Wiping away the blood and grime, stitching together the shattered flesh and skin, removing the tattered garments, and dressing the corpse in a fresh set of burial clothes—Chen Changsheng meticulously attended to the deceased's appearance, performing each step with meticulous care and seriousness.
After about an hour, the deceased's features were largely restored. Even the teeth scattered around had been carefully retrieved and set in place by Chen Changsheng. With everything ready, he patted the beast-hide pouch at his waist, and a high-quality coffin materialized before him.
Once the body was placed inside, Chen Changsheng took out a compass to search for an auspicious burial site in the vicinity. Digging the grave, lowering the coffin—even with the little monk's assistance, these tasks took Chen Changsheng a full two hours. However, when it came to erecting the tombstone, he paused.
"Little monk, a tombstone requires the deceased's name and the name of the person who erects it. What was his name?"
Hearing this, the little monk clasped his hands and said, "This benefactor was the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, known by the alias 'Blood Demon Patriarch.' His true name is unknown. As for the one who erects the tombstone, please handle it as you see fit. This little monk is bound by sect rules and cannot erect a stone for him."
Faced with this answer, Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue and then inscribed on the tombstone: "Here lies the Blood Demon Patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Sect — The Undertaker."
Looking at the words on the tombstone, the little monk asked curiously, "Benefactor, is your alias 'The Undertaker'?"
"Yes! I sell coffins and specialize in collecting bodies and conducting burials. What else would I be called if not The Undertaker?"
Having said that, Chen Changsheng turned and left, waving his hand without looking back. "My work here is done; I'll take my leave first. If you have such matters in the future, remember to come find me."
Watching Chen Changsheng's retreating figure, the little monk tilted his head in contemplation for a long time. This was the first time he had encountered such a strange person. There was an indescribable feeling about him.
...
Linglong Town
After returning to his coffin shop, Chen Changsheng immediately closed the doors and looked curiously at a single tooth in his hand. This tooth was one he had discovered on the Blood Demon Patriarch's body.
At first glance, it seemed no different from an ordinary tooth. But upon closer inspection, one could see tiny array patterns etched onto its surface. If Chen Changsheng hadn't been restoring the Blood Demon Patriarch's appearance, it would never have occurred to him that a tooth could be tampered with.
After examining it carefully, Chen Changsheng stroked his chin and murmured, "Looks like storage-type array patterns. The Blood Demon Patriarch went to such lengths; the thing inside must be significant."
With that, he waved his right hand, and over a dozen thick books instantly appeared before him. These books were all related to array formations.
Chen Changsheng's cultivation talent could be described as abysmal. In fifty years, he had only barely reached the third level of Qi Refinement. For those true geniuses, reaching this level would take, at most, the time needed to finish a meal. After confirming his genuine lack of cultivation talent, Chen Changsheng had shifted his focus to array formations and alchemy.
After all, these were fields where knowledge accumulated over time, and Chen Changsheng loved things that required long-term accumulation.
Lighting an oil lamp, Chen Changsheng began studying the array on the tooth. Although he had only learned some basic array knowledge, and although the array set by the Blood Demon Patriarch was highly advanced, none of this posed a real problem for Chen Changsheng. He had an abundance of time.
If one day wasn't enough, he'd take a month. If a month wasn't enough, he'd take a year. As long as Chen Changsheng didn't give up, the array on the tooth would eventually be worn down by him.
...
Three months passed quickly. During these months, Chen Changsheng rarely stepped outside his door. Fortunately, his coffin shop usually saw no visitors; otherwise, it would certainly have attracted attention.
"Phew~"
Chen Changsheng let out a long breath and stretched his somewhat stiff body. After three months of effort, he had finally worn down the array left by the Blood Demon Patriarch.
"Pseudo Spirit Root?"
Looking at the title of the book in his hand, Chen Changsheng's face was full of confusion.
A Spirit Root is the foundation of a cultivator and the standard by which their talent is measured. The most common are the Five Element Spirit Roots, which are graded as Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, and Supreme-Grade. A Supreme-Grade Spirit Root represents the pinnacle of cultivation talent. Beyond these, there are also some Variant Spirit Roots, which are equally powerful depending on the circumstances.
But among all the known types of Spirit Roots, he had never heard of a 'Pseudo Spirit Root'!
Thinking this, Chen Changsheng immediately became interested, as he loved learning about things he didn't know.
"Interesting. Let me see what this 'Pseudo Spirit Root' actually is," he muttered, opening the book to the first page.
As the words came into view, Chen Changsheng realized this book wasn't a cultivation technique or secret art. More accurately, it was a personal memoir, recording the Blood Demon Patriarch's entire cultivation journey.
The Blood Demon Patriarch's innate talent was poor—almost the lowest possible in the cultivation world. He possessed a Miscellaneous Five Elements Spirit Root, and its quality was abysmal. After struggling at the Qi Refinement stage for many years, a thought occurred to him: Since Spirit Roots exist, can their quality be improved through acquired means?
Once this idea took root, the Blood Demon Patriarch immediately began experiments. However, this was nearly a fantastical notion, so he didn't dare test it on himself. Thus, he started experimenting on living people.
As more and more people died by his hand, he actually managed to glean some insights into the nature of Spirit Roots. A Spirit Root's quality cannot be improved through pills, techniques, arrays, or any means currently known to cultivators. However, a Spirit Root can improve its quality by devouring other Spirit Roots.
After discovering this secret, the Blood Demon Patriarch truly embarked on his path of reversal. By devouring the Spirit Roots of many cultivators weaker than himself, the quality of his own Spirit Root gradually improved. In this virtuous cycle, his strength grew steadily until he eventually became a powerful figure.
But later on, this method seemed to encounter problems, and his rampant slaughter drew the siege of other sects. At this point, the Blood Demon Patriarch's memoir abruptly ended.
"Tsk, tsk! This Blood Demon Patriarch was quite a talent! To actually figure out such a bizarre method," Chen Changsheng remarked, storing the book back into his system space.
"System, do you think the 'Artificial Spirit Root' mentioned by the Blood Demon Patriarch in this book could be possible? The latter part of this memoir repeatedly mentions the concept of an Artificial Spirit Root and includes many of the Blood Demon Patriarch's hypotheses. They sound quite reasonable to me."