Chapter 80: Tremendous Gains

Overjoyed, Gu Changqing picked up the two swords left behind by the sickly man. One was large, the other small—one long, one short—but the moment he grasped them, he sensed something was amiss. A chilling gloom and overwhelming resentment emanated from the blades, accompanied by piercing shrieks that seemed to burrow straight into his mind.

Momentarily stunned, Gu Changqing realized this was the first time he’d encountered such a phenomenon. He summoned his Blood Prison and entwined it around the hilts; instantly, the wailing resentment recoiled as if it were a startled rabbit, locking itself away without resistance.

“Trying to pull that trick on me?” Gu Changqing sneered with evident disdain. Yet inwardly, he understood at once how these swords had been forged.

He quickly collected his spoils and set off directly toward the distant city of Wandering Immortals.

Time to call it a day and head home.

The harvest this time was quite rewarding—not only had he broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement, but he’d also acquired several magical artifacts. Still, the combined possessions of his foes were far from bountiful; even together, they barely matched his own wealth. Yet he couldn’t fault them—if they’d been rich, why would they risk their lives in such a trade?

On account of the three sets of magical instruments, Gu Changqing remained lenient toward the trio. It was a pity they died so soon; otherwise, they could have sat together, exchanged insights on cultivation, and perhaps even become friends.

Gu Changqing had always enjoyed making friends. But ever since his transmigration, he’d had to start from scratch, relentlessly focused on his rise and with little time to socialize.

At this hour, few people came or went from Wandering Immortals City, and the battle had been swift—no one had any inkling of what transpired outside the gates.

Gu Changqing returned all the way to the inn and pushed open the door.

On the table sat a bowl, not a single grain of rice left inside—so clean it looked as if a dog had licked it. This bowl of spirit rice, a priceless treasure for ordinary folk and even unattainable for most warriors, was cherished by Li Youling. Brimming with spiritual energy, a single bowl could sustain her for an entire day.

Li Youling was practicing her forms slowly in the room, and upon seeing Gu Changqing, she immediately ceased, offering him a graceful salute. “Young Master!”

Her words were soft, her brows and eyes brimming with a smile; coupled with her natural beauty, she lifted one’s spirits just by being there.

“I thought you wouldn’t return for another few days, Young Master. I didn’t expect you so soon!” she said with a bright smile. “Would you like a bath? I can have the innkeeper bring water.”

“No rush.” Gu Changqing took out the jade blade and gripped it. Instantly, thousands of characters surged into his mind, and a flash of understanding shone in his eyes.

Unlocking the fifth level’s apertures was relatively straightforward—one only had to pinpoint their locations and bombard them continuously with vital energy.

However, the true challenge lay in the subsequent cultivation of the Divine Spirit, which required constant visualization. At the start, one must imagine a Blood God, and through persistent visualization and infusing spiritual energy, gradually solidify its form—a task demanding time and patience.

There was, of course, a shortcut: harnessing the power of faith. By replacing the deities’ statues in temples with an effigy of the Blood God and hiding within, one could absorb the populace’s prayers to nourish the Divine Spirit.

Gu Changqing weighed the options. The first method was simple but time-consuming. The second, while faster, was fraught with risk. After all, when the Great Ye dynasty was newly founded, it razed mountains and destroyed temples, eradicating all impure worship.

Now, every temple was home to officially sanctioned deities, their incense connected to the imperial mandate. Any attempt to swap out a god’s image would be swiftly noticed.

Yet opportunities existed—one need only seek out mountain-dwelling migrants. As it happened, there were plenty nearby: the barbarians of Ancient Barbarian Mountain.

Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Gu Changqing put away the jade blade and placed three pouches on the table for inspection.

Each of the three contained a fair amount of items. After all, those who risked their lives in such shady business never knew when they’d have to flee at a moment’s notice, so everything of value was kept on their person.

Before long, a heap of goods covered the table, with a pile of useless clutter—such as spare clothes—discarded on the floor. Strangely, the old man’s pouch contained more undergarments than even the woman’s.

Li Youling showed no sign of surprise at any of this; instead, she helped Gu Changqing organize everything neatly.

“This pouch is yours,” Gu Changqing said casually, tossing her the largest one, which had a capacity of half a cubic meter.

“Thank you, Young Master!” Li Youling replied with a sweet smile.

A stack of cultivation manuals lay on the table—quite a number, though most were left by the old man, their value mediocre at best. Gu Changqing suspected many of them were spoils he had seized from others.

What caught Gu Changqing’s eye most was a round jade scroll left behind by the sickly man. After a brief study, he infused it with spiritual energy; the scroll unfurled, revealing its secrets.

“The Great Art of Gathering Yin and Tempering the Body? Interesting,” Gu Changqing murmured as he scanned the text. It was a technique for cultivating in places of concentrated yin, promising rapid progress—but also a swift demise.

From the first day of cultivation, one must constantly draw yin energy into the body, which would steadily corrode the flesh. If one failed to reach the fifth level of Qi Refinement within ten years, the yin would invade the brain, resulting in death. If one hadn’t attained the ninth level within twenty years, their vital energy would drain away, likewise ending in death.

No wonder the man resembled a walking corpse.

Gu Changqing had little interest in the core technique, but the scroll also detailed various related arts and methods of Qi refinement, including the very swords he now possessed.

The Yin Soul Mother-Child Swords.

These swords were forged from the bodies of forty-nine pregnant women bearing the Three-Yin Dead Vein—a process both gruesome and powerful. Most crucially, the Yin Soul Mother-Child Swords were flying swords.

Flying swords were not cheap. Most of the sword-like artifacts in Treasure Pavilion were swords in name only, not true flying swords. Even the cheapest flying sword cost over a thousand spirit stones, and none matched the might of the Yin Soul Mother-Child pair.

Gu Changqing immediately decided to keep them.

He then examined the other manuals. The woman had left behind the Unity Art, which was slightly superior to Daoist Qingfeng’s Breath Control Record. She’d also left behind Mirage Step and Aura Concealment.

Mirage Step sounded impressive, but considering he’d slain her outright with a single volley of blood sea stingers, Gu Changqing doubted it was anything special. Still, he set both manuals aside for future perusal.

The rest of the books he stacked up for sorting another day.

“Young Master, so many spirit stones!” Li Youling exclaimed, daintily pouring out the contents of the three pouches. Over thirty spirit crystals and a great mound of spirit stones spilled forth—over five hundred and thirty in total.

The trio had left behind more than twenty bottles; Gu Changqing picked out several bottles of Qi-moving pills and tossed them to Li Youling, keeping a few familiar healing medicines for himself. The rest he planned to use as test samples for others.

There were also a few talismans, seven or eight in total, but not a single high-grade protective charm—presumably, the old man had used his only one. Among them were two mid-grade Golden Light Protective Talismans, three Concealment Talismans, a Mist Summoning Talisman, and two Fireball Talismans.

The remaining items were of little worth—some cheap herbs and ores, carelessly stuffed away as if the owners themselves saw no value in them. There were also fragments of broken magical artifacts.

All in all, the haul was considerable—especially the Great Art of Gathering Yin and Tempering the Body, the Yin Soul Mother-Child Swords, and the other magical tools.

Gu Changqing thought to himself: spirit stones truly come quickly this way!

(End of Chapter)