Chapter 136: The Sunflower of Demonic Sun (Subscription Requested)

A human body may lack the innate capabilities of a fierce beast, but its plasticity is unparalleled. Provided one has sufficient aptitude, one can cultivate a myriad of techniques and systems. However, once transformed into a Flood Dragon, there is only one path to follow, with no other direction for advancement.

Crash!

The Yin Spirit Flood Dragon emerged from the body, looking hideous. Pitch-black ghostly mist permeated the entire cave dwelling. Within the mist, countless demonic shadows loomed, and the wailing of evil spirits echoed through the air. This was the same technique the Flood Dragon had used to defeat the Thunder Ghost earlier. This black energy was the Nine Nether Demonic Qi; within its shroud, everyone was affected by the roar and wailing of demons and evil spirits. Lu Qian called this domain the Nine Nether Demonic Array. This array was also a product of his visualization technique, though its full potential could only be developed once he mastered the characters within the *Yellow Springs Yin Seal Annotation*. Merely upgrading the visualization diagram did not mean the technique had been successfully mastered; there was still a long road ahead.

His current goal was to inherit the Yellow Springs orthodoxy. With this in mind, Lu Qian took out a box. The box was actually a spatial container holding twelve human-head-sized, fiery-red fruits. These were the fruits of the Howling Tree. Upon consuming one, a surge of immense heat swept through his entire body, and he subsequently fell into deep meditation.

In his lower dantian, the Yin Gui True Water began to change, the pitch-black liquid slowly fading in color. Its quality became increasingly lighter. After an unknown amount of time, a drop of bright yellow liquid was born. The Yin Spirit immediately felt a chill, as if his entire being had been cleansed, leaving him feeling refreshed. This droplet then leaped into the Tanzhong acupoint. This point, also known as the middle dantian, was referred to in the *Yellow Springs Scripture* as the Crimson Palace, the red palace where immortals reside.

The liquid condensed was known as the Forget-Passion True Water. Its properties were similar to the Yin Gui True Water; it could refine the physical body and the Yin Spirit, increase the chances of successfully establishing a Dao foundation and Dharma body, and could also be used to assault opponents.

After condensing it for three days and three nights, Lu Qian opened his eyes. A gloomy, netherworldly aura greeted him.

*Yellow Springs Nine Palaces Cultivation Secret Scripture (Entry Level: 186/2000)*

"The medicinal power of the Howling Fruit is quite good; it saved me months of bitter toil," Lu Qian thought to himself. The Forget-Passion True Water in the Crimson Palace already numbered over a dozen drops, constantly refining his body. Lu Qian’s "months of bitter toil" were not the same as an ordinary person's. With the help of the Golden Mirror, every session of cultivation yielded progress points, and his techniques improved accordingly. For others to achieve such perfect cultivation results, they would have to rely on sudden enlightenment.

Beyond the Howling Fruit, he had also obtained items from the Styx Secret Vault. Most were similar, serving only to enhance cultivation. However, one particular item caught Lu Qian's attention.

He flashed into the garden and spat out his sword pouch. From it flew a pitch-black flower, the size of a washbasin. It resembled a sunflower, but in its center sat the face of a Yaksha demon. The demonic face had its eyes tightly shut, occasionally exhaling a puff of pitch-black ghostly mist. The sound it made was somewhat like human snoring. The ghostly mist gathered without dispersing, gradually assimilating the surrounding environment. This was the Sun-Facing Demonic Sunflower. It was not meant for consumption.

"Yellow Springs Yin Qi..." This term surfaced in Lu Qian's mind. According to the scripture, Yellow Springs techniques were not well-suited to the mortal realm, and their effectiveness was lower than in the Yellow Springs themselves. The Sun-Facing Demonic Sunflower could exhale Yellow Springs Yin Qi, artificially creating an illusionary realm similar to the Yellow Springs. The flower could absorb earth energy and then propagate other flowers. However, it was clear that the cave dwelling's earth energy was only enough to feed this single demonic sunflower.

"It seems I need to find a larger place," Lu Qian mused. He summoned the three women.

"This is the Black and White Yin-Yang Spirit Refining Chapter. You two, pick one each," Lu Qian said, handing the Black and White Daoist’s techniques to the sisters. This technique was quite powerful; the Black and White Daoist had only possessed the cultivation of the early Spirit Nourishing stage, yet he had wielded the power of the mid-Spirit Nourishing stage through this very method.

"As for you, focus on practicing the Great Yin Gathering True Water Method until you reach the late Qi Refining stage," Lu Qian said to Mochou. There was no follow-up technique for the Profound Communion visualization. To break through to the Spirit Nourishing stage, she would have to rely on pills. However, the items he had obtained from the secret vault should contain the necessary follow-up techniques. He would address that once he learned the Yellow Springs Yin Seals.

Looking at the Sun-Facing Demonic Sunflower in the courtyard, Lu Qian looked at Yaoyue. "Do you have a larger place?"

"Reporting to Master, to maintain secrecy, this servant has not dared to act too boldly." Yaoyue felt a hint of regret; the group was limited to five hundred people. Any more, and it would attract the attention of the major powers in Blackwater City.

"Have you never thought about expanding outward?" Lu Qian asked. Yaoyue was sharp; she should have considered this.

Yaoyue smiled bitterly. "In fact, I had thought about it, in Bangshui City, but I was blocked by the Suixin Agency." The Suixin Trading Agency was a relatively large firm; though they didn't have many members, they had two Spirit Nourishing experts. Whenever people from the Qihuo Agency returned from Bangshui City, they were attacked, losing not only their people but their goods as well. At the time, Lu Qian was exploring the water eye, and Yaoyue, not wanting to cause further complications, had simply swallowed the loss.

"I see. Take me to Bangshui City tomorrow. We don't need to use the Qihuo Agency's name; we'll start anew." Two early-stage Spirit Nourishing cultivators, and not even from a major power—it was a decent-sized branch, and he could simply wipe them out. In Blackwater City, he would continue to develop through the Fish-Dragon and Qihuo agencies, backed by the Lingbo Tower. In Bangshui City, he could expand aggressively and reap the profits. Lu Qian still had over a hundred thousand Dharma coins, all of which could be spent.

He wanted to lay his layout across the Myriad Phenomenon Island and establish a force to manage resources for him. If others did the menial work, he could save most of his time. Thus, there was no need to save; ten years was not a long time, and money was useless if he were dead. The reason so many high-level experts created factions and established orthodoxies was not out of kindness or to give back to society, but primarily to gather the strength of thousands to support themselves.

"From now on, the Qihuo Agency is yours, Mochou. You, Yaoyue, are responsible for Bangshui City."

"Thank you, Master."

After dismissing the three, Lu Qian opened the *Yellow Springs Yin Seal Annotation*. The Yellow Springs Yin Seals were the script of the Yellow Springs realm, distinct from mortal writing; they were more like a combination of text and runes. It was said that in ancient times, human script was used to communicate with heaven and earth. It was only because the boundary between immortals and mortals became so severe that the scripts diverged. The Yellow Springs Yin Seals were extremely complex; just looking at them caused dizziness, as they carried an overwhelming amount of information. Beyond the brushstrokes, the most important part of the seals was the "aperture." The more complex the aperture, the higher the power and level of the spell. However, Lu Qian did not worry about such things for now; he only needed to understand the meaning behind the Yellow Springs Yin Seals.

The next day, a convoy set out from the city. Twenty black-armored knights with scales on their faces guarded a luxurious carriage. Behind the carriage, ten leather-armored beasts resembling yellow oxen carried goods that stood taller than the beasts themselves. These black-armored knights were "Scaled Fish Dao-Soldiers." They possessed bone-piercing Yin spikes hidden in their bellies, their scales were impervious to blades and arrows, and they were strong swimmers—a type of Dao-soldier refined by Xiyue.

In the center of the carriage sat the sisters, Yaoyue and Xiyue, along with Lu Qian. Xiyue sat with her eyes closed in meditation, her face tinged with a faint white mist, while Yaoyue's face bore a trace of black energy. Lu Qian also sat with his eyes closed, reflecting and digesting the knowledge of the Yellow Springs Yin Seals he had learned.

The Flood Dragon's Nine Nether Demonic Array was actually a technique for creating Dao-soldiers, used to manifest Thunder Ghost Dao-soldiers within the Nine Nethers. When the demonic array was deployed, the Dao-soldiers would emerge. Enemies caught within would not only be affected by the demonic energy but also be slaughtered by the soldiers. Now that he had replaced the Thunder Ghost with the Flood Dragon, it should be possible to create Flood Dragon Dao-soldiers. These soldiers could enhance his strength and even refine evil energy into pure energy.

Beyond that, there were several spells for creating Yin demons: Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Dog-Headed Daoists, Three-Bodied Guardians, and more. There were also various Dao-soldier artifacts. All of this required vast resources; the hundred thousand Dharma coins he had might not even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

Boom!

A loud sound erupted from the sky, accompanied by several whistling noises. It was likely another skirmish between cultivators. Lu Qian had no intention of interfering. Yaoyue poked her head out to look and said, "Master, it is a Spirit Nourishing cultivator from the Suixin Agency."

"Stop them!" Lu Qian commanded coldly.

"Whoosh!" Yaoyue cast out her Dharma sword.

Bang!

The sword flew into the air, intercepting the person's spell. The person being pursued escaped a disaster, landing with a thud in front of the convoy.

"Eh? It's you lot again. Perfect, I'll just finish you all off together."