon for any cultivators. They fit their owner's Dao, soul, body, Qi, ideologies, goals, ambitions, and purposes perfectly.
As such, any cultivators can easily use the full power of their Proving Dao Artifacts and push their powers beyond the limits, granting higher battle prowess.
Wang Wei immediately made a note of that artifact while also thinking of possible countermeasures. He looked at Di Tian, who had regained some strength, and said with a bone-chilling coldness:
"Now that you've experienced spiritual baptism, it's only fair you also experience the physical one."
A great deal of dread overwhelmed Di Tian. He had just finished sealing the curse in his soul and reducing the effects of these memories to the lowest level possible. So, he was still in a weakened state mentally and required more time to heal or even respond.
Alas, he was too slow.
[Innate Talent: Pain]
"Arrrgh," screamed Di Tian as he felt an unimaginable pain assaulting all his senses. He was a Body Refiner and quite accomplished, so pain was normal for him.
His pain threshold is something that 90% of all cultivators in the Lower Dimension could not dream of achieving. Yet, he almost lost his mind after experiencing this pain.
Di Tian's instinct was to hold his head since it was the place it hurt the most. However, his other body parts hurt so much that he could not even move. If flying had not become a passive and instinctive ability, he would have fallen from the air in this Yin Dimension.
Wang Wei watched all of this calmly. He was one of the only ones who knew what kind of pain he inflicted on his opponent. He used his Pain Talent to recreate the process when he took all Seven Flesh Tribulations in the Third Stage of the True Power Dao Realm.
Furthermore, he even boosted the pain with his talent, thus reaching a level that even he did not know he could withstand.
Di Tian's sanity, which had barely stabilized, was again on the verge of collapsing. The Bodhi Tree and Samsara Pagoda released their powers to control their pain receptors while also cutting off the connection between the body and the soul, but their attempt was futile.
Wang Wei's Innate Talent was cultivated to the point where pain was a concept. So, even though he did not control Pain Law, the power of the talent reached such a level.
Di Tian found his consciousness fleeting. Among all the unbearable pain, he was trying his hardest to focus so he could form a coherent. Years of experience and a very high Willpower allowed him to barely regain his bearings.
So, he gathered his Dao Will and Will Manifestation to form a defensive armor around his Soul, Mind, and Spirit. Such an act was a wise choice. He continued by controlling his Primordial Spirit to chant Buddhist Mantras, thus boosting the effect of the Bodhi Tree.
Finally, he sacrificed his remaining Yin Universe to his Pagoda to boost it. He wanted to use the Yin Energy in this Yin Dimension, but he knew Wang Wei would never allow it.
With all these methods, Di Tian finally suppressed the pain to a barely tolerable level.
'I will slaughter him,' he roared in his mind. He finally chose to use his most powerful trump cards. However, his last remaining wisp of wisdom reminded him of the intuition he had if he used his trump cards. So, he decided to use a wiser method.
Boom!
Du Tian released a terrifying aura, pushing away Wang Wei, who was rushing forward after sensing something was wrong.
An unknown power or mutation emanated from his Law Altar that instantly dissolved the Pain Innate Talent. Furthermore, even the seal on the curse on his soul was reinforced.
He looked at Wang Wei with maddening and blight rage, his aura extremely overwhelming.
"I will slaughter you," he roared, shaking the Heavens as his words were not a statement but a fact, an oath.
