Fellow Daoist Entrusts His Child: Immortality Begins with Nurturing a Demoness

Chapter 6 Ling Qiuyun

Yanyun City, the county magistrate's residence.

The oil lamp flickered, and twisted, intricate crimson magic patterns spread along the brick seams and corners of the walls throughout the small courtyard, forming an eerie octagon.

A two-story building sits at the core of the blood pattern, shrouded in blood mist. A middle-aged man holding a dark black banner can be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged in meditation.

He was dressed simply, with striking features and a square face that exuded an air of righteous authority. The small banner in his hand was made of gold and jade, with blood-red patterns covering the pole and ghostly patterns all over the banner surface, revealing ferocious and roaring ghost faces. With a gentle wave, gusts of cold wind would rise.

"It's done. We're finally about to succeed."

The middle-aged man was none other than County Magistrate Ling Youdao. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and with a light wave of his sleeve, he cast hundreds of hand seals. Blood patterns condensed into liquid on the surface of the Soul Banner, and finally, under the tempering of spiritual power, they fused into an irregular blood pill.

Ling Youdao carefully put the pill into the brocade box, exhaled a breath of stale air, and his eyes lost their light.

He spent the entire night refining the pill, using the Soul Banner to completely refine the two demonic cultivators and extract their soul essence and blood to replace the last auxiliary material, barely managing to form the pill.

"Father, is it really going to come to this?"

His voice was timid, and as he approached, it revealed a lack of strength.

The newcomer wore a plain-colored dress, with a delicate nose and arched eyebrows. Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, her teardrop-shaped eyes were charming and captivating, more beautiful than autumn water.

Her oval face was slightly thin, and a beauty mark under her narrow eyelids made her look charming and delicate. Her lips were beautiful enough without any rouge, and she had a hazy beauty reminiscent of a misty water town. Although she looked a bit sickly, she could not hide the noble air of a young lady from a secluded family.

It was Ling Qiuyun, Mo Xue's half-sister.

"Foolish! Great things are about to be accomplished; how can we be so sentimental?"

Ling Youdao frowned slightly, and his true essence and spiritual pressure roared, causing Ling Qiuyun to cover her mouth and cough incessantly.

The fierce look on Ling Youdao's face immediately disappeared.

He hurriedly released the soul banner, gently patted Ling Qiuyun's back, and tenderly used his spiritual power to soothe the girl's heart meridian.

“Qiuyun, now that things have come to this, I can’t stop. I know you are kind-hearted and can’t bear to take Moxue’s life.”

Ling Youdao's voice softened, his eyes filled with pity. He stroked Ling Qiuyun's long hair like a loving father and sighed.

"It's alright. This was my own will. You tried to stop me, but you were powerless to do so, weren't you?"

“Father, I know you did it for me.”

"Alright, the yin energy here is too strong and might harm your health."

Ling Qiuyun gently shook her head, her watery eyes filled with guilt, while Ling Youdao smiled, showing his tenderness.

He casually waved a few strands of spiritual energy to dispel the blood mist, then took Ling Qiuyun's hand and strolled in the courtyard.

"This is a blood-dissolving pill. Take it and wait for its medicinal power to be refined before I begin to replace your blood."

"Once this matter is resolved, you will have a healthy body like an ordinary person, no! Far beyond that of an ordinary person. You will embark on the path of immortality, achieve foundation building, and establish your own sect."

Ling Youdao's face was ashen, but a hint of longing flickered in his eyes.

The Blood-Melting Pill is a top-grade first-tier pill. Its formation is extremely complex, requiring a large amount of essence, blood, and spirit as a guide, combined with fifteen kinds of spiritual herbs that increase blood energy. It can only be formed using the Soul Banner and is therefore a demonic and evil pill.

Demonic cultivators are ruthless and it is common for them to consume the essence and blood of others to cultivate.

This practice is contrary to the natural order, and over time it will affect one's blood vessels, causing qi to stagnate, the dantian to become congested, and one to easily develop inner demons.

The Blood-Dissolving Pill can purify blood impurities and eliminate blood rejection and backlash, making it suitable for cultivators below the late stage of Qi Refining.

He refined the entire Ling family into their essence blood, purifying it several times.

Once Qiu Yun consumes the Blood-Dissolving Pill and absorbs essence blood to purify her bloodline, she will surely meet the conditions for the Heavenly Demon Puppet to possess her body.

"I will stay with my father until the very end."

Ling Qiuyun forced a smile as she supported Ling Youdao's arm, as if she were holding a piece of dead wood that would crumble at the slightest touch.

"You have a long way to go."

Ling Youdao looked up and sighed softly, his eyes seemingly filled with relief. When he looked at Ling Qiuyun, his eyes held both reluctance and affection.

Qiu Yun was the only bloodline he had left behind. Before embarking on the path of immortality, he was the head of the Ling family's direct lineage and was in love with A Xin.

That hateful Ling Leng embarked on the path of cultivation, changed his status from a concubine to a master, and stole his beloved.

Unwilling to accept this, he also embarked on the path of cultivation. However, despite both possessing the four spiritual roots, Ling Leng's progress far surpassed his.

Ling Leng had countless wives and concubines, with Ah Xin ranking eighth. After being forcibly married, she died soon after, her heart filled with resentment.

The only bloodline that remained was Ling Qiuyun.

With Ah Xin's death, he was heartbroken. If Ah Xin hadn't entrusted Qiu Yun to him on her deathbed, he would have followed his beloved long ago.

After that, he treated Qiu Yun like his own daughter, ensuring she had no worries about food and clothing in the Ling family. Unfortunately, Qiu Yun was born with a defect in her heart meridian.

For more than ten years, he has been using his spiritual power to regulate Qiu Yun's heart meridians, assisting with the relief provided by the spiritual pills, and guiding Qiu Yun's cultivation, attempting to nourish her heart meridians through spiritual power.

Unfortunately, Qiu Yun's aptitude for cultivation was poor, and after observing herself, she made no further progress after reaching the first level of Qi Refining.

Subsequently, as he aged, the effects of the elixir became increasingly weak.

He knew he would die within five years. Left with no other choice, he turned to the demonic path in search of a solution, but his progress was limited by his cultivation level.

He originally planned to follow Qiu Yun after her death, but unexpectedly Ling Leng died, and the Heavenly Demon Spirit Puppet he left behind became an even better medicine.

If the beauty of autumn can take over, the ailments will disappear without needing treatment.

"The path of cultivation is long and arduous. There are countless cunning demonic cultivators like me and Ling Leng. Remember never to trust anyone."

"Once the possession is successful, your five spiritual roots body can be transformed into a three spiritual roots body. My wish has been fulfilled, and I will leave this crippled body here to atone for my sins."

Ling Youdao kept nagging as if entrusting his orphan to someone. He personally led Ling Qiuyun to the treasure's location, explaining in detail the cultivation technique he had chosen for her long ago, and replacing the storage bag that carried her life's opportunities and savings with a restriction made from her essence blood.

He had cultivated demonic arts for several years, depleting his vital essence. A soul banner consumed thirty years of his lifespan, leaving him with little time left. His cultivation level plummeted to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Otherwise, why would he be afraid of Cao Mengde?

Now, the only way for him to succeed is to lure the enemy into a trap and amplify the Soul Banner with the power of the Blood Array.

"It's tonight, Qiuyun, take the pill."

"I'm sorry, it's all because of me."

Ling Qiuyun's eyes were slightly red. She tilted her head back and swallowed the hemolytic pill. The pill was bitter and smelly, but it was not as bitter as the constant suffering from the medicine over the past ten years.

Her pretty face was serene as she listened quietly to Ling Youdao's detailed explanation of the technique, which he had repeated countless times. Her watery eyes were already filled with tears.

Her father had fallen into demonic ways, and her frail body was powerless to stop him.

The mistake has been made. Her father has given everything for her, and she will stand firmly by his side until the very end.

As night falls on the Four Absolutes Mountains, all is silent.

The roars of beasts and the chirping of insects filled the air. Inside the cave on the cliff, several straw mats were spread out, and Luo Fanchen sat cross-legged, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

After completing ten cycles of the Small Heavenly Circuit, I was so exhausted that I could hardly continue. Only then did I slowly open my eyes and examine my meridians. I found that I had only replenished one-third of my true energy.

The spiritual power in the world is unclaimed and cannot be controlled by anyone other than a Core Formation cultivator who has mastered their own Great Dao and comprehended the laws.

Lower-level cultivators need to inhale and exhale spiritual energy, refining it into true essence, before they can control it.

"The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is scarce, so it is indeed difficult to recover."

Luo Fanchen sighed softly. The two spirit dusts in his hand had lost their luster and turned to ashes, causing him great distress.

After creating the witch puppet, he immediately took Ling Moxue and ran two hundred miles. After entering the Four Absolute Mountains, he could no longer hold on. Taking advantage of the time the witch puppet delayed, he practiced breathing exercises and internal energy cultivation.

"The third level of Qi Refining is still too weak."

Luo Fanchen's eyes were filled with worry, while Ling Moxue beside him looked exhausted and fell into a deep sleep, leaning against the campfire.

Her thin body was curled up in a ball, her brows furrowed, her small face scrunched up, and she murmured in her sleep, "Mother. Qiuyun."

Luo Fanchen couldn't bear it, so he took off his Taoist robe and gently draped it over Ling Moxue's shoulders.

The girl whimpered, like a small animal lacking security. She looked for Luo Fanchen's warmth on her face, gently rubbing against the back of his hand. Then, she turned slightly to her side, hugged his arm tightly, and fell into a deep sleep.

Ling Moxue held him very tightly, and Luo Fanchen let her sleep soundly.

"Do you think I can defeat a demonic cultivator?"

As Ling Moxue's breathing gradually calmed, Luo Fanchen gently stroked the girl's hair, only then noticing that his own hands were trembling slightly.

He had never fought against a demonic cultivator before. Demonic cultivators were ruthless, and the only offensive spell he knew was the fireball spell, which wasn't even a proper spell.

"Can win!"

His breathing gradually evened out, Luo Fanchen's trembling hands calmed down, and his eyes became resolute.

The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is thin and filled with worldly desires; if one stays here, one's cultivation will only regress and not advance.

Ling Youdao's cultivation level is not very high, and he may even have a hidden illness or a weakness that would prevent him from competing with other cultivators, forcing him to remain in the mortal realm.

"Even if I can't win, I'm confident I can escape. I have the advantage of terrain and timing."

Luo Fanchen pursed his lips and opened the Record of the Eight Desolate Demonesses again, focusing his gaze on the cultivation techniques section.

[Longevity Technique, Triple Level (910/1000)]

His proficiency had increased by ten points compared to the beginning. During this period, he had probably circulated his Qi through the Small Heavenly Circuit twenty times. He had been cultivating diligently at the third level of Qi Refining for two years, and his Ren, Du, and Ci meridians were almost fully opened.

If one can raise the cultivation technique to the fourth level, one might be able to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining in one fell swoop.

Furthermore, although his admiration value was insufficient, when he used the blood pact to subdue Ling Moxue, the Demoness Record unexpectedly entered a bound state.

After the binding, Ling Moxue's detailed information remained grayed out, but her admiration value increased from -5 to -4, and she was given 42 admiration points.

He tried using 2 Admiration Points to add some Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell skill, and his proficiency increased by two points. This shows that for low-level skills, Admiration Points are converted one to one.

"Is it possible to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining after about 100 cycles of breathing exercises?"

Luo Fanchen murmured, his eyes gradually sharpening. If he could have the cultivation level of the mid-stage Qi Refining stage, his chances of defeating the demonic cultivator would increase by 30%.

(End of this chapter)