Chapter 31: Battling the Old Fiend and Seizing the Complete Four Gates of the Five Elements Art!

Shen Lian had no idea whether the Immortal Realm of this land had a Demon-Dispelling Heavenly Venerable. But all he knew was that the Demon-Dispelling Heavenly Venerable must have blessed him.

In the old fiend’s storage ring, he had truly found cultivation manuals. Even more astonishing—they were comprehensive Five Elements cultivation techniques. Most importantly, they weren’t all demonic arts!

There were eleven items in total, scrolls and jade slips laid out before Shen Lian, their contents spanning cultivation arts, spells, and methods for refining magical treasures.

“The True Demon Art of Refining the Five Viscera,” “The Blood Demon Soul-Refining Sutra,” “The Ten Thousand Demons’ Soul Banner Refining Method,” “The Corpse Demon Sunflower Water Scripture,” “Superior Demon Heart Technique,” “Three-Pronged Bone Demon Art.”

There were six demonic arts in total: three inscribed on scrolls, three recorded in jade slips. Of these, the “True Demon Art of Refining the Five Viscera” and the “Blood Demon Soul-Refining Sutra” were the most significant. The old fiend, after his reincarnation, had practiced the “True Demon Art of Refining the Five Viscera,” a technique boasting a thirty percent chance of forming a Nascent Soul from a shattered core.

To practice this demonic art, one had to forge a foundation by refining the five viscera of cultivators, corresponding to the five elements, and in accordance with the stages of cultivation, systematically refine these organs. At the very start, one needed to acquire the viscera of thirty-six cultivators at the early Qi Refinement stage, each of a different elemental affinity—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—amounting to one hundred eighty cultivators altogether.

Upon reaching mid-stage Qi Refinement, the solidified viscera could withstand further power, requiring the viscera of seventy-two mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, each of a different element. At the late stage, one needed to acquire the viscera of one hundred eight cultivators per element. Only after tempering all five viscera could one advance to Foundation Establishment. There, the cultivators’ viscera became supplementary materials; one would need to devour five-element spiritual objects to continue tempering the organs.

No wonder Yang Li and the old fiend had left the marketplace. It was hard to find targets at the late stage of Qi Refinement within a market town. The rumors of cultivators having their hearts and viscera gouged out—clearly, it was Yang Li and the old fiend’s handiwork. Yang Li did the scouting, the old fiend did the deed. Given his serpentine form, the fiend could come and go unnoticed; no wonder the law enforcement team couldn’t catch him.

Who would suspect that the one harvesting the organs of fellow cultivators was actually an old fiend who had botched a body snatching and was now inhabiting a demonic serpent?

What Shen Lian couldn’t understand was, since the fiend had become a serpent, why not prey on serpents? Why still target humans? Clearly, there was no regard for immortal virtue.

As for the “Blood Demon Soul-Refining Sutra,” it was slightly inferior but could still be cultivated up to early Core Formation—a very orthodox demonic art.

Just half an hour ago, Shen Lian had fretted over his lack of cultivation techniques. Now, before him lay a demonic art promising a path to the Nascent Soul. To say he wasn’t moved would be a lie. Yet, the visceral nature of the technique—literally taking hearts and organs—was more than he could stomach.

Putting away the demonic arts, Shen Lian turned his gaze to the remaining five jade slips and scrolls, falling into deep thought. The old fiend had, in a way, been exceedingly generous to him. So generous, in fact, that it almost defied belief.

Of the five remaining cultivation methods, four were comprehensive Five Elements techniques. The last was a secret method for soul cultivation.

Four complete Five Elements techniques! Just like that, he had gone from nothing to an abundance of choices. The sheer coincidence left Shen Lian with a lingering sense that something was off.

The “Five Elements Return to Origin Art” could be cultivated to the peak of Foundation Establishment.

The “Five Spirits True Essence Sutra” reached the same height.

The “Blood-Derived Five Elements Demonic Life Method” could be practiced into early Core Formation.

The “Five Qi Towards Origin Technique” could also be practiced to early Core Formation.

The “Blood-Refining Soul Extension Secret Art” was for tempering the soul.

Shen Lian stared at the scrolls and jade slips before him, still dazed by his newfound freedom of cultivation options. The techniques he once only dreamed of were now within arm’s reach. Compared to these methods that could lead straight to Core Formation or even Nascent Soul, the hundred-odd talismans he’d invested were barely worth mentioning.

“The True Demon Art of Refining the Five Viscera—gathering the Five Elements.”

After a long moment, Shen Lian picked up the True Demon Art again, glancing between it and the Five Elements techniques. Perhaps the reason the old fiend had collected so many Five Elements methods lay here. In that case, it made sense for a Core Formation demon to seek out such techniques; to him, anything that only reached Foundation Establishment was mediocre.

Now, the old fiend had perished at the ninth stage of Qi Refinement. The connection between the True Demon Art and the Five Elements methods was something Shen Lian might explore if he felt like it in the future.

He had no intention of practicing the True Demon Art. Instead, he would cultivate the “Five Qi Towards Origin Technique.” A method that could take one straight to Core Formation—only the three major sects in the entire Chu Kingdom possessed such treasures, and even then, they were core inheritance techniques. Once he reached Core Formation, he could always switch to a new method.

Shen Lian picked up another scroll, which contained the Blood-Refining Soul Extension Secret Art, a demonic technique. According to its notes, it taught that flesh and blood are the foundation of the soul, and abundant blood nourishes the spirit. This method used one’s own essence blood to nurture the soul. Yet, a cultivator’s essence blood determined both their lifespan and their cultivation; to avoid being depleted, one had to supplement greatly.

As for how to supplement, the old fiend had already set the example—harvesting the organs of fellow cultivators. Of course, this wasn’t the only way; spiritual medicine and demonic beast meat could also replenish one’s essence blood. But, as a method devised by a notorious fiend, consuming the organs of fellow Daoists was most effective.

Staring blankly at the array of techniques before him, Shen Lian still found it hard to believe his luck. How had the goddess of fortune suddenly possessed him? The feeling of gain and loss gnawed at him, impossible to suppress. It felt as if someone was out to get him.

Compared to the storage ring’s treasures, the eleven storage pouches that followed seemed ordinary.

He counted: two thousand three hundred and twenty-three spirit stones; twenty-three top-grade first-tier magical artifacts, thirteen mid-grade; twenty-three top-grade first-tier talismans, thirty-four mid-grade; seven bottles and twenty-eight pills of Returning Essence Pill; five bottles and forty-three pills of Yellow Bud Pill; thirteen bottles in total of Detoxification and Miasma-Dispelling Pills.

Two pieces of second-tier ore. Over sixty pieces of first-tier ore. One top-grade first-tier small cauldron. Six kinds of first-tier pill recipes. Thirty-seven first-tier spiritual herbs. Two mid-grade talisman brushes and one low-grade, with three bottles of spirit ink and nine stacks of talisman paper.

Six Qi Refinement techniques.

Three demonic beasts, all first-tier.

Seven types of Five Elements spells.

Two sets of men’s Daoist robes; two sets of women’s.

The rest was a chaotic pile of miscellaneous items, stacked a meter high.

Whew—

Shen Lian let out a long breath after tallying up all these treasures. Truly, the old fiend was no joke—a pill master, a talisman master, a beast tamer, and someone who spared neither male nor female Daoists.

“Ha…”

After gazing at his spoils for a while, Shen Lian couldn’t help but laugh.

Overnight riches!

His heart pounded with excitement, his hands trembling.

After categorizing and organizing everything, Shen Lian retreated to his bedroom, dove onto the bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep. In just two days, his spirit had been through extreme highs and lows, not to mention the earlier soul attack—he was utterly exhausted.

[Calm and at peace, Comprehension Point +1]

[Calm and at peace, Comprehension Point +1]

[Calm and at peace, Comprehension Point +3]

…

[Spirit unbound by externals, Divine Comprehension Point +1]

…

Shen Lian slept straight through to the next day.

He shot upright from his bed, cautiously surveying his surroundings. Confirming that the formation was intact and he was still in his own little hut, only then did he relax.

He immediately checked his spoils.

It wasn’t a dream.

He now had cultivation techniques, and a soul-refining secret art as well.

He would rest for a few days, switch to a new cultivation method, and break through to late-stage Qi Refinement!