[Black Zombie Skill: Blood Corpse Escape (Entry 0/100)+] [Blood Corpse Escape: Awakened Corpse Technique] [The myriad techniques are distinct, with some focusing on slaughter and others on defense, while the escape technique focuses on survival. Upon reaching perfection, one can invoke thirty percent of corpse qi to burst forth and execute the Blood Corpse Escape, seamlessly traveling a thousand miles away. If a corpse qi imprint is left behind, one can escape to the location of that corpse qi imprint. After fleeing afar, the corpse qi will leave no traces along the way, nor will it leave any aura. Apart from the Corpse Nurturer, for every person brought along, corpse qi consumption increases by ten percent! (Current escapable distance: two miles.)]
The Blood Transformation Body can actually awaken a corpse technique!
Wen Jiu sighed with emotion.
He thoroughly studied the Blood Corpse Escape, growing more startled the longer he looked, and liking it more and more.
Three Rivers Ghost Concealment.
Coupled with this Blood Corpse Escape.
To say the least, when it came to retreating and preserving one's life, absolutely no one in the same realm could match it.
Wen Jiu still remembered an old saying: before learning martial arts combat, learn how to take a beating. It meant one had to endure first to be qualified to face the enemy. Cultivation was the same; one had to stay alive at the very least to cultivate, right?
If one couldn't even survive, everything else was empty talk.
Once the Black Zombie steps into the upper realm, coupled with the triple Blood Transformation Body, the Three Rivers Ghost Concealment, and the Blood Corpse Escape...
Wen Jiu froze.
He dared not think further.
How strong the Black Zombie would be.
However, two miles is still not quite enough. With the current distance of two miles, any Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator capable of sword flight could reach it in a moment. Without a second thought, Wen Jiu directly upgraded the Blood Corpse Escape to the first layer.
At this moment, the benefits of hoarding corpse qi on ordinary days manifested.
It cost a total of one hundred points of corpse qi.
Yet Wen Jiu still had a surplus of 221 points.
[Corpse Qi Surplus: 221] [Black Zombie Skill: Blood Corpse Escape (First Layer 0/500)+]
He glanced again at the message description of the Blood Corpse Escape.
The two-mile distance had expanded to five miles.
He put away the panel.
Rejoice as he might, Wen Jiu was also very capable of recognizing reality.
That was, while the Black Zombie was powerful, he himself remained extremely weak.
If the Black Zombie were entangled.
Trapped.
What should he do?
If someone wanted to capture the leader by first capturing his followers at this time, what should he do then?
Therefore, Wen Jiu opened the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art.
Through several days of browsing, he had committed all its contents to memory, aside from the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Method and corpse-raising techniques.
Wen Jiu also saw a vast amount of corpse techniques.
As well as different spell arts.
Extremely miscellaneous.
And extremely complex.
Even with the Daily Settlement Panel, time was limited, and Wen Jiu currently lacked the time and energy to practice all of them.
Thus, after careful consideration.
Wen Jiu chose the yin talisman method.
What was the yin talisman method?
Simply put, it was talisman craft.
Yet not normal talismans, but yin talismans.
The various yin-dispelling talismans, flame talismans, and the like crafted by normal talisman masters all belonged to yang talismans, being talismans forged by orthodox Qi Refining cultivators. But the yin talisman method could only be drawn through unorthodox paths.
Moreover, it required practitioners of unorthodox paths who had condensed yin methods.
On this point, Wen Jiu already met the criteria.
Naturally.
Wen Jiu selected it not just because the prerequisites were met, but because it aligned extremely well with his philosophy.
Accumulation.
Accumulation once again.
It was the same effect as the Corpse Eye.
The Corpse Eye accumulated yin methods to burst forth at a critical moment.
Yet the yin talisman method accumulated yin talismans; one could sell them when spirit stones were lacking, and hoard them when spirit stones were sufficient.
They could serve as a foundation!
However, yin talismans could not be used infinitely either; possessing a thousand sheets made it impossible to hurl all thousand of them out in one breath.
For activating a yin talisman was just like activating a yang talisman, both requiring spiritual will and mana, otherwise who among those immortal descendants could contend with them?
Be that as it may, activating a single talisman required far less mana than executing a spell art of equivalent potency.
Probably less than a tenth.
I already have enough means for self-preservation, so the yin talisman method shall focus on offense! Wen Jiu immediately began browsing through the Yin Talisman Record.
From unranked.
To ranked.
And all the way to top-tier first-grade mid-quality yin talismans.
A full hundred and more.
The drawing methods and other details recorded above were also very complete.
If I hadn't joined the Night Patrol Division, who knows when I would have ever obtained this. Wen Jiu could not help but sigh with emotion.
Then, after pondering repeatedly, Wen Jiu selected the yin talisman described most frequently in the Yin Talisman Record, which also possessed the greatest lethality.
He prepared to use it to enter the threshold of the yin talisman method.
Though it would likely ruin his reputation once drawn.
However.
Ruined it was.
As long as it didn't delay his cultivation plan, it didn't matter.
In any case, not many fellow disciples currently tolerated him as a corpse nurturer anyway.
Early the next morning.
Wen Jiu sought out Wang Nian.
Because buying tools for drawing talismans required spirit stones, and he currently didn't possess a single one, he had no choice but to borrow from Wang Nian.
Upon hearing that Wen Jiu actually wanted to borrow spirit stones, Wang Nian looked rather surprised, "Little Brother Wen, why are you suddenly looking to borrow spirit stones?"
As for Wen Jiu.
He was generous.
He would lend however much was needed.
Yet he was curious.
Wen Jiu did not hide it, seeing as Wang Nian was his creditor after all, "I'm planning to take some time to start practicing the yin talisman method."
"So that's how it is." Wang Nian showed no surprise, as if he had anticipated it long ago, "The yin talisman method is the most famous part of the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art. You've chosen well, and you can even become a yin talisman master to earn spirit stones yourself."
"No wonder the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Record Steward Mu gave me had the largest section dedicated to the yin talisman method." Wen Jiu suddenly understood.
Wang Nian spoke again, "I'll accompany you. As a newcomer going to the trading market to buy talisman-drawing tools, you're bound to encounter those who fleece buyers."
With that, Wang Nian turned and gave the burial workers a half-day break.
This prompted the burial workers to hold Wen Jiu in considerable respect—previously it was respect driven by the difference in status, but now it was respect springing from the depths of their hearts.
Soon, Wang Nian brought Wen Jiu into the trading market.
Finding a small talisman shop, Wang Nian bought a set of talisman-drawing tools from the old talisman master within. The original price of five low-grade spirit stones was beaten down to four by Wang Nian, and thirty talisman papers per spirit stone were likewise barged up to thirty-five sheets, infuriating the old talisman master until his beard fluttered and eyes glared, while Wang Nian cursed and muttered all the way out.
It serves you right that you still haven't entered the threshold of the talisman dao, kid!
Wang Nian didn't mind in the other man's anger, instead flashing a shameless, cheeky grin. Evidently, the two of them had known each other for more than a year or two.
Upon returning, Wang Nian helped Wen Jiu move next door to his own dwelling, and upon inquiry, Wen Jiu learned that Wang Nian had purchased the adjoining courtyard.
It was intended as a welcome gift for Wen Jiu joining the Night Patrol Division.
Since the cost was minimal, amounting to only a few hundred taels, Wen Jiu gladly accepted and did not decline.
Yet he also understood.
He owed Wang Nian more and more.
Fortunately, he would be able to repay it in the future, so it didn't matter much.
The Hour of Mao.
Wen Jiu returned from his night patrol.
He took out the unranked monster beast talisman brush and unranked monster blood, and laid out the ordinary talisman papers.
As yin methods gradually poured into the talisman brush, Wen Jiu began to draw the talisman stroke by stroke—its name was the Soul Seizing Talisman.
Among the Yin Talisman Records, this talisman ranked in the top three for lethality, and first for frontal lethality.
At its highest, it could reach the pinnacle of first-grade low-quality.
It could slay peak Qi Refining Third Layer cultivators.
Even Qi Refining Fourth Layer ones had to give it a wide berth.
Because the Soul Seizing Talisman targeted the enemy's soul directly; a single yin talisman could extract and shatter an opponent's soul, making it an extremely vicious type of yin talisman.
Without spell arts or dharma artifacts capable of blocking yin methods to fend it off, those with slightly weaker strength would die the moment they were struck by it.
This was also why it would add frost to snow where Wen Jiu's already poor reputation was concerned.
Yet he had to admit.
Its lethality was truly formidable.
And Wen Jiu truly desired it.
What caught Wen Jiu by surprise was that while he had expected crafting yin talismans to be quite difficult, it went even smoother than he imagined.
Stroke by stroke.
Every movement turned out smooth and natural.
That old talisman master and Wang Nian had mentioned that beginners in talisman craft struggled to sustain their mana when drawing talisman scripts and found it hard to achieve meticulous control, but Wen Jiu felt none of that whatsoever. The yin method blended with the monster blood and fell upon the talisman paper, making everything feel effortless.
Could it be that I was born with the talent for unorthodox paths... Wen Jiu smiled helplessly.
He was a genius.
Just a crooked-path genius.
I suspect it also has to do with the yin method residing within my dantian. Wen Jiu drew this conclusion after careful analysis.
For that old talisman master had mentioned, and the Yin Talisman Record had also noted, that yin methods were difficult to harmonize with the drawn talisman scripts.
Yet his case was not harmonization.
It was direct erosion by the yin method.
Harmonize or not.
You will accommodate me regardless.
Thinking of this, Wen Jiu chuckled silently.
Early the next morning.
Wang Nian knocked on Wen Jiu's door bright and early, clutching in his hands the talisman-drawing insights he had accumulated over the years.
"Little Brother Wen, these are the insights your older brother here gathered over the past two years of drawing talismans, as well as the detours I took. Look through them, they will definitely let you..." Wang Nian froze, because upon opening the door and peering inside, he saw a dozen successfully crafted yin talismans resting on the table.
Though they were merely unranked yin talismans.
They were still genuine talismans.
"I..." Wang Nian looked down at the insights he had spent the whole night organizing in his hands, feeling momentarily at a loss.
It seemed this kid had no use for them at all.
Damn it.
Was this kid's unorthodox-path talent really this exaggerated?
He himself hadn't been able to enter the threshold in two years.
This kid entered it overnight!
"Brother Wang," Wen Jiu stepped forward to greet him and reached to take the items from Wang Nian's hands, but Wang Nian pulled them back.
Wang Nian said helplessly, "My insights probably won't suffice for you anymore... Listen to me, go spend more time hanging around Steward Mu Canglong, put on a good performance, and strive to get your hands on their family's talisman-drawing insights."
"Huh?"
Wen Jiu looked somewhat puzzled.
Wang Nian did not spell it out, seemingly afraid to speak, "Just listen to me and you'll be fine. When I tell you to perform, you perform... Some things are taboos and cannot be spoken of. Once spoken, I'll be in deep trouble."
[Apologies. A bit late. Begging for recommended tickets. Monthly votes. A new week has begun! Charge, charge, charge!]
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