Chapter 19: Peeling Skin
“You really want to learn these Divine Abilities?”
Seeing Lu Yang looking eager, Wang Bairong was a bit surprised and couldn’t help but say, “Junior Brother, the Immortal Way always prioritizes cultivation realm. You must distinguish between the primary and the secondary.”
In his view, Lu Yang had earned so many Contribution Points at such a young age. Even if Foundation Establishment wasn’t guaranteed in the future, the Perfection of Qi Refining was still highly hopeful. Why practice these Divine Abilities with enormous side effects? Even if your combat power reached the heavens, so what? When your lifespan ends, you’ll still be a handful of dust.
“Life is short and bitter— do not mislead yourself.”
Speaking of this, Wang Bairong showed a sorrowful expression. “You are still young and don’t understand this principle yet… Flowers may bloom again, but people are never young twice.”
“You are in the prime of your life now, but what about ten years later? Twenty years later?”
“You make this choice today, and it seems gratifying, but the drawbacks might not show until decades later. At that time, there will be no medicine for regret.”
Before his voice faded, Wang Bairong seemed to fall into reminiscence again. Only after a long while did he sigh with emotion, “You don’t know, but when this old man was young in the Saint Sect, I was very glorious. But with just one wrong step, I wasted my whole life. Even now, every time I think of it, the pain makes me wish for death…”
As he spoke, Wang Bairong’s eyes turned red.
Under the influence of alcohol, he simply pulled Lu Yang and began to recount his glorious past.
Actually, it wasn’t much. It was just that when he was young, he didn’t understand the importance of True Qi Grade. He accidentally obtained a technique below the Seventh Grade and cultivated it.
As a result, his True Qi Grade was too low, leaving him with no hope for Foundation Establishment in his lifetime, and even reaching the Perfection of Qi Refining was difficult.
Over the decades, half his body was buried in yellow earth, while his former fellow disciples and the women he admired extended their lifespans one by one, remaining in their youthful prime to this day…
How regrettable, how heartbreaking this must be. But in life, who can start over?
Seeing Wang Bairong pass out drunk just like that, Lu Yang stood up. Following Wang Bairong’s description, he found the book [Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light].
Undeniably, this was indeed a Demonic Art.
Lu Yang exchanged for it, his expression solemn. “Quick success, huge side effects, high danger—it has almost all the characteristics a Demonic Path technique should have.”
To master this Divine Ability, one must first select a treasure, then use it to peel off one’s own human skin alive. Afterward, using secret methods to refine it for eighty-one days, one could refine a [Blood-Dissolving Treasure Light] attached to the artifact. Ordinary cultivators would be injured upon grazing it and die upon touching it.
“At the same time, I myself will become a Blood Shadow existing in reliance on the treasure.”
“If the treasure is not damaged, the Blood Shadow will not perish.”
“The side effects are halved lifespan. Also, after becoming a Blood Shadow, one no longer has a human body but merely a human form, so cultivation will no longer progress…”
“Good, it suits me perfectly!”
Lu Yang’s eyes were bright, and he immediately decided to practice this Divine Ability.
During the process of practicing, he discovered that this Divine Ability actually had another version. It seemed some great cultivator had revised and optimized it.
“After all, this Divine Ability is indeed wondrous and extraordinary.”
“The modified version doesn’t require the cultivator to peel their own skin for blood sacrifice. Instead, it lets the cultivator blood sacrifice their own siblings or descendants.”
“This way, one can also master this Divine Ability. However, since the Blood Shadow refined this way is ultimately not the cultivator themself, it is difficult to maneuver freely, so there is a danger of backlash… But I am different. Whether in this life or the next, the Blood Shadow will only be me.”
Several days later, Lu Yang left the [Scripture Pavilion].
In addition to this, he bought the [True Art of Divine Lightning Sword Control] again with full payment. After all, only by doing this could he openly display it in the future.
The next day, the “technique” was delivered.
“Demon!”
Looking at Yun Miaoqing, who was tightly gripping the spiritual sword around her neck and looking at him with an unyielding expression, Lu Yang suddenly felt a sense of separation as if a lifetime had passed.
But soon, he threw that feeling to the back of his mind.
“Apologies, I need the method and experience for refining a Sword Pellet.”
“What? How would you know!”
Practice makes perfect. Relying on his familiarity with Yun Miaoqing, Lü Yang went all out and quickly extracted the necessary knowledge and experience from her.
Pulling up his pants, Lü Yang turned and left.
This time, he went to [Myriad Treasures Peak], the peak corresponding to the Outer Sect’s [Artifact Forging Hall], one of the Four Inner Peaks. Most of the Saint Sect’s artifact came from here.
“I want to rent an Earth Fire Furnace.”
Arriving at the front desk, Lu Yang stated his needs directly. After giving enough Contribution Points, he was invited into the highest-grade furnace room a quarter of an hour later.
After making ample preparations, he took out the materials.
Three taels of Metal Essence, three taels of Jade Marrow, two taels of Cinnabar, two taels of Sword Qi… Then he formed hand seals to draw fierce fire from the earth’s core and threw everything into the furnace!
“Although most Sword Pellets in the [Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion] are refined by elders in the sect, that is in the Righteous Path, where one doesn’t need to worry about someone tampering with things in secret. This is the Primordial Saint Sect. Rather than pinning hope on the moral standards of the artifact refiner, it’s better to do it myself. At worst, I’ll just try a few more times…”
A set of materials cost 2000 Contribution Points.
Lu Yang had earned a total of ten thousand Contribution Points. After deducting the purchase of Divine Abilities, techniques, and repaying loans, his entire net worth could only buy three sets of materials for refining Sword Pellets.
“If I fail all three times, then I’ll come back in the next life!”
With this thought, Lu Yang began to strictly follow the method and experience copied from Yun Miaoqing, controlling the Earth Fire to slowly condense all the materials.
Metal Essence melting Jade Marrow, Cinnabar merging with Sword Qi…
Gradually, a pellet appeared within Lu Yang’s spiritual consciousness. However, before he could rejoice, he saw the pellet suddenly tremble on the spot…
BOOM!
It exploded.
A set of materials was scrapped. Lu Yang calmly waved his sleeves to sweep away the debris, silently summarizing the lessons learned. “…My steps shouldn’t have been problematic.”
“The problem lies in the final step.”
Lu Yang reviewed Yun Miaoqing’s memories, and enlightenment gradually appeared in his eyes:
“Refining a Sword Pellet requires the Sword and Heart to merge. But I haven’t been cultivating the [True Art of Divine Lightning Sword Control] for long, so my realm in the Way of the Sword is obviously lacking…”
Logically speaking, this was a hard requirement that could only be ground out slowly.
However, this was from the perspective of the Righteous Path. After all, the Righteous Path emphasized gradual progress and rarely used methods that sought quick success or violated heavenly harmony.
But the Demonic Path didn’t care about these things.
“Sword and Heart merging, in the end, is about control over the Sword Pellet… Since that’s the case, if I synchronously cultivate the [Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light], the effect should be the same!”
“Perhaps even better!”
After all, the [Heavenly Demon Blood-Dissolving Divine Light] involved sacrificing one’s body to the treasure. Once mastered, one practically merged into one with the treasure. The degree of compatibility would inevitably far exceed the so-called “Sword and Heart merging.”
“However, to achieve this, the anesthetic powder prepared beforehand cannot be used…”
Refining a Sword Pellet was delicate work. If he took medicine to suppress the pain, causing his reaction during refining to be half a beat slow, he would very likely fail.
So he had to remain awake throughout the entire process.
“It’s the Demonic Path, after all. You have to be ruthless to yourself… Otherwise, how can you be called a talent?”
Thinking of this, a trace of ruthlessness instantly appeared in Lu Yang’s eyes.
A moment later, he sat upright in front of the Earth Fire Furnace, stuffed a piece of rag into his mouth, and waited for the Sword Pellet to form again before manipulating the Sword Qi to fall towards himself…
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