61: Blood Refining

Wang Xingyuan's heart was anxious; it was just a few Juniors, yet they had attracted a Cultivator stronger than himself.

“Just you wait. Once I escape this calamity…”

He thought of the Spell in his hand; as long as he had time, who in this world could stop him?

“Fellow Daoist, you sure run fast.”

A cold snort interrupted Wang Xingyuan’s thoughts.

Zhou Kaiding fully activated the Turbulent Flow Steps Spell and finally caught up to the man.

Wang Xingyuan’s figure suddenly stopped, his heart sinking. To be caught up so quickly, it seemed today would be difficult.

“Fellow Daoist, why are you so aggressive? We each have our own path; wouldn’t it be better if we went our separate ways?”

“If you push me too hard, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself. In that case, Fellow Daoist might not be able to retreat unscathed.”

Wang Xingyuan’s mind raced, his expression returning to composure, a look of having everything under control, as if the Zhou Kaiding before him was merely dust that could be swept away at will.

“Broken Blade Sword, out!”

Zhou Kaiding didn’t bother with pleasantries. A High Grade Tier 1 magic sword suddenly flew out, enlarging to over ten feet, and chopped directly at Wang Xingyuan.

This Broken Blade Sword was seized from the three Elders of the Wu Family and refined by Zhou Kaiding, replacing his original Fu Shang (Sword Name).

“Damn it…”

“Blood Robe!”

Seeing Zhou Kaiding directly attack without a word, and looking at the ten-foot-long magic sword, his eyelids twitched wildly.

Wang Xingyuan quickly formed a hand seal, and the Blood Robe rapidly expanded, forming a crimson barrier that blocked Wang Xingyuan’s front.

“Screech~”

The Broken Blade Sword cut straight through the Blood Robe, its momentum undiminished, and struck directly at Wang Xingyuan’s face.

“Blood Sword!”

Wang Xingyuan’s expression changed. A crimson longsword quickly condensed in his hand, and he fiercely chopped it towards the incoming Broken Blade Sword.

The Blood Sword shattered, turning into a bloody mist. The Broken Blade Sword, deflected by this chop, veered off by several feet, striking beside Wang Xingyuan and leaving a massive crater.

Wang Xingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, finally having blocked it.

“Turbulent Flow Steps.”

“Die Lang Zhang (Overlapping Wave Palm).”

Just as the Broken Blade Sword was deflected, Zhou Kaiding had already activated his footwork and arrived beside Wang Xingyuan.

Wang Xingyuan had just let out a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Zhou Kaiding’s figure suddenly appearing, pressing a palm towards him.

“Blood Sea, condense.”

Wang Xingyuan’s eyes were about to split open. He hurriedly changed his hand seals, barely managing to condense a crimson ring. This time, however, it didn’t spread outwards but contracted into a ball, enveloping his entire body.

“Hmph!”

Zhou Kaiding pressed his right hand down fiercely, landing it on the crimson ring.

Die Lang Zhang (Overlapping Wave Palm), with three overlapping waves: the first wave caused the crimson ring to shake, the second wave shattered the ring, and the third wave directly struck Wang Xingyuan.

“Pfft~”

Wang Xingyuan spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body involuntarily sent flying, his magic power in disarray, and his aura weak.

“Water Prison · Cage”

A stream of water pulled the sideways-flying Wang Xingyuan, trapping him within.

Wang Xingyuan’s face changed drastically. Ignoring the stinging pain in his Meridians, he frantically circulated his magic power, attempting to break open this cage.

Just as he broke through the water stream, a magic sword over ten feet long had already arrived before his eyes.

Wang Xingyuan’s body was in immense pain, his vision went black, then the world spun, and he fell to the ground, blood gushing, his aura completely gone.

“Damn that Xia Chuxue…”

His final thoughts dissipated. Wang Xingyuan ultimately failed to escape this calamity, dying and having his Dao disappear.

Zhou Kaiding gently exhaled, recalling the Broken Blade Sword to his hand. With a movement of his magic power, the sword body vibrated, dispelling the blood on the blade, and it hovered behind him, rising and falling erratically.

He arrived before Wang Xingyuan’s corpse, confirmed that Wang Xingyuan was completely dead, then dispelled the hand seals and put the Broken Blade Sword back into his Storage Pouch.

With a casual summon, magic power surged out, taking Wang Xingyuan’s Storage Pouch into his hand, and then he thoroughly searched his body.

After confirming there were no other valuable items, he activated his magic power to erase the imprint Wang Xingyuan had left on the Storage Pouch and opened it.

With a sweep of his consciousness, he found that besides some Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, there were also several Jade Slips and a token in the Storage Pouch.

He took out all the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills and put them into his own Storage Pouch.

He then took out the token to examine it.

The token was ancient and unadorned, yet it was full of crimson color, with the words ‘Blood Sea’ inscribed upon it.

“blood sea token…”

Zhou Kaiding pondered for a moment, confirming he had never seen this item before.

Shaking his head, he then meticulously examined it with his consciousness, finding no other markings. Only then did he put the blood sea token away, to investigate further in the future.

He took out the Jade Slips and immersed his consciousness within them, examining them one by one. All were ordinary Qi Refinement Stage Spells, lacking power. This was likely why Wang Xingyuan hadn’t used these techniques.

They could, however, be taken back and placed in the Family’s treasure vault to enrich its foundation.

“Hmm?”

Zhou Kaiding uttered a sound of surprise, picking up the Jade Slip in his hand. This Jade Slip was different from the others, emanating a faint red glow.

“Blood Refinement Chapter.”

“Blood is the source of the Dao. Nurture spirit with blood, integrate spirit into the body, make it your own, and prove your Divine Ability…”

This was a method Zhou Kaiding had never seen before. Connecting it to Wang Xingyuan’s abnormalities, he secretly thought that it was likely related to this method.

Then, he continued to calm his mind and examined it closely.

After a long while, Zhou Kaiding exhaled deeply, looking at the Jade Slip before him, his expression constantly changing.

“Evil Art!”

Zhou Kaiding’s expression shifted as he spoke in a low voice, applying slight pressure with his hand.

“Crack~”

The Jade Slip shattered in response.

He then circulated his magic power to completely pulverize the Jade Slip before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Kaiding recalled the contents of the Blood Refinement Chapter method. It was actually a cultivation method that used the blood of Mortals, Yao Beasts, Cultivators, and even kin for cultivation, making it extremely evil.

This Blood Refinement Chapter could not only accelerate one’s own cultivation speed but also help break through one’s Bottlenecks.

According to its description, the blood of Mortals had the worst cultivation effect, followed by the blood of Yao Beasts, then the blood of Cultivators. Only the blood of one’s own kind had an excellent cultivation effect.

If this method were to fall into the hands of someone with an improper Heart-Nature, unable to resist its temptation, it was feared that a demonic Cultivator who practiced with the blood of their kin, Cultivators, and Mortals would appear in this world.

Just like Wang Xingyuan.

Therefore, after examining its contents, Zhou Kaiding decisively chose to destroy it.

Taking out the blood sea token again, Zhou Kaiding’s eyes were deep. He had a strong feeling that this item must be connected to the Blood Refinement Chapter.

This Blood Refinement Chapter had probably already spread secretly.

He just didn’t know if someone was plotting within it.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Kaiding shook his head. Empty speculation was useless; he could only pay more attention in the future and adapt to circumstances.

He put the blood sea token away again, circulated his magic power, and took Wang Xingyuan’s corpse, leaving the area and heading towards where Zhou Liyue and the others were.

At the mountain hollow.

Xu Hongyuan and the two others had already arrived beside Zhou Liyue. Xia Chuxue’s eyes had also regained some sparkle, and she occasionally looked into the distance.

“Fellow Daoist Mingyue, you’ve kept us in the dark for so long.”

Xu Hongyuan spoke with feigned bitterness. Although he had long confirmed that Zhou Liyue had another origin, he hadn’t expected to meet her father so quickly.

A powerful Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.

“Alas~”

Xu Hongyuan sighed inwardly, his eyes filled with pity as he looked at Chen Shuyun, whose expression was complex and who seemed hesitant to speak.

Zhou Liyue smiled apologetically at the others:

“Fellow Daoists, please forgive me. This matter was indeed my fault.”

After speaking, she bowed to the three of them, then continued:

“Why are the three Fellow Daoists here?”

“Isn’t it because…”

Zhao Xuanfang spoke hastily, her tone ambiguous, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by Xu Hongyuan.

“The three of us were worried about Fellow Daoist acting alone, so we presumptuously followed, which has only caused Fellow Daoist trouble.”

“I didn’t even notice these three following behind me…”

Zhou Liyue’s expression was filled with frustration. Her caution and alertness, even in the eyes of Loose Cultivators, were probably still very naive.

She thought to herself, but still forced a cheerful expression and said:

“The three Fellow Daoists don’t have to be like this.”

“I will certainly remember this kindness in my heart.”