Translator: AnubisTL
The Red Moon Secret Power was truly bizarre, capable of transforming humans into such monstrous forms, sending chills down one's spine.
Perched on a beam above, Li Qing could clearly sense that the two figures below had never been immortal cultivators. They must have been mortals who had converted to the Red Moon Secret Power, resulting in their current grotesque appearances.
After observing for some time, Li Qing noticed that the berserk monster, having drained the large bowl of blood brought to it, finally began to stabilize, shaking off its frenzied state.
Having witnessed the entire process, Li Qing quietly slipped away, moving with the lightness of a feather, leaving no trace of his passage.
Leaving the Side Hall, Li Qing continued his exploration of Tianliang Temple.
So far, these demonized humans haven't caused any significant harm. There's no need for any demon-slaying or exorcism, Li Qing mused as he explored.
These individuals needed blood to cultivate the Red Moon Secret Power, while the city's populace relied on them to ensure the healthy development of their offspring.
Though Li Qing valued righteousness, he was no fool blinded by naive benevolence.
If merely because they consumed human blood and possessed bizarre, monstrous forms, one were to embark on a campaign of demon slaying, driving them all to extinction, that would be excessively tyrannical and unreasonable.
After all, without these Red Moon Cultivators, who would protect the city's people and ensure the healthy birth of infants in the future?
With this thought, Li Qing couldn't help but glance up again at the Blood Moon hanging eternally in the endless night sky, its eerie and perilous presence looming overhead.
In truth, the root of all this lay with the Blood Moon itself.
"The Red Moon Secret Power grants immortality—a tremendous temptation. Over time, more and more people will inevitably seek to cultivate it."
Once that happens, the consequences are predictable.
The number of Moon Cultivators requiring blood will surge, and among them, there will inevitably be madmen who slaughter mortals like livestock.
Li Qing had just witnessed a Moon Cultivator entering a berserk state. Without a timely blood supply, he would likely have lost all reason and devolved into a crazed demon.
"The World of Eternal Night will only become more difficult to survive in the future," Li Qing sighed softly, temporarily suppressing these thoughts in his heart.
Ahead, a structure resembling a study came into view.
Witnessing this scene, Li Qing's mind stirred, and he approached the building.
After waiting a moment at the door to confirm no one was inside, Li Qing pushed it open and entered.
As expected, the room was filled with wooden slips resembling ancient bamboo scrolls. These were likely the daily cultivation materials used by the disciples of Tianliang Temple.
Curious, Li Qing picked up a slip and began to read.
"As expected, these are cultivation methods for absorbing the Red Moon Secret Power."
He skimmed through the contents, not particularly interested, but viewing them out of a desire to understand.
Some of the details recorded on the slips sent a chill down Li Qing's spine.
Cultivating the Red Moon Secret Power had now spawned several methods for achieving immortality.
The two most widespread methods were:
Direct absorption: Like the two disciples he had encountered earlier, practitioners directly absorb the Secret Power through their bodies to gain strength, causing their flesh to undergo mutations.Beast grafting: An even more unsettling method involved capturing mutated ferocious beasts, grafting their limbs onto one's own body, and then using the beast as a vessel to absorb the Secret Power.
The latter method granted greater combat power but also made practitioners more prone to losing their minds.
The records also noted that the World of Eternal Night had given rise to numerous types of strange beasts, and their mutation rate was astonishingly rapid. Bathed in the light of the Blood Moon, new, never-before-seen creatures emerged at regular intervals.
These beasts shared a common trait: overwhelming combat prowess and grotesquely bizarre forms.
"Since abandoning the Immortal Path, this world has grown increasingly mad," Li Qing murmured, his voice tinged with unease. "There are too many incomprehensible things."
After reading the wooden scrolls, Li Qing felt increasingly out of place in this strange and eerie world.
Driven by his yearning for immortality, he surmised that most surviving immortal cultivators would inevitably succumb to the allure of the Red Moon Secret Power.
He closed the final scroll and returned it to its original position.
Though he found no secret manuals related to immortal cultivation, Li Qing wasn't overly disappointed. Such texts were likely hidden away in the depths of vaults, far from the reach of Giant Rock City.
"It seems that to obtain these ancient Immortal Path techniques, I'll need to venture to places like Tianliang Mountain, once the site of an immortal cultivation sect."
Now, he felt more like a scavenger, scouring a world overrun by the bizarre for forgotten legacies abandoned by others.
"This matter can't be rushed. If even ordinary disciples are this sinister and terrifying, the Abbot of Tianliang Temple must be even more formidable."
"I'll need to reach at least the Late Qi Refining Realm, or even the Foundation Establishment Realm, before I can explore further."
"For now, my desire for those secret manuals has waned. The resources I have on hand are sufficient for my current needs."
In the end, Li Qing left Tianliang Temple silently and unnoticed.
He sought out Miao Jiu, obtained a map of the Black Wind Domain, and began preparing for his departure.
Before leaving, he personally forged three Peerless Divine Weapons from mortal iron, each with unparalleled sharpness.
However, these magical weapons were merely psuedo-magical artifacts, lacking spirit tempering and spirit patterns. Even if fully refined into Magic Artifacts, they would be useless without cultivation.
Finally, before departing, Li Qing gifted the three magical weapons to Zhao Kou, who was in seclusion; Miao Jiu's eldest son, Miao Xi; and the Green Gang, as compensation for their assistance in gathering spiritual materials.
After a moment's thought, Li Qing also decided to share a portion of his Limitless Art Martial Arts inheritance, bestowing it upon them as well.
In this world overrun by the bizarre, Martial Arts might be the only means of self-defense for mortals unable to cultivate.
He wanted to see what brilliance ordinary Martial Arts could yet unleash in this realm.
Especially since infants born without prenatal protection often underwent mutations due to the Red Moon's influence. Some were born with superhuman strength, naturally suited for the Martial Dao.
Take Miao Xi, whom he had encountered earlier. When Miao Xi was born, the Moon Cultivators' prenatal techniques were still imperfect, failing to completely drain the Red Moon Secret Power.
Though Miao Xi appeared mostly human, his arms were abnormally thick, and two fleshy bulges protruded from his head, granting him astonishing strength.
"Consider this a casual move," Li Qing thought. "Whether it proves useful or not hardly matters. My greatest asset remains my current cultivation on the Immortal Path."
In the end, Li Qing left Giant Rock City as silently as he had arrived, without notifying anyone beforehand.
Once outside the city, Li Qing finally began his true exploration of this world.
He measured the land with his own body, map in hand, personally venturing into rarely visited regions to experience the unique aspects of the World of Eternal Night.
South of Giant Rock City lay a lush Mushroom Forest. During the Sunlight Era, this had once been a vast and verdant forest. But now, deprived of sunlight and spiritual energy, the trees had withered completely, replaced by these strange, mutated mushrooms.
Some of these mushrooms were colossal, their growth accelerated by years of exposure to the Red Moon's influence, dwarfing even the towering ancient trees Li Qing had seen in his past life.
Yet he dared not eat a single one, fearing that consuming a "red cap, white stem" mushroom would send him straight to his grave.
Perched atop a massive mushroom tree, Li Qing surveyed the scene below.
A piercing, unnatural roar echoed from the Mushroom Forest ahead, utterly unlike any beast he knew. The creature's aura was surprisingly strong, faintly comparable to a low-tier, early-stage Demon beast.
"Roar~"
Li Qing stomped his feet, channeling force into the giant mushroom tree. A cloud of spores erupted like dandelion seeds scattering on the wind.
He leaped swiftly, landing on one mushroom tree after another, using each as a springboard for his agile movements.
Soon, the source of the roar revealed itself:
A snake-like strange beast covered in festering sores that oozed a foul, unidentifiable fluid. Yes, it could only be called a "snake-like strange beast"—this abomination could never be called a true snake!
The creature had no scales, and pus continued to ooze from its festering sores, making it utterly repulsive. In addition to this, it possessed three heads, none of which resembled normal snake heads; instead, they looked like the rotting heads of eels.
The serpentine strange beast quickly sensed Li Qing's presence, detecting the dense Vital Energy radiating from his body, which seemed to ignite its predatory instincts.
However, Li Qing had no intention of engaging this disgusting creature in combat. He feared that even a drop of its pus could cause his own flesh to rot.
Without hesitation, Li Qing leaped away from the area.
But the serpentine strange beast relentlessly pursued him, crushing entire swathes of the Mushroom Forest beneath its massive body.
Seeing this destruction, Li Qing finally couldn't restrain himself from acting.
Instead of engaging in physical combat, he rapidly waved his hand, unleashing a barrage of scorching fireballs.
Boom!
His mastery of the Fireball Technique was evident as several fireballs struck the strange beast's body with pinpoint accuracy.
Instantly, a hissing, sizzling sound like a red-hot iron plunged into water filled the air.
Hiss~
Massive plumes of steam erupted from the serpentine strange beast's body, causing it to writhe in agony, coiling itself into a grotesque knot like a rotting leech.
"So, it's vulnerable to magic!"
In the next moment, Li Qing formed a hand seal and cast another fundamental Five Elements technique.
"Wooden Thorn Technique!"
Whoosh!
As spiritual energy surged, several wooden thorns erupted from the ground, piercing toward the serpentine strange beast.
To Li Qing's surprise, though the sharp thorns pierced its body, they seemed to inflict minimal damage.
Could it be that only supremely yang and rigid power can harm this creature?
Li Qing retrieved a talisman covered in crimson runes—a Low-Grade Fire Rain Talisman with considerable power.
He immediately activated the talisman, launching it toward the serpentine beast.
However, the result was unexpected. The Fire Rain Talisman only conjured a few small fireballs, failing to unleash the promised fire rain.
Li Qing's lips twitched as he realized his mistake.
Of course! The talisman's power comes from the runes inscribed on the Talisman Paper, which draw upon heaven and earth spiritual energy. With no spiritual energy here, the talisman is useless.
Remembering this, Li Qing drew an Inferior-Grade Magic Tool he had crafted earlier—the Blazing Flame Spear!
He channeled spiritual energy into the spear and swung it violently.
Boom!
The Fire Attribute Spiritual Mark on the spear lit up first, followed by a massive wave of flames surging forth, engulfing the coiled serpentine beast.
(End of the Chapter)
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