Chapter 48 Part 1

When everything had finally settled, the first thing Lian Yunzhi did was find the corpses of those cultivators whose Primordial Spirits had completely scattered. He took their storage magic artifacts one by one—Mu Cheng, that spendthrift, had clearly opened dozens of storage artifacts earlier but took nothing except for one Healing Pill.

Storage Bags from Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Storage Bracelets from Soul Transformation Cultivators, Storage Rings from Void Refining Cultivators… Lian Yunzhi collected every single one into his own possession, and the more he counted the contents, the more excited he became.

Although the corpses of cultivators whose physical bodies remained intact—only their Primordial Spirits having been devoured—did not emit any stench of decay, Lian Yunzhi, who had touched dead bodies, still cast the highest-grade Dust Removal Technique on himself. Then, perfectly clean, he floated over to Mu Cheng and said mysteriously, “Mu Cheng, you would never guess how many Spirit Stones were in those Merging Body powerhouses’ Storage Rings!”

Of course Mu Cheng knew. He had opened every Void Refining and Merging Body cultivator’s Storage Ring earlier just to find the best Healing Pills for Lian Yunzhi. But he still asked, “How many Spirit Stones?”

Lian Yunzhi stated a number and emphasized, “All of them Top-Grade Spirit Stones!”

Lian Yunzhi spun in a circle in midair on a cloud of mist. The sleeves of his robes, carrying the fresh scent of grass and wood, brushed against Mu Cheng’s cheek. Mu Cheng heard Lian Yunzhi say with a smile full of joy, “We can redeem those Qi Refining Bird Feathers now!”

Mu Cheng’s throat bobbed as he reached out almost uncontrollably and pulled him into his arms.

But Lian Yunzhi pushed away his dust- and blood-stained cheek in disgust. “So dirty.”

Mu Cheng: “…”

Yet in the next instant, a Dust Removal Technique carrying the scent of grass and wood fell from above his head. Lian Yunzhi smiled as he leaned in and gently kissed him, giving him everything he desired.

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This was the first time Lian Yunzhi and Mu Cheng walked the streets of Chen Tian City with their true appearances, completely unmasked. Yet they did not need to worry about any danger, for news of the battle in Xiaoze State had already spread to every corner of the cultivation world.

The moment Lian Yunzhi and Mu Cheng appeared in public, all the cultivators scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

Lian Yunzhi: “…”

But fortunately, while people could run, businesses could not. Lian Yunzhi and Mu Cheng casually entered the auction house and merchant guild where they had previously sold the feathers. Very properly, they set down the Spirit Stones and redeemed the feathers one by one.

They even found the two Qi Refining Bird Feathers that they had previously consigned to Fu Qing for sale. Upon discovering that those two feathers had been embedded into a Spirit Treasure as refining material and turned into a certain merchant guild’s signature treasure, they personally summoned the guild’s owner, carefully inquired about the price, and paid up.

At this point, all the feathers had reformed into Black Mist and returned to Mu Cheng’s body. Lian Yunzhi finally felt a sense of completion.

Mu Cheng, however, reached out and gently touched the ends of Lian Yunzhi’s hair, which looked as if it had been gnawed by a dog. Lian Yunzhi also frowned as he touched his own hair and sighed. In a small voice, he complained, “I’m almost bald from your biting.”

Mu Cheng kissed him in a secluded spot and laughed. “A monk wouldn’t break the precept against lust.”

It was worth mentioning that, since Mu Cheng had found his own Spiritual Root, when the two Dual Cultivated again, Lian Yunzhi finally reaped benefits once more.

Mu Cheng’s purified power threaded silk by silk into Lian Yunzhi’s body, transforming into his cultivation and spiritual power. The hair that had been severed from his scalp even began to grow and spread at that moment. Ink-black strands spilled across the surface beneath him and draped one by one over the vine bed, making him look as enchantingly beautiful as a forest demon. Mu Cheng leaned in dazedly and kissed him.

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In the end, Lian Yunzhi and Mu Cheng still went to the Blood Yin Secret Realm as planned. But since Mu Cheng’s cultivation had reached a level beyond standard classification, they encountered no dangers—not even many Demon Beasts. But what kind of training was it without any danger? As a result, Lian Yunzhi’s cultivation advanced much more slowly than imagined. Lian Yunzhi was very unhappy about this. Not only did he strictly forbid Mu Cheng from intervening the moment danger arose, but when Mu Cheng repeatedly failed to learn his lesson, he forcibly separated from him to act alone.

Yet how could Dual Cultivation Dao Companions who had undergone Divine Soul Dual Cultivation be so easily separated? After Lian Yunzhi accidentally had his arm injured by a High-tier Demon Beast and Mu Cheng charged out in an instant with red eyes to tear the beast to shreds, Lian Yunzhi compromised.

Fine, slower cultivation progress it was.

…A berserk Mu Cheng was still quite terrifying.

And very hard to coax.

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Lian Yunzhi and Mu Cheng searched for a long time in the Blood Yin Secret Realm but failed to find the legendary Near Heaven Tower. However, the spiritual energy in the Blood Yin Secret Realm was abundant—one day of cultivation there equaled ten days outside—so Lian Yunzhi was still reasonably satisfied.

After cultivating for thirty-seven days in the Blood Yin Secret Realm, Lian Yunzhi was finally about to break through to Void Refining.