Jiang Yan returned to the cultivation chamber once more and sat cross-legged in the center of the Fire Gathering Platform. With a flip of his palm, another cultivation manual slowly appeared.
The cover of this manual was made from some kind of black beast hide, its edges threaded with flowing specks of golden light.
There were no words engraved on the cover.
But.
Look closely, and one could see countless intricate forbidden patterns interwoven and entwined across it.
They faintly exuded an aura that seemed capable of breaking through everything.
This was not a cultivation technique, but a forbidden-breaking art Jiang Yan had found in the Scripture Pavilion of the Crimson Flame Sword Sect.
It contained principles for breaking through all kinds of secret arts and was designed specifically to counter the many restrictions, formations, and seals found throughout the world. It was a pinnacle inheritance of its kind.
At least, within the Crimson Flame Sword Sect, it was exceedingly precious.
However.
This kind of forbidden art was incredibly difficult to cultivate. One needed immense talent even to master the basics, and it had little to do with improving one's cultivation.
Thus, although the art was precious, it had long since been left to gather dust on a high shelf.
Jiang Yan had obtained this forbidden-breaking art for a very direct purpose: he wanted to see whether, after mastering it, he could find a way to break through the many restrictions Vermilion Bird Supreme had placed on him.
After all, he did not want to be at someone else's mercy.
Although Vermilion Bird Supreme seemed to bear him no great ill will on the surface, Jiang Yan did not want to entrust his life to someone else's whim.
Besides, he knew his own affairs best. The Vermilion Bird Saintess and