Seventy-Two Transformations

Around four in the morning, just before dawn, Jiang Ming was startled out of meditation by the system's icy mechanical voice.

Two rays of brilliance immediately shot from his eyes, illuminating the dark room. Crystal light flowed through his pupils. He had taken the time to learn a few minor spells, such as the Dharma Eye.

Spells and divine abilities were more or less alike. The learning process was the same, and what could be used in the world of Chinese Paladin 1 could also be used here. Perhaps details such as their exact power and manifestation would differ.

But this was not the time to worry about that. The damn system had pulled another stunt. What had he just heard?

"Congratulations, Host. You have caused the death of your only master, Lei Jinbao, and received a four-star reward: the secret divine ability, Seventy-Two Transformations. Note: This secret art is the innate treasured technique of the Zhu Yan race. Its wonder lies in the fact that when you transform into someone, you can grasp some of their basic innate divine abilities. It is extremely useful.

Please check and receive it."

At that moment, an emotionless mechanical voice rang out once more from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

The next instant, Jiang Ming felt an unfathomable Dao law descend. He felt himself become a Zhu Yan, cultivating in the great wilderness and enduring countless trials. In the end, the heavens shattered, the universe overturned, the sun, moon, and stars fell, and the world broke apart. Even possessing the mighty power to Pluck Stars and Seize the Moon, it could only roar helplessly.

The entire process lasted only two breaths. Once Jiang Ming regained consciousness, only the memories of the Zhu Yan treasured technique, Seventy-Two Transformations, remained. He had somehow forgotten all memories of the other treasured techniques.

The damn system did not leave him the slightest loophole to exploit.

Seventy-Two Transformations!

A four-star reward. This was probably a supreme-level secret art, perhaps no weaker than secret techniques from an Emperor Scripture or the Nine Secrets.

Only now did Jiang Ming have the chance to feel sad.

Unfortunately, after enduring the worldly trials of three lifetimes, even shedding a single tear was difficult for him.

Lingzhi had died, and he had not cried.

Now Elder Lei, his master, was dead. Sigh. If not for what had happened between Lingzhi and him, perhaps his master could have lived another half year. If they had found a suitable life-extending spirit medicine, perhaps—

Jiang Ming knew very well that whether one was an immortal cultivator or a mortal, as long as one lived in the mortal world, helplessness and troubles were unavoidable. Where could there be so many ifs?

If there truly had been such an if, if his master had agreed to let him be with Nü Yuan, had not pushed them so far, entered the Demon-Locking Tower, and tried to kill Nü Yuan, then he would not have fallen into madness, and none of what followed would have happened.

He seemed to have let go after hearing what that junior brother had said, but could he truly let go?

How could it be so easy?

Did people really think everything in the world could be brushed away clean with a casual sentence like, "I have attained great enlightenment and let go of my obsessions"?

He had slaughtered every last one of Shushan's hundreds of elite disciples in one go!

He had already become a demon.

As Jiang Ming's thoughts churned over the death of Elder Lei, purple-black light flowed between his brows. A Black Lotus the size of a grain of rice flickered in and out of sight as it slowly rotated.

In truth, after merging with the memories of his first life on Earth and enduring the impact of memories from that information age, Jiang Ming finally felt somewhat better.

Especially the sayings about demons spoken by characters in a novel called [Tomb of Gods]: "Appearance arises from the heart; demons are planted by the heart. Divine nature? Demonic nature? Both are human nature."

In Jiang Ming's view, that was merely self-deception. God or demon, both were oneself. The true explanation was that human nature held the reins.

"Heaven and earth are the board, all living beings are the pieces, billions of lives are the soldiers, and millions of gods and demons are the generals. When yin and yang descend into chaos, I shall dye the blue heavens with my demon blood."

Of course, this was Jiang Ming's favorite line.

After all, it had been the novel that first drew him into the genre in his first life.

In this life, Jiang Ming only wanted to climb step by step to the very peak. He wanted to become a Human Emperor, a Red Dust Immortal, an Immortal Emperor, and never stop moving forward.

In Jiang Ming's eyes, those Supremes and ancient emperors in the forbidden zones who had cut themselves down with a stroke were not demons at all. They were merely parasites struggling bitterly to survive, unwilling to die.

What joy was there in living like that? Once they had cut themselves down, was pursuing immortality still meaningful?

On the path of cultivation, if one did not advance, one retreated.

Once they had cut themselves down, did that not mean they already knew in their hearts that their Dao had been severed?

In that case, when the so-called path to immortality opened, would it still have any meaning?

The Dao in their hearts had already been completely severed.

Moreover, they had thought deeply, made their choice, and personally severed their own paths to immortality.

His master was dead.

But for the good of Smoke Glow Grotto-Heaven, he had best stay far away from that place, lest his Fate Pattern affect it.

He looked toward the direction of Clearwind Town.

Father, Tingting.

I am sorry.

It is not that I do not love you. It is that I cannot.

Only by truly loving you can I choose to leave alone in silence.

Just like that saying from the working class in his previous life: "If I pick up the bricks, I cannot hold you. If I put down the bricks, I cannot support you."

Before the sky had fully brightened, people were already moving outside. Some breakfast vendors had set up their stalls, selling pancakes and porridge, common foods.

There were also steamed buns, stuffed buns, fried dough sticks, and guokui flatbread.

The food in this world greatly resembled that of ancient Song Dynasty times. Some stalls even sold soy milk and tofu pudding.

Since he had finished meditating, he might as well set off early rather than linger in this ancient town.

A person like him should not bring disaster upon others, in case he brought them misfortune.

The best approach was to leave behind no karma whatsoever.

For example, at the household where he had stayed the night, the corpse of a maid that had not yet decayed was buried in the backyard.

That was why Jiang Ming had chosen that household. When he left, he had even casually taken a thousand taels of silver from where they had buried it.

He also borrowed some wine.

Still worried that Member Zhang might not die quickly enough after committing such sins, Jiang Ming deliberately placed a "One Yin Curse Mark" on him.

Its effects were simple: impotence, fear of cold, and no chance of living beyond seven days.

Dressed in clean white hemp clothing, Jiang Ming left Ancient Stone Town beneath the lingering darkness of night and disappeared into the wilderness beyond.

Half an hour later.

Jiang Ming sat atop a mountain peak, grilling fish. It was a huge yellow fish over three meters long, skewered on his Life-Bound Sword. With the Flame Curse, it quickly became charred on the outside and tender within, its flesh juicy and delicious.

He had used this skill to grill fish for Nü Yuan during his time in Chinese Paladin.

In this life, he had also grilled fish for Lingzhi.

His cooking was not bad. It could absolutely rival a mortal master's barbecue skills.

And this was a large yellow fish with two hundred years of cultivation.

The sort of creature that ordinary Life Spring cultivators would have to avoid.

Once, Jiang Ming and Lingzhi had gone out to gather a water lingzhi and were chased by this fish for a hundred li before barely escaping.

Now, that delicate water lingzhi, swaying with blue radiance, bobbed in a large black pot alongside a Scarlet Brocade Chicken with two hundred and fifty years of cultivation. Steam bubbled up with a "gurgle, gurgle," carrying waves of meat fragrance.

This pot had been refined from the Obsidian Gold spear left behind by a cultivator in the brocade chicken's nest.

Obsidian Gold was a material similar to Yimu Heartwood and Star-Pattern Iron, one of the finest materials for Wheel of the Sea Secret Realm cultivators refining treasures.

Jiang Ming could feel that his luck was truly improving. Though luck was something mysterious, he had to admit that it really existed.

The two demonic beasts each had only one wound: a bloody hole in the head. It was the sole trace left by his drill-like Life-Bound Sword as it spun through their vital points.

With his Sixth Qi Refining Layer cultivation, the Sword Flight Technique, and a quasi-Spirit Artifact-grade Life-Bound Sword, killing these two demonic beasts was easy for Jiang Ming.

"Zhizhi, I slaughtered that chicken and that fish that bullied you. The fish tastes pretty good. I will eat it bite by bite.

"Do not worry. Once my cultivation reaches the Ninth Qi Refining Layer, I will go pick the Three Yin Cold Lotus. By then, I will prepare a huge pot for those Lightning Birds.

"I am going to eat now. Cheers."

Jiang Ming took a jar of wine from his Sea of Bitterness, broke open its seal, raised the jar, and drank deeply with his head tilted back. Not a single drop spilled outside.

Then Jiang Ming began devouring meat in great mouthfuls. He ate the fish clean, even chewing up the bones and swallowing them.

Likewise, he ate the Scarlet Brocade Chicken, the lingzhi, and even the entire pot of soup all by himself.

Jiang Ming had set up a small Heaven-Concealing Formation nearby, so he did not need to worry about being disturbed while eating.

The materials used to lay the formation were the two longest feathers plucked from the Scarlet Brocade Chicken's tail. He had engraved Formation Patterns on them with his Life-Bound Sword, and with the feathers' inherent essence, the formation could last two hours.

After eating and drinking his fill.

Jiang Ming closed his eyes and meditated for a while, refining some of the surging essence in his stomach.

He felt that after two more meals of such nourishing food, he would definitely break through into the Seventh Qi Refining Layer.

There were Lightning Birds comparable to Divine Bridge cultivators in the flock. He needed to break through to at least the Seventh Qi Refining Layer to be relatively safe.

Besides, he did not know whether even stronger Lightning Birds were hiding among them.

Next, he had several choices.

First, he could simply cultivate in this area, perhaps carving out a stone chamber in the middle of a nearby mountain as a temporary foothold.

Second, he could seek out his "close friend," Elder Han. The two were destined to become friends, and he would also look after Elder Han's disciples, those nephews and nieces of his.

Eight hundred li away!

Within an ominous region of the Primordial Ruins lay a place called Fallen Phoenix Ridge. Legend said that a divine phoenix had once fought a bloody battle with a Great Ability here and ultimately fallen in this place.

Of course, another legend claimed that the divine phoenix had not fallen at all, but had merely been injured and shed some phoenix blood.

Regardless, Fallen Phoenix Ridge had once held many precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and cultivators often visited it.

Later, the finest heavenly materials and earthly treasures grew fewer and fewer until the place gradually fell into neglect. Combined with its harsh environment, filled with powerful poisonous smoke and fire poison, even Life Spring cultivators faced great danger upon entering.

Moreover, the region had been occupied by the poisonous fire centipede clan. Large numbers of centipedes lived there. They could not only spray poison, but also breathe green flames that corroded cultivators' divine senses.

Elder Han of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven was nearing the end of his lifespan and could live for at most another three years.

To extend his life, he had spent recent years searching ancient records for prescriptions that could prolong one's lifespan, while also venturing into dangerous places in search of rare spirit medicines capable of extending life.