Divine Soul Blood from the Great Void

Old Demon Black Chicken's divine soul had just entered the vessel he had prepared long ago. A look of astonishment flashed across his eyes. Where was the Golden Core? How could it be gone? He cast his gaze outward and noticed a Foundation Establishment cultivator seemingly staring at him. Hearing what the Foundation Establishment cultivator said, a flicker of suspicion entered his eyes. "You're merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet you were unharmed by this old man's final divine soul attack. It seems you possess a supreme soul treasure!" At this thought, ecstasy surfaced in Old Demon Black Chicken's eyes. "The heavens take pity on me! To survive a great catastrophe is to invite good fortune later!" Besieged by nine Divine Infant experts, he had faked his death to escape, which had severely depleted his vitality. Yet he never expected to encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator completely immune to his soul attack. Before his physical death, his divine soul attack had been an indiscriminate blast. The nine Divine Infant experts had borne the brunt of it, followed by the cultivators near True Person Zuyuan. As a result, a middle Origin Core cultivator was unconscious, while a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator was alive and kicking. This proved the youth definitely possessed a supreme treasure that defended against divine soul attacks. Judging by its power, it was of an exceedingly high rank. If he seized it and found a place to cultivate step by step, his chances of overcoming the tribulation of the Purple Mansion would vastly increase thanks to this treasure. How could he not be thrilled? Looking at Qi Yuan was like looking at a choice prize. Qi Yuan looked at him in return, bewilderment in his eyes. "People awakened by a fart really do have brain problems." Kitchen cleaver in hand, he moved to chop down. "Hmph! Injured though I may be, I am not someone a mere Foundation Establishment ant can humiliate." Disdain showed in Old Demon Black Chicken's eyes. In an instant, he unleashed a Dao art, intending to trap Qi Yuan. Yet Qi Yuan simply swung the cleaver straight at him. *Crack!* As if capable of severing divine souls, the cleaver struck Old Demon Black Chicken's divine soul. "Impossible!" Agony like tearing flesh tore through him, and the smugness and excitement on Old Demon Black Chicken's face vanished without a trace. This wasn't a choice prize—this was a devil! Before he could think any further, the cleaver directly shattered his remnant soul to pieces. True Person Zuyuan's corpse collapsed to the ground once more. "Nobody's going to let out another fart and wake him up again, right?" Qi Yuan stared suspiciously. Just then, his gaze fell beside True Person Zuyuan's body. Suspended in midair was a drop of crimson blood. He immediately checked it. [Divine Soul Blood, originating from the Great Void. Fallen by chance into Great Shang and obtained by Old Demon Black Chicken. Merged into a divine soul, it can nurture a seed that eventually becomes a Divine Soul artifact. The stronger the seed, the stronger the Divine Soul artifact. After physical death, one can also revive upon the seed.] "So he was Old Demon Black Chicken's seed, and the True Person Zuyuan I just killed—the one awakened by a fart—was Old Demon Black Chicken?" Looking at the drop of blood, greed flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes. "This drop of blood is truly good stuff!" "Old Demon Black Chicken really is my Wealth-Dispensing Boy!" "Old Demon, I wronged you. You aren't my enemy—you're my white moonlight, a white moonlight even paler than Po Lang!" "Divine Soul Blood from the Great Void... what an incredible treasure!" Divine Soul artifacts were extraordinarily rare. In the entire Great Shang, there was likely not a single one. Furthermore, the Divine Soul artifact formed from Divine Soul Blood seemed to be of a growth type, making it all the more terrifying. Qi Yuan immediately absorbed the drop of Divine Soul Blood. In an instant, he felt an extra drop of fresh blood residing upon his divine soul. This drop of blood could be detached and used to parasitize at any time. "If I parasitize a Yang God, wouldn't that Yang God become my Divine Soul artifact?" Qi Yuan indulged in wild fantasies, though he soon realized such a notion was unreliable. "I need to find a suitable vessel to parasitize and forge into my Divine Soul artifact!" Qi Yuan thought. With matters concluded, it was time to leave. He looked toward Old Man Liu, who was still unconscious. "Seeing as you told me to run first earlier, I'll carry you out." With a wave of Qi Yuan's hand, Old Man Liu's body floated behind him, like a corpse under Qi Yuan's control. At that moment, a transmission from True Monarch Kumu arrived in Qi Yuan's jade slip. "Old Demon Black Chicken has been slain. The nine of us will nurse our wounds in Ten Thousand Demons Grotto for four days. How are things on your end?" Qi Yuan promptly replied, "Handled. I killed an Origin Core." Silence fell on the other end of the jade slip. After a long while, True Monarch Kumu replied, "In four days, I shall come to Seven Colors Peak to find you." "Understood." Bringing Old Man Liu along, Qi Yuan exited the cavern. Outside, the thirteen Origin Core cultivators who had entered previously had already emerged. However, only eleven walked out alive. Two were corpses. The leader glanced at Qi Yuan in surprise, and seeing Old Man Liu unconscious surprised him even more. "Now that matters here are resolved, let us return to our respective homes. However, the news of Old Demon Black Chicken's death must not be leaked during this time." Having spoken, the leader turned into a streak of light and vanished. The surrounding cultivators departed one after another. Qi Yuan glanced back at Liu Guan behind him. "Sigh, looks like I still have to escort you home. Bloodless City... Liu Guan, right?" He remembered visiting Bloodless City before. Back when he went to destroy the Black Mountain Sect, the spirit boat he rode had landed in Bloodless City. While riding that spirit boat, a rather talkative, alluring married woman had sat beside him. ... Half a day later. Sitting inside a residence, Qi Yuan showed a trace of surprise in his eyes. He had not expected to meet that alluring woman from the spirit boat again. She turned out to be Old Man Liu Guan's daughter. "I have returned him. It is time for me to take my leave." Qi Yuan's voice sounded somewhat raspy; altering his vocal cords was child's play for him. "Thank you, Senior, for saving his life." Liu Piao felt deeply grateful. Her father had been injured and knocked unconscious out in the wild. If ill-intentioned cultivators had come across him, he wouldn't have survived. An unconscious Origin Core cultivator was a juicy prize. To think someone had actually brought her father back safely. How could she not be moved? Just then, hurried footsteps approached. "Grandfather! Grandfather!" Dressed in a plain white gown, fine beads of sweat dotted Duan Qianrou's forehead, making her appear exceptionally anxious. "Your grandfather hasn't awakened yet." Seeing her daughter, Liu Piao breathed a sigh of relief. "It was this senior who brought your grandfather back." Only then did Duan Qianrou carefully examine Qi Yuan. Unfortunately, a mask covered his face, leaving his features hidden. "Senior, you saved my grandfather from dire peril. Qianrou has nothing worthy to repay you with, so I have merely prepared a modest gift. I hope Senior will not take offense." Saying so, Duan Qianrou extended a hand and offered a storage bag. Inside, it was packed full of blood crystals. Qi Yuan did not refuse. He accepted the blood crystals, and suddenly, he felt Xiao Jia's tattoo on his chest warm slightly. A thoughtful look crossed his face. Could it be that these blood crystals were useful to Xiao Jia? "Think nothing of it. It was merely a slight effort, not worth mentioning. Since the person has been delivered, I shall take my leave." Qi Yuan was now eager to leave and see what use these blood crystals had for Xiao Jia, and why the tattoo on his chest had warmed up. Without waiting for Duan Qianrou to speak, Qi Yuan turned into a streak of light and vanished. Before long, in a deserted place, Qi Yuan summoned Xiao Jia. He took out the blood crystals. The crystals were not large, clear and translucent, resembling pomegranate seeds, though far more crimson. Upon seeing the blood crystals, a wooden sign slipped from Xiao Jia's sleeve. It displayed a happy expression. "Do you like them? Here, take them." Xiao Jia's sleeve scooped up a blood crystal. After an unknown interval, the crystal vanished. Xiao Jia appeared delighted. Seeing Xiao Jia happy, Qi Yuan's mood improved considerably. "She ate it?" Qi Yuan had assumed Xiao Jia didn't eat food. He hadn't expected her to consume things after all. "I have plenty more here, enough to fill you up." Qi Yuan took out several more blood crystals for Xiao Jia. He watched her digest them slowly. Looking at the blood crystals, bits of information flashed before his eyes. [Blood Crystal: Effectiveness comparable to a budget Spirit Stone.] The information he perceived appeared randomly; he could not always see the most crucial details in an instant. "Since you like them, once I see the Sect Master, I'll find an excuse to seize all the blood crystal mines in Bloodless City. Those stones will be more than enough for you to eat." Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to spend money purchasing blood crystals. Wouldn't it be far better to claim all the mines in Bloodless City directly? He could put the people of Bloodless City to work for him. After all, the current Emperor of Great Shang, Dong Xian, was his junior brother. ... "Grandfather, you're awake?" Duan Qianrou, watching at the bedside, showed great excitement when she saw Liu Guan open his eyes. "Me?" Liu Guan was somewhat dazed. Then, memories flooded back. He recalled that before losing consciousness, he had seemingly seen that Foundation Establishment cultivator shatter True Person Zuyuan's Golden Core with a single cleaver strike. Afterward, Old Demon Black Chicken's soul attack swept through, knocking him out. He remembered nothing beyond that. "Who brought me back?" Liu Guan asked. "A masked cultivator. He seemed quite young, and his cultivation... might not be very high," Duan Qianrou said. "He was the one who brought me back? Where is he?" The old man grew agitated. "Grandfather, he left four days ago." "Left?" Disappointment flashed through Liu Guan's eyes. "Grandfather, who was he?" Duan Qianrou noticed her grandfather cared deeply about the man. "He is... a true, peerless prodigy! Even the Great Shang Ten Paragons pale before him! He is merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet I saw with my own eyes as he shattered a late Origin Core cultivator's Golden Core with a single strike." "What?" Duan Qianrou was stunned, covering her cherry lips in disbelief. "Does our Great Shang have such a Foundation Establishment cultivator?" A Foundation Establishment fighting an Origin Core was already unimaginable. What was more, a late Origin Core cultivator! "We do. Your grandfather..." Liu Guan briefly recounted what had happened. "My only regret is that although I tried hard to befriend him, he probably feared exposing his identity and never told me his name. Piao'er, Qianrou, the matter of him slaying a late Origin Core cultivator must never be leaked, understand?" "Father, I won't say a word." "Rest assured, Grandfather. Qianrou knows the gravity of this matter." "Just who could he be? Ji Boying of the Demonic Desire Sect? Kang Fulu of the Divine Light Sect? Or Zhao Jiujian of Floating Mountain?" Liu Guan suddenly thought of something. "Wait. Back when the Black Mountain Sect was wiped out, some seniors asserted that the one responsible might have been an Origin Core cultivator disguised as Foundation Establishment, or perhaps merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Could it be...?" If the one who destroyed the Black Mountain Sect was the very person who had teamed up with him, everything would make sense. "Foundation Establishment?" Duan Qianrou froze. Suddenly, she remembered the person who had sat beside her mother on the spirit boat that day. At the time, her mother had wanted to introduce him to her, which had displeased her. Later, while riding the cloud rabbit carriage, she encountered him descending the mountain from the direction of the Black Mountain Sect, even stopping her to ask for directions. Initially, she hadn't paid it any mind or drawn any connections. Now, hearing her grandfather's words, a tremendous suspicion surged in her heart. She quickly looked at her mother. "Mother, don't you feel the cultivator who brought Grandfather back seemed somewhat familiar?" "Ah?" Liu Piao was baffled. "Back when you returned from Nanshan, you hit it off with a young cultivator and even wanted to introduce him to me. That very day, the Black Mountain Sect was wiped out!" Duan Qianrou said anxiously. "You mean they're the same person?" Liu Piao grasped her daughter's meaning. Whether an illusion or preconceived notion, hearing her daughter say this made her truly feel that person resembled the one who had brought her father back. Even the way he spoke was occasionally just as wildly imaginative. ... Four days had passed since Qi Yuan returned to Seven Colors Peak. Xiao Jia had already consumed most of the blood crystals in the storage bag. Qi Yuan looked at Xiao Jia. Her physical form showed no obvious changes. However, after fusing with Qi Yuan, the blood-colored armor on his body seemed to gain slightly more attack power and defense. This surprised Qi Yuan. In any case, this was naturally a good thing for him. Furthermore, Xiao Jia seemed particularly fond of eating blood crystals, treating them like snacks. Qi Yuan resolved that once the Sect Master returned, he would have him purchase Bloodless City and seize all its mines. When it came to Xiao Jia, there was only one principle: Spoil, spoil, spoil! Though he wasn't an overbearing CEO, doting on his wife was still a must. Especially a wife like Xiao Jia. "Qi Yuan." Just then, a voice sounded beside his ear. True Monarch Kumu landed outside Qi Yuan's wooden house. His expression was exceedingly complex, concealing a flicker of anticipation. "Come in, Sect Master," Qi Yuan called out. True Monarch Kumu pushed open the door and stepped inside Qi Yuan's wooden house. He glanced at Xiao Jia beside Qi Yuan, then withdrew his gaze. "Since you have slain an Origin Core cultivator, you have passed my test." "Sect Master, what is this matter, and what is this opportunity? You'd best tell me quickly." Qi Yuan was in a rush to raise his strength. "I am actually not from Great Shang, but from the Eastern Lands," True Monarch Kumu said. "I hope you can take my place and participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle!"