Chapter 23 - 23: Invulnerable to Ghosts and Gods, All Evils Retreat
000…
A magnificent rooster, its comb aflame and plumage iridescent, struts proudly across the room, seemingly indifferent to Feng Qing’an, just like the first time it was brought into the room.
But upon close observation, Feng Qing’an could see the rooster shaking its head and leisurely strolling around the room. Despite its apparent casualness, it seemed intent on getting closer to him.
“The attraction exists, but it’s not as strong!”
Feng Qing’an lifts a hand to rub his damp hair. He had taken a bath, and now felt refreshed and clean. Any strange odors on him had been mostly washed
avvay.
“Unfortunately, it’s still there!”
Feng Qing’an approaches the rooster. Sensing him get closer, the rooster who was previously casually strolling suddenly flares out its wings and lunges at Feng Qing’an, trying to peck him.
Smack!
The rooster that was lunging at Feng Qing’an is swatted down in mid-air by a large dog’s paw. The scene mirrors that of the morning. The rooster, frightened by the dog known as Black Mountain, squawked, flapping its wings so vigorously they blurred with motion.
“Just won’t learn its lesson. Even when affected by Spiritual Qi, it doesn’t seem to grow any wiser, completely driven by instinct!”
Feng Qing’an scoops up the crowing rooster from underneath Black Mountain’s paw and casually tosses it out of the window.
Through the rooster’s reaction, he gains a certain degree of speculation and understanding about his own situation.
At present, the aura emanating from him provokes a frenzy in creatures besides humans, generating an incredibly strong attraction. However, this aura can be weakened and its range reduced by cleaning.
“But the problem still exists!”
Feng Qing’an massages his temples, contemplating. It’s one thing to attract livestock and poultry, but there are wild beasts prowling outside the village from time to time, even fierce creatures from the mountains, not to mention other dangers beyond these.
“I need to find a solution. I wonder if there’s some technique to retract the aura.
There should be, but where will I get it?”
Feng Qing’an racks his brains, but fails to find a solution.
As for the system, he doesn’t have much hope for it. This thing does not possess wisdom. It only assigns tasks when he fulfills certain conditions, and dispenses rewards after he meets the necessary criteria.
“A way will open when it comes to it. Instead of worrying about these, I should enhance my own strength. If I can consider wild beasts from the mountains similar to domestic animals, what fear will I have? If they dare to pounce on me, I will swat them away!”
Feng Qing’an’s gaze falls on Black Mountain in his room.
“Come, let me assist you in your Soul Integration! Let’s see what my Spirit Body traits can do for you!”
Upon hearing Feng Qing’an’s words, Black Mountain promptly scurries towards him. Sitting obediently in front of him, its mouth slightly open with its tongue hanging out, it looks incredibly silly and harmless, a far cry from the ferocity it showed when attacking the rooster.
“Hmm?”
The moment he starts the process, Feng Qing’an immediately feels something different from before.
In his vision, the sparse spiritual qi points floating in the world are pulled towards him as he starts the Soul Integration process, just like the rooster attracted by him. They scramble towards him, regardless of everything.
Moreover, it is not only what he sees; outside his field of vision, even more spiritual qi swarms towards him, densely surrounding his body. For a moment, Feng Qing’an feels like he’s enclosed by an astonishing number of fireflies.
“Is this the Spirit Body compatible with spiritual qi!
Feng Qing’an feels shocked, having seen such a sight for the first time. Then, a surge of ecstasy wells up inside him. The process of using the Soul Integration technique to refine blood for pets is largely similar to using Soul Integration for his own soul-cultivation.
This means that after getting his Spirit Body, not only would he become a healmother blood bottle, but also his cultivation speed will greatly increase. He would not have to accumulate Soul Power as slowly as before.
Woof-
At this point, Black Mountain who is crouched down makes a sound. It had
been waiting for the familiar pleasant feeling but didn’t receive it. As a result, there’s a faint befuddlement and confusion in its big eyes, unable to understand what’s happening.
“Sorry for ignoring you. I’m coming now!”
Feng Qing’an’s thoughts are pulled back to reality by the dog’s bark. He looks at Black Mountain in front of him and instinctively guides the spiritual qi into Black Mountain’s body, following the original process.
This has almost become an instinctive action as he has repeated it countless times.
However, this time is different from the past. By the time Feng Qing’an realizes it, he sees that dozens or nearly a hundred times more spiritual qi than before is being guided by him, madly surging into Black Mountain’s body.
Howl-
All of a sudden, feeling an overwhelming power filling its body, Black Mountain can’t help but let out a long howl. Its thick, smooth, and black-grey fur flutters without wind, adding a sense of heroic elegance in the eyes of Feng Qing’an who has already backed a few steps away and released his palm.
“It held up!”
Feng Qing’an looks at Black Mountain, whose body seems to have swelled slightly but shows no signs of exploding. There’s a hint of surprise in his eyes, and he immediately feels he was overly cautious before.
Obviously, this wolf-dog’s capacity and tolerance for spiritual qi are much stronger than he had imagined.
Nonetheless, this inadvertent mistake has pretty much pushed the spiritual qi he guided into Black Mountain’s body to the limit that it can bear.
“Feng Qing’an, control your dog! It’s early and it’s making noise, some people are still sleeping!”
At this moment, Yin Shi’s voice comes from outside the house. The dog’s barking wasn’t unusual; it was a common sound in the village. However, the sound of their family dog was too chilling, bearing a striking resemblance to a wolf in the mountains or one might say, it was exactly like a wolf.
“Alright!”
Feng Qing’an responds loudly, then strides forward, clamping Black Mountain’s upper and lower jaws shut with both hands. It was evident that Black Mountain was struggling to control itself.
After all, the spiritual qi it received this time could perhaps match the total amount that it had absorbed in the past. “Stop barking and bear with it!”
Howl-
Black Mountain, already incredibly human-like and even capable of understanding human language, can only wag its tail and grievously endure the pressure deep inside its body that threatens to erupt.
Meanwhile, not far from the Feng’s ancestral temple in Shili Fengjiagang, a diminutive old man no more than four feet tall hobbles out of a humble local temple using a walking stick that’s taller than himself. Looking anxiously towards the Feng’s household, he mutters:
“Disaster, disaster!”
“I was about to move up. How could a beast become a demon in the village? If it hurt someone, that would be a heinous crime!”
At this moment, in the eyes of the little old man, an invisible vortex of spiritual qi had eerily appeared over the village. This phenomenon, made of spiritual qi, clearly signified the emergence of a demon, and it was happening right in his jurisdiction, right under his watch.
“I really want to see which cursed beast is so audacious!”
However, as the old man follows the spatial layers of the spiritual qi and locates the demon, his not-so-tall body stood rooted on the spot with a vacant expression.
Because he cannot take another step forward, a purportedly tremendous golden radiance encompasses the courtyard where the demon resides. This overwhelming golden light, even without making direct contact, prickles his body, making him somewhat unreal, as if on the brink of annihilation..