Mortal Saint

Chapter 63: Chapter 62: Treasure Deer, Monster Betrayer, Bountiful Harvest! Silver Carp Transformation Complete, Iron Bones Rise, Spinal Dragon

And so he fell silent, then sighed.

"Master, let’s just wait until dawn."

"Let’s not struggle anymore. We should rest for a bit."

"The road will be easier to travel after sunrise, won’t it?"

With that, he walked over to the edge of the Cold Pool. He crouched down, ready to wash his face to wipe away his exhaustion and refresh himself.

However, just as Ji Xiu relaxed onto a rock, watching the shimmering Water Patterns on the surface, he sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was finally realizing that the masters of his lineage were all cut from the same cloth...

CLOP CLOP CLOP.

A creature suddenly stepped into the pool, approaching him one step at a time.

When he looked up, he saw a Spirit Deer with pale-green fur and jade-green horns. It was staring at him with human-like eyes, looking him up and down.

It had appeared from nowhere, slowly drawing near. It circled him, sniffing the aura around him. A look of intoxication appeared on the deer’s face as it pawed at the ground, letting out soft snorting sounds.

It even took a Spirit Grass from its mouth and placed it beside Ji Xiu, then gestured with its horns and nodded repeatedly.

"This deer..."

Curiosity filled Ji Xiu’s eyes. He watched the faint glow emanating from its body, as if it cultivated by absorbing moonlight. It was clearly intelligent and could understand human speech, which was a real eye-opener for him.

But before he could do anything, a figure strode over abruptly.

"Ah, disciple, you had a point. It’s better to rest first—"

"Hmm?"

The moment the sound of hesitation rang out, the Spirit Deer that had been circling him froze. Its eyes narrowed, and it suddenly bolted, about to flee in a flash!

However, Ji Xiu, who was right beside it, reacted instinctively, pressing it down with one palm.

"Such powerful Force!"

But as the deer with the pair of green horns struggled, Ji Xiu felt a powerful jolt in the web of his hand, and his eyes widened in surprise.

In less than a moment, it broke free. Just as he was about to watch it sprint away...

"Hahaha! A fine Spirit Deer, born and raised by the heavens and earth! I was just worried about finding prey. Where do you think you’re going!"

Duan Chenzhou’s eyes lit up. With a powerful shudder of his tiger-like frame, he slammed a single palm down, leaving an afterimage in its wake. The water of the Cold Pool splashed high as the Spirit Deer was instantly pressed to the ground, its four legs splayed out like a lamb to the slaughter.

"Whoa! This deer was born in the wild, yet it has no Demon Qi on it?"

"That means it doesn’t eat flesh and blood. It only consumes moonlight, Mountain Spirits, and Spirit Grass. And... this deer has an incredibly faint trace of Flood Dragon Blood, almost completely diluted. No wonder it was so friendly with you."

"Disciple, you’re in for a treat."

Duan Chenzhou held the deer down, clucking his tongue in amazement.

"You’re practicing the Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate. With your current body, you couldn’t handle the blood of a Thousand-Year-Old Great Flood Dragon, even a half-breed one. And I wouldn’t be able to hunt one anyway."

"But this deer is just right."

In an instant, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes, and he was about to kill the deer and drain its blood. But the Jade Deer with Green Horns seemed to understand his words. It shook its head frantically, and with tears welling in its eyes, it looked toward Ji Xiu.

A pang of pity struck Ji Xiu’s heart.

"Master, it’s so pitiful..."

The Jade Deer’s eyes suddenly lit up!

"How about we take it back, lock it in the stables, and drain its blood every day? That’s sustainable development. We can spare its life. After all, it’s so pitiful, and refining blood for Bone Tempering isn’t something that can be done in a single day..."

Its four hooves trembled violently. It stared, shivering, at the master and disciple as if looking at a pair of demons.

Especially the young man!

’He has such a pure aura, so why...?’

At this thought, the deer let out a sudden whimper. Duan Chenzhou, who was still contemplating, frowned and slapped it across the head.

"Stop your racket."

"Keep it up and I’ll stew you."

But when Ji Xiu heard the deer’s cry, he looked hesitant.

"Huh...?"

"I think I can understand it a little, Master."

Duan Chenzhou was taken aback.

"Impossible. A Spirit Monster can’t speak unless it passes the hundred-year mark and refines its Horizontal Bone. You..."

"Oh, right. You cultivate that technique. You have some faint understanding of the water language. This deer has a bit of that diluted blood, so it’s indeed possible you could communicate a little."

Ji Xiu looked at the Jade Deer with Green Horns, which was prostrated on the ground, nodding frantically and giving him meaningful looks. His own eyes gradually brightened.

"It says it can hunt Demons and Spirit Monsters for us, to get their Essence Blood! It’s telling us... not to eat it or drain its blood!"

Duan Chenzhou was stunned for a moment.

"It’s that intelligent?"

He was a bit suspicious, so he reached out, tapped the Spirit Deer, and sent a surge of Force into its mind.

"Then go give it a try."

"If you fail..."

"...we’ll have nothing better to do tonight than eat Spirit Deer brains!"

With that, he released his grip. The teary-eyed Spirit Deer got to its feet and looked out at the rolling mountains with a tragic expression.

’Everyone... I’m so sorry.’

It quietly left the pool, then looked back, signaling for Ji Xiu and Duan Chenzhou to follow at a distance.

Then, it stepped onto the five-hundred-li Mountain Dao.

RUSTLE RUSTLE!

As its glowing figure came into view...

...vicious, hungry glares emerged from the bushes.

"A Spirit Deer, a Spirit Deer!"

"That monster of a man is gone! It’s time to hunt and have a feast!"

As one after another, the established and Enlightened Demons revealed themselves...

...behind them, a certain person licked his lips.

"So, this is the ’bait’!"

"Disciple, your master understands now!"

With that, Duan Chenzhou stopped hiding. He let out a great laugh, his Qi and Blood surging like a Dragon and Tiger.

He shot out in a single step, glanced at the trembling Spirit Deer, and with a great pinch of his hand, he extracted the Heart Essence Blood from each and every Enlightened Little Demon...

...and refined it in an instant!

...

The next morning, it was approaching noon.

「Anning County, Duan Residence.」

Despite having pulled an all-nighter, Duan Chenzhou and Ji Xiu were full of vigor.

In the stables behind the Plum Blossom Posture, a certain Jade Deer with Green Horns was lying with its head drooping, an expression of utter despair on its face.

"I never would have thought you’d have such a strange ability as ’pathfinding’!"

"What a good deer!"

"From now on, you can be my trusty steed. A classic case of ’calling a deer a horse’!"

Ji Xiu licked his lips. As Duan Chenzhou waved his hand and gifted him the Jade Deer with Green Horns, he felt it was superior to any horse.

Coupled with the Enlightened Demon Blood they had hunted that night...

...he couldn’t wait to begin refining it!

...

"Disciple, can you still hold on?"

"Yes!"

Ji Xiu was bare-chested, his face flushed crimson. His eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets. He could feel the scalding, boiling blood in his body repeatedly washing over his ’Spinal Dragon’!

He was sitting in meditation inside the Ancient Tripod. But this time, what was being stewed in the tripod was the ’Bone Tempering’ grade Heart Blood of the Enlightened Demon!

Its effects were even better than an ordinary Bone Tempering Pill.

The mixture of Demon Blood, with some medicinal herbs added... using the Heart Essence Blood as the main ingredient, they had gathered more than ten different kinds...

It was even more potent than the ’Bone Spirit Soup’ from the night before last. And... it could also accelerate the recovery of his spine, producing an incredible transformation!

Behind Ji Xiu.

Duan Chenzhou, seeing the opportune moment, took a deep breath and made his move!

CRACK!

[Tutor’s ’Silver Carp Transformation’ progress +1!]

[Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate, First Volume—Silver Carp Transformation (3/5)]

"Disciple, can you still hold on?"

"...Yes..."

CRACK!

[Tutor’s ’Silver Carp Transformation’ progress +1!]

[Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate, First Volume—Silver Carp Transformation (4/5)]

"Disciple... can you still hold on?!"

"..."

Ji Xiu’s consciousness was already fading.

"Good. Your master knew you could. We’ll use this finest Demon Essence Blood to temper your Spinal Dragon and achieve success today!"

CRACK!

[Tutor’s ’Silver Carp Transformation’ progress +1!]

[Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate, First Volume—Silver Carp Transformation!]

[Completed!]

As the Primordial Daoist Talisman glowed faintly...

...Ji Xiu fainted and passed out completely.

But even though he was unconscious...

...his entire spine began to emit an ’Iron Radiance,’ supporting his muscles and blood. The heavy, lead-like Mercury Blood throughout his body...

...was thoroughly cleansed and refined, circulating through him once more!

The first stage of Bone Tempering—the Spinal Dragon—was forged!

Duan Chenzhou watched with immense appreciation.

"Forging the Spinal Dragon in three days of Bone Tempering, your bones producing Iron Radiance... You truly are a one-in-ten-thousand talent, my good disciple."

"Of course, this ’Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate’ is truly heaven-defying. No wonder the old man bragged about it all the time."

"Hmm..."

"Should we strike while the iron is hot and add some stronger ingredients?"

Involuntarily, a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes as he looked at the Spirit Deer lying off to the side.

It made the deer tremble all over, feeling that life was no longer worth living.

’You promised that if you ate them, you wouldn’t eat me!’

’As I thought...’

’Humans can’t be trusted!’

’A deer’s life is so bleak...’