Chapter 435 : Basic Cultivation Technique
435: Basic Cultivation Technique
Most cultivators share a common habit of carrying their entire possessions with them, making storage equipment indispensable to every cultivator. Some, as a precaution against risk, carry multiple storage devices, each concealed more deeply than the last.
Generally speaking, the most conspicuous forms were storage pouches and storage rings, while the most inconspicuous could be as subtle as a single strand among a cultivator's full head of hair. The former were easily stolen, the latter much less so, but regardless of type, once a person died, these objects severed their connection to their owners. Thus, storage equipment fell into two categories: those that remained after their owner's death, and those that self-destructed along with their owner.
The vast majority of cultivators were selfish, so most chose the latter type of storage equipment. Therefore, after those black-clothed figures perished, Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo had little hope of finding useful storage equipment, yet surprisingly, not only had Jiang Mo found one, but its contents remained intact.
With a "clatter," the storage ring's contents spilled across the ground.
However, when Jiang Mo clearly saw what had been emptied out, her scalp tingled with horror. She pulled Yun Qingyue backward several steps, nearly stepping on the skeletal remains on the ground.
The reason was simple—the storage ring had contained nothing but insects, insects of all varieties, in quantities sufficient to make one suffocate. Storage rings typically couldn't store living creatures, but this particular one Jiang Mo had found was evidently special. The only consolation was that these insects were all contained in tiny cages, sparing her from having them crawl across her feet.
"Ugh, what is all this?!" Jiang Mo was bewildered, unable to fathom what kind of preference would lead someone to collect so many insects and store them all in a storage ring. Had they been kept in a spirit beast pouch, she might at least have been somewhat prepared.
Yun Qingyue, having seen all manner of people throughout her life, wasn't particularly surprised, though as a woman, she shared the common aversion to insects. Her brows furrowed slightly as her gaze swept over the pile of insects before she seemed to discover something, raising her hand to draw a streak of white light into her palm.
Jiang Mo thought she had grabbed an insect and startled, hurriedly admonishing, "No, don't grab insects..."
Though her Senior Sister was wonderful, if she directly grabbed insects with her hand... well, that hand would still be necessary, but Jiang Mo would certainly insist on washing it hundreds of times before touching it again!
Seeing her insect phobia, Yun Qingyue could only feel helpless toward this timid tiger. She opened her palm to show her: "Relax, it's not an insect."
Jiang Mo had already been preparing to conjure water to wash her Senior Sister's hand. Hearing this, she looked up and indeed saw that what Yun Qingyue held wasn't an insect but a white jade slip. Yet the jade's material quality was visibly poor, suggesting it could only record limited content.
"What is this?" Jiang Mo asked curiously, then glanced at the insects covering the ground: "It's not a manual for raising insects, is it?"
Yun Qingyue hadn't yet examined it. Hearing this, she momentarily froze, giving Jiang Mo the opportunity to conjure spring water and thoroughly rinse the jade slip—even if it wasn't an insect, having been stored alongside them, who knew how many insects had crawled over it? Jiang Mo's disgust was evident; she insisted on washing it thoroughly before examining its contents.
These actions left Yun Qingyue increasingly speechless, though she didn't stop Jiang Mo. After Jiang Mo had finished her fussing, Yun Qingyue extended her divine sense into the jade slip to examine its contents, only to discover that it contained not an insect-raising manual but a simple, basic cultivation technique.
Seeing her strange expression after examination, Jiang Mo asked, "Ah Yue, what does it record?"
Yun Qingyue casually passed the jade slip over: "See for yourself."
Jiang Mo still felt some revulsion, but having already washed it, showing more disgust would be excessive. So, suppressing her aversion, she accepted the jade slip and extended her divine sense into it, also seeing the basic cultivation technique.
In truth, the little tiger had never formally studied cultivation techniques throughout her practice. First, divine beasts' growth primarily relied on bloodline inheritance, with techniques being human cultivator creations. Second, with her game system enhancement, leveling up through defeating enemies didn't require cultivation techniques. However, not having studied them didn't mean she was completely ignorant—having reached her current cultivation level, she could comprehend from her elevated perspective.
After a quick glance, Jiang Mo recognized this technique as crude and rudimentary, matching the poor-quality jade slip perfectly. This disappointed her, as such common entry-level techniques hardly constituted useful clues.
"Ah Yue, is there something wrong with this technique?" Despite her low opinion, Jiang Mo still asked.
Yun Qingyue, clearly more knowledgeable than Jiang Mo, furrowed her brow: "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Celestial Demon Sect's basic cultivation technique."
What? This commonplace entry-level technique was actually from one of the Four Major Demonic Sects? Was her standard too high, or were demonic cultivators too unselective about their techniques?
Extremely surprised, Jiang Mo blurted out these thoughts.
Yun Qingyue wasn't surprised and explained: "Demonic sects aren't like righteous sects; they're far more chaotic. Large sects like the Celestial Demon Sect admit numerous new disciples annually, but the sect provides no resources until these newcomers eliminate each other through mutual conflict, with only the victors qualifying for sect cultivation support. Before that point, these disciples use such crude entry-level techniques."
Her description was matter-of-fact, but these few sentences were enough to conjure images of the ruthless competition within demonic sects—the so-called "conflict" was certainly not simple competition, and "elimination" was not mere dismissal; losers faced death. And such deadly competition was constant.
Jiang Mo wasn't particularly interested in demonic sect practices. Her eyes brightened slightly as she asked, "Then does this mean these black-clothed people were from the Celestial Demon Sect?"
Yun Qingyue didn't provide a definitive answer, pondering for a long time before shaking her head: "Not necessarily. This technique is too common; it wouldn't be strange for it to circulate outside the sect. Concluding they're from the Celestial Demon Sect based solely on this would be hasty."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo's excitement diminished. Thinking about it, she realized this could even be an attempt to frame someone else.
Yun Qingyue fell silent, retrieving the jade slip and gently rubbing her thumb over its surface—on the smooth jade surface, a tiny mark was imprinted in one corner, almost invisible to the naked eye, detectable only as a slight unevenness when touched.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Afterward, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue thoroughly searched all the black-clothed figures' remains but found no second intact storage equipment.
Sect Leader Zhu, who had gone in pursuit, similarly found nothing. The black-clothed figures who had "returned from death" left no trace of aura. Despite her Grand Achievement cultivation, she couldn't personally search every inch of land. And these figures without any aura signature could easily hide in mountain caves, hollowed trees, or even self-dug pits, making them essentially untraceable through divine sense detection.
As for the blood fiend beast pearl, its aura had been completely isolated when stolen, making tracking through it impossible.
The three labored until broad daylight without any further discoveries and eventually had to return. Regarding the potential consequences of the blood fiend beast pearl falling into unknown hands, they could only respond as developments arose.
Of course, during their return journey, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue didn't conceal the matter of the Celestial Demon Sect cultivation technique, even showing the jade slip to Sect Leader Zhu. However, Zhu Baiyi's answer matched Yun Qingyue's: "Demonic path techniques are chaotic; entry-level techniques like this one are abundant in the Celestial Demon Sect—if not a hundred, then at least eighty. Newly admitted disciples may lack other resources, but such techniques are plentiful and not considered worth protecting from leakage."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo completely abandoned her suspicions, saying, "I see. Then we can only let it go. If we were to definitively associate this with the Celestial Demon Sect, we might fall into someone else's trap."
After speaking, she noticed the other two's noncommittal responses and didn't dwell on the matter further.
However, this excursion hadn't been entirely fruitless. When the three returned to the demonic vessel, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue stopped on the deck and looked up at the sky—the shadow that had previously loomed over Mount Xuanyin had dissipated. Though they still didn't understand what the shadow truly was, the blood fiend beast that had absorbed it had been killed, and even though a pearl remained, the threat had been largely eliminated.
Of course, the blood fiend beast matter wasn't completely resolved. Beyond the pearl that had been stolen, more crucial was the container of blood-qi that Sect Leader Zhu had collected. Such things couldn't be allowed to circulate; purification was urgently needed.
As mentioned earlier, purifying blood-qi required the Buddha Sect. Zhu Baiyi produced the jade bottle and said directly: "I cannot leave, nor do I trust others with this item. Would you two journey to the Buddha Sect on my behalf to deliver this blood-qi?"
Blood-qi was malevolent, but for certain demonic cultivators, it was highly nourishing. Without looking far, the Crimson Blood Sect's cultivation techniques utilized blood fiend qi. Though the blood fiend beast's qi was dangerous, it wasn't without use—if Sect Leader Zhu sent Crimson Blood Sect members to deliver it, the item might be embezzled halfway, potentially creating a demonic cultivator on the spot.
Understanding the gravity, Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo exchanged glances before accepting the task.
Time was of the essence. After their night-long ordeal, rather than resting at the demonic vessel, the two immediately took the blood-qi jade bottle and departed, heading directly toward the Buddha Sect, tens of thousands of li away.