Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 274 At the Auction

The Taoist temple is yellowish-gray in color, with side rooms on both sides and a main hall in the middle. All the rooms are missing their doors, leaving only broken tiles and crumbling walls.

Li Chengfeng stepped over the threshold of the main hall. Inside, beneath the rubble, a yin-yang symbol with black and white yin-yang fish could be faintly seen. Behind the yin-yang symbol was a half-collapsed statue, the deity of which was not clearly identified.

He bypassed the dilapidated alchemy furnace covered in yellow earth, kicked away the yellowish-black futon with exposed thatch, and trudged towards the back hall.

Blood-red sunlight streamed into the back room through a large hole in the roof.

The back room was empty, with nothing but some rubble and broken pieces of wooden furniture. Standing at the door, one could see the square windows on all four sides.

The four windows, arranged neatly, were all in a dilapidated state. Some still had wooden frames remaining, while others were completely gone, with splintered wooden beams hanging forlornly in the center of the windows.

The entire back room was stained blood-red by the setting sun, exuding a strong sense of gloom and decay.

At that moment, a figure was standing in front of the window, gazing into the distance.

The figure was not tall and was somewhat thin, which made the robes he wore appear rather large, causing them to flutter incessantly as the cold wind from the mountains blew through the broken window.

Li Chengfeng frowned. From his angle, he could only see the person's dark shadow, and he couldn't even make out what color clothes the person was wearing.

The blood-red sunlight was so dazzling that it made all the shadows appear even darker.

The setting sun was like blood, the shadows like ink. "I don't like this place, and I shouldn't have gone out at this time, at this crucial moment..." Li Chengfeng frowned, his voice hoarse, "What exactly happened?"

"Whether you like it or not, whether you should come out or not, you have to come out..." the figure said in a low, calm voice. "You went to so much trouble, and you still messed up the last thing. You have to give an explanation."

"Explanation? Heh, it's because that Danyangzi is no match for me. I've done my best, what does it have to do with me... But you, I heard you've made quite a stir outside Anyan City, and are even called the Black Wind King. How about it, how does it feel to be a king and an ancestor, Blood Slaughter?"

Li Chengfeng's voice was low, but the mockery and sarcasm in it were exceptionally clear.

Black Wind Stronghold, under the leadership of Blood Butcher, has been extremely active recently, rampaging and robbing caravans on the official road near Anyan City. They are notorious for their ruthlessness, enough to make even children stop crying.

However, the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold, Tie Sha, and the third-in-command, Tie Lu, were also inexplicably killed. Li Chengfeng's words were clearly a mockery of Xue Tu, who had a great fearsome reputation but could only be a lonely and miserable person.

"Regardless of the outcome, your plan has failed..."

The man slowly turned around and looked at Li Chengfeng. Suddenly, the mountain wind howled and suddenly became very strong, making his gray robes flutter.

He suppressed the mountain wind that whipped up his gray robes, and in the shadows, his entire face appeared pitch black, except for his eyes, which shone with an astonishing brightness.

"If the plan fails, then we must change the strategy and the method, and you can only rely on me."

Blood Butcher's face was expressionless, showing no anger whatsoever, and he spoke calmly.

"Rely on you? If it weren't for..." Li Chengfeng was somewhat annoyed. If it weren't for that kid surnamed Han, the Ghost Realm would have already...

Unfortunately, despite all his efforts and the near-death experience outside the city, he failed at the last hurdle.

"No buts, no surprises. Failure is failure. You've already delayed an adult's business once. Do you want to fail again? What other way do you have besides me?" After talking for so long, a hint of impatience finally flashed across Xue Tu's usually calm face.

“But…” Li Chengfeng couldn’t help but sigh, “The forces in the city have already begun to fight each other, and turmoil will break out soon. I’ve checked the black market, and the root cause is still there. As long as enough people die, the triggering conditions can be met again.”

“Too slow, too slow…” Blood Butcher shook his head, the scars on his face trembling. “I have news for you, sir. We have recovered. The ‘Nest’ can no longer be hidden and will attract them soon… We can’t delay any longer!”

"My lord, you've recovered?" Upon hearing this, Li Chengfeng was taken aback. "Why didn't I receive the news?"

"Hmph, don't overthink it. The Soul Gu's fluctuations are merely concealed by the 'nest,' so I can only meet you here," Blood Butcher said coldly. "If I hadn't had to come, do you think I wanted to see you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere between the two of them began to become somewhat cold and quiet.

The setting sun slowly disappeared into the horizon, leaving only a last ray of afterglow.

“If I didn’t think you were still useful… I really wanted to kill you…” Li Chengfeng’s face darkened.

"What a coincidence, every time I see you, I also have the urge to kill you..." Blood Butcher grinned, not to be outdone.

The two stared at each other calmly for a long time.

"Alright, is there anything else? I don't have much time," Li Chengfeng said first.

This is the most sensitive moment for the Crimson Flame Sect. If he hadn't received some crucial information that he absolutely needed to know, how could he have risked exposure by easily leaving the city to meet with them?

Xue Tu closed his eyes and pondered for a while: "The master is almost ready. After you go back, that matter can be planned and implemented ahead of schedule." This was the ultimate reason why he had to come to see Li Chengfeng in person.

Li Chengfeng was taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "Is this true?"

His voice trembled slightly, despite his usual calm demeanor.

“Of course it can’t be fake…” Blood Butcher paused for a moment, his tone filled with emotion.

For so many years, he thought he would be buried with boundless hatred, but heaven has mercy, he finally has the chance to take revenge...

Li Chengfeng also fell silent. He knew the inside story of that plan very well. If it succeeded, it wouldn't just be a matter of a hundred or a thousand people dying... It would inevitably bring the deepest despair, and death, to An Yan City!

But then he touched his sagging cheeks and the wrinkles on his forehead, and glanced at the half-collapsed statue in the main hall…

After experiencing that feeling of rejuvenation, of his body returning to its youthful peak, he was completely captivated by it…

He's already quite old; if he continues to waste his time like this, his only fate will be to turn into a handful of dust...

Therefore, he wanted to enjoy more happiness and break through to the level of Martial Master, even glimpsing the realm of Grandmaster...

And all of this can only be accomplished by Lord Yin Gu!

“I… understand… I’ll get ready when I get back.” Li Chengfeng breathed a sigh of relief.

----------------------------------------------

Behind the library of the Crimson Flame Sect lies the flesh field.

Beside the blood-red red field, there was a small house, and in front of it sat a man in a black robe, quietly reading a book.

The man was not old, only seventeen or eighteen years old. He had a handsome face, and his furrowed brows resembled a winding galaxy. Most striking were his deep eyes, which were like a pool of clear, deep water, unfathomable.

At this moment, he was lightly biting his index finger, as if he had encountered a difficult problem in the book.

"Second-level martial artist, third-level martial artist, must we follow the rules and find complementary techniques at every step...?" He sighed, stood up, and stretched his slightly numb legs.

This was none other than Han Yi.

Several days have passed since Tian Jing led him to the meat field for the first time.

After settling Han Yi in, Tian Jing went to the very center of the meat field. The work there seemed to require constant attention, as it involved observing the growth of the meat field and arranging the harvesting of the beast meat.

From then on, Han Yi spent his days alone in this small house, cultivating, resting, and eating.

In addition, the two of them were not alone in the meat field. There were also many hidden sentries around, doing things such as watering, fertilizing, and harvesting.

However, all of these people were masked and remained silent, even when Han Yi tried to strike up a conversation.

Clearly, these people are the kind of loyal bodyguards that the sect has specially trained.

However, although Han Yi is here without anyone supervising him or restricting his freedom, he is not naive enough to think that no one is paying attention to him.

If it's not out in the open, it's definitely happening in secret.

Therefore, he spent the last few days recuperating, reading books, and being a qualified, injured Blood Refining stage disciple.

Fortunately, judging by the time, his injuries should have almost healed by today, and he can now get up and move around.

"panel!"

He stood before the meat field, pretending to gaze into the distance, but a thought stirred within him. [Name]: Han Yi (17/195)

[Realm]: Mid-stage Meridian Opening Realm, Second-level Martial Master; Sword Realm: One Kill in Ten Steps; Blade Realm: As Heavy as a Mountain

[Martial Arts]: Qianyang Gong (Entry-level martial art, Qianyang Jin, characteristics: Rejuvenation, Evil Extermination, Perfected Strength); Feilong Gong (Entry-level martial art, Youlong Jin, characteristics: Speed, Fire and Poison, Great Strength 20/50)

[Martial Arts]: Thunder Palm Technique (Minor Proficiency 11/50, Special Effects: Shattering Stones and Splitting Earth, Frenzied Strike, Can be Upgraded); Dual Sword and Saber Technique (Proficiency 11/30, Can be Upgraded, Special Effects: Concentration, Dual Wielding, Can be Upgraded); Golden Muscle and Jade Bone Skill (Proficiency 8/20, Special Effects: Iron Wall, Can be Upgraded)

[Secret Technique]: Moon Concealment (Special Effect: Concealing Breath and Illusion)

[Elemental Power Value]: 12

Before his eyes suddenly appeared an information panel with a semi-transparent texture, floating in mid-air.

This was the first time since he was injured that he had the time and space to carefully examine his own martial arts information.

"The Qianyang Skill has reached its peak, but the Flying Dragon Skill is still lacking. It seems I'll need a large amount of monster meat resources at the Martial Master level..."

Han Yi felt the two completely different forces flowing within his body and sighed inwardly.

In this meat field, he could indeed eat as much as he wanted, but all he could eat were meat of the Blood Refining stage quality.

The meat of martial arts masters is so rare that even the sect's own members don't have enough to go around. Tian Jing manages it all, so how could she possibly allow Han Yi to touch it at will?

Perhaps, in the eyes of others, Han Yi's ability to consume unlimited amounts of beast meat of the Blood Refining stage quality is already an immense blessing, after all, his apparent strength is only that of a Blood Refining stage disciple.

However, Han Yi's true strength lies in his cultivation level as a Meridian Opening Martial Master. While eating meat of Blood Refining stage quality isn't entirely useless to him, its effect is minimal. For him, one hundred catties of Blood Refining stage quality meat is only equivalent to ten catties of Martial Master level quality meat.

Therefore, when he went back that night, he had to think of a way to get some more black bear meat from Fatty Zheng.

"Regarding internal strength, there's no rush, we can wait... As for martial arts techniques..."

Han Yi continued looking down at the panel, and the Martial Arts section made him frown even more.

Martial arts techniques are routines and stances, fixed combat methods, much like rock-paper-scissors.

In other words, if two ordinary people are fighting, and one of them knows some techniques, if you throw a punch, he will parry with a horse stance. If you kick, he will counter with a feint kick. Every move he makes is designed to counter you, so he will naturally have the upper hand.

Moreover, if a person practices these fixed routines regularly, the muscles in all parts of the body will be exercised, and the body's flexibility, resistance to blows, and strength will be stronger than that of an average person.

So, to put it bluntly, this martial art is a textbook solution for lower-level martial artists who lack practical combat experience, preventing them from being unable to cope with situations.

However, these fixed routines and rigid tactics are basically useless against Han Yi now.

After all, the enemies he is facing now are all experts of the same level. With the support of internal force, absolute power and speed, these fancy moves are not as effective as a punch or a kick.

The techniques that can help someone at Han Yi's level are special techniques that can be combined with internal energy.

"Martial arts techniques are like a chicken bone—useless to have, but a pity to discard… Perhaps, by using Yuan energy to deduce martial arts techniques, we can find a suitable direction…"

Han Yi shook his head slightly, but then he remembered the vague sense of danger lurking in his heart.

With a thought, the box representing the martial arts skills section began to float and slowly disappeared.

He simply doesn't have the extra time, energy, or elemental power to research martial arts techniques that would yield twice the results with half the effort.

Within the city, the two major powers, the Crimson Flame Sect and the Thousand Leaves Sect, are on the verge of conflict. A hidden demon, who nearly killed him..., lurks in the shadows.

This makes Han Yi feel extremely insecure right now.

Instead of spending resources on martial arts skills, he should focus on improving his internal strength. If he can cultivate the Flying Dragon Strength to its peak and become a Three Strength Martial Master through various means, then no matter how chaotic the city becomes, he should be able to protect himself.

As for martial arts, if his cultivation level has reached its limit in the future, or if he has ample time, energy, and spiritual power, he can integrate all his martial arts into one and deduce a martial art that is unparalleled in the world, just like the unparalleled Dugu Nine Swords in his previous life.

"Then let's leave it at that..."

Ripples rose from Han Yi's heart lake, creating waves of emotion.

The system panel, after his adjustments, slowly reappeared before our eyes.