24: Yi Wood Essence

The underground dark river flowed rapidly.

Jiang Chen, protected by his Formless Life Essence, moved like a silent fish in the dark, icy water, swiftly carried away by the current.

He did not linger for a moment.

After flowing downstream for a full three hundred li, and confirming he had completely escaped the range of Divine Thought, he stopped in a hidden tributary and opened a temporary Immortal Cave.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged, his expression still calm.

The pursuit by the Nascent Soul Ancestor, though perilous, was within his expectations.

The only variable was Shadow Tower's decisiveness.

That master and servant not only helped him resolve the lingering problem of Mu Changqing but also perfectly fulfilled their transaction, handing over the spoils of war to him.

This 'tacit understanding' raised Jiang Chen's evaluation of Shadow Tower by another level.

Mu Changqing's Storage Pouch.

His Divine Sense probed inside, and the contents made Jiang Chen slightly moved.

Mountains of Spirit Stones, various rare Spiritual Plants and Medicinal Pills, and several Magical Artifacts of considerable power.

The entire fortune of a Late Stage Golden Core Elder was far more abundant than all the people he had plundered before combined.

But Jiang Chen's gaze quickly moved away from these items.

He looked at the azure wood cauldron, covered in cracks.

This was the greatest gain of this trip.

He stretched out his hand, activating his Hundred Herb Spirit Body to its fullest.

A life-sensing ability, intimately connected with all plants and trees, probed into the interior of the azure wood cauldron.

The next moment, a sharp glint flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes.

He sensed it.

At the core of the broken cauldron body, there was actually a wisp of… green Qi flow, even finer than a strand of hair, yet refined to the extreme.

Yi Wood Essence!

This was a trace of essence that could only be born after the Origin power of the wood element had been tempered a thousand times, purifying it to its core!

Its value was a hundred times higher than all the items in this Storage Pouch combined!

Mu Changqing probably intended to use this azure wood cauldron to slowly nurture this wisp of Yi Wood Essence, and once it grew stronger, use it to break through the Nascent Soul Bottleneck.

Now, it benefited Jiang Chen instead.

Jiang Chen did not hesitate.

He directly extracted this wisp of Yi Wood Essence from the broken cauldron.

Then, he opened his mouth and swallowed it.

Boom!

A vast and boundless life energy exploded within his body!

If any other Foundation Establishment Cultivator dared to do this, their only outcome would be to have their Meridians burst and their body explode from this pure energy.

But Jiang Chen possessed the Myriad Laws Dao Body!

His body itself was a furnace capable of containing myriad Laws!

Within his Dantian's star sea, the green acupoint representing 'life' instantly shone with dazzling light under the infusion of this Yi Wood Essence!

The acupoint, which was originally only lit up, was now completely 'filled' at this moment.

Innumerable insights into the Law of life flooded his mind.

From 'perception' to 'affinity', then to 'control'… finally, he touched the threshold of 'creation'!

His aura began to rise steadily.

Early Stage Foundation Establishment… Peak!

Bottlenecks simply did not exist before his Myriad Laws Dao Body.

It was just an instant of cleansing.

Middle Stage Foundation Establishment!

His cultivation stabilized at the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Realm.

Jiang Chen slowly exhaled a breath filled with a rich, fresh scent of plants.

He could feel that his control over the 'Hundred Herb Spirit Body' had reached a whole new level.

His strength surged again.

Jiang Chen clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body, yet his face showed little joy.

He knew this was not enough.

The wrath of a Nascent Soul Ancestor was enough to leave him without a foothold in the entire Zhao Country.

He needed to become stronger faster.

And he also needed… more reliable allies.

He took out a black, ghost-claw-shaped token from his Storage Pouch.

Shadow Tower's token.

Formless Life Essence was injected into it.

A black mist emerged from the token, condensing into Ghost Hand's mask in the air.

“It seems you survived,” Ghost Hand's hoarse voice sounded, carrying a hint of expected playfulness.

Jiang Chen looked at the sinister ghost-faced mask, not responding to her teasing.

He also did not ask what 'business' Shadow Tower had next.

He simply calmly transmitted a wisp of Divine Sense through the token.

That wisp of Divine Sense contained a vast and complex image.

It was none other than the complete structural map of the ancient Formation hidden deep beneath Sanhe City!

And Jiang Chen's deduction of the Formation's core function, based on his Array Dao Heavenly Heart.

—Sacrificing all living beings in the city, gathering endless souls and grievances, solely to open a 'door' to an unknown place.

Ghost Hand's hoarse voice abruptly ceased.

Behind the mask, those playful eyes, for the first time, froze.

Silence.

A long silence.

After a full half minute, Ghost Hand's voice sounded again, but this time, her voice no longer held the previous playfulness and sense of control.

Only an uncontrollable, deep astonishment remained.

“…What is this?”

“The thing beneath your feet,” Jiang Chen replied indifferently.

Another silence.

Ghost Hand was clearly processing the immense impact of this intelligence.

Shadow Tower had been entrenched in Sanhe City for a hundred years, believing they knew every inch of the city inside and out.

But they had never imagined that just a hundred zhang beneath their feet, such a terrifying Formation, capable of destroying everything, lay dormant!

And this secret was casually thrown out by a newcomer who had joined Shadow Tower less than a month ago.

With this piece of intelligence, Jiang Chen instantly reversed the positions of the two parties.

He was no longer an 'assassin' waiting for missions and needing Shadow Tower's protection.

He became a 'collaborator' who held Shadow Tower's lifeline and could even decide their life and death.

Ghost Hand finally understood.

She, or rather the entire Shadow Tower, had severely underestimated the value of 'A Yu'.

The terrifying aspect of this man was not in his bizarre and ruthless methods at all.

But in his almost Prodigy-like insight into 'rules' themselves!

This ability was more terrifying than any cultivation, any Magic Treasure.

“Hehe…” Ghost Hand suddenly chuckled, her laughter tinged with self-mockery and a hint of excitement, “I retract my previous words; you are not the blade, we… are your blade.”

She abandoned the 'business' she had prepared, filled with probing and control.

She knew that in front of such a person, any petty tricks were meaningless.

If they wanted to cooperate, they had to show enough sincerity.

“You've shown me your qualifications.”

Ghost Hand's voice became unprecedentedly serious.

“Now, let me show you Shadow Tower's true 'business'.”

As her voice fell.

An even larger stream of information flowed back into Jiang Chen's Sea of Consciousness through the token.

It was a list.

Shadow Tower's 'S-rank Assassination List'.

On the list, there were no high officials, no powerful magnates.

There were only seemingly ordinary names and lines of vague code.

【Child of Destiny · Lin Feng】 (Deceased)

【Sword Dao Prodigy · Ye Liuyun】 (Deceased)

【Hundred Herb Spirit Body · Su Qingxue】 (Deceased)

【Array Dao Prodigy · Shi Lei】 (Deceased)

...【Demonic Heart Transcending Calamity · Li Feiyang】

【Nine-Life Good Person · Chen Changsheng】

【Future Empress · Qin Wange】

This was Shadow Tower's true 'menu'!

A list recording all 'suspected Children of Destiny' marked by Shadow Tower within several surrounding counties and countries!

“Do you see?”

Ghost Hand's voice echoed faintly in Jiang Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

“The meaning of Shadow Tower's existence has never been for those Spirit Stones.”

“Shadow Tower's founder was once a pawn chosen by the 'Heavenly Dao', enjoying boundless glory, but in a so-called struggle for destiny, he was discarded and died tragically.”

“Therefore, from that day on, Shadow Tower's sole purpose has been to… hunt destiny!”

“We assassinate these future 'protagonists', ending their destinies before they can grow. Through secret techniques, we steal their scattered Luck, using a twisted method to resist this damned Heavenly Dao!”

Jiang Chen silently looked at the list, combining it with Ghost Hand's explanation.

For the first time in this world, he found 'kin'.

No, not entirely.

They were more like a group of 'colleagues' doing similar things to him, but with cruder methods and lower efficiency.

They relied on secret techniques and human lives to pile up and steal those scattered bits of Luck.

While he directly activated 'Destiny Reversal', taking away the target's 'Destiny Power' along with their talent, all in one package!

He was a wholesaler.

Shadow Tower was just a scavenger.

A subtle sense of superiority arose in Jiang Chen's heart.

His gaze slowly swept across the list.

Finally, it stopped at an entry named 【Demonic Heart Transcending Calamity · Li Feiyang】.

Intelligence showed:

Target: Li Feiyang, Young Lord of Blackwind Stronghold, born with a Demonic Heart, cruel Heart-Nature.

Predicted Destiny Trajectory: His father, Li Tianxiong, the Chief of Blackwind Stronghold, will be jointly besieged and killed by the three major Righteous Path Sects surrounding Sanhe City at Blackwind Cliff in the near future. In grief and hatred, Li Feiyang will inherit the ancient Demonic Path Legacy left by his father, his Demonic Heart will fully Awaken, transforming him into a peerless Devil Head, unifying the surrounding Demonic Path forces, and wreaking havoc.

Current Status: Eve of Awakening.

A standard script of a Trash-to-Prodigy Demonic Path rise.

A clear smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face.

He already had a new plan.

He said to Ghost Hand:

“I want this target.”

Ghost Hand seemed to have anticipated his interest in this list and immediately responded: “Good, Shadow Tower will provide you with all assistance.”

“No,” Jiang Chen interrupted her.

“I don't need assistance.”

“I want all intelligence about him, including when his father dies, where he dies, and which three Sects and which individuals kill him.”

Ghost Hand was silent for a moment, seemingly trying to understand the deeper meaning in Jiang Chen's words.

“…What do you mean?”

Jiang Chen's voice was calm and cold, yet it carried a chilling madness.

“What I mean is, I will not only hunt this future Devil Head.”

“I will also include those so-called 'Righteous Path Cultivators' who come to exterminate Blackwind Stronghold into my hunting range.”

“Righteous Path? Demonic Path?”

“To me, they are all the same.”

“They are all my… nourishment.”