"Three Veins Transformation Technique: From the 'Transformation Technique Chapter' of the Endless Dharma Compendium. A method that uses the three veins of living beings to transform living bodies into flesh beasts, creating Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones. A technique of borrowing another's hand to replenish one's lifespan, until one's allotted years are fulfilled. Cost of use: Each use causes a certain loss of lifespan. Prolonged use of this technique causes permanent damage to one's three veins; the shell of the body decays irreversibly and cannot be replaced. Status: Can be purified!"
In the end, Black Brow honestly handed over the Three Veins Transformation Technique and also removed Pan Yu's seal.
Because Pan Yu had only recently been sealed as a living being, her flesh had not yet fully fused with the Pressure Stone, so the seal could still be removed.
The living beings within the other three Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones were not so fortunate.
And as a novice still in the Resonance Stage who had yet to step into the False Eater Realm, the Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stone Pan Yu had been sealed into was merely the lowest-grade Ding-class Vitality Replenishing Stone, usable only by cultivators at the early False Eater Realm.
It could only be said that Black Brow had lard smeared over his heart, his greed at work.
For the sake of a mere Ding-class Vitality Replenishing Stone, he had actually dared to take such a desperate risk at the Communal Feast Convention.
But he could not be blamed entirely. After all, who could have imagined that someone besides him would know about the Three Veins Transformation Technique and Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones?
After Pan Yu was released from the seal, thankfully her fleshly form had not been greatly affected. Only, her body remained in an unstable state, and her consciousness had fallen into slumber. She would need some time before waking, so Pan Shi could only take her away to rest and recover.
As for Black Brow, Yang An had promised to spare him. Whether others would spare him, however, was another matter.
In the end, Muckworm Child took the fellow away. Clearly, as the host of the Communal Feast Convention, Mother Diviner True Person would not simply turn a blind eye to an act that broke the rules.
Perhaps before long, Golden Egg Jade Qiong Island would gain another new Muckworm Child, and no one would care what identity he had originally possessed.
After dealing with the matter, Yang An tucked away the newly acquired technique and the three Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones.
The Three Veins Transformation Technique was an exceedingly cruel technique, and its cost of use was also extremely steep. Yet the ability to steal another person's lifespan alone was enough to drive many cultivators mad. Black Brow was a typical example.
The Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones created through this method were also marvelous things. They could actually convert living bodies into Mana to replenish the user's expenditure. Anyone could use them; perhaps they could even become addictive.
This was precisely what Yang An needed. With no cost to worry about, both this method and the Vitality Replenishing Stones would be of great use to him. Perhaps he would no longer need to worry about Mana consumption in the future.
He did not consider himself an entirely good person, but that depended on whom this method was used against. When it came to enemies, Yang An would never show mercy.
After so many days in this world, if he had still harbored any fluke mentality before, then Black Brow had truly taught him a lesson just now.
This world was dangerous. No one could be fully trusted, not even those with the best relationships. No one could say what such people might do.
After all, beneath all manner of strange and bizarre costs, not everyone could bear them completely. Taking desperate risks for one's own benefit was perfectly normal.
This was the true face of this world!
If he had not possessed his special purification ability, he likely would have become one of them too, without exception.
Therefore, facing this world head-on was the most viable way to ensure his own safety.
Black Brow was escorted away by Muckworm Child, while Pan Shi took Pan Yu to the place Muckworm Child had arranged for her to rest and recover. Yang An, meanwhile, composed himself, looked over the lively Communal Feast Convention, and prepared to continue shopping.
But just as he sought his next target and had barely taken a step, the previously clamorous crowd abruptly fell silent in an instant. One could hear a pin drop.
"Mother Diviner True Person has arrived!"
As the surrounding children issued a thunderous welcome in unison, a figure suddenly appeared in the sky and slowly descended.
If one ignored that ugly lower half with its overwhelming visual impact—a mass of countless flesh eggs piled together to form something like a long skirt—
Then judging only by her upper body, she was absolutely a peerless beauty capable of toppling kingdoms and cities, every smile and frown stealing one's soul.
With Mother Diviner True Person's appearance, the trading period of the Communal Feast Convention had officially ended. What followed was the main event of the convention.
The countless cultivators who had come here, regardless of gender, age, or bizarre appearance, all gazed up at that figure as if intoxicated, their eyes filled with fascination.
She was really putting on airs!
Yang An could not help grumbling inwardly.
He knew these people wore such expressions because they had been affected by the Illusionary Insect Corpse.
What he saw was Mother Diviner True Person's true appearance. He wondered what sort of perfect goddess she appeared to be in other people's eyes.
Perhaps this was what they called contrast.
As Mother Diviner True Person finally landed atop a raised platform that the children had set up at some unknown time, the surrounding cultivators withdrew under the children's guidance, leaving an open space.
Behind them, everyone turned toward the commotion. Several dozen children carried a colossal creature over slowly, finally presenting it before the crowd.
It was the body of an enormous Flood Dragon Demon nearly thirty zhang long. Black scales covered it from head to tail, its scaled claws were each the size of a person, and its head alone was larger than a carriage.
Even though this Flood Dragon Demon had become a dead thing, its savage, elongated body still exuded an indescribable lingering might that left people awestruck.
This was at least a Flood Dragon Demon of the Viscera Stone Realm!
Mother Diviner True Person truly had made a grand gesture!
If one could get even two taels of flesh, it would likely equal at least a month's cultivation for an Origin Feeder Realm cultivator, enough to take a False Eater Realm cultivator a long time to digest.
For a moment, everyone's eyes were filled with greed. They could not tear their gaze away from the Flood Dragon Demon's body. If Mother Diviner True Person had not been present, someone likely would have been unable to restrain themselves and rushed forward already.
On the other side, Yang An's reaction upon seeing this so-called Flood Dragon Demon body was utterly different from everyone else's.
His stomach churned, and goosebumps rose all over his body. He could not understand how anyone could possibly have the appetite to eat this thing.
The dense gaps between its scales were crawling with swollen, milky-white flesh tumors the size of thumbs. They looked like pus-filled boils, as though they could rupture and ooze pus at any moment.
Clearly, this Flood Dragon Demon's corpse had been completely occupied by those tumors—jade on the outside, rotten cotton within.
Its seemingly dead body still appeared immensely imposing, but its flesh and blood had likely long since been replaced by those disgusting tumors, ten times worse than decay.
Yang An knew that in these people's eyes, this Flood Dragon Demon body probably looked perfectly normal. The influence of the Illusionary Insect Corpse was simply too terrifying.
There was no way he would eat something like this. Even if there were some cost he could purify, he still would not eat it. It was far too revolting.
He glanced around. No one would notice him; at that moment, everyone's attention was focused on the Flood Dragon Demon's body.
Yang An slowly backed away. After moving away from the crowd, he headed toward the cave where they had been settled earlier.
Trading was fine, but he would pass on the communal feast. He would absolutely not take part in what came next.
Once he had gone far enough that no one could see him, Yang An broke into a wild sprint, intending to find Pan Shi and Pan Yu.
Had Pan Yu awakened yet?
With that on his mind, Yang An's pace grew faster and faster. He was also planning to advise Pan Shi not to join in any of this excitement.
But just as he neared the cave, with less than a hundred steps remaining, Yang An suddenly stopped in his tracks after only a moment of distraction.
It had clearly been broad daylight just moments ago, yet he suddenly found himself plunged into darkness. A cave wall had abruptly blocked the way before him, preventing him from advancing even half a step.
Crack... crack...
As chewing sounds and low, strange laughter came from behind Yang An, his body immediately stiffened. As though realizing something, he suddenly turned around.
Behind him stood a massive stone table laden with all kinds of vivid red meat. The entire cave was permeated with a thick stench of blood, and behind the stone table sat a slightly hunched figure.
Crack... cra—
In the darkness, the crane head as large as a human head ceased chewing. It suddenly raised its head to look at Yang An, its face strange.
"You little fellow actually reached the False Eater Realm without a sound in such a short time!"
"Tut, tut, tut! Old Man, it seems we've taken in an extraordinary new disciple."
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