Chapter 173: Like a Demon, Like a Fairy

Imperial-level cultivation methods are secret arts passed down through countless epochs on the Ancient Continent, created by ancient imperial rulers. Some are complete sets of techniques, while others are specific secret arts.

Regardless, their power is astonishing.

Their mysterious and formidable nature often defies imagination, making them incredibly precious.

Coupled with their rarity, imperial-level methods are among the foundational resources of all major powers.

However, most of them are nearly impossible to cultivate. They require extremely demanding conditions, such as inherited bloodline power, which puts them out of reach for almost everyone.

Furthermore, it's difficult for different species to cultivate methods intended for another, making them even harder to master.

Only a few methods exist that don't require specific bloodlines and can be practiced by any species. These are the most valuable imperial-level methods, and news of even one can drive people to both frenzy and despair.

Frenzy comes from envy, and despair from their inherent unalienability.

Once an imperial-level cultivation method forms a "seed" within a practitioner, even killing that person will yield nothing for an outsider.

Even if the method's content is revealed, outsiders will forget it instantly, unable to commit it to memory.

Even with special memory preservation techniques, cultivation is impossible without the "seed of inheritance" within the body.

The "seed of inheritance" acts like a credential, granting cultivation eligibility only to those who possess it.

The Golden Crow Refines All Souls is one such method.

More precisely, Golden Crow Refines All Souls is not a cultivation method; it is a secret art!

This secret art is incredibly powerful. According to the information Xu Qing obtained, once fully mastered, it allows the practitioner to achieve the Golden Crow Imperial Body.

Once the Golden Crow Imperial Body is formed, physical combat strength enters the imperial realm, and the practitioner can even transform into a Golden Crow, soaring through the nine heavens.

These descriptions and insights led Xu Qing to realize that Golden Crow Refines All Souls is a body-refining secret art.

Its cultivation process emphasizes survival of the fittest, involving refining the essence blood of ten thousand races and myriad spirits into one's own body. This continuously improves the physique, making it stronger and stronger, like a magical artifact being nurtured, until it finally transforms into the Golden Crow Imperial Body.

As this method was created by a Golden Crow, it's clear that the Golden Crow's perspective lacks significant concepts of good and evil. For it, the law of the jungle and continuous evolution to become the strongest was the true path.

While continuously absorbing the essence blood of ten thousand races and myriad spirits to strengthen oneself, one can also, through this absorption, seize the racial talents of others!

This aspect is incredibly overbearing.

However, there are limitations: to seize racial talents, merely refining a single member of a race is insufficient. One must refine multiple members of that race, preferably those with higher cultivation, to accumulate enough to fully plunder the talent.

Xu Qing leaned against the ship's wall, his eyes closed as the newly acquired information raced through his mind. The more he absorbed it, the faster his heart beat. After a long moment, Xu Qing opened his eyes, a look of shock in them. "An imperial-level body-refining secret art!"

Xu Qing was no stranger to body refining.

His very first cultivation method, the Sea Mountain Art, was a body-refining technique. This made him exceptionally lethal in the Scavenger Camp. Even after joining the Seven Blood Eyes and witnessing the terror of arcane arts, he never abandoned body refining.

That is, until his Sea Mountain Art reached its limit after achieving the ninth level.

Even though the Transcendent Shadow behind him was wreathed in lava, exuding an astonishing aura, and two horn-like growths had appeared on its head, it ultimately failed to complete its transformation and could not reach the tenth level.

This was not due to Xu Qing's lack of effort. In fact, because he had no foreign impurities in his body and with the aid of the purple crystal, he had cultivated the Sea Mountain Art to an unprecedented degree.

What ultimately prevented his breakthrough was the Sea Mountain Art's inherent level. It was, after all, merely a widely circulated low-level cultivation method. The limitations of the method itself forced Xu Qing to halt its progression and instead use the Ocean Transformation Scripture to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Nevertheless, his pursuit of body refining did not diminish. After reaching Foundation Establishment, he exchanged for several body-refining methods within the sect, but their effects were suboptimal upon trial, unable to help the Sea Mountain Art advance further.

Now, Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with intensity.

Sensing the Golden Crow Refines All Souls art that had appeared in his mind and the Golden Crow inheritance seed beside his Vital Lamp, he felt an eager anticipation.

"I wonder if my Sea Mountain Art will benefit the cultivation of Golden Crow Refines All Souls," Xu Qing murmured to himself.

He reasoned that since both were body-refining techniques, there was a high probability that the enhancements from his Sea Mountain Art would provide some assistance in cultivating Golden Crow Refines All Souls.

However, his injuries were too severe for immediate cultivation. So, Xu Qing took a deep breath, endured the intense pain in his body, and began to regulate himself. His spiritual power circulated and merged with the purple crystal, focusing entirely on recovering from his injuries.

Thus, time slowly passed.

Ten days flew by in a blink.

During these ten days, day and night, the shadow emitted an unwavering sense of loyalty. It shielded Xu Qing from the sun during the day and guarded him beneath the sea at night.

Observing all this, the Patriarch of the Vajra Sect sneered inwardly, thinking, "The more you act like this now, the harsher that Demon Xu will suppress you. After all, you currently give the impression that you won't behave unless disciplined."

"Therefore, the correct approach isn't to express loyalty so forcefully, but to subtly influence."

With this thought, the Patriarch of the Vajra Sect manipulated the black iron skewer, sending it soaring towards the sky. It swept around before returning, quietly floating in a position from which it could observe all areas around Xu Qing.

In these ten days, although Xu Qing encountered some dangers from sea beasts, both the Patriarch of the Vajra Sect and the shadow acted completely differently from before. Under their intervention, Xu Qing could rest assured and recuperate.

As for those sea beasts, Xu Qing didn't kill them. Instead, he had the shadow transform into ropes, binding them and placing them underwater, allowing them to follow along as if being herded.

Meanwhile, his purple crystal continued its healing, leaving Xu Qing with no major issues now, apart from a slightly pale complexion.

The newly grown flesh, circulated by spiritual power, was almost indistinguishable from before his injuries. At this point, Xu Qing felt that the time had come to cultivate Golden Crow Refines All Souls.

So, he sat cross-legged and took a deep breath. As the first rays of the morning sun ascended, Xu Qing looked up and began to unleash the Golden Crow Refines All Souls art within his body, an art he had pondered for ten days, now fully imprinted in his mind.

"Nine Heavens forge the imperial body, Golden Crow refines myriad souls, myriad talents return to me, my destiny illuminates the firmament!"

Xu Qing murmured inwardly, placing his hands in a hand seal before his dantian. His two thumbs interlocked, and the four fingers of each hand fanned out, resembling wings.

Then, facing the nascent sun in the sky, he took a deep breath. In an instant, the sky seemed to blur and twist in Xu Qing's vision. A fervent heat, invisible to others but perceptible only to Xu Qing, seemed to emanate from the sun in the firmament, entering his body through his mouth.

The Golden Crow beside Xu Qing's Vital Lamp suddenly opened its eyes, its wings vibrating violently as if wanting to spread. At the same time, its head lifted, and it abruptly swallowed the incoming solar heat. Instantly, this fervent power flowed into the Golden Crow's mouth. Its eyes opened slightly, but not yet fully, though even the small crack revealed a brilliant radiance. This was the first step in cultivating Golden Crow Refines All Souls:

Awakening the Golden Crow inheritance seed within the body.

The method of awakening involved the first intake of solar essence and nourishment from one's own vital energy.

Thus, in the next instant, the Golden Crow, unable to fully open its eyes, took a fierce draw inside Xu Qing's body. In a flash, it seemed to transform into a black hole, drawing upon Xu Qing's entire being.

Xu Qing's body trembled at that moment. His vital energy surged violently, streams of it flowing directly towards the Golden Crow, merging into it and being absorbed. Simultaneously, Xu Qing's body visibly withered.

His arms became slack, his face sunken, and his physique grew thinner, his clothes appearing increasingly loose.

But his expression remained calm, without a trace of panic.

Over the past ten days, as Xu Qing researched Golden Crow Refines All Souls, he had already become aware of this situation.

Thus, he remained tranquil, allowing the Golden Crow fledgling within him to continuously absorb his vital energy.

Gradually, his body grew increasingly emaciated, making him look somewhat terrifying. The Golden Crow's absorption reached a critical point, its eyes striving to fully open.

In reality, the inheritance seed of any imperial-level cultivation method does not activate immediately upon formation. Instead, it requires the practitioner to actively initiate it, due to the immense power required for its activation. Generally, few individuals can meet this requirement on their own; it often necessitates assistance from their backing forces, who spare no expense to help them complete the activation.

For instance, the Golden Crow Refines All Souls required an incredibly vast amount of vital energy to activate. Ordinary cultivators simply couldn't sustain it, and failure would lead to the danger of being completely drained.

Xu Qing, however, possessed an astonishingly refined physique, containing immense vital energy, which allowed him to endure until now. Had it been anyone else, they would likely have been drained in an instant. Even so, Xu Qing was starting to falter. Noticing that almost all his flesh and blood were now shriveled and aching, like a dried corpse, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The Sea Mountain Art immediately activated, and the Transcendent Shadow manifested behind him.

As the ghostly shadow appeared, it let out a heavenward roar. The lava beneath its cracked body boiled, exuding an astonishing aura while its vital energy became incredibly dense.

In the next instant, the Transcendent Shadow's body swayed, releasing countless mists of vital energy from all over. These rapidly surged into Xu Qing's body and flowed into the Golden Crow.

The Golden Crow's body trembled. With this forceful absorption, the power to open its eyes grew stronger. The Transcendent Shadow rapidly withered as well, until after more than ten breaths, it collapsed completely, transforming into a massive mass of vital energy that surged into Xu Qing's body and then into the Golden Crow's.

The Golden Crow trembled, exerting all its might to fully open its eyes, but it seemed that even with the immense vital energy Xu Qing currently possessed, it was still slightly insufficient.

The Golden Crow's eyes were just one step away from opening.

A strange glint appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand and pressed it against the adjacent deck. Instantly, a suction force spread from his palm across the magic boat, extending directly to its core area—the location of the Ju Ying's flesh and blood!

The moment his hand touched the Ju Ying's flesh and blood, Xu Qing's body rumbled. A dense and astonishing amount of vital energy burst from the Ju Ying's flesh and blood, pouring frantically into his body.

After being swallowed by the Golden Crow in a single gulp, it finally received what it needed. Its eyes snapped open, and it let out a shriek.

This sound contained the power of Dao charm, shaking heaven and earth.

As it emanated from Xu Qing's body, the surrounding sea surface instantly roared. Rings of waves, centered on Xu Qing's magic boat, surged outwards with a booming sound, like a small tsunami!

From the sky, one could clearly see the sea surface around Xu Qing's location forming a peculiar tableau as the waves rolled outwards. This tableau resembled a giant eye.

The eye of the Golden Crow!

And Xu Qing's magic boat was in the pupil of this Golden Crow eye.

Sitting cross-legged within the magic boat, his entire body was withered, yet his eyes shone like stars, exceptionally bright. His disheveled hair fluttered in the wind, and he appeared almost demonic, like a fiend!