Chapter 177: Like a Devil or a Demon
So-called imperial-class techniques were secret magics created by Ancient Emperors and Imperial Sovereigns from the Revered Ancient of epochs past. Some were entire collections of techniques. Others were individual secret techniques.
Regardless, they were all astonishingly mighty.
And they were so mysterious and powerful that most people found them unimaginable, and of course, incomparably valuable. The fact that imperial-class techniques were extremely rare ensured that they were often kept as reserve powers for huge organizations. That said, the majority actually couldn’t be cultivated, as they had very strict requirements. For example, they might need to be coupled with a bloodline power that was itself exceedingly rare.
In a similar vein, it was generally difficult for one species to cultivate and control a technique designed for another species. There were only a few that didn’t have a bloodline requirement, and those were the most valuable. If a technique like that appeared in the world, people would either go crazy or turn despondent. They would go crazy out of envy, or be despondent because they couldn’t get it.
Once an imperial-class technique formed a seed in someone, others couldn’t get it, not even by killing that person.
If that person explained the technique, the other person wouldn’t be able to remember it. And even if someone had a special way to preserve the memory of the technique, without the legacy seed in them, they wouldn’t be able to cultivate it. The legacy seed was proof that the person who had it qualified to cultivate the technique.
Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits was like that.
Put precisely, Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits wasn’t a martial technique, but rather, a secret magic!
Based on the description from the information Xu Qing had acquired, after cultivating the magic to the highest level, the cultivator could form the Golden Crow Emperor Body.
With the Golden Crow Emperor Body, the cultivator’s fleshly body battle prowess would be at the level of an emperor, and they could transform into a golden crow and rebuke the highest heavens.
From the descriptions, and based on what Xu Qing knew about cultivation, he came to realize that Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits was a body cultivation secret magic.
The cultivation method revolved around studying the process of natural selection. By assimilating the essence blood of myriads of spirits, and absorbing them into one’s body, it was possible to reshape the fleshly body, making it like a magical treasure. And the ultimate goal was to form the Golden Crow Emperor Body.
Because the magic had been created by the golden crow, it was not intended to be either good or evil. After all, to hīm, the world was a place where the weak were the prey of the strong, and one had to continuously evolve into being a stronger entity. By constantly absorbing the essence blood of myriads of living things, one could not only strengthen oneself, but also could absorb the innate abilities of other species! That aspect was extremely domineering.
Of course, there were limitations. In order to acquire the innate abilities of a species, one couldn’t absorb simply a single individual. It required absorbing many, and preferably, individuals with high cultivation bases.
Xu Qing leaned against the side of the dharmaskiff, his eyes closed as he went through all of the information. As he did, his heart pounded. Sometime later, he opened his eyes, and they shone with astonishment.
An imperial-class body cultivation secret magic!
He was not unfamiliar with body cultivation.
The very first technique he had encountered on his path of cultivation was the Sea and Mountain Incantation, which was also a body cultivation magic. He had killed many enemies with it in the scavenger basecamp, and even after arriving at Seven Blood Eyes and getting other techniques, he still didn’t give up on it.
Eventually, he had pushed the Sea and Mountain Incantation as far as it could go, which was the ninth level, which was its limit. The spectral drought demon that appeared behind him at that time had two fleshy lumps on its back that seemed like they would grow into wings eventually. However, it had never transformed after that, and it didn’t seem like it would be easy to push it to a theoretical tenth level.
It had nothing to do with Xu Qing. He had no mutagen in him, and coupled with the violet crystal, he had cultivated the Sea and Mountain Incantation to an unheard-of level. His inability to achieve a breakthrough with it was a limitation of the technique itself. After all, it was nothing more than a common low-level technique. Because of that, Xu Qing had been forced to use the Seaforming Scripture to reach Foundation Establishment.
That said, he hadn’t given up on his pursuit of body cultivation. After reaching Foundation Establishment, he had acquired some other body cultivation techniques, but none of them had worked out, and none seemed to correspond well to the Sea and Mountain Incantation.
Now, Xu Qing’s eyes were shining brightly. As he reviewed the information from Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits, and sensed the legacy seed of the golden crow attached to his life lamp, he felt incredible anticipation.
I wonder if my Sea and Mountain Incantation will improve now that I have Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits.
They were both body cultivation techniques, and thus it made sense to him that the blessings of the Sea and Mountain Incantation would bolster Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits.
Unfortunately, he was too seriously injured right now. It wasn’t a good time for cultivation. Taking a deep breath, he ignored the pain and steadied his breathing, then poured dharma force into the violet crystal to focus on recovery.
In that matter, time slipped by slowly but surely. Ten days went by.
Day and night, the shadow sent out emotions of loyalty. During the day, it would try to block the sun, and during the night it would stand guard under the water.
Seeing that, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior chuckled coldly in his heart. The more you do that, the more the Fiendish Xu will want to suppress you. After all, you’re giving the impression that you won’t behave unless you’ve been beaten down. The best thing would be to not be so obvious. Show your loyalty in more subtle ways.
With such thoughts on his mind, the patriarch sent the iron skewer flying up into the sky, where he circled around slowly, keeping an eye on the entire area around Xu Qing. On a few occasions during those ten days, Xu Qing encountered dangerous sea beasts. However, both the shadow and the patriarch used a variety of methods to ensure that Xu Qing was always safe the entire time.
As for the sea beasts, Xu Qing didn’t want them killed. He had the shadow bind them and keep them underwater, almost like sheep in a pen.
As the violet crystal worked to heal him, he eventually reached a point of seeming relatively normal, other than still being quite pale. At that point, he decided the time had come to start cultivating Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits.
Sitting down cross-legged beneath the morning sun, he reviewed the information that he had been studying for the past ten days.
“Nine firmaments forge the emperor’s body; the golden crow assimilates myriad spirits; innate abilities are recovered from myriad species; mine own life glorifies the vault of heaven!!”
He performed an incantation gesture, then put his thumbs together in front of his dantian region, spreading his other fingers out like wings. Looking up at the sun, he took a deep breath. Instantly, the spot he was looking at seemed to grow blurry, and an intense heat appeared there that only he could see. Streaming down from the sun, it entered his body.
The golden crow attached to his life lamp opened its eyes and spread its wings. Lifting its head it opened its mouth and consumed the warmth from the sun. As that warmth flowed inside, its eyes opened further, but not all the way. Only a crack, within which glowed brilliant light. This was the first step in cultivating Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits. It was activating the legacy seed of the golden crow.
And the method to awaken it was to bring in some of the sun’s aura, then nourish it with blood.
Next, the golden crow shivered and became like a black hole, while Xu Qing started withering. He shook, his energy and blood trembling as wisps of it entered the golden crow. In the blink of an eye, he looked like a desiccated corpse. His arms became limp, his face sank in, and he shrank so much that his clothes seemed empty.
However, his expression was not one of panic. Given all the research he had done into Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits over the past ten days, he knew exactly what was happening. As he remained calm, the golden crow within him absorbed his energy and blood.
Though he became so withered it looked terrifying, the golden crow eventually reached a critical point and struggled to open its eyes.
The legacy seeds of imperial-class techniques didn’t just immediately activate. The cultivators needed to take the initiative to activate them. And that was because legacy seeds took a lot of power. Normally speaking, people wouldn’t attempt it alone. Usually they would have the help of a powerful organization, who would spare no cost to help them.
For example, the requirements of energy and blood for Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits were so incredible that ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be able to meet them. And if they failed in their attempt, they would be in danger of being killed.
But because Xu Qing was already at a shocking level of body refinement, and had powerful energy and blood, he was able to last much longer than any ordinary person. Even still, he was reaching the point where he felt like he might not be able to continue. He saw how withered his body was, to the point where he looked like a corpse. However, his eyes glittered as he activated the Sea and Mountain Incantation, causing the spectral drought demon to appear behind him. It roared to heaven, the cracks that covered it flowing with molten lava. It emanated a shocking aura, and a powerful aura of energy and blood.
Then, a tremor passed through it as streams of energy and blood erupted out of the drought demon and pierced into Xu Qing, heading right to the golden crow.
The golden crow shivered. As it absorbed more and more, its eyes opened further. The drought demon began to wither, and after about ten breaths of time, it collapsed, turning into a haze of energy and blood that shot into Xu Qing to the golden crow.
The golden crow shook as it tried harder to open its eyes. However, it seemed that the energy and blood Xu Qing was capable of providing wasn’t sufficient. It just wasn’t enough to fully open the golden crow’s eyes.
Without any hesitation, Xu Qing extended his right hand and put it onto the deck. Instantly, a gravitational force popped into being, causing Joine’s flesh to emerge from the middle of the dharmaskiff. When that flesh flew over to him, it emanated a terrifying power of energy and blood that filled Xu Qing.
After the golden crow consumed it, the crow’s eyes opened all the way, and it let loose a piercing cry filled with a dao resonance that shook everything.
Waves spread out from the dharmaskiff, creating something like a small-scale tsunami.
From the sky, the sea surrounding Xu Qing looked very strange. The waves were making a very specific image. It was the image of a huge eye. The golden crow’s eye! And Xu Qing’s dharmaskiff was the pupil of that eye.
As he sat on the deck, he looked like a corpse, but his eyes shone like the stars, and his hair drifted in the wind. All in all... He looked like a devil or a demon!