’Just as I thought. The commotion was a bit too big and attracted a lot of people.’
After leaving, Yang Chan sensed waves of auras rushing toward the spot he had just vacated. There were quite a few of them.
To prevent anyone from using special tracking methods, Yang Chan chose to travel through the Changyuan River. This would wash away the aura from his body, as well as any traces of blood.
Although his wounds had already healed completely and he had changed his clothes, some of the blood that had flowed out still stained his body and hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned off.
By traveling through the water, Yang Chan let the bloodstains dissolve into the river and dissipate. The water also served to block his aura.
After completing this series of actions, Yang Chan didn’t rush back to the Cyan Yuan Sect. Instead, he found a forest on the border of Qing State and waited for dawn.
’If anyone has special tracking abilities, they’ll surely find their way here first, though I feel that’s unlikely.’
After all, his Meditation and Breath Holding Technique had reached Tier Four, allowing him to conceal the auras of his Qi and Blood, Essence Qi, and so on, to the point of almost complete isolation. Still, Yang Chan wanted to play it safe.
If someone could find any traces, they would have to show up that same day. Half a night was more than enough time. If no one came looking, he could safely return to the Cyan Yuan Sect and continue being a Pharmacist.
He would go back to his fulfilling life of Alchemy, Cultivation, and sleep.
If it weren’t for the appearance of that entity that could not be looked at directly, none of these accidents would have happened, nor would there have been such a huge commotion. He wouldn’t have needed to be this cautious and could have gone straight back to the Cyan Yuan Sect.
After all, as long as he cleaned up the traces he left behind, no one would ever know. In a little more time, all evidence would be covered up and then disappear.
No one would even know where he had set up the Taixuan Sacrifice Array. If he needed it again in the future, he could go back to the same spot and set it up.
Unfortunately, an accident had still occurred.
It was something beyond his control. He could only make more preparations in advance, both for now and for next time, so things wouldn’t be the same as they were this time.
As the sky gradually brightened, Yang Chan sat cross-legged in the mountain, his aura fading into nothingness. Anyone who didn’t see him with their own eyes would have mistaken him for a rock—silent, still, his spirit merged with the tranquil atmosphere.
’Finally, no more accidents!’
Facing the morning glow, Yang Chan swallowed a mouthful of Purple Qi, Refining it in his abdomen. This was part of his Purple Qi Body Cultivation Skill practice; Purple Qi only appeared when the morning sun was rising.
As he swallowed the mouthful of Purple Qi, a purple hue flickered across Yang Chan’s face before returning to normal. Throughout the entire process, the aura around his body remained unchanged.
A small squirrel nearby lifted its head, but seeing nothing unusual, it went back to chasing a pinecone, still storing food.
It wasn’t until Yang Chan stood up that the little squirrel was startled. It dropped its pinecone, and countless pine nuts spilled out, landing at Yang Chan’s feet.
It clearly hadn’t expected such a behemoth to be right next to it—a creature that could eat several of it in one bite.
The squirrel was fast, disappearing among the trees in no time. Its little head, however, would peek out from time to time to see if the behemoth had disappeared.
The pinecone was its own; this was an indisputable fact in the little squirrel’s mind.
’Returning to the Essence... I’m still a long way off!’
Yang Chan glanced at the squirrel, picked up a pine nut, and cracked it open with a squeeze of his hand, revealing the glistening meat inside, which he ate in one bite.
It tasted great. ’As expected, squirrels know when pine nuts are at their tastiest.’
When a person achieves Returning to the Essence, their aura has long since merged with nature. Even if they stand up, they remain part of nature. As they move, other living creatures wouldn’t sense them, as if they were a natural object themselves, rather than being scared away.
However, the difficulty of reaching this stage was extremely high.
At least for now, Yang Chan was completely incapable of it.
He wondered if he could achieve it by cultivating his physical body to its absolute limit.
Yang Chan wanted to ask the Black Dragon, but the thought vanished as soon as it appeared.
The Black Dragon was currently in a deep sleep. It would take a long time to recover, and it would likely only awaken after the smaller beads on the Profound Yin Hanging Bead had slowly regenerated.
For this reason, Yang Chan still sent a portion of the Taiyuan Qi he had absorbed to where the Black Dragon was sleeping.
This was necessary whether it was to repair the Profound Yin Hanging Bead or to wake the Black Dragon.
’The Profound Yin Hanging Bead is very useful. I certainly don’t want it to be destroyed. It would be very inconvenient without this Storage Treasure.’
’As for the Black Dragon, it’s an extremely high-quality tool... dragon. It has a vast knowledge of cultivation, so I won’t give it up easily.’
’Unless it’s like last time.’
After sensing no approaching auras, Yang Chan washed up, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and left.
...
「Yuanqing Courtyard.」
’The condensation of the Taiyuan Sword is a success. Although it was interrupted last time, that was just the final accumulation phase. Using the purest Taiyuan Qi directly this time yielded excellent results.’
’Not only has the Taiyuan Sword been fully formed, but its power is also much greater. This will be very beneficial for its future upgrades!’
In the secret chamber, Yang Chan looked at the Taiyuan Sword floating before him. It was a Taiyuan Sword condensed from a portion of his Soul Body. The aura it emanated was incredibly frigid, and a ghostly chill scattered from it the moment it appeared.
However, Yang Chan could retract this aura. When attacking, besides striking with the Sword Body itself, he could also use this unique aura to attack, increasing the severity of the damage.
Of course, this was for opponents who couldn’t be taken down in a single blow. Against someone he could kill with one strike, these extra effects were naturally unnecessary.
Its potential was quite high.
Unleashing it suddenly during a fight would be enough to end the battle quickly, a remarkably effective move.
Yang Chan had previously tried using a Flying Needle with great effect, quickly dispatching a difficult opponent. The newly condensed Taiyuan Sword was naturally far more powerful.
He could even slay a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster expert if he caught them off guard, achieving a kill against someone of a higher realm.
’The damage that person left on my Soul Body was also eliminated during the process of forging the Taiyuan Sword. But it consumed a lot of Taiyuan Qi!’
’Adding in the Taiyuan Qi I provided to the Black Dragon, the consumption was much higher than I expected.’
’Although that person’s interference caused much more Taiyuan Qi to descend upon the Taiyu Divine Continent—and in a purer form—my consumption also increased significantly!’
’Based on my current supply of Taiyuan Qi, it should last for a year and a half to two years. I don’t have to worry about running out in the short term, but I’ll probably have to find a new place next time I need more.’
’If worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to use Potential Points to upgrade it!’
As these thoughts crossed Yang Chan’s mind, his gaze shifted to the Cultivation Technique section of his panel.
When he successfully condensed the Taiyuan Sword, the Taiyuan Soul Sword had appeared in his Cultivation Technique section.
Taiyuan Soul Sword (Beginner 10%). This meant Yang Chan could now directly add points to upgrade it!