Essence-Locking and Qi-Solidifying

[Essence-Locking Ring: Locks essence and qi, preventing the leakage of origin.]

[Equipped Attributes: Essence-Locking and Qi-Solidifying (Green).]

[Essence-Locking and Qi-Solidifying (Green): Origin does not leak, and continuously accumulates essence and qi, improving origin.]

[Solidification Condition: Abstain from sex for three thousand days.]

[Equip?]

"This is the Essence-Locking Ring. It can help you preserve your origin."

Jiang Rui introduced.

After speaking, she added:

"This one hasn't been used before."

Looking at this magical artifact, Zhou Er pondered.

Although it might not have much effect, the attribute effect seemed quite good.

It was just that the solidification condition was too harsh.

Having something is better than nothing.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Zhou Er took the ring-shaped magical artifact, expressing his gratitude.

Just as Zhou Er was about to say something else, he felt a prick in his Spiritual Sense. Zhu Yan, not far away, glared at him.

He immediately left and went to a secluded place with Zhu Yan.

"What were you whispering to that little bitch about just now?"

Zhu Yan said angrily, pinching Zhou Er's ear.

"That was my former Senior Brother. I was just catching up. I didn't expect her to have joined the Hehuan Sect now."

Zhou Er quickly explained.

"That's still not allowed!"

Zhu Yan remained furious.

After a session, Zhou Er was glad he had quietly equipped the Essence-Locking Ring.

Zhu Yan didn't notice this. She simply tidied herself up and went to meet guests.

After seeing off the guests, Zhu Ying walked up to Zhou Er with some items and said:

"Daddy! Look."

Zhu Ying showed off the gifts she had received.

Zhou Er looked at them; they were all good spiritual materials.

[Underworld Ganoderma: A ganoderma that grows on a thousand-year-old ancient coffin, beneficial to the Spiritual Soul.]

[Equipped Attributes: Nether Devour (Blue).]

[Nether Devour (Blue): After killing an evil target, its residual soul can be absorbed.]

[Solidification Condition: Absorb one hundred residual souls.]

[Equip?]

This was the first time Zhou Er had seen a blue attribute, and he was immediately tempted.

Since Zhu Yan was not here, he could quietly pocket it.

"Sweetie, can you give this Underworld Ganoderma to Daddy?"

Zhou Er extended his hand and asked.

"No! This is my treasure."

Zhu Ying immediately stuffed the Underworld Ganoderma into her embrace.

Seeing this, Zhou Er became nervous. Zhu Yan might come over at any moment.

"Sweetie, do you like Daddy?"

Zhou Er asked.

"I do."

Zhu Ying replied.

"Then give the Underworld Ganoderma in your hand to Daddy, and Daddy will give you something better."

Zhou Er thought for a moment and took out the Turtle Shell Shield he had put away earlier.

The Turtle Shell Shield was much larger than the Underworld Ganoderma, and Zhu Ying was tired of playing with the Underworld Ganoderma in her hand. She immediately took it out to exchange.

After Zhou Er equipped the Underworld Ganoderma, he said:

"Sweetie, don't tell your mother that you gave the Underworld Ganoderma to Daddy. This is our agreement."

Zhu Ying nodded obediently.

After reiterating a few more times to Zhu Ying, Zhou Er finally felt relieved.

However, even if Zhu Ying leaked their secret, it wouldn't matter. Worst case, Zhou Er could just bring out the Underworld Ganoderma again.

Zhu Yan saw the father and daughter playing after sending off the guests, and a smile appeared on her face.

If they could continue to live an ordinary life like this, it seemed pretty good.

Perhaps because she received too many gifts, Zhu Yan didn't notice the Underworld Ganoderma was missing.

Although Zhou Er didn't know the special use of the Underworld Ganoderma's attributes, it was better to have it than not.

Currently, the ways he could obtain new attributes were too few.

He no longer wanted to be the damn City Lord of Bashui City.

In the following years, the entire Cultivation World was in constant war, with periods of fighting and pauses.

Bashui City was not greatly affected. Zhou Er also cultivated bit by bit, relying on the Solidified Essence and Locked Qi attributes to barely recover some of his origin. He also cultivated Moon Absorption and broke through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Moreover, Zhou Er's Spiritual Sense further strengthened.

When he performed internal spiritual sense scans, he noticed a small shadow in his heart.

[Heart-Eating Gu: A Gu insect that attaches itself to the heart.]

[Equipped Attributes: Blood Puppet (Blue).]

[Blood Puppet (Blue): Use one's own vital blood as a guide to create a Blood Seed, controlling others with the Blood Seed.]

[Solidification Condition: Devour Ten Thousand Jin of blood.]

[Equip?]

Looking at these attributes, Zhou Er roughly understood what the Heart-Eating Gu was.

This Gu insect, which resembled a centipede, was likely the larval stage of the Bone-Eating Devil Lord's Natal Gu Insect.

These insect eggs were hidden within the Heart-Eating Pills. As they consumed the Heart-Eating Pills, these insect eggs would begin to hatch, take root, and grow on their hearts. The Bone-Eating Devil Lord could then control them with this Gu.

Now, Zhou Er could use the effect of the Equipment Slot to equip these Heart-Eating Gu insects into the Equipment Slot.

This way, he could find a way to break free from the Bone-Eating Devil Lord's control and also eliminate the influence of the Heart-Eating Gu.

Although the method to break free was now clear, it was impossible for Zhou Er to completely escape the Bone-Eating Devil Lord's control.

First of all, Zhu Yan wouldn't let him go.

It was good to be able to detect the Heart-Devouring Bone, at least it wasn't as hopeless as before.

Although the chances were slim, Zhou Er still had a chance to escape Bashui City.

In the following days, Zhou Er carefully considered ways to get away from Bashui City.

He couldn't be caught and brought back by someone again, like last time.

After much thought, if he were to fly away, Zhu Yan might be able to catch Zhou Er back in no time.

Finally, Zhou Er judged that if he wanted to escape, his only chance was to go by water.

Following Wangyue Lake downstream, all the way with the current, escaping the continental region, leaving this area, only then would he have a chance to survive.

While he was planning, ten years had passed in the blink of an eye for Zhu Ying.

She was now cultivating an ancient technique called the Ancient Wood Evergreen Technique. Although her cultivation was slow, she had reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, making her an absolute prodigy among her peers.

It was impossible for Zhou Er to say he had no feelings for this adorable daughter.

However, Zhou Er knew that his lifespan was only a little over thirty years. If he continued to waste time here, being controlled by Zhu Yan.

Let alone achieving the Dao and ascending to immortality, he would probably be buried in the earth.

Thus, while Zhu Yan was in seclusion, Zhou Er quietly left the City Lord Mansion of Bashui City, came to a waterway, and plunged in.

Because he had the Underwater Breathing attribute, Zhou Er was like a fish in water once he entered the water, and quickly swam out of Wangyue Lake through the waterway.

Moreover, he used the waves to swim for who knows how many days, at least several hundred days and nights, and finally reached the estuary.

At the estuary, Zhou Er looked at the Wansheng Continent from afar. After a moment of hesitation, he left without looking back.

Since he had decided to escape, he couldn't worry about so much. He headed straight into the sea.

The continent was in chaos now. It would be better for him to flee overseas. When the situation stabilized and his cultivation was sufficient to establish himself on the Wansheng Continent, it wouldn't be too late to return for revenge.

Thus, Zhou Er continued to swim in the sea like a fish.

The vast sea was endless.

Although Zhou Er didn't know where he had swum to, he had regained his long-lost freedom. Even swimming aimlessly made him feel incredibly comfortable.

After swimming for several days, Zhou Er saw a flock of large birds with big mouths and huge wings.

"By following these birds, I should be able to find a place to stay."

Zhou Er observed that these birds were not ordinary birds; they were all first-tier Spirit Beasts.

And these birds wouldn't fly around aimlessly all the time; they would definitely find a place to stay and rest. He could just follow these Big-Mouth Birds to find a place where he could catch his breath.

Soon, Zhou Er followed the Big-Mouth Bird to an Isolated Island.

Zhou Er floated in the air, observing the island's terrain from above. It was roughly Crescent Shape.

After a sweep, he confirmed there was no one on the island, and the most powerful beings were just those Big-Mouth Birds from before.

Seeing this, Zhou Er landed on the island, taking it as his temporary resting place.

Upon landing, the first thing Zhou Er did was to seek a location for his future Cave Mansion and establish it.

Using his Spiritual Sense to scan inch by inch, Zhou Er found the most suitable spot by a Pond in the center of the island.

This was Yueya Island's only freshwater source, and a flock of Big-Mouth Birds gathered around it.

The Big-Mouth Birds were very wary of Zhou Er. The moment he appeared, their attention focused on him.

Zhou Er also noticed the largest bird among the flock. Its wingspan was probably four to five meters.

He estimated it to be at the Intermediate Stage of First Tier, comparable to Zhou Er.

Zhou Er and the bird exchanged glances. The bird knew Zhou Er was not to be trifled with and, spreading its wings, swooped down at Zhou Er.

Zhou Er was not flustered and engaged the bird in a Physical Body combat.

The Big-Mouth Bird's Iron Feathers scraped against the scales covering Zhou Er's body, creating sparks.

Man and bird wrestled, crashing through several large trees that would require three to four people to embrace.

Zhou Er's Physical Body was formidable, and his Spiritual Sense had been tempered through years of Moon Absorption cultivation. He could even fight a Second Tier Demonic Beast with his Physical Body.

After struggling for only half a moment, the Big-Mouth Bird realized it was no match for Zhou Er.

However, by then, it was too late for the Big-Mouth Bird to escape.

Zhou Er grabbed the Big-Mouth Bird by the neck, revealed his four Sharp Poisonous Fangs, and bit down, injecting the Azure Nether Poison.

This was a talent he possessed after merging with his Life-Bound Gu.

After the injection, Zhou Er released his grip on the Big-Mouth Bird.

The Big-Mouth Bird flew unsteadily a few times before plummeting down into the water.

Seeing this, Zhou Er quickly swam over and dragged the dying Big-Mouth Bird onto the sandy Shore.

Looking at the Big-Mouth Bird, whose breath was growing weaker, Zhou Er checked his Panel.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Middle Stage (97.13%)]

[Equipment Slot (3/3): Essence-Locking Ring, Underworld Ganoderma, Heart-Eating Gu]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Essence-Locking and Qi-Solidifying (Green), Nether Devour (Blue), Blood Puppet (Blue)]

[Solidified Attributes: Moon Absorption (White), Hundred Poisons Immunity (Green), ...]

Since obtaining the Blood Puppet attribute, Zhou Er had not used it yet.

So, Zhou Er looked at the panting Big-Mouth Bird and asked:

"Do you want to live?"

Zhou Er possessed the Beast Language Mastery talent, and the Big-Mouth Bird understood the general meaning of Zhou Er's words, blinking its eyes vigorously.

Seeing this, Zhou Er extended his hand, using his finger as a knife, and made a wound.

Dark red blood gushed out.

Although his blood had been contaminated with many poisons due to years of cultivating Poison Cultivation, his blood still had some effect in solving the Azure Nether Poison.

The Big-Mouth Bird drank Zhou Er's blood, its eyelids grew heavy, and it closed them unconsciously.

"It's dead?"

Zhou Er did not expect the Big-Mouth Bird to be so susceptible to poison.

He felt for the Big-Mouth Bird's breath; there was still a faint respiration.

Zhou Er dragged it near the freshwater pond, letting it recuperate there.

After a few days, the Big-Mouth Bird slowly recovered its condition and could finally fly again.

Among Demonic Beasts and Spirit Beasts, strength reigns supreme.

Zhou Er had defeated it, so it immediately regarded Zhou Er as its master.

Of course, even if this Big-Mouth Bird did not obey, Zhou Er had planted a Blood Seed on it, which allowed him to control it completely.

And with the leader Big-Mouth Bird subdued, the other Big-Mouth Birds on the island immediately became obedient.

To distinguish it, Zhou Er named the leader Big-Mouth "Big Mouth".

And during these past few days, Zhou Er had also developed his Cave Mansion quite well.

Although he did not understand formations and could not set up defensive formations to block external enemies, having the Big-Mouth Birds defending the surroundings was much more effective than any formation.

Zhou Er distanced himself from the Demonic Person of Poison Dragon Cave. Even though he was alone on Yueya Island cultivating, he didn't feel lonely.

Without the poisonous insects, Zhou Er's efficiency in cultivating the Poison Cultivation significantly decreased.

Furthermore, he didn't particularly like cultivating the Poison Cultivation.

Thus, he simply set aside the Poison Cultivation for the time being and switched to cultivating the Bi-Sea Tide Sound Technique he had previously put down.

The freshwater pond was rich in Water Attribute Spirit Energy, so Zhou Er would sink to the bottom of the pond to cultivate during the day.

At night, he would find a high ground on Yueya Island, absorb the moon to cultivate, and condense his Spiritual Soul.

Several days later, Zhou Er's Spiritual Sense strengthened again.

Because his Spiritual Sense was powerful, the bottleneck from Foundation Establishment Middle Stage to Foundation Establishment Late Stage was like paper to him; it crumbled with a single push.

Now, his Spiritual Sense spanned over five hundred meters, far surpassing cultivators of the same realm.

In his spare time, Zhou Er would explore the island.

It was a pity that this island was ancient, and it seemed no one had ever visited. Zhou Er found no traces of previous inhabitants.

However, it was good that there was no one else; at least no one would disturb him.

Zhou Er could stay here to cultivate wholeheartedly and hone his skills during this period.

Time flew by unnoticed in cultivation. In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

He had now reached Foundation Establishment Peak, and his Physical Body and Spiritual Soul had both improved to near perfection.

However, forming a Golden Core required a Golden Core cultivation method and Golden Core spiritual items for assistance. When he was in Bashui City, Zhu Yan had always guarded against him, and she would certainly not give him the continuation of the Myriad Poison Heaven-Devouring Scripture.

As for the Golden Core method of the Bi-Sea Tide Sound Technique, without external assistance, the success rate was less than one-tenth.

Attempting to form a Golden Core rashly would only result in death and the destruction of his Dao.

Zhou Er would naturally not try it lightly.

During the ten years on the island, Zhou Er had seen powerful Demon Race beings playing on the sea surface.

On one occasion, he saw a senior from the cultivation world flying through the sky.

Based on his estimation, there should be other forces in the vicinity. As long as he flew in the direction the senior had flown, he should be able to find a gathering place for cultivators.

At that time, he might be able to obtain Golden Core spiritual items and seek an Opportunity for forming a Golden Core.

Leaving Yueya Island to Big Mouth to look after, Zhou Er swam towards the direction the senior had flown.

He discovered that with the help of his Underwater Breathing ability, his swimming speed was much faster than flying, so he decided to swim.