Chapter 1056: The Qi Refiner (Bonus Chapter - Please Vote! )
Chapter 1056: The Qi Refiner (Bonus Chapter - Please Vote! )
The night deepened.
Fang Cheng Dong's face was even gloomier than the sky, with Song San trailing behind him.
Song San had a fawning smile on his face, chattering incessantly: “Many thanks, Master Fang, for sending me to the Green Hut Clinic. . . Old Doctor Xue there is known as the 'Divine Needle', and his bone-setting truly is unparalleled. . . ”
“When did my little brother become so formidable? ”
Fang Cheng Dong suddenly stopped and asked, “You said he subdued you in an instant? ”
“Of course. Who would have thought he'd learned some martial arts. . . ”
Recalling the humiliation of the day, a hint of fear involuntarily surfaced on Song San's face.
Seeing this, Fang Cheng Dong immediately sneered inwardly: ‘Truly a petty man. . . ’
The two turned into a narrow alley and arrived before a courtyard.
Song San stood lookout while Fang Cheng Dong went up and knocked on the door.
The door creaked open, revealing an old man dressed in a dark robe, with gaunt cheeks and a pallid complexion.
“It's you two. Come in. . . ”
The old man's ashen eyes swept over the two, and he stepped aside, opening a path.
Upon entering, a strong fishy smell assailed their nostrils.
Fang Cheng Dong looked at the various dried fish and fishing nets hanging in the courtyard. . . he couldn't help but furrow his brows.
“Old Yu. . . you previously assured us that man was certainly drowned. ”
Song San, however, couldn't hold back and blurted out, “But today, he's back, alive and well! ”
Old Yu's eyes flickered, then he replied expressionlessly, “Yin Superior Master's water monster would never make a mistake. . . Never mind, follow me. ”
He led the two into the room, lifted a bed board, and a hidden tunnel immediately appeared.
Old Yu bent down and crawled in first.
Fang Cheng Dong and Song San followed behind him.
The three followed the tunnel and soon arrived at a cellar.
This cellar was extremely damp, seemingly connected to a water vein, with plenty of moss growing around its walls.
In the center of the cellar was an altar, made of haphazardly piled black stones, with a face smeared with bloodstains at its very top.
This face didn't resemble a human's; it seemed to be screaming, roaring. . .
With just a glance, Song San and Fang Cheng Dong unconsciously found a hint of mad laughter on their lips.
“You've arrived? ”
Accompanying the voice, a cloaked figure emerged from the corner.
“Yin Superior Master. . . ”
Old Yu quickly stepped forward and explained Fang Xi's situation.
Yin Superior Master pondered for a moment, then immediately said, “. . . Since that man is still alive, it must be that my water monster followed my instructions to fake a drowning, avoiding any injuries. . . Being constrained, with various scruples, perhaps it didn't manage to completely finish him off at once. ”
Fang Cheng Dong and Song San, who had maintained their composure before Old Yu, now knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: “We beg Yin Superior Master to make a move once more! ”
“This time, we don't ask for a disguise; we just want Fang Xi to die in his home. . . ”
A savage expression appeared on Fang Cheng Dong's face: “Today he has already started pressing for debt; either he dies, or I perish! Even if he doesn't die tonight, tomorrow I will widely declare that he has returned from the dead, no longer human, but a monster! Let everyone burn him or drown him in the pond together! ”
“Heh heh, truly worthy of a scholar; their schemes are plentiful. ”
Yin Superior Master praised, then continued, “However, doing so would inevitably attract the 'Anomaly Suppression Division' of the imperial court, which might backfire. . . It's better to let this old man's water monster make a move. ”
After speaking, he immediately approached the altar and began twisting his body, performing a strange dance.
Yin Superior Master's limbs twisted as if in a frenzy, his mouth continuously emitting notes, sometimes low, sometimes high-pitched.
Numerous abstruse and jarring notes converged into a mysterious incantation, carrying a mysterious power.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, gusts of eerie wind swept through the cellar, causing the three to shiver involuntarily.
Song San was sharp-eyed, seeing that beneath Yin Superior Master's occasionally revealed robes, he was no longer human-like at all.
In several places on his arms, black, fish-like scales had grown, with a few dark hairs scattered around.
He quickly covered his mouth, just barely stopping himself from crying out.
Drip! Drip!
The cellar, at some unknown point, had become thoroughly drenched.
Splash! Splash!
The sound of surging waves subtly echoed.
Light and shadows twisted on the walls, and an extra figure appeared.
No!
That wasn't human; it was a monster standing upright!
It had a human-like torso, its surface covered in a layer of bluish-black scales, with abundant hair growing from the gaps between the scales.
Upon those scales, there seemed to be complex and ancient patterns.
Just seeing it brought a powerful spiritual impact.
Old Yu knelt on the ground with a face full of fanaticism, while Fang Cheng Dong and Song San's eyes were glazed over.
As for how a water monster appeared in this sealed cellar, no one paid attention.
It seemed they tacitly assumed it possessed the ability to traverse the void.
“Although my water monster's strength will be somewhat weakened away from water, it's more than enough to deal with an ordinary martial artist who isn't a ninth-rank 'Martial Cultivator'. . . ”
Yin Superior Master looked at Fang Cheng Dong and said chillingly, “However, for the water monster to be dispatched, it requires a blood sacrifice; you understand this rule. . . ”
“Naturally. ”
Fang Cheng Dong took a step back and directly pushed Song San's back with his right hand: “This is the one. . . ”
Song San, disoriented, was seized by the water monster's arms and couldn't help but let out a scream.Then, he saw a gaping maw filled with terrifying fangs, growing larger and larger in his vision. . .
...
Old Locust Alley.
The moon set, the crows cried.
“The Netherworld. . . ”
Fang Xi caressed the 'Yin Dog Bone' in his hand, his thoughts lost in contemplation.
In a trance, he seemed to perceive the existence of another world, separate from the current one.
It was a land of death, yet within that death, various strange and bizarre lives were nurtured.
The Yin Dog was merely one of the most inconspicuous among them.
At this moment, using that Yin Dog Bone, Fang Xi vaguely, yet discernibly, touched upon the Netherworld.
‘The laws of this world are indeed quite strange. . . Even ordinary mortals, as long as their spiritual sense is strong enough, can perceive the Netherworld through various mediums. . . ’
‘Or even. . . directly connect with numerous terrifying existences. ’
Fang Xi's thoughts ranged far and wide, sweeping through the Netherworld, observing all sorts of strange and bizarre things.
There were skeletal dragons covered in diamonds, and limbless nether birds. . .
And even dark, decaying rivers flowed through the Netherworld. . .
‘Unfortunately. . . I can only roughly perceive it; it's difficult to mobilize the power of the Netherworld. . . ’
‘The power of the Netherworld is the power of laws. . . ’
Alas, Fang Xi currently lacked cultivation, making it impossible to leverage these laws.
Even if one acquired a rank, if the rank wasn't high enough, rashly invoking such high-level power would undoubtedly have grave consequences.
His ability to perceive the Netherworld was due to the unique rules of this world.
‘The Netherworld. . . ’
‘In the depths of the Nether Realm, what powerful existences might there be? ’
Fang Xi's thoughts delved deeper and deeper, until suddenly, he seemed to meet a pair of dark, profound eyes.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted.
He immediately closed his eyes, and streaks of crimson appeared at their corners.
Terrifying thoughts surged directly into Fang Xi's mind, bringing all sorts of knowledge about the Netherworld, while simultaneously luring him to fall, to transform into a creature of the Nether Realm.
‘Heh heh. . . Even the Heavenly Dao couldn't assimilate me; what's a mere Netherworld. . . ’
After a long while, Fang Xi opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
This was only possible because it was him; any other cultivator, at this point, would likely have been transformed into a Dao-corrupted monster!
Indeed, in Fang Xi's view, this assimilation was practically identical to a cultivator's 'Dao-corruption'.
However, he rubbed his brow, recalling the knowledge he had gained from the contamination earlier, and fell into contemplation once more:
“Gods from beyond this world? They greedily covet this world, yet find it difficult to enter with their true forms. . . but their tentacles are everywhere. . . ”
“The invasion of power from Outer Evil Gods has led to an endless stream of strange tales and rumors in this world. . . ”
“That existence was an Evil God of the Netherworld; I didn't even attract its attention, merely came into contact with a wisp of its aura transformed into spiritual sense. . . yet it was already so severe. ”
“If I were to truly encounter its main body, what level of existence would it be? An Immortal? Or a Dao Monarch? ”
“'Yin Heavenly Emperor'? ”
Thinking of the information attached within the contamination, Fang Xi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
“Worshipping gods. . . So that's how it is. Such high-dimensional beings, even merely witnessing their true form, will leave terrifying effects on the weak. . . If one makes good use of this influence, their strength can indeed advance by leaps and bounds, but the cost is also immense. . . perhaps even directly ceasing to be human. ”
He thought for a moment, tightening his grip on the Yin Dog Bone.
“Those who cultivate in this world must choose a Dao to follow, and then struggle amidst the influence of the Evil Gods. . . ”
“But I am different. Worshipping gods? I'd rather worship myself! ”
Fang Xi pondered: “By this analogy, my main body is also a God from beyond this world, like the 'Yin Heavenly Emperor', perhaps even more powerful. . . ”
“Their power can permeate this realm and manifest in unique forms. The power of cultivators can do the same! ”
Lights flickered in Fang Xi's eyes. He was clearly preparing to use the truth of the world he had uncovered, and even the knowledge he had 'scraped' from the Netherworld, to analyze the possibility of cultivation in this realm.
‘This world has no spiritual energy, so cultivation here involves cultivating 'anomalous power'. To initially enter Qi Refinement, one must also consume secret medicines. . . A secret medicine suitable for cultivators needs to be concocted, to achieve the Ninth-Rank 'Qi Refiner'. . . ”
‘Of course, if I mess around like this, even with my own foundation and knowledge of the Netherworld, I might deduce a dead-end path, making it difficult to progress further after the Eighth, Seventh, or even Sixth and Fifth Ranks. . . ’
After all, Fang Xi had only just arrived in this world; his initial design might very well be the wrong path.
But he didn't care. As long as the initial few ranks were largely correct, by the time he reached the stage where he could leverage the power of laws, the specific rank would be utterly irrelevant.
Fang Xi immediately began to use his own foundation to deduce the secret medicine he needed.
‘For the Ninth-Rank 'Qi Refiner', it's still the old method: based on the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, or Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. . . Although it's common, at least the foundation will be solid and error-free. ’
‘As for the remaining main and auxiliary ingredients. . . I still know too little about the spiritual materials of this world. ’
Fang Xi touched the Yin Dog Bone in his hand with a sigh: “Alternatively, using this bone as the main ingredient, paired with a Yang-attribute spiritual material, basing it on Yin and Yang, would also be a great Dao. . . ”
He was, after all, a high-grade alchemist. Deducting these now felt like deducing new first or second-order pill formulas; there was practically no difficulty.
Just then, Fang Xi's expression changed as he looked outside the courtyard.
Drip! Drip!
The sound of water echoed. In the sweet water well in the courtyard, an arm covered in scales and black hair suddenly rested on the well's edge!
Tomorrow morning's update will be late.
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