Chapter 310 - 169: Hard Bone, Cultivation and Qi Cultivation Formula

As anyone who’s killed before knows.

Killing is easy. Disposing of the body is the hard part.

With the *Martial Scripture: Divine Soul Chapter*, however, killing for Li Chang’an not only yielded "gold drops" but also allowed him to break down his enemies’ corpses and Cultivation into pure energy to fuel his own growth.

Soul Fire, Bone and Flesh Fire, Blood Flame Fire...

By unleashing these flames one after another, Li Chang’an could completely obliterate every trace of a person’s existence, making it seem as if they had simply vanished into thin air.

It was the perfect tool for murder and plunder, an essential for any aspiring villain on the go!

A stream of pure Divine Soul Energy flowed into the lake within his soul, instantly refreshing Li Chang’an. He felt as clear-headed as if he’d just awoken from a deep, satisfying sleep.

Forcing himself to focus, Li Chang’an lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the shattered remains of the white-robed old man’s avatar on the ground, along with the few items it had left behind.

Squatting down, Li Chang’an picked up two elixirs from a wooden box and a yellowed Cultivation Techniques Secret Manual from the debris.

The elixirs must have been the so-called ’Lifespan Extension Pills’ the white-robed old man had prepared for Li Lin.

As for the Cultivation Techniques Secret Manual, a simple, unadorned line of text was written on its cover: *Cultivation and Qi Refining Technique*!

Staring at the cover, Li Chang’an was somewhat surprised. ’Could he really have brought a Qi Refining Stage Immortal Cultivation Technique?’

’If so, that’s not bad,’ he thought. ’At least I can use this opportunity to probe the true nature of the Cultivation Realm.’

Filled with a mix of suspicion and intrigue, Li Chang’an opened the book to the first page and began to inspect it carefully.

As expected, the book did indeed describe one of the Cultivation Techniques from the Cultivation Realm. However, Li Chang’an could tell with a single glance that it wasn’t a technique for true Cultivators.

The reason was simple. Although the *Cultivation and Qi Refining Technique* could grant a Martial Artist some of the abilities exclusive to Cultivators, it came with severe limitations.

First, the energy absorbed by practicing this Cultivation Technique wasn’t Spiritual Power at all. Instead, it came from an elixir distributed by Cultivators called the ’Qi Gathering Pill’.

The Qi Gathering Pill contained a pure form of energy.

Simply consuming the pill would allow those practicing this technique to advance their Cultivation.

But this was worlds apart from the methods of a true Cultivator.

Furthermore, if someone practicing this technique could not obtain more ’Qi Gathering Pills,’ they would not only be unable to break through to the next realm, but over time, their Cultivation would even decline, putting their very life at risk.

In other words, once you started practicing this technique, you had to be an obedient dog for the Cultivators, all to obtain the Qi Gathering Pills they handed out.

If anyone showed the slightest defiance, the Cultivators could easily bring them to heel simply by withholding the Qi Gathering Pills.

It was only after understanding the mechanics of this technique that Li Chang’an realized the two so-called ’Lifespan Extension Pills’ weren’t for extending one’s life at all. They were Qi Gathering Pills meant for Li Lin!

The white-robed old man had correctly deduced that Li Lin’s life was nearing its end, with little of his lifespan remaining.

That was why he had brought the *Cultivation and Qi Refining Technique*, intending to use the lures of increased power and a longer life to turn Li Lin into his loyal hound.

’So many so-called ancestors have ’ascended’ from the various countries over the years...’

’They must have been exceptionally good at being dogs in the Lower Realm, and were chosen to be brought to the Cultivation Realm as a reward.’

The Sea of Reincarnation, the Daoist Palace, the Four Extremes, the Immortal Platform...

’It’s all just one big, elaborate hoax.’

"Heh, they really played their hand well. No wonder they’ve been able to control the Twelve Countries from afar for so many years, all while maintaining such a tight grip..." Li Chang’an mused.

He had to admit, the Cultivators’ methods were brutally simple, yet remarkably effective.

With just a few Qi Gathering Pills, they could control an entire continent, forcing all of its most powerful experts to fall in line and act as their lapdogs.

’If I didn’t have my own Cultivation Method,’ Li Chang’an thought, ’I’m afraid that when my own time was up, I would have found it hard to refuse such a temptation as well.’

With that thought, Li Chang’an picked up both items.

He had just killed an avatar of their great ancestor beside the altar of the Ancestral Temple. He had yet to see what the Great Zhou Imperial Family’s reaction would be.

If the Great Zhou Imperial Family chose to turn a blind eye, then all would be well.

But if someone in the Imperial Family tried to make a move against him, scheming with the Cultivators or the other kingdoms, Li Chang’an wouldn’t mind slaughtering his own kin for the greater good and bathing the entire Imperial Palace in blood.

...

Just then, the commotion attracted over a thousand members of the Imperial Guard. Clad in heavy armor and fully armed, they rushed to the scene.

Every one of these guards was an elite Martial Artist, their faces grim and murderous.

Who knew how much blood had been spilled by their hands.

Thousands of Martial Artists now stormed into the Ancestral Temple, forming a protective circle around the ashen-faced Emperor Wu of Zhou. It was an impressive show of force.

Surrounded by more and more of his guards, Emperor Wu of Zhou, who had been pale and trembling uncontrollably just moments before, finally regained his composure.

He glared at Li Chang’an, who stood nearby looking completely unfazed, and demanded in a furious voice, "You unnatural beast! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? To slay your own ancestor in broad daylight! Who gave you such gall?"

Li Chang’an just smiled. He looked at Emperor Wu of Zhou and said in a light tone, "Father Emperor, you worship that old man as an ancestor, but he saw all of us as nothing more than dogs. If we acknowledge a man like that as our ancestor, aren’t we just telling the entire world that everyone in the Great Zhou Imperial Family is a dog?"

Hearing such outrageously treasonous words, the expression on Emperor Wu of Zhou’s face turned impossibly foul.

If he weren’t so wary of Li Chang’an’s terrifying power, Emperor Wu of Zhou would have had this damnable son of his seized and brutally tortured.