Chapter 107: “You Are Mine!”
The three immortal ingredients, along with the Illusory Sea Spirit Fruit he already possessed, completed the four main ingredients required for Shi Hao’s next breakthrough.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Floating Cloud Monastery. A once-renowned Daoist sect, now denied access to immortal ingredients simply for refusing to submit to the Chongxian Sect.
And he had easily obtained the ingredients he needed just because he had “connections” within the Chongxian Sect.
While the ingredients for fourth and fifth-rank elixirs were rare and difficult to obtain, those for lower ranks were plentiful within the Chongxian Sect.
The Chongxian Sect’s dominance, besides the barbarian court’s backing, was maintained through their monopoly on these ingredients.
Shi Hao examined his cultivation. Almost a month had passed since his last visit to the Primordial Grotto Heaven.
His Gathering Essence Flowing Pearl Technique and Unfettered Demon’s Boundless Art had both improved significantly.
As long as he maintained the balance between them, letting them clash and reinforce each other, he could cultivate continuously.
However, he hadn’t reached their peak yet.
He estimated it would take another ten days or so.
He definitely wouldn’t achieve it by tomorrow.
Of course, his progress was already astonishing.
He had also been spending some time circulating his Daoist and demonic energies in opposite directions, trying to generate more of that mysterious Primordial Energy.
But the results had been limited.
Letting the two energies flow naturally, maintaining a delicate balance, allowed for steady progress.
But forcing them to clash directly exhausted him within half an hour, hindering his cultivation, even risking damage to his meridians.
Yet, the Primordial Energy could only be generated through this conflict.
He mentally reviewed the ingredients he still needed for his next demonic advancement: the blood of an Undying Child and a matricide’s heart.
He still had no idea where to find a matricide’s heart. As for the Undying Child’s blood, it seemed his only option was Blood Shadow Undying Child.
Since the Blood Child Rebellion decades ago, the demonic sects had stopped training Undying Children. And he couldn’t bring himself to learn the Blood Erosion Technique, abduct a child, train him, and then take his blood.
Although such methods were common in the demonic sects, he couldn’t do it.
He thought that tomorrow night might be an opportunity to kill Blood Shadow Undying Child… Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
Blood Shadow was a skilled assassin, adept at stealth, and Shi Hao didn’t have enough information to set a trap.
Regardless, his progress in gathering the ingredients had exceeded his expectations.
He embraced the beautiful Daoist nun and, using the Butterfly Flower Finger, expressed his gratitude.
The Daoist nun, having abandoned all restraint, found immense pleasure in his embrace and willingly reciprocated.
And strangely, they found themselves in Yuejiao’s room again…
Leaving the Chongxian Sect’s main temple, Shi Hao walked alone through the streets of Dàxīng City.
The almost full moon bathed the city in its silvery light, giving the buildings an ethereal, dreamlike quality.
Candles flickered in some alleys, paper money burned, and lotus lanterns drifted down the river.
The fifteenth day of the seventh month had been a traditional ancestor worship festival since ancient times, evolving into the “Ghost Festival” a thousand years ago with the rise of Daoism.
Daoists called it the Zhongyuan Festival. According to Daoist scriptures, the Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Human Official, collectively known as the “Three Officials Great Emperor,” governed the world.
The Earthly Official ruled the underworld, and on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the gates of hell opened, allowing the spirits of the dead to return to the world of the living, visiting their families or wandering freely… This was the origin of the Ghost Festival.
However, in the south, it was celebrated on the fourteenth, while in the north, on the fifteenth.
In Dàxīng City, the Ghost Festival was on the fifteenth, but some people had already begun their observances, lighting candles and releasing lotus lanterns.
Shi Hao returned to Floating Cloud Monastery and entered his room in the west wing.
He wrapped the Molting Snake Reverse Scale, the Tri-colored Qilin Grass, the Carriage Horse Mushroom, and the Illusory Sea Spirit Fruit in a cloth and hid them in a compartment above the rafters.
The Daoists in the monastery treated him with respect, so he wasn’t worried about them snooping around. But there were many children, and these immortal ingredients were incredibly valuable outside the Chongxian Sect.
He then hid the Heroic Deeds Blade under his mattress, lay down, and closed his eyes.
Moonlight streamed through the window, painting the windowsill silver.
The energies of the Gathering Essence Flowing Pearl Technique and the Unfettered Demon’s Boundless Art continued to circulate within him, slowly but steadily increasing.
He slept peacefully, undisturbed.
The next morning, after a walk around the monastery, he still hadn’t seen Xu Xiaoyan.
He was starting to get worried… She should have returned by now.
He hadn’t been concerned initially. After all, she was resourceful and had the Void Traversing Brick, allowing her to escape instantly.
Although it could only be used once a day, its ability to transport her several li in any direction was a powerful escape tool.
But she should have returned yesterday. Even with delays, she should have arrived by now.
He couldn’t shake his unease.
He quickly considered the possibilities. The Ghost Extreme Sect was likely too preoccupied to bother with her now.
If she had encountered trouble, it was most likely the three Evil Lotus factions.
That afternoon, he went to Calabash Alley to gather information from Dark Thunder. Zhu Zheng, looking harried, hurried over, “Brother Hao, as you suspected, the Ghost Extreme Sect and the Shark Dragon Gang seem to be colluding.
“The Shark Dragon Gang is mobilizing their forces and preparing to attack Dragon Head Mountain. A large number of Ghost Extreme Sect experts are also hidden in Dàxīng City, under the Shark Dragon Gang’s protection. And the Ancestral Altar has deployed troops, surrounding Dragon Head Mountain. A major battle is imminent.”
Shi Hao asked, “Do you know what’s on Dragon Head Mountain that’s worth fighting over?”
Zhu Zheng shook his head, “We’re not sure. The Ancestral Altar is usually based in the capital. We don’t know why Grandmother Ba is here, guarding Dragon Head Mountain.”
He paused, then added, “Perhaps they’re not ‘guarding’ it. We know the Ancestral Altar has brought many craftsmen to Dragon Head Mountain, but with all the soldiers surrounding it, we don’t know what they’re doing.”
Shi Hao asked, “What kind of reward could motivate them to such lengths?”
Zhu Zheng pondered for a moment and sighed, “I’m not sure. Perhaps a Divine Ruin containing a supreme-grade divine crystal appeared on Dragon Head Mountain? Or maybe some powerful artifact? But even so, it’s strange that the Ancestral Altar is involved.”
“We’ll continue to investigate, but we don’t have any more information at this time. And besides…”
Shi Hao said, “And from Dark Thunder’s perspective, it doesn’t matter who wins between the Ancestral Altar and the Ghost Extreme Sect. In fact, it would be best if they both suffered heavy losses.”
Zhu Zheng smiled, “Indeed. The Ghost Extreme Sect obtained a God-Sealing Stone at Civilian Martial Ridge. They must have some plan for it. And the Ancestral Altar is directly under the command of the Supreme Emperor Lie Zunyi. Only matters he doesn’t trust even the four great families with are assigned to them. With those two fighting, we’ll just watch from the sidelines.”
“Of course, we’ll try to understand their motives. If the situation escalates, we might intervene. But for now, both the Ghost Extreme Sect and the Shark Dragon Gang are fully committed, and the Ancestral Altar has mobilized a large number of troops. There’s not much we can do. And without knowing the truth, intervening would only drag us into unnecessary conflict.”
Shi Hao nodded…
Leaving Calabash Alley, Shi Hao returned to Floating Cloud Monastery. Entering his room, he froze.
A wooden stick, a flower, and a piece of paper lay on the table.
The stick looked ordinary and unremarkable.
The flower, with five petals, was actually a hairpin.
Shi Hao rushed to the table, recognizing the hairpin… It was Xu Xiaoyan’s.
She always wore it in her hair when disguised as Night Lily.
He picked up the wooden stick, twisted it, and pulled out a sword.
The blade, narrow and thin, gleamed coldly. Sheathed within the wooden handle, it looked like an ordinary stick, easily concealed.
This was clearly the sword forged by Daoist Tie Yu. He had only requested a sword that could be easily hidden, its true nature concealed.
The paper, small and folded, contained four characters written in blood: “You are mine!”
Shi Hao frowned. He sheathed the sword, grabbed the hairpin and the note, and quickly left Floating Cloud Monastery.
As he hurried towards Mount Qian Yuan, an explosion echoed from the north, the ground trembling beneath his feet.
People in the streets, thinking it was an earthquake, panicked, some running, others crying.
Shi Hao glanced north… towards Dragon Head Mountain.
He reached the Chongxian Sect’s main temple and found Zhuo Mulan. He unfolded the note and asked, “Is this Yuejiao’s handwriting?”
Zhuo Mulan, looking at the blood-written characters, her face paling, said, surprised, “It is her handwriting. What happened?”
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