Chapter 194: Chapter 146: Once You Drink My Blood Wine, There Is No Room for Regret

A cultivator’s blood is an extremely valuable substance with all sorts of wondrous uses.

One such use is for tracking.

Xiao Chen had encountered such an item long ago: the Tracking Compass Elder Chen had given him.

By placing a drop of blood from one’s fingertip onto the Compass, the user could locate other Compasses within a certain range.

It even worked when kept inside a Storage Bag, though the effective range would be slightly reduced.

However, for a master of the Blood Dao, these conditions were even more relaxed.

As it happened, the Eastern Wanderer was an expert at manipulating blood.

Before he even approached the cave, he had smelled the distinct scent of blood, which led him directly to Xiao Chen, who was hiding inside.

Even within the Divine Fire Sect, very few knew that the Eastern Wanderer had participated in the creation of nearly every Secret Manual for the Blood Refining Divine Technique.

The blood-red text was, in fact, written with real blood.

Furthermore, a portion of the Eastern Wanderer’s own blood was mixed into it.

That was just one reason.

The other was that he had just used a Secret Technique to investigate Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Root and Bone Age.

The young man had poor aptitude, yet had somehow become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Aside from practicing a Demon Technique, there was almost no other explanation.

And for this very reason, he had misjudged Xiao Chen’s identity, assuming he was a rogue Demon Cultivator drawn to the Blood Dao.

The Eastern Wanderer’s main objective for infiltrating Li State was to win over such rogue Demon Cultivators, thereby disrupting the Li Huo Sect from behind and preventing them from reinforcing the Lingyuan Sect.

"What Divine Monarch? I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

Xiao Chen wasn’t entirely acting. There was a ring of truth to his words.

"It’s good to be cautious."

The Eastern Wanderer smiled, formed a magic formula with his hand, and instantly, small Blood Pearls materialized on his fingertips.

This was a way to prove his identity, sufficient to show he was a genuine Demon Cultivator.

Then, he revealed a hint of his aura at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. "To be honest with you, I am one of the Four Directions Wanderers of the Divine Fire Sect."

"I can bring you power and Spirit Stones—ten, even a hundred times more than you’ve ever possessed."

"If you are willing to submit to my Divine Fire Sect, all of this can be yours for the taking."

’Xiao Chen was starting to understand. He didn’t know why, but the man clearly wanted to recruit him.’

He played along, asking, "How do I know I can trust you?"

Hearing this, the corners of the Eastern Wanderer’s mouth curled up slightly.

’As long as he promised great rewards, winning over a Loose Cultivator would be all too easy.’

"It’s simple. I can grant you power right now."

The Eastern Wanderer slapped his Storage Bag, retrieved a thick copy of the Blood Refining Divine Technique, and handed it over. "You should be no stranger to this Cultivation Technique, right?"

"Go on, open it. See how it differs from the one you’ve seen before."

Xiao Chen took it and flipped it open, only to realize that the two copies he’d acquired before were abridged versions. This was the true, complete manual.

In addition to more advanced techniques for the original three forms of Magic, this manual, more importantly, recorded two entirely new ones: the Nine Heavens Blood Transformation Technique and the Blood Sacrifice Secret Technique: Soul-Chasing Shuttle.

The section on the Soul-Chasing Shuttle was even accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration.

It looked identical to the Flying Shuttle he had acquired in Huangque Valley.

In the preface to this Secret Technique was a single, eight-word phrase: "When coated in foul blood, no defense can stand."

Xiao Chen’s eyes narrowed. The Song Family Patriarch had once mentioned a streak of blood-red light that could pass straight through a Defense Array.

’It seemed that was the work of this Blood Sacrifice Secret Technique.’

He read on past the preface and discovered that the Soul-Chasing Shuttle could do more than just penetrate a Defense Array. According to the Secret Technique’s description, it was also highly effective against a cultivator’s Protective Spiritual Light.

A Flying Shuttle that had been ritually refined multiple times could even ignore Low Tier Defense Magic and strike the cultivator directly.

’No wonder he hadn’t seen any sign of a struggle from Su Dechang in the main courtyard at Huangque Valley.’

’By ambushing an unprepared cultivator with the Soul-Chasing Shuttle, they wouldn’t have time to react. If their subconscious reaction was to resist with Magic, it was entirely possible to achieve a one-hit kill.’

"So? What do you think? Join us, and this True Skill is yours."

The Eastern Wanderer’s tempting voice rang out. "And if you accumulate Merit in the future, even more and better Secret Techniques will be waiting for you."

"And you don’t need to worry about not having the opportunity to earn that merit."

"First, I’ll take you to hunt a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to increase your strength."

"Just wait until October. A grand feast awaits."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen pretended to think for a moment, then stuffed the Secret Manual into his robes.

He then nodded in agreement. "Alright. As long as you’re willing to help me increase my strength, I’ll join the Divine Fire Sect."

"But let’s get one thing straight: I’m not signing up for any suicide missions."

"And you need to tell me exactly what this ’grand feast’ in October is all about."

Seeing Xiao Chen take the bait, the smile on the Eastern Wanderer’s face grew even wider.

"Not so fast. Since you’ve agreed to join my Divine Fire Sect, let us drink the Holy Wine together."

As he spoke, he took out a Wine Glass, turned, and ladled a cup of Blood Wine from the Small Cauldron behind him. "Come, drink this Holy Wine. From this day forward, you’ll be one of us."

This was no ordinary Spirit Wine, but a special Poisoned Wine concocted by the Eastern Wanderer.

The Life and Death of any cultivator who drank the Blood Wine would be his to command with a single thought.

Although he had already identified Xiao Chen as a rogue Demon Cultivator and wanted to recruit him, the Eastern Wanderer did not trust him in the slightest. After all, no Demon Cultivator was worthy of trust.