owlsbooks Chapter 37 Little girl, do I look more like a human or a god to you?
Chapter 37 Little girl, do I look more like a human or a god to you?
Xu Changqing opened his eyes and focused his mind into the body of the evil dragon, slowly circulating it according to the principles of the "Taiyuan Ascending Dragon Scripture".
The dragon's body trembled slightly, its scales opening and closing, revealing an instinctive desire for closeness.
"Don't rush, I'll find the materials you need for the first training later." Xu Changqing reassured the demonic dragon, temporarily suppressing the urge to make it start training immediately.
My gaze fell upon the "Thousand Transformations Skin Demon Scripture." To enter the realm of this scripture, one must first cultivate a "skin appearance."
He looked at the thin skin left behind by the painted-skin corpse on the ground. It was a ready-made material, saving him the trouble of searching and peeling it off for the first time.
Xu Changqing picked up the painted skin; it was cool and smooth to the touch. Following the methods in the scriptures, he circulated his magical power, slowly infusing his mind and killing energy into it.
The sorrowful face of the woman emerged from his skin, tears of blood streaming down her face, and she opened her mouth to let out a silent shriek. A torrent of icy, bone-chilling thoughts, filled with resentment and bitterness, surged into his mind.
"Hmph, since I can kill you, why should I fear your dying resentment?"
Xu Changqing's eyes suddenly flashed with sword intent, which condensed into a sword of the heart and slashed down.
Its skin trembled violently, its pale face contorted and struggled. After a moment, the bloody tears gradually stopped, the shriek turned into a weak sob, and finally sank into the skin and disappeared.
Xu Changqing was about to continue the ritual according to the methods in the scriptures, transforming this skin into a "skin appearance".
Suddenly, from within the previously dormant painted skin, the dark golden characters of the "Thousand Transformations Immortal Demon Scripture" shone brightly. An aura far more eerie than the lingering resentment from before erupted.
The scene before my eyes instantly distorted and blurred, as if I had been dragged into a thick, dark space filled with the stench of blood and strange herbs.
All around were shadowy figures, with countless peeling human skins hanging silently and swaying.
In the center of the painting, a blurry figure with its back to him holds a dull, lusterless brush, sketching on an unfolded canvas that is still slightly twitching. Xu Changqing looks closely and sees that it is the skin of the Painted Skin Corpse before its death.
As the brushstrokes passed, dark gold runes flowed, seeping into the skin and merging with the flesh and meridians, emitting a soft hissing sound, accompanied by an indescribable throbbing pain.
The figure moved with fluid movements, displaying an almost cold precision and obsession.
Just as the final stroke was about to be completed, and the entire image was about to be perfectly integrated, the hand holding the pen paused almost imperceptibly.
Immediately, he slowly turned his head.
It was an indescribable face. The features seemed to be constantly shifting in subtle ways, sometimes handsome, sometimes ferocious, sometimes aged, sometimes youthful. The only constant was those empty, indifferent eyes, reflecting all the superficial aspects of the world, yet devoid of any human emotion.
His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, looking at Xu Changqing, who was trying to see through the surface.
"what?"
A soft exclamation, seemingly ordinary, yet like an ancient glacier, instantly froze Xu Changqing's thoughts.
Under that gaze, he felt like remnant snow exposed to the scorching sun, as if he could be seen through inside and out.
It seemed as if a great terror and crisis was about to descend from the shadows.
"Who are you? How dare you spy on my appearance?"
The voice seemed to resound directly in the deepest part of Xu Changqing's mind, indifferent yet full of interest, as if it had seen some interesting and unexpected material.
Xu Changqing's mind trembled violently, and deep within his sea of consciousness, the silent, eerie altar suddenly shook. A deep hum resounded, and the mysterious and strange patterns on the altar's surface suddenly glowed with an eerie light.
The gaze and will projected by that blurry figure, upon contact with the ghostly light, were like a scalding iron striking ice, producing a piercing tearing sound.
The blurry figure seemed to be taken aback as well, and for the first time, a slight fluctuation appeared in its empty and indifferent eyes.
The connection was brutally severed by the eerie light the next moment.
"Hmph, I will find you..." A faint, indistinct, male-female snort drifted over.
Xu Changqing shuddered and suddenly opened his eyes. Fine beads of cold sweat had seeped from his forehead, and his Taoist robe was soaked through.
The mask in his hand had become scalding hot, the dark gold lettering had lost its luster and returned to a cold, soft touch, but there seemed to be a very faint scorch mark at the edge, as if it had been burned.
"The Thousand-Faced Demon Lord..." Xu Changqing guessed in his heart. He took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart, and his eyes sharpened. "That was close. If it weren't for the Demonic Altar, the consequences would have been unimaginable. However, after this incident, the hidden dangers remaining in the Painted Skin have been completely wiped out."
Xu Changqing steadied himself and devoted himself to refining the skin according to the methods of the "Thousand Transformations Skin Demon Scripture". The killing energy flowed like a trickle, enveloping his skin, while his mind was like a hammer, repeatedly forging it.
The skin gradually softened and stretched, its internal structure was reshaped by magic, and the dark gold characters were refined and integrated into the skin's core.
Half an hour later, the painted skin floated in the air and transformed into a palm-sized, dark gold leather banner with slightly curled edges.
The banner is smooth, with a faint shimmering light, exuding a profound aura, and can change its shape at will.
Xu Changqing reached out and grasped the banner, its surface warm and smooth to the touch, subtly connecting with his mind. His gaze then shifted to the fur belonging to Old Huang beside him.
"This skin is adept at hiding in the earth and taking on a form, which is perfect for refining into the banner to enhance its transformative abilities."
Xu Changqing placed the yellow peel on the banner and began chanting the sutra.
The dark gold banner spread out like water, enveloping the yellow skin and slowly absorbing and merging with it.
The earth-elemental, concealing spiritual energy on the yellow skin was gradually refined into the banner.
After another cup of tea's time, the ritual was completed.
The banner surface shimmered with a subtle light, its color deepening, gaining a more earthy yellow hue, and its aura becoming increasingly mysterious and unpredictable.
With a thought, Xu Changqing's dark golden banner naturally covered his body.
In an instant, his figure, appearance, and aura changed rapidly, and he transformed into a yellow weasel with earthy yellow fur, clever eyes, and a hint of temple incense.
"Not bad." Xu Changqing looked down at his current appearance, grinned, and his voice became a little higher-pitched. "This ability to hide underground has been initially integrated into the changes."
He moved swiftly, leaving the quiet room and silently walking along the corridor toward the kitchen in the backyard.
Inside the kitchen, Awei and Aling were cleaning up the dishes. Chimingzi had finished eating and drinking and had gone back to her room to rest. The two sisters were carefully wiping the table.
Xu Changqing, disguised as a weasel, crept up to the kitchen door, his round eyes darting around, and suddenly let out a "hey".
Ah Ling was holding a wooden basin when she heard this and turned around. She saw the weasel at the door and screamed "Ah!" in fright, almost dropping the basin.
Awei quickly turned around, still holding a rag, her eyes warily fixed on the weasel, and stood in front of her sister, asking, "What is that?"
The weasel grinned, revealing its sharp teeth, and deliberately took two steps forward, lowering its voice to say, "Little girl, do I look more like a human or a god?"
Awei's face turned pale. The stories of the weasels told by the elders in her family came to mind, and she knew immediately that she had encountered a weasel demanding a title.
She stubbornly refused to back down, gripping the rag tightly: "My abbot is right ahead. If you dare to act recklessly, he can kill you with a single sword stroke."