Chapter 20: Chapter 20

In the aftermath of the formation’s functions ceasing, the forest is not only quiet, but also dead. I don’t need to see this — even though calling my perception sight is a bitch of a stretch — but I feel it. I am still connected to the formation, and I no longer sense any warmth or light.

Even the grass and the trees are dead.

Even the stones that collected the Qi of Heaven and Earth over hundreds if not thousands of years are now like empty vessels.

But that is not the case for all things.

Because of the nature of how we built the formation, everything closer to the center was spared or had only a small amount of its life force consumed. I did not predict the consequences that this would have.

In the initial pulse of the formation’s activation, my Essence acted as a force that ripped the vitality from all living creatures, expanding outwards to the edge of the formation. Then it would rebound back, crush the soul in the return, and become absorbed by me.

This was one cycle of the formation and it cost me three years of my life. I had planned to perform nine of these cycles. I am glad I didn’t.

Since there was no pressure from Qi in the operation of the array, and only the pressure of my condensed Essence — a lot of it, too! — it relied entirely upon the heaviness and inertia of my blood to carry and absorb Qi.

The moment I cut off the array from its Essence supply, it was such that much of the Qi remained trapped in the twenty-five step radius around the stone slab.

And it was a pure and very dual Qi.

The very strong and nourishing Yin energy feeds the grass and the trees, and they glow with a pale blue light. Even now, their roots cannibalize each other as they compete for life in this new and deformed landscape, their life processes providing a very rich Yang energy to the environment.

As a result, the Qi here is very strong, but trapped in the earth and life that remains.

I consider using a weaker and much smaller version of the [Soul Harvest Formation], but I would rather not lose another year of my life or two.

“This soul fruit is very strange,” Lan Xiaohui says, holding a crimson fruit in her hand that looks like a cross between a cabbage and a lotus. The fruit has many layers concealing its golden-glowing core, and these layers all grow outwards from its base, enveloping and shrouding the inner treat.

Lan Xiaohui was, at first, extremely worried for my health. She had thought that the tribulation lightning might have killed me and I can see why, because of my damaged state. But I explained to her that it was not the lightning that harmed me, but the formation itself.

She accepted my answer, and did not ask anymore. She did not seem to mind the nature of my formation. I was slightly concerned that she would’ve chastised me over my methods — even though our plan was to kill her ex-future-husband — but it seems that she has either accepted, or has always been willing, to get her hands dirty.

“The Qi here is very strong now,” she says, peeling the outer layers of the fruit slowly and carefully. “It would be good to cultivate here.”

She is right. This would be a good place to cultivate, but we both know that is likely not possible.

“Demonic beasts will come.” I tell her. Even though telepathic contact is effortless now, I am still sparing on my words. I don’t want to encourage communication with a lesser lifeform. Though, I suppose, I am not exactly a lifeform.

“Maybe not,” she says. “There is a very malevolent aura to this place. Demonic beasts are also not unintelligent. If they see the array we drew, they will likely not approach.”

Her suggestion hinges on the possibility that demonic beasts will either recognize the nature of the array, or assume that it is evil. I am not so certain — I am loathe to give credit to animals but the monkeys were smart to a point.

I miss Wukong.

“The vegetation here is also becoming carnivorous,” she states. I don’t see it, but perhaps she is referring to something outside my perception radius. “I think I would only need three weeks to break into Qi Refining. We would have more options then.”

Only three weeks?! It must be great being a genius. It would take me only fifty years! Well, less now as I am already in the Late Qi Refining realm, thanks to the formation. And I had better spiritual roots as well. And also a proper cultivation method.

Still, three weeks is extremely fast.

“Right now, it would take two or three months,” she says.

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Two or three months is far more reasonable, even if it was still very unreasonable.

“But if I plant this Yin-Yang Grass, and it grows, it would improve my speed a lot,” she explains. “Because it takes about fourteen days, with my Physique, for the toxicity of the Qi Condensation pills to resolve, if I eat one of these soul fruits, it would also considerably improve my resistance. I could eat one pill every five to six days.”

Resources really are something. With nothing, not even good roots, it would have taken me fifty years to reach Foundation Establishment. She is at a lower realm than I, but it is still a vast difference between someone who uses precious resources to cultivate, and someone — or something — that does not.

“What do you think?” she asks me.

I consider her proposal. It would also take me around three to four weeks to refine my vessel to the next realm. This stage I am in — Blood Core Refinement — does not require sacrifices, but it is rather the consolidation of the sacrifices I have already consumed. It is shedding the lingering impurities of my vessel and the life I have consumed.

Still, it is a very risky proposal.

Perhaps she knows what I am thinking, or at the very least she guesses it.

“I know there’s a risk, but if I break through into Qi Refining, I think we could fly away from here. Then we could find a safer place, or I could return to the Sect under an alias, and we could rob them blind.”

I hate to admit it, but the thought of robbing a sect sounds very appealing to me. Even as ludicrous and outlandish the idea is, I have to agree that it is plausible even if unlikely. I also have to acknowledge that Lan Xiaohui hates the sect and may not be thinking clearly. But I also have to agree that her words make sense. If we could fly, our options would be far more numerous. Even something as crazy as the idea of robbing a sect comes closer into the realm of possibility.

“Very well,” I tell her.

She nods and stands up.

“I have noticed you have an Auspicious Farming Method manual. Do you mind if…” she trails off and shrugs.

Perhaps she doesn’t yet understand the nature of our relationship. What is mine is hers. There is no reason to ask for permission.

“You may read it,” I tell her.

She nods again and reaches for the manual.

Before she grabs it, I direct my [Critical Analysis] ability to it and study the manual myself.

[ Auspicious Farming Method is a Heaven Grade manual on spirit farming. By utilizing the harmony of Heaven and Earth, plant the spiritual seeds in such a way to optimize growth, yield and ambient Qi. ]

[ Analysis: Gained Insight on the Dao of Spirit Farming after studying the Auspicious Farming Method manual. ]

[ Analysis: Gained Insight on the Dao of Arrays after studying the Auspicious Farming Method manual. ]

[ Analysis: Gained Insight on the Dao of Alchemy after studying the Auspicious Farming Method manual. ]

[ Analysis: Auspicious Farming Method learned. Mastery: 28% ]

A farming method that utilizes alchemy and arrays to improve growth, yield and ambient Qi? That sounds like something I can optimize.

She looks at the manual and sighs. "In another life, I would just be growing flowers. That is all I ever wanted. Maybe when this is all over..." she trails off and smiles sadly. "Thank you… master.”

I don’t register the title she uses for me, immediately. I am too busy trying to figure out how I could optimize this so-called Auspicious Farming Method.

By the time I do, it is too late to correct her.

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