Chapter 149: Refining Weapons with Spiritual Fiends

The night was heavy. Two figures emerged from the wilderness, quietly approaching Qinghe County. They were none other than Gao Mingjun and Gao Mingyue.

Given their cultivation levels, they could have arrived in Qinghe County much earlier. However, their journey was meant to search for Gao Siyuan’s whereabouts, so they naturally had to keep a low profile to avoid notice, which somewhat delayed their progress.

"We've finally arrived."

Stepping onto the soil of Qinghe County and gazing into the distance, Gao Mingjun’s face flickered with hesitation.

He was desperately eager to reach Qinghe County and find Gao Siyuan, yet he was terrified of encountering the worst possible outcome—something he was unwilling to face. For a long time, he had not dared to dwell on what would become of the Gao family if Gao Siyuan, their head, were to perish.

Seeing Gao Mingjun in such a state, Gao Mingyue, who accompanied him, let out a silent sigh. While Gao Mingjun was consumed by worry, how could she not be anxious as well?

Though deep down she had never truly liked Gao Siyuan as the family head—and the two had even clashed in the past—upon realizing that something might have gone wrong with him, she had come without a second thought, despite knowing the dangers. She knew all too well that once Gao Siyuan was gone, the Gao family would instantly plunge into a grave crisis.

"Elder Cousin, we cannot delay any longer. The Family Head may simply be entangled in some matter and is in dire need of our help."

With a hoarse voice, Gao Mingyue spoke as she looked at Gao Mingjun, who had come to a halt.

Hearing this, Gao Mingjun’s heart trembled.

"Mingyue, you are right. My mind was wandering. Let us go."

Hesitating no longer, Gao Mingjun headed toward Qinghe County.

Seeing this, Gao Mingyue followed closely behind. Over the next few days, the two disguised themselves and traveled through Qinghe County, tirelessly searching for traces of Gao Siyuan. Because they possessed certain tracking techniques and were deeply familiar with Gao Siyuan, after searching for some time, they managed to uncover a few traces he had left behind.

Yet, no matter how hard they searched, they could not find Gao Siyuan himself.

Meanwhile, within the Taiping Sect, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged atop a jade lotus, comprehending the art of artifact forging.

This artifact-forging technique came from Gao Siyuan’s memories. The Gao family was renowned for producing green-scaled bamboo and possessed considerable skill in artifact crafting. As the head of the Gao family, Gao Siyuan himself was an artifact master.

Aside from the magic tools, spiritual talismans, and elixirs he usually carried, Gao Siyuan had not brought any precious treasures with him to Qinghe County. The truly valuable assets on him were this artifact-forging technique and the Gao family's foundational heritage, the Azure Wood Emerald Phosphorus Art.

"The Spirit-Fiend Weapon Refining Technique. This artifact-forging method of the Gao family takes a rather unconventional path. Fiend qi is fierce; under normal circumstances, artifact masters use such power with extreme caution, fearing that the fiend qi might damage the essence of the artifact."

"Yet the Gao family’s technique integrates the power of fiend qi into the artifact from the very beginning. Not only does this effectively temper the material of the artifact—serving a purpose similar to earth fire—it also enhances the offensive power of the magic tool to a certain extent."

"However, precisely because of this, the signature magic tool of the Gao family down through the years has been only the Azure Snake Whip. That green-scaled bamboo is inherently born amidst fiend qi, making it exceptionally suited for this forging method. Other spiritual materials simply will not do; attempting to temper them with this method would result in failure nine times out of ten."

After a brief period of comprehension, Jiang Chen gained a certain understanding of the Gao family's Spirit-Fiend Weapon Refining Technique.

With the foundation gained from comprehending the White Bone Weapon Sacrificing Technique and the experiences left behind by Gao Siyuan, Jiang Chen’s study of the Spirit-Fiend Weapon Refining Technique proceeded very smoothly.

"To some extent, this Spirit-Fiend Weapon Refining Technique was specifically created for spiritual materials like the green-scaled bamboo, carrying extremely heavy restrictions. But that is hardly surprising; after all, the Gao family’s artifact-forging heritage originated from a demonic beast."

Recalling the fragments within Gao Siyuan’s memories, Jiang Chen shook his head.

Gao Siyuan had never been regarded as a genius in the eyes of outsiders. Both his cultivation aptitude and his innate talent were merely mediocre. Because of this, when he was young, not just in the entire Qingyuan County, but even within the Gao family itself, Gao Siyuan had never stood out.

Yet, though his cultivation aptitude was ordinary, the young Gao Siyuan had been blessed with an exceptionally striking appearance and handsome features, which had once captured the hearts of many women.

Under such circumstances, during a trip away from home, Gao Siyuan encountered a green snake demon that had consumed a metamorphosis herb. The green snake demon took a fancy to his looks, finding them entirely to her taste, and thus brought him back to Mount Wuxian to serve as her kept man.

This green snake demon was the chieftain of the snake demon clan of Mount Wuxian, possessing immense power. Back then, let alone the young Gao Siyuan, even the entire Gao family dared not provoke her.

After three years of this, having borne a child with Gao Siyuan and growing somewhat weary of him, the green snake demon let Gao Siyuan return home. Meanwhile, perhaps because Gao Siyuan had served her well over those years, upon parting, as a reward, she bestowed upon him an artifact-forging heritage along with the corresponding green-scaled bamboo seeds.

The presence of these two things laid a solid foundation for the subsequent expansion and rise of the Gao family. As for the method of utilizing the green snake fiend qi, Gao Siyuan had stolen it by secretly observing the green snake demon’s cultivation.

It was precisely by relying on the green snake fiend qi that he had transformed overnight from an ordinary cultivator into a genius in the eyes of others, breaking through realms consecutively and achieving mastery in Qi Refining within a short time, thereby leading the Gao family to a new height.

"The green snake fiend qi is a type of spiritual fiend qi. Although inferior to true earth fiend qi, it possesses quite a few profound mysteries and is quite useful."

"Its appearance achieved Gao Siyuan’s reputation as a genius and the rise of the Gao family. It is only a pity that he was made by the green snake fiend qi and destroyed by it. Having relied on the green snake fiend qi for his cultivation over a long period, Gao Siyuan had long since ruined his own foundation, and his lifespan was nearly exhausted. Even if I had not killed him, he would not have lived much longer."

"Come to think of it, although the method of utilizing the green snake fiend qi was stolen by Gao Siyuan through secret observation, given the green snake demon’s power, it was impossible for her not to have noticed. Her failure to stop him was itself a form of tacit permission. Perhaps she had long foreseen Gao Siyuan’s eventual end."

As his thoughts drifted, Jiang Chen thought of the green snake demon.

Mount Wuxian was home to five major demon clans: the fox demons, snake demons, hedgehog demons, rat demons, and weasel demons. Collectively known as the Five Immortals, these five groups occupied the vast majority of the resources on Mount Wuxian. Among them, the fox and snake demons were the most powerful. As the chieftain of the snake demon clan, the green snake demon possessed the cultivation of the Qi Refining completion realm, making her a match for few across the entire Qingyuan County.

"With Gao Siyuan dead, I wonder how the green snake demon will react. Her attitude toward Gao Siyuan was rather peculiar; though she seemed to treat him merely as a plaything, the things she gave him were actually substantial."

"Moreover, it seems that the blood of a flood dragon flows within the green snake demon as well. Gao Siyuan’s initiative in seeking out the mist dragon was intended precisely to use the mist dragon's blood to lay a stronger foundation for the child he shared with the green snake demon."

With these thoughts colliding, Jiang Chen slowly reined in his mind.

"There is no use in overthinking. What I must do now is seize the time and digest the fruits of my victory."

Clearing away distracting thoughts, verifying his insights, and casting a white bone into the weapon pool, Jiang Chen began attempting to refine a new magic tool.

Meanwhile, above the spirit grotto, amidst the mists, the mist dragon seemed half-asleep, quietly exhaling and inhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It was cultivating, while the Tide-born Fan hovered beside it, continuously refined by the true qi it emitted.