"Spit it out!"
Yang An shook his hand, and the mouth formed by the Flesh-Buried Talisman on his palm immediately spat everything out.
There was a hodgepodge of items, so much so that Yang An felt almost dazzled.
Other than the rod he had obtained from Daoist Kong Shuai, which was still in Pan Yu's possession, everything he owned was here.
When Old Man had suddenly taken him away from Xi Yue River, he could only part from Senior Brother Pan Shi and Pan Yu without saying goodbye. That rod was still inside Pan Yu's Small Sumeru Bag.
But it was merely a filthy rod. Though it was a Dharma artifact and should be worth quite a bit, it still made him feel sick just thinking about it. He would let Pan Yu keep it for now.
If fate allowed them to meet again someday, he could ask her for it then. If they never met again, so be it.
He first put the cultivation scroll recording the Mysterious Dao Solution Method back into the Flesh-Buried Talisman. Everything else was his haul from the Communal Feast Convention, and the pills made up the largest portion.
Ten Dao Sheng Elixirs that could accelerate cultivation, one Substance Transformation Pill, and ten Nourishing Yuan Elixirs for treating injuries.
There had originally been twelve Nourishing Yuan Elixirs, but Old Man had forcibly rushed him to Corpse Saliva Valley earlier, leaving Yang An badly injured. He had therefore used two of them.
As for Dharma artifacts, there were two: the Stone Egg Armor and the Flying Bird Boots.
The Stone Egg Armor could form armor over the body's surface and possessed fairly impressive defensive power.
As its name implied, the Flying Bird Boots were boots worn on the feet. They could instantly increase the explosive speed of the wearer's legs, but every use caused the boots to sink three inches into the flesh. Eventually, they would fuse with the flesh and become impossible to remove.
Other than that, there was a fist technique, a movement technique, and a spell technique.
The fist technique was the Great Light Seal Fist Technique, which could improve his close-combat ability.
The movement technique was Cloud-Treading Steps. Before reaching the Origin Feeder Realm and mastering the ability to make one's physical body fly through the air, movement techniques were extremely important in actual combat. That was why Yang An had accepted this technique.
The spell technique was the Three Veins Transformation Technique he had obtained from Black Brow, along with three Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones.
Yang An intended to master this spell technique no matter what. It could seal living beings within Pressure Stones and rapidly replenish Mana. Its uses were endless, and it could provide tremendous aid in battle.
Unfortunately, aside from the three Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones, he did not possess the material known as a Pressure Stone. If he wanted to make more Flesh Beast Yuan Replenishing Stones in the future, he would first have to find Pressure Stones.
These were all of Yang An's current possessions. They could offer some help and improve his strength, but he still lacked the most crucial Fate Dao Technique.
Recalling how he had only just arrived at Corpse Saliva Valley and witnessed the battle between the eldest senior brother and Old Man, Yang An could not help yearning for the eldest senior brother's Fate Dao Technique, Nine Dragon Nine Punishments. The spectacular sight of nine flaming dragons had deeply shaken him.
Looking cool was one thing, but its power had to be formidable too.
Though he might not need Tribulation Crossing like the other disciples, if his practical combat ability was too poor, his own safety could not be guaranteed. What use would high cultivation be then?
After taking stock of everything, Yang An first purified the two Dharma artifacts, then put them on.
The Stone Egg Armor transformed into a membrane-like layer of armor that clung tightly to his skin. Wearing it felt like being wrapped in a layer of gauze, and Yang An did not feel anything unusual.
His clothes concealed it well, making it difficult to spot. Its concealment was excellent.
The Flying Bird Boots felt no different from ordinary boots when worn. However, any cultivator could tell at a glance that they were Dharma artifacts, so they might not achieve a surprising effect.
He put the pills back into the Flesh-Buried Talisman's stomach pouch without immediately purifying them. Out of caution, Yang An decided to purify them only when he needed to use them.
Only the fist technique, movement technique, and spell technique remained. Yang An decided to learn the movement technique first and leave the fist technique and spell technique for later.
After all, his current strength was low. Once he became embroiled in battle, facing an opponent head-on was not the best choice.
After tossing the Great Light Seal Fist Technique and the Three Veins Transformation Technique back into the Flesh-Buried Talisman's flesh pouch, Yang An began reading the secret manual containing Cloud-Treading Steps.
He read until he had no idea what time it was. Only when an outer sect Corpse Slave brought him food did Yang An pause to rest and fill his stomach first.
He was only at the early False Eater Realm and had not yet fully shed his mortal flesh. In other words, he still needed food to provide vitality to his body. Only upon reaching the late False Eater Realm could he attain the level of fasting.
The Fate Crane Sect had no cooks specifically responsible for preparing meals for them, much less laborers to handle all manner of chores and logistics. There were only Corpse Slaves.
That meant this meal had been made by the Corpse Slave who had just delivered it.
These Corpse Slaves had all been soldiers who died in battle. Perhaps he had happened to get one who had once been a cook.
Only after inspecting it did Yang An dare take a bite. The food did not taste particularly good. It was merely rice and some vegetables cooked together, rather salty in flavor, like food from a communal cauldron.
Still, having something to eat was good enough. Yang An did not mind it, and this also improved his impression of these Corpse Slaves somewhat.
Though this might have been some kind of program Eighth Senior Brother had left in the Corpse Slaves.
But getting to eat food cooked by a corpse was truly... too cool!
Yang An remembered him. This Corpse Slave who had brought him food would definitely be put to work often in the future.
His clothes were gaudy and colorful, and Eighth Senior Brother had dressed him up quite nicely. Yang An decided he would call him Fu Gui from now on.
After finishing his meal, Yang An immediately resumed studying Cloud-Treading Steps and began trying to learn as he read.
To master this movement technique, he first had to learn certain application techniques for Mana, then coordinate them with special footwork and rhythm. Only after becoming completely proficient could he use it in practice.
If he did not train seriously and failed to master it skillfully, the slightest error in battle could lead to grave consequences. Yang An therefore practiced with great care.
He continued learning until the sky had completely darkened and the entire Corpse Saliva Valley sank into deathly silence.
As mentioned before, he was only at the early False Eater Realm. Besides eating, he also needed rest to recover his energy. Though cultivation could keep him in good condition, rest remained indispensable at his current stage.
Ever since he had gone to Xi Yue River with Senior Brother Pan Shi and Pan Yu, he had not properly rested even once.
But when Yang An lay on the bed, atop the soft quilt and blanket prepared by the Corpse Slave, they were so soft and comfortable that they were as far apart as heaven and earth from those in his home in Jiu Nan Town.
Yet Yang An could not fall asleep no matter what. His thoughts were a complete mess.
Too much had happened to him over the past few days. He had muddleheadedly become a cultivator and entered Old Man Fate Crane's sect, yet he had no idea whether it was a blessing or a curse. For a time, he simply could not calm down.
He did not know how much time had passed when Yang An, dazed and muddled, was on the verge of sleep yet still somewhat hazy.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Three consecutive knocks suddenly jolted him awake. He sat upright in bed at once.
The knocking had come from outside his room. Someone was knocking on his door!
"Who is it?!"
He had clearly ordered the Corpse Slave to stand guard outside, yet when the knocking came, there was not the slightest movement beyond the door. That was highly abnormal.
Alert, Yang An rose from the bed in a crouched posture as he asked for the identity of the person outside.
At the same time, Bone Relic Buddha Light and the fire of the Lighting Method appeared above his head, instantly illuminating the room.
Very soon, Yang An received a response from outside the door. It was a completely unfamiliar male voice.
"Are you Master's newly accepted disciple?"
Hearing the voice outside, Yang An froze for a moment.
From that form of address, he could tell that the other party should be someone from the sect—one of Old Man's disciples!
Yang An relaxed slightly. Just now, he had nearly thought that the Corpse Slave outside had rebelled and was about to trigger some kind of zombie crisis.
However, Yang An did not lower his guard because of that. For the other party to seek him out at this hour was far too suspicious.
With that thought, Yang An pondered for a moment before cautiously replying,
"May I ask which Senior Brother has come to visit? Why not come during the day, so that this Junior Brother may show proper courtesy?"
After Yang An spoke, silence fell outside the door. Only after a while did another voice come through.
"Do not be afraid, Junior Brother. I am your Sixth Senior Brother, Jin Tong. I had no choice but to come here!
I have run into some trouble and have come specifically to beg Junior Brother for help!"
"Junior Brother, save me!"
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