In the void, pure energy continuously descended, merging into Gu Xinchao's body, making him feel as though he were soaking in a hot spring.
An incomparable comfort.
The seventy-two styles of the Jade-Breaking Fist practiced by Xiao Guizi in the Body Tempering Realm, after being converted by the Demon Seed, were entirely identical in nature to the energy transmitted by Wei Xiaobao, a Qi Refining Realm martial artist practicing the Demonic path technique, the Seven Kill Monument.
It was the purest, most fundamental essence required by the human body.
The only difference was in quantity.
If the energy transmitted during Xiao Guizi's practice back then was like a bowl of water, the energy transmitted by Wei Xiaobao practicing the Seven Kill Monument now was like a vat.
Not only that, but seven stone tablets also appeared within Gu Xinchao's Consciousness Sea.
Whatever insights Wei Xiaobao gained during his practice, he gained as well.
Comparing the two, there were slight differences.
When Wei Xiaobao practiced, intense murderous intent constantly emanated from the stone tablets, battering his divine soul.
Illusions arose endlessly, and he had to grit his teeth and endure them.
However, this intent did not appear in Gu Xinchao's Consciousness Sea along with the seven stone tablets.
Perhaps it had appeared, but the moment it reared its head, it was converted into pure fundamental energy without stirring the slightest ripple.
He seemed capable of immunizing himself against all negative effects.
Moreover, the Seven Kill Monuments that appeared in Gu Xinchao's Consciousness Sea were the true bodies, while the ones still remaining in Wei Xiaobao's Consciousness Sea were merely projections. Whenever he wished, he could make the Seven Kill Monument projections in Wei Xiaobao's Consciousness Sea vanish.
The Formless Heavenly Demon Wondrous Transformation.
It was just that awesome!
"Hungry?"
Xiaohong, sitting rigidly on the porch at the doorway, suddenly turned her head and looked inside the room, followed by a message being transmitted over.
Gu Xinchao forbade her from absorbing the life essence of Noble Consort Lan, leaving Xiaohong in a consistently poor state, her aura slowly weakening all the while.
Starved and thirsty!
Gu Xinchao perceived her craving.
After pondering for a moment, Gu Xinchao used the Demon Seed to share a bit of the energy he had acquired from Wei Xiaobao with Xiaohong.
Roughly one-tenth of the amount.
In an instant, Xiaohong's aura surged.
The transmitted feeling of starvation and thirst instantly vanished.
With great satisfaction, she raised her head to look at the moon and let out a burp.
This energy was also beneficial to evil entities like Xiaohong, enabling them to grow stronger. At this stage, Xiaohong was merely a earth-bound spirit, and the area where she could move was very limited. She could only stay inside this room or go as far as the porch outside the door, unable to set foot even in the courtyard.
However, as long as Gu Xinchao kept infusing her with energy, she could break free from geographical constraints and upgrade into a wandering ghost.
At the very least, becoming a slightly more powerful earth-bound spirit would be no problem at all.
By that time, the entire Lengxiang Palace could be considered her territory.
As long as the energy was sufficient, her wandering range could cover the entire Cold Palace, or even the Imperial City and Bailongjing.
However, in this world, not only were demons and ghosts rampant, but the martial path also reigned supreme, alongside mages and sorcerers. Even if immortals who could soar through the skies, burrow into the earth, and live as long as the heavens were mere legends, the sorcerers of the Imperial Directorate of Astronomy within the imperial palace could not be underestimated.
If Xiaohong became too arrogant, she might end up being subdued.
Thus, Gu Xinchao did not continue transmitting energy to her.
Being an earth-bound spirit was fine; there was no need to feed her too well.
Regardless, for the current Gu Xinchao, his primary focus should be on improving his own strength so that later on, unpleasant things like the handle of a sword piercing backward or subordinates turning on their master would not happen.
……
Wei Xiaobao withdrew his fist stance.
He had merely gone through the contents of the first to the third stone tablets once again, making up for some flaws and hardening his body further. At the same time, after practicing the third stone tablet, his Dantian Qi Sea seemed to have expanded somewhat.
"Not continuing?"
"Not planning to circulate the microcosmic orbit?"
Li Guozhong asked.
"Master, my Dantian Qi Sea, which had originally reached its limit, has loosened and shown signs of expansion. During this period, I need to re-practice the first three stone tablets to lay a firmer foundation. Once my Dantian Qi Sea can no longer expand..."
"Circulating the microcosmic orbit will be better then!"
Wei Xiaobao shook his head and said.
"Take out your dharma artifact..."
Li Guozhong pointed at Wei Xiaobao's chest.
Wei Xiaobao reached into his bosom, took out the magical jade pendant crafted by the sorcerers of Qinghe Taoist Temple, and channeled his inner qi into it according to Li Guozhong's instructions.
A faint cyan halo flickered.
"No problem!"
With that, Li Guozhong frowned.
"Yet, unless evil entities invaded or external demons polluted you, how could your apertures suddenly open?"
He scratched his head, utterly baffled.
"Master, perhaps it's due to the Seven Kill Monument itself..."
After thinking for a moment, Wei Xiaobao said.
"This technique starts with visualization. Because it points directly to Xiantian, the stone tablets contain a heritage spirit within them. Perhaps the heritage spirit helped me?"
"Perhaps?"
Unable to figure it out, Li Guozhong could only leave it at that.
"Come back in ten days..."
"If there's an emergency, do as before and leave a secret code on the wall behind Dingfu Village. In short, be cautious above all."
Having said this, Li Guozhong coughed lightly twice and waved his hand.
"Mm."
Wei Xiaobao nodded and turned to leave.
Before long, he returned to the small courtyard. Glancing at the moonlight, he did not rest, instead pushing the nightsoil cart out of the small courtyard. After waiting for a moment, some yawning young eunuchs arrived one after another, and they pushed the nightsoil carts toward various courtyards.
Before dawn, the filth in the spittoons and chamber pots had to be dumped into the nightsoil carts and transported out of the Imperial City.
Outside the city, people from the imperial estates would exchange empty nightsoil carts with them; it was the same every day.
Wei Xiaobao was one of them.
Gu Xinchao yawned.
He called Xiaohong back, hanging her from the rafters to protect him personally.
Giving a glance to Noble Consort Lan, who was sleeping sweetly, he too drifted off into dreamland.
……
The next day.
After the midday meal.
Wei Xiaobao and a group of young eunuchs dressed in plain cyan clothes and wearing wingless black hats stood side by side in the courtyard. Wu Dafu, dressed in the fifth-rank blue robes of a managing eunuch, stood on the porch, swept his gaze across the crowd, and slowly paced back and forth.
"Listen up, you little scoundrels, prick up your ears and listen carefully to this old servant..."
"As before, after entering the Cold Palace, everyone will work according to the pre-divided areas, moving in pairs, and you are strictly forbidden to leave the team without authorization."
"Work a bit diligently, learn more from Xiaobao, and don't try to slack off or cut corners. The area you are responsible for must be swept clean without leaving a single speck of grit... In addition, do not speak with the palace maids. The women inside are no pushovers!"
"Also, the masters in the Cold Palace are still masters. You must raise your spirits a hundredfold and maintain a respectful attitude..."
"In short, if you make a mistake and cause this old servant to fall into misfortune, you will definitely fall into misfortune before this old servant does. Every month, there are young eunuchs in the palace beaten to death as punishment, and this old servant hopes you won't become one of them."
Wu Dafu put his hands behind his back, stood still, looked at the crowd, paused for a moment, and continued.
"Did you hear that clearly?"
"If there's anything you don't understand, ask first. Don't go inside and cause trouble, because by then, this old servant won't be able to save you from the sea of suffering..."
At that moment, a young eunuch raised his hand.
"Laifu, speak!"
Wu Dafu glanced at the man.
"Foster father, the Cold Palace is usually given a thorough cleaning once every half year. The last cleaning was less than three months ago, so why?"
Laifu asked in a low voice.
"Shut your mouth!"
Wu Dafu glared at him.
"The reason?"
"There is no reason. Whatever those above tell you to do, you do. Just obediently follow orders. In the palace, being too curious is not a good thing."
"In short, everyone look out for yourselves..."
At this point, Wu Dafu even let out some dialect.
Wei Xiaobao lowered his head.
He stared at the toes of his shoes and chuckled foolishly.
In his heart, however, he was thinking...
Why?
At the same time, this was also Gu Xinchao's puzzle.