Chapter 74

(Third update, after leaving the Three Rivers, the number of recommendation votes has decreased a lot. Recommendation votes are available every day and are free. Everyone, please come and vote. Ten steps bow in gratitude, and also request new readers to add to their collection.)

A demonic wolf, as large as a calf, was once just a stray wolf in the mountains. Even if it absorbed a lot of demonic energy, there was a limit. Apart from its heart-stirring demonic aura, it had the strength of four to five hundred pounds, comparable to a fierce horse galloping on the grassland.

Boom!

In an instant, Su Qinnian made his move. He did not move at all, but the lid of the furnace formed by his internal organs was slightly lifted, and an incomparable and astonishing vital energy swept out.

The demonic wolf had no resistance. The yang vital energy was like the scorching sun, and the demonic wolf let out a miserable cry, being shaken away by this overwhelming vital energy. Its demonic aura dispersed, and it exploded in the air, disintegrating into pieces.

Blood splattered, and Su Qinnian reached out, grabbing the shattered heart of the demonic wolf. The demonic wolf's vital energy flowed into his hand like a hundred rivers converging into the sea, disappearing into his palm.

"Turtle and Snake Devouring the Moon, devouring the sky, the earth, and all the essence of the world. As long as one's heart is bright and righteous, there is nothing in the world that cannot be devoured and refined."

Su Qinnian's eyes were bright. More than 90% of the demonic wolf's vital energy was absorbed by him. This was due to his previous observation of the divine form of a turtle devouring the moon's essence. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to reach this level of understanding of the "Turtle and Snake Devouring the Moon" technique so quickly.

The vital energy of the demonic wolf was stored in his internal organs, transformed into fuel, and incorporated into the furnace of his five organs.

To this day, as his cultivation in the "Turtle and Snake Technique" deepened, Su Qinnian increasingly felt the mystery of the human body's divine repositories. Before reaching the eighth level of cultivation, it was hard for him to imagine that the human body could temporarily store the vital energy it devoured, just like how beasts store food as fat during hibernation to burn and survive the harsh winter.

Of course, this storage is not unlimited. Under Su Qinnian's perception, the vital energy of a demonic wolf could fill his internal organs, and he could store about ten such demonic wolves.

"No wonder it is said that reaching the eighth level of the 'Turtle and Snake Technique' is enough to contend with ordinary martial artists who have just entered the Third-Class Heaven Realm. If the internal organs are filled with vital energy, the continuous and unending flow can maintain peak combat power for an extremely long time. Even a martial artist who has just entered the Third-Class Heaven Realm, with thin internal energy, might not be able to surpass it."

Su Qinnian had a realization, but all of this was relative. The foundation-building techniques also have different levels and depths. The size of the dantian and the thickness of the true energy opened by different foundation-building techniques vary, and cannot be generalized.

Huff!

Then, Su Qinnian accelerated his pace, heading deeper into the Moyun Mountains. Along the way, his mental power captured many sounds. It was almost known that the spirit world of the great hero Hong Qi, who lived 5,000 years ago, was born in the Moyun Mountains, but no one knew the exact location or specific whereabouts.

The deeper he went into the Moyun Mountains, the denser the demonic aura became, even condensing into a gray mist. Various demonic auras that tempted people to fall tried to penetrate into Su Qinnian's ancestral acupoint, but his mental power surged, and the invading demonic aura melted like snow in spring, as if it had fallen into scorching lava.

"My mental power!"

Now, Su Qinnian finally confirmed that the vague burning sensation he initially felt was not an illusion. His mental power, after encountering the demonic aura, became even hotter than a branding iron. This change felt both familiar and strange to him.

After just a few miles, another demonic tiger leaped out, its mouth, larger than a millstone, dripping with saliva. To demonic beasts, the fresh flesh and blood of someone like Su Qinnian, combined with the lingering demonic wolf's vital energy, was like a lighthouse in the dark, incredibly bright.

This time, Su Qinnian did not immediately kill the tiger. His eyes seemed to turn into a vortex, and at the center of his forehead, stars floated. The demonic tiger's red eyes instantly became dazed and chaotic, standing motionless.

Soul Seizing Technique!

At the second level of the "Mystical Soul Technique," the power of the Soul Seizing Technique was only just beginning to show. It could not only create illusions and form illusory realms but also, like the gentle rain nourishing the earth, silently penetrate into the ancestral acupoint, transforming into the image of a deity or demon to shock and suppress the opponent's soul.

Mental power conveys thoughts, and thoughts drive the physical body, resulting in various reactions and actions. Once the soul is shocked and cannot move, the physical body naturally cannot move either, leaving it at the mercy of others.

Even deeper, the Soul Seizing Technique could transform the virtual into the real, interfering with the real world, becoming a truly unfathomable divine power.

Slap!

Su Qinnian's palm lightly fell, and in an instant, the demonic tiger collapsed, its body limp as if it had lost its bones. Upon closer inspection, its eyes were dry and sunken, devoid of any color.

In a moment, Su Qinnian used the "Turtle and Snake Devouring the Moon" technique to drain the demonic tiger's vital energy, filling one of his internal organs to the brim, unable to store any more.

When he used the technique again, Su Qinnian frowned slightly, sensing the brutality of the technique, and even a kind of demonic nature, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

The eighth level of the "Turtle and Snake Technique" constructs the Five Elements Cycle, opens the divine repositories of the five organs, and, combined with the "Turtle and Snake Devouring the Moon" technique, can be described as a perfect match, seamless. Su Qinnian could not find any flaws, but he suppressed a sense of unease. As he delved deeper into the Moyun Mountains, this unease grew stronger, almost making him want to turn back.

He forcibly suppressed this impulse. This was the greatest change after practicing the "Mystical Soul Technique" and nurturing mental power. This vague sense of perception was initially recognized after his trip to Lion Peak.

He understood that delving deeper would likely bring disaster, but he did not stop. If he retreated today, his heart would be burdened, and his righteous path would be tainted. He could not imagine how difficult his cultivation would be in the future.

"Stop!"

As Su Qinnian crossed a hill, two figures suddenly pounced out, blocking his path. The sound of swords and spears being drawn tore a gap in the gray demonic aura.

Su Qinnian stopped and saw two wandering martial artists, both in their thirties. One had a horse-like face, small eyes, and a short beard, holding a four-foot broadsword. The other was stout but had a white face, holding a black iron spear.

Although these two were in their middle age, Su Qinnian could see at a glance that their attire was not luxurious, indicating they were not from wealthy families. Such a sudden interception of his path was either for money or to take his life. The world was perilous, and not everything was due to hatred.

"Young man, you also want to come to the Moyun Mountains to seek fortune, hoping to obtain the legacy and inheritance from Hong Qi's spirit world?"

"Being able to reach this point and resist the demonic aura is already no small feat. It seems you have at least the fourth or fifth level of the 'Running Horse Technique.' However, you are too young and impetuous. Do you think the martial world is so easy, where good fortune is easily obtained? You don't seem to be rich, but the sword on your back looks decent. Hand it over, and I'll leave you a whole body."

The two spoke in succession, especially the middle-aged man with the horse-like face, whose small eyes gleamed with greed. He had used a sword for many years and could tell from a distance of seven to eight zhang that the green iron longsword on the young man's back was a finely forged blade that could cut hair. Such a sword, in a regular county weapon shop, would cost at least several hundred to a thousand silver taels, and it had to be official silver to be purchased.

"I have heard that ordinary bandits only seek money and do not harm lives. They are often poor people forced into a corner or wronged martial artists who have no choice but to become bandits. You two are so casual, treating human lives like grass. Don't you feel any remorse? Won't nightmares haunt you?"

Su Qinnian spoke calmly, but his eyes were cold. A gentleman's way of life is like water, and the most intolerable thing is the wanton trampling of life.

The two were taken aback, and then the stout man with the spear sneered, "Young man, you are still immersed in your martial world dreams. The martial world has always been about cutting off the roots. There is no such thing as beauty. If we let you go, you would go to the county office and have an artist draw a portrait, and then the imperial six-fan door's constables would capture us. You have no experience in the martial world, and it's laughable to say such things."

Taking a deep breath, Su Qinnian nodded, "Since that's the case, I have nothing to hesitate about."

Huh?

The two frowned. What did this mean? This young man was calmer than they imagined. (Third update, after leaving the Three Rivers, the number of recommendation votes has decreased a lot. Recommendation votes are available every day and are free. Everyone, please come and vote. Ten steps bow in gratitude, and also request new readers to add to their collection.)