Chapter 103: Xiang Sui Shen and the Astonishing Method to Suppress the Blood Prison (Thanks to Silver Alliance, Nuanyangju)

After consuming all the relics left behind by the phantom monks with his Blood Prison, Gu Changqing left the Chongming headquarters. Finding a secluded spot, he focused his thoughts and returned to his cave dwelling on Lingjiu Peak.

He changed his clothes and pushed open the stone door. The interior of the dwelling was impeccably clean and spotless. In one corner, Li Youling had dug up some soil to create a small flower bed, planting various flowers and herbs that filled the cave with the fresh fragrance of blossoms and grass. She was currently crouching there, tending to the plants, her posture revealing the graceful curves of her waist and hips.

Hearing the stone door, she immediately stood up and turned around. After a polite bow, she chirped, "Young Master, you’ve come out!"

"I had nothing to do these past two days, so I dug up some soil at the entrance and planted some flowers! The flowers here grow so quickly!"

Gu Changqing felt that Li Youling had gained a bit of weight recently. Previously, she had been worn thin by the toil of managing household affairs, but now, without a care in the world, the baby fat on her face was becoming increasingly apparent.

"Have those people not arrived yet?" Gu Changqing asked.

"No..."

Gu Changqing nodded.

"I’ve prepared some spirit rice. Would you like to eat, Young Master?"

"Not for now!" Gu Changqing thought for a moment and tossed a storage pouch to Li Youling. It contained the books he had obtained outside Youxian City. Although most were tattered, some were still useful, and they would serve as a good way for her to pass the time. "In a few days, when I am free, I will get you some medicine for marrow washing and blood replacement."

"Thank you, Young Master!" Li Youling smiled gently.

Gu Changqing returned to his room to continue meditating on the deities. The spiritual energy here was rich, a hundred times denser than in Southern Chu, making it much easier to replenish his reserves. As he continuously outlined the deity within his acupuncture point and infused it with spiritual energy, the image of the Xiang Sui Deity became increasingly vivid. The whisk held in the deity's hand gradually turned blood-red, as if made of fine strands of blood.

Three days later, a Taoist draped in blood-red robes and holding a blood-colored whisk floated cross-legged inside his acupuncture point. His face was like fine jade, full of heroic spirit; although he looked exactly like Gu Changqing, his skin possessed the luster of white jade. As Gu Changqing channeled a wisp of his soul into it, the Xiang Sui Deity abruptly opened its eyes. They were filled with cold indifference, like a god looking down upon the world, devoid of even a shred of emotion.

At the same time, Gu Changqing felt his spine, his "Great Dragon," come to life, undergoing a subtle transformation. He stood up and threw a punch, feeling his spine whip forward like a dragon flicking its tail. Despite using little effort, a violent wind whipped through the room.

"Indeed! As the Xiang Sui Deity takes form, my spine has changed! I have better control, and the same movements, initiated from the spine, carry far greater power!" Gu Changqing performed a few more movements, confirming his hypothesis.

Not only was his strength increased, but his spine was also more flexible, as if it could twist at will to perform all sorts of impossible maneuvers. This improvement alone increased the power of his Eight Desolations Fist by twenty percent!

"This is only the initial formation of the Xiang Sui Deity. As I continue to nourish it, the effects will only grow!"

"Nourishing the Xiang Sui Deity makes my spine more flexible and stronger; nourishing other deities will surely have their own corresponding effects. Once all twenty-four deities are fully developed, my physical body alone will be truly incredible! And that is merely an incidental benefit."

With a thought, a river of blood emerged from his hand. Inside the river, countless tormented faces bobbed and sank, struggling to break free. Gu Changqing recognized most of these faces at a glance.

Scanning the river, he found Bai Mi, the guards, Taoist Xu, Yu Xuanzheng, and the members of the Yu clan who had died by his hand. As for the people from the two small towns in the Qingjiang battlefield, they were not among them; they had long since turned into monsters and could no longer be considered human. Even so, there were hundreds of souls in the river.

Gu Changqing gazed at these faces, feeling that it was a blessing for such damnable people to be merged into his Blood Prison. With another thought, the blood-robed Taoist stepped out of the river of blood, and the tormented faces immediately showed expressions of fear.

This blood-robed Taoist was naturally the Xiang Sui Deity, Ling Mo Gai.

The Xiang Sui Deity merely let out a cold snort, and the faces in the river recoiled as if struck by a heavy blow, not daring to come near. As the deity flicked its whisk, it transformed into countless blood-threads that bound a soul within the sea of blood.

Instantly, a flood of memories surged into Gu Changqing's mind. Childhood play, the early death of a father; despite the loss, as a branch of the Yu family, he had never lacked for food or drink, though he inevitably faced bullying. Then came his rise to prominence through diligent martial practice, full of spirit and ambition. Unfortunately, after his marrow washing and blood replacement, he could progress no further; his talent had reached its limit. The final memory was of a thick fog, accompanied by steady, unhurried footsteps, as strands of blood surged into his body.

"Yu Xuanzheng..." Gu Changqing looked enlightened. He ruminated on the memories in his sea of consciousness and performed a sword-drawing motion. As spiritual energy coursed through his body, the air in front of him seemed to be sliced open.

Gu Changqing could feel that at any moment, he could unleash the same mighty, river-like sword strike that Yu Xuanzheng had possessed!

"So that's it! That's it!" Gu Changqing burst into wild laughter. No wonder there were no techniques in the *Blood and Flesh Deification Method*; even the Blood Sea Bee Needles were merely a way to control the Blood Prison. One did not need to learn other martial arts or spells; simply opening the acupuncture points and nourishing the Xiang Sui Deity granted them naturally—where was the need for study?

"This is the true orthodox path!" Gu Changqing laughed heartily. Those so-called orthodox sects outside with their slow cultivation were the real demonic path. His way was the correct one!

The only problem was that after absorbing Yu Xuanzheng's memories, his mind felt a bit chaotic. Shortly after, Yu Xuanzheng's image vanished from the sea of blood, ceasing to exist entirely.

Gu Changqing focused his mind again, and a humanoid figure made of blood emerged from the sea: it was Taoist Xu, holding a blood sword. Taoist Xu then performed a set of sword moves on the surface of the blood sea—the very Xuan Water Sword Technique he had mastered in life.

This was the second ability of the Xiang Sui Deity in controlling the Blood Prison: it allowed the souls within the sea of blood to execute the martial arts and techniques they had used in life. However, these techniques relied on the Blood Prison; for instance, Geng Metal energy would turn into a blood blade, and fireballs would become blood orbs. Although the techniques were altered, the execution of martial arts remained largely unaffected, even if their potency was slightly weaker than the original.

Furthermore, the Xiang Sui Deity could currently only summon one soul to attack. As the deity's power increased, the number of souls it could command would also rise. This was why, in its later stages, the Blood Prison scroll would be accompanied by the attacks of countless cultivators who had died within it, unleashing a deluge of martial arts and blood-based sorcery. This was why the Blood Venerable had roamed the cultivation world for years, forcing both the orthodox and demonic sects to give him a wide berth. It was also why the woman surnamed You had pursued Kou Dahai relentlessly upon learning that his discovery was related to the Blood Venerable.

Gu Changqing turned these thoughts over in his mind, realizing the astonishing potential of the *Blood and Flesh Deification Method*. However, he now felt an urgent need for another technique: one that could erase parts of his own memory. Otherwise, if he absorbed the memories of too many cultivators, he would eventually suffer a mental breakdown.

After a moment of calculation, Gu Changqing pushed open the door. Signaling to Li Youling that she need not mind him, he stepped outside.

It was afternoon. Gu Changqing scanned the surroundings before heading down the mountain toward Liantai Mountain. Since those people had not come to find him, they clearly intended to seek revenge. Those who followed him were right, and those who opposed him were demons; such heretics must be eradicated. Afterward, he would head to the library to find a technique for memory erasure.