Chapter 101: Spirit Contract, Blood Spirit Escape

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Spirit Contract, Blood Spirit Escape

High Tower Square.

Lan Cai Shen turned his head and asked, "Will you rest in the Marketplace for now, Junior Brother, or return to the Spirit Field?"

"Thank you, Senior Brother, but I still need to go back and pack up a bit," Li Changsheng said, cupping his hands.

Lan Cai Shen nodded. With a slight shift of his thoughts, a giant eagle with a wingspan of several zhang appeared in the square. The moment its vertical golden pupils fixed on him, a chilling sensation crept into Li Changsheng’s heart.

He thought, "What a fierce Eagle Demon!"

"Let’s go!" Lan Cai Shen shouted lightly. The instant the giant eagle spread its wings, he enveloped Li Changsheng, turning into a streak of flowing light and landing on its back.

SCREECH...

A sharp, piercing cry echoed out. Gusts of wind surged as the giant eagle soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon as a mere black dot in the blink of an eye.

A moment later.

Standing in the courtyard of his home, Li Changsheng watched the giant eagle fade away into the distance. A deeply satisfied smile hung on his face as he turned and pushed the door open to enter the courtyard.

GRUNT GRUNT...

Xiaohua nudged close to him, grunting with unease. It had been peacefully dozing off at the doorway when a fierce, oppressive aura suddenly descended from the sky, giving it quite a terrible fright. The disparity between a Spirit Beast and a demon was no different from the gap between Qi Cultivation and the Vein Condensation Realm. When factoring in bloodlines, innate Magic, and the like, the gap would only widen further.

Knowing what had happened, Li Changsheng patted its head. He softly comforted Xiaohua for a while before eagerly heading toward the wooden cabin.

Back on the second floor.

Li Changsheng leaned over to peek into the large vat. Larvae resembling fragmented leaves crawled across the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree. Every so often, an adult Red-winged Blood Bamboo would grab a dead bug and feed it to the larvae. Seeing that the larvae were fine, Li Changsheng set his mind at ease. He walked over to the bed and nudged the increasingly lazy Xiaobai aside.

Sitting cross-legged, he flipped his hand to take out a storage bag inlaid with jade and gold threads, then circulated his Spiritual Power to probe inside. The space inside the storage bag was about one zhang of Fang Yuan. With a slight shift in thought, Li Changsheng took out every item within it. Five hundred warm and smooth Spirit Stones, three bottles of elixirs, one Dharma robe, and a silk net-like Magical Artifact.

He thought, "Tsk, does this count as striking it rich overnight?"

Looking at the items on the table, Li Changsheng mused in his heart before putting away the Spirit Stones and elixirs. A Tier Two Elixir possessed medicinal efficacy that was far too potent, making it unsuitable for him to consume for the time being.

Li Changsheng picked up the Dharma robe. It felt cool and silky to the touch, and it weighed less than a single tael. It was a plain robe intertwined entirely in blue and white, with only the cuffs and hem depicting an abstract bird and beast in gold thread. A total of six pale gold runes were inscribed across its two sleeves, collar, abdomen, and hem.

Li Changsheng circulated his Spiritual Power to test them one by one. The Dharma robe offered the effects of toughness, water repulsion, fire repulsion, and dust repulsion. Of course, the water and fire it repelled were only of the mortal variety. Against uniquely potent Spirit Water and Spiritual Fire, it would undoubtedly be useless. Even so, this left him utterly delighted. After examining it closely, he began taking off his current clothes.

"I have to say, it really fits perfectly!"

After putting on the Tier One mid-grade Dharma robe, Li Changsheng looked left and right with joy. No matter how he looked at it, he felt the robe suited him incomparably well. If only there were a mirror; otherwise, he absolutely would have admired himself thoroughly.

After his excitement faded.

Li Changsheng picked up the final net-like Magical Artifact. It was entirely green-gold and merely three feet of Fang Yuan in size. Looking carefully, he noticed that along its many green-gold threads, two runes of similar affinities were imprinted at intervals of every one foot.

Li Changsheng could not understand what the runes meant, so he circulated his Spiritual Power and poured it into the Magical Artifact. As his Spiritual Power flooded in, he felt his mind connect to an indescribably complex vein network. A majestic surge of energy pulsed within this network. It seemed that with just a slight shift of his thoughts, he could unleash it.

Li Changsheng did not dare to be careless. He walked out into the courtyard, fixed his gaze on the center of the yard, and with a mere thought, activated the energy hidden within it.

HUMMM...

Li Changsheng only felt his palm lighten as the green-gold silk net flew out of his hand. Spiritual light overflowed across its surface as it grew against the wind. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a green, grid-like protective barrier that enveloped his entire body.

"A defensive Magical Artifact!"

Looking at the barrier, Li Changsheng’s expression suddenly turned to one of great joy. Initially, he had assumed this net was a Magical Artifact meant to trap people. Little did he expect such a pleasant surprise—it was actually a defensive Magical Artifact.

One must know that the price of defensive Magical Artifacts was only slightly lower than offensive ones, yet far more expensive than other ordinary eccentric Magical Artifacts. It was a pity he had no Vein Condensation Realm attack methods on hand, so naturally, he could not test the barrier’s durability. However, without a top-tier Magical Artifact, a cultivator in the Qi Cultivation Stage certainly would not be able to shatter this barrier anytime soon.

With a slight shift of his thoughts, Li Changsheng severed his connection to the green-gold silk net.

HUMMM...

In an instant, the green-gold silk net reverted into a three-foot grid and fell back into his hand.

Li Changsheng thought with a trace of insatiable greed, "What a pity. It only contains a single restriction..."

He glanced around before heading back to the second floor, sitting cross-legged on the soft bed. Flipping his hand, Li Changsheng took out the three Dharma Transmission Jade Scrolls he had received from Elder Lan. He picked up one scroll that was entirely blood-red and covered in golden patterns, pressing it against the center of his brow.

In an instant, a massive and complex vein network appeared in his mind. It was vastly different from the Golden Turtle Spirit Technique, which only possessed nine main Spirit Veins alongside a small number of supplementary minor veins. The Blood River Refining Yang True Skill featured twelve main Spirit Veins. Furthermore, its myriad complex minor veins extended to every corner of the body. Even the intricately unfathomable head area possessed a circulating minor vein. Moreover, once they were entirely assembled, it seemed there would be even more wondrous transformations.

After studying it for a while, Li Changsheng put down the jade scroll with a slight headache. He smiled bitterly and said, "No wonder Elder Lan said that advancing to the Vein Condensation Realm using the Golden Turtle Spirit Technique would make one incredibly weak. There simply is no comparison at all!

"I won’t be able to switch my cultivation for now. I’ll have to study it carefully once I reach the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land..."

Li Changsheng put away the jade scroll. He then picked up the fist-sized jade on the table—carved with an ox head, dragon horns, and a shelled back, but missing its limbs and tail—and pressed it against his brow.

[Magical Spirit Contract, recorded. Incomplete. Cultivation possible...]

Li Changsheng froze, subconsciously muttering, "Incomplete again?"

[Magical Spirit Contract, recording...]

...

[Magical Spirit Contract, recording complete.]

BOOM...

A massive and intricate surge of unfamiliar memories welled up from the depths of Li Changsheng’s mind, instantly plunging him into a daze.

A moment later.

"Phew..."

Li Changsheng massaged his slightly throbbing head, then focused his gaze upon himself.

[Target: Li Changsheng]

[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer "6%"]

[Cultivation Technique: "Golden Turtle Spirit Technique (7/9)" Traits: "Toughness, Spirit Recovery"]

[Magic: Three-leaf Spirit Absorption Vein Map "Minor Achievement 1%" | Bug Seal (Incomplete) "Major Achievement 34%" / Five Poisons Spirit Refining "Minor Achievement 35%" | Golden Turtle Shield "Minor Achievement 51%" | Magical Spirit Contract...]

Just as he was preparing to inspect the Magical Spirit Contract, the interface before him suddenly blurred for a split second.

HUMMM...

Li Changsheng only felt his vision go dark. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a void of pitch-black nothingness. Within the darkness, stars akin to a starry night sky were scattered all around. Among them, one star was the largest, three were slightly smaller, and the rest were roughly the same size. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

With a slight shift of his thoughts, Li Changsheng reached out and touched the largest star.

HUMMM...

Instantly, a wave of stifled, restless, and agitated emotions flooded into his mind. Feeling that incomparably familiar aura, Li Changsheng paused and muttered, "Is that... Xiaohai?" He then proceeded to touch the other stars one after another.

"Insect Mother. Big Bro. Little Bro."

One familiar aura after another flooded his mind.

He thought, "What is this? The Magical Spirit Contract?"

BOOM...

The very moment this name crossed his mind, his vision went black once more. In the next instant, he found himself back inside his room.

He thought, "What was that just now?"

Li Changsheng pondered for a moment, focusing his gaze back on himself.

[Target: Li Changsheng]

[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer "6%"]

[Cultivation Technique: "Golden Turtle Spirit Technique (7/9)" Traits: "Toughness, Spirit Recovery"]

[Magic: Three-leaf Spirit Absorption Vein Map "Minor Achievement 1%" | Magical Spirit Contract (Incomplete) "Minor Achievement 3%" / Five Poisons Spirit Refining "Minor Achievement 35%" | Golden Turtle Shield "Minor Achievement 51%"...]

He thought, "Did the Magical Spirit Contract replace the Bug Seal?"

Li Changsheng fixed his gaze on the Magical Spirit Contract.

[Tier Two mid-grade incomplete Magic: Magical Spirit Contract. By utilizing one’s own essence blood and willpower to condense a mark, one can act as a Spirit Binder, controlling bugs and beasts as easily as one’s own limbs.]

[Note: Capable of extracting Spiritual Qi from the bodies of bugs and beasts to massively boost Spiritual Power for a short duration.]

[Note: Because the Magic is incomplete, acting as a Spirit Binder for bugs and beasts above Tier Two mid-grade carries the risk of losing control. The number of creatures a Spirit Binder can control correlates with the strength of one’s divine soul and willpower.]

Right at that moment, all the spirit bugs Li Changsheng had contracted quietly underwent some changes. The black-and-gray patterns covering their bodies evolved to become even more complex. As they transformed, spiritual light flickered across their surfaces, while their physical forms and Spiritual Qi both steadily increased.

Hmm?

Li Changsheng also felt his mind suddenly become unprecedentedly relaxed, as if his body and soul had shed layers of burdens, bringing him an inexplicable sense of elation.

HUMMM...

Right then, specks of spiritual light suddenly illuminated his cuff. Li Changsheng brushed his sleeve, and Xiaohai’s slender body appeared on the tabletop. He focused his gaze, watching the worm-like, squirming markings spread across its skin.

[Advancing...]

He laughed and said, "Haha, does this count as a double blessing?"

Li Changsheng chuckled softly, then began to ponder why such a transformation had occurred. After mulling it over, he could only think of one possibility. That was, the Magical Spirit Contract was a higher-tier Magic compared to the Bug Seal. It was just like a Cultivation Technique. If a complex Cultivation Technique was too difficult to practice, one would simplify it from the complex to the simple. Once the simplified version was mastered, going back to cultivate the original, complex Cultivation Technique would be much easier, and there would be no risk of backlash.

Having figured this out.

Li Changsheng was in no rush to open up the other veins of the Magical Spirit Contract. Flipping his hand, he put away the Dharma Transmission Jade and picked up another piece of Dharma Transmission Jade, this one entirely crimson like a drop of blood. He had to admit that Elder Lan was truly considerate. The Cultivation Techniques he had given him were all original copies, and he hadn’t forbidden him from passing them on to others.

He thought, "What a good man!"

Li Changsheng sighed in admiration. He pressed the Dharma Transmission Jade against his brow, and a stream of information surged into his mind.

[Blood Spirit Escape, recorded. Complete. Cultivation possible...]

BOOM...

A massive wave of unfamiliar memories poured out from the depths of his mind. This time, Li Changsheng was clearly more tolerant of it. He only fell into a daze for a split second before regaining his clarity. A complex vein network diagram, branded directly upon the heart, surfaced in his mind.

"Phew..."

Li Changsheng exhaled a breath of stale air. Opening his eyes, he muttered, "To think I actually need to open up the veins on my heart..."

This gave him quite a headache. After all, if he accidentally damaged his heart, the consequences would be far more than just a minor setback. If that happened, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry about it.

After thinking for a moment.

Flipping his hand, Li Changsheng put away the Dharma Transmission Jade Scroll. He sat cross-legged on the soft bed, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

After an unknown amount of time.

A complex vein network diagram, which faintly outlined the shape of a bizarre beast, appeared in his mind’s eye.