The Blood-Refining Art of the Fiendgods

The black ox looked at Ji Ning, whose face was covered in sweat, and praised him. "Impressive, impressive. Little Ji Ning, at such a young age you've already managed to execute the fifth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation. Compared to you, that Lei Zhan is utterly unworthy of mention! I never thought that after waiting endless ages in this immortal estate, I would still find such an uncut gem."

Ji Ning muttered to himself. An uncut gem? He had the accumulated wisdom of a past life, the Nuwa Diagram, and had trained hard without daring to slack off since childhood. Only through all this had he earned the black ox's praise as a 'rough gem'.

"Senior, I still find it difficult to execute the fifth layer," Ji Ning said, shaking his head repeatedly. "I can only command the fourth layer with complete ease."

"Being able to command it with complete ease is more important," the black ox sighed. "Have you noticed? Although the fourth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation only controls over three hundred flying swords, its power is actually greater than your previous reckless combined attack of several thousand treasures!"

Ji Ning's face lit up with surprise. "Greater than the combined attack of several thousand treasures? Although I could sense that the refined strand of sword-light was completely under my will and was extremely powerful, I don't know exactly what level it has reached."

The black ox said, "The fourth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation can easily kill an ordinary Xiantian lifeform at perfection."

Ji Ning was delighted to hear this.

"Senior," Ji Ning pressed on, "may I ask how my current strength compares to a Zifu Disciple?"

"Your current combat methods are mainly divided into two types. One is close-quarters combat relying on your Fiendgod Body Refining and sword arts," the black ox said. "Your sword arts already contain a sliver of a True Meaning of the Dao. Most ordinary Xiantian lifeforms haven't reached this level; most Xiantian experts at perfection are only at the Unity of Man and Heaven stage. In terms of this one aspect alone, you might even have the upper hand against an ordinary Xiantian at perfection! But I'm only speaking in general terms. If your opponent is also a freak, with sword arts not inferior to yours, then it becomes hard to say."

Ji Ning nodded.

He understood this. For example, his father Ji Yichuan—his own sword arts were probably still inferior. His father had already been a Xiantian at perfection for a very long time, so naturally he was no match for him.

"As for your Lesser Thousand Sword Formation," the black ox continued, "your soul is powerful, and you have several hundred flying sword treasures combined with the formation. Its power is indeed great. Its might far exceeds that of a Xiantian at perfection, and it should reach the level of an early-stage Zifu Disciple."

"Only early Zifu?" Ji Ning felt he had made great progress.

The black ox shook his head. "Don't underestimate Zifu Disciples. Once a Zifu Disciple opens their Violet Palace and can nurture primal energy within their body, even their casual attacks far surpass those of Xiantian lifeforms. These are two fundamentally different levels! And more importantly, Zifu Disciples can use graded treasures."

"Graded treasures have tremendous power. When a Zifu Disciple activates them, the might far exceeds anything you Xiantian lifeforms can imagine. Comparing a Xiantian at perfection to a Zifu Disciple is like comparing an infant to an adult." The black ox sighed with admiration.

Ji Ning understood.

Yes, going from a Xiantian lifeform to a Zifu Disciple was a fundamental leap, allowing one to use true graded treasures. It was like how a Xiantian lifeform could slaughter Houtian experts with ease, and a Zifu Disciple could slaughter Xiantian experts just as easily.

"Remember this," the black ox said, wagging his head. "Never, ever underestimate a Zifu Disciple. Every cultivator has their own strange methods. Some are skilled in formations, some in raising insects, some in controlling ghosts, some in puppetry, some in spells... You can't generalize. If you encounter someone whose methods counter yours, you're dead."

"The weak overcoming the strong."

"A timely counter can allow an early Zifu to destroy a late Zifu. It's happened before." The black ox sighed. "On the path of cultivation, there are too many methods... Even a weak Zifu Disciple, if he raises millions of terrifying poisonous insects, could devour even a Wanxiang Adept alive!"

Ji Ning drew in a cold breath.

"It's rare," the black ox quickly added. "Killing above one's level is rare. The reason you can fight at this level is because your soul is so strong, you have several hundred flying sword treasures, the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, and many other factors. I'm only saying this to warn you: don't underestimate any opponent, not even a Xiantian lifeform."

Ji Ning nodded softly. "Understood."

Once someone became a Zifu Disciple, none of them were to be trifled with.

...

Deep down, Ji Ning was actually very pleased. His visit to the aquatic palace had gained him a major killing technique—the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation!

"Little Ji Ning," the black ox said again, "when I saw you pass through the corridor earlier, I noticed the power of your swords was mediocre. Don't you know the 'Fiendgod Blood-Refining Art'?"

"Fiendgod Blood-Refining Art?" Ji Ning blinked. "What's that?"

The black ox couldn't help but say, "In the Fiendgod Era, almost anyone of note, almost any moderately large tribe, knew of it. Every Fiendgod understood it, and it was a secret art that every Fiendgod was bound to use. I saw that the method you're cultivating is the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique, yet you seem not to know this Blood-Refining Art. Naturally, I was puzzled."

"Please enlighten me, Senior." Ji Ning pressed on.

Having an elder in the family was like having a treasure.

This old fellow who had lived since the Fiendgod Era knew a lot.

"Fiendgods are different from us humans," the black ox said with emotion. "They don't practice Ki Refining and can't use magic treasures. But they still need weapons. Yet as their strength grows, how can they find a weapon suitable for them? Thus, the great Fiendgod experts created the Fiendgod Blood-Refining Art!"

"Take a weapon and perform a complex blood-refining ritual! After the blood-refining, the weapon can absorb killing intent, bloodlust, and similar auras. The more enemies you kill, the stronger the enemies you kill, the weapon will naturally grow. It can become larger or smaller, lighter or heavier, responding completely to your will."

"This kind of weapon is also called a 'Divine Weapon', a 'Fiendish Weapon', or a 'Weapon of the Killing Dao'." the black ox continued. "As the master's strength increases and they kill more powerful enemies, the weapon's power will grow ever greater. In the Fiendgod Era, some Divine Weapons or Fiendish Weapons were even more powerful than Immortal-ranked treasures."

Ji Ning's eyes lit up.

Yes, Heaven was fair. Fiendgods didn't have magical power, but they should have a way to forge their own weapons. So this was the method—absorbing killing intent and using slaughter to elevate the weapon.

"Please teach me, Senior," Ji Ning said quickly.

"Since I brought it up, I intend to tell you." The black ox said, "The blood-refining ritual is quite complex. Listen carefully."

The black ox described the detailed process of the blood-refining ritual, occasionally sketching some diagrams beside him. Ji Ning listened and memorized.

What was the Blood-Refining Art?

The main material required was the blood of a Fiendgod. For human Fiendgod Body Refining cultivators, one had to reach Xiantian through naturally formed divine patterns, achieving a complete transformation into a Fiendgod body. Only then could one perform the Fiendgod Blood-Refining Art. Some inferior Fiendgod Body Refining techniques were incapable of performing the Blood-Refining Art.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~" Ji Ning took out a gourd. This gourd had previously been used for storing wine. Though it didn't look large, it could hold ten thousand jin of fine wine. Ji Ning first emptied the remaining wine, not leaving a single drop. Then he placed his finger at the gourd's opening.

Blood flowed directly through his fingertip into the gourd.

For a long time.

"A thousand jin of blood will do." The black ox spoke from the side. "This Blood-Refining Art can only be used by Fiendgods. An ordinary cultivator who bled this much would die."

Ji Ning sat cross-legged to the side. As soon as he released some blood, the immense vitality within his body naturally regenerated it, consuming only his divine power. By the time his divine power was half depleted, the gourd contained about a thousand jin of blood.

"The ritual has seven steps. You must be sincere." The black ox reminded him.

Ji Ning first knelt respectfully and kowtowed three times. Then he rose, knelt again, and kowtowed three more times, repeating this for eight different directions!

"Hua~~" Ji Ning tipped the gourd in his hand. A great torrent of fresh red blood flowed out. As soon as it emerged, Ji Ning's divine sense swept it up, rapidly dispersing it to cover an area of about eighty zhang. Using the blood as fuel, it formed a massive diagram—the pattern of a disheveled, wild-haired head.

As soon as the diagram took shape.

Boom! Immediately, a visible blood-red light shot up into the sky.

"A descendant kneels and invites the Ancestral Fiendgod." Ji Ning shouted loudly.

The first step of the Blood-Refining Art—Inviting the Ancestral Fiendgod!

...

The complex blood-refining ritual lasted a full half day. The blood-red light around them had coalesced into a strange character. According to the black ox, this type of script was called 'Fiendgod script'—a script naturally born from Heaven and Earth. Even if you had never seen or studied it, you would understand it the first time you saw it.

This Fiendgod character was 'Kill'!

"Hua hua hua~~" The three Northsea Swords appeared in midair, floating separately. The weapons Ji Ning was using for blood-refining were the Northsea Swords! According to the black ox, although the Blood-Refining Art wasn't particularly demanding regarding the weapon's quality, a better foundation was naturally stronger. Those low-grade magic treasures were too poor.

Based on the black ox's judgment, the Northsea Swords had likely been Heaven-ranked treasures before. Although their various runic patterns were damaged, for blood-refining, only the material itself mattered. The runes and patterns were completely useless.

"Hua!" "Hua!" "Hua!"

The character 'Kill', formed from the condensed blood-light, flew out phantom images one after another, merging into the three swords. The enormous 'Kill' character floating in midair grew increasingly dim until it finally dissipated, and the great hall returned to calm.

Only then did Ji Ning let out a long breath.

"Senior," Ji Ning couldn't help but ask, "just now, it felt even more majestic than the 'Dao'..." He had comprehended the Dao and touched its aura, but during the blood-refining ritual, the ancient aura it naturally contained made him feel as if he had touched an existence even more ancient and grand than the Dao.

The black ox sighed with emotion, "I didn't even dare to speak during the blood-refining ritual; I was completely awed. Now, take a look at your weapons."

Ji Ning waved his hand, and the three Northsea Swords landed in his palm. He immediately used his divine sense to guide one divine weapon and slash it across his arm. Chi~~ It felt like tough cowhide; sparks flew from the skin of his arm before a wound finally split open.

"Much sharper." Ji Ning was astonished.

"Your Northsea Swords have a good foundation," the black ox said. "Your close-combat abilities have already been greatly enhanced. An ordinary Xiantian at perfection is no match for you now. It's only one or two levels inferior to the fourth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation. But you must understand, you are cultivating the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique; your close-combat abilities will improve very rapidly. For example, when you train to the sixth layer, your close-combat abilities will completely surpass the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation! Once you learn a close-combat divine ability, killing above your level will be easy."

Ji Ning's eyes lit up. "Does Senior know any divine abilities?"

"Divine abilities? Those are closely guarded secrets of the great Fiendgod experts." The black ox quickly shook his head. "Celestial Immortal Juhua knew a divine ability called 'Heavenly Transformation', but I never asked him about it. Alright... with your potential, you will definitely be able to learn divine abilities in the future. Once you do, fighting above your level will be normal—that's the true combat power of a Fiendgod!"

Ji Ning nodded.

He understood. His Fiendgod foundation was excellent. In a few years, he would be able to reach the sixth layer. As for the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, he relied on his powerful soul and had some talent for it. The only problem was that the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation required very high-quality treasures. When he became a Zifu Disciple and needed several hundred graded treasures... just thinking about it gave him a headache.

"Alright, you can leave now," the black ox said.

"Thank you, Senior, for everything this time." Ji Ning had naturally already put away the beast hides containing the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation and Inner View of the Sun-Moon Buddha of Light. Although he himself didn't need the visualization technique, he could leave it for his parents, for the Ji Clan.

"Go on." the black ox said.

Hua!

Ji Ning only felt a vague phantom of a massive bear's head appear and swallow him whole. The spacetime around him was completely twisted. He understood that he was about to return to the island on Winged Serpent Lake.