Chapter Twenty-Four: The Second Heaven of the Demon Aura Realm

As the Blood Spirit Technique continued to operate, Xiao Wenzi’s swollen body gradually relaxed, and he finally endured the most critical moment. The spiritual blood of a late-stage cultivator of the Ninth Heaven was indeed domineering; after refining it, Xiao Wenzi’s cultivation skyrocketed, bringing him directly to the verge of breaking through to the Second Heaven.

Unfortunately, because too much time had passed and there was no special vessel to contain it, Lu Tong’s blood scattered on the leaves had already congealed, its spiritual essence entirely dissipated. Raising his head, Xiao Wenzi glanced at the sky about to darken, and at the mountain forest now unusually tranquil—perhaps cowed by the rampaging Purple Forest Sparrow. He decided to exchange for Demon Gathering Stones and Essence of Rock directly here, seizing the momentum to break through his bottleneck into the Second Heaven.

No sooner thought than done, Xiao Wenzi focused his mind, and dozens of Demon Gathering Stones appeared at his side. Immediately after, drops of blue-red Essence of Rock were swallowed into his belly. He had already reached the threshold of a breakthrough, and had spent nearly a thousand system coins on resources; if he still failed to advance, it would truly be unreasonable.

Thus, after half an hour, his body resonated with a deep hum as spiritual energy from the world was drawn en masse into him. At last, he succeeded in advancing to the Second Heaven of the Demonic Aura Realm.

Breaking through to the early stage of Second Heaven, Xiao Wenzi found that not only had the demon spiritual energy in his qi sea multiplied, but his perception had been greatly enhanced as well.

“It’s time to leave,” he murmured.

Lu Tong’s appearance during the day was no coincidence. Xiao Wenzi knew that even on the outskirts of these mountains—not particularly deep—there was still a chance for cultivators to track him down. This time, he had been fortunate to encounter the fury of the Purple Forest Sparrow, but he could not always entrust his fate to such ethereal strokes of luck.

More importantly, he no longer had enough system coins to replenish his Red Hearts—already having expended two. Henceforth, he would have to be cautious; unless absolutely necessary, he must avoid risking his life and relying on resurrection.

Taking advantage of the night, Xiao Wenzi flew deeper into the mountains. He did not head toward the valley he had sensed during the day, for it was still not safe enough. Better to delve several hundred miles in, where he was sure to encounter demon beasts as formidable as the Purple Forest Sparrow. Then, he would not fear low-level cultivators pursuing him.

But then he paused in midair, struck by a crucial realization: seeking the protection of a powerful demon beast was wise, but once he broke through to the Third Heaven, how would he acquire the Second Heaven system coins needed to exchange for cultivation techniques?

He had overlooked the most important problem. Cultivation techniques for the Blood Spirit Technique at Second Heaven required First Heaven system coins in exchange, but the Third Heaven technique would demand the blood of Second Heaven cultivators.

What mattered was that the system’s exchange interface only specified “cultivator’s blood”—the blood of demon beasts would likely not suffice. Venturing deep into the mountains would be safe, but might also cut off his path of cultivation.

After weighing his options, Xiao Wenzi decided to risk staying behind. As the saying goes, one must enter the tiger’s den to seize the tiger’s cub—only by stirring the waters could he obtain more cultivators’ blood. As for extracting the blood of demon beasts, those creatures were thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, and even if he wished, it would be hard to accomplish.

Flying for most of the night, Xiao Wenzi approached the valley where he had sensed a demon beast’s aura yesterday. He had already resolved that, even if he remained at the mountain’s edge, he must first find an ally.

Within the valley, a waterfall crashed down, forming a pool inhabited by a massive Venomscale Python. Xiao Wenzi dared not approach, stopping instead in the primeval forest several hundred meters away.

Here, ancient trees riddled by insects had formed hollows. Not far off were luscious berries to stave off hunger, making it an ideal place for cultivation. Having already feasted on the berries and restored his strength, with no external disturbances for now, Xiao Wenzi began exchanging for the Second Heaven technique.

With a thought, five First Heaven system coins vanished, and his mind was suddenly flooded with golden ancient characters, as though inscribed upon his very soul—impossible to forget.

The mental method for the Blood Spirit Technique at the Demonic Aura Realm’s Second Heaven complemented the First Heaven technique perfectly. With a little contemplation, Xiao Wenzi fully comprehended it.

To his delight, the technique also came with two lesser arts: Spirit Eye and Wing Blade.

Spirit Eye was akin to a cultivator’s Heavenly Eye—a basic technique for looking inward and discerning an opponent’s cultivation level. Wing Blade was a clever application of demon spiritual energy, unleashing attacks as sharp as wind blades with a sweep of his wings.

Before acquiring these secret arts, even after advancing to the Second Heaven of the Demonic Aura Realm, Xiao Wenzi could only rely on his perception of spiritual pressure to judge the strength of other cultivators. He could not accurately discern their exact realms, nor did he possess any means of launching remote attacks.

Thus, when Lu Tong had tried to kill him, Xiao Wenzi could only flee and dodge.

Now, however, everything had changed. With Spirit Eye and Wing Blade, whenever he faced a cultivator or demon beast—so long as there was not too great a disparity—he could clearly gauge their level, then launch a counterattack with Wing Blade.

Offense is the best defense—how could Xiao Wenzi be unaware of this truth? Having obtained Wing Blade, he was overjoyed.

He had only just broken through to a new realm last night, and knowing the dangers of excess, Xiao Wenzi was not eager to immediately use the Second Heaven mental method to further enhance his cultivation. Instead, he focused first on mastering the two new arts.

Both Spirit Eye and Wing Blade were introductory demon techniques, not particularly obscure or complex. Even on his first attempt, Xiao Wenzi managed to grasp their essentials after just several hours.

The first rays of dawn pierced through the leaves, casting mottled light across the ancient forest. A tiny mosquito hovered before a lush canopy, wings beating.

With a soft hiss, two thin arcs of wind shot forth, slicing through several palm-sized leaves, which fluttered gently to the ground.

“Not bad,” Xiao Wenzi murmured. “At this level, my demon spiritual energy can sustain dozens of such attacks. If used skillfully, it’s not impossible to severely wound an enemy.”

Through repeated trials, Xiao Wenzi confirmed that his current Wing Blade could carve wounds just over an inch long and half an inch deep into mortal flesh. Against cultivators, its power would be quite limited.

Still, if aimed at vital points—eyes or throat—even a novice like Chu Jun could be gravely injured by a single strike.

Satisfied, Xiao Wenzi whispered to himself. With his demon spiritual energy depleted, he turned and flew into the hollow of a nearby tree.

The aura of the Southern Sky Mountains, stretching for thousands of miles, was much richer than that around Woniu Village. After half a day of breathing and cultivation, by nightfall Xiao Wenzi’s demon spiritual energy had fully recovered.

He emerged from the tree hollow and practiced Wing Blade again.

As for Lu Tong’s death, it was like a pebble thrown into a lake for the cultivators expanding their search around Kaoshan Town—a ripple, but nothing more. After all, Lu Tong was just a rogue cultivator with few friends.

They had scoured the area around Kaoshan Town, finding no trace of the demon mosquito. Some guessed Xiao Wenzi had fled into the Southern Sky Mountains, and those with lesser cultivation quickly gave up the search.

Of course, the brave and skilled pressed on, among them Song Yufeng of the Falling Feather Sect.