Chapter 399 - 387: Relic Essence Pill

The bloodcurdling screams from behind startled the forest birds, but Fu Juemin seemed not to hear them. He continued straight along the mountain path, as if what was happening behind him was of no concern.

In just eight days, the tranquil and elegant Youhuang Valley had been utterly destroyed at his hands, reduced to a withered husk.

However, the fruits of this seclusion were remarkable. Not only had he successfully completed the fusion and reshaping of his New Demon Body, but he had also finally grasped the first of the Muddy World Saber's Five Calamities.

Fu Juemin recalled the moment he had just struck.

He hadn't used anything—not his Talent, not his True Gang. He had merely released a tiny sliver of his mind's comprehension of the first of the Five Calamities: the White Calamity.

His Consciousness projected into reality, directly triggering a meteorological phenomenon in his immediate vicinity and creating an incredibly realistic patch of land suffering from an extreme, desiccating drought.

The local Warlord faction that had come for the Qianming Armory was apparently led by an official from the Xin Republic's Government's Suijing Bureau. He must have overindulged in pleasure on a daily basis, leaving his body frail. He was baked by this intent of "extreme drought" until he literally dehydrated to death.

'Is this the Dharma?'

Fu Juemin wondered to himself as he passed through the woods, listening to the birdsong in the empty mountains.

He didn't know.

But it had definitely reached the level of the "Divine Level" Martial Arts he had previously envisioned.

Furthermore, the new Cultivation Technique he created for the Five Calamities had successfully appeared in the technique list on his status panel—

[Muddy World Five Calamities (Entry Level)]!

Fu Juemin had tested it; he could use Skill Points to level it up directly.

It was just that advancing from "Entry Level" to "Mastery" required a hefty three Skill Points.

'I have six Skill Points on hand right now. If I spend them, I'll comprehend one or two more calamities at most.'

'I'd better wait for now...'

In truth, his comprehension of the White Calamity—the calamity of fire and extreme drought—had gone much more smoothly than he'd anticipated.

The memories within the Hou Beast Demon Soul were an unparalleled elixir for comprehending the Dharma.

Though the calamity descended from the heavens, the Hou, being born of drought, was in some ways a part of the calamity itself—the very essence of drought.

To perceive things from the perspective of "calamity" naturally made comprehension faster.

'This is a good shortcut for comprehending the Dharma. A few more experiences like this, and I could save a huge number of Skill Points...'

The only problem was that Heaven and Earth Alien Species with a pedigree like the Hou were far too rare. At the moment, aside from the Zhu Yan in Shenghai, Fu Juemin couldn't think of another.

'Hou Beast Demon Soul, Red-faced Yellow Ape Demon Soul, Yin Crow Demon Soul...'

Speaking of which, Fu Juemin had now collected three of the five Demon Souls compatible with his Five Beasts Skill.

The Five Beasts Skill was always meant to be a counterpart and balance to the Five Poison Skills. Now that his Five Calamities technique was taking shape, advancing the Five Beasts Skill could be put on the agenda.

It was just that his focus wasn't on the Five Beasts Skill at all right now, and he couldn't spare the resources or time to enhance it in the near future.

Before he knew it, Fu Juemin had walked out of Lu Mountain.

The official from the Jiujiang Pacification Bureau, whom Fu Juemin had casually "baked" to death, had previously been leading his men on a massive treasure hunt across the mountain.

Grunts with guns had sealed off the entire Lu Mountain. Not only were tourists barred from entering, but most of the local mountain folk who depended on the mountain for their livelihood had also been driven away. Only the craftsmen and porters building houses and paving roads for the Westerners on Guling Street, halfway up the mountain, could still barely pass through.

Fu Juemin stood in a deserted, quiet corner and looked back at the majestic Lu Mountain.

The most beautiful mountains have always been graves for the greatest of men.

'Once word of the Qianming Armory gets out, many more people are bound to die on this mountain in the days to come.'

It was a shame that Celestial Waterfall Peak had collapsed and the "Dragon Tail" entrance to the Qianming Armory had been blasted shut. Under all of heaven, besides Fu Juemin with his Earth Travel Talent, there was no one else who could set foot in the Armory again.

.....

「The next day.」

News of the death of Sun Dianqi, the director of the Jiujiang Pacification Bureau, spread from Lu Mountain. In just half a day, it set the streets and alleys of Xunyang County abuzz.

At the same time, details about the Qianming Armory were also secretly leaked.

In an instant, heaven only knows how many people from all walks of life, both in the open and in the shadows, began flocking to Lu Mountain.

Aboard the train from Xunyang to Xinjing, Fu Juemin sat quietly on the edge of his berth, leaning against the window and examining the thin Cicada Gauze Golden Page in his hand.

This was the Golden Page that recorded the Bodhi Golden Body Formula.

Ever since boarding the train, Fu Juemin had read the contents of the Golden Page over and over, gaining a general understanding of the method to begin cultivating the Bodhi Golden Body Formula.

The Bodhi Golden Body Formula was unlike any of the three techniques Fu Juemin had previously practiced.

To cultivate this technique, one needed to possess a natural aptitude for Buddhist Teachings.

Furthermore, before even beginning, a cultivator was required to have already opened their "Sea of Consciousness"!

What was the "Sea of Consciousness"?

To put it plainly, it meant one's Martial Dao had to reach a level close to the Gratitude Sensing Realm. That alone was an absurdly high and frighteningly steep threshold for cultivation.

And this was just one of several conditions.

In addition to opening the Sea of Consciousness, one's state of mind had to reach a state of "selflessness," and... one needed an empowerment ritual from an eminent monk, or the power of a Relic Essence Pill, to open the three main channels and seven chakras!

'No wonder Elder Huai Hai said that ever since Martial Ancestor Mahakala passed down this technique, extremely few people have ever managed to cultivate it.'

'The requirements are simply too harsh...'

The Buddhist aptitude, the Sea of Consciousness, the state of selflessness—none of these were a problem for Fu Juemin.

It was the requirement of an eminent monk's empowerment or a "Relic Essence Pill" that made him frown.

'With my current level of Cultivation, what kind of power would an eminent monk need to possess to be qualified to perform the empowerment ritual for me and open my three main channels and seven chakras?'

'At least the Peak of Heart Intent!'

'Or even a Grandmaster!'

'Elder Huai Hai is probably not an option. That old fellow's grasp of Buddhist Teachings isn't profound; he hardly lives up to the title of "eminent monk."'

'Huai Kong might barely qualify, but he's all the way in Shenghai...'

Making another trip to Shenghai wasn't a big deal; after all, the Kitties were also on Purple Cloud Mountain.

The only fear was going all that way only to find that Huai Kong wasn't capable either.

Fu Juemin mulled it over and finally realized that there seemed to be only one person nearby who could meet his requirements.

—The National Preceptor of the Demon Capital Nine Banners, Sang Luo!

'Sang Luo is an Esoteric Grandmaster. As a Grandmaster, he must have already formed a relic inside him...'

'If I ask to borrow it, he'd be too embarrassed to refuse.'

Fu Juemin thought to himself, his fingers stroking the Golden Page.

Just then, the door to the train compartment opened with a CREAK, and a small figure darted inside.

Fu Juemin glanced up. In the instant he turned his head, the Golden Page in his palm vanished without a trace into his own sunlit shadow.

"Yaozu!"

The person who had rushed in was a little boy of five or six.

Despite his young age, his hair was slicked back, and he was dressed in a shirt with short pants held up by suspenders, complete with a pair of shiny little leather shoes. He looked for all the world like a little Young Master.

A woman in her thirties followed behind, carrying a suitcase and calling out the boy's name.

On his return trip from Lu Mountain to Xinjing, Fu Juemin had no subordinates to order around and couldn't be bothered with making complicated arrangements. So, he simply paid a few times the normal price for a second-class sleeper ticket and decided to make do.

A second-class berth was certainly not as luxurious or comfortable as a private compartment on a special train, but it was less crowded, and thus relatively quiet and clean.

'It seems this mother and son will be my fellow passengers for the next three days.'

Fu Juemin smiled at the boy. As soon as their eyes met, the child immediately quieted down and sat obediently on the opposite berth.

"Pardon the intrusion."

The woman who had followed the boy in greeted Fu Juemin politely.

There was no one else with her. She was struggling with two large suitcases on her own, stubbornly trying to lift one of them onto the luggage rack above the berths.

She tried three times without success, her face flushing from the effort.

Seeing her struggle, Fu Juemin finally rose as she began her fourth attempt and helped her with the suitcase.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

The woman thanked him profusely, but Fu Juemin just gave a dismissive wave, paying it no mind.

A short while later, the little boy called "Yaozu" walked over and offered him a freshly peeled apple.

"Mister, this is for you."

Fu Juemin was a little surprised, but he accepted it with a smile.

He glanced over at the woman sitting on her berth a short distance away. The moment their eyes met, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly turned away, pretending to continue organizing her luggage.

Fu Juemin gently broke the apple in his hand and shared it with the boy. They ate their halves as they began to talk.

Before long, the little boy had told him their entire story.

The woman's name was Xu Shuzhen, and the boy was Chen Yufeng, though he went by the nickname Yaozu.

The two of them were from Jiujiang. They were taking the train to Xinjing to go live with her husband, who was a businessman there.