Chapter 330: Killing Pill

Han Li immediately spotted the five “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills” among the items, and his heart swelled with joy. He promptly retrieved them from the beast puppet’s mouth, holding them carefully in his hand as he examined each one closely.

Sensing the immense spiritual power contained within the pills, Han Li confirmed their authenticity and felt reassured. He then took out an exquisitely crafted jade box from his storage pouch and carefully stored the five pills inside.

Although Han Li was unaware of the specific effects of the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills,” the fact that the Yue Emperor had guarded them so fiercely indicated that the young prince of the Xin Mansion had been truthful about their usefulness in Core Formation. This realization filled him with immense excitement.

Next, Han Li turned his attention to the other items: an ink-black alms bowl, a blood-red awl about an inch long, and a jade slip emitting a pale grayish aura.

Gazing at these objects, Han Li felt a chill run down his spine.

These items were clearly artifacts used exclusively by demonic and evil cultivators, possibly imbued with curses or restrictions. Not daring to handle them recklessly, he took a light breath, and his hands began to emit a faint glow, soon enveloped in a thin layer of cyan light.

Only then did Han Li feel secure enough to pick up the jade slip and inspect it.

Apart from its eerie aura, the jade slip showed no signs of any restrictions. Relieved, Han Li slowly channeled his spiritual sense into it.

As soon as his spiritual sense entered the jade slip, Han Li stood completely still, his expression shifting unpredictably—first ecstatic, then deeply frustrated, and finally settling into one of extreme caution, with a rarely seen flicker of fear.

After the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense but remained in a daze.

The contents of the jade slip were both within his expectations and yet beyond them.

It indeed recorded the cultivation techniques of the Black Fiend Cult members. For instance, the young prince practiced the “Black Fiend Asura Art,” the four Blood Servants cultivated the “Fiend Demon Art,” and the Yue Emperor practiced the “Blood Refinement Divine Light,” among others.

What surprised Han Li, however, was that all these techniques mentioned a scripture called the “Profound Yin Canon,” which piqued his curiosity immensely.

But despite scanning through the jade slip hastily, Han Li found no clues about the whereabouts of this scripture.

Resigned, he gave up on the idea and shifted his focus to some of the bizarre secret arts mentioned outside the cultivation techniques.

Several of these arts delighted Han Li, as they not only resolved some of his long-standing doubts but also revealed the true purpose of the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills.”

Han Li calmed himself and read carefully.

It turned out that the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills” were similar to demon beast cores, condensed within the bodies of cultivators who practiced the “Fiend Demon Art.” This was also the primary purpose behind the creation of the “Fiend Demon Art.”

The reason the four Blood Servants could transform into fiend demons and reach the Foundation Establishment stage without consuming Foundation Establishment Pills was precisely because they had condensed these pills.

However, according to the “Fiend Demon Art,” even without using blood sacrifice techniques, the rapid progress of this cultivation method made it impossible for practitioners to form a Golden Core in their lifetime. The Foundation Establishment stage was the highest level they could achieve.

In fact, not only the “Fiend Demon Art” but also several other techniques shared similar fatal flaws, almost all of them preventing Core Formation. Of course, their cultivation speed, combined with the assistance of blood sacrifice techniques, naturally advanced at an astonishing rate.

The emergence of the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills” seemed intended to compensate for these flaws.

This led to a secret art mentioned in the jade slip called the “Fiend Core Technique.”

According to this secret method, even a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator with the poorest aptitude had a one-third chance of forming a pseudo-Golden Core, known as a “Fiend Core,” similar to a Golden Core formed by a Core Formation cultivator, by consuming the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills” as prescribed.

Although the Fiend Core’s power was slightly inferior to a true Golden Core initially, the difference was minimal, and it similarly possessed the miraculous effect of extending one’s lifespan.

When Han Li read this, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. A one-third chance of forming a Core? The “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills” were simply too overpowered!

He almost immediately felt the urge to grab the five pills and consume them on the spot. However, the subsequent mention of the Fiend Core’s drawbacks left him stunned.

It stated that since the “Fiend Core” was an artificially created Golden Core, once formed, it could not grow any further. This meant the cultivator’s cultivation would never advance again, remaining permanently at the early Core Formation stage.

If this were the only drawback, Han Li would still not pass up this shortcut. The method of dispersing his cultivation three times with the “Triple Revolving Profound Art” and then reforming his Golden Core was far too uncertain and fraught with difficulties. Even if he successfully dispersed his cultivation three times, Han Li had no confidence in the outcome.

After all, this technique was merely a hypothesis by the master who created the “Green Origin Sword Art,” and no one had ever actually practiced it.

The “Fiend Core Technique,” however, was different. Judging by the tone of the secret art, it had undoubtedly been used by others before. A one-third chance was an irresistible temptation for Han Li.

As for the fact that forming a “Fiend Core” would prevent a cultivator from advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, Han Li didn’t even consider such a distant possibility. The “Nascent Soul stage” was something he only occasionally fantasized about in his dreams.

For him now, forming a Core was his ultimate goal. Whether he would aspire to condense a Nascent Soul after forming a Core was a matter to be considered later.

However, the further explanation of the “Fiend Core Technique” left Han Li dumbfounded.

It went on to say that once a “Fiend Core” formed in a cultivator’s body, it would continuously emit fiend demon energy. Over time, this energy would gradually erode the cultivator’s intellect.

Although this erosion wouldn’t lead to a complete loss of sanity or turning against loved ones, it would inevitably result in sluggish reactions and a gradually dulling mind.

This sent a chill down Han Li’s spine!

Han Li had always prided himself on his quick wit, which had been his greatest asset in navigating the world of immortal cultivation. Reading this, he struggled internally for a moment before completely abandoning any thought of using the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills.”

He felt extremely frustrated. Did this mean the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills,” which he had gone to great lengths to obtain, were now utterly useless, like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat yet a pity to discard?

But after a moment’s reflection, Han Li realized something was amiss. If that were the case, why had the Yue Emperor gone to such lengths to cultivate these pills? Given his cunning nature, he certainly wouldn’t have consumed them himself.

With this in mind, Han Li skimmed through the other secret arts and focused his attention on another highly intriguing one—the “External Incarnation.”

This renowned top-tier demonic path secret art was something Han Li had long heard about.

Although the specific techniques and effects of such “incarnation” arts varied widely, all of them were considered life-and-death secrets by demonic path cultivators. They were typically the highest secrets of various sects and schools. The seven major sects of Yue State had once tried every means to collect related techniques but ultimately came up empty-handed!

After quickly scanning through this art, Han Li was overjoyed, for he had finally found a use for the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills.”

If his guess was correct, the Yue Emperor had likely made the same plan, which was why he spared no expense in nurturing the four Blood Servants to condense the “Blood Condensation Five Elements Pills.”

And the blue-robed man, whose cultivation had been absorbed and who died under Tian Leizi’s attack, was likely the incarnation he had refined. Only this could explain why he willingly allowed his cultivation to be absorbed without resistance.

Suppressing his turbulent thoughts, Han Li quickly read through the remaining secret arts.

He had no interest in techniques like the “Marrow Cleansing Pill” or blood sacrifice, as he had never cultivated demonic arts. Only the method to condense the “Blood Spirit Drill” caught his attention, and he made a mental note of it.

After withdrawing his spiritual sense, Han Li took some time to digest the information before turning his gaze to the other two items.

The blood-red awl he had obtained was the solidified form of the Blood Spirit Drill after leaving the body and could likely be used as a magical instrument.

As for the pitch-black alms bowl, it was a rare magical tool called the “Soul Gathering Bowl,” specifically designed to contain the souls and primordial spirits of cultivators. Once placed inside this bowl, all souls and primordial spirits would gradually lose their spiritual nature, becoming ordinary wandering ghosts for evil cultivators to command and refine.

Han Li only briefly examined the “Soul Gathering Bowl” before its Yin cold energy forced him to shudder. He hurriedly stored it in his storage pouch.

He knew very well that since he had never cultivated such Yin-based techniques, he couldn’t utilize this tool.

Given the extreme Yin coldness of this tool, who knew how many cultivators’ souls had been lost within it? Prolonged contact with it would likely only make him seriously ill.