11: "Blood Demon Corpse Refining Method"

Xu Sanyan circled the Jin family estate a few times but didn't see a single living person. Was Zhou Chaoxian truly so decisive?

No, he didn't see any children's corpses. Zhou Chaoxian must have shown mercy, letting the Jin family children escape for their lives.

Xu Sanyan turned to leave. The Jin family was destroyed. Now, he had to figure out who to pin the blame on for the destruction of the Ma family.

Lost in thought, he had already returned to the small house where Ma Tianqing was.

As soon as he entered, Xu Sanyan noticed traces of the paper and pen on the table having been moved. He was secretly pleased but maintained a calm expression, pretending not to notice.

"The Jin family has been wiped out," Xu Sanyan said with a sigh.

"How could that be?" Ma Tianqing's expression changed to one of shock. The destruction of the Jin family didn't that mean the clue was lost?

This indirectly proved that there was indeed someone else behind the Jin family.

Xu Sanyan mused, "Perhaps the mastermind behind the scenes sensed the failure of the mission, so they abandoned the Jin family."

Ma Tianqing nodded, his face solemn, "No matter who is behind this, I will investigate to the end and avenge my Ma family's nearly one hundred lives!"

He then pulled the piece of paper from the table and handed it to Xu Sanyan, "Xu Brother, this is the Blood Demon Secret Method. Only I am left of the Ma family. It's meaningless to stick to old ways now. This is my gratitude for saving my life."

Xu Sanyan feigned hesitation, "This... Thank you, my virtuous brother. Your foolish elder brother was merely curious. There's no need for such a gesture."

Ma Tianqing's young face was full of earnestness, "Xu Brother, don't be so polite. You and I are brothers of one heart and mind. What is there to be reluctant about with a mere secret method? Please accept it quickly, Da-ge."

Looking at him, if Xu Sanyan didn't accept it, he would be unhappy.

"Alas... then I shall respectfully obey."

Xu Sanyan took it, carefully examining it in the dim light. After some effort, he finally achieved his goal; he only needed to confirm the authenticity of this item.

"Blood Demon Corpse Refining Method. Requires one Blood Demon Dao foundation corpse, one hundred-eyed centipede, one lamp of one's own Refined Essence, and one blood pool of one hundred people's Refined Essence."

"Place the Blood Demon's body into the blood pool, allowing it to absorb. Then, feed the centipede with Refined Essence, establishing a spiritual connection with it. Place the centipede into the Blood Demon's body to devour the Dao foundation, then refine it with a secret method. This will allow control over the Blood Demon, moving it at will."

"The Blood Demon enjoys devouring human bodies, excels in close-quarters combat, and is extremely fast. Its hands are like thousand-forged steel blades, incomparably sharp. However, its abundant blood Qi affects the practitioner's Divine Soul, making it bloodthirsty and cruel, indiscriminating between friend and foe. One must protect the Divine Soul with the 'Clear Mind Technique' to remain unaffected."

Below it were the refining secret method and the Clear Mind Technique. Xu Sanyan focused on reading the Clear Mind Technique. This art required using magical power to protect one's Divine Soul. Ma Tianqing had no magical power, so it was no wonder he was affected by the blood Qi.

Then, with a thought, the panel in his eyes appeared, and the spell was already recorded on it, proving that Ma Tianqing had not lied to him.

"Virtuous brother, where is this Blood Demon?"

Xu Sanyan feigned curiosity, looking Ma Tianqing up and down, wanting to see where he had hidden the Blood Demon.

"Da-ge, don't look. The Blood Demon usually attaches itself to my back. If you want it to come out, just recite the incantation."

Ma Tianqing turned around, lifted his fur coat, revealing a large mass of black mist on his back. It looked like an ink wash painting dyed with ink, and in a trance, it was still slowly swirling.

"Truly wondrous," Xu Sanyan exclaimed. As expected of an immortal cultivation spell.

"Virtuous brother, you have no magical power, how did you refine this Blood Demon?" Xu Sanyan discovered a blind spot.

Ma Tianqing sighed, feigning an old-fashioned demeanor, "Alas... My Old Ancestor had anticipated this situation before his death and left behind a Formation. It can be activated with Spirit Stones to help Mortals refine the Blood Demon."

"Unfortunately, the Formation can only be used three times. When I used it, it was already the last time, and besides, there weren't enough Spirit Stones, only two left."

Xu Sanyan nodded lightly. One corpse passed down for a thousand generations; the person might be gone, but the corpse remained. The Maa Family Old Ancestor truly planned for his descendants' long-term future.

In this way, even killing Ma Tianqing would be useless; he couldn't refine the Blood Demon.

But he still had to kill him!

Xu Sanyan himself was one of the perpetrators who destroyed the Ma family. If he didn't kill him now, there would be endless trouble once he grew up.

This Ma Tianqing had excellent talent, already at Refining Essence Perfection at such a young age.

Moreover, his entire family was annihilated, bearing a deep blood feud, yet his will was tenacious, and he was not defeated by setbacks. He was truly a protagonist-like figure; he absolutely could not be allowed to live.

Xu Sanyan's eyes flickered, and he quietly moved closer. Just then, Ma Tianqing turned around, "Xu Brother, the Jin family has been destroyed. What should we investigate next?"

Xu Sanyan didn't answer but instead asked, "If your great revenge is avenged, what will you do?"

Ma Tianqing lowered his head in thought upon hearing this. After a moment, he shook his head, "I don't know. I haven't thought that far."

"Hmm, let's go. I'll take you to see the Jin family estate," Xu Sanyan said, pointing outside the door.

"Okay, Xu Brother."

Ma Tianqing had no guard whatsoever and turned to walk out.

Clang—

In the darkness, a flash of silver blade light swept by, like a sudden thunderbolt in the night, captivating the soul.

The clean blade back reflected Xu Sanyan's cold and emotionless eyes.

Instantly, blood splattered, staining the blade and the dirt floor.

Ma Tianqing's eyes were filled with disbelief. He didn't understand why Xu Brother, who had saved his life, would still want to kill him.

If that was the case, why bother saving him in the first place?

But he was destined never to get an answer. Half of his neck was split open; not even a True God could save him.

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips slightly, plunging the blade into Ma Tianqing's heart. The blade tip emerged from his body, leaving no possibility of survival.

"When you see Master Ma, give him my regards."

Xu Sanyan lifted his back. The ink-wash mass wriggled even more frantically. In a moment, Ma Tianqing's entire body became shriveled, as if all his blood Qi had been completely absorbed.

The ink slowly spread out, as if an invisible pair of large hands were slowly blurring the ink, gradually flowing from Ma Tianqing's back and spreading onto the ground.

A slender black figure emerged from the ink, lying quietly on it.

Xu Sanyan stroked the Blood Demon's body. The smooth body had no warmth whatsoever. The large eyes on its forehead were tightly closed, like a lifeless corpse.

"Blood Demon..."

Xu Sanyan's eyes flickered as he considered how to deal with it.

The Blood Demon's body was nearly three meters long, so carrying it around would definitely be inconvenient. It would be best to hide it first, and then, when he had magical power in the future, he could return to refine it.

As for where to hide it, Xu Sanyan looked at the ground. Here would do; there was no other suitable place.

So he went outside to find a farm tool and began digging a pit. He dug four or five meters deep, placed the Blood Demon's corpse inside, buried it, and then disguised it so that there was no visible difference from the outside.

He hoped this thing wouldn't rot.

Xu Sanyan took the Cultivation Technique and Spirit Stones from Ma Tianqing's embrace, along with the gold and silver, and then stood up and left.

Pushing the door open, the sky was already faintly lit, and the chaos in the city had long since subsided. Scattered survivors began to search for valuables.

He wondered how many people in the village were still alive, Xu Sanyan thought.

He planned to return to the village again to see if Wu Jue had accumulated any good things over the years.

Afterward, he planned to go to other places to look for some spiritual herbs containing Spiritual Qi to fill the "Qi" on his panel.

Those two Spirit Stones should also be able to provide "Qi," but he couldn't bite them or absorb them, so for now, he could only sigh in admiration.

He casually snatched a horse and galloped out of the city towards the village. There were many corpses piled up at the city gate—bandits, soldiers, and some who were probably Jin family members. It seemed a major battle had also taken place here.