Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Don’t Go Out at Night
"You don’t need to worry about that. It’s debatable whether their Evil God even exists. In any case, that group has never succeeded in the past!"
Liu Hai explained,
"The way I see it, they’re just a bunch of delusional lunatics...
"But to achieve their goals, those lunatics always cause immense slaughter and bring chaos to the world!"
"Then could the disappearances in the city be..." Jiang Che couldn’t help but ask.
Liu Hai nodded.
"It is indeed the work of the Blood Spirit Sect. They previously had a branch here in Lin Yuan City and were capturing large numbers of citizens to feed a Blood Sacrifice.
"Although we later joined forces with the Seven Stars Gang to destroy that branch, the Blood Sacrifice unfortunately escaped.
"The Blood Sacrifice went into hiding and has been continuously devouring people, which is why the rumors of evil spirits in the city have grown more and more intense."
Hearing this, a thought suddenly struck Jiang Che.
’Wait... people have also been disappearing frequently in Hengsha City... could it be that Li Yuanwai’s Mansion...’
A guess formed in his mind, and he quickly asked,
"Chief Liu, do you know of Li Yuanwai’s Mansion in Hengsha City?"
"Li Yuanwai’s Mansion? What about it?" Liu Hai looked clueless.
Jiang Che realized Chief Liu wasn’t aware of the situation, so he recounted the story of his parents’ disappearance and his previous encounter with the Young Servant in the Stone Skin Realm.
Liu Hai’s expression turned grave. He said,
"From what you’ve said, that Li Yuanwai’s Mansion is very likely another branch!"
"Then can we get rid of this branch immediately?" Jiang Che asked urgently.
He had always wanted to investigate it again but knew he wasn’t strong enough, so he could only focus on improving his strength first.
He had also considered reporting it to the officials, but firstly, he had no evidence, and secondly, previous missing person reports had been handled perfunctorily, so he had given up on the idea.
But with Chief Liu taking the lead, there was a chance for a breakthrough!
Liu Hai shook his head and said,
"We officials from Lin Yuan City have no jurisdiction to investigate cases in Hengsha City. I can only try to inform the Chief Constable of Hengsha City and have them look into it. However..."
"However what?"
"However, Hengsha City might not believe us based on our word alone. This matter requires careful planning," Liu Hai sighed.
Jiang Che frowned. This was indeed a difficult situation.
’Looks like... I’ll still have to find a chance to sneak in and check it out myself...’ he muttered to himself.
"Little Brother Jiang, let me give you a word of warning."
Liu Hai seemed to see through Jiang Che’s intentions and said in a grave voice,
"A Blood Spirit Sect branch is guarded by, at the very least, an expert at the Late Iron Skin Realm. Sometimes, there might even be a Force Integration Artist present. It’s incredibly dangerous!
"You absolutely must not go alone! I know you’re upset about your parents’ disappearance, but this is truly too dangerous!"
"Thank you for the warning, Chief Liu. I won’t act rashly!"
Jiang Che said quickly.
’A Force Integration Artist...’
A wave of fear washed over him. If a Force Integration Expert had chased him back then, there would have been absolutely no chance of survival!
’It seems I’ll have to reach the Iron Skin Realm at the very least, or maybe even Force Integration, before I can go check it out...’
Jiang Che’s heart felt heavy. He wished he could go back and start his Cultivation immediately to increase his strength.
Just then, the noodles and dishes they had ordered arrived, and they began to eat.
"By the way, Chief Liu, your Martial Arts are so profound. Why haven’t you been able to catch that Blood Sacrifice?"
Jiang Che asked suddenly after taking a bite of noodles.
He recalled his encounter with the Blood Sacrifice and felt that it was nowhere near as powerful as Chief Liu.
Back then, he hadn’t even had a breakthrough in his Qi Blood yet. He was too weak, so the creature had seemed terrifying.
Looking back now, it was at the Mid-stage of the Stone Skin Realm at most, perhaps not even as strong as that flower thief.
If it were the current him, he might even be able to win.
"There’s something you don’t know. Firstly, the Blood Sacrifice’s Sensing is extremely sharp. The moment a more powerful expert appears within a hundred-meter radius, it flees.
"Secondly, as the Blood Sacrifice devours more and more people, its own strength grows stronger and stronger.
"Based on how much time has passed, that Blood Sacrifice is probably already at the Early Stage of the Iron Skin Realm.
"If we don’t catch it soon, it might break through to the Late Iron Skin Realm, or even Force Integration!" Liu Hai said with a solemn expression.
"The Early Stage of the Iron Skin Realm?!" Jiang Che realized the gravity of the situation.
"This... we really have to catch it as soon as possible, or there will be trouble!"
Jiang Che hadn’t expected the creature’s strength to increase so quickly.
If it were left unchecked and broke through to Force Integration, then everyone would truly be in danger.
Besides, the creature was in the East District now. If it happened to show up at his door one night, that would be disastrous!
"Indeed... Little Brother Jiang, you must be careful. Try not to go out at night.
"Now that the Blood Sacrifice’s Realm has increased, it no longer eats ordinary people. It specifically hunts Martial Artists now!
"If you ever run into it, come to the Government Office and find me immediately! I’ve been staying at the office lately, in a small house in the back courtyard," Liu Hai instructed.
"Thank you, Chief Liu!"
After returning home, Jiang Che’s heart was heavy.
He felt as though a dark cloud was looming over Lin Yuan City.
On one hand, there was the restless Tuoba Lie, who could reveal his wolfish ambitions at any moment.
On the other, there was the world-plaguing Blood Spirit Sect, who had most likely captured his parents.
Then there was the Wuxiang Alliance, which had vowed revenge. Not only did they have numerous experts, but they were also skilled in disguise, making them impossible to guard against.
And on top of all that, there was the escaped Blood Sacrifice.
Not only was it growing stronger over time.
It had even come to the East District.
What if, one night, it snuck into his house...
’No, I have to break through to Stone Skin as soon as possible!’
...
「Ten days later.」
Jiang Che practiced by striking the bell day and night, and finally cultivated the "Mountain-Bashing Force" to Perfection.
[Mountain-Bashing Force Perfection]
[Talent Acquired: Rejuvenation]
[A similar Talent already exists. The original Talent’s effect will be automatically enhanced.]
[Rejuvenation: Passive Skill, permanent attribute enhancement type.]
[Description: Physical strength increased, recovery accelerated, medium-level Flesh Regeneration!]
’So, after mastering a similar Cultivation Technique, it activates a similar Talent, and it can even enhance it!’
A flicker of joy ignited in Jiang Che’s heart.
’In that case, if I keep practicing similar Martial Arts, couldn’t I strengthen my Talent to an absurd degree?’
He instantly had a new direction for improvement.
At the same time, he suddenly felt the Qi Blood in his Dantian begin to circulate automatically. His already vast Qi Blood seemed to have grown a bit stronger.
However, this Qi Blood was still just short of completely filling his Dantian.
’It’s only at ninety-eight percent! How can this be?’
Jiang Che was startled.
He sensed his Qi Blood again and was surprised to discover a fact.
The amount of Qi Blood he had gained this time was actually more than the last!
But the reason it wasn’t full was that the upper limit of his Qi Blood had increased!
If the Dantian were a pool filled with water.
Then increasing Qi Blood was like pouring water into the pool. And raising the upper limit was like expanding the pool itself.
Even though more water had been poured in this time, the pool had expanded at the same time!
’After perfecting an Iron Body Skill, it can actually increase my upper limit?’
Jiang Che was shocked.
Under normal circumstances, this would of course be a good thing.
A higher Qi Blood limit meant a more solid foundation and greater combat power.
But right now, when he urgently needed to become stronger, it delayed his breakthrough to the Stone Skin Realm by a little bit.
’Forget it... I’ll just have to master another Iron Body Skill.’
Jiang Che sighed.
Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to master an Iron Body Skill now, so he wasn’t too discouraged.
’Let’s see how much stronger Rejuvenation has become...’
Jiang Che immediately began to test himself.
After a bout of "self-harm" with his Hand Stab, Jiang Che came to a conclusion.
’My recovery ability has improved by about 30% from its original base, and my defense has improved by about 40%... Rejuvenation alone couldn’t have boosted it this much. It must also be the effect of achieving Mountain-Bashing Force Perfection.’
Jiang Che converted it into percentages, which felt more intuitive.
’At this rate, as long as my internal organs aren’t injured, I should be able to recover from anything within a day...’
Jiang Che was satisfied.
He tried to circulate his Qi Blood and found that his skin already had a faint, stone-like texture.
’I wonder which is harder, this or actual Stone Skin?’
A sense of anticipation grew in Jiang Che’s heart.
Of course, he was confident that even if a Stone Skin’s hide was slightly harder than his, their recovery ability was definitely far inferior.
"GRUMBLE—"
Suddenly, his stomach let out a loud noise.
’So hungry!’
Jiang Che’s expression changed. He hurried back to his room, pulled out some Exotic Beast Dried Meat, and started gnawing on it.
Iron Body Skills were great, but the energy consumption had also become enormous.
A supply that would last an ordinary Martial Artist a month, he finished in less than five days.
If it weren’t for the silver he earned from Shao Jianbo, his monthly stipend would have been far from enough.
’Sigh... if only I had more Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat.’
Low-Grade Exotic Beast Meat was inefficient for replenishing Qi Blood; he had to eat a lot to replenish just a little. It was also a burden on his digestive system.
Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat, on the other hand, was not only absorbed quickly, but the Qi Blood it replenished was also purer.
It was just that the five catties of Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat from the Shao Mansion were no longer quite enough for him.
Once he broke through to the Stone Skin Realm, it would be a drop in the ocean.
’Next time I go to the Xuanji Secret Market, I should see about buying some more Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat... hmm, and some poison too.’
Jiang Che plotted internally.
In fact, he had also indirectly asked Shao Jianbo about increasing his quota for Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat.
But Shao Jianbo said there was nothing he could do. The quotas in the Shao Mansion were fixed and strictly managed.
Jiang Che’s current allotment was already at the level of a Stone Skin Realm practitioner.
To get another increase, he would either have to advance to the Stone Skin Realm, or even Force Integration.
Or, he would have to make an outstanding contribution to the Shao Family.
After understanding the situation, Jiang Che dismissed the thought.
That day, after returning from calligraphy practice at the Shao Mansion, Jiang Che went to Hou’s Noodle House.
The shop was still empty of customers.
Master Hou was there complaining, and after chatting with him, Jiang Che learned why.
It turned out everyone was spreading rumors about the evil spirits, and few dared to go outside anymore.
Master Hou looked worried, saying that if things continued like this, he would have to close the shop.
Jiang Che felt helpless. He really didn’t want this place to close down.
’If it really comes to it... I could just buy this shop. I’ll hire Master Hou to make the noodles and give him some shares later on.’
A small shop like this didn’t have a high income, so Jiang Che guessed it probably wouldn’t cost too much silver.
After devouring five bowls of noodles, Jiang Che wiped his mouth.
"So satisfying!"
It was getting dark when he left the shop. Jiang Che didn’t dare to linger and immediately headed for home.
His house was just across the street, a few steps away. This was why he dared to go out for noodles—he could be back in moments anyway.
But just as he was about to push open his courtyard gate, the hair on his entire body suddenly stood on end!
[Omen] has been triggered!
