Cultivating Immortality :I Obtained The Villain's Ascension Code

Xiao Ning sat cross-legged in the dim cave, his mind racing with possibilities. The Codex had been silenced by the Paradox Meridians, leaving him free to think without its constant interference. He felt oddly lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But this freedom came at a cost—his cultivation was now non-existent, and he was effectively starting from scratch.

"Hmph," Xiao Ning muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples. "Starting over... again. Isn't that just my life?"

Despite this setback, Xiao Ning wasn't discouraged. In fact, he felt a strange sense of liberation. Before, he had been burdened by the flaws and shortcuts of Li Fang's cultivation methods. Now, his body was like a clean slate, ready for something new.

"Clean slate, huh?" he said aloud, smirking wryly. "Guess I should stop complaining about second chances. After all, how many people get to rewrite their own story?"

Though the purge had erased all traces of cultivation methods, it hadn't stripped away the raw materials—the fourth-stage bone marrow, blood essence, and physical strength remained intact. These were the building blocks he would use to construct his new cultivation base. And surprisingly, he also discovered two strange and distinct essences lingering within him.

The first was the residue of the Nine Serpents of Heavenly Blight. Though purged from his system, their destructive heavenly essence still clung stubbornly to his heart meridian. It wasn't just leftover corruption; it was a remnant of pure destruction, an energy that thrived on chaos and annihilation.

"This thing..." Xiao Ning whispered, narrowing his eyes. "It's not going anywhere anytime soon. Might as well make use of it."

The other one was the Ghost Moon Brand, erased from his palm but leaving behind a faint silver crescent mark. Beneath this mark lay traces of extreme Yin essence, cold and oppressive yet refined and potent.

"And this..." he mused, tracing the crescent lightly with his fingers. "Cold enough to freeze fire itself. Pure, untouched Yin essence. Not bad, not bad at all."

Unlike the corrupted spirit root, this Yin essence was untouched by impurity, making it a pristine foundation for cultivating techniques that required balance or extremes.

"Let's see," he muttered under his breath, leaning back against the rough stone wall of the cave. "I need something simple yet effective—a method that complements my existing essence without overcomplicating things."

He began recalling the techniques he had learned throughout his previous life. There were countless scrolls, manuals, and scriptures stored away in his memory, each one representing a path to power. Some were simple, others complex; some suited his spirit roots, while others clashed entirely.

"Too many choices," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If only I could just pick one and stick with it. Wait... what was that ancient technique? Something about bones..."

With his current circumstances, only one ancient method resurfaced from the dusty corners of his consciousness—the Annihilation Bone Scripture. Unlike the methods he had practiced in his previous life, this technique was entirely foreign to him. He had stumbled upon it during an exploration of ancient ruins, its secrets etched onto crumbling stone tablets.

"The Annihilation Bone Scripture," he murmured thoughtfully. "Transforming the body's bones into weapons of destruction... interesting."

Intrigued yet wary, Xiao Ning had memorized the basics before leaving the ruins, though he never dared to cultivate it in his past life. Now, however, things were different. With his prior cultivation methods purged and his body reduced to primordial clay, Xiao Ning saw an opportunity.

"The leftover destruction energy from the Nine Serpents of Heavenly Blight and the pure Yin essence from the Ghost Moon Brand," he said softly, his voice tinged with excitement. "These aren't ordinary energies; they're powerful tools if used correctly."

The Annihilation Bone Scripture worked differently from traditional cultivation methods. Instead of relying on spirit roots or meridians, it transformed the bones themselves into conduits for power. This made it ideal for someone like Xiao Ning, who had lost everything else but still retained his fourth-stage bone marrow strength.

"Alright," he said firmly, sitting up straighter. "Time to put theory into practice."

To begin, he needed to focus on one specific part of his skeleton: the heartbone. In human anatomy, there isn't really such a thing as a "heartbone," but in this world, cultivators believed that certain parts of the body could serve as anchors for powerful techniques. For the Annihilation Bone Scripture, the heartbone acted as the central hub where destructive energy would gather and spread throughout the rest of the skeletal system.

Xiao Ning closed his eyes and reached deep inside himself. He visualized the faint black veins left behind by the Nine Serpents of Heavenly Blight. They pulsed weakly, almost taunting him.

"Come on, you little bastards," he growled mentally. "Don't give up so easily."

Slowly, he guided these threads of energy toward his chest, focusing them around what he perceived as the heartbone. At first, nothing happened. But then, after several minutes of intense concentration, a tiny spark ignited. The destructive energy began to swirl, forming a small vortex at the center of his chest.

"Ahh!" Xiao Ning gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. The pain was sharp, burning through every nerve ending. Yet, he pushed forward. "This is only the beginning."

As the energy settled into the heartbone, something remarkable occurred. The bone itself started to change, becoming denser and harder, almost crystalline in texture. With each passing moment, it absorbed more of the destructive essence, growing stronger and more resilient.

"Not bad," he panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "Now for phase two."

Next, Xiao Ning turned his attention to the silver crescent mark on his palm. Beneath it lay the pure Yin essence, cold and oppressive yet refined and potent. He wondered how it might interact with the destructive energy already coursing through his heartbone.

"Yin meets Yang," he murmured, extending his awareness to the mark. "Let's see if you play nice together."