Chapter 461: Shi Lan
Feng Feiyun still couldn’t find a seed suitable for cultivation after nightfall.
Finding someone that could cultivate the Undying Devil Art was even harder than finding an ordinary disciple.
Feiyun could smell the stench of blood energy and could see an ocean of blood and corpses in this village. There were still remnant vengeful souls with chilling gales sounding like the wails of beasts.
“A large battle had just occurred here. Where’s there people, there will be killing.” Feiyun stood on top of a mountain with a bonfire. The fire illuminated his emotionless face even in this scene of carnage.
“Whoosh!” Feiyun raised his finger and shot out a sword ray.
“Bang!” A red lentigo fell down next to him.
He tore it apart and cleaned it before grilling it on the bonfire. A while later, the sweet, meaty fragrance permeated far away and made the war-torn atmosphere a bit more acceptable.
“Rustle.” A quiet tremble came from the mountain of corpses.
A tiny figure pushed up a corpse’s arm and slowly crawled out. It was a little girl bathed in blood. She survived because another woman had hidden her beneath her body.
She had been hiding for five days, afraid that the pursuers would come back again.
The smell of meat finally led her out. She was famished from not having a grain of rice after five days.
It wasn’t easy for a seven-year-old girl to hide in a pile of corpses without eating for five days just to stay alive.
Other girls would be crying from starvation but not her.
Other girls would be crying from seeing corpses but not her.
“I… I don’t want to die.” The girl arduously climbed towards Feiyun, begging while being on the verge of death.
Feiyun didn’t bother to turn around, he continued to grill the bird and said: “Go find food if you don’t want to die.”
“Let, let me eat, I don’t want to die…” The girl didn’t even have the strength to speak. Her breath would stop if she were to speak another word.
But Feng Feiyun continued talking: “Why do you not want to die?”
“I want… want revenge, and big sis says that as long as I’m alive… there is hope…” Her cracked lips muttered hoarsely. It felt as if there was a fire burning in her throat.
He leisurely went on: “Sometimes, death is better than living.”
“My sis said that as long as I’m alive… there’s hope…” The girl repeated again.
Feiyun took a deep breath and said: “There is a stream fifty meters from here. Go there and wash away the filth on your body and I’ll let you eat.”
This girl was buried beneath the corpses for too long. She was covered in mud and rotten flesh, even her little dress has been ruined. Her skin looked to be infected in some places and issued a nauseating stench.
At this time, not to mention fifty meters, just crawling another five meters could end in death.
However, she didn’t only make it to the river, she even cleaned herself well before climbing back to Feiyun’s feet. Her infected hands were bloodied and frazzled from the climb but they grabbed his pants tightly.
She stared at him with a pair of eyes, desperate for survival.
Feiyun brought the grilled bird closer to his nose for a sniff before directly throwing it outside.
“Whoosh!” It landed into the river and was flushed away by the current.
Feiyun looked at her and said: “You still think there’s hope now?”
The girl maintained her glare. Alas, her body was trembling as more blood flowed out of her hands: “My sis… said… as long as I’m alive… there is hope…”
Feiyun nodded. Ordinary people, including himself, would be drowning in despair but she still had hope in her heart.
Cultivating the Undying Devil Art required someone who yearned for life and wouldn’t despair in the most perilous situation. There must be a firm confidence and a will to live again.
His eyes became gentler: “Eating meat will only expedite your death, given the state of your body.”
Feiyun spread his palm and gathered the energy of the five elements within before touching her garment.
The power of the five elements originated from the Minor Change Art. They were also the fundamental essences of the body so they were gentle enough.
The girl’s body quickly recovered after this elemental power seeped inside. Even the wounds on her bloodied hands were quickly closing. Her dried lips found some moisture.
Her external injuries have been healed but she was still very feeble.
“Eat this.” Feiyun held her in his chest before taking off a piece of golden ginseng and fed it to her.
The medicinal essence of the golden ginseng was even gentler on top of carrying a powerful energy. It engulfed her flesh and bones.
She lit up with a golden glow after consuming the ginseng and became magical like never before. Her skin turned soft and smooth like a little baby with a golden radiance.
On her thin face were two black pearls, or two stars in the night sky.
“My parents are dead now, killed on the way to Black Citadel. We were going to join my big sis, she’s amazing, just like you who are chosen by the gods. And she’s strong too, very strong, as long as we find her, we don’t have to be afraid of villains anymore.” The girl sat on a small boulder and said.
Feiyun had helped her buried her parents already. He asked: “What’s your name?”
“Shi Lan, but my sis calls me Little Lan.” She still had an innocent voice.
“Your sister is at the Black Citadel right now?” Feiyun asked.
“Mmm.” Shi Lan gently nodded. Her sister was her pillar of hope, placed on a high pedestal.
“Then I’ll take you to her.” He directly grabbed her and flew to the sky. They turned into a ray and flew several hundred meters up in the air.
Despite only being seven, Little Lan wasn’t afraid at all. Her tiny hands gripped his sleeve tightly, not out of fear. She only wanted to be in control of her own life. Even if Feiyun suddenly let go, she would still be hanging on.
The two made it to Black Citadel. This was a city with many cultivators. Of course, they were only guinea-pigs of the royal clan.
When they found her sister, the woman was already dead. Her corpse was naked outside of the gate, dead for five days with flies and mosquitoes hovering around it.
Feiyun stood before the corpse with Little Lan next to him, tightly holding his hand.
He also had mixed feelings while slightly glancing at the little girl. He saw her stare intensely at the naked corpse while gently biting her lips. Her round eyes became moistened, not blinking at all.
Feiyun sighed and said: “You still think there is hope?”
She bit her lips harder and tried her best to keep her eyes wide open. Tears flowed out but she still answered: “My… my sis… says that as long as I live, there is still hope…”
Feiyun solemnly asked: “Do you want revenge?”
“Yes, you will help me, right?” She stared at him anxiously.
“I won’t. You’re the only one who can help yourself. However, I will teach you the skills necessary for revenge. Alas, it is very dangerous to learn, you might not survive.” He elaborated.
“I will learn.” She said.
“Follow me then.” Feiyun brought her out of Black Citadel.
In order to cultivate the Undying Devil Art, one must cultivate the Immortal Phoenix Physique first. This was to refine their blood and strengthen their cultivation.
The blood transformation process was divided into four sections.
The first stage: the blood becomes pure and bright red in shade.
The second stage: the blood boils with a black color.
The third stage: The blood flows faster with a golden glow.
The fourth stage: The blood returns to the origin and changes back to the initial color again.
In order to finish the Undying Devil Art’s first death, one must at least have the first stage of the phoenix physique, purifying one’s blood into a crimson color.
Feiyun needed three days in order to finish this first stage. His constitution was simply horrible and had no spirit supplements.
On the other hand, Little Lan had Feiyun’s full support and the medicinal power of the golden ginseng. She needed less than one day to finish this first stage. Her blood became immensely pure with a bright red color.
She had undergone a monumental change in just one day, reaching the early Spirit Realm. Her spirit energy was quite strong now, just like a little fairy.
However, this was only the beginning. If she could rebirth after the first death, then she would gain the equivalence of seven normal years of cultivation.