Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Mastering Blood Shadow Escape, Northern Wilderness County

Lu Zhao returned to his cave residence, the stone door sealing him off from the outside world. He sat down cross-legged and began to plan out the next six months.

The first priority was, naturally, his cultivation. Although he had just broken through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, with an ample supply of Pills, he was confident he could reach Qi Cultivation Perfection within six to seven years. This timeline also happened to coincide with when he was scheduled to receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Second, he couldn’t stop studying Puppetry. It was his signature skill, and besides, the Spirit Stones Lu Zhao needed to buy Cultivation Resources all came from his Puppets.

With his Divine Sense now comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lu Zhao’s success rate in refining Tier One Middle-Grade Puppets had greatly increased. This was especially true for the Ice Wind Wolf Puppets and Water Spirit Turtle Puppets. After deducting the cost of materials, it wouldn’t be difficult to earn a stable one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones annually.

However, the Tier One High-Grade Cyan Wood Giant Ape Puppet was still a bottomless pit. Its success rate was pitifully low, and every attempt at refining one meant a loss. For the short term, he could only consider it "tuition" for improving his skills.

Besides the two core pillars of cultivation and Puppetry, Lu Zhao had one other matter on his mind. His gaze shifted slightly as he retrieved an ancient Jade Scroll from his Storage Bag. He immediately submerged his Divine Sense into it, precisely locking onto the section for the "Blood Shadow Escape." A flicker of barely perceptible desire flashed in his eyes.

He had wanted to practice this technique for a long time. Now that his Puppetry and cultivation had entered a temporary plateau with no significant breakthroughs expected in the near future, it was the perfect opportunity to devote time to learning this Escape Technique.

Additionally, Lu Zhao had also decided to visit the Library Pavilion to find a Body Refining Technique. His requirements weren’t high: it needed to be easy to start, and the Treasures of Heaven and Earth required for later cultivation couldn’t be too harsh or difficult to find.

Three days later, Lu Zhao emerged from the Library Pavilion, a place with a sea of ancient texts. He fiddled with a Jade Scroll in his hand, upon which its title, *Soft Water Bone Forging Technique*, was inscribed in ancient seal script. His reason for choosing this Cultivation Technique was simple: it was relatively easy to start, and the specific Spiritual Materials needed for subsequent cultivation were also relatively easy to find in the Marketplace.

Half a year slipped by quietly amid cultivation, Puppet Making, Body Refining, and studying the Blood Shadow Escape.

「Deep within a desolate, unfrequented canyon, two hundred li northwest of the Bixia Sect.」

Lu Zhao’s figure stood silently among the jagged, chaotic rocks. He took a deep breath, and the circulation path of the Little Spirit Rain Technique within him suddenly shifted. A ferocious wave of Blood Evil Qi was forcibly drawn from the depths of his Dantian, instantly suffusing his limbs and bones. His face abruptly turned crimson, and a faint, bloody mist seeped from the pores all over his body.

’Blood Shadow Escape!’

With a silent roar in his heart, Lu Zhao’s entire body abruptly transformed into a blurry, dark-red blood shadow, like a crimson bolt of lightning tearing through space. Only the faint scent of blood remained where he had stood. The next instant, beside a massive boulder two hundred and ten zhang away, the blood shadow materialized out of thin air, revealing Lu Zhao’s form once more.

PFFT!

The moment he reappeared, Lu Zhao’s face instantly went from red to a deathly white, like gold paper. His aura weakened drastically, and he staggered, nearly losing his footing.

He immediately sat down cross-legged. With a trembling hand, he took out a Jade Bottle from his Storage Bag, tipped out several longan-sized Red Blood Pills that emanated a rich aroma of Qi and Blood, and swallowed them. He then closed his eyes and focused on circulating his cultivation technique, guiding the surging Medicinal Power to repair his body’s deficit.

Three hours later, a trace of color finally returned to Lu Zhao’s face. He slowly opened his eyes; they were filled with exhaustion, yet a sharp glint flashed within them.

"What a tyrannical consumption!" he muttered to himself, feeling the dull ache that still lingered in his meridians and the deficit of his Qi and Blood. ’Escaping two hundred zhang in a single leap nearly drained thirty percent of my Essence Blood, and it consumed almost half my Magical Power... and this is *after* I’ve started Body Refining and the Soft Water Bone Forging Technique has already tempered some of my muscles and bones. If I had recklessly used it with my previous body...’ Lu Zhao didn’t even dare to imagine the consequences.

At that moment, a doubt that had lingered for a long time resurfaced in his mind: back when he was hunting down Qian Yuan near the Cyan Ox Mountain’s Lower Courtyard, his opponent was only at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, yet he had managed to use the Blood Shadow Escape twice in a row to flee for his life. ’Why is the difference so vast?’

’It seems that without practicing the corresponding Main Cultivation Technique, the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill, forcibly activating these Blood Dao Secret Techniques results in far greater consumption and backlash than I imagined.’ Lu Zhao understood now. At the same time, his vigilance toward the other Secret Techniques recorded in this Demon Skill deepened. ’Although the other few Secret Techniques haven’t shown any major problems yet, I must be extremely cautious when using them in the future.’

This experience, for instance, made him understand that while the Blood Shadow Escape could allow for an instantaneous escape from death, it was a true double-edged sword that harmed both the enemy and the user. Unless it was a last resort, he absolutely could not use it lightly.

Still, to be able to cover such a distance upon mastering just the first layer was already beyond the Divine Sense coverage of many ordinary Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. In the perilous Cultivation Realm, the value of this life-saving trump card was undeniable.

Once the test was complete, Lu Zhao endured his body’s fatigue and carefully cleaned up the remaining bloodstains and aura at the scene. Then, like a shadow that had infiltrated this place, he silently vanished from the canyon’s exit and returned to the Sect.

He had only been back in his cave residence for a few days, recuperating and adjusting, when he felt a familiar vibration from the Outer Sect Steward Token hanging at his waist.

Lu Zhao gave a wry smile. ’Here we go again. After two years of peaceful cultivation, it’s about time I went out,’ he thought. Then another thought occurred to him. ’I can’t just sit around and wait for that last Foundation Establishment Pill.’

Having made up his mind, Lu Zhao walked briskly toward the Recruitment Bureau. The moment he crossed the threshold, that familiar face, always wearing a shrewd smile—Wang Ping’s face—came into view once again.

"Junior Brother Lu! It’s been two years! Your cultivation has progressed at lightning speed!" Wang Ping greeted him enthusiastically. "You’ve had it comfortable these past two years. Did you almost forget all about the Sect’s mandatory missions?" Wang Ping teased.

Lu Zhao’s expression was calm as he cupped his hands. "Brother Wang, you jest. It’s rare to have some quiet time, so naturally, one must cultivate diligently. What is the mission this time?"

Wang Ping chuckled, tapping his fingers on the desk. "Isn’t it because your performance in Lingze County last time was too outstanding, Junior Brother? The Sect feels that these ’guard duty’ sorts of jobs are best suited for a steady and capable person like you. This time, well, the place is much better than Lingze County—at least it doesn’t have as many annoying bugs. It’s just..." He deliberately drew out his words. "...it’s just a little remote. It’s in Northern Wilderness County."

"Northern Wilderness County?" Hearing this, Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. That was the northernmost Border County of the Chen Country. To its north lay the vast Great Desert and Gobi; to its east, it leaned against the sprawling foothills of Nine Prosperity Ridge, a range overrun with Demon Beasts; and to the southeast, it bordered the neighboring Yani Country, making for a far from peaceful border.

The place was besieged on three sides by powerful enemies. The environment was perilous, and the situation was as complex as it could get.

However, Lu Zhao was not entirely unfamiliar with this county. It was located directly north of Northern Plains County, so the two weren’t too far apart. Back when he was still with his family, he often heard his clansmen mention with great worry how some family’s stronghold in the Northern Wilderness had been attacked by a horde of Demon Beasts, suffering heavy losses...

The past had long since scattered like the wind, and the memory of his family’s home being reduced to ruins was buried deep in his heart. Lu Zhao wasn’t thinking about it now out of nostalgia for old times. Some things were better acted upon than idly contemplated! He had never forgotten that the Zheng Family attacked him back then!

He suspected that the complete annihilation of the Lu Family might be related to the Zheng Family. This mission to Northern Wilderness County, which bordered Northern Plains County, might be an opportunity to investigate in secret and search for clues.

A hundred thoughts spun in his mind, but none showed on his face. He only revealed a perfectly timed hint of hesitation. "Brother Wang, Northern Wilderness County... it’s more than just ’remote,’ isn’t it? That place is chaotic, with plenty of Tribulation Cultivators and Demon Beasts!"

"The danger is for outsiders. Not many Tribulation Cultivators would dare to make a move on our Sect’s stewards and disciples. As for Demon Beasts, with your cultivation, Junior Brother, how could anything happen as long as you don’t run into a Tier Two Demon Beast? Besides, the place you’re going isn’t near Nine Prosperity Ridge. What Tier Two Demon Beasts would be there?"

"From what you’re saying, Brother Wang, I’m not being sent to the front lines of Nine Prosperity Ridge to hunt Demon Beasts?" Lu Zhao seized on the key point in Wang Ping’s words.

"Exactly." Wang Ping observed Lu Zhao’s expression and continued, "Rest assured, Junior Brother. The Nine Prosperity Ridge area has its own dedicated Demon Hunting Army from the Sect stationed there in rotation. They’ve set up multiple Grand Arrays for defense. Why would they need ordinary Outer Sect Stewards like us to go fill the trenches on the front lines?"

"Furthermore, the mission isn’t long this time—only a one-year post. And according to Sect rules, being stationed at a Border County outpost like this for a full three months counts as completing one mandatory mission."

"Stay for the full year, and it will count as completing four mandatory missions. In total, you can get... sixty Merit points." He paused, then added, "For a remote place like this, the Merit reward isn’t that high, but the advantage is that it’s quiet. Once you get there, just follow the arrangements of the local steward. They generally won’t assign you anything too strenuous."

Lu Zhao understood. A one-year post without having to fight hordes of Demon Beasts could be exchanged for four mandatory missions and sixty Merit points. Although the place was remote, if he could cultivate in peace, it wasn’t a bad deal. Especially since Northern Wilderness County was so close to Northern Plains County, perhaps... He suppressed the thought and nodded. "I understand. When do we depart?"

"In seven days. Same old place, Cyan Feather Crossing. You’ll take the Sect’s Cyan Feathered Eagle." Wang Ping handed a mission Jade Scroll to Lu Zhao. "The specific outpost and precautions are all inside."

"Thank you, Brother Wang." Lu Zhao accepted the Jade Scroll.

After leaving the Recruitment Bureau, Lu Zhao didn’t immediately return to his cave residence. He first made a trip to the Bixia Marketplace, where he delivered the recently refined Ice Wind Wolf Puppets and Water Spirit Turtle Puppets to Lin Yuanshan at the Spirit Puppet Tower in exchange for Spirit Stones. He also purchased a new batch of materials needed for refining Puppets. Finally, he briefly explained to Lin Yuanshan that he would be away on a mission for a year and arranged to deliver more Puppets upon his return.

On the morning of the seventh day, Lu Zhao once again stepped onto the broad, cold back of the Bixia Sect’s enormous flying Demon Beast—the Cyan Feathered Eagle.

With an ear-piercing cry, the giant eagle beat its wings and took to the sky, carrying the group of them as a streak of cyan-black light toward that desolate and unfamiliar land to the north—Northern Wilderness County.

A piercing Gang Wind rushed against his face, but Lu Zhao’s gaze penetrated the clouds, fixed on the northern horizon—in the direction of Northern Plains County, the place where his family was once destroyed.

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