Free Web NovelChapter 189: Chapter 179: Future 3
After dealing with the portal, Lin Hui wandered around the ruins for a while and discovered quite a few Purple Crystal Elementals hiding in the corners, but they had all already undergone Purgatory Transformation.
Strangely, whenever the elementals saw him, they would instinctively try to turn and flee. If they couldn’t escape, they would drop to the ground, trembling in fear.
Lin Hui guessed that this was perhaps because he had absorbed too much Purgatory flame, placing his level far above these low-level beings.
Upon closer observation, he discovered that Purgatory Transformation could be divided into several stages: Germination, Incubation, and Eruption.
The weaker the creature, the more obvious its Purgatory characteristics were.
Conversely, the more powerful the Purgatory creature, the fewer Purgatory traits it displayed.
After a few more minutes of wandering, he soon found the Tyrannosaurus Purple Crystal Elemental that had fled and was now hiding in a corner.
THUD!
The creature didn’t even resist. It fell to its knees and prostrated itself on the ground, assuming a posture of complete submission.
"What should I do with you?"
Standing inside the cavern, Lin Hui gazed at the Purgatory-transformed Purple Crystal Tyrannosaurus, which was over ten meters long.
His hand repeatedly tightened and loosened its grip on his sword hilt.
"Right, are there any more of those purple crystals from before? If you can find them for me..." He wasn’t sure if the creature could understand him, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
The next second, the Tyrannosaurus lifted its head, turned, and charged with a series of heavy THUDS into a fork in the cavern.
Soon, it returned with thunderous, heavy steps.
This time, it held a large mouthful of purplish-red crystal ore. It spat them all out with a retch, along with a shower of sparks.
Lin Hui looked at the ore spat out in front of him.
He used his sword to pick one up and examine it.
The previous Purple Crystals had been a translucent, crystalline purple, but this one was purplish-red and slightly cloudy, faintly radiating a scorching heat.
When he reached out and gently gripped the ore, Lin Hui clearly felt a scorching heat travel from his palm into his body.
He tried to channel his Typhoon Swordsmanship. Immediately, all the color drained from the ore in his hand, leaving it a translucent, fungus-like substance. After carefully evaluating the effect, he found it provided almost no Body Tempering and was extremely faint. Instead, it only increased the total amount of Purgatory flame within him.
Sighing, he released his grip and looked at the prostrated Purple Crystal Tyrannosaurus Elemental.
"Good job."
In the end, he decided not to kill the Tyrannosaurus, instead letting it remain in the cavern to act as a guard.
After fully recharging Nine Eyes, Lin Hui returned to Qingfeng Temple. A few days later, the Purple Cloud Ganoderma he had been eagerly awaiting finally arrived.
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「Gale Plain.」
Lin Hui popped the last fragment of Purple Cloud Ganoderma into his mouth and chewed slowly, watching as the remaining few years on the Blood Seal’s evolution timer hit zero.
He finally let out a long sigh of relief.
A prompt from the Blood Seal appeared in his vision: ’Star Breath Sword Manual evolution complete.’
At the same time, the pattern of the Blood Seal on the back of his hand suddenly spread out, transforming into a root-like network of lines that covered his entire forearm.
Soon, a new prompt appeared.
’Star Breath Sword Manual: A versatile swordsmanship evolved from Typhoon Swordsmanship. It provides definite control over most flowing gases. It is divided into four levels, and each level can condense a single Sacred Form. When all four Sacred Forms are combined, the user gains the Special Effect: Breath of the Stars.’
At that moment, as the Blood Seal’s prompts appeared, a vast and ancient stream of cultivation memories flooded into Lin Hui’s mind.
In that instant, it was as if he had experienced hundreds of years of sleepless, arduous training and enlightenment. Finally, on the verge of utter exhaustion, he grasped the ultimate mystery of the Star Breath Sword Manual.
Countless pieces of information about the Star Breath Sword Manual surged and churned in his mind.
’The Star Breath Sword Manual is divided into four levels: Yuan Yi, Ming Er, Ding San, and Gui Si.
’From the start of cultivation, one can convert Typhoon Inner Strength into a special power called Wind Force. At each level, this Wind Force can be condensed to create a Wind Force Sacred Form that strongly resembles the cultivator.’
’Wind Force Sacred Form: A thoughtless Wind Force clone that possesses all of the cultivator’s strength. It automatically disperses after losing more than half of its body. Once condensed, its duration is unlimited. Compared to the main body, the Sacred Form has a more violent Wind Force circulation speed, is fearless of death, and possesses immense destructive power. If damaged, it must be re-condensed, a process that takes seven days.’ free𝑤ebnovel.com
’When the four Wind Force Sacred Forms combine as one with the main body, the ultimate Special Effect can be triggered: Breath of the Stars.
’Breath of the Stars—Channels the rhythm of the stars’ exhalation to deliver a fatally destructive blow to an opponent. Duration: one second.’
The deluge of information prompts finally slowed to a stop.
Lin Hui clutched his head, suppressing the urge to vomit as he shook it.
’Jeez... this is even more ridiculous than Typhoon Swordsmanship. This Special Effect... what does ’channels the rhythm of the stars’ exhalation’ even mean... And what the hell is a ’fatally destructive blow’? And it only lasts for one second...’
This was clearly an offensive Special Effect, a complete opposite to his previous enhancement and defensive ones.
Its duration was extremely short, and its description was vague. He would only know its true effect when he actually used it.
Standing on the Gale Plain, Lin Hui scanned his surroundings, making sure he hadn’t lost control and released his Purgatory Aura due to the headache and nausea.
Only then did he check his remaining Purple Cloud Ganoderma.
He had four stalks of Purple Cloud Ganoderma left from his purchase from the Good Heart Sect.
One stalk was worth two years of evolution time, making it a Treasure Medicine with a fundamentally better effect than the Illusory Dragon Lotus. All things considered, however, the Illusory Dragon Lotus was a better deal because the Purple Cloud Ganoderma placed a much greater burden on the body, taking up ’space’ that could be used for other medicines. The Illusory Dragon Lotus wasn’t nearly as taxing.
As a gentle breeze brushed his forehead, Lin Hui gazed at the Blood Seal’s evolution bar, now clean and clear for the first time in a long while, and a sense of satisfaction washed over him.
The evolution of the Star Breath Sword Manual had taken so long that he had grown accustomed to seeing its timer every time he opened the Blood Seal.
Now that it was finally over, he felt a weight lift from his entire being.
’The Star Breath Sword Manual is clearly more than enough for now. It’ll take a long time just to master Typhoon Swordsmanship, to say nothing of what comes after. It’s time to build a safe base of my own.’
He gently stroked the patterns on the Ruyi Sword Handle. The cool, intricate metalwork always helped him calm his mind and contemplate his next move.
He had already decided on the next thing for the Blood Seal to evolve: the sect’s headquarters.
Indeed, if he wanted to gain a firm foothold in this decaying, chaotic world of fog, relying on his own strength alone was clearly unrealistic. He needed to gather the strength of others, to unite their power into a single force. They could take turns standing guard when rest was needed and protect one another. Only then could they resist the omnipresent chaos, war, and decay of the outside world.
It was just like how the Fog People needed ordinary people to share the burden of decay.
He wasn’t a tireless machine; there would be times when he was tired and needed to relax. In those moments, he would need others to take his place and guarantee his safety.
A large sect could satisfy this need, while also helping him gather resources, money, and other necessities.
’Since the Blood Seal can evolve conceptual things, then...’
Lin Hui closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the concept of Qingfeng Temple as a sect.
Everything about Qingfeng Temple—its buildings, manpower, legacy, Martial Arts, Elixirs, logistics, and so on—all of it formed one massive, unified concept in his mind.
Once the concept had fully formed, Lin Hui finally gave the command to the Blood Seal.
’Qingfeng Temple—A Quick Sword Sect founded by Daoist Qingfeng, later developed and expanded by the Invisible Sword, Lin Hui. Evolvable Branches—5.’
Lin Hui was taken aback. ’Huh? It changed?’ He had assumed there would be the same three paths as before and was all set to choose the last one, Qingfeng Temple (Secret). After all, that path had no negative side effects.
But now, two new branches had appeared.
’It seems the more energy I provide, the more evolution branches become available.’
He had a realization: the Blood Seal’s evolutions weren’t static. They changed over time, depending on the amount of energy and Heart and Spirit he provided.
After all, the longer he cultivated, the more vast his reserves of energy and Heart and Spirit became.
Given that he was providing more and more energy, it would have been abnormal if the evolution options had remained the same.
The more Lin Hui used the Blood Seal, the more it felt like a search, filter, and deduction engine. At the cost of his energy and Heart and Spirit, it would search for suitable evolution paths, then filter, deduce, and modify them to present him with perfectly tailored branches.
Now, he looked at the new prompt: ’Evolvable Branches: 5.’
With a hint of anticipation, he mentally selected it.
’1—Wind Aspect Sect.
’2—Sacred Wind Temple.
’3—Formless Sect.
’4—Void Meditation Sect.
’5—Nine Heavens Gate.’
"???" Lin Hui stared in bewilderment at the Blood Seal prompt in his vision, wondering how the options had changed so drastically.
The previous evolution branches, like Qingfeng Temple (Immortal), were completely gone.
He blinked and selected the first one.
Instantly, information flowed into his mind.
’Wind Aspect Sect: An ancient sect model, traced back to its origins from the techniques within Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts. All disciples who join the sect receive the Wind Aspect’s Protection one time. This protection guards the Heart and Spirit from being eroded by external evils. After it is consumed, the disciple must cultivate at the sect headquarters for one year to acquire it again. freēwebnovel.com
’Sect Effects: Cultivation speed increased by 50%, sect buildings reinforced.’
’This... is significantly flashier than before,’ Lin Hui thought, genuinely impressed as he recalled the brief description and effects of the old Qingfeng Temple (Secret) option.
Next, he selected the second option.
’Sacred Wind Temple: A lost sect model, traced from associations within Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts.
’All disciples who join the temple must undergo an assessment of their Heart and Spirit’s will. Those who pass receive the Sacred Wind’s Blessing, causing their body and mind to undergo a non-directional evolution. This culminates in the formation of a Sacred Fetus. After being reborn from this fetus, they will be innately gifted with a unique wind-based ability.
’Note: Rebirth from the Sacred Fetus can only occur once. The gestation process may cause mental and physical abnormalities.
’Sect Effect: Sacred Fetus Longevity (After rebirth from the Sacred Fetus, regardless of their previous age, the person’s youth is restored, allowing them to live a new life. However, if their Heart and Spirit’s will falters midway, what is reborn may no longer be the original cultivator...).
’Warning: The Sacred Wind Temple was once besieged and annihilated for gestating multiple Evil God’s Sacred Children. Although the Sacred Fetus rebirth grants another life, it is extremely susceptible to corruption by mysterious external forces.’
Lin Hui was speechless. ’...So anything with ’Sacred’ in the name really is heretical. This one seems incredibly powerful, but it’s way too sinister. A hard pass.’
He looked at the third one.
’Formless Sect: A sect model based on extending and tracing the origins of Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts. All disciples who join are blessed with a Formless Tribulation Seal. This seal can forcibly block all damage from a single fatal blow.
’Sect Effects: Cultivation speed increased by 50%, Heart of Integrity (Those with a firm Heart and Spirit and an upright will find that the more righteous their heart is, the faster their cultivation speed and the weaker their bottlenecks become).
’Note: The Formless Sect still exists in an extremely distant time and space. The Formless Tribulation Seal blocks damage by transferring the recipient into the Formless Tribulation Realm. This method is highly likely to be detected by the ultimate experts of the Formless Sect, which could introduce unforeseen complications.’
’This...’ This was the first time Lin Hui had ever seen the Blood Seal offer an evolution path where the original entity still existed.
If the Formless Sect found out, what would happen?
A guess flashed through his mind.
