C20 The Method to Obtain the Innate Qi
After committing the process of concocting the white liquid to memory, Yang Huang drank it down. Instantly, a surge of Spiritual Energy spread out with such intensity that it startled him.
Thankfully, the Spiritual Energy dissipated quickly. Plus, being in a desolate garbage treatment plant meant there was little risk of discovery. Within seconds, the Spiritual Energy was absorbed and refined by the Brain Sea Courtyard, transforming into pure Innate Genuine Qi.
The Brain Sea Courtyard is a unique place where all Energy Fluctuations go undetected. As long as Yang Huang's Brain Sea Courtyard remained intact, his cultivation would remain a secret.
Progress on the cottage within the Brain Sea Courtyard indicated an increase in Yang Huang's strength. He was confident that with a steady production of the white liquid, he would soon complete the cottage.
Yang Huang had no intention of consuming the milky white pill given to him. It was difficult to trust its origins or whether it had been tampered with, even if it came from his own father. In this world, naivety is the only thing more trustworthy than people and their actions.
Once his strength was consolidated, Yang Huang saw that the lab still had ample supplies and decided to brew the white liquid once more.
Boom!
As Yang Huang was preparing for his experiment, a thunderous roar erupted from Hanjing City, causing the earth itself to quiver.
"What's happening?" Yang Huang immediately ceased his work and looked up at the ceiling.
Hanjing City was no ordinary place. It stood firm on the earth's surface even after the Heaven Earth Mutation, serving as one of humanity's most crucial sanctuaries. With its stringent defenses, large-scale conflicts were unthinkable.
With no other choice, Yang Huang packed away his herbs and secured the lab before preparing to depart. He retrieved a peculiar mask from the Mustard Storage Talisman, resembling a tengu—a mythical creature from the peaceful times of the Dongyang Kingdom.
The mask was a brilliant red, featuring a prominent nose, disheveled black hair across the forehead, thick and dense eyebrows, and wide, round eyes.
It bore an eerie resemblance to a ghost.
This was the mask Yang Huang had acquired at the base of Dragon Tiger Mountain. He discovered it harbored a mystical power; once donned, it concealed all traces of the wearer, including their Life Aura, rendering them invisible to any Energy Body.
In essence, with the mask on, one's identity remained a secret to all.
Mask in place, Yang Huang departed from the laboratory. Instead of stealthily making his way to the Corpses Processing Center as before, he confidently strode through the alleyways and onto the main thoroughfare.
Lingxi Road, near the Corpses Processing Center and the waste treatment plant, was the only place to catch public transportation.
In this altered world, ordinary people were relegated to a lower status, their movements limited to bus travel, with the privilege of hailing a taxi or driving a private car revoked.
Upon reaching Lingxi Road, Yang Huang located the bus stop, awaiting the number two bus that would take him to the city center.
The recent explosion had originated from near Hanjing City Center. Given that Yang Huang could hear it from such a distance, it was clear that a significant event had unfolded within the city.
More than a dozen forlorn individuals stood waiting with Yang Huang, their gaunt, sallow faces and downcast eyes reflecting the harshness of their lives.
In such a world, lacking strength meant existing as nothing more than a Walking Corpse.
The number two bus approached rapidly from down the street, nearing the stop when suddenly, disaster struck. As if hit by an unseen force, the front of the bus crumpled, the driver killed instantly, and the vehicle ground to a halt amidst billowing smoke.
While the ordinary bystanders were left bewildered, Yang Huang, concealed behind his mask, was visibly startled. He whipped around, only to be taken aback by the sight that greeted him.
A Remnant Devil had suddenly appeared!
Standing at an imposing five meters tall, the Remnant Devil was a mass of bulging muscles, with a disproportionately small head and extraordinarily long arms. Its body radiated a soft pink glow, and its palm ominously faced the direction of the bus.
Clearly, it was responsible for the attack that had obliterated the bus. The Remnant Devil appeared quite smug, its gaze fixed on the dozen or so humans near the bus stop sign, avarice gleaming in its dark red pupils.
Yang Huang was taken aback by this development. Historically, Remnant Devils were considered creatures of low intelligence, weak and driven solely by instinct to hunt humans for their flesh.
Yet, the creature before him was an anomaly, possessing not only spiritual wisdom but also emitting energy fluctuations far surpassing those of a typical Remnant Devil.
"There's a formation outside Hanjing City designed to repel all Remnant Devils, but how could this one have materialized inside the city?" Yang Huang was dumbfounded. It was inconceivable; this Remnant Devil was the first to appear within Hanjing City since the Heaven Earth Mutation.
As Yang Huang grappled with his astonishment, the Remnant Devil left a residual image where it stood, instantly materializing in front of the bus stop. It locked its deadly gaze onto the group, including Yang Huang, and with a sweep of its massive hand toward the bus stop sign, a transparent vortex materialized in its palm. The vortex voraciously consumed the surrounding air, leaving a vacuum in its wake.
Yang Huang was overcome with a sense of suffocation as the air vortex within the Remnant Devil's palm detonated, unleashing a ferocious assault on the unsuspecting civilians at the bus stop.
"Ah..."
The people had no time to react, let alone scream, before they were torn asunder by the explosive force of the air vortex.
In a mere moment, Yang Huang stood alone at the bus stop.
"Remnant Devils... aren't they known for their insatiable hunger for human flesh? Why would it kill them instead of consuming them?" As the air vortex emerged, Yang Huang deployed a Void Talisman for protection, successfully shielding himself from the onslaught.
"The energy fluctuation emanating from this Remnant Devil is on par with the Fourth or Fifth Level of Qi Condensation. Even by an Evolver's standards, it has reached the pinnacle of its rank. When did such a formidable Remnant Devil begin to exist in our world?" Yang Huang's brow furrowed in concern. This was an ominous sign, and as he regained his composure, he began piecing together some unsettling truths.
The changes on Earth, the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, and the growth of Cultivation Resources were just the beginning. But the Earth couldn't stay this way indefinitely. The Heaven Earth Mutation was bound to advance sooner or later. With the passage of time, the future remained uncertain and unpredictable.
The Remnant Devil before him might just be the clearest indication of this.
The five-meter-tall Remnant Devil, which had been reveling in the ease with which it had killed a human, was suddenly taken aback to find a masked human standing unscathed before it. The previous Air Bullet attack seemed to have had no effect on the man.
After a brief moment of astonishment, the Remnant Devil's eyes lit up with excitement—it had found a worthy prey. Saliva uncontrollably dribbled from its mouth, and without lips to contain it, the foul-smelling liquid spilled onto the ground.
Yang Huang paid little attention to this. He simply lifted his right index finger slightly, and a golden thread shot forth, piercing the Remnant Devil's head and severing its life force completely.
Like the humans before it, the Remnant Devil couldn't comprehend what had happened before its consciousness began to uncontrollably drift away from its body, which grew unbearably heavy until it crashed to the ground with a thunderous fall.
After dispatching the Remnant Devil, Yang Huang intended to leave and find another route to the city center; he needed to understand the day's events. But he noticed something had changed with the fallen Remnant Devil.
Dark Red Crystals formed above the Devil Corpse, as Energy Bodies were steadily drawn out and condensed.
Yang Huang sensed a faint Energy Fluctuation within the crystal. Filled with curiosity, he climbed atop the Devil Corpse and examined the crystal closely, which left him astounded.
"This crystal contains pure Innate Vital Energy. It's incredibly scarce, but it's definitely present," Yang Huang said to himself. This discovery was significant for him. After all, he had begun his cultivation journey by transforming his body and organs with eighty-one strands of Jiujiu's Innate Qi, laying the foundation for his Dao Foundation. Innate Vital Energy was an Energy Body he could convert into Innate Qi and Innate Genuine Qi, and it was something he could absorb.
"Other than cultivators who use Innate Qi to establish their Dao Foundation, Innate Vital Energy is of no use to anyone else," Yang Huang understood this clearly.
Cultivation practices are manifold, with most people harnessing the Qi of the Heavens to embark on their path, akin to today's Evolvers. Some enter the Dao through the study of certain subjects, while others use magical treasures. The variations are endless.
Yet, the number of individuals who can utilize Innate Qi to enter the Dao is exceedingly rare. The Dark Red Crystal found on the Remnant Devil is something that ordinary people cannot detect the presence of Innate Vital Energy in. Without Innate Qi within them, even cultivators are unable to perceive the crystal's uniqueness.
This means that to nearly everyone, the Dark Red Crystal appears to be a worthless stone, much like a diamond would.
Not even the most sophisticated machinery could detect the Innate Vital Energy contained within it.
"Why would there be such a thing inside a Remnant Devil?" Yang Huang wasn't taken aback by the presence of Innate Vital Energy, as it wasn't an uncommon Energy Body.
Innate Qi is one of the most ubiquitous forces in existence. It remains obscure and unaccepted because humans simply cannot assimilate Innate Qi. It seems that this power is inherently incompatible with the human body, dissipating quickly even if it momentarily resides within.
"Previously, Remnant Devils did not produce crystals upon death. This means something must have happened today, perhaps a further progression of a Heaven Earth Mutation, or maybe something else."
"If the Remnant Devils and other beings at this stage can generate such Dark Red Crystals upon death, does that mean that if I relentlessly hunt Remnant Devils, my cultivation will grow boundlessly?" Yang Huang speculated with excitement. It seemed as though a door had been opened in this world, exclusively for him.
