Seeing the despairing yet resolute looks in Chief Hou Yuan and the Houtu Tribe's Witch Clan members' eyes, Li Wuyang was moved.
He was no saint, but he understood the importance of repaying kindness and forging good karma. The Houtu Tribe had sheltered and helped him when he had first entered the primordial world. Now that they were in trouble, he could not stand by when he had the ability to help.
Of course, charging straight into the demon race's headquarters to seek revenge was unrealistic. What he could do was strengthen their ability to survive.
After pondering for a moment, Li Wuyang said to Hou Yuan, "Chief Hou Yuan, I gained some insights during my fifty years in seclusion. Perhaps... there is a method that can help your tribe's young ones temper their bodies faster, condense their vital energy and blood, and increase their combat strength."
At his words, a sharp light suddenly flared in Hou Yuan's dim yellow eyes. "Is what the Dao Child says true?!"
The Witch Clan did not cultivate the primordial spirit, only their physical bodies and bloodline power. A method capable of efficiently tempering the body would be of immeasurable value to them!
Li Wuyang nodded. What came to mind was part of the foundational principles of "refining essence into qi" from the Huang Ting Jing. Though the core of the Huang Ting Jing lay in refining qi and preserving the spirit, its explanations of essence, qi, and the physical body were also exceptionally profound. He could simplify and adapt the portions suitable for the Witch Clan, combining them with his shallow understanding of their cultivation methods, into a Witch Body Forging Art.
This technique did not involve any profound Dao arts. It primarily guided the circulation of vital energy and blood, stimulated acupoints, and enabled more efficient absorption of the baleful qi of heaven and earth required for Witch Clan cultivation. It could significantly improve cultivation efficiency and physical strength.
"I can pass this technique on to your tribe, but you must swear a bloodline oath that it will not be passed on to outsiders," Li Wuyang said solemnly. He did not want to invite unnecessary trouble for himself.
Hou Yuan trembled with excitement and immediately swore in the name of the Ancestor Witch that he would never let it leak.
At once, Li Wuyang transmitted the chant and circulation diagrams of the Witch Body Forging Art to Hou Yuan and several tribal elders through divine sense.
After trying it briefly, they felt its mysteries. The circulation of their vital energy and blood had indeed become much smoother, and their efficiency in absorbing baleful qi had increased as well! It was practically a cultivation art tailor-made for the Witch Clan!
"Dao Child, your great kindness will never be forgotten by our Houtu Tribe!" Hou Yuan and the elders were about to perform a grand bow.
Li Wuyang hurriedly stopped them. "It was only a small effort. There is no need for this. I only hope this method can help your tribe overcome this crisis."
This act undoubtedly brought his prestige within the Houtu Tribe to its peak, earning him immense goodwill and karma.
Just as the entire tribe was immersed in the joy of gaining a new cultivation art, Li Wuyang suddenly sensed something.
He raised his head and looked toward the sky.
High above in the distant heavens, boundless merit seemed to be gathering! Yet because of the conflict between the Witch Clan and demon race, the Heavenly Dao was obscured. The merit did not descend completely. Instead, it transformed into wisps of incomparably fine yet immensely heavy Xuanhuang Qi, radiating the aura of heaven and earth's xuanhuang essence. They scattered throughout the primordial world, blessing those who had rendered service to heaven and earth, borne great karma, or performed good deeds and accumulated virtue.
One nearly imperceptible strand of Xuanhuang Qi seemed drawn by his small act of kindness in imparting an improved cultivation method and strengthening one of the primordial world's native races—the Witch Clan—as well as the unique karma of his status as the Dao Child. It drifted through the void and descended toward him!
Though it was only a hair-thin strand, the righteous aura of heaven and earth and the motherly aura of all things contained within it made the Great Dao Imprint in Li Wuyang's sea of consciousness tremble slightly!
"Is this... Xuanhuang Qi?!" Li Wuyang was both shocked and delighted! This was the foundation for forging acquired merit treasures, such as the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda! Though it was only a single strand, its value was immeasurable!
He quickly circulated the Huang Ting Jing and carefully guided the strand of Xuanhuang Qi into his dantian, slowly nurturing it with his true qi. The Xuanhuang Qi sank beneath his golden core, coating it with a faint xuanhuang radiance and making its foundation even more stable and weighty!
Good deeds truly brought good rewards! Li Wuyang was in high spirits.
After lingering in the Houtu Tribe for several more days, offering guidance on cultivating the technique and leaving behind some spiritual materials and medicinal pills he had no use for, Li Wuyang decided to set out once more.
He needed to learn more about the current state of the primordial world, especially regarding... Zixiao Palace's teachings! That was one of the greatest opportunities in the primordial world, and he absolutely could not miss it!
After bidding farewell to the deeply grateful Houtu Tribe, Li Wuyang mounted Huaihuai and set out once again with his companions toward the main peak of Buzhou Mountain.
(End of Chapter Twenty-Five)
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