novelraw Chapter 223 : 《Heavenly Fox Joy Technique》
Chapter 223 : 《Heavenly Fox Joy Technique》
Chapter 223: 《Heavenly Fox Joy Technique》
Since Ji Yuan had embarked on his cultivation journey, there hadn’t been many things that caught him off guard.
But today, there were two.
One was that he hadn’t expected Dong Qian to actually bring along a soft bed and bedding while traveling outside, as if she had come fully prepared.
The second was that he hadn’t expected his first time with a woman... to actually take place inside a tomb!
And not just any tomb—inside the tomb of a Nascent Soul True Lord!
This was somewhat… untimely.
Yet it seemed to carry a trace of something strange?
All in all, just plain odd.
Ji Yuan did feel that his sudden surge of lust was a bit bizarre, unusually intense, but with the arrow already nocked, he had no choice but to release it… (One million words omitted here.)
...
Three days later.
Ji Yuan looked down at the rosy-cheeked senior sister in his arms. Her hair was damp with sweat, plastered against her forehead. The fine sheen of sweat all over her body gave her skin an unusual glow.
Dong Qian rubbed against him slightly, her fox tail unconsciously slipping out from under the blanket and gently swaying behind her.
Ji Yuan’s gaze was immediately drawn toward it, and his body moved on instinct.
Dong Qian’s pretty face flushed, and she quickly retracted her fox tail.
“N-No more...”
Ji Yuan thought back on what had happened over the past three days. Upon reflection...
Young people should exercise restraint.
He decided to wait a while before continuing.
“Senior Sister.”
“Mm?”
Dong Qian looked up at him, a hint of puzzlement in her eyes.
Ji Yuan casually asked, “Didn’t you say you were married once?”
Dong Qian didn’t answer immediately, but said instead, “I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.”
Ji Yuan thought about it, then nodded.
“Alright.”
“You’re wondering why I’ve never experienced it, right?”
Dong Qian rolled her eyes flirtatiously.
“I was married, but not long after the wedding, he was severely injured. Later on, my cultivation improved rapidly, so... he never touched me.”
“I see…”
Ji Yuan understood. He remembered clearly that Dong Qian had been married off from Zengtou Market to the nearby Jingde District.
Later, when the Water Dragon Sect held their selection, she had returned from Jingde District to Zengtou Market to participate.
“Alright, alright, now it’s my turn to ask.”
“Go ahead, Senior Sister.”
“You… are you a body cultivator?”
“Yes.”
After three days and nights of “deep communication,” Dong Qian was already intimately familiar with Ji Yuan’s physique.
So she had long since suspected that Ji Yuan was a body cultivator.
This question now was merely to confirm it from Ji Yuan himself.
“No wonder I was thinking, how could you…”
Dong Qian flopped to the side, eyes filled with resignation and a deep sense of helplessness.
She had thought her human-fox body would easily have Ji Yuan wrapped around her finger.
But she hadn’t expected that, in the end, she was the one completely subdued.
‘What… what kind of person is this? Three days and three nights without rest, and he can still keep going, like he doesn’t know what exhaustion is. He’s basically like one of those ancient savage beasts.’
‘Clearly I’m the Heavenly Fox here, but he looks more like a beast than I do. Ugh.’
Dong Qian was lost in thought when she suddenly sensed something.
“N-No more, really.”
“W-Wait, I have a dual cultivation technique here.”
“Hmm?”
At the mention of such a treasure, Ji Yuan immediately paused his movements.
“This is a legacy passed down by my Heavenly Fox Clan. It can coexist with your main cultivation method without conflict. Junior Brother, learn it first.”
“Alright.”
With that, Dong Qian began orally passing on the technique.
Mentioning cultivation helped Ji Yuan calm himself. Thus, under Dong Qian’s close guidance and their practical trials, three days passed. Finally, Ji Yuan succeeded in comprehending the 《Heavenly Fox Joy Technique》.
This was Ji Yuan’s first time experiencing the wonders of a dual cultivation technique.
He couldn’t tell whether the technique itself was excellent or whether it was the cultivation partner who was exceptional.
In any case, the results were outstanding.
First of all, the speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy was almost comparable to cultivating on a spirit vein, though of course, most of that was due to the joy of dual cultivation.
That joy—ordinary cultivation simply couldn’t compare.
“Senior Sister, you should’ve brought this technique out earlier.”
“Enough talking… j-just cultivate…”
“……”
Under normal circumstances, when cultivating the 《Canglan Nine Tribulations Sword Manual》, Ji Yuan needed to condense a sword embryo before he could continue increasing his cultivation.
Just like before.
Once his spiritual energy reached its limit, he had to condense a sword embryo to progress further.
The 《Sword Manual》 offered powerful cultivation effects, but the requirements were indeed unusual.
But now?
After cultivating this 《Heavenly Fox Joy Technique》, Ji Yuan discovered that he could bypass the limitations of the 《Sword Manual》 and directly increase his cultivation.
In other words, he didn’t have to rush to condense a sword embryo to continue advancing.
‘This... this is incredible!’
‘If I could keep dual cultivating like this, wouldn’t I be able to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment before heading out to condense a sword embryo? That way, I’d be much safer out in the world.’
But soon, the results shattered Ji Yuan’s fantasy.
Half a month into their dual cultivation...
The results had diminished significantly.
“Dual cultivation, at its core, is simply channeling the spiritual energy circulation of one person into two. It expands a single person’s large circulation cycle into one for two people,” Dong Qian explained.
“The broader the spiritual energy circulation, the better the cultivation effect.”
“And it also allows the spiritual energy in both people's dantians to intermingle.”
As she spoke, Dong Qian’s voice grew softer, then… she broke through!
She advanced from early Foundation Establishment to mid-Foundation Establishment.
Ji Yuan immediately turned his awareness inward and found that his own cultivation had also improved significantly. He was originally mid-Foundation Establishment, but now he was just one step away from late-stage.
His dantian was now filled with spiritual energy, which needed to be refined and compressed again using Three-Colored Spiritual Eggs.
“Junior Brother, you sure have a lot of spiritual energy at mid-Foundation Establishment.”
Refreshed from the breakthrough, Dong Qian sparkled with vitality again.
“It’s just a pity that I didn’t inherit our Heavenly Fox Clan’s Pure Yin Heavenly Fox Physique. Otherwise, my body would naturally possess Yuan Yin spiritual energy. If I had dual cultivated with you for the first time like that, you might’ve instantly formed a Golden Core.”
“That’s alright. This is already great as is.”
With such pleasurable cultivation, Ji Yuan even wished it could go on forever.
“Then does that mean dual cultivation can only be done in phases?”
“You could say that, Junior Brother. If we want to achieve similar results next time, at the very least, you’ll have to reach late Foundation Establishment, and I’ll need to stabilize at mid-Foundation Establishment.”
“In that case, let’s hold off on dual cultivating for now.”
“Hmm? Then why are you still…”
“……”
Feeling refreshed, Ji Yuan stood to the side and watched as Dong Qian put the messy bed into her storage pouch.
Inside the transparent glazed coffin on the distant high platform, it was already empty.
“Alright, I know you have a lot of questions, Junior Brother. Ask whatever you want.”
Dressed and back in her human form, Dong Qian had regained her usual demeanor. Even her voice wasn’t as soft and sweet anymore.
There was a distinct air of “putting on your pants and pretending nothing happened.”
Fortunately, Ji Yuan was a man of the jianghu, and as for his relationship with Dong Qian… perhaps that would be clear by the end of today’s conversation.
“Alright.”
Ji Yuan didn’t hold back. He turned to the coffin and directly asked, “Are you her?”
What he meant was—was Dong Qian a reincarnated Nascent Soul cultivator?
“No.”
Dong Qian shook her head. “The ancestor buried here is not my direct ancestor—we’re only from the same clan.”
Ji Yuan gave a slight nod, then asked, “Senior Sister, are you truly from our Zengtou Market?”
He had wanted to ask, “Are you still you?”
But when the words reached his lips, he felt it wasn’t appropriate, so he changed the phrasing.
“Yes.”
Dong Qian couldn’t help but laugh. “Let me just tell you directly. Our Heavenly Fox Clan is rather unique—we can inherit memories through bloodline. The reason I know all this is because I awakened a portion of our Heavenly Fox Clan’s inheritance.”
“That includes knowing the location of this place, as well as accepting the Six-Tailed one, and so on.”
Only then did Ji Yuan understand. But with just a little thought, he realized… there didn’t seem to be any Heavenly Fox Clan in the Cangluo Continent. Not even in Shangxi.
Cangluo Continent was home only to humans and demons.
“Then your Heavenly Fox Clan… isn’t from our Cangluo Continent?” Ji Yuan asked cautiously.
Upon hearing this question, the smile on Dong Qian’s face vanished.
She didn’t rush to answer, but instead lowered her head and paced back and forth a few times. Then she turned to look at Ji Yuan and countered:
“Junior Brother, do you think that really matters?”
“Would you not be with me if the Heavenly Fox Clan isn’t from the Cangluo Continent? Or would you refuse to be with me because the Heavenly Fox Clan is from the Cangluo Continent?”
“Just let things take their course. Besides, you don’t seem like the kind of man who likes being tied down.”
Dong Qian’s last sentence carried an implied meaning.
Ji Yuan: “Huh?”
Dong Qian snorted, turned her head away, and teased, “Junior Brother, don’t think that just because you’ve slept with me once, I have to listen to everything you say.”
Ji Yuan chuckled at her words, then sent her a voice transmission.
“Junior Brother, you—!”
Dong Qian spun around, her pretty face flushed as she pointed at Ji Yuan. She wanted to retort with something fierce, but reality had taught her that in front of Ji Yuan, harsh words were useless.
“Alright, alright. Senior Sister, do you know where the Blood River is? I still need to condense my sword embryo.”
Ji Yuan quickly changed the subject.
Since Dong Qian didn’t want to delve deeper into that topic, then there was no need to force it.
Besides, whether they pursued it now or not, the two of them would most likely keep exploring each other more deeply in the future.
“I know, but I don’t want to take you there!”
Dong Qian was clearly annoyed.
Obviously, she was still upset about what Ji Yuan had just whispered to her.
So Ji Yuan sent her another voice transmission. Dong Qian’s face turned even redder, but in the end, she gave in.
“F-Fine, let’s go. I’ll take you.”
Ji Yuan burst into laughter.
Dong Qian rolled her eyes at him, secretly thinking of how to get revenge... maybe she should take some pills beforehand next time?
Just as that thought crossed her mind and she moved her foot, Dong Qian realized something was wrong.
Forget next time—she needed pills now.
The damage was a bit severe.
Luckily, swallowing a second-tier pill helped immediately. Her condition improved a lot.
“Let’s go. Actually, the Blood River is underground. We can reach it directly from this tomb.”
“No wonder Jiang Hong and the others couldn’t find it on the surface even after searching for so long.”
The two didn’t return the way they came, but continued forward. After passing through the main burial chamber, they entered another passage. But as soon as they stepped in, Ji Yuan was hit by an overwhelming wave of blood aura.
Walking ahead, Dong Qian explained:
“The blood in this river actually comes from the enemies my ancestor killed. Many of them were Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, and even a few Nascent Soul cultivators. In the end, she gathered all their blood here and formed this Blood River.”
“No wonder the killing intent is so intense… but were there really so many Nascent Soul cultivators on the Cangluo Continent for her to kill?”
“Junior Brother, what you really want to ask is whether our Heavenly Fox Clan is from the Cangluo Continent, right?”
Dong Qian exposed Ji Yuan’s true thoughts.
“…No, actually, when you didn’t answer me directly earlier, I had already guessed it—you’re not from the Cangluo Continent.”
“Oh? Then did it never cross your mind that we might be from Shangxi?”
Ji Yuan: “……”
As the two bickered while walking, it wasn’t long before Ji Yuan heard the sound of flowing water ahead.
But it wasn’t the usual splashing sound of a stream, rather, it was the gurgling sound of blood flowing through one’s body.
If Ji Yuan fully activated the vital energy in his body, he could make the same sound.
“We’re here.”
Dong Qian, walking in front, came to a stop.
Ji Yuan didn’t dare recklessly extend his divine sense. Looking ahead, he saw that within the passage, a hidden underground river had appeared.
Only this wasn’t a river of water—it was a river of blood.
The river wasn’t especially wide, around ten-odd zhang across, and everything in sight was a deep crimson.
Moreover, the blood had been flowing for who knows how many years; it had nearly turned to blood pulp, thick and viscous.
The Blood River flowed from west to east. Although no stones could be seen on its surface, waves would still occasionally ripple across the blood.
No one knew where the Blood River originated from or where it ultimately led… but Ji Yuan guessed it was a closed cycle, endlessly circling the tomb. Otherwise, without an outlet, there couldn’t be a continuous source of blood replenishment.
But if that was the case—what powered its flow?
All one could say was, the world of cultivation truly had its mysteries.
“If you had entered through the Wei Family’s route, you’d only reach a tributary of the Blood River. The blood aura there isn’t as rich. This place is directly connected to my ancestor’s tomb chamber—this is where the blood aura is most potent.”
“Junior Brother, if you want to condense your sword embryo, this is the place.”
“I’ll stand guard for you.”
When it came to serious matters like cultivation, Dong Qian no longer acted playful.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you, Senior Sister.”
Ji Yuan hadn’t forgotten that his original purpose for coming to this ancient battlefield was to find the Blood River to condense his sword embryo.
Now that the Blood River lay before him, there was no reason to delay.
He immediately sat down on the spot, first calming his mind and circulating his spiritual energy through several cycles.
Then he began trying to draw upon the local water fortune to condense his sword embryo.
Dong Qian, meanwhile, sat behind him at the entrance of the passage, silently standing guard.
To condense a Water Fortune Sword Embryo, one first needed to perceive the water fortune—and Ji Yuan had done this many times. It shouldn’t have been difficult.
But this time felt different.
He sat beside the Blood River for days, yet still couldn’t perceive its water fortune.
That didn’t make sense. Did this river have no water fortune?
Or perhaps its water fortune was… special?
Just as Ji Yuan was puzzled, he suddenly perceived thin wisps of blood aura rising from the Blood River—an experience identical to when he tried to condense the Dragon Fortune Sword Embryo over the Pear Blossom River.
Back then, the blood aura held too much resentment, and Ji Yuan had cut off the connection immediately after sensing it.
But this time was different. To put it bluntly, this time he had to rely on the blood aura to condense the sword embryo.
So Ji Yuan allowed the blood aura to enter his body. But the moment it did, he sensed something unusual.
The water fortune within the blood aura carried far too much killing intent.
As soon as it entered his meridians, Ji Yuan felt his bloodlust awaken—Kill!
He wanted to kill, to slay humans, to slaughter demons. Only bloodshed could ease the murderous desire in his heart.
And as more blood aura poured into him, Ji Yuan felt his temples throbbing uncontrollably.
This wouldn’t do. At this rate, the blood aura would flood his brain. But how had the Li Family endured it? Oh, right—they went to the tributary, where the blood aura wasn’t as strong...
Just as Ji Yuan was about to give up and try the tributary instead, he suddenly felt a cooling breath enter from behind.
The moment it entered his body, it instantly suppressed the killing intent in his heart.
Dong Qian had made her move!
“Junior Brother, don’t lose focus. Quickly refine your sword embryo.”
Ji Yuan’s mind, which had tensed up moments ago, calmed again. With no more interference from the bloodlust, he smoothly resumed refining the sword embryo.
As more and more blood-water fortune entered his body...
The blood aura swirling within his dantian grew ever denser.
Several more days passed. Only when the water fortune in his dantian reached its limit did Ji Yuan begin attempting to condense it into a sword embryo.
He already had experience, so he wasn’t too worried.
His earlier concern was only about whether he could absorb the water fortune in the first place.
The blood-water fortune in his dantian spun ceaselessly, while his other three sword embryos revolved around it like guardians.
With every rotation, the blood-water fortune shrank a little.
Until… it solidified into form.
But that still wasn’t enough. It had to be transformed into a proper sword embryo.
Under the reflection of his three other sword embryos, the “Blood Slaughter Sword” embryo gradually took shape.
First, the blood aura in his dantian was entirely absorbed by the Blood Slaughter Sword.
Then it continued to absorb the water fortune from the Blood River itself.
Several more days passed like this.
All in all, half a month went by.
Only then did Ji Yuan suddenly open his eyes. A flash of blood-red light flickered in them, and with a thought, a blood-colored flying sword flew out from within and hovered before him.
“Junior Brother, you succeeded?”
Dong Qian’s joyful voice came from behind.
“Mm.”
Ji Yuan looked at the Blood Slaughter Sword before him… a pure, untainted red. Not a trace of impurity. Just looking at it, he could feel the intense killing aura it held.
‘If nothing goes wrong, this Blood Slaughter Sword will be the most destructive sword embryo I possess.’
‘When it comes to breaking formations and piercing armor, I’ll be relying on it.’
Ji Yuan also felt fortunate to have met Dong Qian here. Without her help, even if he had managed to condense this sword embryo, it surely wouldn’t have been this powerful.
And if she hadn’t acted at the end, he likely wouldn’t have been able to form it at all.
Dong Qian stepped forward and studied the sword embryo carefully.
With her standing so close, Ji Yuan could even smell the floral fragrance on her body.
“So, what are Senior Sister’s plans now?”
Now that Ji Yuan had achieved his goal, he asked Dong Qian about hers.