36: Chapter 36 Wooden Armor Technique

Inside A-17 Stone Cave.

The earthy-yellow light screen rippled slightly. Gu Shen's figure fell out of thin air onto the stone bed, his chest heaving violently, and his forehead covered in a layer of fine cold sweat.

Only after confirming the surroundings were the Thick Earth Array he had set up did his tensed muscles slowly relax.

"That was close."

Gu Shen recalled the wisp of Divine Sense he had sent into the fourth floor of the ruins just now, lingering fear still in his eyes.

Those upright glazed glass cylinders, that turbid green liquid, and the stitched-together deformed monsters soaking within.

In the ancient records of the Great Yu Cultivation World, such scenes were not rare. That was the extremely cruel "Heavenly Corpse Earth Nourishment" method of ancient evil Sects.

"Using hundred-refined fine iron to create Yin-Gathering Array Lines and Glazed Glass Coffins to lock in the corpse Qi. That green liquid is definitely some kind of highly toxic Corpse-Nourishing Saliva," Gu Shen silently reviewed in his mind.

He originally thought it was an Ancient Sect proficient in mechanical Puppets, but now it seemed that the Sect was not only proficient in mechanics but even better at stitching together the severed limbs of Yao Beasts and Cultivators with fine iron mechanical components, refining them into half-flesh, half-metal Mechanical Corpse Puppets.

Once such monsters emerged from their coffins, they would definitely not be comparable to that Tier 3 Cursed Corpse which only possessed brute strength.

"Before reaching Late-Stage Qi Refining, I must never set foot on the fourth floor again."

Gu Shen set a strict rule.

As a practitioner of the Path of Survival, one must have an extremely keen sense for the unknown and dangers beyond one's capabilities. The resources on the fourth floor might be even more startling, but he had plenty of time to wait; there was no need to gamble with his life.

After calming his state of mind.

Gu Shen waved his hand and withdrew the Thick Earth Array within the stone cave.

The light of the Formation Plate dimmed and fell into his palm. The three Low-Grade Spirit Stones in the grooves had already lost half their color, their Spiritual Qi severely depleted.

Gu Shen put them into his Storage Ring.

He stood up, feeling the thick, almost substantial green power of Qi Refinement Level 6 within his body.

He had the cultivation; for killing, he had the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade and Soul-Shocking Spike; for escape, he had Blood Burning Evasion and shadow shoes; and for defense, he had the black turtle shield fused with the stone armor essence.

But Gu Shen still felt it wasn't enough.

Although the black turtle shield was strong, it had to be activated with power and had a limited defensive area. Once besieged by multiple Cultivators of the same level or a bizarre hidden weapon sneak attack, relying solely on a single shield would inevitably lead to an oversight.

"I lack a normalized body-protecting Spell."

The Longevity Art he Cultivated was just the most basic, common Cultivation Technique; besides having long-lasting power and a slight healing effect, it didn't come with any innate body-protecting secret techniques.

"I must go to the black market to find a Wood-attribute defensive Spell."

Gu Shen touched the Thousand Faces skin mask on his face. The disguise of a sallow face with a scar was still perfect.

He pushed open the heavy stone door.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Gu Shen didn't just walk out openly. His current appearance and aura had changed greatly; if he walked out the main entrance of the inn holding the A-17 Restriction Jade Slip, it would surely arouse the suspicion of that Qi Refining Level 7 Old Ghost Shopkeeper. In Wild Dog Ridge, a stranger walking out of someone else's Immortal Cave signified a very conspicuous act of killing and looting.

Dark light flowed on the shadow shoes beneath Gu Shen's feet.

With the vigorous power of Qi Refinement Level 6 combined with the concealment of the Magical Artifact, his whole person turned into a faint gray shadow, sticking to the blind spots of the cliff walls, leaping over the top of the Old Ghost Inn like a gust of Yin wind.

Behind the counter, the Old Ghost Shopkeeper, who was smoking a pipe, only felt a slight breeze pass over his head. He lifted his turbid eyelids and glanced around, found nothing, and went back to puffing on his pipe.

After leaving the vicinity of the inn, Gu Shen blended into the crowd of the morning market.

Deep within Wild Dog Ridge, there was a dark market that only opened at dawn and midnight.

Unlike the stalls outside, the dark market was located in a natural underground karst cave, jointly controlled by several powerful Cultivator Bandit forces. Inside were all black market goods of unknown Origin, and only bartering or large-scale Spirit Stone transactions were allowed.

Gu Shen arrived at the entrance of the karst cave.

Two Qi Refinement Level 6 Body Cultivators, covered in Evil Qi, stood outside like iron towers.

"Entry fee, one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. Life and death are your own responsibility," one of them said coldly.

Gu Shen said nothing, fished out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone from his robes, and flicked it over.

The guard caught the Spirit Stone and handed Gu Shen a large black Deity-Shielding Cloak.

Gu Shen put on the cloak, completely hiding his scarred face in the shadow of the hood, and stepped into the karst cave.

The light inside the karst cave was dim, with only a few night pearls embedded in the stone walls emitting a faint glow. Dozens of Cultivators, also wearing Deity-Shielding Cloaks, were either sitting on the ground or talking in low voices in front of stalls; the atmosphere was extremely oppressive and heavy.

Gu Shen was in no hurry to set up a stall, but instead followed the edge, scanning the stalls one by one.

Most of what appeared were damaged Magical Artifacts stripped from the Black Wind Forest battlefield, blood-stained Cultivation Technique Jade Slips, and various Yao Beast Materials.

Until he walked to a stall deep inside the karst cave.

The stall owner was a hunchbacked dwarf. On the tattered cloth in front of him, there was only a single green Jade Slip. Beside it stood a wooden sign with several lines written in blood:

"Wood-attribute defensive Spell, Wood Armor Technique. Not for Spirit Stones, only for Spirit Medicine that can instantly restore Qi and blood, or Yao Beast essence blood of Tier 1 peak or above!"

Gu Shen stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed intently on that green Jade Slip.

Spirit Medicine that could instantly restore Qi and blood was like a second life in this blood-soaked Wild Dog Ridge, making it extremely rare.

"Fellow Daoist, although this Wood Armor Technique is good, the casting time is too long and it consumes too much power. Your asking price is too high." A cloaked person nearby was trying to lower the price. "I have ten Spirit Stones here, plus a bottle of Low Grade Rejuvenation Pills. Will you trade?"

The dwarf snorted coldly, his voice shrill: "Get lost! This is an orthodox Spell I got from a Danding Sect Inner Sect Disciple! I've been hit by a Demonic Cultivator's Blood Wither Seal, and my Qi and blood are failing. I don't want useless pills, only top-grade blood medicine!"

The cloaked person left dejectedly.

Gu Shen crouched down and pressed his hand on the wooden sign.

The dwarf looked up warily, his hand already reaching for a Magical Artifact at his waist.

Gu Shen didn't make a sound, but with a flick of his wrist, a small white porcelain bottle slid from his sleeve and stood steadily on the tattered cloth of the stall.

"Inside are two clumps of extremely pure Vitality Blood Glue. Applied externally, it can heal and scab over a bone-deep knife wound within three breaths. It contains no pill toxins," Gu Shen's voice was coarse, like sandpaper rubbing together.

The dwarf skeptically uncorked the bottle, probed it with his Divine Sense, and his face suddenly changed, his eyes bursting with wild joy.

"Such dense vitality! Not a single trace of Impurities!"

Fearing Gu Shen would regret it, the dwarf grabbed the porcelain bottle tightly and urgently pushed the Wood Armor Technique Jade Slip over. "Trade! Trade immediately!"

Gu Shen's Divine Sense swept over the Jade Slip, confirming the mantra branded inside was complete.

Without any hesitation, he put away the Jade Slip, stood up, and blended into the crowded flow of people.

Two clumps of essence glue for an orthodox Wood-attribute defensive Spell; to him, this was an extremely worthwhile deal. He could always find a way to look for similar Spiritual Plants to replace the essence glue refined from red blood vine, but such protective Spells were rare and hard to come by.

Leaving the dark market.

Gu Shen remained extremely cautious. He didn't return to the inn immediately but circled the cliffs on the outskirts of Wild Dog Ridge three full times. After confirming he wasn't being followed by dark market scouts, he once again activated his shadow shoes, flipped over the inn's cliff wall like a ghost, and landed soundlessly in front of the A-17 Stone Cave door.

He undid the Restriction and pushed the door open.

The warning gravel was undisturbed.

Gu Shen lived on the stone bed and impatiently sent his Divine Sense into the green Jade Slip.

"The Wood Origin is endless. Gather Qi into armor, as firm as a rock..."

The obscure mantra flowed through his mind.

The orthodox Spells of the Great Yu Cultivation World were indeed much more exquisite than the common goods at Loose Cultivator stalls. Others disliked this Wood Armor Technique for its high mana consumption and slow casting. But what he lacked least was power! The massive green power of Qi Refinement Level 6 in his body, combined with the supplies in his Storage Ring, allowed him to use it as a permanent Spell.

"Fortunately, I have a Mixed Spiritual Root with a Wood-Fire Dual Affinity. This Wood Armor Technique shares the same Origin as my Longevity Art, making Cultivation twice as effective with half the effort."

Gu Shen didn't delay at all and immediately began to guide the green power in his body according to the mantra.

Wisps of power seeped out of his body through the extraordinary meridians, attempting to weave an invisible layer of battle armor outside his skin.

Failure. Regathering. Failure again.

A night's time passed quickly in tedious attempts.

Until the first wisp of light from the next morning shone into the cave through the crack in the stone door.

Gu Shen suddenly opened his eyes, his hands quickly forming seals.

"Condense!"

A full twenty percent of the power in his Dantian was instantly drained.

Buzz!

A layer of wooden battle armor, emitting a faint green glow and covered in patterns like ancient tree vines, instantly emerged on Gu Shen's body, wrapping him tightly from head to toe.

Reaching out to tap it, it actually made a crisp sound like metal clashing.

"It's done!"

A sharp light burst from Gu Shen's eyes. Once he encountered a surprise attack, with the Wood Armor Technique protecting him inside and the black turtle shield blocking outside, his survivalist defensive system had finally built an indestructible double barrier.