Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique
Xu Yunfan sighed. "What a miserable death. He’s a dried-up corpse."
As he spoke, he turned slightly to the side.
"Do you want to go in and have a look?"
Teng Lingchuan’s expression froze for a moment. He couldn’t help but say coldly, "Take me to see him!"
"I suppose I could."
Xu Yunfan said faintly, "Have you cultivated the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique? If your Blood Qi isn’t strong enough, I’m afraid you’ll be sucked dry too."
"Don’t be ridiculous," Teng Lingchuan said coldly. "The Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique is a mandatory Cultivation Technique for the True Disciples of the Nine Radiance Sect. Of course I’ve learned it. Now lead the way."
"Just what I needed."
Xu Yunfan let out a low laugh, his figure closing in like a phantom.
’So fast!’
Teng Linchuan’s pupils suddenly shrank. He tried to retreat and dodge, but Xu Yunfan’s five fingers shot out like a dragon emerging from the sea, clamping down on his shoulder like iron pincers.
Teng Linchuan had just started to struggle when he felt a scorching Strength seep in from his shoulder blade, instantly sealing the Blood Qi throughout his body.
His legs went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees, but Xu Yunfan grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him up.
"You’ve been practicing for so long and still haven’t improved? You rushed into the Outer Three Harmonies before even reaching Perfection in the Second Level of Sinew, Bone, and Skin. Did you come to this Secret Realm just to die?"
Xu Yunfan leaned close to his ear, his voice low. "Zhou Tianyan, the head disciple of your Megrez Peak, just became nourishment for the Blood Sacrificial Jade. You’re lucky you didn’t follow him in. Being weak is an advantage sometimes."
Teng Lingchuan was utterly terrified, his body trembling uncontrollably as cold sweat soaked his inner shirt.
’When? When did Xu Yunfan become so strong? I couldn’t even dodge his attack.’
’Zhou Tianyan... he probably really did die in there.’
He was only under orders to wait outside for Zhou Tianyan. He never expected to run into Xu Yunfan. He’d thought he could handle him easily, but it turned out a True Dragon had emerged from the White Jade Palace.
"Bro-Brother Xu, spare me! I-I was just following orders..."
Under the threat of death, Teng Lingchuan forced a smile onto his face, one filled with a sycophancy he had never shown before.
"Brother Xu, we... we just got off on the wrong foot, that’s all. There’s no need for this. Let’s sit down and talk things over."
"Cut the crap."
Before Teng Lingchuan could say anything more, Xu Yunfan leaped onto a cliff outside the palace, still holding him, and casually slammed him onto the ground.
Below the cliff, clouds and mist churned, and the faint roars of beasts could be heard in the distance. It was the perfect place for an interrogation.
He squatted down, a wisp of Red Flood Dragon’s Powerful Qi igniting on his fingertip, and waved it in front of Teng Lingchuan’s eyes. "I ask, you answer. If you tell a single lie—"
The Powerful Qi suddenly erupted into red flames, flaring up and scorching a good portion of Teng Lingchuan’s hair, illuminating his terrified, twisted face.
"What is the mnemonic for the General Outline of your Jiuyao Sect’s Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique?"
Xu Yunfan got straight to the point.
Teng Lingchuan’s heart clenched. He opened his mouth, a difficult expression on his face. "Th-that’s a core secret of the Sect. I swore a deadly oath never to pass it on without the permission of a Sect elder. Brother Xu, how about you ask for something else..."
"Oh?"
With a flick of his finger, Xu Yunfan sent the Red Flood Dragon’s Powerful Qi burrowing under the other’s skin like a venomous snake.
Teng Lingchuan immediately screamed in agony, his body convulsing. A web of crimson lines appeared beneath his skin, as if lava were flowing through his veins.
"I’ll talk! I’ll talk!"
Teng Lingchuan was in so much pain that tears and snot streamed down his face. He had lived a life of smooth sailing, blessed with exceptional talent. According to his master, Yin Hong, his aptitude was no less than Zhou Tianyan’s.
Having never known true suffering, how could he withstand the corrosion of such a Different Type of Energy? The pain was like being sliced by a thousand knives, a death by a thousand cuts.
"The General Outline is ’Nine Luminaries Reincarnation, Swallowing Heaven and Earth, Qi permeates the cosmos’... B-but you have to cultivate it with the Sect’s secret ’Nine Luminaries Star Map’, or you’ll suffer a backlash!"
Xu Yunfan narrowed his eyes.
The mnemonic matched the traces of energy circulation he had observed on Zhou Tianyan, but it was clearly just the surface level.
He sneered and pressed his palm against Teng Lingchuan’s Dantian. There was a major acupoint there, a nexus of meridians, that could inflict bone-deep pain. He abruptly activated his Pure Yang Qi Skill, and his Pure Yang Inner Breath seeped into the man’s flesh and meridians like molten lava.
"AARGH!"
Teng Lingchuan let out a shrill howl, his flesh feeling as though it were being seared by a branding iron as his Blood Qi drained away frantically.
Seeing Xu Yunfan’s expressionless face, Teng Lingchuan knew that if he hesitated any longer, he would likely be tortured to death.
His face contorted and his voice hoarse, he recited the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique, bit by bit.
’You have gained a slight understanding of the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique.’
The words "Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique (Uninitiated)" appeared in the Skill Bar of his Attribute Panel, and a more detailed explanation of the technique flowed into his mind.
"So that’s how it is..."
Xu Yunfan murmured.
The essence of the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique was to repeatedly hammer one’s Blood Qi, like Forged Soldiers, constantly condensing it to improve its quality. It was surprisingly similar to his Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength.
But the Jiuyao Sect had clearly hidden the crucial parts extremely well. Ordinary disciples had no access to the True Inheritor’s version, and if not for his Attribute Panel, he would have had no way of knowing these things.
Although this Teng Lingchuan was called a True Disciple, his Cultivation of the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique was half-baked at best. He was unclear about many of the critical points.
He released his grip. Teng Lingchuan was as limp as mud, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with despair. His muscles were spasming and twitching uncontrollably.
Xu Yunfan grabbed him and lifted him up, his gaze cold as he looked at Teng Lingchuan.
Meeting Xu Yunfan’s icy gaze, Teng Lingchuan began to struggle frantically.
"Wait, wait! I have more to say! I know other Secret Martial Arts of the Jiuyao Sect! The one I cultivate is the Nine Luminaries and Ten Capitals True Force! It can gather Primordial True Qi and leads directly to the Ninth Realm Supreme Qi Cultivation!"
"Oh?"
Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The Nine Luminaries and Ten Capitals True Force?"
Xu Yunfan’s interest was piqued, and the Red Flood Dragon’s Powerful Qi on his fingertip subsided slightly.
He had indeed heard of this Cultivation Technique. It was one of the core secrets of the Jiuyao Sect. Rumor had it that cultivating it to Great Success could condense the "Ten Cities Star Evil." With this, one could achieve Transforming Strength into Qi, and the resulting True Qi would possess Endless Life, allowing one to aim directly for the Peak of the Ninth Realm of the Martial Dao.
Seeing Xu Yunfan’s interest, Teng Lingchuan hurriedly explained, "This technique requires the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi Technique as its foundation. The Blood Qi is divided into Nine Luminaries. You light up one luminary at a time. When all Nine Luminaries reach Perfection, the Strength generated by your Blood Qi will be like surging waves, like the river of stars inverted. The Powerful Qi is nurtured like a great river, giving birth to True Qi. Its power is..."
Before he could finish, Xu Yunfan suddenly sneered, "A pity you haven’t even lit three luminaries."
He had already used his Pure Yang Inner Breath to inspect the man’s Blood Qi. It was impure, and his Strength was scattered. It was mostly due to taking Elixirs, the essence of which he hadn’t fully refined into his own body.
Teng Lingchuan’s face changed drastically. He wanted to say more, but Xu Yunfan had already lost his patience.
The Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace suddenly swept out. The Nine-layered Cloud Fire Pattern on the mace’s body erupted with an eerie blue lightning, and like a red dragon biting a throat, it instantly shattered Teng Lingchuan’s flesh and blood.
SPURT!
Teng Lingchuan’s chest caved in as a spray of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs erupted from his mouth.
He staggered backward, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You... you’re not even tempted by the Cultivation Technique..."
"Tempted?"
Xu Yunfan flicked the bloodstain from his mace and said indifferently, "If you tell me now, I can still get it. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll let you live."
