[Eternal Night Blood Scripture: Cultivation greatly enhances Internal Energy and Spiritual Power, transforms qi and blood into Yin Sha, and forms a protective aura. Its power far surpasses that of others at the same level. Side effects: It drains the body, causes a certain degree of pain when extracting Yin Sha, and creates a bloodlust. Blood must be consumed regularly; otherwise, the practitioner becomes agitated and distressed.] [Negative Reversal: Cultivation greatly enhances Internal Energy and Spiritual Power, transforms qi and blood into pure Blood Yang Sha, and forms a protective aura. Its power far surpasses that of others at the same level. Side effects: None. When cultivating the Eternal Night Blood Scripture, extracting Blood Yang causes no pain, and the effect of tempering and enhancing Spiritual Power is doubled. The more Blood Yang one has, the calmer one feels. Long-term cultivation strengthens the body with Pure Yang Body Protection, multiplies one's qi and blood, and makes it easier to cultivate Spirit Techniques.]
Suddenly, Chen Xia felt a warm current surge from the book and flow through his fingers, spreading throughout his body. The various diagrams, words, and inner methods of the Eternal Night Blood Scripture were now imprinted clearly in his mind.
Countless bits of information interwove, recombined, and circulated in his mind. At last, a strengthened version of the Eternal Night Blood Scripture was imprinted there. Every side effect had vanished, leaving behind a proper cultivation method with excellent results.
"Eternal Night Blood Scripture..."
"Yin Sha becomes Blood Yang, and it can enhance Spiritual Power without pain, even granting Pure Yang Body Protection?..."
Chen Xia murmured to himself. A diagram of the method's circulation appeared in his mind.
He immediately sat cross-legged on the bed and began meditating, circulating the technique.
Before long, the Seven Injuries Fist force in Chen Xia's dantian began to stir. What was more, the qi and blood throughout his body seemed to catch fire, steaming as they turned into a blood mist. They gathered into the phantom form of Blood Yang, mingling with the Seven Injuries Fist force and tinting it red. Its quantity increased slightly, and it gained the power of Seven Injuries Force.
This...
Chen Xia's fingers trembled faintly with excitement. He said in disbelief, "The original technique condenses Yin Sha and comes with all sorts of side effects. It makes people evil and cold. But my strengthened version of the Eternal Night Blood Scripture condenses Blood Yang instead, and I don't even need to drink blood to stabilize it. This is practically an entirely different, higher-grade cultivation method."
Besides, Yang energy was naturally the bane of Yin Sha.
That meant the Eternal Night Blood Scripture had been transformed into something better suited to Chen Xia's cultivation. Although his Internal Energy had turned red, that didn't matter.
Cultivating Evil Techniques filled the body with evil energy. But his body was filled with Blood Yang, brimming with righteous energy. Even if he used it, others wouldn't sense any Yin Evil and naturally wouldn't think he practiced an Evil Technique.
"With the Eternal Night Blood Scripture laying my foundation and the Seven Injuries Fist backing it up, my strength will surely increase by leaps and bounds when I cultivate Spirit Techniques. I'll also become a Spirit Technique practitioner. I'll be cultivating both martial arts and sorcery!"
After cultivating for a while, Chen Xia felt warm all over. The technique circulated and stimulated his blood, but it didn't make him uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, it felt wonderful.
Somehow, his Spiritual Power was increasing, and his mind was growing clearer. As for the headaches and needle-prick sensations throughout the body that other people experienced while cultivating, he felt none of them.
"The pain caused by the Eternal Night Blood Scripture must be central to increasing Spiritual Power. But advanced inner methods can increase Spiritual Power without pain, too. I've only practiced for a short while, and my whole body already feels wonderful."
Feeling the changes within him, Chen Xia's lips curved into a smile. The Eternal Night Blood Scripture and the Seven Injuries Fist didn't conflict.
His strength had already been improving quickly. With the Eternal Night Blood Scripture complementing it, the results would be even better.
Because of the panel's reversal, Chen Xia had already memorized the technique, so he no longer needed the book.
He took it to the bathroom, lit it with a lighter, and burned it, so no one would find it.
There was a window in the second-floor bathroom of his house. Burning the book with the light on wouldn't cause any problems. At most, a little smoke would drift outside, and no one would notice in the middle of the night.
Once he was done, he flushed the ashes away with water, turned off the light, and returned to bed. Then he opened the black bag and counted the money.
One stack, two stacks, three... In the end, Chen Xia counted fifty-six hundred thousand yuan in the bag!
"Five hundred and sixty thousand. Add the two hundred thousand or so I already had, and I've got 765,200 now. That's a considerable sum."
Chen Xia put the money beneath the bed and considered his options. "I definitely need to practice the Eternal Night Blood Scripture and lay a good foundation for Spirit Techniques. If I can master three Spirit Techniques, my strength will be worlds apart from what it is now. But the Spirit Techniques are in the hands of the Night God Sect. I'll have to find an opportunity."
"I got a lead earlier: somewhere in the southern suburbs, there's a village with 'Tong' in its name. I can investigate."
Chen Xia had no intention of reporting this matter. He had taken the Evil Technique, and he still needed to get his hands on the Night God Sect's inheritance technique first.
Besides, he could use this new technique to make another push for greater strength during this period. It would be safer to use that money to improve himself before taking action.
"No one should have noticed me today..."
Chen Xia replayed what had happened in his mind. Given his disguise and how carefully he had left, it was unlikely anyone could identify him.
With that thought, he got up and turned on the hot water in the bathroom, washing away the weariness of the day. Then he washed the knife he had used earlier and set it on top of the bathroom cabinet.
There were several knives in the cabinet. He had practiced knife techniques in school, so it was perfectly normal for him to keep knives at home.
After washing up, Chen Xia got back into bed and continued cultivating the Eternal Night Blood Scripture. Unbeknownst to him, wisps of pure Yang Blood Mist seeped from the meridians in his body and began gathering in his dantian.
In an underground chamber.
White electric lights illuminated the basement. Cao Yi sat at a table with liquor on it, listening to his subordinate's report, his face livid with rage.
"Did you get a good look at who it was?"
"Brother Cao, the man was completely disguised, and he'd altered his face. There was no way to tell who he was," the bald Banshou recalled.
"Can't you narrow it down? Someone from Fengxin Street, perhaps, or one of the Mercenary Groups around Luotian Street? Or maybe someone from the Patrol Inspection Office?" Cao Yi asked in a gloomy voice.
"Judging by his strength, he was at least Grade 1, Seventh Stage. He could deal with Lord Edel's men, and may even have been stronger. Other Mercenary Groups have experts like that, but they wouldn't act alone. As for the Patrol Inspection Office, that's even less likely. They always operate in groups. All I can say is that the man was a mystery. I couldn't figure anything out. The only thing I could tell was that he carried a knife."
"A knife? Was it a Patrol Inspection Office knife?"
"No, just an ordinary steel knife. But in his hands, it was deadly. He cut several people down in a single stroke." The bald Banshou remembered the scene in the alley. It still lingered vividly in his memory, and his face turned pale.
Cao Yi's expression darkened even further. A deep red gleam flickered in his eyes, and he clenched his fists, looking ready to fly into a rage.
Cao Yi had already been in a foul mood lately. His brothers had been sent to Dragon Mountain Zone for construction work. He had contacted people in the Patrol Inspection Office, but this time the situation was unusual. Dragon Mountain Zone needed a batch of free laborers, and when they learned that Zhao Banshou and the others had broken the law, they specifically demanded that this group be sent over. On top of that, the matter involved someone the Chief Office had taken an interest in, so Zhao Banshou hadn't returned.
The pressure from the person backing him also weighed on him. Being the head of the group was no easy task. But without his patron's support, he wouldn't have the power he had today, so he had to grit his teeth and do a lot of things.
Now, before much time had passed, they'd lost a bunch of people here as well.
They'd lost the technique and the money—and, most importantly, the woman they'd abducted, who had been meant as a gift for Lord Edel.
Seeing Cao Yi remain silent, the bald Banshou and the other trusted men stood quietly to the side with their heads lowered, afraid he might erupt in anger.
Suddenly, Cao Yi asked, "You said money was missing. How much, exactly?"
The bald Banshou's gaze flickered. He lowered his head and answered quietly, "Over eight hundred thousand."
After speaking, he lowered his head even further.
He had exaggerated the amount. The money had originally been collected from the nearby shops as various "protection" fees, but he had secretly pocketed some of it and spent it. He'd been worrying about how to cover the shortfall. Now that this had happened, he might as well report a higher loss.
Cao Yi snorted. "It's bad enough that the money's gone. That book belonged to Lord Edel. If word got out that it was missing, people would learn that the Night God Sect was connected to us. That wouldn't be good for the group's growth."
"Does that person know where our base is?"
"No. Only those of us who know the core secrets know where it is. The people on the periphery have no idea."
"Good. No matter what, we have to find that person!"
"Also, tell the people below to keep a low profile for now. The lord's preparations are almost complete. The ceremony can be held in a few days. Everyone here will attend. You might even get to see the legendary Blood God and receive power from him."
Cao Yi's Gathering Justice Mercenary Group had grown to 350 people. Only the thirteen people in the basement were core members, all of whom had fought alongside him from the beginning.
Lord Edel had recently been gathering women for an Evil God ceremony. They would wait for word before going over. Besides helping out, they could also get more Essence Blood rewards from Lord Edel.
As they practiced Evil Techniques, replenishing their Essence Blood would also help them improve their strength.
With the Essence Blood rewards from above, all of them would grow stronger. Then, if they could take over the other streets, they could work more effectively for Lord Edel and obtain even more money, women, and power.
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