After eating breakfast with Veronica attending to him and changing into suitable clothes, Jason set out for the forbidden grounds of Bloodshadow Valley.
Over the years, Jason had brought up marrying Veronica many times, but she had always refused, as if she were being contrary. Jason even wondered whether her rebellious phase was lasting too long.
"Can I just go in through here?" Jason asked, looking at the giant beast's skull before him.
Everyone in Bloodshadow Valley knew where the forbidden grounds were: they lay at the head of the divine beast's remains. There were no guards or restrictions around them, as if the family were supremely confident in their safety.
The enormous head resembled a crocodile's, and its lower jaw had been built into a staircase. Jason cautiously refrained from flying and climbed the steps.
Inside was something like a giant karst cave. Numerous light-element magicite cores were embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the entire cavern.
In the most conspicuous spot at the center stood three fruit trees. They were not very tall, but they were wreathed in a blue-green glow, and their branches and leaves looked like jade, making them exceptionally eye-catching.
Jason's destination, however, was a small hut made of ice beside the three fruit trees.
As soon as he reached the door, a voice came from inside. "A newly advanced Saint-level? Come in."
When Jason entered, he saw a beautiful woman sitting opposite him. She wore pale blue clothes and had a head of fine, snow-white hair, like an ice princess from an Earth fairy tale.
"I am Jason. Greetings, Senior."
"Mm. I'm Bili. The patriarch of our Violet-Eyed Family entrusted me with teaching newly advanced Saint-levels the relevant knowledge. This knowledge may only be shared among Saint-levels of the Violet-Eyed Family and the Rhine Clan. It must be kept strictly secret from outsiders, even your own family." The woman who called herself Bili gave a brief introduction.
"I'll remember that."
Bili nodded. "The Violet-Eyed Family came from the Abyss. Four thousand years ago, we came to the Yulan Continent under the leadership of a Highgod. At the same time, many Deity-level experts from the Higher Planes descended here, all to compete for a supreme treasure.
"After a great battle, only five members of the Violet-Eyed Family's party remained: two Deity-levels and three Saint-levels. They eventually came to the region of the Rhine Empire and established a power of their own, gradually multiplying into the Violet-Eyed Family and the Rhine Clan.
"But Lord Beirut, the ruler of the Yulan Continent and the ultimate victor of that battle four thousand years ago, issued a ban, strictly forbidding members of the Violet-Eyed Family, who were fiends, from harming the living beings of the Yulan Continent. In the end, the patriarch had members of the Rhine Clan establish the Rhine Empire, while the Violet-Eyed Family withdrew into seclusion in Bloodshadow Valley."
Bili paused, but when she saw that Jason showed little reaction to names such as "Highgod," "Beirut," and "Higher Planes," she assumed someone had told him about them after he broke through to the Saint level, and continued.
"However, as a Material Plane, the Yulan Continent is poor in all kinds of resources and unsuitable for the cultivation of the Violet-Eyed Clan and the Rhine Clan's Saints. A few years ago, the family patriarch also fully recovered from the injuries he suffered four thousand years ago. He plans to lead the family's Saints to a Higher Plane within two hundred years. That's also why the family has been putting so much effort into improving its members' strength lately. They want to leave the Rhine Clan strong enough to protect itself before they go."
The latter part of Bili's news did surprise Jason a little. He had long been prepared for the possibility that a few Deity-levels had remained among the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends. After all, without some strength, they could not have held on to a treasure land like Bloodshadow Valley.
But taking the entire family straight to a Higher Plane? Was this patriarch a Highgod? Jason didn't know whether he was simply unaware of his own limitations or truly confident he could protect so many Saints on his own.
But Bili offered him no answers. He was only a Saint-level, with little standing to speak of before a Deity-level.
"As a Saint of the Rhine Clan, you may choose to stay on the Yulan Continent and protect your kin, or go to a Higher Plane with the patriarch. Of course, you still have just under a hundred years to consider it. During that time, the family will do its best to provide resources to improve your strength."
Bili then walked out of the ice-crystal hut and returned holding a green fruit.
"The family provides you Saints with two resources. The first is this Blue Jade Fruit. Eating it will increase your spiritual power by an amount equivalent to an early-stage Saint's soul. It will also keep your mind clear for ten days, giving you a very slight increase in the speed at which you comprehend the Profound Mysteries.
"The second is a collection of books explaining the cultivation of the Four Edicts and the Profound Mysteries of the Seven Elements."
Jason's eyes lit up. The Blue Jade Fruit in Bili's hand was just what he needed to make up for his current shortcomings.
As for the cultivation explanations, he remembered that they existed in the original story. It would be good to have a general direction for his cultivation.
Cultivating the Profound Mysteries at the Saint level depended on inspiration and luck. Jason didn't dare think too highly of himself; he reckoned he would be lucky to reach the Deity level on his own within a thousand years. With theoretical guidance from books, he could avoid some detours.
Even if Jason overestimated that Deity of unknown strength and assumed he was as strong as a Five-Star Fiend, he still could not protect dozens of Saints in a Higher Plane.
"Senior Bili, can a treasure like the Blue Jade Fruit really be given to me for free?" Jason was a little envious.
"Don't be fooled by how powerful its effects are. The trees actually bear quite a lot of fruit every year. They're just rather particular about their environment and can only grow where the elemental concentration is highest in Bloodshadow Valley." Bili didn't seem to think much of the Blue Jade Fruit and tossed it straight to Jason. "Eat it. Once you're done, I'll give you the cultivation insights."
Jason examined the Blue Jade Fruit in his hand. It looked like a jade walnut, and wisps of soul power escaped from its surface, making him feel very comfortable.
But when he thought of how prosperous the Higher Planes were described as being in the original story, his awe of this "treasure" diminished considerably.
After all, Soul Gold Beads and Soul Amethysts could be freely bought and sold in the Infernal Realm. The soul power they contained could be of enormous benefit even to Deities, so it was clearly more than the small amount in an early-stage Saint's soul.
In the original story, that "Grand Warlock" and the three-eyed winged man needed at least a dozen or more Saint-level souls to refine a single Soul Gold Bead, and the Grand Warlock was only a Lowgod.
Clearly, the Soul Essence content of a high-quality Soul Gold Bead in the Higher Planes could only be greater, not less.
As for its mind-clearing effect, that was obviously of no use to a Deity-level stuck at a bottleneck either—a bottleneck could not be broken simply by comprehending things faster.
Jason popped the whole fruit into his mouth. An icy power jolted his mind awake, followed by a surge of potent Soul Essence into his head.
Drawn in by the soul inside Jason's mind, the Soul Essence flowed into it. His soul rapidly grew stronger, gradually transforming from the early eighth rank and passing straight through the Saint-level bottleneck before finally stopping at the early Saint level.
Jason felt that a small portion of the Soul Essence escaped into the outside world during the process. Another portion, because Jason had signed a soul contract with Lumba, passed through their contractual link to replenish Lumba in the Netherworld.
Jason now felt that he could actively observe the sea of spiritual power in his mind. The area it covered gradually shrank, while his soul crystal became more solid and slowly began to change shape.
"After you break through to the Saint level, it takes around ten days for your soul crystal to complete its transformation. Since your spiritual power grew so quickly, yours will take even longer," Bili advised Jason. "You should read the books first. With your current spiritual power, you should be able to memorize their contents in a day. While the Blue Jade Fruit's mind-clearing effect lasts, you might gain some insights."
Following Bili's directions, Jason came to the basement where the books introducing the laws were kept.
Two books inlaid with gold thread lay on a stone table. One was titled A Detailed Explanation of the Profound Mysteries of the Seven Elements, and the other, Introduction to the Four Laws.
After thanking Bili again, Jason waited for her to leave the room, then picked up the book introducing the Four Edicts.
The two books were thinner than Jason had imagined. After all, they only gave a brief introduction to the Profound Mysteries and the laws; ultimately, cultivation depended on the individual.
He opened Introduction to the Four Laws. It began by explaining the difference between the Four Edicts and the elemental Profound Mysteries. The power of the Edicts could not be neatly sorted out, unlike the Profound Mysteries of the Seven Elements, which could be divided into distinct types.
Even so, some extraordinarily gifted individuals had discerned patterns in the cultivation of the Four Edicts and simplified them into descriptive text that could be understood.
When describing the four Edicts, the book introduced a special term: "abilities."
Each of the Four Edicts possessed many special "abilities." The same ability could produce similar effects in different people, allowing cultivators to identify patterns.
The types and functions of the "abilities" each Edict possessed had not been completely sorted out. Some aspects of the Edicts could not be explained through "abilities."
However, some of the more common "abilities" had been recorded. Cultivators could start with these common "abilities," then try to deduce the aspects of the Edicts that could not be summarized or described.
Seven "abilities" of the Edicts of Destruction had been recorded: "Void Shattering," "Soul Tearing," "Will of Destruction," "Erosion," "Ruin," "Annihilation," and "Power of Destruction."
Of these, "Void Shattering" involved space and was extremely difficult to comprehend, while "Power of Destruction" was similar to the "Earth Element" among the earth Profound Mysteries and was among the easiest to comprehend. The remaining abilities did not differ much in difficulty.
The book recorded eight "abilities" of the Edicts of Death: "Soul Possession," "Soul Manipulation," "Corrosion," "Withering," "Final Destination," "Deathly Silence," "Soulfire," and "Power of Death."
Upon reaching the Deity level, "Soul Manipulation" could be used to refine Soul Essence. It could also affect an opponent's ability to think within a certain range during battle. "Soul Invasion" was similar, but this ability manifested in terms of "possession" and was highly aggressive. After reaching the Deity level, one could use it to exercise control through Soul Seeds.
Those two abilities and "Power of Death" were relatively simple. The two hardest to master were "Final Destination" and "Deathly Silence." "Final Destination" had some power of fate mixed into it and would cause enemies to die involuntarily, while "Deathly Silence" directly weakened living beings, even the Seven Elements and the other three Edicts, greatly reducing their activity.
What Jason had comprehended should have been a portion each of "Final Destination" and "Corrosion."
Seven abilities of the Life Law were recorded: "Revival," "Cradle of Life," "Origin," "Tenacity," "Nourishment," "Propagation," and "Power of Life."
Nine abilities of the Edicts of Fate were recorded: "Prophecy," "Trajectory," "Order," "Distortion," "Chaos," "Fortune's Favor," "Fate Peering," "Fate Alteration," and "Power of Fate."
At the end, however, the book emphasized that the Four Edicts were elusive, and many abilities were so similar that they were difficult to truly distinguish. The records were merely the results of several experts summarizing their own cultivation experiences, and there were likely omissions, especially concerning the Edicts of Fate, which were known for their strangeness. Several of their abilities might well be different manifestations of the same ability.
(Regarding the number of elemental Profound Mysteries, I've written my thoughts after this chapter. If you have questions, please read that first.)
Jason then picked up A Detailed Explanation of the Profound Mysteries of the Seven Elements. Compared with the Four Edicts, the elemental Profound Mysteries were much clearer. Their descriptions and simple applications took up a great deal of space, making this book much thicker.
The six water Profound Mysteries: Elemental Essence of Water, Water Body Technique, Reflection, Profound Mysteries of Ice, Mist Illusion, and Profound Mystery of Roundness.
The six fire Profound Mysteries: Explosion, Combustion, Searing Heat (soul), Scorching (soul and physical), Fire Body Technique, and Fire Element.
The six darkness Profound Mysteries: Shadow, Evil, Devouring, Curse, Filth, and Darkness Element.
(The Shadow Clone Technique was originally the name of a spell in the original story, a simplified version of the Profound Mysteries of Shadow. Shadow governs speed and shadow clones. I've read several Coiling Dragon fanfics that all used this setting, so I didn't expect so many readers to raise questions.)
The six earth Profound Mysteries: Earth Element, Earth Pulsation, Earth Travel Technique, Strength, Gravity Space, and Vitality.
The nine wind Profound Mysteries: Dimension, Music, Sound Waves, Wind Space, Fast, Slow, Doppelganger Technique, Windwalking Technique, and Elemental Laws of the Wind.
The nine lightning Profound Mysteries: Lightning Flash, Conduction of Electricity, Electromagnetism, Heavenly Might, Judgment, Lightning Strike, Lightning Destruction, Lightning Rebirth, and Lightning Element.
The nine light Profound Mysteries: Protection, Justice, Purification, Light Rays, Light and Shadow, Illusory Colors, Hope of Light, Might of Light, and Light Element.
After finishing both books, Jason found he still had plenty of time, so he opened them again and committed their contents firmly to memory. After all, copying them was forbidden; he could only keep them in his head.