The Great Martial Saint!

Chapter 708 Inherited Treasures, Cultivation Techniques and Secret Arts

As one's strength increases, the opponents one faces become increasingly cunning and ruthless in their dealings.

Chen Ping'an suffered considerable losses in this battle.

In order to withstand the attack of the Bloodthirsty Demon Jar, the patterned cloth was nearly destroyed, its spirituality was greatly damaged, and its grade dropped.

The black iron ingot is in slightly better condition, but its spiritual essence has been damaged to some extent. Repairing it would require a considerable investment.

The Hundred Illusions Divine Blade is in the best condition, having only suffered some wear and tear and is basically unharmed.

On the contrary, the Heavenly Meteor Frost Blade, the Azure Flame Four Directions Command Flag, and the Ink Jade Ring, which were used most frequently in battle, had no problems whatsoever. Indeed, the grade of a divine weapon is still extremely important.

Especially in such high-intensity battles.

However, out with the old, in with the new. The losses this time were considerable, but the gains were even greater.

Following the logic of starting from the smallest to the largest, Chen Ping'an first reviewed the White Bone Prince, the Withered Vine Old Man, the Devouring Fiend Old Monster, Yu Wenqiao, and others.

Among them, the one with the most wealth is undoubtedly the White Bone Prince.

The White Bone Prince may appear young, but he has actually lived for many years and is probably not much older than the Old Man withered Vine.

The White Bone Prince truly lived up to his name as the master of the White Bone Secret Technique. He possessed a wealth of accumulated treasures, including elixirs, spiritual items, precious materials, and ores, as well as many strange and unusual things.

In addition, there are many biographies, accounts of experiences, and secret techniques passed down through generations.

Chen Ping'an also found the inheritance of the White Bone Secret Technique on the White Bone Prince. It was recorded on a pale bone fragment. The bone fragment was damaged and the record was incomplete. It seemed to be just a fragment.

"If even a fragment has such power, what kind of power will the complete White Bone Secret Technique possess?" Chen Ping'an wondered.

However, this matter can be dealt with later; the current priority is to take stock.

Besides the treasures in the Thousand Machine Bag, the White Bone Jade Fan in the White Bone Prince's hand was also an extraordinary item. According to Chen Ping'an's judgment, it should be a top-tier divine weapon.

However, the exact extent of its power still needs to be carefully verified.

Judging from the White Bone Prince's previous performance in battle, this White Bone Jade Fan can unleash a chilling wind and shoot out countless bone spikes.

Besides the White Bone Jade Fan, the withered wooden staff in the hands of Old Man Kuteng is also a top-tier divine weapon, which appears to be a restricted divine weapon with defensive functions.

While it offers some limitations, it also possesses a certain degree of destructive power; however, its overall strength is rather lackluster.

But all things considered, it is still an extremely expensive item.

Besides the withered wooden staff, the old man withered vines also possessed considerable accumulated power, second only to the White Bone Prince among the grandmasters present.

Inside the withered vine old man's Thousand Machine Bag, there were many wooden spiritual objects and precious materials. In addition, Chen Ping'an also found a inherited cultivation technique.

The "Evergreen Tree Technique" should be considered the highest-level, top-tier divine skill, and it has even reached the realm of a true skill scroll.

The "Eternal Spring of Withered Trees" technique emphasizes health preservation and belongs to the category of techniques that promote resilience in old age. Its overall nature doesn't quite align with the path Chen Ping'an follows. However, this doesn't diminish the rarity of this technique.

The only slight regret is that the inheritance of this technique should have already been comprehended, and it is estimated that there is only one more chance to comprehend its essence.

Top-tier martial arts techniques typically offer several opportunities for comprehension. If these opportunities are missed, the overall value decreases somewhat. Furthermore, judging from the current state of this "Eternal Spring of Withered Tree" technique, the essence of its inherited teachings may not be fully realized.

However, the specifics will be examined at a later time.

The Devouring Demon Old Monster's combat strength was considerable, second only to the White Bone Young Master and the Withered Vine Old Man among them. However, his wealth paled in comparison. Not to mention comparing him to the two, he couldn't even compare to Yu Wenqiao, who was a rogue cultivator.

According to Chen Ping'an's speculation, the Devouring Fiend Old Monster probably didn't carry all his wealth with him; a considerable portion was likely kept within the Great Banner Sect. As Grandmasters with affiliated factions, many would act like the Devouring Fiend Old Monster.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows, just in case something unexpected happens and years of hard work are destroyed in a single day.

However, the banner on the Devouring Demon Old Monster's body was also a top-tier divine weapon. However, it seemed to be somewhat flawed, barely reaching the level of a top-tier divine weapon.

It is at the bottom among the top-tier divine weapons.

Even so, this still represents a huge fortune.

Next, Chen Ping'an's inventory proceeded quickly. Yu Wenqiao's slender red chain and Ge Yuntao's golden spear were both top-grade, powerful divine weapons, barely comparable to top-tier divine weapons.

Since Ge Yuntao's items were acquired by the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, Chen Ping'an took the opportunity to take stock of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons' wealth.

"Bloodthirsty Pot!"

Chen Ping'an's eyes lit up with joy, and his expression revealed excitement.

Although the Bloodthirsty Demon Jar has fallen in rank from its former status as a true treasure, it is still undoubtedly one of the highest quality among pseudo-treasures. Chen Ping'an had recently experienced its power firsthand.

hum~
Chen Ping'an's brows lit up with spiritual light. He simply cleansed the aura on the Bloodthirsty Demon Jar and then put it away.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Jar bears the divine soul imprint of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. If he wants to refine it, it won't be so simple; it will take him quite some time and careful consideration.

Normally, whether it's a pseudo-treasure or a genuine treasure, only pseudo-celestial beings can truly use it. Pseudo-celestial beings can use the former quite freely, while using the latter is somewhat difficult for them.

It's not that a Grandmaster can't use a pseudo-treasure, but the burden is too great, and a Grandmaster with average foundation simply can't handle it.

Even someone like the withered old man could barely manage to wield a fake treasure.

However, this problem does not exist for Chen Ping'an. Although he has not yet reached the Upper Realm, his spiritual foundation is already comparable to the top-level pseudo-celestial beings.

Let alone a fake treasure, even a genuine treasure could be used with difficulty.

Besides the Bloodthirsty Demon Jar, the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons possessed many other valuable items. His Bloodstained Robe was also an exceptionally fine protective garment, its grade reaching the level of a top-tier divine weapon.

Unfortunately, the Bloodstained Robe of Ten Thousand Demons had already been severely damaged in the previous battle, and now that it had fallen into Chen Ping'an's hands, its value had plummeted.

However, no matter how much its value drops, it is still an extremely valuable protective garment.

Even if Chen Ping'an doesn't choose to repair it, he can still sell it to some interested cultivators. As a last resort, he can sell it to some experienced blacksmiths.

The Bloodstained Robe of Ten Thousand Demons contains valuable materials and techniques for forging, both of which are worth studying in detail.

Chen Ping'an also found a secret technique called the Blood Forbidden Technique of Ten Thousand Demons on the leader of the Ten Thousand Demons Cult.

This kind of secret technique is different from cultivation methods. It is somewhat similar to the spiritual secret manual that Chen Ping'an had previously practiced. Naturally, compared to this, the Myriad Demon Blood Restriction Technique is on a much higher level.

In addition, the leader of the Ten Thousand Demons Cult possesses a wealth of cultivation insights and experiences, much of which should be part of the Ten Thousand Demons Cult's foundational heritage.

However, Chen Ping'an did not find any cultivation techniques inherited from the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, which made him somewhat regretful.

As expected, not every powerful individual carries their mastered cultivation techniques with them when they go out. Everyone has a different personality, and when faced with the same situation, they will make different choices.

However, Chen Ping'an gleaned a considerable amount of intelligence from the Demon Lord, such as a map showing the distribution of the Demon Lord's strongholds and branches. But the most crucial intelligence remained elusive; clearly, this vital information existed only in the Demon Lord's memories and was not actually transmitted to him.

"It's a pity they don't know the true soul-searching technique, otherwise we could have wiped out the Ten Thousand Demons Sect in one fell swoop."

The Seven Deadly Techniques contain some records of soul-searching methods, but they are generally quite rudimentary, with extremely crude techniques and numerous limitations. They can only be used in situations where there is a significant difference in cultivation levels, and even then, the process is difficult to guarantee.

These methods are clearly not applicable to Chen Ping'an's current situation.

Among the many items, Chen Ping'an found a token, which was blood red and had the inscription "Ten Thousand Demons Devouring People". It should be the token symbolizing the identity of the leader of the Ten Thousand Demons Cult.

“Perhaps.” Chen Ping’an’s eyes flickered, and he already had some thoughts in mind.

He had never forgotten Old Chen's grudge.

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons is already dead, but this...
Not enough!
The items on the Demon Lord's person greatly pleased Chen Ping'an. The possessions of just one person alone made his trip worthwhile. However, his inventory was far from over.

After reviewing the list of the Demon Lords, his gaze fell on the old skeletal man.

Compared to the Demon Lord, the skeleton elder's possessions were undoubtedly far more meager. In fact, the skeleton elder's Thousand-Mechanism Bag was practically empty.

Chen Ping'an's gaze sharpened as he saw a secret technique inside the Thousand Machine Bag.

"Ten Thousand Demon Blood Puppet Technique!"

This is a blood-red jade slip, so vividly red it resembles blood, and it is incredibly eerie.

With a quick probe of his spiritual sense, Chen Ping'an learned the general outline of this secret technique.

"No wonder." At that moment, he suddenly realized.

The Myriad Demon Blood Puppet Technique sounds like a secret method for creating puppets, but it is actually a secret technique for breaking through realms.

A secret technique for breaking through realms that has gone astray.

The Blood Puppet Technique of Ten Thousand Demons can also be called the Technique of Breaking Through the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons.

Once one has cultivated to the pinnacle of Grandmaster, one can attempt to use this secret technique, which depletes one's life force and is supplemented by secret medicines and blood essence to forcibly break through to the next realm. If successful, one can ascend to the pseudo-celestial realm.

If one fails, then one will die and perish.

Such breakthrough techniques come at a great cost and have numerous limitations. The skeleton elder mentioned earlier was a product of a breakthrough achieved through this secret method.

Both emotions and the sense of pain will be severely exploited. Furthermore, pseudo-celestial beings who break through using secret methods have a lifespan of at most half a century. If they are already at a critical juncture before breaking through, there is even a possibility that they will not live more than three years after breaking through.

Furthermore, every action taken is equivalent to shortening one's lifespan; the more actions one takes, the shorter one's lifespan becomes.

Forcibly breaking through realms is defying the heavens; how could one expect to do so without paying a price?

These secret techniques are extremely sinister and are true demonic methods. They use humans as sustenance to forcibly accelerate breakthroughs, creating beings who, though called humans, are in reality like blood puppets.

To survive, one needs to be nourished by essence and blood. Who would have thought that, after cultivating to such an extent, one could no longer even be a human being?

Sadly.

However, for those who desperately need the power to take revenge, it is an extremely superior secret technique for breaking through realms.

For the sake of revenge, one is willing to give up one's life, so why fear the years after breaking through to a higher realm?

However, pseudo-celestial beings who break through to higher realms through secret methods are often at the bottom of the pseudo-celestial realm, only slightly stronger than ordinary grandmasters.

This Myriad Demon Blood Puppet Technique is useless to Chen Ping'an, but it can be used as trading material to exchange for what he wants. As his strength increases, he will inevitably have to deal with all sorts of people. Things like demonic and evil paths will probably be unavoidable.

Besides the Blood Puppet Technique of Ten Thousand Demons, the skeletal elder also possessed a valuable item: the crimson compass he used in battle.

This crimson compass is also a top-tier divine weapon; its specific wonders require further investigation.

After taking stock of the skeletal old man, only the items on the Evil Dao Master's body remained to be inventoried.

Chen Ping'an's gaze sharpened, and the first thing that caught his eye was those deep, dark, and sinister vertical pupils.

The Evil Path, a treasured legacy, the Evil Vertical Pupil.

A true treasure!

Suppressing his joy, Chen Ping'an channeled his spiritual energy to refine the aura on his vertical pupils.

The treasure was of immense value, and understanding its mysteries wouldn't be something that could be resolved quickly. Therefore, after refining his aura, Chen Ping'an stored it in his Thousand-Mechanism Bag.

When placing it, some nesting doll-like practices were also performed: first, it was wrapped in special cloth, then sealed in a jade box, and finally placed in a wooden box.

Chen Ping'an's eyes gleamed as he focused his gaze on something nearby.

The scythe is dark red with a crescent-shaped blade, like a blood-red waning moon.

A replica of the legendary Blood Moon Scythe!

Chen Ping'an had a deep understanding of the power of this Blood Moon Scythe during his recent battle.

The Blood Moon Scythe is derived from an extremely powerful treasure and is considered a high-quality replica of such a treasure.

Its killing power is sharp and its evil is unparalleled; in terms of power, it surpasses even the Heavenly Meteor Frost Blade in his hand.

The difference is that the Heavenly Meteor Frost Blade, as a prototype of a powerful treasure, still has the potential to be further improved. The Blood Moon Scythe, as a replica of a powerful treasure, has basically already defined its rank.

Following the same method, Chen Ping'an put it away after refining his aura.

These are all invaluable treasures that can be studied in detail later. Even if I don't need them myself, they are still an extremely valuable asset.

After examining Xueyanluo's corpse, just as he had expected, the things the other party had mentioned on his body were completely fictitious and were just a trick to lure him into getting close.

After a thorough inventory, no fragments were found.

Although Xue Yanluo was the master of the Evil Path, the storage bag he used was only a Thousand-Mechanism Bag. However, compared to ordinary Thousand-Mechanism Bags, the space inside was much larger. It was clearly a high-quality one.

As Chen Ping'an's level has improved, he has also learned that there are even higher-level storage items on the Thousand Machine Bag.

All-Purpose Bag!
Legend has it that demonic beasts can live inside the Myriad Spirit Bag. Unlike ordinary spirit pet bags, the Myriad Spirit Bag has a vast interior space, easily capable of housing large demonic beasts. Furthermore, the Myriad Spirit Bag is divided into several areas for storing items.

Its quality and value far surpass those of the Thousand-Machine Bag. Even a pseudo-celestial being like Blood Nightmare Luo, who is the leader of a powerful force, has never possessed a Myriad-Spirit Bag.

While the Myriad Spirit Bag may not be as valuable as a true treasure, it is definitely above that of a top-tier divine weapon. Using it as storage space is an extremely luxurious thing, even for a pseudo-celestial being.

Unless there is a necessary reason, not all true martial arts masters can possess a Myriad Spirit Bag.

Even among martial arts masters, there are different levels.

A weaker martial arts master may be renowned across several states, gaining fame in their region. A stronger martial arts master, however, may be famous throughout the Northern Territory, standing atop the northern border.

The North is far beyond the limits of most people's imagination. Even a martial arts master as powerful as him might not be able to travel the entire North.

As the leader of a powerful force, Xue Yanluo's Evil Path has a longer history than the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. However, it is unclear whether this is due to the destruction of the main headquarters and the imminent collapse of the lineage, or because he had previously engaged in bloodshed and escaped from the encirclement, which depleted his foundation too much.

Surprisingly, Xue Yanluo didn't have many rare spiritual items on him.

This disappointed Chen Ping'an somewhat.

However, he still found a secret technique called Soul Guiding Technique in Xueyanluo's Thousand Machine Bag.

It is possible to use special methods to draw the opponent's soul into one's body and, taking advantage of one's home field, steal the opponent's memories.

These secret techniques are evil arts. Although they are not as powerful as soul-capturing techniques, they still have their unique aspects.

Compared to the rudimentary techniques Chen Ping'an had learned in the Seven Absolute Divine Skill, this Soul-Guiding Technique was undoubtedly far more refined.

"A pillow delivered to someone who's sleepy, not bad!" Chen Ping'an was quite excited to learn about the wonderful uses of the Soul Guiding Technique.

The effects of the Soul Guiding Technique can perfectly compensate for one of his shortcomings.

If used properly and in conjunction with his Black Iron Mask, it can be extremely effective.

Using the Soul-Guiding Technique to glean information, and then using the Black Iron Mask to deceive the eye.

With his current abilities, even without using real simulation, he can still deceive the senses of a pseudo-celestial being.

Furthermore, Chen Ping'an learned the secrets of the Evil Path from Xue Yanluo.

The Evil Path has been passed down for three thousand years, wreaking havoc across several states including Canglong, Yanlie, and Xuanling. Even in Beishan State, they have some strongholds. Within the Bi Cang region, they are considered an extremely powerful evil force.

However, the Evil Path is not without roots; rather, it originated from a sacred land of evil paths. It is a remnant branch that split off from the Heaven-Mending Path, and after many years of development, it gradually gained power.

The Heaven-Mending Path is a true behemoth among the evil paths, its power and foundation comparable to forces like the Heavenly Net Sect. Within the dynasty's territory, it is a first-rate power.

Legend has it that the Purple-Eyed Demon Lord had some dealings with the Heaven-Mending Path in the past, and even almost married the former Holy Maiden of the Heaven-Mending Path. However, they ultimately failed to achieve their happy ending and missed each other.

More than a thousand years have passed, and it is unknown whether the Holy Maiden of the Heaven-Mending Path still exists in the world!

Martial arts masters, with a lifespan of a thousand years, cannot live beyond this age. Only by advancing further can they have any chance of surviving in this world.

However, the path to becoming a martial arts master is already incredibly difficult, and to advance further would be like a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water. Even a behemoth like the Heaven-Mending Dao, with its most brilliant and talented contemporary Holy Maiden Lifting the Cauldron, would find it difficult to overcome such a hurdle.

Hidden Dragon Prodigies emerge every fifty years, and every thirty years. In the thousand-year lifespan of a martial arts master, there can be twenty generations of exceptionally talented prodigies.

However, among these exceptionally talented individuals, how many have actually broken through the barriers and reached even higher realms?

The path of cultivation is so difficult! Even the most talented cannot reach the summit, and some perish halfway through, their cultivation vanishing.

Whoosh!
Chen Ping'an reached out and swept the numerous items in front of him into his Thousand Machine Bag.

He quickly sorted through the items and put them away in their proper categories.

This achievement was remarkable and incredibly surprising.

Leaving aside other things, having acquired numerous pseudo-celestial beings and the wealth of a grandmaster, his current Yuan Crystals have already exceeded two hundred thousand.

This portion constitutes only a very small part of his accumulated wealth.

The treasure includes one Evil Eye, one pseudo-treasure Bloodthirsty Demon Jar, one imitation treasure Blood Moon Scythe, four top-tier divine weapons: Blood-Red Compass, White Bone Jade Fan, Withered Wood Staff, and Black Fiend Banner. In addition, there are other top-tier divine weapons such as Golden Light Spear and Slender Red Chain, as well as items like the tattered Blood Robe of Ten Thousand Demons.

Numerous precious materials and spiritual items, elixirs and ores, are abundant.

There are also secret techniques such as the White Bone Secret Technique, the Blood Restriction of Ten Thousand Demons, the Blood Puppet Technique of Ten Thousand Demons, and the Soul Guiding Technique, as well as cultivation methods such as the Everlasting Spring Technique of Withered Trees.

In addition, there are the treasures from the cave itself, such as Yin-Yang Dew, Shangqing Pill, and Soul-Condensing Jade Liquid.

The harvest was extremely bountiful.

If Chen Ping'an's previous wealth was only at the pseudo-Celestial level, his current accumulation has probably surpassed that of a weaker Martial Celestial.

And this is without even taking the Dream Orb into account.

Such wealth is truly terrifying!
Before he could think it through, Chen Ping'an sensed that Gu Qingchan beside him was about to wake up.

He reached out and rolled up the banner, its fluttering blue flames radiating from the four directions, and it fell into his hand. He looked around, thought for a moment, then picked up Gu Qingchan and carried her into a stone chamber.

(End of this chapter)