Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 264 Mysterious Black Qi [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Earth Fire Cave.

The Fusang Divine Tree continued to absorb the energy of the earth fire to restore itself.

The phoenix cried out anxiously, and Lin Chang'an, who had transformed into a streak of light and arrived inside the cave, was immediately taken aback.

In the corner, the green-horned ox was covered in blood, its eyes bloodshot, completely out of its mind, roaring madly.

There are also many marks on the hard walls around the underground.

"Master, it wasn't me! I didn't do it!"

The phoenix bird hurriedly explained, unaware that it had joined the group halfway through, and that this simple-minded ox had been raised by its owner since it was a calf.

"I know!"

Lin Chang'an glared at the phoenix bird with annoyance, and sure enough, the bird hadn't changed at all.

After something goes wrong, the first instinctive thought is to shift the blame, cough cough! It should be to absolve oneself of responsibility.

"Moo!"

When the Green Horned Ox saw Lin Chang'an, it roared angrily, exhaling thick, pillar-like plumes of white vapor from its mouth and nose, and charged madly towards him.

Lin Chang'an narrowed his eyes. He could tell that the Green Horned Ox had lost its mind and that its injuries were still internal.

Before he came out, the phoenix bird had been suppressing the bull.

“Master, this greedy, stupid ox has eaten your bottle.”

Before Lin Chang'an could ask any questions, the phoenix bird opened its mouth and revealed the truth.

"bottle!?"

Lin Chang'an was taken aback, and the next moment he looked up at the jade bottle that collected the Fusang trees, and sure enough, one was missing.

This jade bottle was made by collecting the mysterious black energy purified by the Fusang Divine Tree through an array, and this cow actually ate it!

"Damn it, what a gluttonous, stupid cow!"

At this moment, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but curse, but what greeted him was the aggressively charging Green Horned Ox.

"go with!"

Faced with this attack, Lin Chang'an realized that he could no longer allow the Green Horned Ox to become agitated; if it continued, it might truly die from exhaustion.

With a wave of his hand, a golden talisman transformed into a streak of light.

The next moment, the Green Horned Bull's movements froze instantly, but its terrifying momentum still propelled it forward.

With a wave of his hand, Lin Chang'an, a Core Formation cultivator, used his manipulation technique to levitate the Azure Horned Ox.

At this moment, a golden 'Stabilizing Talisman' was pasted on the forehead of the Green Horned Ox. This was the same talisman used to kill the Yin Spirit Beast King last time, and it still had more than half of its energy left.

A third-tier low-grade mind-stabilizing talisman is a devastating blow to a second-tier late-stage Green Horned Bull, even though the Mad Demon now possesses near-third-tier strength.

"Master, is this stupid ox alright?"

After finally subduing the stupid ox, the phoenix chirped anxiously, asking questions.

Monsters also have feelings, especially after they gain intelligence; they possess the same emotions as humans.

The Phoenix Crying Bird joined the group when it was still a fledgling, spending its days with the Green Horned Ox.

From initially being cunning and constantly taking advantage of the ox, he gradually got used to this honest, yet clever, green-horned ox.

Unbeknownst to them, the Phoenix Bird was extremely anxious about the Green Horned Ox's recent accident.

It was even prepared that if its master did not emerge from seclusion in another day or two, it would use a wisp of golden divine flame within its body to burn through the array barrier and awaken its master from seclusion.

"What's going on with the Green Horned Ox? How did it get here?"

Upon seeing the Green Horned Ox under control, Lin Chang'an hurriedly stepped forward and used his magic to heal the ox while purifying the mysterious black energy within its body.

Faced with its owner's question, the phoenix was quite embarrassed and began to explain in a low voice.

It turns out that the Phoenix Bird, having nothing better to do, went into the cave to pick up a spiritual fruit to eat, and ended up encountering the Green Horned Ox.

With their master away from the cave, the two spirit beasts naturally ran wild.

As a result, after the phoenix got tired of playing, it wanted to go back to its nest.

The Green Horned Ox, who liked to use his cleverness but often ended up making a mess of things, thought that there must be good food in the Phoenix Bird's nest, so he followed it.

As a result, the Phoenix Bird idly nestled on the Fusang Divine Tree, while the Green Horned Ox shook its head and prepared to leave, only to see a jade bottle for collecting black energy placed on the array.

True to its nature of never leaving empty-handed, and having eaten wherever it went over the years, it opened its mouth and swallowed the jade bottle whole.

This caught the phoenix bird completely off guard, leaving it no time to react.

"So, this stupid cow is greedy!?"

The phoenix nodded hastily, while Lin Chang'an was speechless. This stupid ox really dared to eat anything.

After a while.

"Moo!"

As Lin Chang'an's magic restored, the ferocity in the Green Horned Ox's pupils gradually dissipated and returned to clarity, but this was followed by weakness and exhaustion.

"This is!"

As he probed, he clearly sensed the mysterious black energy within the Green Horned Ox's body, which had seeped into its flesh and bone marrow, integrating with its body.

"This is the black mist!"

Lin Chang'an immediately understood what was going on and scolded him impatiently, "You dare to eat poison? Do you really want to jump into the pot?"

The green-horned ox cried weakly and pitifully, while Lin Chang'an frowned.

He left this green-horned ox to guard the house, but the ox turned out to be quite greedy.

Despite his cursing, his hands were not idle. He circulated his internal magic power and began to continuously heal the injuries inside the Green Horned Ox.

And to purify this black energy that has become integrated with flesh and blood.

"What exactly is this black mist? It's like a persistent, intractable disease. Right now, we can only purify the impurities within it."

While Lin Chang'an was treating the patient, he also used his divine sense to observe his surroundings, which made him pause in surprise.

"How is this going!?"

He noticed that the texture of some parts of the ground was noticeably different. As the person who had personally opened up this underground cave, he knew every inch of the land intimately.

"The geology has become harder, and there are still traces of magical energy remaining. Could it be..."

At this moment, Lin Chang'an recalled that he was not clear about the changes in texture in other places, but when the Green Horned Ox attacked, it spewed out white vapor from its mouth and nose.

"These places were exposed to the white mist before, and then they turned into what they are now."

Lin Chang'an frowned, and with a flick of his wrist, a fragment whose texture had changed flew into his palm.

The original dark red soil has now turned grayish-white, resembling grayish-white rock.

"This is petrification!?"

Lin Chang'an seemed to have thought of something. The Beast Record he bought on Five Dragon Island for eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones clearly contained this information.

Mutant monster!

This is even rarer than wild and exotic species. For example, the common phoenix bird belongs to the wild and exotic species, but it is now commonly referred to as a strange beast by cultivators.

The so-called mutated spirit beasts are essentially monsters that evolve in a special way by combining a certain bloodline that has reverted to its ancestral form with the current bloodline.

Of course, mutations are not necessarily good; many mutated monsters have abilities that are useless after evolution.

"How is that possible? This Green Horned Ox showed absolutely no signs of mutation before."

Lin Chang'an frowned. Mutant spirit beasts usually show unusual characteristics early on, which is a long process of bloodline mutation. It's impossible that he didn't notice it before.

"Could it be the influence of this mysterious black energy that has caused a mutation in my bloodline?"

Lin Chang'an frowned as he intently observed the changes within the Green Horned Ox's body.

The injuries were more severe than he had imagined; they seemed to have spread from the inside out, and his flesh and blood seemed to have reached their limit.

One can imagine that if this green-horned ox is allowed to continue developing, there will only be one outcome: it will die from exhaustion.

"However, its blood and energy have become even stronger. It seems that this misfortune has turned into a blessing in disguise. The Green Horned Ox's strength has actually reached the quasi-third level..."

He had observed this mysterious black aura before; it was full of violence and seemed capable of affecting one's mind.

Purifying the violent aura from the black mist was obviously more troublesome, so he always purified it entirely from the Fusang Divine Tree and then collected and sealed it.

Surprisingly, something unexpected happened.

What surprised him even more was that this black energy seemed to have other effects as well.

Just as Lin Chang'an was wondering what it was, the gradually recovering Green Horned Ox looked at him with a pitiful expression and mooed. "Moo!"

The calming talisman on his forehead had already turned to ashes, its power completely exhausted.

"Are you still aggrieved?"

Lin Chang'an glared. He had just broken through to the next level and was thinking about how his two third-tier spirit beasts would work together to hunt monsters in the future, but he encountered this as soon as he came out of seclusion.

The green-horned ox looked at its owner with a pitiful expression, mooing incessantly, as if it were complaining.

Lin Chang'an could naturally sense the emotions of the Green Horned Ox.

"A gluttonous, stupid cow!"

As the injuries on the Green Horned Ox gradually healed, the Phoenix Bird landed on its horns and began to mock it.

"Moo!"

"The master is right, why not put this stupid ox into the big pot?"

The two spirit pets started arguing, which was rare for them. This time, Lin Chang'an did not stop them, but let the Phoenix Bird scold them, while the Green Horned Ox cried out pitifully.

"Alright, if I were to leave the pass any later, I'm afraid I'd really have to collect your corpse and stew it with beef."

Lin Chang'an was also annoyed, but he had already decided to look for some ancient information to find out what this mysterious black energy was.

Not only can it erode the Fusang Divine Tree, which is known for warding off all evil, but it can also strengthen the body and activate the hidden bloodline's abilities.

……

Tianquan Peak.

Half a month after Lin Chang'an emerged from seclusion, Qingjiao Niu lazily soaked in the pool, basking in the sun.

After narrowly escaping death last time, the Green Horned Ox clearly underwent some kind of change. Recently, it has become extremely lethargic and lacks any energy.

"Owner."

With the sword attendant bowing respectfully, nearly two years passed, allowing her to gradually adapt to her new life.

She was overjoyed that she could continue her cultivation and that there was a sunlit cave dwelling.

Lin Chang'an, sitting in the pavilion, nodded calmly. She looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl with a slightly chubby face.

In addition, being of mixed human and transgender descent, she possesses a subtle wildness.

Overall, she has a delicate and aloof face with an indifferent look, yet she exudes a cute and fierce vibe.

"It seems you've been cultivating quite well lately."

"It's all thanks to my master."

The sword attendant nodded respectfully, and with swift movements, brewed a fresh cup of spiritual tea. He then respectfully prepared the tea and put away the teapot, standing behind her like a personal maid.

This pleased Lin Chang'an greatly, as the cultivation world and the mortal world were pretty much the same.

Those in positions of power will never do everything themselves; they also need subordinates to serve them.

This has led to the emergence of many industries, such as the sale of specially trained and disciplined female cultivators in the Demon Beast Sea Abyss year-round.

It is very popular among cultivators.

"good."

Lin Chang'an held some documents copied from Xuan Yin Pavilion, hoping to find clues about the mysterious black energy.

After all, Xuan Yin Pavilion not only has a history of hundreds of years, but also inherited part of the foundation of Xuan Yin Divine Sect, making it far superior to ordinary sects.

However, while he was reviewing the documents, he did not forget to instruct his maid.

"Although I have annotated the issues related to cultivation in the jade slip, everyone's physique and progress are different, and a slight difference can lead to a huge error."

"And you are a descendant of a human-demon hybrid, and possess the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body, so naturally your physique is very different from that of ordinary cultivators..."

The sword attendant nodded respectfully, then opened his mouth slightly and asked about cultivation in a clear, slightly naive voice.

Although Lin Chang'an did not turn around, his powerful divine sense had already observed that the sword servant seemed to be deliberately keeping his lips from showing his teeth while speaking.

It's not a matter of etiquette, but rather about hiding one's teeth.

Hmm! A pair of slightly wild little tiger teeth.

It seems that her mixed-race identity as a human and a ladyboy is something she is very sensitive about.

"Hmm, as expected of the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body. Although your mixed human and demon blood has slowed down your cultivation progress, you can still control the sword intent within your body with such subtlety!"

Even Lin Chang'an couldn't help but put down the jade slip in his hand and look at the sword servant with some surprise.

You should know that even when he first practiced this technique, his meridians were constantly being ravaged by the sword intent after he circulated it.

As a result, this incredibly sharp sword intent was completely at the mercy of the person inside their body, becoming unbelievably docile.

Out of curiosity, Lin Chang'an reached out and placed his palm on the other person's somewhat pale wrist, personally feeling the difference between the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body and an ordinary cultivator like himself.

As a result, after half an incense stick had burned, the sword attendant remained respectfully bowing his head without making the slightest move.

Lin Chang'an's face grew increasingly dark.

What the hell!
It's true what they say, comparisons are odious. It's already abnormal enough that this Heavenly Spirit Root didn't have any bottlenecks before Core Formation, but the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body is no less impressive.

In some places, it's even more excessive.

"The most difficult aspect of the Fiend Yuan Sword Technique, even among the top sword techniques in the cultivation world, is that the powerful sword intent is easy to injure oneself and difficult to control. This is why top-tier techniques are difficult to cultivate and have limitations."

As a result, this Heavenly Spirit Sword Body seemed to have an innate affinity for sword intent. Even with the influence of its mixed human and demon bloodline, it remained extremely docile.

Those who didn't know better would think that the other party's magical power was naturally imbued with this sword intent.

"No wonder the three great sword cultivators' spiritual bodies are hailed as the darlings of sword cultivation, their aptitude is in no way inferior to that of the Heavenly Spiritual Root."

A celestial spiritual root has an advantage in the early stages, while a top-tier spiritual body has an advantage in the later stages.

In fact, the early stage is very important for cultivators because they are the weakest in the early stage and are very easy to die young. Moreover, the Heavenly Spiritual Root has no bottleneck restrictions.

It's simply heaven-defying. He can cultivate to the Core Formation Realm at a rapid pace, possessing the power to protect himself. Moreover, with a Heavenly Spiritual Root Core Formation, he's guaranteed to reach at least a high-grade Golden Core.

Once the core is formed, one enjoys a long lifespan and a rapid cultivation speed, thus having more time to cultivate and prepare for the nascent soul stage.

This is why Heavenly Spiritual Roots are so popular in the cultivation world; they offer a huge advantage in the early stages.

However, various spiritual entities have more limitations and need to cultivate techniques that match their physical constitution in order to unleash the power of their constitution.

Moreover, the vast majority of spirits are not that powerful; top-tier spirits are always a minority.

Some unlucky ones, despite possessing a spiritual body, were born into the wrong gender, resulting in shackles or even calamities.

This is far worse than some useless spirits.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

However, if given a choice, most cultivators would definitely choose the Heavenly Spiritual Root.

After all, cultivation techniques that match one's spirit are hard to find, and the initial period of weakness is the most difficult to endure.

"The difference between ordinary cultivators and those with top-tier spiritual bodies is indeed vast."

Lin Chang'an sighed and couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

Although he has a self-healing body, it really hurts when he forcibly activates the sword technique.

"If the problem of human-demon hybridity is resolved, the cultivation speed will take off."

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an glanced at the sword servant without changing his expression.

"Very good, it seems this technique suits you well."

"Thank you, Master."

After the sword attendant instantly understood many of her previous doubts about cultivation, and upon hearing Lin Chang'an's praise, she hurriedly lowered her head and respectfully replied.

Lin Chang'an nodded secretly. Back then, the Blood Fiend True Man also possessed a spiritual body, but unfortunately, he wasn't as powerful.

However, she still had to eat little by little, and this girl has regained some of her fighting spirit in the past two years.

"However, we still need to understand this physique and this mysterious black aura more deeply."

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an narrowed his eyes: the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body, the human-demon hybrid, and this mysterious black aura.

He needs to investigate these things.

It seems that as his cultivation level grows stronger, he feels increasingly insignificant and ignorant in the mysterious world of cultivation.

　Today I picked up my father from the hospital. Thank you all for your support.

　　Also, a reminder that it's the last day, so please use your monthly votes, fellow cultivators.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)