Chapter 113 - 112: Soul Extraction and Blood Refinement, Growing a Brain

Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Soul Extraction and Blood Refinement, Growing a Brain

"The Ten Thousand Poison Forest has the Five Poison Spirit Refining Technique, our Cyan Yang Sect has the Soul-Drawing and Blood-Refining Art, and the Power Demon Sect has their Divine Demon Body Refining Technique."

Tan Hu shook his head. "But they’re all just basic magic. We know about theirs, and they know about ours."

"The Soul-Drawing and Blood-Refining Art?"

Li Changsheng was suddenly taken aback.

’Good heavens,’ he thought, ’that name doesn’t sound like something a righteous and noble sect would have!’

Unaware of his thoughts, Tan Hu nodded. "Whether it’s the Beast Soul lineage or the Blood Fusion lineage, both require..."

He trailed off, his voice stopping abruptly.

He had suddenly remembered that Li Changsheng was a cultivator from the Miscellaneous Cultivation Lineage...

Tan Hu scratched his head apologetically. "Sorry, Junior Brother. I forgot you were a Mixed Vein Cultivator."

Li Changsheng: "..."

"Senior Brother, about that Soul-Drawing and Blood-Refining Art?"

Tan Hu’s eyes shifted slightly as he explained with a smile, "It’s used to extract the souls of Spirit Beasts and condense their Spirit Beast Essence Blood."

"The souls are used to nourish the bonded Spirit Beasts of the Beast Soul lineage, and the essence blood is used to supplement the demonic bloodlines of the Blood Fusion lineage."

’Are you sure they don’t draw human souls and refine human blood?’

Li Changsheng’s expression was calm, but his heart was pounding.

’Good heavens, could the Cyan Yang Sect actually be the Cyan Yang Demon Sect?’

’No wonder the two neighboring sects don’t sound very righteous either.’

As if sensing his thoughts, Tan Hu didn’t seem annoyed. He pointed to the spirit snake bones Li Changsheng had spat out and chuckled. "Junior Brother, would you say the Spiritual Qi and Qi Blood contained in its body are higher than a mortal’s?"

Li Changsheng didn’t understand his meaning. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "A spirit snake has rich Qi Blood and also contains Spiritual Qi. It’s not like a mortal..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly froze.

Tan Hu continued asking, "So, would you say the quality of a beast soul nurtured from this is better, or the quality of a mortal’s soul?"

Li Changsheng shook his head, feeling confused.

’Logically, good fields naturally produce good seedlings, while poor fields produce withered ones.’

’But based on what I’ve read in my past life, this all feels so twisted...’

Tan Hu saw his conflict and said softly, "Junior Brother, let me be blunt. Are you from the Beast Soul lineage or the Blood Fusion lineage?" He paused, then added, "Has the sect wronged you in any way?"

’Huh?’

Li Changsheng wasn’t stupid; he instantly understood what Tan Hu meant.

’That’s right. I’m from the Miscellaneous Cultivation Lineage. I don’t devour souls or refine blood.’

’I’m just a farmer. Does it really matter to me whether it’s the Cyan Yang Sect or the Cyan Yang Demon Sect? What’s there for me to be conflicted about!’

Li Changsheng’s heart eased a little. He stood up and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I was just overthinking things."

"You’re still young, Junior Brother. Once you travel a bit and see the outside world, you’ll understand."

Tan Hu patted his shoulder, spoke those meaningful words, and turned to leave.

’Travel...’

Li Changsheng shook his head. After learning this, he decided he absolutely wouldn’t leave the sect until he reached the Pulse Condensation realm.

Then he closed his eyes to rest and meditate.

When Tan Hu returned to the campfire and saw Li Changsheng meditating with his eyes closed, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Not far away, Steward Ye and Steward Wu’s lips curved into a slight smile as they gave him a thumbs-up.

Tan Hu grinned, sat cross-legged by the fire, and flipped his hand over to reveal a black pearl, which he swallowed. He then closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

In the firelight, his shadow stretched and slowly transformed into the shape of a Mountain Monarch crouched on the ground.

With each of his breaths, the Mountain Monarch also opened its mouth, inhaling and exhaling, drawing imperceptible streams of black light into its maw.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Changsheng slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.

He saw a wooden cage in front of him, colorfully filled with all sorts of venomous snakes.

Seemingly taking the grade of his Five Poisons into account, most of them were Mortal Snakes, with only about a dozen Tier One Low-grade spirit snakes.

"This..."

Li Changsheng was stunned for a moment, and a warm feeling washed over him.

Just then, Tan Hu’s voice sounded from the side.

"Junior Brother, come and have a taste! I found some spices today, so it should be even tastier than yesterday’s spirit snake..."

Li Changsheng turned his head.

Tan Hu was waving at him, holding up a skewer of spirit snake meat. Steward Wu was squatting nearby, staring greedily at the rows of spirit snake skewers by the campfire.

"Thanks, Senior Brother! I’ll be right there."

Li Changsheng called back, fed Xiaohua a few handfuls of Spirit Rice, put her in his Spirit Beast Bag, and then finished feeding his other Spirit Beasts.

Looking at the wooden cage before him, he willed it, summoning his Five Poisons and fixing his gaze upon them.

[Target: Thousand-legged Poison Centipede] [Tier One Low-grade: 78%]

[Target: Gray-scaled Gecko] [Tier One Low-grade: 61%]

[Target: Cyan Leaf Bamboo] [Tier One Low-grade: 64%]

[Target: Ghost-faced Scorpion] [Tier One Low-grade: 89%]

[Target: Red Jade Toad] [Tier One Low-grade: 83%]

He had been raising them for over half a year, but because of a lack of poisonous materials, they hadn’t improved much.

Also, due to their innate potential, the three variant species among them had improved the most.

Li Changsheng stared at their cultivation level column, and a piece of information flowed into his mind.

[Nurturing Requirement: Growth can be accelerated by feeding them highly venomous creatures along with Snake Saliva Spirit Liquid.]

’With so many venomous snakes, I should be able to raise them to the middle grade this time, right?’

As he thought this, Li Changsheng circulated his Spiritual Power to cover his palm, reached out to open the wooden cage, quickly grabbed five venomous snakes from inside, and tossed them next to his Five Poisons.

Without any command from him, each of the Five Poisons chose a snake and began to devour it.

Li Changsheng closed the cage, glanced at them for a moment, and then walked over to Tan Hu.

As he got closer, the rich, savory aroma of meat wafted over him.

Li Changsheng didn’t stand on ceremony. He found a rock to sit on, picked up a skewer of roasted spirit snake, and began to eat heartily.

Compared to last night, the spirit snake meat not only had a bit of spice but also a rich, herbal fragrance that whetted his appetite.

"Senior Brother, this is amazing!"

Li Changsheng swallowed a mouthful of spirit snake meat and gave him a thumbs-up in praise.

Steward Wu swallowed a bite of spirit snake meat, patted his belly, and agreed, "Delicious..."

Tan Hu’s mouth crunched noisily as he chewed, his expression smug.

He had spent decades in the mountains honing this skill, making him even better than some chefs from the Mortal World.

Besides, the ingredients were top-notch, so of course it was delicious.

The three of them chatted idly as they ate.

In the middle of their conversation, Steward Wu suddenly turned to him and asked curiously, "Junior Brother Li, why do you always wear a mask?"

Li Changsheng’s arm froze, and the spirit snake skewer in his hand suddenly lost its appeal.

Tan Hu’s mouth twitched. He lowered his head and continued to eat noisily without a word.

"My face is ugly..."

Li Changsheng replied, then tore into the spirit snake skewer in his hand.

"Hmm?"

Steward Wu was taken aback for a second, then patted his belly and said with a carefree laugh, "It’s just a shell of flesh and blood, Junior Brother. No need to be like this. Just be bold and take off the mask."

As soon as he finished speaking,

both Li Changsheng and Tan Hu stiffened.

Then they both said at the same time, "Better not."

Tan Hu looked a little awkward. Seeing Li Changsheng’s calm gaze, he waved his hands. "Junior Brother, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just..."

Li Changsheng didn’t mean anything by it either. He simply took off his mask.

HISS... ℯℯ𝑙.

The two of them sucked in a sharp breath at the same time.

Although Li Changsheng’s face still looked ferocious and terrifying, the web-like network of cyan veins had clearly faded a little. He could also close his eyes freely, his nose wasn’t as upturned, and the deep furrows crossing his cheeks had smoothed out considerably.

Evidently, the meridians were gradually adapting.

Before long, he would probably return to his previous appearance.

Li Changsheng pulled his mask back on and continued to chew on his spirit snake skewer without a word.

Steward Wu wasn’t so curious anymore. He just stared intently at the skewers that weren’t cooked yet.

Time passed quickly.

While the three of them were making idle conversation,

on the horizon,

a Glowing White Jade Ship sped toward them and landed on the mountaintop.

Seeing this, the group stood up and walked over.

"Greetings, Steward." "Greetings, Senior Brother."

Lan Cai Shen waved his hand to put away the jade ship, nodded slightly, and looked at Li Changsheng with a smile. "Have you rested well, Junior Brother?"

"I’m fine now," Li Changsheng said with a smile.

"Good."

Lan Cai Shen nodded. "Then let’s start from the mountaintop."

Li Changsheng said nothing, walking over to the location of the Spiritual Vortex within the Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Land. He flipped his hand over, producing the Rune Hoe.

Just as he was about to start,

"Wait, Junior Brother."

Lan Cai Shen’s mouth twitched slightly as he looked at the simple hoe. He flipped his hand over, produced a hoe that was dark cyan all over and engraved with several runes, and handed it over.

"The Spiritual Land is hard. You should use this hoe, Junior Brother."

Li Changsheng’s eyes lit up. He reached out and took it, immediately feeling its weight.

’Damn, this thing weighs at least two hundred jin...’

Hefting it, Li Changsheng channeled his Spiritual Power into the hoe’s body.

Instantly, his Spiritual Power flowed into it as naturally as water. The several runes on the hoe flickered with spiritual light, and an inch-long, bone-white, cold gleam emerged from its blade.

"A Middle-Grade Talisman!"

Li Changsheng’s eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately began to dig.

With just a dozen or so swings, a pit about two meters deep appeared.

Li Changsheng squatted down and pressed his palm to the ground. A jade-green fluorescent light slowly seeped from his palm.

In a flash, the image of a Spiritual Vortex the size of a washbasin appeared in his mind.

After confirming its position,

Li Changsheng broke the mental connection and turned to nod at Lan Cai Shen. "This is the spot."

Lan Cai Shen didn’t waste words. He flipped his hand over, produced a white jade stele about a foot tall, and handed it to him.

"I’ll have to trouble you, Junior Brother."

"It’s my duty."

Li Changsheng took the stele. With a slight thought, the jade light flowed from his palm and slowly seeped into the stone.

As his life-force spiritual qi was channeled into it, the white jade stele gradually took on a greenish hue, and a pale gold rune on each of its four faces began to shimmer with spiritual light.

After consuming a full fifth of his life-force spiritual qi, the entire stele turned the color of jade.

He took it and pressed it down toward the location of the Spiritual Vortex in his memory.

BUZZ...

Li Changsheng felt as if the stele in his hand had hit an invisible wall. After a moment of stagnation, the runes on the stele surged with spiritual light.

The next moment, he felt the stele connect to a place overflowing with Spiritual Qi. An invisible binding force emanated from the stele, spreading in all directions and locking down the spirit of a one-mu area.

At this point, the stele seemed to be rooted in the ground, completely immobile.

Li Changsheng returned to his senses and said with a light chuckle, "That should do it."

Lan Cai Shen closed his eyes and sensed it carefully for a moment. Then he opened them and nodded with admiration. "Indeed, using life-force spiritual qi to drive the Spirit-Locking Talisman is the most effective method."

"I’ll have to trouble you with the next three mu of Mid-grade Spirit Fields as well, Junior Brother."

Li Changsheng nodded and then repeated the process, placing three more Spirit-Locking Talismans in quick succession.

After that, he wasn’t needed for the remaining thirty-five mu of Tier Two Low-grade Spirit Fields; he just had to tell Dong Xing and the other two where the Spiritual Vortexes were.

Compared to Li Changsheng, who placed the three Spirit-Locking Talismans quickly, the other three, whose life-force spiritual qi was impure, had a much harder time.