Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Refining Orifices with Blood Qi
Demon races rarely encounter the Bug race; after all, insects have short lifespans and low intelligence.
Yet the difficulty in dealing with the Bug Demons ranks high, with even those of extraordinary bloodlines, reluctant to provoke them.
The first reason is poison, and the second is their numbers.
"Casting divination for a hundred years, this is the first time I've received the highest auspice. It must be no small opportunity..."
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, waved his hand to let the Turtle Chancellor leave, and chose not to pay attention to this matter.
Opportunity and risk coexist, and even with a potential danger, Zhou Yi would rather miss the chance.
"Let's just make a note of this for now. In the future, after I condense my Golden Core, it'll be much safer to bully those at the Foundation Establishment who are great demons!"
...
Dawn.
Atop Cloud Piercing Peak.
Due to over thirty years of sitting cross-legged, the green stone at the edge of the cliff shone brightly.
Zhou Yi took out a stone table from his storage bag, methodically heated water, and brewed tea, waiting for the sunrise as he had done for decades.
A sea of clouds stretched endlessly, and a great sun was on the verge of rising.
At this moment.
Footsteps approached, Jin Ang landed on the peak and bowed in respect.
"I pay my respects to the Demon King, my lord."
"There's no need for such formalities."
Zhou Yi gestured for Jin Ang to sit opposite him, and said, "In all these years, this is the first time you've come up the mountain before sunrise."
Jin Ang, nearly fifty but appearing only in his thirties, spoke with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Yesterday, I hunted a Qi Refinement stage Bear Demon. I used its heart blood to purify my body, but my strength still saw no increase."
Zhou Yi expressed his surprise, "With pure physical strength, hunting a Qi Refinement stage Demon Beast, what more do you want?"
"My lord, if I may speak frankly."
Jin Ang said in a deep voice, "My life's dream is to fight and triumph over great demons!"
"That's ambitious."
Zhou Yi admired the sentiment, but cautioned, "Having great aspirations is good, but you must plan effectively to realize them, or else they're nothing but daydreams and wild fantasies."
"I have some vague ideas, but I'm not sure if they're right or wrong."
Jin Ang stood up, his body tense with power. A faint reddish aura emerged from his body, like a halo of flames.
"Since my body was purified to its peak, blood qi has begun to take shape within it. When I imbue it into my blade, it can cut through Demon Beast Skin, and when I hold it in front of my chest, it can block beast claws. But a person's blood qi is limited, I can only use it a few times before I'm drained, so it has to be saved for crucial moments."
"So what are your thoughts?"
Zhou Yi was already aware of the manifestation of blood qi and had studied it in detail, arising from a mix of pure qi-blood and strength.
Not only was there a small amount of blood qi, but it also lacked the flexibility and purity of mana. Its only advantage was that it did not require Spiritual Energy, albeit it necessitated the baptism of Demon Beasts which did.
Jin Ang said, "You've taught me much about cultivation, and I want to emulate cultivators by condensing blood qi and storing it in my Dantian to use continuously in battle."
"The Dantian is a vital part of the human body; I advise you not to try this rashly."
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment before saying, "The human body has 365 acupoints, many of which can heal from injury and won't prove fatal even when severely damaged. You can start by condensing blood qi in the acupoints. Once the Cultivation Technique is fully deduced, then you can consider gathering it in the Dantian."
Jin Ang listened intently, pondered carefully, and felt increasingly that it was a feasible and profound idea.
A man over fifty years old, like a child, stood at the edge of a cliff, howling into the sea of clouds.
Roar...
As if responding to the howl, the red sun leaped up, suspended above the sea of clouds.
...
In the mountains, time does not pass.
In the blink of an eye, another thirteen years went by.
"Five hundred years old!"
Zhou Yi smiled proudly, knowing that even among Golden Elixir True Monarchs, few lived to see five hundred, let alone those who faced good and evil in sword combat.
"Such great longevity ought to be celebrated."
With this thought, he took out divining sticks to predict ten days of fortune and misfortune.
"Nothing happened!"
Zhou Yi flapped his wings, turning into a purple, gold, and red long rainbow, flying north.
With Thunder Escape, an eagle transformation, and the Blood Burning Escape Technique augmenting his speed, he was no slower than a Golden Elixir True Monarch. Flying Cloud Ridge was located at the northernmost part of the vast mountains, merely ten thousand li from Cloud Continent.
A half-day later.
Outside Hundred Springs City.
Zhou Yi emerged from underground, having switched to Earth Escape upon entering Cloud Continent to avoid encounters with cultivators. Explore stories on m,v l'e-m|p y r
"I missed out on Hundred Beauty Pavilion back then; this time at my grand age, I must make up for it!"
However, upon entering the city and inquiring, he found out that Hundred Beauty Pavilion no longer existed, replaced by Xiao Xiang Pavilion.
"Such a pity. In the blink of an eye, I've missed out on so many predestined relationships."
Zhou Yi shook his head and sighed, transforming into a middle-aged uncle as he stepped into Xiao Xiang Pavilion.
On the second floor of the private box.
Embraced by a girl on each side, one feeding him wine, the other grapes.
Zhou Yi reclined on the soft couch, seemingly watching the dance below, but in reality, his divine sense was locked onto two handsome, dashing young masters.
Qi Cultivation fifth level, Qi Cultivation fourth level.
"The mana pure, the aura as sharp as a sword, must be sword cultivators, the inner corner of their clothes has sword inscriptions, could they be disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect?"
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, handed a token to the girl, and whispered a few instructions.
...
Downstairs.
Ding Zhi and Lu An had called for a large group of girls to drink with, looking quite carefree and merry.
"Brother Lu, how about what I said?"
Ding Zhi said proudly, "This is the true joy of freedom, practicing swordsmanship all day on the mountain, I'd almost become a sword myself."
"Truly merging man and sword, you would become a treasure, disciple, and have no chance to come down the mountain."
Lu An made a not-so-funny joke; if not for despairing at the Dao, who would want to indulge in the mortal world, "No wonder junior brother you always rush to go down the mountain, especially to cross over to Cloud Continent. It seems tiring and dangerous, but it's actually delightful to the extreme!"
"Heh heh, where is there no danger in this day and age?"
Ding Zhi said, "Rather than getting involved in fights with those big shots, it's better to inspect the mortal world. These mortal women may look mediocre, but they win with gentleness and obedience. The female disciples in the sect may be beautiful, but they are cold as stone."
The two were just ordinary disciples, relying on the inheritance of their ancestors and belonging to the lowest level of cultivators within the sect.
Now, tasked with a mission in the mortal world, they transformed into high and mighty immortal masters, their words capable of determining life and death. Even if they encountered other cultivators, wearing the robe of the Spirit Sword Sect, not even a Foundation Establishment True Person would want to provoke them.
Sword cultivators are known to be foremost in killing intent, even sharper than the Lightning Method, and the Spirit Sword Sect is famously protective of its own!
In his heart, Lu An was still somewhat worried, "The sect asked us to investigate Hundred Springs City's evil cultivators, and we spend every day eating and drinking in pleasure, how will we explain ourselves when we return?"
"That's easy to handle."
Ding Zhi had already figured out an excuse, "Evil cultivators wage war against each other; today they live, tomorrow they perish. We just need to wait one or two months, and the demon who captures people to refine them into corpses will likely die in a magical battle."
Lu An asked, "What if he doesn't die?"
Ding Zhi replied, "If we come across an evil cultivator who is cautious and careful, they won't stay put in one place. Just give it some more time, and he will move on to another place to practice his cultivation."
Lu An found this amusing and pressed further with a chuckle, "What if the evil cultivator just doesn't leave?"
"There's still a way. Intentionally cultivate the wrong meridians during your night practice, but remember to take a pulse-protecting medicinal pill in advance."
Ding Zhi said, "By doing so, the injuries and the rush of evil energy will be similar. If we return with such injuries, we can just say the evil cultivator was formidable. Certainly, others will be sent to eradicate the demon."
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
Lu An raised his cup, "No wonder junior brother you have been out on over a dozen missions and always return safely. I toast to you, senior brother."
At that moment, a girl bowed and offered the token in her hands.
"Two gentlemen, a guest upstairs invites you."
Ding Zhi and Lu An looked at each other, their eyes reflecting a mix of embarrassment and panic, having encountered a righteous senior while indulging in debauchery.
...
On the second floor.
Zhou Yi asked the girls to leave the private box, waved a hand to lower the curtains, and watched the two men with interest.
Lu An, with a thin skin, blushed furiously.
Ding Zhi, a veteran in such situations, thick-facedly said, "We pay our respects to the True Person, we heard that Xiao Xiang Pavilion was troubled by a demon that absorbed people's yang energy for cultivation, and especially came with my senior brother to eradicate the demon and protect the Dao!"
Zhou Yi smiled, "How come I haven't discovered any demons?"
Ding Zhi flattered, "It must be because the True Person's mana is so strong and his reputation so formidable that he scared away the demon."
"Interesting, interesting!"
Zhou Yi's tone shifted as he asked, "What is the current situation in Green State now?"
Ding Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had passed this ordeal. Truly reporting back to Spirit Sword Sect, he was likely to be expelled, and he would have to change cities for the next mission.
"Reporting back to the True Person, the situation is not optimistic. The Heavenly Corpse Sect from Ghost State has invaded southwards, and our sect's True Monarchs have already fought several battles with victories and losses on both sides!"
"A difficult situation indeed!"
Zhou Yi's eyes flickered with spiritual light, silently casting the Soul Bewitching Art, "Has the Supreme of the Spirit Sword Sect made a move?"
"No."
Ding Zhi said vaguely, "The old ancestors of the right and demon paths have agreed to settle their disputes with a battle between True Monarchs!"
"Eh?"
Zhou Yi's brows furrowed slightly but didn't continue questioning, to avoid arousing suspicion among the disciples next to him, and waved his hand.
"Alright, you can go now. I still want to read the girls' palms."
Ding Zhi and the other disciple bowed and left the Xiao Xiang Pavilion as if they were escaping.
"According to the records, past battles between the righteous and demon paths were always decided by the old ancestors, with Golden Elixir True Monarchs perishing like rain. Why has it changed this time?"
Zhou Yi pondered for a long time, then transformed into a streak of light and flew back to the vast mountains.
In the mountains, cultivating in seclusion was safe and risk-free. Regardless of whether the battles between righteous and demonic paths were fierce or had concluded, he had no desire to return.