Soul Relic! Heaven's Return Power!

"A relic with no grade means both ordinary lifeforms and Transcendent lifeforms can use it."

"This effect suits me perfectly."

Wu Yu toyed with the small tripod, faint excitement stirring in his heart.

On the attribute panel, golden radiance gleamed brilliantly.

That seemingly simple recovery effect alone was enough to greatly raise Wu Yu's combat power!

It required no cost and continuously restored his vitality, spiritual power, and mental energy.

This was a permanent effect!

On the smaller scale, it could let Wu Yu stockpile sigils more efficiently, saving him plenty of time and consumables.

On the larger scale, this was something that could save his life!

If he encountered a life-or-death crisis—seriously wounded and unconscious, or bleeding out on the ground—with this item, he would be far less likely to die.

"Among the techniques I'm currently cultivating, there's the Tiger Power Stance, which permanently raises vitality. There are also the Tiger Roar Eight-Slash Saber, Heaven-and-Earth Toss, and Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, which consume vitality to improve physical attributes and wield secret arts!"

"In battle, this item can also prove enormously useful!"

"And since this is a relic, it should be possible to stack it with consumables like pills and food."

Without exception, every gold-quality item was a supreme treasure!

Wu Yu had a feeling that there was likely a massive gulf between purple quality and gold quality, not merely a difference of one rank.

"Let's bind it with blood first!"

"Should I prick my finger or bite my tongue?"

Just as Wu Yu was about to act, a question suddenly occurred to him.

Ordinary blood, or essence blood?

After the Great Cataclysm, martial arts had flourished. Even those determined to walk the path of immortal cultivators often heard information related to martial arts.

"Essence blood" was basic martial arts knowledge.

Unlike ordinary blood, essence blood condensed a person's vitality and blood energy. It was also known as the essence of vitality!

Losing a drop of blood had almost no effect even on an ordinary person.

But losing a drop of essence blood would immediately weaken an ordinary person. Only martial artists could withstand it, though even they would suffer damage to their vitality!

"I'll try ordinary blood first."

After pondering briefly, Wu Yu carefully cut a small gash into his arm.

Having gained entry into three cultivation techniques, his skin had become much tougher.

He had to apply a little force before his skin split open. As a bit of blood flowed out, he hurriedly smeared some onto the small tripod.

The Bronze Tripod showed no reaction at all.

"Good thing I listened to some of that martial arts teacher's class out of boredom back then."

Wu Yu was not surprised. After a brief pause, he assumed the stance of the Tiger Strength Stake Technique.

He was not trying to cultivate. Instead, he circulated a portion of his vitality and gathered it at the tip of his tongue.

The moment the stake technique began, the sinews and bones throughout his body rang in unison, while the faint sound of a tiger's roar echoed through the air.

Roar—!

Wu Yu's body moved with his intent. His vitality condensed into a single point, and he quickly sensed the existence of vitality essence.

With a gentle bite, a sharp pain struck him!

His face twitched, but he endured the pain and let the blood from his tongue drip onto the Bronze Tripod.

The instant that drop of essence blood landed on the tripod's surface, it was absorbed and vanished.

Fine golden lines appeared across the small tripod, spreading outward and forming an ancient illustration.

It was mysterious and dreamlike, its true meaning impossible to glimpse.

Buzz—!

The small tripod suddenly flew into the air, emitting a faint golden glow.

Seeing this,

Wu Yu relaxed inwardly and hurriedly abandoned the stake technique, returning to his normal state.

He touched his arm and felt a faint chill. The sensation of boiling vitality from before had vanished without a trace.

"Just one drop of essence blood..."

Wu Yu could not help clicking his tongue.

A moment later, the tripod's golden glow faded, and it slowly descended from the air.

Wu Yu hurriedly reached out to catch it. In the dark, he sensed his connection to the small tripod, as well as the method for controlling it.

"Return!" With a thought, the small tripod suddenly shot toward him.

Whoosh!

A flash of golden light, and the small tripod vanished instantly.

Yet Wu Yu could still sense its existence.

It had transformed into another form and entered his soul!

The Bronze Tripod continuously released the power of Heaven's Return, nourishing his soul and body.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Wu Yu felt a tingling numbness in his mouth. Moving his tongue, he discovered that its tip had already returned to normal.

"So fast?" He was startled.

It was only a minor wound, but even a martial artist with powerful vitality needed time to recover!

"In that case..."

He immediately looked at his arm.

Sure enough, new skin had already grown where the small bloody gash had been. It was smooth and fair, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding skin.

"Truly miraculous!"

Excitement surged through Wu Yu's heart. He immediately took two ordinary pebbles from his inventory.

His gaze fell upon one of them, and golden lines appeared on its surface. Before long, it transformed into a [Bi Fang Sigil].

Then Wu Yu looked toward the other pebble.

Within a single breath, a [Bi Fang Sigil] appeared on the second pebble as well!

"The recovery speed has increased drastically too!"

Wu Yu's eyes flickered. He decisively took out a third, a fourth, a fifth...

The first three were inscribed in the blink of an eye. The fourth took one minute, while the fifth took ten minutes!

"My vitality limit and recovery speed determine how efficiently I can inscribe [Bi Fang Sigils]!"

"With the supreme treasure that is Heaven's Return, I can completely unleash my full firepower!"

Excited, he decisively took out several items.

Exquisite Food, High-Grade Spirit Wine, and Blood-Replenishing Pills!

All three were external aids with varying effects in restoring vitality.

There were nine Blood-Replenishing Pills left. Their recovery effect was slightly stronger than Exquisite Food.

Bang—!

Finally, a pile of irregular little stones fell onto the table.

Wu Yu took a deep breath. He first swallowed a pill, then took a bite of food and a mouthful of wine, inscribing sigils like mad!

Four kinds of enhancement, four kinds of recovery.

Vitality churned restlessly within his body, while a cool breath rose from the depths of his soul.

Golden runes transformed into the shape of divine birds, and one golden sigil after another shone with enchanting luster.

Not long afterward, Wu Yu's expression changed, and he rushed out of the room without hesitation!

After returning, he took a deep breath and continued going at it fiercely!

The twentieth,

The thirtieth,

The fortieth,

The fiftieth...

More and more pebbles inscribed with [Bi Fang Sigils] accumulated in his inventory.

At some point, Wu Yu finally began to reach his limit.

He opened the [Map] and glanced at it. There were still fifteen hours until the mist arrived.

"I can't do this anymore! I need to stop!"

He grabbed the bottle and found that the Blood-Replenishing Pills inside had already been used up.

After his physical body had been strengthened, the functions of all his organs had improved, and his digestion naturally became faster as well!

But if this continued so frequently...

"I'll doze off for a while, then go once I'm back in good condition!"

Wu Yu rubbed his stomach and looked at the plates and bowls covering the table.

This delicate, delicious food was expensive fare that low-class people after the Great Cataclysm would be reluctant to eat even once in their lives. Yet merely looking at it now made him feel a little nauseated.

After putting everything away, Wu Yu went downstairs to instruct the inn's waiter. Only then did he return, close the door, arrange several pebbles by the doorway and windows, and lie down to rest.

The cold wind was like blades. A gust swept in, making the window creak and groan.

Icy wind scraped across his face,

Wu Yu suddenly jolted awake and climbed out of bed.