Chapter 182 - 167: Hiring Me to Kill Myself?

He awoke from the grand dream.

For a moment, Huang Liang was lost, staring blankly at his surroundings.

Everything was gone...

He had never received a Golden Core legacy, nor had he become a Nascent Soul Ancestor.

The moment he stepped into the valley.

He had fallen into an illusion.

When he awoke, he was still in the valley. But his body had already fallen, leaving only his soul behind.

Huang Liang stared at his own corpse, dazed for a long while.

"Why? Why did it turn out like this..."

He couldn’t accept it, he muttered under his breath.

Li Chang’an appeared before him, holding the Venerable Soul Banner.

"Daoist Huang, it’s time for you to enter the Venerable Soul Banner."

"It’s you! You... you’re Li Fan... No, you’re Li Chang’an..."

Huang Liang suddenly raised his head, staring daggers at Li Chang’an.

He looked utterly crazed. He lunged forward, roaring, "Li Chang’an, let me go back! Let me see my family again!"

Perhaps the illusion had lasted so long that he could no longer tell dream from reality.

Or perhaps,

he could tell the difference, but simply refused to.

"Daoist Huang, why don’t you go into the Soul Banner and clear your head."

Li Chang’an shook his head slightly and tossed his soul into the Venerable Soul Banner.

Then, he looked down at Huang Liang’s corpse.

’Does Huang Liang’s body also contain a Bloodline?’

Li Chang’an wondered.

He walked over, took Huang Liang’s Storage Pouch, and removed his Protective Treasure Armor.

The Treasure Armor was a deep, dark color and felt weightless in his hands, a testament to its extraordinary materials and forging process.

Li Chang’an attempted to refine it, but the process was difficult.

To speed things up,

he borrowed some power from the Profound Water Turtle and quickly completed the refinement.

’A Tier Two Top Grade Spirit Armor, the Netherworld Tribulation Armor!’

A pleased expression appeared on Li Chang’an’s face as he received the armor’s information.

The quality of this Netherworld Tribulation Armor was far superior to the Five Elements Spirit Armor he currently wore!

If he were suddenly attacked,

it would automatically release a Shield of Spiritual Power capable of blocking an attack from a cultivator at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!

’No wonder my previous plan to ambush and kill Huang Liang failed. He had a Protective Treasure like this all along. It seems he was quite a fortunate person.’

What made this armor so valuable was that it was Attributeless!

Any Cultivator, regardless of their Spiritual Root, could use it to its full potential.

For this very reason, Li Chang’an was so pleased.

He immediately swapped it for his Five Elements Spirit Armor.

Then, he unleashed a wave of Sword Qi at Huang Liang’s corpse.

SLICE!

The Sword Qi sliced across Huang Liang’s neck. It didn’t sever it, but left a deep gash.

Within the wound, scarlet, thread-like veins were clearly visible.

’It really is a Bloodline!’

Li Chang’an had suspected it ever since he killed Huang Feng.

The one practicing the Demon Planting Technique was most likely Huang Feng’s master, Murong Kang!

Now,

the Bloodline inside Huang Liang’s corpse seemed to confirm his suspicions.

’It is said that the Blood Seed Technique allows one to ignore the limits of their Spiritual Root. Even someone with an Inferior Spirit Root could defy their fate and reach the Nascent Soul realm...’

Li Chang’an recalled the rumors.

At the same time,

his thoughts turned to his own Spiritual Root.

’My Spiritual Root is considered quite poor, even among Low Grade Spirit Roots. If I could obtain the Demon Planting Technique, perhaps I could go much further on my path of cultivation in this lifetime.’

’This Cultivation Technique is heretical, but as long as I stay true to myself and don’t harm the innocent, it will be fine.’

As long as he held to his principles, his path of cultivation would not go astray.

He wouldn’t end up a crazed and wicked fiend.

With this in mind,

Li Chang’an glanced in the direction of Yellow Crane Immortal City.

He already had a grudge against Murong Kang.

The suspicion that Murong Kang was a practitioner of the Demon Planting Technique gave him yet another reason to make a move!

However,

killing a single Huang Liang had been enough to provoke Huang He Master.

To kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage like Murong Kang, he would have to be exceedingly cautious and plan meticulously. There was no room for error.

’I shouldn’t have much trouble with my own Foundation Establishment. Until then, I don’t need to worry about my Spiritual Root. I’ll set this matter aside for now.’

Li Chang’an took a deep breath, pushing these thoughts aside.

Then,

he dealt with Huang Liang’s corpse the same way he had dealt with Huang Feng’s, using a Burning Talisman to reduce the body to ashes.

He burned the remains several times over.

Then, he used a Sword Array to grind the ashes to dust.

Finally, he had Dahuang use the Power of the Earth Element to bury all the soil from the area deep underground.

Once all this was done,

Li Chang’an lingered no longer and sped away from the area.

...

「Not long after.」

He found a remote mountain, went deep underground, and began to inspect the treasures inside Huang Liang’s Storage Pouch.

’Huang Liang was already at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. Of course he would have prepared something for his Foundation Establishment.’

Inside the Storage Pouch,

Li Chang’an discovered a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.

Cyan Leaf Dew.

It was a common Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object that could increase the success rate by ten percent.

This kind of treasure’s effect could only be stacked with that of a Foundation Establishment Pill; it couldn’t be used in conjunction with other Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.

’This is worse than the Seven-leafed Colored Lotus I have. I’ll just have to sell it. Besides, I’m a bit short on funds right now.’

The Spirit Stones in Li Chang’an’s Storage Pouch had nearly run out!

Raising Spirit Beasts and Gu Insects already consumed a great deal, and the Path of Body Refinement was like a bottomless pit, ceaselessly devouring his cultivation resources.

He carefully put away the Cyan Leaf Dew and continued to examine the other treasures.

After a moment,

Li Chang’an discovered an oddly shaped Jade Scroll.

The Jade Scroll was completely blank, with nothing recorded inside, but it emanated a strange power.

Li Chang’an probed it briefly and discovered that the power seemed to have a faint connection to Yellow Crane Immortal City.

’Could this be the treasure Huang Liang used to call for help from Huang He Master?’

Li Chang’an’s brows furrowed.

Feeling a sense of unease, he immediately wiped his aura from the Jade Scroll and threw it deep into the earth.