Chapter 296 - 209: Successive Acquisition of Demon Blood, Demon Metamorphosis Technique
Chapter 296: Chapter 209: Successive Acquisition of Demon Blood, Demon Metamorphosis Technique
Xu Xujun immediately went to greet him. After exchanging pleasantries with Lin Changheng, they each took a seat, and Xu Xujun began, "I heard that the territory under the Cyan Mist Temple’s jurisdiction suffered a Beast Tide?"
"Oh? Mr. Xu, you’ve heard about it all the way over at the Black Water River?"
Lin Changheng’s brow twitched slightly. He spoke with surprise, as the speed and distance this news had traveled clearly surpassed his expectations.
"That’s right," Xu Xujun stated. "This matter caused a huge stir and is being taken very seriously by the Purple Extreme Sect. They fear becoming the next Cyan Mist Temple, so they’ve put many early warning measures in place. At the same time, all of us Cultivation Clans with assets in the Wilderness have received a warning from the Purple Extreme Sect, telling us to be cautious and vigilant to avoid repeating the same disaster."
Clearly, the Xu Family, which controlled the Cyan Spirit District, was among those who were warned.
’Lin Changheng knew this was a way to mobilize the strength of the Cultivation Clans as a useful supplement. After all, their own interests were involved. If they discovered anything, they would certainly report it at top speed.’
He then nodded, indicating he understood.
Xu Xujun spoke again, "I wonder what the situation with the Beast Tide over at the Cyan Mist Temple is like now? Has the cause been determined? The clan is worried about history repeating itself, so they sent me to inquire about the situation."
"If it’s a Passive Beast Tide, that would be manageable. But if there’s a hidden force behind it, that would be far too terrifying. We must make plans early, refine the allocation and rationing of our resources, and pull back supplies from the Cyan Spirit District."
Lin Changheng nodded, quite approving of this cautious approach and plan.
"Although the Immortal City’s location is closer to the Beast Tide’s front lines in the Cyan Mist Temple’s region than the Black Water River, it’s still quite far in reality. The news is still delayed..."
Lin Changheng said thoughtfully, "The last news we received was that the Beast Tide had once again broken through the defenses, slaughtering another Cultivation Clan in a New Wilderness Land, as well as a Marketplace and an Ore resource point. All of them have fallen. I’m not clear on the current real-time situation, but I’m afraid it’s not looking very optimistic."
"Hiss..."
Even with his considerable composure, Xu Xujun couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.
He felt a sense of empathy.
If they encountered a similar Beast Tide, the locations of those Marketplaces weren’t too different from the Cyan Spirit District—all were situated in newly pioneered lands within the Wilderness.
When crisis struck, they would be the first to bear the brunt of it!
Annihilation would be imminent.
"Mr. Xu, you don’t need to worry excessively. The Wilderness borders the Song Territory, and the boundary line is so long. Even if another Beast Tide were to occur, it wouldn’t necessarily use the Cyan Spirit District as its breakthrough point. However, you could move resources in and out more frequently. That way, even if you suffer some losses, they won’t be too severe."
Lin Changheng said with a smile, offering a reasonable suggestion.
"Indeed. Although the bad news is upon us, one shouldn’t worry needlessly. The older I get, the more timid and overly cautious I become."
Xu Xujun gave a bitter smile.
"This is the burden that comes with a clan. No matter how fierce the Beast Tide, for Foundation Establishment Cultivators like us, as long as we don’t fall into an encirclement of Demon Beasts or get targeted and tied down by beasts of the same or High Tiers, escaping isn’t a huge problem."
Lin Changheng was filled with emotion. Every Cultivator had their own way of life, their own burdens and pursuits. It wasn’t his place to comment.
...
After gathering information from Lin Changheng, Xu Xujun also briefly mentioned his family’s situation, as well as the current state of their sworn enemy, the Qiu Family.
He said that after the Qiu Family learned Xu Hanji had reached Foundation Establishment, they had completely withdrawn into an impenetrable, defensive posture.
They were almost completely cut off and sealed off from the outside world.
According to the Xu Family’s upper echelons, that fiend was planning to bide his time until the Secret Realm opens in five years, to make a final, desperate gamble.
The Xu Family had no good solution for this. They had tried various strategies, but none could deal a fatal blow to the Qiu Family.
Evidently, the Qiu Family had internally decided to grit their teeth and endure hard times.
Now, a dark cloud hung over the Qiu Family, and its members were in despair. In such a critical moment, they could only rally tightly around the Qiu Family Ancestor, hoping he could lead the clan to find a new hope for survival.
Lin Changheng nodded, showing he understood, but he didn’t have any good suggestions to offer.
In this kind of situation, one could usually only wait for the enemy’s fortress to crumble from within. The problem was, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator was both the supreme leader and the family’s strongest combatant. As long as he remained as steady as a mountain, it was very difficult for any kind of mutiny to occur within the clan.
...
"Oh, right. The family also entrusted me with bringing something Alchemist Lin requires."
With the discussion concluded, Xu Xujun smiled and took out a Jade Box that was extremely familiar to Lin Changheng.
Lin Changheng had been eagerly awaiting the remaining Jade Horned Snake Essence Blood.
Now, for the Metamorphosis of the Jade Horned Snake True Core, everything was ready; only this blood was missing.
’Seeing this, Lin Changheng couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Helping the Xu Family and maintaining a good relationship with them was indeed a good move.’ ’At the very least, it could save him a lot of trouble.’ ’After all, the demand for Essence Blood was huge. If he really had to do it all himself, he’d probably spend every day just running around the markets.’ ’But establishing his own faction was not currently part of his considerations. It would take too much Energy. It was better to use the influence of the Alchemy Dao to extend his network and build channels.’ ’That way, he could also obtain Demon Beast Essence Blood more stably.’
...
"Alchemist Lin, this is all the Jade Horned Snake Essence Blood the family has collected in recent years."
Xu Xujun handed the Jade Box over.
"Thank you."
Lin Changheng opened the box’s lid. He swept his Divine Sense over the contents and found there were a full three hundred portions, a bit more than expected, but it didn’t matter.
He took out a bag of Spirit Stones and passed it over, not intending to take the items for free.
’One shouldn’t accept rewards without merit.’ Lin Changheng couldn’t let the Xu Family expend both effort and Spirit Stones.
That was no way to maintain a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.
The previous two times Lin Changheng had gone to the Xu Family, he hadn’t paid with Spirit Stones. However, he had helped Xu Qianyan break through to Tier Two Alchemy and helped Xu Hanji repair his Dantian. The value of this help was far greater than a few Spirit Stones.
After a moment of thought, Lin Changheng continued, "Regarding the Jade Horned Snake Essence Blood, your clan can stop collecting it. If you have the chance, please look for and collect Essence Blood from other bloodlines at or above the Muddy Evil Bloodline level."
Xu Xujun accepted the Spirit Stones without counting them, showing extreme trust. At the same time, he smiled and said, "The clan has been working on this. We’ve contacted several Loose Cultivator groups, seeking long-term partnerships to hunt Demon Beasts with Muddy Evil and higher bloodlines."
"My thanks for your trouble."
’It seems the Xu Family is truly taking this to heart.’ Lin Changheng smiled and cupped his hands.
Once Xu Xujun had achieved his goal and departed, Lin Changheng eagerly made his way to his Seclusion Room.
’The Metamorphosis of the Jade Horned Snake True Core begins now!’
He began a series of actions with immense skill.
He gathered the Essence Blood in one place, plunged his hand in, and simultaneously communicated with the Primordial Cauldron with his mind, all in one smooth motion.
HUMMM!
The Primordial Cauldron trembled lightly. A verdant green light broke through a cyan mist, churning endlessly at the Tripod Mouth.
[Jade Horned Snake Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]
[Metamorphosis: 10/10]
...
[Essence Blood Full, Metamorphosis Success!]
[Jade Horned Snake True Core: Supreme]
[Can be Refined into Demon Beast Bloodline Ancestor Demon Technique: Concealing Breath]
’Refine into.’
A verdant True Core the size of an adult’s fist appeared within the Primordial Cauldron. With a beckoning gesture from Lin Changheng, it gracefully passed through his Divine Soul and entered his body.
WHOOSH!
Lin Changheng immediately let out a soft, contented sigh.
His Divine Soul, cleansed by a mysterious power, was greatly bolstered.
Correspondingly, the range of his Divine Sense extended once more, now reaching a distance of two hundred!
Previously, this distance was one hundred and eighty!
It had increased by another twenty.
He was now only one hundred away from the Divine Sense range of a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
He could now block and counter-detect almost all normal Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators who hadn’t had any special fortuitous encounters.
The boost to a Spiritual Artifact’s power from his Divine Sense Control was also absolutely terrifying!
But in the next instant, Lin Changheng’s attention was drawn to a peculiar sensation coming from within his body.
It was a feeling of extreme reassurance, as if his entire being had merged with the heavens and the earth, and his sense of security increased dramatically!
His Concealing Breath Technique - Transformation, which he had possessed for some time, had finally transformed once again into the Concealing Breath Demon Technique.
He gained a much deeper understanding of the Concealing Breath Skill, as if it came from instinct, something he was born knowing how to do.
As he circulated it slightly, the aura around his body suddenly collapsed!
It wasn’t Concealment, not suppression, but a near-total disappearance!
He was just standing there, yet it was as if he had transformed into a piece of furniture in the room, a ray of moonlight shining through the window, a speck of dust floating in the air—
He had completely lost all aura fluctuations belonging to a "living being."