Sacrifice: Three Absolute Shocking Fiends!

The inscription lit up with a bloody red glow.

A wisp of gray light flickered, shooting directly towards the offerings placed before the Heavenly Stele.

With a flash, the remnant blade, blood wine, Swift Wind Grass, and other items were gathered by the light and drilled into the Heavenly Stele.

Following that, another surge of vitality was forcibly extracted.

It was half a year of lifespan.

On the Heavenly Stele, light flowed, and mysterious runes flashed on and off, lasting for a full three breaths.

This time, only a wisp of green light emerged. The stream of light circled above his head and drilled into his mind.

In the darkness.

Jiang Che felt a cool breeze.

The scenery before his eyes changed. The inn scene vanished, replaced by the peak of a cliff with an unfathomable depth, and gusts of cold wind howled.

A blurry figure appeared before him.

It demonstrated the sword moves of the Cool Wind Blade Momentum meticulously.

From basic to proficient.

Between heaven and earth, only he and the figure existed at this moment. The moves the figure practiced were constantly influencing him.

Slash, lift, sweep, chop, stab.

The figure's speed increased, and its distance from him rapidly decreased. Finally, just as when he had mastered the Sacrifice of Savage Bull Strength, the figure completely merged with him.

Jiang Che closed his eyes. Streams of cool wind blew against his face, feeling like blades of wind striking his body. His understanding of the Cool Wind Blade Momentum was gradually becoming clearer.

Opening his eyes, a glint flashed in Jiang Che's pupils. He suddenly leaped up, reached out, and drew a standard long saber hanging by his bed. With a raise of his hand, he swept it forward.

Solid foundation, sharp blade.

Jiang Che did not look like a novice practicing swordplay for the first time. Instead, he resembled a seasoned martial artist who had practiced for many years. One Sacrifice could allow him to withstand the practice of ordinary people for several years.

At this moment, his protective strength had increased by several notches.

Especially when his inner breath flowed into the arm holding the long saber, his drawing speed and the force of his swings were greatly enhanced. If he were to fight Deng Yan again, he believed it would not take more than three breaths.

His opponent would surely be defeated.

And if he encountered Song Ji of Crouching Tiger Mountain, who had tried to kill him on the spot, he now had the ability to fight him, rather than being knocked to the ground with two punches and falling into an absolute disadvantage.

After a simple test of the Cool Wind Blade Momentum's power, Jiang Che was very satisfied. He then suppressed the various emotions in his heart and turned his attention to the martial skill Three Absolute Shocking Fiends.

Having completed the Sacrifice, he could now confirm one thing.

As long as the damage to the fragmentary martial skill did not exceed three-quarters, the Heavenly Stele Sacrifice could forcibly mend the damaged parts, and it could still be sacrificed.

Therefore, the experiment was over.

It was time for him to truly cultivate the Three Absolute Shocking Fiends.

Jiang Che kept the silver foil close to him, took it out with a solemn expression, and read it word by word.

There were no illustrations or diagrams on it, only lines of small engraved characters. It did not describe any moves or sword techniques. Instead, it resembled a scripture that guided one towards evil.

A moment later, Jiang Che put down the silver foil and closed his eyes.

[Sacrifice Target: Three Absolute Shocking Fiends - Entry Level.]

Having already completed four Sacrifices, Jiang Che understood that the more difficult the target of the Sacrifice, the more terrifying and stringent the price of the offering would be.

Liu Zhi had practiced for many years without finding a way in, which was enough to show the terrifying nature of the Three Absolute Shocking Fiends and the difficulty of its cultivation. The upper limit of this martial skill's grade was definitely beyond the scope of what ordinary people could cultivate.

Therefore, Jiang Che did not dare to set the target for the Three Absolute Shocking Fiends as "minor accomplishment" like he did for the Cool Wind Blade Momentum.

He feared that if the target he set was too high, he would not be able to provide the offering, thus delaying his progress.

If it was just entry-level, he might have a chance.

The Heavenly Stele Sacrifice lit up with mysterious bloody runes, lasting for about ten breaths before another line of small text was engraved on it.

[Sacrifice Price: Ten drops of heart blood from three Inner Breath Realm martial artists each, ten wisps of Yin Sha energy, one Corpse Blood Mushroom, and two years of lifespan reduction. Sacrifice? ]

The Heavenly Stele Sacrifice presented the price, but Jiang Che's brow furrowed deeply.

None of these offerings could be easily obtained.

The heart blood of three martial artists of the same realm would mean he had to kill at least three martial artists.

Yin Sha energy was also not easy to obtain.

To obtain Yin energy, one must first find a place of Sha.

But where could such a place be found?

As for the Corpse Blood Mushroom, he had never even heard of it before.

And the sacrifice of two years of lifespan...

This was only for entry-level.

He knew that when he cultivated Savage Bull Strength and Cool Wind Blade Momentum, even at the minor accomplishment stage, it only cost him half a year of lifespan.

What did two years of lifespan mean?

It meant he was just shy of two and a half years!

High-grade cultivation methods were indeed not easy to practice.

In comparison, killing three martial artists of the same realm seemed much easier.

"Corpse Blood Mushroom?"

Inside Miao Chun Tang, an old man with white hair, dressed in a cotton coat, squinted as he examined Jiang Che. After a moment of thought, he slowly shook his head. "This item is not from the righteous path. I don't have it here."

"Then, Mr. Hu, do you know where I might find it?"

Jiang Che, unwilling to give up, continued to press.

Ever since the Heavenly Stele had presented the cost last night through the sacrifice, Jiang Che had not wasted any time upon waking this morning. He immediately came to a nearby clinic to inquire.

"This..."

The old man surnamed Hu, feeling a bit wary of the official uniform Jiang Che was wearing, was about to brush him off. However, upon seeing the depth in Jiang Che's eyes, and with the intention of not causing trouble, he still explained the origin of the Corpse Blood Mushroom.

This item was a variant of the precious Jade Snow Mushroom.

Its growth conditions were extremely harsh; it only grew on corpses rich in flesh and blood essence. Furthermore, it required at least one year of cultivation to mature. Most of them were possessed by demonic or heretical cultivators, making them extremely scarce in the market.

"One year..."

Doctor Hu's words dispelled Jiang Che's idea of cultivating it himself. He truly couldn't wait that long. He immediately frowned and asked the old man a few more questions, but the latter shook his head and told Jiang Che.

He genuinely didn't know where to find this item; he had only seen it once in the past.

Jiang Che felt a little disappointed. He cupped his hands and took his leave.

Since the Corpse Blood Mushroom was mostly possessed by demonic or heretical cultivators, he could try to approach it from that angle. In the martial world, there were quite a few martial artists who practiced demonic cultivation methods for rapid advancement.

He didn't believe he wouldn't be able to find it.

"Sir."

As soon as he exited the entrance of Miao Chun Tang, Geng Dabiao greeted him.

"What is it?"

"People from the Cao Gang sent a letter, saying it needs to be opened by you personally."

"Open it."

"Yes."

Geng Dabiao did as he was told, unfolding the paper from the envelope and quickly scanning it.

"What does it say?"

"Kou Yuansheng is asking when you can meet Captain Zhu, and he seems a bit impatient."

Geng Dabiao presented the letter with a cupped fist. Jiang Che glanced at it, then casually crumpled it and tossed it into a ditch. With a calm expression, he gave instructions, "Dabiao, go back and bring some men... We've rested for so many days, it's time to make some money."