Vampire Cultivation Notes

Li Jieqing remained motionless, standing like a stubborn rock on the riverbed.

Having worked at the Imperial Observatory for a long time, he knew how to navigate the riverbank where he chose to go into the water without attracting the attention of the capital.

After a while, noticing that no one was chasing after him, Li Jieqing relaxed a bit and prepared to go ashore upstream.

Coming here today to watch the excitement and attract Bao Wu's attention is actually a bit risky.

The main surprise was that the Imperial Observatory was presiding over a ceremony outside, and so many Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Eastern Court came to observe. They valued the Imperial Observatory's actions so much that Li Jieqing almost wanted to turn back.

However, having searched the entire capital region without finding any trace of the demonic tiger, he had no choice but to take the more drastic step of searching himself.

Luckily, I hid in the water and managed to escape.

Based on Li Jieqing's understanding of Qi Zhen, Bao Wu is a man of great ambition. However, it is not so easy to lure him out with just a vague impression. Bao Wu will probably ask someone to inquire about the whereabouts of this incarnation.

Bao Wu, though holding the title of Imperial Preceptor, was only appointed halfway through his career. He didn't have many personal connections in the Eastern Immortal Cultivation World, except for the Xue family of the Tongtian Merchant Alliance and the personnel of the Imperial Observatory.

Fortunately, Li Jieqing had access to both of these information channels, and he was confident that he could devise another plan to truly lure out Master Baowu.

The method used by the thieves in Taipingfang Market was to lure them with benefits, then surround and kill them.

Now that almost everyone in Taipingfang City is dead, Li Jieqing sighed inwardly, realizing that he was the only one left quietly "carrying forward" this kind of spiritual legacy.

"Where exactly is this demonic tiger?"

Li Jieqing strolled along the riverbed, deep in thought, slowly approaching the opposite bank upstream.

Since reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, he has only truly made a move once, which was twenty years ago when he killed Treasure City True Person before entering Blood Heart Cave Heaven.

At that time, in order to eliminate Bao Cheng Zhenren, who was also in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, it was only by using She Cai Xianzi and Hai Xiao Da Yao that they were able to kill him by using the Invisible Heavenly Sword in a sneak attack.

The current Master Baowu is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. If it weren't for the demon tiger's help, Li Jieqing would be quite uncertain about his future.

The only option now is to plot against Master Baowu while continuing to search for the demon tiger's trail.

Having found him, the plan to scheme against Bao Wu was more than half complete.

If they really can't find him and continue with the plan, when they finally lure out Master Baowu, they'll have no choice but to fight their way to the northwest and try their luck, just like they did with his brother back then, using their physical bodies to lure the demon tiger out again.

However, there are too many unpredictable factors involved, and it's impossible to know the true whereabouts of the demon tiger beforehand. It can only be considered a last resort.

Fortunately, it doesn't matter if the plan fails.

The disguised jade beast itself will not be exposed; it only alerts Bao Wu and Bao Zhang.

……

The upper reaches of the Tongtian River in the Gyeonggi region.

Li Jieqing slowly rose from the riverbed, still not revealing any magical power or spiritual light, only carefully and meticulously climbing to the surface.

Further ahead lies the Tongtian River, a waterway untouched by the Eastern Lands, its surging currents roaring as if they were falling from the heavens.

Landing at this border crossing is a good way to conceal the commotion of the Tongtian River itself, making it difficult for others to notice.

As Li Jieqing rose halfway up the river, the water around him gradually took on color, no longer the bottomless, pitch-black abyss that lay beneath the riverbed.

Just as the water became clear and its color became visible, a gaze suddenly appeared in the Tongtian River waters further upstream.

Li Jieqing hadn't noticed anything amiss at first, but as he rose higher, he felt something was wrong. He turned his head slightly, his eyes flashing with a spiritual light as he observed the situation. At the same time, he put away the brocade box he was holding and formed a blood heart disintegration seal in his sleeve.

The Tongtian River section is clearly divided into the Jing and Wei rivers.

One side roars like thunder, the other ripples like a still pool.

Beside Li Jieqing's tiny figure, in the boundless river flowing down from upstream, a majestic, mountain-like black shadow of a demonic tiger was revealed, its eyes larger than Li Jieqing's entire body.

Although it was just a dark shadow, Li Jieqing knew that the other side was watching him.

To be precise, he was staring at the brocade box he had just put away.

"You beast, so that's where you are!"

Li Jieqing's eyes lost their sparkle, as if he hadn't seen the dark figure at all, and he continued to climb upwards.

Look at this cunning tiger, it has been hiding in the water the whole time!

No wonder he searched for a long time on the road but couldn't find a single tiger hair.

Moreover, if I hadn't been constantly carrying the brocade box and alerted the demon tiger by momentarily revealing its aura, I would have passed right in front of it without even noticing.

"His cultivation has truly grown ever more profound..."

Li Jieqing suppressed a smile, his figure rising and quickly disappearing from the sight of the dark figure.

Upstream section of the river.

The Tongtian River surges and churns, its currents still rippling even underwater.

A massive white tiger stood there, not venturing into the calm downstream section of the river, but hiding in the water, its tiger eyes watching Li Jieqing gradually disappear from sight.

It's not human, so how could it recognize Li Jieqing's aged appearance in the water? It only identifies cultivators by their magical power and spiritual aura. This aura is different for each cultivator, so it can't be faked.

However, because Li Jieqing's aura was completely concealed, even though the White Tiger was a second-tier great demon, it could not detect his presence in the water.

The only thing the white tiger recognized was the aura of the blue lotus hidden in the brocade box. It approached and lay on the dividing line where the Eastern Court suppressed the Tongtian River, staring at it menacingly.

But the White Tiger eventually restrained himself.

Although the source of that refreshing fragrance is a treasure, it had already consumed enough, so consuming more would be of no use.

Rather than rashly venturing downstream and alarming those on the shore, it's better to wait a bit longer.

As Li Jieqing disappeared, the demon tiger turned its head, its golden eyes gleaming, staring intently at Bao Wu and Bao Zhang, who were standing on the high platform downstream.

The downstream section of the river seemed to sense something and quietly began to ripple.

The white tiger let out a low growl and stepped back slightly.

The enormous black shadow left the boundary line where the Eastern Court suppressed the Tongtian River, its aura receding, and it vanished without a trace once more.

……

"Tsk tsk, this beast is still so terrifying."

Li Jieqing, completely dry, walked ashore and finally burst out laughing.

Upon seeing the location where the demon tiger appeared, he understood that the beast had discovered Bao Wu and Bao Zhang leaving the city and had come to keep watch.

Therefore, a random passerby like myself, carrying the treasures it had eaten before, was not enough to alarm the demon tiger to attack recklessly.

What a magnificent white tiger!

Such vengeful intent towards Bao Wu and Bao Zhang is truly frightening.

For this reason, he was even willing to endure the unpleasant environment of the water, and squatted outside the capital for twenty years, which is even more frightening.

Monsters are not stupid, but they often just follow their own nature.

For example, the Azure Snail prefers water and dislikes land, so even after becoming a second-tier great demon, it still forces its subordinates to dig water channels before it will show itself on land.

That's how monsters are; they're unwilling to compromise themselves.

As a result, the White Tiger, a land-native demon beast, actually managed to suppress its resentment towards Bao Wu and Bao Zhang in order to retaliate. It hid in the water for twenty years, waiting for the day it would give Bao Wu and Bao Zhang a surprise. This also made it impossible for Li Jieqing, who came specifically to search, to find any trace of it in the entire capital region.

How could a beast that was originally free-spirited not be terrifying to have endured to this extent!

"Very well, so you have such intentions. How could I not grant your wish, you beast?"

Far from the riverbank, Li Jieqing laughed heartily and flew up, circling back to the capital.

Having found the White Tiger's trail, the plan to kill Bao Wu is basically complete.

Killing Bao Wu, the new national teacher of the Eastern Land, will make it easier to seize the method to leave Blood Heart Cave Heaven later.

Secondly, it would also prevent him from being discovered when he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage a few years later using his disguised identity as Yu Huanxiu and had to deal with the Imperial Preceptor, thus ruining his plan to clear his name and devote himself to cultivation and study.

Thirdly, it's still that old grudge at play.

Every single one of the Seven True Ones should be killed as soon as possible.

I thought I would never have another chance after entering the Blood Heart Cave, but now Bao Wu and Bao Zhang have been delivered right to my doorstep. How can I ignore them?

……

As night faded and dawn broke in the east, the Star-Picking Ceremony had already ended.

Baowu Zhenren Yang Huangli suppressed his restless thoughts and paid his respects to the royal family and officials of the nearby Eastern Court.

"How is it? Has the act of inquiring about the will of Heaven yielded any results?"

The emperor of the Eastern Lands couldn't help but ask. He was also at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a somewhat aged appearance and a strand of white hair on each side of his temples, neatly combed under his flat-topped crown.

The tone of his inquiry also carried the authority of someone who had long held a high position.

It's just the early stage of Foundation Establishment...

Yang Huangli didn't take it to heart; he was only focused on investigating the person he had just met.

However, due to the other party's status as the Emperor of the Eastern Land, Yang Huangli still bowed and smiled politely for a while before leading his junior brother, Master Baozhang, over.

"What do you think of this act of seeking divine intervention?"

Since the ceremony ended, Master Baozhang had been looking sorrowful when he descended from the platform. Now, facing the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Eastern Lands, he made no attempt to conceal his distress.

Upon hearing the question, he shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, we have not been able to find an exit in the Eastern Lands for over a thousand years, so we cannot speak rashly for the time being. Right now, we only have a map of the entire Western Demon Realm here, and we still need to make careful plans."

"Supervisor, there's no need to hide anything. Just say this is the Blood Heart Cave."

Dan Quan spoke up from the side, saying, "Those present are all at the Foundation Establishment stage and have some understanding of this world. The Imperial Preceptor and the Supervisor need not beat around the bush. Inquiring about the will of Heaven must be related to the legendary Crimson Kun's will. Simply tell us, have you disturbed it?"

It's understandable that people below the Foundation Establishment stage in the Eastern Immortal Cultivation Realm wouldn't recognize the Blood Heart Grotto-Heaven, given that mortals only live to be a hundred years old and Qi Refiners to be a hundred and fifty years old. Over the past thousand years, countless generations have passed, so it's normal that they wouldn't recognize the Blood Heart Grotto-Heaven.

However, the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment True Person is a full 360 years, and with the stable succession of the imperial court, it is perfectly normal for the truth of the Blood Heart Cave Heaven to be recorded internally.

Yang Huangli was displeased, but he flicked his whisk and replied with a smile, "It's strange, I didn't see the will of the Crimson Kun."

"What do you think about the supervisor staying longer?"

Other high-ranking officials nearby then asked questions.

Master Baozhang also realized that he was somewhat out of control, but recalling the scene he saw when he arrived at the inner realm of the Crimson Kun with the help of his supernatural powers at night, he still found it difficult to control his emotions.

"It's hard to say, hard to say... The will of the Crimson Kun seems to have fallen into silence, which is why we were able to retreat unscathed after visiting the will of Heaven."

In fact, when Master Baozhang arrived at the inner realm of the Crimson Kun, he saw that the Crimson Kun's will was motionless, pinned down by a blue-red tail feather, and even its golden core was losing its color.

This scene was far too shocking for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The will of the Crimson Kun is essentially the will of Heaven in this Blood Heart Cave Heaven, but it seems that even the will of Heaven has been imprisoned by someone.

Master Baozhang couldn't see the situation clearly; he only felt the word "danger" on his forehead deepen.

Fortunately, we have obtained the complete topographical map of Blood Heart Cave, which covers everything in the sky and on the ground, and is hidden in the star core of the Star Picking Platform.

Master Baozhang wiped the sweat from his brow, took his leave, and went to busy himself with bringing the Star-Picking Platform back to the Imperial Observatory, preparing to continue his calculations and strive to find an exit as soon as possible.

Yang Huangli was preoccupied with his own important matters and, seeing this, was too lazy to attend to him any further. He then excused himself and went to pack his things to leave.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Foundation Establishment cultivators and officials of the Eastern Court exchanged bewildered glances, each lost in thought.

……