Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 360 - 323: Blood Shadow Bewitches the Heart, Yellow Sprouts Reach the Heavens

Chapter 360: Chapter 323: Blood Shadow Bewitches the Heart, Yellow Sprouts Reach the Heavens

"Brother Ping’an,"

Little Jiu’er had just come to her senses.

With a cry of joy, like a little cat, she leapt a few times and darted into Zhou Ping’an’s embrace, her small hands tightly hooked around Zhou Ping’an’s neck, giggling happily.

"You, you almost got killed just now, didn’t I tell you to run? Why were you just standing there, dazed?"

Zhou Ping’an’s first words were with furrowed brows, ready to scold.

But as soon as he spoke, he saw the little girl’s cheeks slump, her mouth droop, and her eyes already brimming with tears.

Clearly, she was ready to cry in front of him.

He quickly softened his tone and said with a smile, "However, Little Jiu’er is really clever, knowing your Brother Ping’an was right beside you guarding against the thieves, without showing any fear."

"That’s right. I knew Brother Ping’an was the best, and that he wouldn’t let the bad guys get in."

Hmph.

Little Jiu’er had a face full of prophetic confidence, the expression of someone who knew and wasn’t afraid. Miraculously, the tears in her eyes had disappeared.

That’s what she said.

Zhou Ping’an thought about it and agreed.

Not every coincidence could be treated as merely a coincidence.

Some things naturally held a bit of destiny.

He had a flash of inspiration in his mind, suspecting Little Jiu’er might be attacked. Having just returned and hidden nearby for less than the duration of an incense stick, he had indeed ended up waiting for Chen Dazhong, the old steward from Cui Mansion who had cultivated the Blood Shadow Divine Skill.

As soon as the old man made a move, it was "Fragrance of the Blood Sea Martial Intent," intent before the fist.

Turning his body into a blood shadow, wherever his fists pointed, he was so powerful that even Old Man Qing couldn’t react in time, falling into a moment of stupor.

Not to mention Xiao Cui, Xiao Xue, and Little Jiu’er, who were completely defenseless, overpowering and controlling them at a spiritual level, obediently dying without knowing.

If Zhou Ping’an hadn’t held his breath and concentrated his energy, turning his life force into that of a dead thing, making himself like a rock, a piece of rotting wood, motionless behind the house, Chen Dazhong’s Blood Sea Martial Intent might have perceived him as a non-threat. This time, he might not have been able to capture this cunning enemy.

’Thank you again, Cai’er.’

Zhou Ping’an gently caressed the Yin Spirit Bead on his chest, silently sending a surge of Heart Thought to it.

Ever since absorbing the "Horse-Face Spirituality" that appeared outside Dongjiang City within the relics of Zhao Yue, Cai’er within the Yin Spirit Bead had gained much more spirituality than when she initially followed him.

Occasionally, she could even come out to get some air.

Of course, most of the time, Cai’er couldn’t hold her form for long and would just hide inside the bead, resting and recuperating.

Even so, when it came to the mystical aspect, harvesting spirituality, she could still be a great help.

It compensated for some of the shortcomings in Zhou Ping’an’s techniques.

Seemingly sensing Zhou Ping’an’s emotions.

The bead on his chest faintly emitted a touch of chillness and trembled gently, then went silent.

"My lord."

Xiao Cui and Xiao Xue ran over with faces full of shame.

Their faces still showed lingering fear.

Just now, they hadn’t been able to help at all.

They had been completely caught in the Illusory Realm of Martial Intent, unable to control themselves.

"It’s not your fault,"

Zhou Ping’an waved his hand.

"The attacker was too strong, and his Martial Intent was too wickedly potent, capable of affecting the mind; it’s no wonder you couldn’t fend it off. I speculate that this person is Cultivating Body into Shadow and is likely almost ready to transform himself into a Blood Spirit Child."

Earlier, inside the Taoyuan Illusory Realm of Yinfeng Valley, Zhou Ping’an had been tempted by the thoughts inside a bead and had mentioned the uniqueness of the Blood Shadow Divine Skill.

In its early stages, the Blood Shadow Divine Skill involves blood absorption and power augmentation, cultivating powerful spiritual force and other methods. Although sinister, compared to other demonic sect techniques, it’s not much different.

Just exceedingly cruel.

As a method against enemies, it’s not considered very strong.

However, in the later stages, once the practitioner thoroughly transforms his flesh and body into a mere shadow, spiritually metamorphosing into a "Blood God," it becomes difficult to deal with.

Even a powerful expert at the Peak of Martial Intent might not be able to withstand such an attack from a "Blood Spirit Child."

Once the enemy’s blood shadow pounces on one’s body and penetrates the skin and blood vessels, within a breath, one’s whole body’s blood will be drained, turning one into a mummified corpse.

Therefore, the best way to deal with such an opponent is when he launches an attack.

Because, when not attacking, the enemy can turn into a thin wisp of bloody shadow, invisible and nearly impossible to detect.

You can’t find the person, let alone attack them.

You’re fighting a shadow.

It’s unsubstantial and inflicts no injury.

Even spiritual attacks would be dissipated by the enemy, reducing their efficacy by up to ninety percent.

It would be very easy for the enemy to escape.

The only good opportunity is when the Blood Shadow Divine Skill cultivator gathers all his blood and spirit to launch a powerful attack.

At their strongest moment of attack, they are also at their weakest.

Old Man Qing, hearing this, suddenly laughed, "Not just that, Chen Dazhong had already initially cultivated into a Blood Spirit Child, otherwise, under your previous round of punches, he would have been completely killed, leaving no spirituality behind."

"Grandfather Qing, do you know this villain too?" Little Jiu’er, taking advantage of her young age, ran over and grabbed Old Man Qing’s white beard, pouting, obviously upset that the old man hadn’t told her about this villain, leaving her unprepared.

"I know, I know, but telling you won’t help. Just grow up quickly. Even if you become more skilled than your sister, facing such powerful experts is... difficult, so difficult!"

Heh.

Old Man Qing couldn’t help but laugh helplessly, lifting the little girl in his arms.

His eyes were full of indulgence.

He thought that the little miss truly couldn’t differentiate between the strong and the weak.

Even if he told her about all these potential enemies, like County Magistrate Cui Guangling and the "Guangyun’s Number One Blade" from the main family of the Guangyun Lin Clan, what good would it do? There would still be trouble ahead...

Knowing that they would inevitably become formidable enemies, what could he do about it?

The situation was beyond him, and all he could do was watch helplessly.

"You talk about how formidable they are, yet they still can’t beat Brother Ping’an."

The little girl had her own reasons, of course.

With her nose in the air, she hmphed, jumped down from the old man’s arms, and ignored him.

Uh...

Old Man Qing felt depressed.

"As for the Third Miss, it’s really just that she hasn’t had enough time to cultivate. It won’t be long before, even if Chen Dazhong doesn’t die, she won’t need to fear him." Old Qing paused, then said, "Look what I’ve brought back?"

He swayed to his room, pausing briefly before pulling from his space a whole acre of freshly picked medicinal herbs, mud and all, and presented them in front of Old Man Qing.

"This is..."

Old Man Qing’s eyes gleamed, his voice excited.

"Yellow Sprout Grass, Nine-Section Bamboo, you have so much of it. Did you find an ancient sect’s medicinal field?"

He opened the heavy hemp sack.

Old Man Qing’s eyes almost spun.

The sack was packed with Yellow Sprout Grass, emitting a faint, long-lasting fragrance. Just one whiff seemed to make the qi energy inside his body more active and clearer.

He glanced at it and estimated there were roughly four to five hundred plants.

Each Yellow Sprout Grass could be used as a main ingredient to concoct six to eight Yellow Sprout Pills.

The very first Yellow Sprout Pill could enhance one’s true qi by ten to twenty percent. In the major sects of the present world, it was considered decent resource access if an Inner Sect Disciple could get their hands on one Yellow Sprout Pill a month to aid in their cultivation.

Due to its broad demand and excellent effects, this herb was highly sought after in the Jianghu, and its stock was extremely scarce in the remote deep forests.

The most challenging part was that Yellow Sprout Grass needed to be of a certain age to effectively gather spiritual mechanism and play a role during alchemy.

Therefore, even if it was cultivated in sect medicinal fields, they would only harvest once every five years, and not many matured.

Yet, Zhou Ping’an had brought out more than five hundred high-quality plants all by himself.

What a concept that was.

What’s more precious, apart from these five hundred main herbs, there were also over thirty plants of "Nine-Section Bamboo".

"Nine-Section Bamboo"? What was that?

This was a catalytic agent. Whether in concocting Seven-Colored Pills or Yellow Sprout Pills, adding Nine-Section Bamboo could significantly increase the production of superior pills and even evolve the pills, offering those who take them a higher chance of entering a state of sudden enlightenment during their cultivation.

Thus, "Nine-Section Bamboo" was also known as "Sky-Piercing Bamboo" in the Jianghu.

Old Man Qing was utterly shocked.

He quickly tightened the sack’s opening, almost choking: "You, boy, to treat such medicinal materials as common, only you could. Don’t worry, leave them to this old man. With these herbs to help, not only will all of you advance by leaps and bounds in the shortest time by accumulating true qi and breaking through to qi mastery, there is more..."

He didn’t continue.

Because he knew that on Zhou Ping’an and Lin Huaiyu, there were actually quite a few Seven-Colored Pills remaining.

Even after advancing to the Eighth Level of Qi Mastery and fully accumulating refined qi, they wouldn’t have to worry about lacking enough elixirs to break through the True Intent of Martial Path.

Moreover, having found so much rare Yellow Sprout, finding some Seven-leaf Tithonias could hardly be considered difficult.

Looking at Zhou Ping’an again, Old Man Qing’s turbid old eyes vaguely understood something.

"Qi Fortune" couldn’t be seen or touched.

If you have it, you have it; if you don’t, you don’t.

The young man before him undoubtedly had it.

He could be deemed to have a "Grand Fortune at Its Zenith".

Their rapid rise in this remote area, regardless of how one saw it, was brimming with potential to soar to the heavens.

The only weakness was that their cultivation time was too short.

Compared to those well-established powers that had been around for decades or even centuries.

They seemed too young.

Their foundations too shallow.

But as time passed.

As these resources were gradually supplied.

When they made it through this tough time, they would inevitably shine brilliantly and turn heads.

That day wasn’t far off.

"In that case, I’ll trouble you, Elder Qing."

Zhou Ping’an cheerfully handed over the medicinal materials to Old Man Qing, feeling no guilt about making a man of over ninety years old toil in alchemy.