Daoist Master, I'm really not an evil cultivator.

Chapter 8, Old Deception, I'm all in, time to unleash the big stuff!

Inside the alchemy room, Xu Changqing's fingers moved in a series of hand seals, and the stick of the Lotus Heart Incense transformed into a stream of dark light, which suddenly disappeared into the lotus bud on the top of Renlian's head.

The lotus bud suddenly tightened, and violent ripples spread across its surface like water. The dark blue mist surged wildly, and a hissing sound came from inside, as if countless tiny souls were being burned and fused in the incense.

The lotus's stiff body trembled slightly, the lotus petal patterns on its skin flickered, and fine cracks even spread across the bluestone ground where its roots had penetrated.

An aura of resentment and fear, several times more violent than before, erupted, mixed with the overwhelming hatred and despair of Donkey Tooth before his death, impacting Xu Changqing's mind.

Xu Changqing's face was ashen, and the faint glow of the Void Star appeared behind him, calming his mind like a pillar of strength.

He maintained the incantation, precisely controlling the process of the fusion between the incense and the lotus, guiding and compressing the violent resentment bit by bit, and refining it into the incense body.

The Yin energy inside the alchemy room was so thick it was almost impossible to dissolve, and the temperature plummeted, causing a thin layer of black frost to form on the walls and the surface of the medicine cabinet.

As the refining process continued, the lotus's body began to wither at a visible rate. Its bluish-black skin and flesh gradually shriveled and collapsed, as if all its essence had been drained from its insides.

The dense lotus petal patterns peeled off one by one, crumbling into dust before even hitting the ground.

As the last wisp of dark blue mist was drawn into the lotus bud, the stiff body completely disintegrated, turning into a small pile of grayish-black dust that silently collapsed onto the bluestone ground.

Only that dark lotus bud remained, floating alone in mid-air.

At this moment, the lotus bud finally stopped trembling, the ripples on its surface subsided, and its color changed from jet black to a deeper, almost pure black, with an inner radiance, just like the finest black jade.

At the top of the lotus bud, a tiny, almost imperceptible crack quietly appeared, and a wisp of dark red fragrant mist, condensed to its extreme and almost tangible, wafted out, only lingering in the air for a moment before rolling back and disappearing into the crack, causing the lotus bud to close again.

Xu Changqing slowly finished his practice, a light sweat appearing on his forehead. He reached out and beckoned, and the brand-new incense stick slowly flew out from the lotus bud and landed in his palm.

The incense stick is still slender, but its color is no longer pure black. Instead, it has taken on a strange, deep black color, as dark as the midnight starry sky.

The surface is smoother than before, and the blood-red patterns have disappeared. In their place are countless tiny, almost invisible dark gold dots, like stars embedded within.

The crimson tip of the incense stick had turned into a dark gold, shimmering slightly, as if a spirit was sleeping within it.

Before it is lit, the exotic fragrance is completely suppressed, and it feels cool and smooth to the touch, without any trace of the previous sweetness or fishy smell. Only when you touch it do you feel a faint, direct temptation and throbbing deep in your soul.

"Old ghost, take a look." Xu Changqing communicated with the altar in his mind.

The patterns on the treacherous altar flowed, and information was quickly relayed back:

[Item]: Lotus Blossom Incense (Supreme Grade)

[Brief Description]: This product is created by refining and sublimating the essence of the human-shaped lotus by fusing the secret methods of the "Mysterious Lotus Heart Sutra." Its fragrance is subtle yet its power is greatly amplified. When burned, it can stir up the deepest inner demons of resentment, fear, infatuation, and delusion in living beings, creating a multitude of illusions that directly attack the soul. Its hallucinatory power is extremely strong, and those with weak minds may even become trapped in it, unable to extricate themselves.

[The Price of Taboo]: ...

A glint flashed in Xu Changqing's eyes as he carefully put the brand-new Lotus Heart Incense back into the jade incense holder.

His gaze swept over the row of objects in front of him: the Foundation Establishment Chapter of the "Heavenly Void Nourishing Life Scripture", the Qi Refining Chapter of the "Mysterious Heart Scripture of the Hidden Lotus", and several health cultivation manuals that he had taken from Donkey Tooth.

He picked out the animal-skin booklet of "The Evil Art of Transforming a Donkey" and put it aside. He needed to study it thoroughly before offering it as a sacrifice, since there was still a gray donkey waiting outside to break the curse.

After sorting things out, he no longer hesitated, gathered the stack of cultivation manuals in front of him, and took a deep breath.

"May the Heavenly Venerable protect me," he murmured, though he found it absurd. But the ritual had to be performed; whether it was effective or not was another matter, but he figured the Heavenly Venerable would surely protect him if he saw his sincerity.

"Old Ghost, I'm all in, let's cash out!"

The altar of the Demonic Path fell silent for a moment, then began to tremble violently. After trembling for a while, it gradually calmed down. Three streams of light flew out from the center of the altar, transforming into three books that floated before him.

The book was entirely dark purple, with faint, blood-red shimmering edges on the pages. On the cover were several ancient, vigorous, and slender characters—"The Purple Star Commentary on the Book of Death."

A book, as white as bone, with surface patterns resembling cracks in a tortoise shell, exuding a chilling aura—"The Taiyi Destiny Prediction Manual".

The last one is the thinnest, with a black cover and only three words written on it: "The Art of the Lamp of Fate".

The altar patterns subtly rotated, and information emerged one by one.

[Item]: *The Purple Star Annotated Death Sutra*

[Brief Description]: An ancient lineage of astrological destiny. The Ziwei star is the master of the imperial stars, in charge of the book of life and death. Those who cultivate this scripture can foresee signs of death, predict lifespans, and sever the cycle of life. The first volume is "Observing Death," and the second volume is "Predicting Death."

【Taboo Price】: First, one must not see blood. Seeing blood causes heartache as if stabbed by needles, and the sight of death will eventually lead to a cold and numb mind, or even a world-weary madness.

two,......

[Note]: This is the first volume.

[Item]: *The Heavenly Star Life-Snatching Scripture*

[Brief Description]: A secret technique of the Celestial Star lineage. It corresponds to the stars and celestial bodies, steals heavenly secrets, does not contend with heaven, but seeks them from humankind.

[Taboo Price]: First, those who devour filth and filth are beasts.

two......

[Note]: This is only the first volume.

[Item]: The Art of Fate Lamp

[Brief Description]: A secret technique of the divine soul. Using one's own essence, blood, and soul as a catalyst, a life lamp is ignited.

Since it is a life-saving technique, as long as the life lamp is not extinguished, the soul will not dissipate. The remaining flame of the life lamp can be used to slowly restore the soul and find an opportunity to reshape the physical body.

It is also a protective technique, which allows one's spirit to ride lamps and control fire, scorching the enemy's soul.

[Taboo Price]: First, severing part of the soul will cause the main body's cultivation to temporarily drop, and the soul will be weak during the recovery period, making it extremely susceptible to external evil influences.

Second, the life lamp needs to be nourished regularly with one's own essence, blood, spirit, and soul; if this is interrupted, the lamp will gradually go out.

Third, if the life lamp is controlled by others, then life and death are in their hands.

[Note]: This technique is not a heaven-defying resurrection technique. The recovery process is long and painful. Once the light goes out, the soul dissipates and there is no turning back.

Xu Changqing stared at the information floating in the void and remained silent for a long while.

Both manuals contained the same techniques, but their foundational principles and teachings were far superior to those of the "Heavenly Void Nourishing Life Scripture."

The Life Lamp Technique was complete, and no one can have too many ways to protect themselves, but it was too late at this moment. He was going to a banquet tonight, and tearing his soul apart to cultivate the Life Lamp was tantamount to crippling himself. At that time, he wouldn't be able to fight, let alone walk in. This thought only flashed through his mind before he suppressed it.

He put away the "Destiny Lamp Technique" and his gaze fell on the two incomplete books. After pondering for a moment, he finally chose the dark purple "Purple Star Annotation on Death Scripture".

This technique is most effective in enhancing Xu Changqing's combat abilities.