Di Jiang tossed the question back to Minghe and let him name his price. That only left the Blood Sea youth deep in thought for a moment. Light flickered in Minghe's crimson eyes as he rapidly weighed his options.
Cultivation techniques? He already possessed the complete Blood Sea inheritance, enough to support his cultivation all the way to the peak Golden Immortal realm. It included Blood God Son clones, the Blood Sea Grand Formation, the Slaughter Sword Dao, and other top-tier divine abilities. For now, he lacked nothing.
Although he had sensed that he'd somehow lost his karmic connection to a certain spiritual treasure, if he didn't even know what it was, then the time wasn't right. There was no point in forcing the matter. Besides, he already had the peerless offensive swords Abi and Yuantu, as well as the Karma Fire Red Lotus, which offered unmatched defense and suppressed his fate. His collection of spiritual treasures was already exceptional; he had no pressing need for more.
So what should he ask for? Materials? Resources? Di Jiang didn't look like someone skilled at alchemy or crafting artifacts!
Minghe's gaze returned to Di Jiang. He sensed the other man's aura, as one and unfathomable as the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm itself. Most striking was the Daoist resonance that seemed to flow faintly around him, as though it could directly resonate with the laws of the Primordial World. A thought flashed through Minghe's mind like lightning: insight into the laws!
That was it! Di Jiang had entered the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm ahead of most of the Primordial World's great powers. He had followed Pangu's path of Attaining Dao Through Strength—or, in other words, Attaining Dao Through Laws. His understanding of the laws must have reached an extraordinarily profound level!
Though Minghe had an extraordinary inheritance and powerful spiritual treasures, he would one day need to break through the Peak Da Luo realm and enter the mysterious Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm. Drawing on the insights of a pioneer into the laws would be crucial—a fortuitous opportunity that might never come again!
Having made up his mind, Minghe raised his head. His crimson eyes held less of the wariness he'd shown before and more earnestness and longing.
"Fellow Daoist Di Jiang," Minghe said, cupping his hands.
"I wouldn't presume to ask for the Dao at the heart of your cultivation. I only hope to exchange the secret art for tempering the soul with fiendish qi from my Sea of Blood God Refining Art for some guidance from you on cultivation and insight."
He paused, then elaborated. "Especially your understanding of laws related to slaughter and destruction. You've already reached the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm, so even a little of your experience would benefit me immensely. I'd be trading one cultivation art for another, each of us getting what we need. What do you think?"
Minghe watched Di Jiang somewhat nervously. The request wasn't too much, but it wasn't trivial, either. Insight into the laws was one of a cultivator's most precious assets, rarely shared with others. But Minghe was offering the core secret art of his own inheritance in return. The exchange was fair—it all came down to whether Di Jiang thought it worthwhile.
Di Jiang's eyes flashed with surprise, then softened into an understanding smile. The boy had a sharp eye—and ambitious tastes. He'd gone straight for insight into the laws, one of the keys to the Primordial Dao.
Still, Di Jiang thought the deal was well worth it. He urgently needed the part of the Sea of Blood God Refining Art that tempered the soul with fiendish qi. It could solve the central problem with the Great Formation of the Myriad Heavens. As for insight into the laws, he had the potential of the Twelve Ancestral Witches within him and cultivated space and time as his main path. He'd also studied other laws in depth.
Sharing some general insights and experience that didn't touch on anything fundamental would cost him nothing. It might even forge a bond between them, and let him see how far Minghe could go along the Path of Laws.
"Agreed. I'll make the exchange with you. You give me the method for tempering the soul, and I'll give you guidance on comprehending the laws."
Di Jiang answered without hesitation.
Seeing how readily Di Jiang agreed, Minghe was overjoyed. A brilliant smile spread across his handsome face, and he hurriedly said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist!"
Di Jiang's quick agreement lifted a great weight from Minghe's heart and filled him with irrepressible joy. He wasted no time, immediately transmitting the core method from the Sea of Blood God Refining Art to Di Jiang through divine sense. It explained how to draw in fiendish qi to temper the Primordial Spirit and strengthen the soul.
The method was extraordinarily ingenious, the crystallization of countless eons of wisdom Minghe had gained as he naturally came into being from the Blood Sea's origin. It covered how to guide fiendish qi, dissolve its malevolent nature with a special soul seal, and turn its pure, vicious will into a whetstone for tempering the Primordial Spirit.
After receiving the method, Di Jiang gave it a quick analysis with his Primordial Origin Golden Immortal cultivation. He could tell at once that it was profound, precisely suited to his needs, and no empty promise. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
Then he kept his promise and held nothing back. He condensed a ray of spiritual light with his divine sense, imbuing it with his understanding of the laws. It contained several main parts.
First was his perspective on the basic applications of the laws and how to understand them more deeply. Though it wasn't a core divine ability, it would give Minghe a higher-level understanding of the Path of Laws.
Second was an explanation, based on the sharpness and penetrating power of the Law of Gold, of the killing and destructive aspects of slaughter.
Third were some general recommendations and cautions about cultivating multiple laws, balancing them, and bringing them together, drawn from Di Jiang's own experience of fusing different laws.
The ray of spiritual light contained an immense amount of information. It would take Minghe a long time to absorb it, and it might offer invaluable guidance for the path ahead.
Minghe received the ray and sensed its contents. Its mysteries far surpassed his expectations. Trembling with excitement, he bowed deeply once more. "Your generous gift means a great deal to me, fellow Daoist. I'll remember it always!"
The exchange was complete, and both sides were pleased. Minghe knew Di Jiang would soon try to cultivate the soul-tempering method, so there was no reason to linger. He hastily cupped his hands and said:
"Now that you have the method, you'll surely need some quiet to study it. I won't impose on you any longer. I'll take my leave, and I wish you great success in mastering your divine abilities!"
Without another word, Minghe transformed into a streak of blood-colored light and merged with the churning Blood Sea below, vanishing in an instant. He was clearly eager to return to its heart and enter seclusion to absorb the insights Di Jiang had given him.
Once again, Di Jiang was alone at the edge of the Blood Sea. He felt Minghe's aura vanish completely, then surveyed the boundless dark-red ocean before him and nodded. "The fiendish qi here is inexhaustible. This is the perfect place to practice the method!"
Di Jiang immediately sat cross-legged in the air at the edge of the Blood Sea. First, he carefully studied the soul-tempering section of the Sea of Blood God Refining Art to make sure he understood it. Then he formed the prescribed seals and cautiously drew in the dense fiendish qi around him once more.
He guided and filtered the fiendish qi using the method. Strands of dark-red qi, pure but still savage, slowly coiled around Di Jiang's Primordial Spirit like venomous snakes brought to heel.
At first, the familiar stinging and corrosive sensation returned. But as the soul seal flashed, the qi's violent will was gradually neutralized and stripped away. Its remaining pure energy began to hammer and temper his Primordial Spirit, blow by blow.
The process still brought pain. It was as if his soul were being scorched and pounded in alternating flames and ice. But the sensation was no longer the unbearable tearing agony that had nearly driven him to collapse before.
Under the control of his will and the guidance of the method, his Primordial Spirit grew denser and tougher at a slow but steady pace. Its resistance to fiendish qi was also gradually improving.
"It works!"
Di Jiang's confidence settled. He immersed himself completely in the painful yet satisfying process of tempering. In the Netherworld Blood Sea, turbid waves surged, and endless vicious fiendish qi bowed like subjects before the motionless figure at its edge.
Drawing on the power of this most defiled place in the Primordial World, Di Jiang began the crucial cultivation needed to overcome the final obstacle in the Great Formation of the Myriad Heavens. Once he succeeded, he would truly wield this ultimate trump card—one powerful enough to shake even the Sages!
If you think this book is worth reading, add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time!
Before you continue