Translator: CinderTL
During his half-year of seclusion, the Lord of the Mist had also made a remarkable discovery.
He experimented with squirrels in the dense forest, helping them cultivate the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice. He discovered that their offspring inherited the bloodline enhancement from the ritual, giving them a higher starting point for growth.
This discovery greatly excited the Lord of the Mist.
In his words, once he resurrected his clansmen in the future, they could cultivate this Super Cultivation Technique, inevitably elevating the entire clan's future growth potential to a new level.
As Feng Qi watched the Lord of the Mist fantasize about his clan's glorious future, he remained silent.
From a historical perspective, the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice had never actually been used to enhance the Lord of the Mist's clansmen. Instead, it had ultimately evolved into a sacrificial technique that plagued humans and Weak Domain Races.
Clearly, there was a crucial stage in its development that he didn't know about.
He wondered if his actions might disrupt this process, thereby altering the future in profound ways.
But the Lord of the Mist soon provided him with an answer.
Late one night, Feng Qi sat cross-legged atop a tree canopy, gazing up at the bright moon.
In his sea of consciousness, mental energy gradually shed its impurities under his purification.
Yet this process was agonizingly slow.
When Lin Ran developed Spiritual Immortality, he had only focused on growth efficiency, completely disregarding the purity of mental energy.
So, he could only painstakingly sift through the information slowly.
Just then, a gray mist materialized beside him.
Sensing the presence nearby, Feng Qi opened his eyes.
"I've made a decision. We'll abandon the infiltration of the Scarlet Research Institute and instead focus on the Tiger Soul Research Institute."
"Why?" Feng Qi asked, surprised.
The Scarlet Research Institute had always been the Lord of the Mist's primary target for infiltration.
For some time now, Feng Qi had been pondering a problem: how to dissuade the Lord of the Mist from targeting the Scarlet Research Institute. After all, the Scarlet Research Institute was the core of every timeline. If Scarlet fell, all the efforts of his companions on the Sacrifice Line would be in vain.
Yet now, the Lord of the Mist had suddenly declared he would abandon the Scarlet Research Institute.
"I have a concept in mind," the Lord of the Mist said, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. "If this concept can be realized, our future will be boundless."
"Tell me more," Feng Qi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Do you remember when I mentioned that I had modified the bloodstone technique, removing a large portion of it?"
"Remember, didn't you say the full trajectory was too complex and much of it wasn't suitable for cultivation?"
The Lord of the Mist nodded.
"Yes, some parts were indeed too complex. Cultivating them was far slower than my simplified version. But recently, I tried cultivating the complex part. Guess what happened?"
Seeing the Lord of the Mist's excited expression, Feng Qi urged, "Tell me quickly."
"I discovered that when I cultivated the complex part, I actually attracted the blood of experimental squirrels cultivating the simplified bloodstone technique towards me! During an experiment, I accidentally killed one, and its blood actively flowed towards me..."
The Lord of the Mist grew increasingly animated as he spoke.
Finally, he took a deep breath, his eyes shining with excitement.
"If I'm right, that complex bloodstone path is the main path—the core of this rule path. It's like in normal cultivation, where all spiritual energy eventually converges in the dantian, like 'All Rivers Return to the Sea.'"
"I had an idea to split this Flesh and Blood Sacrifice into two distinct cultivation techniques. I call the complex part the source, the Flesh Cauldron, and the simplified version, the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice."
"All life forms that cultivate the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice technique will ultimately become nourishment for the source. With a single thought, I can cause their flesh and blood to disintegrate, and the blood imprinted with the rule trajectory within their bodies will automatically converge towards me, becoming the fuel for my growth..."
Listening to the Lord of the Mist's explanation, Feng Qi finally understood the reason.
After numerous refinements, the cultivation technique the Lord of the Mist originally intended for his clan's development had evolved into the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice technique recorded in history.
The Lord of the Mist's sudden choice of the Tiger Soul Research Institute was simple: he needed a platform to release the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice technique. Compared to the mysterious and low-key Scarlet Research Institute, the Tiger Soul Research Institute was clearly the better choice. Moreover, the Tiger Soul Research Institute was one of the largest cultivation technique research institutions.
A new technique certified by the Tiger Soul Research Institute would inevitably attract a large number of cultivators to attempt cultivation upon its release.
If he could successfully infiltrate the Tiger Soul Research Institute, he could leverage its control over numerous cultivation media to promote the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice, continuously amplifying its influence.
Understanding this, Feng Qi had a sudden realization.
Clearly, the Lord of the Mist had undergone a similar growth process in history.
The Scarlet Research Institute was too low-key and mysterious; internal changes rarely drew external attention, making infiltration less risky.
But the Tiger Soul Research Institute was different.
It published weekly journals and frequently hosted cultivation competitions, making it a star institute.
Even minor personnel shifts within the institute made headlines.
From a security perspective, the Scarlet Research Institute was clearly the better choice.
However, considering the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice, the Tiger Soul Research Institute was the optimal choice.
It was the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice that had changed the Lord of the Mist's thinking.
What he hadn't anticipated was that the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice was divided into two parts.
The Lord of the Mist clearly controlled the source of "All Rivers Return to the Sea"—the flesh cauldron—while humanity was clearly participating in the sacrificial aspect of the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice.
The Lord of the Mist then began discussing his vision for the future of the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice, his voice filled with excitement.
As he spoke with fervor, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He explained that he would continue to refine the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice to enhance the effects of the "All Rivers Return to the Sea" stage.
Beyond that, there was a crucial aspect that needed modification.
Different species have different meridian pathways within their bodies. If the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice relied on a single fixed meridian route, it would only be applicable to one species.
However, this problem was not insurmountable.
The Flesh and Blood Sacrifice was originally a cultivation technique designed to temper bloodline strength, with only a tangential connection to meridians. The Lord of the Mist stated that he could completely reform it into a pure physical tempering technique.
He already had experience in this area.
The version used on the experimental squirrel was a purely physical tempering version of the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice.
However, this version was severely truncated and incomplete, omitting several crucial steps.
His current task was to perfect this aspect, transforming the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice into a universal cultivation technique applicable to all species.
Only then could it truly achieve its purpose of universal dominance.
At this point, the Lord of the Mist rose to his feet atop the tree canopy.
Gazing upward at the bright moon, he slowly spread his arms, his figure bathed in the ethereal moonlight:
"Feng Qi, our target should not be limited to humans. All domain creatures will be included in our grand plan. Once they taste the benefits of the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice, they will inevitably promote it vigorously within their own races. Even the bloodlines of their descendants will be imprinted with the mark of the Flesh and Blood Sacrifice... The ritual will spread and proliferate like a virus, until all living beings in the world become the nourishment for our growth."
"At that time, we will become the Pillar Gods of the new world!"
"Is the peak we achieve at the cost of most of the world's life too cruel?"
Hearing this, the Lord of the Mist turned to face Feng Qi, a smile playing on his lips:
"You have studied human history. You must have noticed that decline is merely the flip side of prosperity. You could say that decline is the force that accumulates strength for renewed prosperity. This is the complete cycle of life's development, true for every world."
"As long as we stand at the pinnacle, what does it matter if millions, even tens of millions, lie dead beneath our feet?"
"While we bring destruction, we will also rebuild prosperity in the new world that belongs to us."
(End of the Chapter)
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