Chapter Thirty-Seven: Ultimate
A vague and ethereal, vaguely human-shaped wraith hovered before his eyes. The air was thick with bone-chilling cold, sharp as needles, encircling him but hesitating to approach, wary of the golden light in Qi Xiu’s arms. It lingered, unable to muster the courage to come closer.
Whoosh—
Qi Xiu flicked his finger, and a stone shot through the air. The pebble, powerful enough to pierce flesh, passed through the wraith as if through a cloud of mist, emerging unhindered on the other side. So ordinary means could not harm it at all? Watching the stone pass harmlessly through, Qi Xiu felt a pang of vexation.
A shrill, inhuman screech reverberated. The wraith’s body curled, white mist spreading from it like tentacles. The sound waves shook the weeds in the courtyard into wild agitation.
It could even attack from a distance?
His ears rang with a deafening hum. Qi Xiu’s brows knit in pain as he stamped his foot, explosive force surging through his legs. In a flash, he appeared before the wraith, cracks appearing across his palms, dark energy swirling.
Black Sand Palm!
His strike surged like a furious dragon, the sheer force warping the very air. Yet his palm passed through the wraith without resistance, as though striking a mass of cotton. Only the black sand energy he released seemed to disperse the wraith’s form slightly.
As expected, it was futile—ordinary attacks, even empowered by black sand energy, could not touch such an insubstantial wraith. And the black sand energy itself seemed to do little damage.
With a swift withdrawal, Qi Xiu crashed forward, pressing in close as the golden light of the “Suppress” character in his arms flared. The burning light made the wraith shriek and dart away in panic.
“Trying to escape?”
As the wraith soared upward, Qi Xiu unleashed his lightness skill to the limit, pausing midair. He bit his tongue, and in an instant, wrote the “Suppress” character in blood on his palm. Blood empowered, imbued with otherworldly force!
Smack!
His right palm, blazing with gold, struck down hard on the wraith’s forehead.
“Get down!”
He pressed the wraith, slamming it forcefully to the ground. Swiftly, Qi Xiu pulled out a dozen “Suppress” talismans from his robe, nailing them down like steel spikes, paralyzing the wraith in place.
The wraith twisted and struggled, its scream piercing the night, but under the power of the talismans, its form grew fainter and fainter, until at last it dissolved into a small pile of white ashes.
Having dispatched the wraith, Qi Xiu was about to approach the fox demon statue when a rush of heavy footsteps drew near.
His eyes sharpened. He instantly produced a mask from his sleeve, and with a turn, transformed into the burly, black-clad Ye Wen.
“This is it!”
A deep voice called out as a tall, imposing figure leaped into the strange, dilapidated courtyard. Jin Tai’s eyes darkened; sensing the lingering aura of the wraith, he immediately spotted a familiar figure.
“Master Ye?”
He hadn’t expected this master of both martial and mystical arts to be here. Jin Tai was surprised. But seeing the human-shaped ashes on the ground and the fallen “Suppress” talismans, he quickly understood.
It seemed this master had discovered the wraith and slain it outright.
This Master Ye truly despised evil.
First, the demon cultivator Wu Changqing, and now this wraith, both had fallen by his hand. The people of Baohe County were truly fortunate.
Qi Xiu, calm and inscrutable, simply nodded expressionlessly at Jin Tai’s sudden appearance.
After the brief greeting, Jin Tai surveyed the courtyard and noticed the fox demon statue. His face darkened at once.
“A demon altar?”
Seeing that Jin Tai recognized this demonic shrine, Qi Xiu turned his gaze, his voice hoarse. “You know what this is?”
“I’ve heard my master mention it before. Demons and monsters aren’t always as brutish and foolish as we imagine, like wild beasts. They possess intelligence—sometimes more than people. Those whose bodies are not especially powerful will keep wraiths, beguile the living, and have them build demon altars, erect statues, and make offerings to feed them with blood.”
Staring at the fox demon statue, Jin Tai’s expression was solemn.
“So, according to you, the demon outside the city isn’t particularly strong?” Qi Xiu mused aloud.
“You could say that.” Jin Tai nodded, then suddenly turned, staring at Qi Xiu as if he’d seen a ghost. “Are you planning to go after that demon?”
Was this man insane? He’d just killed its wraith, and now wanted to confront the demon itself?
“No, just curious,” Qi Xiu replied casually.
Jin Tai scrutinized him for a long moment before speaking earnestly. “Master Ye, I know your prowess in both the mystical and martial arts is exceptional. But demons are truly extraordinary beings. Even my master, a grandmaster of true intent, could not defeat one alone. You’d best abandon any such thoughts.”
Even those of true intent were no match?
A flicker of surprise crossed Qi Xiu’s face, but he nodded.
Seeing Qi Xiu relent, Jin Tai breathed a sigh of relief. If Ye Wen wanted to throw his life away, so be it. But if he provoked the demon at this critical time, their group hadn’t yet finished collecting the Qian family’s silver and assets; any mishap now would be disastrous.
After thoroughly searching the courtyard and finding nothing else amiss, Qi Xiu and Jin Tai smashed the demon altar and cremated the remains of the seven poor souls who’d been sacrificed.
The rising flames cast flickering shadows over their troubled faces.
“If there’s one demon altar in the city, there are likely more. This must be reported to the authorities, so the county magistrate can order a thorough investigation. Otherwise, such sacrifices will happen again,” said Jin Tai.
“I’ll leave that to you,” Qi Xiu replied, waving his hand. With a few light steps, he vanished into the night.
“That fellow…”
Staring after Qi Xiu, Jin Tai’s face grew grim. “Master still hasn’t replied—he must not have found out this man’s origins. It’s strange. How could a master of both the mystical and martial arts be so unknown in the world…”
The next day.
On the Treasure Boat of the Ghost Market.
The stallholder selling Crimson Blood Medicinal Wine glared murderously at the masked man across from him.
“You dare steal my family’s secret recipe?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous—I don’t even know who you are, let alone steal your recipe.” Qi Xiu leisurely produced a bottle of his own imitation Crimson Blood Wine. “My second-generation Crimson Blood may be twenty percent weaker than yours, but my costs are lower. With the ingredients you use for one batch, I can make three. If you refuse, I’ll set up my own stall beside you tomorrow. If you agree, I’ll hand over the recipe at once—and promise never to sell the recipe or the wine to anyone else. What do you say?”
Under the pressure of Qi Xiu’s threat and temptation, the stallholder’s teeth ground audibly as he struggled with his anger. At last, with bitter reluctance, he nodded. “Fine! I’ll give you what you want!”
“Hahaha, you’re a smart man.”
“But let me be clear. I do have the secret manual for Red Heart Palm, but it’s not complete. I only have the Strengthening and True Intent sections—the middle Qi Condensation section is missing. So even if you get it, it won’t be much use,” the stallholder said gruffly.
“No matter. That’s not an issue for me.”
With his proficiency panel in hand, Qi Xiu didn’t care about missing content. As long as he could get started, raising his skill would allow him to comprehend the rest on his own.
If only true arts could be mastered like ordinary martial arts…
He thought wistfully of the two-thirds-complete Cold Waterfall True Art in his possession. True arts were fundamentally different from ordinary techniques. They were an indivisible whole; missing even a single line made them incomprehensible and impossible to begin learning. Without entry, even with his miraculous proficiency panel, Qi Xiu was helpless.
After settling the terms, Qi Xiu handed his improved Crimson Blood recipe to the stallholder and received, from the murderous gaze of the stallholder, the coveted “Red Heart Palm” manual.
Returning home from the Treasure Boat, Qi Xiu placed the “Red Heart Palm” manual flat on his desk and summoned his proficiency panel with a thought.
Calligraphy (Stage Two): 36.3%
Black Sand Palm (Extreme): Awaiting fusion
Swallow’s Flight (Stage One): 41%
Sun-Gazing Spirit-Strengthening Method (Stage One): 19.7%
Culinary Skill: 66.7%
Alchemy (Stage Two): 7.4%
Remote Acupoint Striking (Stage One): 79.2%
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