Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 142 - 131: Unexpected News

"Let me take a good look..."

Zhang Yao paced to the front of the communal bed, bent down, and extended his finger to touch a young boy’s forehead.

A few moments later, he withdrew his finger and shook his head:

"Indeed, a low-grade bloodline!"

Based on the sensation of Primordial Energy, this Demon Cultivator boy’s Primordial Energy limit is roughly around two hundred years, only about twice that of a normal Qi Refining Cultivator.

This is enough to show that the bloodline level of the other party is very low, probably at the bottom tier among Demon Cultivators.

However, it’s normal for these small families among Demon Cultivators to have low-grade bloodlines; he didn’t have much hope in the first place, so he wasn’t too disappointed.

The purpose of this trip is more to test the feasibility of this method, in preparation for future plans.

"These Demon Cultivators are truly ugly..."

In the darkness, Zhang Yao stood before the communal bed, looking at the boy sleeping soundly.

The other’s ears were abnormally large, with an obvious pig snout, half-open yellow-tinged eyes, hands similar to normal people, but feet like pig’s hooves.

This is a clear trait of Demonization, one of the drawbacks of Demon Cultivators, exposed without the suppression of a specific Magic Skill.

He and another boy from the same clan were both huddled in the corner of the communal bed, with some swollen marks, evidently often bullied and pushed aside by fellow captives.

"To extend their life, turning into such a grotesque appearance, half-human, half-demon, rejected by both humans and demons, is it really worth it?"

Zhang Yao’s gaze was deep as thoughts surged in his mind:

"Or perhaps, these young Demon Cultivators actually had no choice since birth..."

He shook his head secretly, discarding these distractions and proceeded to test another boy’s Primordial Energy.

Unsurprisingly, both had the same low-grade bloodline, with not much difference in their Primordial Energy limit, perhaps a few years apart.

After half an hour.

Zhang Yao measured all the Demon Cultivators in the Black Jade Mine District’s miner slave rest area, and after verifying without error, he quietly re-entered the underground, heading to the Taibai Pure Gold Ore Vein district.

Another half hour passed, Zhang Yao completed all the measurements, stealthily returned to his cave mansion.

At this time, the sky was already starting to lighten.

Inside the cave mansion.

Having been tormented all night and hit by the Desolate Soul-shaking Divine Light, Li Shuixian was still sound asleep on the bed, completely unaware that Zhang Yao had quietly left.

"Gulp..."

Zhang Yao sat at the table, poured himself a cup of Spirit Wine, and drank it all.

As expected, the Demon Cultivation Clan distributed in the two major mine districts all had the same kind of low-level bloodline, no exceptions.

This kind of low-level bloodline struggles even to birth a Foundation Establishment master, has likely long been abandoned by the Demon Cultivator organization behind it.

"Currently there are no clues, so we can only wait patiently."

He held his wine cup, pondering in silence, continually calculating in his mind.

Haihe Association irregularly sends batches of miner slaves annually to Suiyu Mountain to replenish the number lost due to exhaustion, sudden death, or rebellious killings.

However, the chance of catching Demon Cultivators is small, most are killed on the spot, hence few are sent to Suiyu Mountain as miner slaves, often waiting several years for a batch.

"Let’s wait for ten years and try our luck."

Zhang Yao poured himself another cup of wine, remaining calm.

Currently stationed at Suiyu Mountain, he can’t leave his post easily, but since verifying the investigation method was effective, there would be opportunities in the future, and he could use various Haihe Association channels to search.

If he’s lucky, he might even find some among the miner slaves sent to Suiyu Mountain.

......

Time flies, seven years passed in a blink.

The mine districts of Suiyu Mountain remained unchanged, the four supervisors haven’t been replaced.

During those seven years, Zhang Yao annually carried stone inventory back to Cangjiang Water Mansion, quietly paying attention to the miner slaves sent, patiently waiting.

But unfortunately, in seven years, a total of six batches were sent, none encountered Demon Cultivators again.

The original Demon Cultivation Clan in the two district mines had died down to less than half after seven years.

On this day, in Zhang Yao’s cave mansion.

"Why haven’t this year’s miner slaves been sent?"

As the routine meeting nearing its end, Zhang Yao casually asked.

"Reporting to Lord."

After seven years under Zhang Yao, several supervisors understood his temperament, Lao Zhou stood up, responding concisely:

"According to the last communication, this time a large number of miner slaves are to be sent, and coordinating the transport varies by region, resulting in a two-month delay."

"It’s said several Demon Cultivators were captured in the Lei Province branch, but their cultivation is too low, so all are being prepared to dispatch as miner slaves."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao’s expression slightly shifted, nodding:

"More people is a good thing, we urgently need fresh blood in our mines."

He paused momentarily, then continued:

"Tomorrow, I will bring this year’s mineral cargo back to Cangjiang Water Mansion to attend the Haihe Dharma Assembly."

"As customary, once I’m gone, Suiyu Mountain will be managed by Narcissus."

"Yes."

Four supervisors agreed in unison, Li Shuixian’s face bore a slight smile, while the other three were already accustomed to it.

After a few more reminders, Zhang Yao announced the meeting’s conclusion and dispatched them.

"Shuixian."

After the three supervisors left, Zhang Yao turned to Li Shuixian, saying:

"Regarding the Blood Curse Technique within you, after these years of research, I’ve got some clues."

"Once I return from Cangjiang Water Mansion, I’ll start handling this matter for you."

"...Lord?!"

Surprised beyond belief, Li Shuixian was astounded for a moment before regaining composure, nearly jumping up in excitement.

Heavens, could it be that the guillotine that has threatened her life since birth and hung over her head finally has a hope of resolution today?!

Even if it can’t be completely resolved, as long as the Blood Curse Technique on her can be mitigated, that would be enough.

Originally, she had long decided not to have any descendants, to put an end to the influence of the Blood Curse Technique at her generation.

But now it seems...

"Heh..."

Zhang Yao smiled gently.

When you use something for a long time, you develop an attachment to it, let alone a living person.

Moreover, he indeed has made quite a bit of progress in researching the Blood Curse Technique, and if he can resolve it smoothly this time, it would also be beneficial for him.

The next day.

"Boom!"

Zhang Yao rode his Spiritual Flying Sword, transforming into a stream of cyan Escape Light, and with a whoosh, left Suiyu Mountain far behind.

Traveling thousands of miles, he finally saw the ever-surging Cang River. His Escape Light pierced through the river’s surface, and he quickly arrived at the Cangjiang Water Mansion.

"Lord Qingxu!"

"Greetings, Lord Qingxu."

Numerous Qi Refining Cultivators along the way greeted him and stepped aside with respect.

"Lord Baihe."

Zhang Yao was the first to arrive at Lord Baihe’s cave abode and found him.

"Lord Qingxu, it’s been a year since we last met."

Lord Baihe smiled faintly and gestured:

"Give me the items first, I’ll place them inside the Treasure Vault, and after registering them, we can have a chat."

"Alright."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly, took out a special Storage Bag he had prepared in advance, and handed it to Lord Baihe.

After Lord Baihe confirmed the contents, he apologized and quickly left the cave abode to head to the Treasure Vault.

Moments later.

Lord Baihe returned to entertain Zhang Yao once again, and the two chatted for several hours before Zhang Yao got up to take his leave.

After leaving Lord Baihe’s cave abode, he first went to pay respects to Lord Haihe, then visited the remaining Foundation Establishment masters’ cave abodes, visiting and reminiscing with each.

Over the years, he had long integrated into the Haihe Association, becoming friends with many of the Foundation Establishment masters.

"...Hehe."

In an opulent and ostentatious cave abode, Peng Yue Xian, a portly and bald man, laughed with a wink:

"So, Fellow Daoist Qingxu, wasn’t that woman’s taste quite pleasant?"

Zhang Yao was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood who he was referring to, and laughed heartily:

"Indeed, very pleasant."

"Seems like you got a good deal, Fellow Daoist. Just from a look, I knew that woman was quite supple..."

Peng Yue Xian scratched his chin, joking in his words yet revealing he didn’t truly care.

As a dignified Foundation Establishment master, plenty of beautiful female Cultivators were eager to be his Furnace Cauldron. If he truly cared about Li Shuixian, he wouldn’t have coincidentally heard about this matter years later.

"...Right, Fellow Daoist Qingxu."

After some casual chatting, Peng Yue Xian mysteriously revealed a piece of news:

"Do you know? Just these past two days, a major event occurred in the Da Li Cultivation Realm!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Yao raised an eyebrow and asked along:

"What event?"

"Hehe..."

Peng Yue Xian chuckled in a low voice, deliberately acting mysterious, shaking his head theatrically:

"The Dharma Assembly will start tomorrow, and you’ll definitely find out then."

"This matter involves you too, at least according to the tasks assigned from above. I’m guessing there’s an eighty percent chance it’ll end up on your shoulders."

"Is that so..."

Zhang Yao’s heart tightened, instantly connecting the dots.

Coming from above the Haihe Association, it must be a task assigned by the Fuhai Sect. But what task from the Fuhai Sect would need him to handle personally?

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao feigned surprise and said:

"On my shoulders? No way."

"I need to stay stationed at Suiyu Mountain, overseeing the two major mine districts. I really can’t spread myself thin!"

"Uh..."

Peng Yue Xian hesitated, scratched his head, then spoke:

"I don’t know either. Just a couple of days ago when I was chatting with Lord Haihe, he told me they’re preparing to hand that matter over to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao spoke straightforwardly:

"Really? Now I’m really curious. Old Peng, why don’t you just tell me straight so I don’t have to make another trip to ask Lord Haihe."

"Alright, alright..."

Old Peng shrugged and said:

"Actually, although it’s considered a major event in the Da Li Cultivation Realm, it’s actually an old affair over a hundred years old."

"Do you remember the recruitment order issued by the Celestial Treasure Tower back then?"

"Of course."

Zhang Yao’s eyes flickered, his tone unchanged:

"The recruitment order from the Celestial Treasure Tower caused quite a stir in the Southwest Countries back then."

"Although I’m not that old, and the recruitment order was withdrawn long before I was born, I’ve still heard about it..."