Fierce Ghost Lifting Lotus, Twelve Years of Cultivation

From the moment he began cultivating, Tan Shuchang had known that refining Fierce Ghosts would greatly benefit him, further unlocking his own unique nature.

It was like certain wild beasts of the mountains and forests—dogs, cats, and the like—being born knowing which herbs would benefit them.

It was an inheritance of ability beyond words.

However, Tan Shuchang did not know how far his unique nature would develop depending on what level the Fierce Ghost evolved to. Since he had never found a suitable Fierce Ghost before, he had tried making do with wandering souls, but every refinement had instead cost him some of his cultivation.

Once, he had finally encountered a somewhat stronger wandering soul that had already begun to breed baleful resentment. Refining it had not cost him any cultivation, but the trickling blood that spread all over the ground made him vomit everything he had eaten.

It was not until several days ago, when he caught his first Fierce Ghost from that Weird Game, that this did not happen.

He had finally refined one successfully!

At this moment, with a turn of Tan Shuchang's thoughts, trickling blood appeared again. But this time, besides the blood, an illusory lotus dais also emerged.

It was too illusory to make out what the lotus dais truly looked like.

But one thing was certain for now: as long as he could sit on this lotus dais once, Tan Shuchang could gain twelve years of cultivation. The prerequisite for sitting on it was refining another two Fierce Ghosts, combining the strength of four Fierce Ghosts to lift the lotus dais and solidify it.

However, after it was used, the lotus dais would return to its illusory state. To gain cultivation again, he would need eight Fierce Ghosts.

Twice as many as the first time.

The third time, it would again double based on the number needed the first time—twelve Fierce Ghosts.

And then it would continue increasing in turn.

Each time the Fierce Ghosts lifted the lotus dais and Tan Shuchang sat upon it, he could gain twelve years of cultivation.

"Fierce Ghosts don't seem all that hard to find..."

Tan Shuchang calculated the intervals between his two entries into the Weird Game.

In the past, he would certainly have worried over this, because the Jia Five Realm had a Netherworld. From time to time, those Netherworlds sent out underworld officials to seize the wandering souls lingering in the human world and take them back.

And the widely circulated methods for catching and suppressing ghosts in the Jia Five Realm had all spread from that Netherworld.

Because the underworld officials would come knocking to "reclaim" ghostly entities.

In exchange, the underworld officials offered rewards such as "Yin Virtue," "elixirs," and "magical artifacts." Among them, "Yin Virtue" was the currency of the Netherworld.

And if the ghostly entity handed over had reached the Fierce Ghost level, one could even exchange it for the exact whereabouts of a Spirit-Communing Treasure.

Spirit-Communing Treasures were things countless cultivators dreamed of obtaining.

Yet most immortal cultivators, even if they encountered a Spirit-Communing Treasure, had no fate to acquire it.

Just as Tan Shuchang had before.

That Chaos Fate Orb had simply left, and even if he had wanted to stop it, he could not.

However, while Spirit-Communing Treasures chose their own masters and immortal cultivators had no initiative in the matter, that did not diminish their preciousness. Thus, even a mere clue to its exact whereabouts was extremely valuable.

Most of the time, unless it was a feud over one's father being murdered or one's wife being taken, a valid clue to a Spirit-Communing Treasure could directly wipe away the grievances between two people.

"Last time was two days. So in another day or two, it should be time for me to enter the Weird Game again..."

"As for these next two days, I need to find the little thief who stole my diary!"

Tan Shuchang immediately descended Blackheart Mountain and made his way to Clear River City.

It was the only city in the surrounding area.

After all, Blackheart Mountain lay in an extremely remote place. Aside from the Jian Gorge Sect on the neighboring mountain, there was not even a human shadow within ten li.

This city, where cultivators and mortals lived together, was vastly different from cities inhabited solely by mortals.

First of all, there was no county magistrate or yamen here.

After all, establishing such things would not only make trouble for the imperial court, but would also make trouble for the Jian Gorge Sect. As a cultivation force that both the righteous and demonic paths could meddle with, yet none dared touch, the Jian Gorge Sect did not rely merely on marriage ties.

Though quite a few cultivators admired the Jian Gorge Sect's female sect leader, and most of those entangled with her in ambiguous relationships already held high positions—either sect masters or elders on the righteous path, or figures who had made names for themselves on the demonic path—

that female sect leader's cultivation was not low.

Moreover, her disciples bore the renowned title of the Seven Fairies. This meant that those seven disciples were not only beautiful, but also outstanding in cultivation and strength.

Li Luoxia, the Jian Gorge Sect's eldest senior sister, was the oldest of them, just over twenty and part of the younger generation. Yet her strength had long since reached that of the prime generation.

Even some Rogue Cultivators with over thirty years of cultivation were far from being her match.

At this moment, Li Luoxia was in Clear River City.

The people from Sword Disciple Mountain had stayed in this city for so long and sent over batch after batch of people. If the Jian Gorge Sect did not send a disciple of some standing, it would be somewhat hard to justify.

As for sending an elder, that would seem like they were questioning Sword Disciple Mountain. So someone like Li Luoxia was just right.

Just as Li Luoxia breathed a sigh of relief after seeing off that group from Sword Disciple Mountain, she saw her maid hurrying over. She could not help covering her forehead, her face full of anguish. "Xiangxiang, don't tell me another great righteous sect has sent someone?"

"No, Miss. Tan Shuchang wishes to see you," the maid hurriedly said.

"Tan Shuchang? The Tan Shuchang who killed Blackheart Elder?" Li Luoxia was instantly startled, then felt her scalp go numb. This was far more troublesome than disciples from a great righteous sect arriving.

First and foremost, she did not think she was a match for Tan Shuchang.

Although Blackheart Elder had suffered a great loss in strength after the battle several years ago, as long as he had that Spirit-Communing Treasure, the Chaos Fate Orb, his strength had not diminished by much.

At the very least, if that kind of Spirit-Communing Treasure struck her once, Li Luoxia believed she would certainly die.

"Yes, Miss. It's Tan Shuchang, the one who wrote that Cultivation Diary!" This maid had followed Li Luoxia for many years, and her family had served the Li Family as slaves for generations. Li Luoxia therefore trusted her maid Xiangxiang greatly, and would tell Xiangxiang many things she knew.

When Li Luoxia heard Xiangxiang mention the Cultivation Diary, her expression shifted slightly. She recalled that her junior sister seemed to have a somewhat unclear relationship with Tan Shuchang. When her junior sister had caused a disturbance on Repentance Cliff several years ago, it had been Tan Shuchang who rushed over and persuaded her to come down.

Li Luoxia then said, "Quickly invite him in. And don't mention the Cultivation Diary."

"Don't worry, Miss. I've followed you for so long—would I not know what can be said and what cannot? Besides, wasn't the reason I could come with you to cultivate at the Jian Gorge Sect because my mouth is the tightest?"

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