Chapter 458: To Practice This Technique, One Must First...

Chapter 458: To Master This Art, One Must First...

“I’ll go back and make hotpot. Should I call Bing Jian?” Zi Yuan Da Xue said enthusiastically.

“Don’t…” After a moment’s thought, Qi Yuan refused.

Rest, for now, was out of the question.

The threat of Tai Huang Palace remained pressing.

“I need to go see if any more traitors will surface.”

Qi Yuan prepared to continue visiting other Yang Gods to hunt for traitors.

Zi Yuan Xiao Lu blinked her eyes. “Senior Brother Xue Pao, how do you identify the traitors?”

She was still puzzled—how could Xue Pao, just by asking, know who was problematic?

“Because… sincerity.” Qi Yuan pondered for a moment. “Perhaps because I have always been sincere and never told a lie, heaven granted me a superpower—I can discern the truth or falsehood of anyone’s words in this world.”

“Tsk, if you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable. We’re cultivators, and you talk about superpowers? Why not say you’ve cultivated a Dao technique or divine ability that distinguishes truth from falsehood?” Zi Yuan Da Xue, as always, loved to tear him down, like a reincarnated contrarian.

But then she paused, looking Qi Yuan up and down. “Ordinary Dao techniques or divine abilities wouldn’t have such an effect, unless it’s… a Supreme Principle, and not a low-grade one at that.”

Her eyes held a trace of suspicion.

If what Xue Pao said was true, then only a Supreme Principle could achieve such an effect.

And Xue Pao had come from the place guarded by Mo Chi Tian Zun of the Black Demon Abyss.

This matter faintly reeked of strangeness.

“It’s a superpower, not a Supreme Principle,” Qi Yuan denied.

His Supreme Principles were Absolute Adaptation and Do As One Pleases.

“Is that so?” Zi Yuan Da Xue looked him over from head to toe, extinguishing the thought.

Mo Chi Tian Zun was so ugly, while Xue Pao was so ethereal and refined—how could they be the same person?

…

Within the Demon Pass, clouds and mist swirled.

Bing Jian stood atop the ten-thousand-year-old cold ice, eyes slightly closed, breathing in the immortal spiritual energy.

Light interwove, drifting and mysterious.

After about ten breaths, Bing Jian swallowed the rosy clouds into his belly.

He flicked his flowing white robe, like a banished immortal.

“Junior Sister Cai Lin, what business do you have with me?”

A girl with a docile appearance and large tattoos on her body appeared. She looked at Bing Jian, hesitating. “Senior Brother Bing Jian, I heard… you have some fine treasures here. I’d like to buy a few.”

“Oh, what do you wish to purchase?” Bing Jian asked curiously.

During this time, he had been cultivating in seclusion, ignoring worldly affairs.

“Ice… eggs!” Cai Lin looked at Bing Jian expectantly.

Bing Jian’s expression froze slightly, a bad feeling rising in his heart. “What is that?”

Cai Lin quickly said, “Isn’t this something you, Senior Brother Bing Jian, produced? These past few days, Xue Pao and Zi Yuan Da Xue have been using ice eggs as gifts to visit the Yang God Heavenly Lords. I heard the ice eggs are wonderful—they can nourish the skin and beautify…”

As she spoke, Cai Lin glanced at Bing Jian’s backside.

Several black lines appeared on Bing Jian’s forehead.

“How many Yang God Heavenly Lords did they visit?”

“Dozens—they visited them all!”

Hearing this, Bing Jian took a deep breath.

Endure, he must endure!

He couldn’t retaliate yet!

If he did, he feared he wouldn’t be laying eggs but shitting himself!

Just then, a clear voice rang out.

“Bing Jian, are you here? I have some private matters to discuss with you.”

Hearing the voice, Bing Jian’s expression shifted, as if he had seen a plague god.

Cai Lin’s eyes widened.

Was this Senior Brother Xue Pao?

Had he come to ask for eggs?

Were the ice eggs real?

This Senior Brother Bing Jian really hid it deep—just because their relationship was a bit strained, he wouldn’t sell him eggs?

“Senior Brother, since you have business, I’ll take my leave!” Cai Lin gave a slight bow and vanished.

On the cold ice, Bing Jian looked at the suddenly appearing Xue Pao, his eyes filled with deep helplessness. “I wonder what business you have with me, Senior Brother.”

He was truly tired.

“I’ve come to cooperate with you,” Qi Yuan said seriously.

The solemn scene made Bing Jian feel unreal.

Thinking that the other party could escape from a Yang God, he must be extraordinarily powerful. Though sometimes unreliable, he was still the top prodigy under Black Sword.

Bing Jian set aside his grudges and asked softly, “How do we cooperate?”

“It’s like this: I plan to hunt some prodigies from the Ghost Imperial Heaven, and I want to borrow your name.”

“Ah?” Bing Jian was stunned, a bit confused.

“I have a small plan, called ‘Disciples Surround the Yang Gods.’ I’m going to kill some prodigies from the Ghost Imperial Heaven,” Qi Yuan said seriously.

The great plan was to hunt Yang Gods.

The small plan was to slay disciples.

After killing the Yang Gods, Qi Yuan would likely attract the attention of many powerful figures, making it hard to casually slaughter those disciples.

Even a mosquito’s leg is meat.

Those disciples of the Ghost Imperial Heaven were bold, carrying Qi Yuan’s Human Emperor Banner everywhere, which made Qi Yuan feel cuckolded.

So he decided to implement the small plan first, then the great plan.

“Could you be more detailed?” Bing Jian asked.

He too was lacking in merits.

“It’s like this: recently in the Demon Pass, what’s the hottest thing? Isn’t it the ice eggs?”

“… And then?” Black lines appeared on Bing Jian’s forehead.

“Rumors are spreading more and more—that these ice eggs are comparable to Creation Treasures, that eating one increases your divine domain, that they make you beautiful—all kinds of gossip.”

Qi Yuan was telling the truth.

He had given the Ice Egg to the Sun God, and as a result, a flood of rumors spilled out.

The Ice Egg was a fine thing, with all sorts of beneficial effects.

“So, I fanned the flames and added a few rumors myself—that the Ice Egg… is the best soul servant for the Ten Thousand Souls Banner!” Qi Yuan’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“But… rumors are just rumors; they’ll be shattered eventually,” Ice Sword said hesitantly.

“Haven’t you heard of the Annals of Time? If everyone says it, everyone will believe it.

Besides, who says it’s a rumor? The old Ice Egg might have been ordinary, but the one I’ve modified… is damn impressive!”

With too many rumors swirling, he seized the chance to stir up a few more, muddying the waters.

As he spoke, Qi Yuan pulled out a crystal-clear Ice Egg.

Ice Sword glanced at the egg, and his expression suddenly turned grave: “Such a powerful… soul aura!”

He felt as though the egg before him held a living being, yet also seemed a formless chaos—but it brimmed with a dense soul presence.

This thing was the perfect soul servant!

“I specially modified it,” Qi Yuan said smugly.

To deal with Ghost Imperial Heaven, he had made a trip back to the Gate of Ultimate Truth to study the principles of that Abyss Lord from Ghost Imperial Heaven. That Abyss Lord’s principles were tightly bound to the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.

So, using the hidden information his eyes could see and his own supreme principles, he created an Ice Egg intimately linked to the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.

If this egg were brought out, the disciples of Ghost Imperial Heaven would go absolutely mad.

“I plan to use this Ice Egg as bait to lure the Ghost Imperial Heaven disciples and catch them all in one net!” Qi Yuan said earnestly.

Ice Sword swallowed hard.

This method really could work.

But…

“This seems to have nothing to do with me… why cooperate with me?”

“Well, since I used your egg, not cooperating… would weigh on my conscience.” Qi Yuan was a good man; he wouldn’t drag innocents into trouble.

Of course, he also knew he was blunt and might accidentally hurt people.

Like the Nose-Picking Fairy.

“This… is not my egg,” Ice Sword said with difficulty.

“Hunting those Ghost Imperial Heaven disciples—I’ll give you ninety percent of the merit!” Qi Yuan said generously.

Ordinary merit was useless to him.

Hearing this, Ice Sword’s breathing grew rapid.

Because, given Blood Robe’s strength and this plan, the merit would surely be astonishing.

On one side was the temptation of merit, on the other was his dignity.

Finally, he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth: “This… can be my egg.”

His face was already lost anyway!

If he didn’t cooperate with Blood Robe, he’d gain nothing and still lose face.

Better to lose face and earn the merit—that wouldn’t be shameful.

“To make this plan more convincing, I’ve specially tailored an *Ancestral Blood Art* for you. Cultivate this art, and you really can lay eggs!” Qi Yuan handed over a jade slip.

The Annals of Time on Blue Star were powerful, but Qi Yuan’s were no weakling—he could turn falsehood into truth.

“*Ancestral Blood Art*?” Ice Sword was momentarily stunned, puzzled.

The *Ancestral Blood Art* was the very foundation of the Black Abyss.

It was said that even the Great Principle cultivated this technique.

No one had ever been able to adapt it.

Or rather, any adaptation was inferior to the original.

Even the Abyss Lord had once said that the current *Ancestral Blood Art* was already the best.

So, hearing Blood Robe claim to have adapted it, he was unimpressed.

Still, he took the jade slip: “I’ll look at it in my spare time.”

“Try to read it soon. It won’t just transform your physique into one that lays eggs easily—each egg can also cultivate the *Ancestral Blood Art* in your stead. The more eggs, the stronger you become.”

With that, Qi Yuan waved goodbye and left without taking a single cloud.

Ice Sword stared at the spot where Qi Yuan had vanished, a helpless look on his face.

“This guy… just like Black Sword, impossible to fathom,” Ice Sword sighed.

Among the younger generation, only Black Sword and Blood Robe were beyond his understanding.

But the way they eluded comprehension was entirely different.

He mused, then took out the *Ancestral Blood Art* to have a look.

In truth, he was curious about how Blood Robe had adapted it.

He also wanted to gauge Blood Robe’s depth through this modified technique.

“To master this art, one must first lay eggs…”

The opening lines alone made Ice Sword lose his composure.

He read on, and the more he read, the more solemn his expression grew, until his eyes shone with brilliance.

“This… this… Blood Robe was telling the truth!”

“If I cultivate this version of the *Ancestral Blood Art*, my cultivation speed will at least double!”

“How could there be such a genius conception!”

“Impossible!”

“Incredible!”

The more Ice Sword read, the more he felt the terrifying nature of this technique.

It was simply astonishing.

About half an hour later, Ice Sword sat motionless on a block of ice, his face heavy with a profound sense of defeat.

“Prodigy… that’s probably just the threshold for him.”

He had always known Blood Robe was strong, but he had no concrete sense of how much stronger.

Now, this casually adapted *Ancestral Blood Art* showed him the terrifying gap between them.

“The stronger one becomes, the more one realizes one’s own insignificance.” Ice Sword sighed softly. “This technique… I’ll cultivate it.”

“Isn’t it just laying eggs? Compared to becoming stronger, what does that matter?”

For these, Ice Sword paid no heed at all.

This adapted *Ancestral Blood Art* could not only accelerate cultivation speed but also enhance bloodline.

If such a technique were to leak out, even the Grand Principle might secretly lay an egg.

And what of it if he did lay an egg?

“How strange… ever since Blood Robe arrived, the vibe of Black Demon Abyss has… gone askew?”

Every great power has its own vibe.

In the past, Black Demon Abyss was somber and profound.

Now… it feels somehow dreamlike, tinged with mockery and absurdity, defying reason.

“It seems the Ancestor of Purple Fate Heaven’s regard for Blood Robe was not without cause.

This Blood Robe is a bit eccentric, but his talent… perhaps even surpasses Black Sword!” Ice Sword mused.

Black Sword was terrifying—most terrifying was his bloodline, with talent also top-tier.

Blood Robe’s bloodline could not surpass Black Sword’s, but his talent might.

“I wonder if I’ll ever see both venerable masters of Black Demon Abyss emerge together!”

Ice Sword sighed.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

“Should I… offer this technique to the Ancestor?”

After all, the technique was clearly formidable.

Especially if the Ancestor cultivated it, he would feel less burdened.

After all, if everyone laid eggs, it would be as if no one did.

“Senior Brother Blood Robe, may I dedicate this technique to others?” Ice Sword thought, and sent a voice transmission via jade slip to Qi Yuan.

He had a sense of responsibility, but also selfish motives—even if he offered it, not immediately.

“As you wish, but try not to leak it until the Grand Little Plan succeeds!”

(End of this chapter)