Chapter 2168.1: Cerulean Sword Dragon, Suppressed Memories

Lu Yun ultimately left the Yuwen trading headquarters alone. When the Yuwen Clan learned of what transpired at the Ouyang Clan, they sent three nascent soul elders to stand guard and moved most of the treasure at their trading headquarters.

Lu Yun pouted when he received the news and said nothing.

Meanwhile, the Ouyangs came by a few times, but were stopped outside the front door with the excuse that the patriarch was in closed door cultivation.

……

“In the three thousand reincarnations, one of my ultimate accomplishments was to use spirit herbs and medicines of the mortal realm to create the medicinal effects of the ninth legendary spirit herb of the world of immortals—the Shennong Grass. I then refined it into an immortal pill when I was just a cultivator.”

Lu Yun faced the pile of spirit herbs and medicines that he’d taken from the Ouyang headquarters and mused over them.

“These aren’t enough for the Shennong Grass. Its effects are also fierce—any below the soul separation level might immediately explode if they took it.” Lu Yun stroked his chin. “An immortal pill is a good bet, but if an immortal pill appears in a world of cultivation, it will trigger a pill tribulation. And once a pill tribulation arrives, that will lead all manner of riffraff to us.

“Besides, I’m so pathetically weak right now that I can’t refine an immortal pill. Mm, I’ll assemble some concoctions first and make preparations to resolve second uncle’s Severed Meridians Hold.”

His fingers fluttered through a few hand seals and propelled gleaming specimens of ingredients into the air. They landed in the pill cauldron in front of him, whereupon Lu Yun summoned a red flower of fire origin energy from the south. He directed it into the pill cauldron in the form of a scintillating blaze of flame.

Connate fire incinerated a multitude of ingredients and turned them into pure medicinal strength. They were continuously disassembled and reassembled through his manipulation.

Creating new medicinal attributes out of different ingredients was more than just mixing them together. Special methods were required in the process, making it much more complicated than simply refining pills or medicines.

Crack!

Lu Yun’s ears twitched as he caught a tiny disturbance. A fine crack had splintered the exquisite pill cauldron in front of him. Frowning, he changed his hand seals and dismissed the connate fire.

“This pill cauldron’s from the Ling Clan’s Lingtian Pill Pavilion. It’s just an upper rank treasure, no wonder it can’t withstand a connate flame.” He looked at the minute crack with frustration.

“This is my oversight. Grandfather has a lower rank pill cauldron, so it won’t hold up under a connate flame either. The Ling Clan is the pill refinement family of Darklake. It’s said that their clan treasure is a paramount rank pill cauldron. If I can get my hands on that…” Lu Yun was sorely tempted and couldn’t silence the urge.

“I might be able to modify a paramount rank treasure into a lower rank spirit treasure if I add a few things to it. A spirit rank pill cauldron should be able to hold a connate flame.” Lu Yun waved his hand and stowed the liquid in the broken cauldron, then left his residence.

……

“Senior Blood, how are you recovering?”

Bloodbath was dressed in long ivory robes and wore his dark-red hair loosely down his back. He sat in a small house located in the southern quadrant of the Lu residence, taking deep breaths as he faced the morning sun. Blood-red radiance sparkled around him.

Yu Qianhua, the five originally assigned to the city’s northern quadrant with him, and the later twenty-three city guards stood in the yard with their eyes closed in meditation. They were positioned in a bizarre formation.

“Latter golden core.” Bloodbath’s voice floated in and out of the air—a marked contrast to his previous feebleness. “I can immediately return to nascent soul if you can give me a spirit crystal.”

“A spirit crystal? Darklake Empire doesn’t have such things. Dark Orchid might, but they won’t easily take it out.” Lu Yun shrugged.

Spirit stones were spirit crystals, but spirit crystals were much more valuable. The qi contained within one lower rank spirit crystal was the equivalent of one hundred paramount rank spirit stones. However, no one was willing to trade one lower rank crystal for one hundred stones.

If spirit stones were defined as stones containing qi, then spirit crystals were crystalline structures formed from qi. There was nothing else in them apart from qi.

Spirit crystals were used by cultivators of high ranked cultivation empires. It would be an incredible treasure if anyone in a third or fourth rank empire laid hands on one.

“Then give me ten thousand paramount rank spirit stones. I want to set up Qi Accumulation Formation to recover my cultivation,” Bloodbath changed his request.

Lu Yun sniffled noisily, recalling the elder’s prowess. Ordinary objects were sufficient for him to set up a Reverse Five Elements of Absolute Slaughter. If he had ten thousand paramount rank spirit stones… he might redirect all of the capital’s qi into his formation.

“Latter golden core is enough, you don’t need to be stronger for now.” Lu Yun ignored the elder’s request.

Bloodbath looked at him.

“Do you remember the Canon of the Blood God that I talked about?” Lu Yun smiled.

Blood trembled and jerked his head up. The young man took out a jade slip from his ring and tossed it to the old man.

“This is the first half of the canon. It’s at least one hundred times stronger than that Method of Blood Shadows you’re currently practicing.”

Bloodbath infused the jade slip with his consciousness to study its contents.

“Did you create this?” He looked askance at Lu Yun.

The young man nodded. “The Canon of the Blood God is a very important affair. Although this is just its first method, it’s still much more important than you might think. Destroy the jade slip after you’ve committed it to memory.”

Jade slips were a way to ensure the succession of cultivation methods in the world of cultivation as there were many things that could not be captured by words or text. Only higher level methods were recorded in jade slips.

The heritage of cultivation methods was more so a heritage of great dao and an incomparable mentality.

Two people practicing the same method might find themselves proceeding in vastly different directions and reaping immensely different results. That was due to each person comprehending dao in different ways.

Text records in books and on papers were applicable for only lower level cultivation methods. Some of the larger families and sects recorded all of their cultivation methods in jade slips. They were locked by restrictions, making perusal impossible unless special methods were used to access them.

Bloodbath nodded and swiftly memorized the jade slip’s contents. He reduced it to dust with a clap of his hands. At his level, he could naturally tell how terrifying the Canon of the Blood God was and how much more sophisticated it was compared to the Method of Blood Shadows.

At the same time, he discovered that one had to use the Method of Blood Shadows as the foundation for the Canon of the Blood God, first reaching golden core with the former before moving on.

Bloodbath gave a long exhale and raised a cupped fist salute to Lu Yun. A moderate surge of goodwill rushed out of him and into the seal in the young man’s body. It wasn’t as large as the surge from yesterday, but it was still sufficient to consolidate Lu Yun’s foundations after setting foot into initial second turn.

There were limits to the amount of goodwill generated from one person unless Lu Yun became their god and the beholder of their faith. Otherwise, one person’s goodwill would steadily diminish even if they were increasingly grateful to him.

Gratitude, admiration, and faith—those were the three ways of obtaining goodwill that he’d identified. Gratitude and admiration were temporary, only faith was forever and would continue to produce goodwill. However, it was nigh impossible to inspire faith from a cultivator.

This seemed to be another difference from the tree of his memories. That tree collected the power of emotions, whereas the seal compelled living beings to worship the holder.

“Senior Blood, you are now latter golden core. If you use this method from the Canon of the Blood God, then you’re…” Lu Yun smiled at Bloodbath.

“Do you ask about my strength?” Bloodbath responded calmly. “Although I am just latter golden core for the moment, I still reign invincible in this nation even without the Canon of the Blood God.”

He spoke matter-of-factly as a combination level powerhouse, even if their strength had receded for the moment, was still invincible in a third rank nation. There was nothing to be proud of as it was only to be expected.

“Very good.” Lu Yun broke out into a large grin. “The Ling Clan possesses a pill cauldron as their family treasure. I would ask that Senior Blood pay them a visit and take the pill cauldron.”

“Take the Ling family treasure from their home?” Bloodbath blinked.

“Yes,” Lu Yun chuckled.

“That’s… that’s going to be a bit difficult,” Bloodbath frowned slightly. “I’m not afraid of anyone in single combat, but it will be tricky to visit a clan and seize their family treasure.”

Lu Yun looked at him wordlessly.

“Ah forget it, I’ll go. I just need some time to prepare,” Bloodbath chuckled ruefully. He’d received benefits from Lu Yun, so he couldn’t very well turn down the young man’s first request now, could he?

That would be too embarrassing.