Chapter 195: Chapter 146: Once You Drink My Blood Wine, There’s No Room for Regret

Such a method of control was essential to ensure his new subordinate wouldn’t betray him.

Xiao Chen accepted the Wine Glass. He didn’t need to be a genius to know something was wrong with this wine.

Still, with his Divine Protection Veil, he wasn’t afraid of such things.

But to earn the man’s trust, he feigned reluctance. "I don’t really like to drink."

The aura of a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly erupted from Eastern Wanderer. "Friend, that’s not a funny joke."

"Drink this wine, and you’ll be one of us."

"Drink this wine, and I’ll help you obtain all the power and resources you desire."

He didn’t state the consequences of refusal, but flaunting his cultivation level was a clear threat.

Xiao Chen figured he’d played his part long enough. Gritting his teeth, he downed the Blood Wine in one go.

’How to describe it?’

The wine went down like a thin, warm line, shooting straight for his Dantian. It was surprisingly sweet and pleasant.

After finishing the glass, he even felt like having a couple more.

Xiao Chen turned the Wine Glass upside down. "I drank it. Now, are you going to tell me what this ’grand feast’ in October is all about?"

Seeing Xiao Chen drink the Blood Wine, Eastern Wanderer felt a great sense of relief.

The wariness in his eyes was replaced by a cold indifference.

’Excellent. Another piece of cannon fodder to throw at the Li Huo Sect.’

.

Eastern Wanderer relaxed, sitting down cross-legged. "You’ve heard of the Li Huo Sect’s Five Great Clans, I presume?"

Xiao Chen nodded.

Eastern Wanderer said smugly, "Well, I’m telling you now, after October, there will only be four."

’Hm?’

This piqued Xiao Chen’s curiosity. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Targeting Huangque Valley or Zhu County was one thing; those were soft targets.

’Does this man really have the nerve to move against one of the Five Great Clans?’

When Eastern Wanderer didn’t elaborate, Xiao Chen immediately protested, "No, that’s too dangerous!"

"Just the two of us? That’s a suicide mission. I’m not getting involved in something like that."

Eastern Wanderer placated him. "Relax. Why would I send you to your death?"

"I’ll be honest with you. Besides us, two other allies will be joining us at South Lake in October."

"As long as you follow my arrangements, I guarantee you’ll break through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment before October."

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and pulled a map from his Storage Bag, unfurling it.

He pointed at the map. "The Su Family’s main estate is only guarded by one old man at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. Other than him, they only have three Middle-Stage cultivators, who are always gathered at these two locations."

"I’ll take care of Old Su."

"All you have to deal with is a single, useless Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

His voice grew more enticing. "Just think of how much wealth the Su Family has amassed over the years."

"We take down the Su Family, we split the spoils. In a single day, you’ll get more Spirit Stones than you could earn in ten lifetimes."

"We’ll also get a huge amount of Foundation Establishment Essence Blood, enough for you to cultivate all the way to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment."

Eastern Wanderer finished and looked at Xiao Chen. "Just imagine it. What a grand feast that will be!"

’Hm?’

A sliver of doubt entered Eastern Wanderer’s mind.

Normally, his target’s face would be showing greed or excitement by now.

But after listening to his pitch, Xiao Chen was surprisingly calm. He even questioned him, "Are there really two other allies? You’d better not be lying to me."

Although he felt a flicker of doubt, Eastern Wanderer didn’t dwell on it since Xiao Chen had already drunk the Blood Wine. "Of course there are."

"And they’ve already acquired enough Essence Blood to advance their cultivation."

"You’ll meet them yourself when we get to South Lake."

’That’s too slow. There’s no way I’m waiting until October.’

He pressed on, "So, who are these allies and where are they from? I know a lot of people in the Li Huo Sect’s territory. I might even know them."

In reality, he barely knew anyone.

But that didn’t matter. As long as he got their names, he could look up their entire family history when he got back.

Eastern Wanderer didn’t suspect a thing. "Oh, is that so? If you know any other like-minded individuals, feel free to introduce them."

"As for the two I mentioned, one is named Cui Chongyun, and the other is Cao Honghai."

Xiao Chen silently committed the two names to memory. "Oh, them. Yes, I’ve heard the names before."

’He had the most critical piece of intelligence. Now he could drop the act.’

Eastern Wanderer then went on to explain his training plan for Xiao Chen.

Four hundred miles southeast of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain, there was a Spirit Ore mine guarded by a single Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Li Huo Sect.

He would personally teach Xiao Chen how to refine the Soul-Chasing Shuttle, after which they would go there for some practical experience.

For one, it would be a chance to test the results of his Demon Technique cultivation.

For another, it would allow him to obtain enough Essence Blood to break through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

"That doesn’t sound right," Xiao Chen said. "To break through to the Late Stage, the Essence Blood of a single Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn’t be enough, should it?"

Xiao Chen had read the *Blood Refining Divine Technique* before, so he had some understanding of this kind of Demonic Speed Cultivation Technique.

While this type of Demon Technique allowed for rapid progress, breaking through bottlenecks was often far more difficult.

From what he knew, there were only two ways to break through from the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment to the Late Stage.

You either had to hunt down three cultivators of the same rank, or you had to obtain the Essence Blood of a single Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

A faint smile touched the corner of Eastern Wanderer’s lips. "Naturally. The *Blood Refining Divine Technique* alone does have its limitations."

"However, I possess another legacy technique that can help you."

’He has another secret technique?’

At Xiao Chen’s repeated insistence, Eastern Wanderer abandoned his original plan to first teach him how to refine the Soul-Chasing Shuttle.