Different

Tu Shan Ge's cry was filled with terror and shock. His face was stiff and ashen; one glance was enough to tell that he had been badly frightened.

Chen Heng forcibly suppressed his own alarm and suspicion, asking as though nothing were wrong:

"What did you see?"

After Tu Shan Ge read out the words, Chen Heng's expression changed as well.

Blood River Cart Treasure Wheel-

Take three hundred and sixty-five women with the fate designation of "mundane storehouse," and have them conceive together in a yin year, yin month, and yin hour. Boil brine salt, talc, mercury, red horse, and other medicinal ingredients into a paste, then force-feed it to them daily after conception. When the infants are ready to be born, cut open the women's bellies with a sharp blade and extract them.

These dead infants inherit the resentment from their mothers' wombs, making them ideal for smelting with yusheng gold and zengqing. Simmer and work them carefully over a low flame. Once the process is completed after seven times seven-forty-nine-days, a Blood River Cart Treasure Wheel can be obtained.

This wheel excels at defiling the human body. Once struck, within mere moments the victim's skin will turn blue and purple, and they will dissolve into a puddle of foul-smelling pus and blood. It can also dispel the spiritual radiance of talisman artifacts. Even a mid-grade talisman artifact will suffer damage to its spirituality in a clash with it, while a low-grade talisman artifact will immediately show signs of disintegration after a single impact.

Only a high-grade talisman artifact can hold its own against it without fearing the wheel's defilement.

This was, beyond any doubt, a secret treasure of the demonic path, incomparably sinister and vicious!

A secret treasure was a magical artifact that bore no restrictions and whose grade could not be raised through form refinement.

Though such treasures were difficult to refine and subject to all manner of conditions, their power was usually astonishing.

"How could this be?"

Hearing the words Tu Shan Ge recited, Chen Heng found it utterly absurd.

What he had taken out...

Wasn't it the "Primordial Beginning True Origin Scripture Expounded by Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord"?

"Are you certain you didn't misread it?"

"Absolutely certain. The words are right there before my eyes, sir. How could I possibly have misread them?"

Tu Shan Ge scratched his head in bewilderment and answered firmly.

"..."

At a loss, Tu Shan Ge rose from his chair.

"Call your clansfolk over. Have them all take a look."

After a stretch of silence, Chen Heng suddenly spoke.

Tu Shan Ge had no idea why, but he did as instructed.

Soon, the foxes formed a long line and passed around the "Primordial Beginning True Origin Scripture Expounded by Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord" in turn, but the result was the same for all of them.

What they saw was the method for refining the Blood River Cart Treasure Wheel.

Not a Qi Cultivation Art.

Not mystic sect true qi.

But a genuine demonic artifact-forging method!

The foxes were all horrified by the bloody text. They yipped in a chorus of chaos, scampering about in fright.

Tu Shan Zhuang, who had once used an illusion to bewilder Chen Heng only to receive an arrow in his backside, was especially terrified.

He had witnessed this man's murderous intent firsthand and knew how merciless Chen Heng could be.

Tu Shan Zhuang suspected that Chen Heng intended to slaughter them all and refine them into a Blood River Cart Treasure Wheel. His body trembled like chaff in a sieve, and with a wail, he lunged to hug Chen Heng's leg and plead through his tears.

Only Tu Shan Ge's quick eyes and hands stopped him. He promptly seized the fox, who had frightened himself witless, by the scruff and tossed him outside.

"How could this happen?"

Chen Heng sat silently in his chair, his thoughts surging like a restless tide.

It was clearly a Qi Cultivation Art, but...

Was it because of this body? Yes, that must be it... This Qi Cultivation Art was a keepsake left by this body's original father. I heard Uncle Chen Zhan mention that, before dying, he had specifically instructed his son to remember to open the wooden box once he grew up. Apart from a few strange talismans, this Qi Cultivation Art was all the box contained.

Chen Heng lowered his eyelids slightly and pondered:

Was it our shared blood that allowed me to glimpse the truth by chance?

If that were the case.

It did just about make sense...

The Chen Clan's members had always feared the book in the wooden box, deeming it an evil, demonic teaching rather than an orthodox one.

At first, Chen Heng had thought they were suspicious of the dangerous passages in the Qi Cultivation Art, leading to this misunderstanding.

But looking back now, he feared those Chen Clan members had seen the Blood River Cart Treasure Wheel's refinement method, just as the foxes had!

It was only because Chen Heng had been reborn into this body that, through a twist of fate, he had happened to discover the true legacy the original owner's father had left his son.

But in that case, the cause of his father's death is open to question... If he had such a means of deceiving others' eyes and ears, how did he die? Or was he really dead at all?

The original owner's father had died young of illness.

Supposedly, a session of visualization cultivation had injured his mind and aggravated old wounds, causing him to depart this world so early.

But with such a divine ability, and having left behind a Qi Cultivation Art like this, what exactly had he visualized?

After all, the "Primordial Beginning True Origin Scripture Expounded by Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord" had been annotated by a Dao Lord himself. Its standing was equivalent to the Vermilion Luminescence Sect's "Interpretation of Divine Qi Consumption by the Dao Lord of Emptiness-Piercing Supreme Virtue."

And even among the Vermilion Luminescence Sect's disciples, few received the latter's true teachings.

Tu Shan Ge's former master, for instance, had only reluctantly switched to cultivating the upper eighth-rank "cave spirit origin balefulness" because he had never had the chance to glimpse "imperial plain jade truth"...

"The magistrate dividing the deer was truly a dream; the old frontier man's lost horse proved a blessing still."

Chen Heng sighed softly.

Just then, something furry and soft brushed against his palm.

He lowered his gaze.

Tu Shan Ningning was rubbing her head against him. Seeing him look down, the little fox wagged her tail and gave a worried little yip.

"Thank you. I'm all right."

A faint smile appeared on Chen Heng's handsome face, and he stroked her.

His fingers were pale and slender, their bone structure exquisitely shaped, and Tu Shan Ningning found his touch very comfortable. The little fox had just lifted her chin contentedly when his hand gently stroked her tail as well.

"Yip, yip!"

The little fox immediately flew into a rage. Embarrassed and annoyed, she arched her back forcefully in protest.

But Chen Heng had already withdrawn his gaze and was no longer looking at her.

Tu Shan Ningning leaped outside in a huff, then glanced back. Seeing that Chen Heng still had not looked her way, she grew even more furious and scraped at the door with her two little paws, sending wood shavings flying everywhere.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts today, Brother Tu Shan."

Putting aside his myriad thoughts, Chen Heng offered a Daoist salute. Tu Shan Ge hurriedly rose to see him out.

"One more thing. Brother Tu Shan, how many characters do you see on this book's cover?"

Before leaving.

Chen Heng took out the "Primordial Beginning True Origin Scripture Expounded by Divine House Pivot Splendor Dao Lord" one last time and asked.

"Ah, eight characters... 'Compendium of the Blood River Cart Treasure Wheel's Complete Formation.'"

Tu Shan Ge paused in surprise, then answered truthfully.

"I understand. Thank you."

Chen Heng tucked the book back into his sleeve, briefly cupped his hands, and left, with no further doubts.

The days passed one after another. In the blink of an eye, another five days and nights had gone by.

That day.

Chen Heng had just finished cultivating in the One True Dharma Realm and returned to the outside world when he suddenly sensed something. He stood and tilted his head to listen.

Barely a moment later.

A shrill sound came tearing through the air, its piercing whistle punctuated by a flurry of sharp cracks.

Faintly, he seemed to hear teasing laughter and conversation as well.