84: Chapter 84 Comprehending the Method of Body Refinement

Golden light serpents slithered beneath his skin; every inch they traversed, a wisp of Ghost Qi evaporated.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his fingers gripping the armrest of the bone throne until his knuckles turned white.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Bone Mountain returned.

But his expression was even worse than when he left, his small eyes filled with terror. He knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, "Lord Tunming... that eagle... is dead."

Lord Tunming's eyes snapped open, a look of disbelief flashing through his ghostly green eyes. His voice suddenly rose, "What?"

Bone Mountain lowered his head, not daring to look into Lord Tunming's eyes.

"When this subordinate arrived at the cliff, that eagle was already dead. All of its subordinate small Yao were also killed, not a single one left. Their corpses had been pecked at by something; it was too gruesome to look at..."

Lord Tunming's breathing grew rapid, Ghost Qi surging around his body, and the armrest of the bone throne cracked under his grip.

He stared fixedly at Bone Mountain, his voice as cold as ice shards, "Then where is this lord's yin blood spirit bead?"

Bone Mountain's body shuddered violently, his head burying even lower, his voice almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

"This subordinate... cannot sense the location of the spirit bead... There is no aura of the spirit bead at the scene, nor are there any residual spiritual power fluctuations. It seems it was taken by someone."

"Boom!!" Lord Tunming slammed his palm onto the armrest of the bone throne, and it shattered in response.

Ghost Qi exploded around him, gray-black mist spreading like a tide in all directions, causing the entire mansion to tremble.

Cracks spread across the stone walls, rubble falling with a rustle. The floor tiles were overturned by the Ghost Qi, and even Blood Butcher, who was kneeling below, was knocked backward, rolling twice.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

Lord Tunming's voice echoed in the mansion, making Bone Mountain and Blood Butcher's ears buzz.

Bone Mountain lay on the ground, shivering, not daring to say a word. Blood Butcher also lay on the ground, not daring to look up.

The Ghost Qi in the mansion continued to surge, only gradually calming down after a long time. Lord Tunming leaned against the throne, gasping for breath, while the golden Buddha light on his body took the opportunity to circulate a few more times, evaporating even more Ghost Qi.

His complexion became even paler, anger and exhaustion intertwined in his eyes.

"The bead is still on Taiyue Mountain! It must have been taken by the Yao Race in the mountain!"

"Go investigate." Lord Tunming's voice was weak but cold and stern, "Find out clearly who killed that eagle, and who took this lord's spirit bead. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find out for this lord!"

"Yes!" Bone Mountain and Blood Butcher responded in unison, transforming into two trails of black smoke and disappearing from the mansion.

Lord Tunming closed his eyes, the golden Buddha light still circulating on his body, Ghost Qi still evaporating, and the mansion was filled with a charred smell.

...Meanwhile. Stone Forest. Deep in the Limestone Cave.

Wu Li squatted on the bluestone, before him floated the yin blood spirit bead. Wu Li squatted on the bluestone, his blood-red pupils staring at the gray-black yin blood spirit bead in front of him. He stretched out a claw, nudged the bead toward him, and slowly probed it with his Demon Power.

The moment he touched the inside of the bead, a repulsive force surged from the heart of the bead, like an invisible wall, blocking his Demon Power outside.

It was not a Restriction of the bead itself, but a spiritual consciousness mark left behind after someone refined it.

That mark was cold and viscous, carrying an aura of decay. Without needing to think, Wu Li knew whose it was. Lord Tunming.

A trace of coldness flashed in Wu Li's eyes. This bead was Lord Tunming's item, and it bore his spiritual consciousness mark. If Wu Li wanted to control this bead, he had to first erase that mark.

With his current Demon Soul strength, it wasn't impossible, but it would take considerable effort, and the moment he erased it, Lord Tunming would certainly sense it.

Now was not the time to tear off the mask. Wu Li was silent for a moment, retracted his Demon Power, and did not forcibly erase the mark. But it was even more impossible for him to return this bead. Since he couldn't use it, he couldn't let that old ghost hiding in the Netherworld benefit either.

"If I can't use it, don't even think about using it either." The corners of Wu Li's mouth lifted slightly, a trace of cunning flashing in his blood-red pupils.

He closed his eyes, his Demon Power probed out again, attaching to the surface of the bead. At the same time, "Hum~" the Blood Eye Shadow slowly emerged, crimson light enveloping the bead.

The power of the Blood Eye Pagoda Sutra flowed within the Demon Power, compressing and reinforcing those strands of Demon Power bit by bit, eventually condensing into an invisible Restriction on the surface of the bead.

That Restriction was not to trap the bead, nor to Seal it, but to obscure. To obscure Lord Tunming's perception, to obscure the aura of the spiritual consciousness mark, to obscure the existence of the bead itself.

A few breaths later, Wu Li withdrew his Demon Power, and the Blood Eye Shadow slowly dissipated.

He stretched out a claw and nudged the bead. It rolled twice under his claw, quiet and still, like an ordinary stone. He nodded with satisfaction and put the bead into his Stomach Storage.

"Now, no one can find it."

As Wu Li's Restriction fell into place, on the outskirts of Taiyue Mountain, those Ghost Soldiers who were searching for the blood bead according to Lord Tunming's orders instantly became like headless flies, losing their target...

They had originally been able to faintly sense the aura of the spirit bead; although weak, it at least gave them a direction. But now, that aura had completely disappeared, as if it had evaporated into thin air; there was nothing left.

Wu Li was completely unaware of all this. At this moment, he was squatting on the bluestone, the yin blood spirit bead already put into his Stomach Storage, and his attention had completely shifted elsewhere.

He closed his eyes. In his mind, the Technique of Refining Form that Lady Hua had explained today surfaced once again. Demon Power flowed slowly within his body, running along the paths recorded in the technique, one after another.

The Technique of Refining Form was not a matter of one morning or one evening; he had plenty of time. The spiritual liquid in the pool swirled slowly within the light barrier of the Spirit Gathering Array, and the Spiritual Qi was guided by the Formation Plate, gathering toward Wu Li.

...In the blink of an eye. Half a month later. Deep in the Limestone Cave, by the pool.

Wu Li squatted on the bluestone, his blood-red pupils tightly closed, his ink-purple feathers shining with a cold, metallic luster under the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi.

For the past half month, he had hardly left this bluestone. When hungry, he swallowed a few spirit fruits; when thirsty, he drank a few mouthfuls of spiritual liquid. The rest of the time, he spent comprehending the Technique of Refining Form.

Lady Hua explained it in detail, and he listened even more carefully. Coupled with the memories of his past life, his three hundred-plus years of experience as a member of the Human Race, his understanding of the "human form" far surpassed any other Yao Beast.

A technique that others needed months or even years to master, he had already learned by heart in half a month. It still wasn't enough. He not only wanted to learn it, but he also wanted to achieve perfection.

And in this half-month period, Wu Li had also completely sorted out this Technique of Refining Form. After preparing, Wu Li opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in his blood-red pupils.

"I can try it now."

He leapt from the bluestone, landing on the open ground by the pool, his wings spread, Demon Power surging throughout his body.

"Hum~" The ink-purple feathers trembled slightly, Demon Power surging out from his body like a tide, forming a faint black halo around him. Mysterious Crow Demon Body, manifest!