NOVPUBSu Changkong is acquiring the corpses of Innate Martial Artists, given that, cater to his wishes, use this to make amends.
"Three of them? I could obtain three Innate Martial Artist corpses just by killing you three!" Su Changkong said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, instantly tightening the hearts of the three men.
The yellow-robed man hurriedly said, "Six! Six Innate Martial Artist corpses! These are what we’ve managed to acquire from the Poison Dragon Stronghold after several months!"
The yellow-robed man was frightened that Su Changkong would act, the other two might have a chance to flee, but he was seriously injured and completely unlikely to get away. He could only raise the stakes in the hopes of making the other party show mercy and let him off.
"Six... that’s six strands of Innate Qi!"
Su Changkong, his interest piqued by these words, knew he might not be able to kill all three men. Even if he killed them all, he would only gain three strands of Innate Qi and would have thoroughly antagonized the Five Immortals Sect, bound to alarm their Sect Hierarch. He was aware of his own circumstances, not being any Five-Qi Grandmaster.
What he needed most now was to enhance his strength, there was no need to trouble himself with such a problem, better to quit while he was ahead.
With that thought, Su Changkong indifferently said, "Very well… this seat has always had a soft heart. I’ll spare you this time. Within half an hour I need to see your sincerity, if you dare to play any tricks, this seat won’t mind letting your Five Immortals Sect flow with blood!"
Su Changkong’s tone was indifferent, but it contained an imposing authority.
A Five-Qi Grandmaster, as long as one does not provoke entities like thousand-year-old families, top-tier sects, the Great Flame Royal Family, or alliances like the Monster Warriors, could basically do as they pleased. Nobody believed Su Changkong was merely boasting!
"One of you go… hurry and prepare the things required by the senior, don’t keep this senior waiting!"
The yellow-robed man sighed in relief and ordered the man with the pale face and the man with tattoos.
"Alright… Elder Huang, hang in there!"
The tattooed man responded and turned to dart in the direction of Poison Dragon Stronghold.
As for the pale-faced man and the yellow-robed man, they tacitly did not leave, serving as hostages, to assure Su Changkong that they wouldn’t try anything sneaky.
The yellow-robed man lay down against a large tree, using his long robe as a bandage to dress his wounds.
It’s only because an Innate Martial Artist has a robust life force that he could endure such injuries. Had it been an ordinary person, they would have been all but certain to die.
Not making Su Changkong wait long, in less than half an hour, the tattooed man had returned. He pushed a cart covered with a white cloth, beneath which lay exactly six Innate Martial Artist corpses.
The bodies of these Innate Martial Artists mostly died at the hands of other Innate Martial Artists, and those who killed them had sold the bodies to the Five Immortals Sect. Some died naturally and were targeted by tomb robbers, and some were even secretly sold off by their own sect’s martial artists.
An Innate Martial Artist’s corpse could easily sell for the high price of 1000 Spirit Stones in Poison Dragon Stronghold or among other Evil Sects and Demon Gates. Greed can sway hearts. Never mind that trafficking corpses disrespects the dead, even turning the living into the dead is not uncommon!
As Su Changkong drew near, he could feel his Turtle Breathing True Qi stirring, these corpses were indeed those of Innate Martial Artists, with Innate Qi flowing within the remains!
"Hmm… you’re sensible enough, I’ll forgive today’s offense," Su Changkong nodded slightly, presenting a condescending and superior demeanor, while internally he was quite pleased.
This was a profit of eight strands of Innate Qi, just for showing up!
Su Changkong wasted no words and placed the two corpses of Innate Martial Artists he’d previously acquired on the cart. Pushing the cart, he turned and left.
"Alive... we’ve survived..."
The yellow-robed man exhaled deeply, his whole body nearly collapsing, his face ashen.
The unexpected arrival of a Five-Qi Grandmaster at Poison Dragon Stronghold had been beyond their expectations. Even thousand-year-old families and top-tier sects would not easily offend a Five-Qi Grandmaster, let alone the Five Immortals Sect, without a conflict of interest. They’d rather make reparations and compensation than to make an enemy of one!
"The bodies of three or four Innate Martial Artists could be traded to the Yuan Demon Sect for a strand of Innate Qi... It has taken us several months to acquire these."
Both the pale-faced man and the tattooed man felt a pang in their hearts, but to be able to save their lives in front of a Five-Qi Grandmaster was already an incredible stroke of luck amidst their misfortune!
Su Changkong, of course, was unaware of their thoughts. At this moment, as he pushed the cart away, he thought to himself, "With my current strength, having mastered Blade Intent, I have a huge advantage against ordinary Two-Flower Stage Martial Artists, but facing a Three Flowers Gathering at the Top powerhouse, I probably still fall short!"
Su Changkong was well aware of his boundaries. His mastery of Blade Intent was a prerequisite to becoming a Five-Qi Grandmaster, but his own Cultivation Realm was still lacking significantly.
If he could step into the Two-Flower Stage and condense the Earth Flower, combined with his Blade Intent and the 10th tier of the Turtle Breath Technique and the Five Animal Frolics, he might not be powerless even against a Three Flowers Gathering at the Top powerhouse.
Unless he really encountered a Five-Qi Grandmaster, it would be hard for anyone to threaten him!
By then, even if he faced a Monster Warrior like Wind Sun Moon, Su Changkong was confident that he could fight and even slay him!
Su Changkong headed to a more remote area and, using the Turtle Breath Technique, extracted eight strands of Innate Qi from the bodies of eight Innate Martial Artists. Together with the two strands he had left over, he had a total of ten strands of Innate Qi in his possession.
And these strands of Innate Qi, if converted into cultivation resources, were definitely enough for Su Changkong to cultivate to the Two-Flower Stage!
Su Changkong also knew that this method of earning Innate Qi should not be overdone, lest he attract the attention of a truly top-notch powerhouse!
"Let’s go to Feiyun City."
After extracting the Innate Qi, Su Changkong buried the bodies of these Innate Martial Artists in Poison Dragon Mountain and then set off for a trip to Feiyun City to collect the materials to concoct the Spirit Containment Pill from Cangyun Pavilion in exchange for the Innate Qi.
The Cangyun Sect naturally couldn’t ask for anything better when it came to trading precious Innate Qi for payment. If their own supply of Spiritual Medicine was not enough, they would even purchase from other sects to meet Su Changkong’s needs.
After his return to the Spirit Taoist Sect, Su Changkong used these Spiritual Medicines to concoct Spirit Containment Pills for his own cultivation, and his days suddenly became peaceful.
Such tranquil days of secluded cultivation were exactly what Su Changkong desired. With each Spirit Containment Pill, his progress soared rapidly.
Four months later, with enough Spirit Containment Pills, Su Changkong opened his fourth Heavenly Pulse!
Time flew swiftly, and in the peaceful days of the Spirit Taoist Sect, there were little troubles to worry about. In the blink of an eye, another year had passed. Su Changkong was a year older, now 26.
During that time, Su Changkong made several trips to the Cangyun Pavilion, exchanging his Innate Qi for Spiritual Medicines and materials. Apart from that, he spent his time in the Spirit Taoist Sect in almost complete seclusion, diligently cultivating and quietly awaiting his transformation!
One winter day at dawn, when the weather was cold, Su Changkong was quietly in a deep meditative state in the Cultivation Room.
But at that moment in the Cultivation Room, an extraordinary phenomenon was taking place!
Sitting cross-legged, Su Changkong’s body radiated a dazzling light from deep within as his fifth major vein underwent a metamorphosis into a Heavenly Pulse, with large amounts of Spiritual Energy converging towards him, interlinking the five Heavenly Pulses throughout his body.
Above Su Changkong’s head, where Spiritual Energy gathered, his Qi and Blood surged within him and mingled together. Apart from the blooming green Human Flower, a new bud was condensing and slowly blooming magnificently—the Earth Flower of the Three Flowers within the human body!
From the time Su Changkong stepped into the Innate Realm to when he opened the five Heavenly Pulses and condensed the Earth Flower, it had only been a mere two years.
Su Changkong could distinctly feel that his perception of nature’s spiritual energy had risen more than just a notch. Previously, he relied on high-level Guiding Techniques for his cultivation, but now, he could easily sense and manipulate nature’s spiritual energy merely with his own Essence and Qi—an incomparable difference!
(Preview update from QiDian Chinese website, next chapter to be updated at 22:00 on the 22nd)
