Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1245: Limb Regeneration

As the Nether Fox drew nearer, Song Wen discreetly retreated more than six thousand kilometers, ensuring the creature could not detect his presence.

He had the shadow void meticulously verify that no one was tailing the Nether Fox before giving the signal for its summoning.

Upon receiving the shadow void’s repeated summons, the Nether Fox displayed a hint of disappointment. It ascended into the sky and proceeded towards Song Wen’s position.

Before long, it located Song Wen standing on a mountain summit.

"Master, you have finally arrived! The Primordial Qi Death Zone is exceedingly perilous. I have lived in constant dread for this past month, fearing I might never have the chance to see you again." The Nether Fox landed at Song Wen’s feet, its five black tails swaying gently.

The Nether Fox’s earlier displeasure had entirely dissipated, supplanted by a decidedly human-like expression of subservience. It looked up at Song Wen with an air of utter devotion.

Song Wen lightly tapped the Spirit Beast Pouch affixed to his waist.

"If you harbor such apprehension for the Primordial Qi Death Zone, then you should enter the Spirit Beast Pouch yourself."

The Nether Fox’s gaze flickered about, adopting a truly pitiable countenance.

"Master, in truth... the Primordial Qi Death Zone is not so terrible after all. Perhaps it would be best for me to remain a while longer?"

Song Wen offered a slight smile. "Your sole purpose for being in the Primordial Qi Death Zone is to hunt and consume void fiends. I have devised a method for you to depart this place and still satisfy your unending appetite for void fiends."

The Nether Fox’s eyes suddenly gleamed with interest. "Master, have you discovered a technique to preserve void fiend corpses?"

Once a void fiend meets its demise, its body rapidly decomposes, shedding all spiritual essence within two to three days.

This rapid decay was precisely why Song Wen was unable to hunt void fiends in vast quantities to stockpile sustenance for the Nether Fox.

For the Nether Fox to consume void fiends, it was imperative for it to enter the Primordial Qi Death Zone and hunt them while they were fresh.

"I cannot preserve their corpses, but we can certainly capture them alive."

With that declaration, Song Wen withdrew a black cloth pouch from his sleeve—Yan Tong’s Spirit Beast Pouch, possessing the capability to contain void fiends.

The internal capacity of a Spirit Beast Pouch typically corresponds to its inherent rank.

Nevertheless, cultivators seldom housed multiple spirit beasts within a single pouch, as they would inevitably contend for the limited Qi within, impeding their respective growth.

However, Song Wen harbored no such reservations. So long as the void fiends remained alive, their continued existence was all that mattered.

Song Wen gently agitated the cloth bag, and the Beauty Serpent slithered out.

The Beauty Serpent had regained consciousness, yet its Demon Soul remained grievously wounded. It lay prone upon the ground, its slender eyes fixed upon Song Wen with palpable terror.

Song Wen had abstained from terminating it, harboring suspicions that Lord Yingwu’s motivations for its capture were not as straightforward as Yan Tong and the others had professed—a mere peculiar fascination with the exotic. The Beauty Serpent might still serve some unfathomable purpose.

After a brief, intense study of the creature, Song Wen was utterly astounded to observe that the tentacle, severed at its base, had already regenerated by two feet. At its extremity, tendrils of flesh still writhed and pulsed.

The Beauty Serpent’s tentacles, initially, were merely three feet in length, approximately equivalent to the span of a human leg. With two feet already regrown, it signified that the tentacle was on the verge of complete restoration.

Limb regeneration!

The thought surged through Song Wen’s consciousness.

Within the vast expanse of the Immortal Cultivation World, countless miraculous treasures and profound secret arts existed. Yet, Song Wen had never encountered any Spirit Herb or arcane technique with the capacity to regenerate severed limbs.

Should a cultivator sustain the loss of a limb, only two avenues existed for its restoration.

Firstly, the severed limb could be surgically reattached to its original insertion point. This necessitated the internal and external administration of potent Spirit Herbs to invigorate blood circulation, foster the regeneration of muscle tissue, and meticulously reconnect severed meridians, thereby enabling the limb to reintegrate with the body and regain its inherent wholeness.

Secondly, if the severed limb proved irretrievable, a limb from another sentient being could be transplanted. However, such an alien appendage invariably remained an foreign entity. To achieve seamless integration and command over it as naturally as one's own limb, the transplanted appendage had to undergo a rigorous refinement and nurturing process, an extended and arduous undertaking that consumed prodigious quantities of spiritual objects.

The sight of the Beauty Serpent’s spontaneous limb regeneration ignited Song Wen’s profound curiosity.

In the Immortal Cultivation World, numerous demon beasts boasted of their limb regeneration capabilities, yet these assertions were frequently embellished. Even when new limbs did manifest, they generally remained incomplete or flawed.

Throughout the years, the sole entity Song Wen had ever encountered possessing the genuine attribute of limb regeneration was the Fallen Immortal Blood.

Nevertheless, the Fallen Immortal Blood was not classified as a demon beast but rather an extraordinary life form existing in the liminal space between demon beasts and sentient flora.

"Shadow Void, tell me, can void fiends regenerate severed limbs?"

Shadow Void’s reply came swiftly: "No. Only bone serpent void demons possess that particular ability."

This revelation solidified Song Wen’s suspicion that the Beauty Serpent served a purpose beyond what was immediately apparent.

After a prolonged and careful examination of the Beauty Serpent, Song Wen remained unable to ascertain its true significance. He then addressed the shadow void residing within his Sea of Consciousness:

"Inquire of the Beauty Serpent if it has any knowledge as to why those humans sought to capture it."

The shadow void’s voice immediately projected into the outside world, emitting a stream of incomprehensible babble that Song Wen couldn’t understand.

The Beauty Serpent’s narrow eyes widened with a flash of terror as it heard the shadow void’s voice, undeniably startled by its unfathomable origin.

In response, the Beauty Serpent uttered its own unintelligible sounds.

Following this exchange, the shadow void reported back within Song Wen’s Sea of Consciousness:

"Master, it does not know why those humans wished to capture it."

A slight frown creased Song Wen’s brow. It seemed only Lord Yingwu held the key to this enigma.

However, Song Wen had no clue regarding the identity of Lord Yingwu.

After a brief period of contemplation, Song Wen opted to set the matter aside for the time being. He carefully placed the Beauty Serpent into a black cloth bag and proceeded deeper into the Primordial Qi Death Zone, commanding the Nether Fox and the shadow void to scout ahead for any void fiends.

One full day later.

Song Wen had managed to capture thirteen fifth-tier void beasts and two sixth-tier void fiends. Additionally, he had devoured the Soul Bodies of over twenty resentful spirits before finally departing the Primordial Qi Death Zone to make his way towards Cloudstream Valley.

Upon his return to Cloudstream Valley, Song Wen presented a fifth-tier void beast to the Nether Fox before entering his personal pavilion.

Settling into a cross-legged position, Song Wen commenced the process of refining his cultivation, focusing on stabilizing his current realm.

Refining one’s cultivation was an exceptionally painstaking endeavor. It entailed the ceaseless circulation of spiritual power through the dantian, cycling endlessly until every single thread of energy moved with absolute fluidity, perfectly responsive to his command.

As time inched forward, three months elapsed. Suddenly, Song Wen sensed the awakening of one of the four Gu insects that lay dormant within him.

The Gu insect that stirred was a fourth-tier specimen. It emerged from Song Wen’s mouth, fluttered its wings, and performed a dance before him, an unmistakable signal of its hunger.

Song Wen procured a demon beast corpse and tossed it out of the pavilion.

The Gu insect gave chase to the corpse, swiftly exiting the pavilion to begin its repast.

Over the subsequent days, the remaining three Gu insects gradually awakened as well.

The last to stir was the Gu insect that had recently achieved the fifth tier.

Song Wen did not pay it undue attention. Just as he had with the prior three insects, he provided it with a demon beast corpse and expelled it from the pavilion.

However, less than an hour passed before an unforeseen event transpired.

While Song Wen was engrossed in his cultivation, his mind was abruptly jolted.

One of the Dao contracts binding him to a Gu insect had inexplicably dissolved.

Song Wen’s eyes snapped open, a look of disbelief dawning on his face. A fourth-tier Gu insect had met its demise.

How could a Gu insect perish without apparent cause while remaining within the confines of the canyon?