As Ye Wuji finished checking on both of his corpse soldiers and officially named the surviving one Si Wei, he gave him a simple command.
"Sit down and recover."
Si Wei obediently sat cross-legged, motionless as his damaged form began passively drawing in Qi from the surroundings to slowly heal himself.
With that done, Ye Wuji turned and walked toward the nearest table.
"Time to collect my rewards," he muttered with a satisfied grin.
He went straight to the stone tables that lined the vault, each filled to the brim with materials, artifacts, and other things.
His fingers moved quickly and methodically, sweeping all blood essence crystals, spirit crystals, artifacts, and talismans into his storage bag without hesitation. The only things he left behind were degraded pills, which were clearly long since spoiled and herbs that had already rotted to uselessness.
If he wasn't sure what something was, especially artifacts with unclear functions, he simply took them anyway. Better to analyze later than to miss something valuable.
Loot first.
Analyze later.
He had clear priorities.
Once all the ordinary tables were cleared, he finally turned to the large, ornate table at the center of the room—the one that had drawn his attention right from the moment he entered the most.
Three items. Only three items lay on it.
That clearly indicated their importance, especially when combined with the ornate table they lay on.
The first item was a strange miniature pagoda, black and red in color and no larger than a clenched fist. It pulsed faintly with a cold, deathly aura.
Ye Wuji narrowed his eyes as he picked it up, carefully inspecting it. The moment he poured a strand of his Qi into it; a name and some details surfaced in his mind.
"Corpse Pagoda…"
His eyes widened. Then he laughed aloud.
"I truly struck gold!"
It was a refined corpse-sealing artifact, extremely rare one. But even better was that it was Foundation Establishment artifact, so he could use it even after he breakthrough to the next major realm, Foundation Establishment Realm without any decrease of benefits.
"With this, I can seal up to hundred corpse soldiers inside," he said, elated. "And I can release them anytime with barely any consumption of my Qi. They'll stay hidden and undetectable while sealed, and the artifact even emits dead Qi inside to subtly strengthen them over time."
He paused thoughtfully.
"If I can eventually upgrade it to the Qi Condensation Artifact in the future, its functions will expand even more. Though… I'm not quite sure how to do that at the moment."
Still, it was a priceless find.
The second item was even more amazing.
A blood-red crystal, about the size of a child's heart. Its color was so deep it was nearly black, and strange dark veins writhed through its core like living things. The moment he touched it, a chill crept up his spine, and his skin prickled with unease.
"…This must be that thing," he murmured. "A Blood Stone."
He clenched his jaw slightly.
"Formed from the blood of a hundred thousand people… And over a thousand years old, judging by those black flecks in the core."
He remembered reading about it long ago, back when the Scarlet Soul Sect still existed. But most texts only described how to identify a Blood Stone, but not how to use one. Especially not one of this age and purity.
He stared at it for a long moment before placing it carefully into his storage bag.
Then, his eyes fell on the third item—a glowing jade slip at the far end of the table.
He lifted it, pressed it to his forehead, and let the information flow into his mind.
But this time… the knowledge surged into his mind like a wave of blades.
"Blood Demon Heart – Forbidden Refinement Art."
The technique was brutal, insane and absolutely demonic in every sense of the word.
But incredibly powerful.
Ye Wuji absorbed the method in grim silence. As the pieces came together, his gaze sharpened.
The Blood Stone he had just obtained… was the key.
And to transform it into a Blood Demon Heart, he needed to:
Bathe the stone in the blood of a hundred living cultivators—not beasts, but beings with normal active Qi flowing through their veins.
Ye Wuji's lips curled into a smirk.
"That's not a problem. I've got zombie cultivators and they're technically still alive. Their Qi flows normally, and their blood is fresh too. There's no sign of any corruption in them at all."
After the blood bath ritual ends, he needs to drop nine drops of his own blood essence onto the stone.
And then, the most dangerous part.
He would need to cut open his own chest, exposing his heart, and push the Blood Stone into it.
After that if he hesitates or fails to finish the last step fast enough, he will die…
To survive, he has to pluck the heart from a still-living cultivator of the same major realm and similar stage—in his case, a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
And once the heart is plucked out, he has to consume it immediately and start absorbing blood essence crystals indefinitely until he stabilizes his condition. And all of that within ten breaths.
If successful, the foreign energies and his own blood essence would merge within the Blood Stone… reforging it into something new.
A Blood Demon Heart.
Once completed, it would grant him terrifying power.
Most cultivators would never even consider such a technique. Not because of the risk of dying, but because of the damnation it brought. To commit such a taboo would make one an archenemy of Heaven and Earth. Every breakthrough attempt would be met with riskier and harder Heavenly Tribulations, fueled by Heaven and Earth.
But Ye Wuji?
He scoffed.
"So, what if Heaven and Earth lose some favor for me?" he said calmly. "I'm constantly receiving favor for slaying zombie cultivators. Every time I slay one, I feel their approval and their recognition. My merits are rising each and every one kill."
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Even if this 'evil' method's backlash destroys our relationship… I'll simply just kill more zombie cultivators and earn their forgiveness once again."
Besides, he wasn't doing this to follow some righteous path. He didn't care if the heavens hated him, he was just trying to use everything he can.
He would become stronger. No matter the cost.