Chapter 107: Profound Frost and Yin Malice
Whoosh!
The leaves on a nearby tree rustled slightly.
“Trying to run?” Lu Qian’s eyes sharpened as he swiftly summoned a jade box.
Bang!
The jade box snapped shut, revealing inside a wailing child from the Zhi clan.
This specimen was a great tonic, nourishing both flesh and soul.
Besides that, there were some miscellaneous medicinal herbs—not particularly precious, only worth a small sum.
The most valuable items were the Xuanjin Sword Bag and the Imperial Water Golden Talisman.
The Xuanjin Sword Bag condensed a breath of Xuanjin energy, possessing an unstoppable force—just a single breath against an enemy would cause their spiritual intent, magical tools, and physical body to vanish into smoke and dust.
More importantly, as it continuously absorbed various forms of golden energy and was sealed with restrictions, its power grew even stronger.
Beyond its offensive capabilities, it could also store objects—both animate and inanimate.
“However, this artifact hasn’t been refined enough,” Lu Qian frowned in thought.
His spiritual sense probed the artifact’s interior, revealing faint white patterns forming sixteen layers, each stacked above the other, creating a solid shield within.
Sixteen layers of restrictions corresponded to a second-tier artifact—not particularly formidable.
Artifacts were graded according to the number of Earthly Fiends layers they contained, from low to high totaling seventy-two layers, with every nine layers constituting one tier, each tier exponentially increasing power.
Once all seventy-two layers were perfected, the restrictions merged into a heavenly restriction known as the Heavenly Gang Seal.
An artifact bearing the Heavenly Gang Seal was called a spiritual instrument, its power at least comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Similarly, every nine layers formed a tier, with thirty-six layers in total.
This particular Xuanjin Sword Bag was refined using the Heavenly Xuanjin Treasure Gathering Technique.
Lu Qian unfolded a piece of parchment made of an unknown material, upon which was drawn the map of this island.
It seemed the corpse inside the Sword Bag had been killed nearby.
But unlike Lu Qian, the victim had no such luck or trump cards.
“Hm? In the dense forest?” Lu Qian’s mind stirred.
Could it be that the eerie green miasma concealed a malevolent earth vein?
Yet, even so, it felt unusual; the miasma was too thick, unlike an ordinary mountain forest.
With this in mind, Lu Qian held his breath, took a pill, and dashed forward.
Whoosh!
His figure flickered as he entered the miasma.
The poisonous gas crept in from all directions, slowly corroding.
Around Lu Qian’s body swirled true water, gradually resisting the invasion of the malevolent aura.
Suddenly, ahead the miasma vanished, revealing a clearing.
A cold pond came into view.
Its emerald water mirrored the crescent moon above.
Above the pond floated wisps of green smoke.
A bird flew through the smoke.
Crack!
The bird instantly froze into an ice-green sculpture.
Fragments fell into the water.
“Xuan Frost Yin Sha…” Lu Qian murmured.
The malevolent aura was a special collection of earth energies; different energies produced different forms of malevolence.
Across the world, there were thousands of such malevolent auras—some natural, some artificially created.
There were seventy-two high-quality Yin Earth Vein malevolences.
Xuan Frost Yin Sha belonged to the Yin Water earth vein category, regarded as a mid-tier malevolence.
The ranking of malevolent auras was not absolute; they usually needed to be combined with specific cultivation techniques.
Xuan Frost Yin Sha typically paired with Yin or Water attribute cultivation methods.
Lu Qian practiced Yin Kui True Water, which could harmonize with the cold Yin Frost Yin Sha.
With this realization, Lu Qian stepped forward slowly.
Whoosh!
The green smoke stirred!
A long, ghostly green wisp surged forward like a serpent.
Lu Qian instantly felt a chilling cold, the malevolence bearing down on him.
This cold was so profound it seemed to nearly freeze his very soul.
Whoosh!
A pure white flame erupted from Lu Qian’s palm.
The fire clashed with the Xuan Frost Yin Sha, but astonishingly, even the flame was frozen.
“Such a powerful malevolence!” Lu Qian exclaimed in surprise.
If he could absorb this malevolence into his body, his cultivation might increase tenfold or more.
After some effort, he finally dispersed the smoke.
It wasn’t that the malevolence had gained sentience, but rather a reflexive response to external stimuli.
“Perhaps I should attempt to condense the malevolence now?” Lu Qian pondered.
Condensing malevolence was extremely dangerous. Without protection, even a gentle breeze or light rain could shatter an ordinary Yin Spirit.
Let alone the malevolence born of earth veins.
Most who condense malevolence rely on pills or other aids to shield their souls.
They must laboriously chip away at it bit by bit to succeed.
The process could take an unknown length of time—some achieved it overnight, others required centuries, sometimes even exhausting their lifespan.
A fortunate few took a decade or so; most needed two or three decades.
And one misstep could prove fatal.
This did not include the time needed to seek out potent malevolences worldwide.
The Spirit Cultivation period lasted only three hundred years; excessive early consumption made the subsequent Nine Heavens Refining nearly impossible.
Some gave up and indulged in pleasures instead.
“But I have the Golden Appraisal, so with patience, it should be quite manageable,” Lu Qian thought.
He then sat cross-legged, silently reciting incantations.
His Yin Spirit emerged, and a sharp coldness struck.
The Yin Spirit writhed in agonizing pain as if being slowly torn apart, then transformed into a beam of light that returned to his body.
Lu Qian opened his eyes and thought, “The Yin Kui True Water shattered instantly. Indeed, condensing malevolence is no simple task.”
It was harder than he had imagined; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many still stuck at the Spirit Cultivation stage.
Even entry was difficult, let alone progress beyond.
With this reflection, Lu Qian drew out the jade box and opened it, revealing a tiny figure no more than an inch tall.
“What are you doing? Don’t eat me! Ah!” the figure screamed.
Lu Qian grabbed it and swallowed it whole.
Pop! The figure burst inside, releasing a warm surge through his limbs and body.
The medicinal power within the Zhi person was extraordinary, truly worthy of a place on the Earthly Fiends list.
His Yin Spirit emerged again, this time approaching the malevolence closer—but was still forced back inside.
Second attempt, third, fourth… After many tries, he finally captured a fragment of the malevolence.
He then used true water to quell its stubbornness, turning it to his advantage, attaching it outside his Yin Spirit.
The hardest part was starting; this process took three days and exhausted the Zhi person’s energy.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed in his mind, the Flood Dragon in the Yellow Springs Map seemed to solidify.
Suddenly, the Flood Dragon leapt toward a floating crimson talisman in the sky.
It swallowed it whole.
Then its body trembled and spat it back out.
“If I absorb more malevolence, can you consume this?” Lu Qian asked.
The Flood Dragon nodded.
This talisman was the contract rune with the Lingbo Pavilion, still valid for five years.
It would be better to consume it earlier to avoid restrictions.
In reality, Lu Qian awoke.
Yin Malevolence Condensation Degree, Spirit Peace Absorption Technique (1/1000).
The progress was minimal, but painstaking.
Currently, he had only a hair-thin thread of malevolence—no effect whatsoever.
Only when the gauge filled completely could one truly enter the realm of malevolence condensation.
Fortunately, as he condensed malevolence, his physical refinement also advanced slightly.
Thus, he could progress simultaneously without the strain of cultivating two paths separately.
With a method to nourish the spirit, he would focus primarily on spirit cultivation, with physical refinement as a supplement.