Becoming a Saint Starting with the Chasing Wind Leg Technique

Chapter 186 Late Stage of Bone Forging, Blood Lotus Secret Pill

Song Jing let out a long sigh, suppressing his surging blood and qi. He felt the immense power within his body, which, despite the huge depletion, was still boundless. An unprecedented sense of exhilaration and powerful confidence filled his heart.

"Mid-stage Refining—that's nothing special." He muttered to himself, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Having slain two mid-stage Refinement cultivators, he gained a clearer understanding of his current strength—he could even fight against ordinary late-stage Refinement cultivators!

Even better, we could fight and win!

He ignored the cheers from both sides of the city wall and walked over to the corpses of Tu Gang and Liu Wumei, and began to skillfully touch their bodies.

Tu Gang didn't have much on him, except for that valuable Ghost Head Heavy Saber.

Although there was a gap, the material was of excellent quality, worth at least 20,000 taels of silver. There were only a few bottles of ordinary pills for healing and restoring true qi, which made Song Jing slightly disappointed.

But when he touched the two pills in special jade boxes in Liu Wumei's arms, his eyes lit up immediately.

The jade box was opened, revealing two pills the size of longan fruits, entirely blood red, with strange lotus patterns on their surfaces, and emitting a strong bloody and peculiar medicinal fragrance.

"Blood Lotus Secret Pill!" Song Jing's heart skipped a beat. The aura of this pill was somewhat similar to the "Blood Fiend Pill" he had obtained from the Zhou family's secret guards, but its medicinal power was more than ten times purer and more potent!

Moreover, the eerie vitality and bloody power it contains are even purer and more domineering.

"This Blood Lotus Secret Pill must have been made using the essence blood of a higher-level martial artist, combined with an evil technique—although it is evil, the energy it contains is indeed astonishing. If it is carefully refined using righteous methods, it may be transformed into pure blood and qi power, and may even help to break through the bottleneck of the Refining Realm!" Song Jing thought to himself, carefully putting away these two invaluable evil pills.

This is a treasure that only a mid-stage Refinement leader like Liu Wumei could possess. She must be preparing it to break through to the late stage of Refinement, or to exchange for other resources.

Besides the Blood Lotus Elixir, Liu Wumei also had many bottles and jars of poisons, antidotes, and hidden weapons, as well as several unorthodox manuals recording the techniques of using poisons and hidden weapons, which Song Jing collected.

Although he doesn't practice these things, handing them over to the sect or the imperial court might earn him merit or allow him to discover a way to break them.

Next, he searched the corpses of the remaining three early-stage Refining Realm cultivators (the three who were later transferred in) and the original two early-stage cultivators, Sun Meng and Han San.

Unfortunately, none of the five people had treasures of the level of Blood Lotus Secret Pill, but a lot of Bone Strengthening Pills were found on them.

The three newcomers each had three pills, and Sun Meng and Han San each had two, for a total of thirteen pills. Adding the three ordinary bone-strengthening pills found on Liu Wumei, the total was sixteen.

In addition, there were weapons belonging to five other people. Although they were not as good as Tu Gang's Ghost Head Saber and Liu Wumei's Emei Dagger, they were all of high quality and together were worth more than 80,000 taels of silver.

The harvest was plentiful! Song Jing was very satisfied.

He thought for a moment, then took out eight of the sixteen Bone Strengthening Pills, and also took out the pair of high-quality, poisoned Emei daggers.

That was Liu Wumei's weapon, and it was quite valuable.

He turned around and picked up his things, then walked towards Chen Yanzhou and He Tianxiong, who were supporting each other as they approached.

"Captain, Lord He, this victory was not achieved by me alone. If you two hadn't risked your lives to hold back Liu Wumei, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on dealing with Tu Gang."

These bone-strengthening pills can help you two recover from your injuries and improve your cultivation.

"Although the Commandant doesn't use these Emei daggers, he can exchange them for necessary resources or give them to those who have rendered meritorious service." Song Jing handed over the elixirs and weapons, his tone sincere.

Chen Yanzhou and He Tianxiong were stunned.

Looking at the eight Bone Strengthening Pills worth tens of thousands of taels in Song Jing's hand, and the pair of poisoned Emei daggers that were clearly not ordinary, the two felt a complex and indescribable emotion welling up in their hearts.

Chen Yanzhou, in particular, looked at the "Bloodthirsty Blade" in his hand, then at the Emei Dagger and pills handed to him by Song Jing, and a surge of emotion welled up in his eyes.

He came from humble beginnings and struggled his way up, enduring countless cold looks and exclusions. He had never been treated with such sincerity and given such precious gifts so often.

Moreover, his contribution in this battle was actually quite limited, and he even hindered Song Jing several times.

"Song Jing—this—this is unacceptable—" Chen Yanzhou's voice choked with emotion, "I—I am unworthy of this!"

He Tianxiong waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Young Hero Song, this battle was entirely due to your divine prowess. How dare we take credit? These spoils of war should rightfully belong to you!"

Song Jing, however, remained resolute: "The Commandant has shown me great kindness and protected me. Lord He has devoted himself wholeheartedly to protecting Tianshui. This is a small token of my appreciation and a reward for his merits. If you two refuse again, you will be looking down on me."

Moreover, although the powerful enemy has temporarily retreated, the crisis is not yet over. If the two of you can recover and improve your strength, it will be of great benefit to the defense of the city.

Seeing Song Jing's earnest words and resolute attitude, Chen Yanzhou and He Tianxiong exchanged a glance, both seeing the emotion and感慨 in each other's eyes.

Chen Yanzhou took a deep breath, patted Song Jing's shoulder heavily, his eyes filled with tears, and laughed loudly: "Good! Good lad! The best thing I ever did in my life was to believe in you and protect you!"

"I shamelessly accept these elixirs and weapons! From this day forward, your affairs, Song Jing's affairs, are my affairs, Chen Yanzhou's affairs! I will go through fire and water for you!"

He Tianxiong also solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "Young Master Song, your righteousness is truly admirable! I will remember this kindness! In the future, if you ever need anything, the entire Tianshui County will do its utmost to help you!"

The two stopped refusing and accepted the pills and weapons.

Chen Yanzhou stroked the pair of poisoned Emei daggers, feeling the sinister and sharp aura contained within them, his heart filled with both emotion and excitement.

He knew that Song Jing had given him this item not so that he could use it, but rather to give him more resources and more confidence. How thoughtful of him!

Song Jing put away the remaining eight Bone Strengthening Pills, two Blood Lotus Secret Pills, the Ghost Head Heavy Saber, and other weapons, silver, secret manuals, and other items.

Then, he glanced at the seven corpses of the Refining Realm cultivators on the ground, as well as the ordinary Blood Lotus Sect members in the distance who had already been terrified and knelt down in surrender. He said to He Tianxiong, "Lord He, please handle these Blood Lotus Sect demons properly, including the evil pills and secret manuals on their bodies. Also, please report today's battle situation, along with these evil items, to the Pingtian Gate of the prefectural city as soon as possible, and ask the sect to make a decision."

"Don't worry, Young Hero Song, I'll take care of it right away!" He Tianxiong's spirits lifted, and he quickly agreed. After this battle, Song Jing was like a pillar of strength in his heart, and he obeyed his every word.

Chen Yanzhou also said, "I will also report this urgently in the name of the Commandant's Office. Song Jing, your achievement today is enough to shake the entire Yunxiu Prefecture! Pingtian Gate will surely reward you handsomely!"

Song Jingdian nodded without saying anything more.

He looked up to the north, the direction from which the main force of the Blood Lotus Sect might arrive, and also the direction from which his senior brother Lu Jiutian and his group might be intercepted.

"The real test may have only just begun," he thought to himself, gripping the Five Elements Dao Spear in his hand even tighter.

But in any case, after this battle, he was filled with unprecedented confidence in himself and in the future.

At the top of Tianshui City, the rising sun finally broke through the morning mist, casting thousands of golden rays that illuminated the corpses lying haphazardly beneath the city wall, as well as the figure of the young man standing with a gun, bathed in the golden light, like a war god descending to earth, radiating boundless brilliance.

After cleaning up, the three immediately went to kill the remaining Blood Lotus cultists. Upon seeing their leader killed, the cultists scattered immediately, and the crisis in Tianshui City was resolved.

Before the city gate, the remaining ordinary members of the Blood Lotus Cult trembled and knelt in fear under the long spears and crossbows of the guards, daring not to resist in the slightest.

He Tianxiong has already ordered his men to begin cleaning up the battlefield, taking prisoners, and taking stock of the battle losses.

Despite his injuries, Chen Yanzhou arranged subsequent defense work and treatment of the wounded.

After politely declining the crowd's cheers and suggestions to return to the city to rest, Song Jing went alone, carrying a heavy bundle containing most of the spoils from the battle.

Carrying the Five Elements Dao Spear, still dripping with the blood of his enemies, he slowly walked back to Tianshui City along the official road, which was stained with morning light and bloodstains.

Each step he took was exceptionally steady. Within his body, the vast true energy brought by the minor completion of the "Mysterious Origin Heavy Water True Skill" was like the sea after the tide receded. It seemed calm, but deep within, an even more powerful force surged, operating on its own to repair the minor damage caused by the fierce battle and nourish his slightly tired muscles and bones.

The formidable physique brought by the Limit-Breaking Golden Bell Shield was also rapidly recovering its vitality during this brief respite.

But what stirred his heart the most, and what made him even slightly impatient, was not the breakthrough in his cultivation technique, nor the exhilaration of defeating powerful enemies in succession, but the two "Blood Lotus Secret Pills" in his arms, which were contained in special jade boxes and whose warmth and strange fluctuations could be felt even when pressed against his chest.

After a brief examination, he was able to clearly sense the terrifying and heart-palpitating power of qi and blood contained in these two pills.

It was far beyond what ordinary medicinal herbs or the blood essence of demonic beasts could compare to. It contained a mixture of complex yet rich vitality, resentment, and a life essence that was almost primordial, as if it had been forcibly fused and purified by some evil secret method from the life essence and life source of countless powerful martial artists.

"This is an evil and heretical practice that harms living beings; its methods are utterly heinous." Song Jing frowned slightly, feeling a deep-seated disgust and vigilance towards this evil method of refining elixirs with human lives.

However, in the path of martial arts, resources come first. The energy contained in these two Blood Lotus Secret Pills is an irresistible temptation for him, who is currently in the Bone Forging Realm and urgently needs a massive amount of blood and qi to temper his bones and break through to a higher realm.

"If I could use the pure water-element true qi of the 'Mysterious Origin Heavy Water True Skill' and combine it with the ultimate control of power granted by the 'Heaven Rewards Diligence' talent, carefully peeling away and refining the evil resentment and impurities within, and only absorbing its purest essence of qi and blood—perhaps, it could truly help me break through the barrier of the mid-stage of Bone Forging in one fell swoop and directly enter the late-stage of Bone Forging!" Song Jing secretly calculated in his heart, his breathing becoming slightly rapid.

Late stage of bone forging!

Once you enter this realm, not only will your physical strength, bone density, and total blood and qi undergo a qualitative leap, but your ability to bear and utilize true qi will also become stronger.

With his minor mastery of rare cultivation techniques, numerous limit-breaking martial arts, and near-rare divine weapons, his true combat strength will be firmly established at the late stage of the Refining Realm, and may even touch the edge of the Perfect Refining Realm!

At that time, even if the so-called "Tenth Elder" Li Wuxie were to arrive in person, he might still be able to put up a fight!

"And those sixteen Bone Strengthening Pills—although their effects are far inferior to the Blood Lotus Secret Pill, they are superior in that their medicinal properties are mild and easy to absorb. They can be used as an aid to stabilize one's cultivation level, or saved for future use when attempting to break through to the Refining Realm." Song Jing weighed the bundle on his back. Inside were various weapons, silver notes, and materials worth over 100,000 taels of silver. This was undoubtedly a huge fortune, enough to support his cultivation needs for a long time, and he could even exchange it for some rare resources that he would never have dared to dream of under normal circumstances.

"The first thing I need to do upon returning to the city is to go into seclusion! With the help of the Blood Lotus Secret Pill and the Bone Strengthening Pill, I will break through to the late stage of Bone Forging!" Song Jing's eyes were firm, and his pace quickened.

He could already feel that the blood and qi in his body, which had become slightly restless due to the series of battles, seemed to become more active after sensing the aura of the Blood Lotus Secret Pill. His proficiency was steadily increasing as he entered the mid-stage of Bone Forging (750/2000).

"Almost there—late stage of Bone Forging!"

He could almost see himself, after taking the Blood Lotus Secret Pill, his blood and qi erupting like a volcano, his bones resonating like jade, and his cultivation level rising steadily.

The anticipation and excitement of an impending breakthrough and a surge in strength almost made him want to let out a long roar.

However, just as his mind was racing, anticipating the power he would gain after the breakthrough, the two Blood Lotus Secret Pills in his chest seemed to heat up slightly. An extremely subtle, cold, and alluring whisper seemed to resound directly in his heart: "Power—great power—take me—and you will possess power that surpasses everything—"

"Slaughter—plunder—devour—this is the true essence of martial arts—"

"Look at those ants—they don't deserve resources—kill them, seize everything—you will become the master—"

""

These whispers are evil and twisted, yet they possess a magical power that strikes at the deepest desires of the human heart, as if they can evoke the most primal greed and murderous intent.

Song Jing stopped abruptly, his eyes instantly regaining their clarity, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

"What a strange pill! It can actually directly affect the mind!" He was shocked and immediately began to silently circulate the "Mysterious Origin Heavy Water True Skill". The dark blue heavy water true skill circulated throughout his body, and a cool and calming feeling surged into his heart, forcibly suppressing the evil whispers and restlessness.

"It seems that this Blood Lotus Secret Pill is not only extremely potent, but also contains the evil thoughts and evil influences of the refiner. Taking it lightly may lead to demonic possession and the corruption of one's mind!" Song Jing's eyes became serious.

A treasure may be valuable, but it could also be a deadly poison.

Especially these unorthodox elixirs, which must be used with extreme caution.

The path of martial arts is fraught with peril, especially when it comes to matters of the mind and spirit; one must never be careless in the slightest.

However, Song Jing already had experience taking Blood Fiend Pills, and with his own Profound Water Yuan True Skill, which had a calming effect, taking these pills and refining their medicinal power to improve his cultivation would not cause any major problems. As for the calming treasures, having them would only make the refining process less painful, but not having them would not be a big deal.

Taking a few deep breaths to completely calm his mind, Song Jing stepped forward again, heading towards the city gate that was now in sight.

At the city gate, Li Lingshuang, Nie Feng, Bai Yunfei, Nie Daoyi and others, who had received the news, had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Song Jing return, they immediately burst into enthusiastic cheers.

"Senior Brother Song! You're amazing!"

"Young Master Song is truly awe-inspiring!"

"The great hero of Tianshui City!"

Cheers surged forth like a tidal wave, filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe, admiration for the strong, and heartfelt gratitude.

Looking at those excited, respectful, and hopeful faces, Song Jing's restlessness caused by the temptation of the Blood Lotus Secret Pill completely subsided.

Power is for protection, not for plunder and slaughter.

If one loses sight of their true self in pursuit of power, how are they any different from the demons of the Blood Lotus Cult?

He nodded to the crowd, a gentle smile on his face, and stepped into Tianshui City, bathed in the morning sun, surrounded by the crowd.

The streets inside the city were already crowded with people who had rushed over after hearing the news. They welcomed the young hero who had saved the city with the most simple and enthusiastic gazes.

The children's cheers, the old people's bows, and the shy gazes of the young girls—all of this filled Song Jing's heart with a heavy sense of responsibility and warmth.

Back at the courtyard where they were temporarily staying, Song Jing handed over most of the spoils of war, including weapons and silver notes, to He Tianxiong, asking him to handle them, either to reward meritorious soldiers or to use them to compensate the wounded and strengthen the city's defenses.

He kept only the two Blood Lotus Secret Pills, eight Bone Strengthening Pills, and a small amount of materials that he might need.

After doing all this, he declined all invitations to banquets and disturbances. He only briefly explained to Chen Yanzhou and He Tianxiong the strangeness of the Blood Lotus Secret Pill and his own concerns before returning directly to the secret chamber and activating the outermost simple soundproofing and protective array.

He sat down cross-legged and took out the two Blood Lotus Secret Pills that were in the jade box again.

The pills emitted an eerie, blood-red glow in the dimly lit chamber, their alluring yet dangerous aura still strong.

"Late stage of Bone Forging—" Song Jing looked at the pill with a complex expression. The temptation of breaking through was right before his eyes, but the potential risks were also ever-present.

"Perhaps I could try refining a trace of the most basic medicinal power first and see the reaction—" He pondered, carefully opening a jade box. He condensed an extremely pure wisp of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water True Qi at his fingertips, and like the most skillful scalpel, slowly probed the surface of one of the Blood Lotus Secret Pills, attempting to peel away a trace, almost imperceptible, blood-red medicinal aura—

The secret chamber was completely silent, save for Song Jing's even, long breaths and the faint scent emanating from the two eerie blood pills.

It pulsed faintly, as if it possessed a life of its own.

The opportunity for a breakthrough and the unknown risks lie on the thin line.