142: Chapter 142 Leg Technique Perfected, Running on Water
"Second, the [Demon Heart] is a hollow heart composed of Qi and blood gathered in the right chest. Because of this, it won't suffer physical damage like a real heart, but it can block a fatal attack for my actual heart."
"Two functions: one is 'Demonification' and the other is 'Heart Protection.' It's hard to say what the former's effect is yet, but the latter is a life-saving divine skill!"
He could gain the abilities of Yao Beasts, broadening the scope of his power—equivalent to raising his minimum threshold—while also being able to block a fatal attack for his heart!
Li Qing's comprehensive strength had once again seen a powerful increase.
Right then, Li Qing suddenly 'smelled' an inexplicable scent.
This scent carried a mysterious attraction. Li Qing looked around but couldn't find the source.
"No, this scent... it seems to be on me."
Suddenly, Li Qing felt the [Demon Heart] in his right chest begin to beat faster. The faint Demonic Qi hidden within his flesh and blood flowed along his bloodstream into the [Demon Heart].
Li Qing was shocked: "This Demonic Qi was actually hidden inside my body!"
But when had he been tainted by this Demonic Qi?
Li Qing thought carefully for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Could it be... the Four-Horned Pomfret?"
Li Qing asked himself; he had never consumed any Medicinal Pills or food related to Yao Beasts, with one exception.
To cultivate the third level of Dragon Gall Power, he had once consumed a secret catalyst made from the gall of a Four-Horned Pomfret.
Aside from that, he couldn't think of any other possibility.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Li Qing.
"As a secret technique of the White Dragon Cult, according to Zhuang Jin, the Cult Leader is a Demon Martial Artist who cultivates using Demonic Qi.
Could it be that Dragon Gall Power itself is a secret technique biased towards Demon Martial Artists?"
Compared to the Three Vibrations Power, Tortoise Breathing Art, and Bow Tendon Stretch that followed, Dragon Gall Power did seem a bit different.
The progress bar for this secret technique was the longest, and it also possessed the extremely rare effect of cleansing the marrow and tendons, which could improve his bone structure.
"Of course, it's also possible that because the previous dynasty worshipped Yao Beasts, there was simply no need to remove the Demonic Qi from the secret catalyst for Dragon Gall Power."
But regardless, the Demonic Qi in Li Qing's body being absorbed by the [Demon Heart] was a good thing no matter how one looked at it.
Li Qing immediately returned home.
He pried up a square meter of bluestone from under his bed, revealing a tunnel.
That's right, besides the basement he built for his family's refuge, he had built an extra one for himself.
Inside were only some oddities, such as items from the remnants of the White Dragon Cult he had wiped out in Qingzhu Town, and some unknown trinkets seized from river bandits.
With the black dragon token as a 'prior lesson,' Li Qing had simply decided to collect these things specifically to avoid missing out on an Opportunity.
What if they became useful one day?
Because the basement was lined with a special cold stone, the temperature was very low, which was conducive to preserving items.
Li Qing opened one of the small boxes. Inside were a heart the size of a human head, as well as a liver, kidneys, and eyeballs—but all were much larger than those of a human.
These were the organs he had obtained after dissecting the Four-Horned Pomfret following his ambush of Hu Ye's trio.
The moment he opened the box, he 'smelled' that special scent, exactly the same as the Demonic Qi from before.
"It really is the Demonic Qi of the Four-Horned Pomfret."
To others, these organs would look terrifyingly abnormal; an ordinary person would fall seriously ill for three days just by being tainted by the Demonic Qi within.
But in the eyes of the current Li Qing, they were highly attractive delicacies.
He pulled out a pair of fish kidneys.
"Although I know the general function of the [Demon Heart], I still need to test the specific effects."
There were exactly two kidneys. He would cook one to eat and eat the other raw to see which was better.
Li Qing leaned towards raw being better.
Because the Demonic Qi on these Demon Fish organs was very strong, he suspected that after cooking, the Demonic Qi would be greatly reduced.
It was like the gall of the Four-Horned Pomfret; after being boiled down into a secret catalyst, it only left a tiny trace of Demonic Qi in Li Qing's body.
After a long while, two plates were set before him. The one on the left held the raw fish kidney, while the one on the right was already cooked.
"As expected, after cooking, the Demonic Qi decreased significantly."
Li Qing could feel that the Demonic Qi on the left was clearly more intense.
Li Qing no longer hesitated and ate both portions of fish kidneys. He felt that after swallowing them, before they could even reach his stomach, all the Demonic Qi was absorbed by the closer [Demon Heart].
However, Li Qing felt that the progress of the [Demon Heart] only increased by a very tiny amount.
"Probably not even a thousandth."
Li Qing consumed the remaining organs, and the progress barely reached one-thousandth.
"There's only this much!" Li Qing found it somewhat hard to believe.
Those were the organs of a Yao Beast at the Internal Power level!
Then, Li Qing suddenly realized a key point.
"What the [Demon Heart] needs is the Essence Blood of a Yao Beast—that is, the flesh and blood. There isn't much Essence Blood in these organs."
Li Qing was somewhat speechless.
"Forget it. Next, I'll try searching the river to see if I can catch some Demon Fish to eat."
Now that his Stake Technique had reached Perfection, and the Wind-Chasing Leg Technique was only a few days away from Perfection, he could set off for Jiao Province then.
"I hope it'll be easier to obtain Yao Beasts once I'm there!" Li Qing felt some anticipation.
Having control over an entire prefecture, there should at least be channels to get Yao Beast flesh and blood, right?
...
Three days later.
A thick fog blanketed the river, and a figure glided across the water's surface like a ghost.
No, it wasn't gliding—it was running!
Looking closer, it was a bare-chested young man with well-built muscles and not a hint of excess fat.
Who else could this person be but Li Qing?
He stepped out, his toes tapping the surface of the water. Even though there was nothing beneath his feet, it felt as if he were stepping on solid ground, supporting his body for an instant.
Then, before his body could sink below the water, his other foot stepped out and tapped the surface.
Alternating like this, he was like a ballet dancer from his previous life, running across the river on his tiptoes.
Li Qing's face was full of exhilaration.
"After the Wind-Chasing Leg Technique reached Perfection, combined with [Lightness], I can actually run on the surface of the water!"
Of course, he had to keep running forward without stopping for even a second, or he would sink into the water.
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, every step Li Qing took only created a tiny splash, even smaller than that of a fish jumping out of the water.
He ran to a patch of reeds and stopped.
After running on the water for nearly an hour, his body didn't feel very tired.
Now at the fourth level of Body Tempering, his recovery and endurance had reached a terrifying level, giving him incredible stamina.
Next, Li Qing leaped into the water and, with the support of Dragon Gall Power, executed the Wind-Chasing Leg Technique underwater.
Whoosh!
A large mass of water swirled, stirring the nearby aquatic plants as a figure 'shot' into the distance like an arrow.
His speed was not affected at all underwater!
Li Qing took the Opportunity to search for traces of Demon Fish in the river.
With the support of the [Demon Heart], he easily found the lingering scent of Demon Fish in the water.
However, over the past three days, every time he followed the scent, it would end with the Demonic Qi vanishing.
It was clear that there really weren't many Yao Beasts in the Chiyun River.
Three hours later, the white mist dissipated, and Li Qing swam to an unknown stretch of water.
"What a pity, the scent of the Demon Fish has weakened again," Li Qing said regretfully.
It was exactly the same as last time, but Li Qing didn't plan to waste any more time.
He should finish packing everything and then head to Jiao Province.
Just as he was about to head back, a large ship passed by in the distance.
Li Qing squinted to look; the flag on the ship looked somewhat familiar.
"Black River Bandits?" Li Qing raised an eyebrow.
He thought for a moment, then dove into the water, secretly following behind the ship.