Suppressing Fate

Since that was the case, it was time to take away the other opportunity here and see whether it could bring him some surprises.

"Screech!"

His Life-Bound Sword shot out of his dantian and vanished in a flash, plunging deep into the earth beneath the cold pool. Finally, from the underground water veins formed by the earth veins, it swept up an inconspicuous bluish-black stone and brought it out.

That was it!

Observing it at close range with his Fiery Golden Eyes, Jiang Ming could finally see it more clearly.

A fist-sized piece of Pure Source wrapped around a pebble-sized chunk of Purple Copper.

The amount of Purple Copper his Life-Bound Sword had absorbed last time had been far too little.

This time, with such a large piece of Purple Copper to empower it, it would definitely be refined into a Supreme Spirit Artifact.

Purple Copper had always been one of the best materials for Dao Palace Realm cultivators to refine treasure artifacts. It could even be used all the way through the Four Extremes Secret Realm without issue.

Even some cultivators in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm used treasure artifacts made of materials no better than similar heavenly treasure materials like Purple Copper.

After all, artifact-refining materials from heaven and earth were incomparably precious. Not everyone could be like Ye Fan, who had obtained an ultimate treasure material like the Root of the Mother Qi of All Things the moment he began forging his weapon.

Even materials capable of forging Heritage Saint Weapons were nearly impossible to find.

For the current Jiang Ming, Purple Copper was already the finest artifact-refining material.

Even so, he was immensely satisfied.

Jiang Ming cut open the bluish-black stone, which was as large as a millstone, and removed the Variant Cold Source within. The Variant Cold Source contained an extremely frigid essence as well as vigorous life essence. Inside it flowed essence like blue mist and crystalline rosy light.

It could be said that after the Purple Copper inside was removed, this piece of Variant Cold Source was not very large. Yet the essence it contained exceeded even the flesh-and-blood medicinal hotpot Jiang Ming had eaten earlier.

Source was divided into impure Source containing impurities.

Pure Source.

And Variant Source.

Variant Source was the finest ordinary Source beneath Divine Source.

Jiang Ming took out the Cold Source. Each piece was crystalline, like fragments of blue sapphire, flowing with dazzling radiance. He stored them all in his Sea of Bitterness.

Next, his Life-Bound Sword pierced into the Purple Copper. Amid the cry of dragons and phoenixes, Jiang Ming swiftly formed one restriction after another with practiced ease. Coordinating with his God sense, he rapidly inscribed Dao Patterns, helping the Life-Bound Sword advance quickly.

"Screech!"

With a dragon's roar, purple treasure light flowed across the Life-Bound Sword, which resembled red crystal. It effortlessly transformed into a Supreme Spirit Artifact.

In theory, a Supreme Spirit Artifact was already the finest treasure artifact a Dao Palace Realm cultivator could temper.

To transform it further, a cultivator would need to enter the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

As for the Variant Cold Source, he would let the Sea of Bitterness absorb it slowly.

The Variant Cold Source contained pure power that could be directly absorbed and converted into a source of God's power or true essence within the body. If his true essence ran short during battle, it was even more useful than a Qi Restoration Pill.

He had only just broken through to the eleventh level of the Qi Refining Stage, so there was no need to rush another breakthrough.

Recently, his cultivation speed had risen as though he were riding a rocket.

Next, he needed to search for materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill and refine one as a reserve.

Although Jiang Ming felt that with his current physique, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage would likely be far easier than in his previous life, and the Foundation Establishment Pill might be unnecessary.

He still had to prepare one. He could go without using it, but he could not go without having it.

Before long, the Life-Bound Sword devoured the entire piece of Purple Copper, leaving behind some purplish-black powder. These were impurities left after the Life-Bound Sword consumed the essence.

The Life-Bound Sword, once crimson, had now become crimson-purple. It had originally resembled red crystal, but now carried an additional cold metallic gleam.

Purple Copper's defining trait was that it was better at empowering Dao Patterns, making artifacts sturdier and more durable. It also carried a trace of the Dao charm of heaven and earth's purple qi, which was its most precious quality.

When cultivators practiced cultivation, they would capture that trace of purple qi between heaven and earth at sunrise to reinforce their Dao foundation.

Using Purple Copper to forge a treasure artifact would, over time, also benefit a cultivator's own cultivation.

The matters here could be considered settled.

Since this was Old Cold Chi's territory and his temper was foul, no savage beasts or exotic birds would dare come within a hundred li to provoke him.

Jiang Ming had unknowingly sat here for three days.

Cultivation knew no years; the boundless Dao was too vast.

The closer one got to home, the more timid one became.

Jiang Ming thought again of his daughter Tingting standing at the doorway, her little eyes eagerly awaiting her parents' return. To him, that gaze was too scorching. He did not even dare look at it.

His heart hurt too much.

Tingting was only a little over three years old.

For a child that age, companionship was the most precious gift.

Back then, even though Jiang Ming and Lingzhi were cultivators, they would return home every few days to visit Tingting and spend as much time with her as possible.

If he could obtain an Emperor Armament, it would surely be able to suppress the backlash brought by his Three-Star Fate.

Jiang Ming suddenly thought of a way. Even if he himself did not enter the Saint Realm, he could still interact normally with his daughter: obtain an Emperor Armament and use it to suppress his own fate.

But where could he get an Emperor Armament?

In fact, half an Emperor Armament would be enough.

The Heaven-Swallowing Demon Canopy.

Jiang Ming immediately thought of that immoral Daoist he had recently encountered. That fellow was neglecting his proper duties; letting him hold the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Canopy was a waste.

Then there was attacking Yaoguang Sacred Land and taking the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron.

Yaoguang Sacred Land lacked a solid foundation. It was obviously a soft target.

Right, and Yan Ruyu, along with the Demon Emperor's Armament.

If he slept with Yan Ruyu and made her his Dao companion, then half of the Demon Emperor's Primal Chaos Azure Lotus would count as his.

Jiang Ming was nearly mad now. He did not care whether plotting for these things made him shameless, despicable, or righteous.

As a man who had once fallen into demonhood, he had long since become crazed. The only reason he did not act recklessly was because he knew he was still human.

Demons were also a kind of Dao.

Becoming a demon did not mean one had to commit every evil, throw all living beings into chaos, and slaughter the world.

He needed time!

And he was not strong enough yet.

Without sufficient strength, everything was empty talk.

After accumulating strength for a while and obtaining more heavenly treasures, he could play it safe and charge toward the twelfth level of Qi Refining, condense a Foundation Establishment Dao Platform, and begin breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He would set the Shrouding Method aside for now.

He would focus on the Chinese Paladin Method. Once his cultivation was strong enough, he could truly let the first to prosper lead the later ones to prosperity.

The road was long and blocked; he would follow it upstream.

In this lifetime, the Heavenly Tyrant Body would charge into the restricted zones, become "brothers" with those old ghosts within, borrow his "brothers'" Absolute Beginning Fate Stones for cultivation, use his "brothers'" lives to cultivate, and squeeze every last bit of value from his good "brothers."

The Ancient Mine of Absolute Beginning, the Undying Mountain—

His "close friends" were spread throughout the Life Restricted Zones.

As for where he would go now?

First, he would go to Taixuan Sect and meet Hua Yunfei, to see whether they could become good brothers.

It just so happened that he could also slay demons and vanquish devils along the way.

First become friends with demons and devils, then stab them in the back.

He would ruthlessly squeeze every last bit of value from that damned system.