Chapter 478: All Myriad Paths Originate from the Same Source

Ye Feipeng found cultivating the "Vast Sea Roaming Dragon Art" much smoother than the "Calming Sea Divine Sword." On the second day after switching his cultivation method, he successfully broke through to the Mid-Qi Refining stage. Coupled with the elixirs given to him by the Immortal Master, he also tapped into a hint of the hidden power within his body. With his physical body strengthened, even Sun Erlang, who was at the Late-Qi Refining stage, was no match for Ye Feipeng in actual combat.

Having solidified his status as the "King of the Children" on the island, Ye Feipeng finally felt a little relieved. At the same time, he understood a principle: to cultivate faster, besides his own aptitude and effort, it was even more crucial to curry favor with the Immortal Master. From the Immortal Master's unintentional remarks, Ye Feipeng learned that he seemed to highly value the refinement progress of the Beast God Orb. Therefore, when not cultivating, Ye Feipeng never forgot to keep the Beast God Orb with him, meticulously sensing it.

One day, after falling into a deep sleep while holding the Beast God Orb, he seemed to have a dream. In his dream, he saw a monstrous and terrifying nine-headed bird hovering in the sky. Its massive body nearly filled the entire horizon, and each of its nine heads was devouring something. With Ye Feipeng's current knowledge, he recognized struggling, twisted dragon limbs, an entire mountain range, and the branches of a dark gray colossal tree. The surroundings were filled with desperate, painful wails, and the world was bathed in blood.

Ye Feipeng's young mind was deeply shaken by this apocalyptic scene. He stood there transfixed, unable to move. Just then, one of the nine heads of the bird in the sky seemed to notice his presence. Its eyes slowly turned, casting a gaze as if looking at prey. Stared at by this ferocious giant beast, fear instantly gripped Ye Feipeng's mind. Under the shadow of the nine-headed bird, it felt as if he would be devoured at any moment.

Just then, Ye Feipeng heard a clear, distant cry near his ear. It seemed to come from the deep sea, yet also from the sky. The cry was full of defiance and rage. His eyes turned blood red, and Ye Feipeng's previously frozen body instantly returned to normal. Drawn by this mysterious cry, all nine heads in the sky simultaneously turned towards it.

Ye Feipeng woke up from the nightmare. Breathing heavily, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, recalling the scenes he had just witnessed in his dream. "That nine-headed bird must be the exotic beast sealed within the Beast God Orb," he thought. "But what was that cry I heard later?" Ye Feipeng's young face was filled with confusion. However, he knew very well that whatever could attract the nine-headed bird's attention must be extremely unusual. Without mentioning it to anyone else, Ye Feipeng simply committed the matter firmly to memory.

In the following days, Ye Feipeng found that he cultivated the "Creation Furnace Art" with much greater ease. The hidden power within the human body, which previously required extreme caution to tap into even a little, now felt incredibly easy for him to harness. He could even directly ignore side effects like dizziness and temporary surges of qi and blood. While his physical strength rapidly increased at a speed that even frightened him, Ye Feipeng felt secretly delighted, yet also inevitably a bit fearful of the unknown. Therefore, in sparring with his companions, he never used his full strength, only just managing to defeat his opponent each time, much like a Heavenly Sun Golem.

Thus, some more time passed. One day, the Immortal Master arrived at Shenhua Island again. As usual, he checked everyone's cultivation progress. After singling out the particularly lax Xiao Heng as an example and reprimanding and punishing him for a while, the Immortal Master then took Ye Feipeng alone into a secret chamber for examination.

During the prolonged silence, Ye Feipeng felt somewhat nervous. Ultimately, he couldn't help but tell the Immortal Master about his dream experiences and the recent changes in his body. After a moment of contemplation, the Immortal Master decided to perform a comprehensive examination on him. Ye Feipeng then fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, he found himself feeling a bit weak. The Immortal Master thoughtfully handed him an elixir, and after swallowing it, Ye Feipeng immediately felt much more energized.

"You were too hasty and, for a moment, were careless, becoming contaminated by the nine-headed bird's malevolent aura," the Immortal Master said in his incredibly cold voice. Ye Feipeng was startled, but then felt a little relieved upon hearing what the Immortal Master said next. "Don't worry, I have already expelled it from your body."

"Thank you, Immortal Master," Ye Feipeng said gratefully.

The Immortal Master waved his hand, "Although you were a bit reckless, by a twist of fate, you have awakened that faint trace of ancestral bloodline within you."

"Ancestral bloodline?" Ye Feipeng was both surprised and delighted.

"Indeed. Have you ever heard of the ancient exotic beast, the Kunpeng?" Saying this, the Immortal Master pointed forward, and the image of a gigantic demonic beast, transforming between a bird and a fish, appeared in the air. After explaining the immense power of this Kunpeng exotic beast to Ye Feipeng, the Immortal Master remarked with some emotion, "I truly didn't expect such power from an ancient ferocious beast to exist within you. If you can harness this power, your cultivation speed will likely be several times faster than those so-called 'heavenly talents'."

Seeing the expression on Ye Feipeng's face, the Immortal Master added, "However, everything has its pros and cons. Improving your strength too quickly can significantly affect your temperament. If you cannot control it, it might prove to be a curse rather than a blessing."

Ye Feipeng quickly promised, "Immortal Master, please rest assured. I will certainly keep your teachings in mind, remain humble, proceed step by step, and diligently cultivate." The Immortal Master slowly nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. After receiving a storage ring containing spirit stones and magical artifacts as a reward, Ye Feipeng excitedly departed.

Watching Ye Feipeng's joyful departure, Li Fan revealed a faint, unreadable smile. "I didn't expect this boy's Kunpeng bloodline to awaken faster in this life than I anticipated," he mused. "A nine-headed divine bird, eh..."

Li Fan extended his right hand. A wisp of blood-red malevolent energy swirled around his fingertips, lingering for a long time. Listening closely, faint sounds of weeping and wailing seemed to emanate from it. Li Fan absorbed this red malevolent energy, closing his eyes to carefully perceive it.

After a moment, he abruptly opened his eyes. A strange reddish glow appeared in his pupils at that instant. Li Fan looked at the stone stool in the secret chamber. In just a fleeting moment, under Li Fan's gaze, the formerly hard stone surface turned charred black.

"It seems the Beast Soul Orb of the nine-headed bird, prompted by the aura of the Kunpeng bloodline, separated this unique wisp of malevolent energy," Li Fan thought. "It appears to be a trace of the nine-headed bird's innate divine ability. Unfortunately, the malevolent energy is too weak; I can only perceive this much." The eerie red glow in his eyes vanished, and Li Fan felt a slight regret.

"Although Senior Brother Zhang's Vow Incarnation is present, the power of demonic beasts cannot be used," Li Fan mused to himself. "However, it has its merits. The divine abilities of demonic beasts might not be unusable by cultivators. The Great Dao shares a common origin; all paths lead to the same destination. For instance, Han Yi's cultivation method for controlling destiny seems to originate from the Heaven-Destined Mysterious Bird."