Chapter Sixty-One: The Pirate of Dual Cultivation

The sound of cannon fire startled Bai Li Feihong, who was in the midst of a hunt.

“Cannon fire?”

“That means the humans on this island are far from ordinary civilians, let alone merchant caravans.”

“Good, that puts my mind at ease.”

Bai Li Feihong wiped the blood from his long saber with the fur of a demon beast. Though this blade had not accompanied him long, it had already claimed the lives of many monsters and fiends. However, the blade had reached its limit; its edge was curled, and several tiny cracks marred its surface. If he continued to use it, it would soon shatter completely.

He gently stroked the blade, feeling its unyielding spirit through the steel.

“Good companion, don’t worry, I wouldn’t bear to ruin you.”

“You are my very first weapon.”

It was as if the blade hummed in response to his words.

He sheathed the saber. Use it again, and it would be truly ruined. When he returned to the city, he would find the finest materials and reforge the blade.

Stepping lightly upon the leaves, he crossed ten paces in a single bound, traversing the island. He could sense the demon beasts fleeing in terror. Now that his killing intent had risen, how could he let them escape?

Across the entire HLD, he had slain no more than twenty demon beasts and gained over two hundred skill points in total. On average, each beast granted him only ten skill points.

When cultivating the Four Seas Fist, it had taken him just over ten skill points to master the technique to its pinnacle. With his current strength, every punch and kick contained insights beyond those recorded in the Four Seas Fist manual. Yet the philosophy of the Four Seas Fist—modeling the world, drawing inspiration from the vastness of the four seas—was still worth his continued study.

Though the technique was now ingrained in his bones and could no longer keep pace with his growth, it remained the martial art with which Bai Li Feihong was most familiar.

He harbored a wild ambition: to elevate the Four Seas Fist to new heights, to create his own martial form, to refine his own fist intent.

At the level of refining the spirit, one delved into the very will of martial arts. The Four Seas Fist was the ideal entry point: familiar, low in complexity. Using its philosophy as a framework, it was the perfect foundation upon which to construct his own martial will.

“The Black Bear Demon would never leave its territory and attack us for no reason.”

The pirate leader, Fei Fengxue, spoke in a deep, rumbling voice. The blast of cannon fire had ruined his good fortune. He had intended to enjoy the company of seven women throughout the night, but had only managed to play with three before the Black Bear Demon attacked the stronghold, interrupting his pleasure.

He knew this Black Bear Demon well; it was a hair’s breadth away from becoming a true demon, on the verge of awakening demonic powers.

Yet its strength was formidable indeed: thick-skinned, powerful, and nearly invincible. Even accomplished bone-refining experts might not be able to best it.

“Big Brother, it seems that earlier, the long howl we heard was the work of a martial master landing on HLD,” analyzed Qiu Mulan, the second-in-command.

“Second Sister, are you interested in leading a party to investigate?” Fei Fengxue asked after a moment’s thought.

“I am willing to serve as your vanguard,” replied Qiu Mulan, resting her giant sword—broad as a door—across her shoulder. “But there’s no need for anyone else to follow. I’ll go alone. If it’s a man, Big Brother, then he’s mine. After all, you have enjoyed the noblewomen of the Farra Empire, and I’ve been coveting them. If a man walks right into my hands, I’ll just take his vital essence and break through to the marrow-refining stage.”

Greed flashed in Qiu Mulan’s eyes.

“Heh, just don’t forget your big brother when the time comes. After all, we both practice the Dual Cultivation of Yin and Yang,” Fei Fengxue said, suddenly energized.

He had not turned to piracy for mere wealth, but because he had acquired a forbidden art. Had he stayed within the borders of the Great Yuan Empire, the Demon Suppression Division would have executed him without mercy. So he had crossed the seas and become a pirate, using pillage and lust to further his martial cultivation.

In just three years, he had risen from a Five-Blood Martial Master to the peak of bone-refinement, half a step from the marrow-refining stage. If Qiu Mulan truly reached that level, and the two of them practiced dual cultivation, harmonizing their yin and yang energies, they would surely break through their current barrier and attain mastery over their marrow.

Once the marrow was refined, the next step—refining the organs—would be easy. Moreover, the dual cultivation art contained a rare method for refining the apertures and the spirit: the Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Aperture Merging and Spirit Refinement Method—a foundational body-tempering art renowned in ancient times.

“Without you, Big Brother, I would not be where I am today. We are one and the same—why speak so formally?” said Qiu Mulan. Like a tiger descending the mountain, she leaped into the forest, quickly vanishing from Fei Fengxue’s sight.

Fei Fengxue’s smile gradually faded.

Qiu Mulan was vital to him—his furnace of yin. He allowed her to consort with the other core members of the Bloodstorm Pirate Crew, even raising her to the position of second-in-command, all for the purpose of absorbing the purest yin energy through her.

As for the other core members, each practiced the genuine dual cultivation martial arts. Through Qiu Mulan, Fei Fengxue collected their vital essence.

“I have already undergone three rounds of blood refinement, my body tempered to the utmost, and have even forged steel-like bones. Yet, I remain unable to reach the golden bones, the ultimate limit of bone refinement. Were it not for this, with all the power I’ve stolen, I would have long since reached the aperture-refining stage.”

Fei Fengxue fell silent.

“Pass the order: evacuate the cave, lower the Dragon Severing Stone, and have everyone return to the ship,” he commanded coldly.

He had no idea who the newcomer was, but their cultivation was surely formidable. To stir even the Black Bear Demon into a frenzy, they had to be at least at the organ-refining stage.

If it were just an ordinary organ-refining expert, Fei Fengxue would not be afraid. But if it was a scion of a great family, one who had cultivated blood and bone refinement to the highest degree—limitless blood refinement, six-fold bone refinement—these were methods to temper the very foundation of the body. Without true inheritance, few could break through this threshold.

“Chief, should we wait for Second-in-Command?”

“Heh, do you want to stay behind and wait for her?” The fifth-ranking pirate immediately shook his head.

“Second Sister is clever. Should she sense anything amiss, she has her natural charms as a woman. Since the opponent slaughters demon beasts, he’s likely not a Primordial Embryo expert. Second Sister will have no trouble saving herself. If he is a Primordial Embryo master and attacks ruthlessly, we’ll retreat to the ship and make a strategic withdrawal.”

As for losing the yin furnace, that would be a painful loss for Fei Fengxue, but among his subordinates, only Qiu Mulan had the ability to act independently.

“I understand, Big Brother,” the fifth-ranking pirate replied immediately.

If Second-in-Command Qiu Mulan returned and saw the Dragon Severing Stone lowered, she would know her brother’s intent and come to the ship to find them. If she did not return for a long time, it would mean the enemy was too strong—they would have to flee.

“Chief, what about the remaining noblewomen from Farra?”

“Give them to the brothers,” Fei Fengxue said carelessly.

The pirates below him were already gleaming with anticipation. The noblewomen of the Farra Empire were famed for their golden hair and emerald eyes, their skin as smooth as pearls, tall and voluptuous—their bodies so soft that a mere embrace could make them melt. The pirates had long coveted these women.

“A woman the chief has broken in is still warm...”

The lowest-ranking pirates’ eyes sparkled. As for worldly etiquette and moral codes? They were pirates—who cared about that?

Bai Li Feihong abruptly picked up speed. Any demon beast in his path was hard-pressed to withstand even a single blow from him now. In fact, he was eager to encounter a formidable demon, so that he could test the full extent of his strength in real combat.