Back inside the ruined building, Ye Wuji sat cross-legged, a dozen blood essence crystals laid out before him like miniature rubies. Each one pulsed faintly with a crimson glow, flickering like candlelight across his face.
He picked one up, letting it hover between his fingers before beginning to slowly absorb its energy. As the essence flowed into his meridians, a wave of warmth surged through him. He could feel his Qi surging, growing more stable and powerful with every passing moment.
Time slipped by.
Then, his eyes snapped open.
His Qi had fully stabilized, no longer at risk of his cultivation decreasing. In fact, he had advanced even further. He was now nearing the peak of the Fifth Stage of Qi Refining.
"Hmm… this blood essence crystal is clearly far better than the ones I took from my 'traitorous brother' and previously got from my world," Ye Wuji muttered, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"But why?" he wondered. "Is it because the people in this world are born with stronger and purer vitality than those in my cultivation world?"
He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and smiled faintly.
"Whatever the reason, if I keep going like this, I'll soon break through to the Sixth Stage of my Scarlet Soul Blood-Refining Cultivation Art."
The Scarlet Soul Blood-Refining Art was divided into nine stages, each corresponding to a stage of the Qi Refining Realm. The first three were considered early stages, the fourth to sixth were middle stages, and the seventh to ninth were late stages. Once a cultivator reached the ninth and final stage, they could attempt to ascend to the next cultivation realm, but only if they had the proper cultivation technique for that higher realm. Without it, they would be stuck on the peak of their current cultivation realm.
But more importantly… the zombies in this world were clearly cultivators. And yet, Heaven and Earth not only didn't punish him for killing them, but it instead seemed to reward him.
It looked like Heaven and Earth no longer saw them as cultivators. They were threats and tainted beings. And for removing such corrupted beings from the world, Heaven and Earth clearly blessed him.
"By killing them, I gain their martial techniques, their auxiliary arts, their memories of using them, their blood essence crystals for my cultivation, and even their spirit fragments," Ye Wuji said, grinning wider. "Those fragments are clearly strengthening my spirit and that strengthening, improves my Qi control. My attacks grow sharper and more efficient."
But the benefits doesn't end there.
"If I continue to collect their spirit fragment, maybe I could awaken my spiritual sense and gain access to my Sea of Consciousness even before I even reach the Golden Core Realm," he said with growing excitement. "That kind of advantage… it would extremely useful."
Ye Wuji's eyes gleamed with realization. He had stumbled upon a heaven-sent opportunity.
Not only did he now have all the resources he needed to cultivate in peace, but this place could be even transformed into his true home—a hidden sanctuary accessible at any time and from anywhere. If danger ever found him again, he could simply retreat here and wait it out, cultivating in safety until the threat passed.
"The only problem is…" he murmured, frowning slightly. "I still don't know if I can return home the same way as I got here. But I'll figure that out later. Even if I did return now, I'd just be hunted like a dog once again without any real means for retaliation."
He scoffed. "After all, I'm not even in the Late Stage of Qi Refining yet. I'm just another worm."
"The first thing I need to do is reach the Late Stage of Qi Refining. Once I hit the Seventh Stage, not only will my power greatly rise, but my cultivation art will also unlock a new technique for the late stages."
Each group of cultivation stages—early, middle, late—grants a corresponding technique. For the early stages, he had already acquired Blood Drain, a basic yet useful ability that sped up the condensation of blood essence crystals and slightly improved their quality.
For the middle stages, he'd gained Bloodflame Claw, but until now, he'd been unable to use it. It required a huge amount of Qi, and with him constantly on the run, he hadn't had the luxury of stopping to gather some blood essence crystals from mortals, because doing so would only draw attention and endanger him further.
But now everything changed.
"This world is different," he said, eyes glowing. "From now on, I'll only use blood essence crystals from here. They're easier to get, carry less risk, and they're more effective. Still, I need a way to collect them faster… It would be waste of time for me to collect them myself."
He paused.
"Maybe it's finally time to refill my corpse soldier slots. They've been empty for a whole year now."
He grinned.
"And with all these zombie cultivators wandering around, I've got more than enough raw material. I just need to pick ones with sturdy builds. No point in wasting the slots on weaklings with so much options."
Ye Wuji chuckled darkly.
From this moment on, this world would be his personal garden—his hidden sanctuary, rich with resources and opportunity.
"But I shouldn't get too comfortable. Who knows when a Foundation Establishment zombie cultivator or even higher might show up. If that happens and I'm unprepared, I'll have no choice but to run."
He sighed, shaking his head.
"That's enough. I should go kill some zombies and find candidates for my corpse soldiers. After all, I can't just sit here on my hands now that Heaven and Earth itself is sponsoring me with blessings, right?" He burst out laughing. "Hahaha!"
With a wave of his hand, he summoned his flying shuttle artifact and soared into the air, gliding over the broken streets. He marveled at the remnants of this world's technology. Not only was the ambient Qi far denser than in his world, but the level of technological advancement was leagues ahead too.
"What kind of threat did they face? How did a world like this end up destroyed?" he muttered.
As he flew, he entered another part of the city and found himself facing towering walls nearly thirty meters high.
Clearly built for defense.
Curious, he rose higher and flew over them.
What met his eyes was unexpected—a majestic building stood at the center, surrounded by houses similar to those in the previous district. But this place was clearly different. It was highly guarded and much more important.