Eric Brooks picked up the crystal stone and demonic cultivation manual that Brian Carter had placed on the ground. Moments later, an expression of wild joy filled Eric Brooks's entire face as he said in a trembling voice, “As your master, I truly did not take you in in vain. Though I always knew you were no ordinary person, your luck still amazes me. Now that we have these two items, my cultivation will soon make great progress. Since that’s the case, I promise I will never take advantage of you or harm you in the future. I will also nurture you well and share with you the insights I’ve gained from years of cultivation to show my sincerity. Although these aren’t as miraculous as this technique, they are some minor methods you can use right now! I hope you cultivate diligently. I know you don’t trust me, so I’ll leave the techniques here and go into seclusion now. Take care of yourself!” Eric Brooks was overjoyed, mounted his flying sword, and soared into the air—even faster than when he was chasing Brian Carter!

Now Brian Carter could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t know if Eric Brooks was telling the truth, for now, it seemed the greatest crisis had been temporarily resolved! Picking up the jade slip of techniques left by Eric Brooks, he immersed his mind within it, and the same look of wild joy that had just been on Eric Brooks’s face now appeared on Brian Carter’s!

Chapter 010: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Although the techniques in the jade slip weren’t peerless demonic arts, they were exactly what Brian Carter needed at the moment. The secret methods of the Wuji Demonic Art were indeed extraordinary, but all required powerful true essence to use, which Brian Carter’s mid-stage fasting cultivation simply could not support.

The techniques left by Eric Brooks were ones Brian Carter could actually cultivate right now. Previously, when fighting Richard Bolton and the other two, Brian Carter had relied entirely on his physical strength. While he wasn’t at a disadvantage against Stephen Grant and Charles Foster, he was completely powerless against Richard Bolton. On one hand, the gap in their cultivation levels was too great; on the other, he couldn’t even get close enough for a melee attack. But with these techniques from Eric Brooks, although he still couldn’t threaten Richard Bolton, he was no longer completely at the mercy of others!

He once again went to the secret cave by the deep pool to enter seclusion. Brian Carter felt this was probably the most hidden and quiet place within the Wuji Demonic Sect!

Without the help of the eight-winged purple python’s inner core, his cultivation progress was a bit slow, but relying on his own diligence and perseverance, Brian Carter managed to advance from mid-stage fasting to early-stage enlightenment over nearly three years.

He also finished cultivating the techniques left by Eric Brooks that were suitable for him.

The Spirit-Binding Technique could restrain someone of similar cultivation for about three seconds. Though it was only three seconds, in a fight it could be decisive. However, this technique had to be used at close range, and when activated, it emitted a white chain-like light. If the opponent was careful, they could completely guard against it. Still, for Brian Carter, it was already a rare and valuable skill.

The Cold Soul Technique inflicted cold damage when attacking the enemy. Unfortunately, this method was incomplete, so Brian Carter couldn’t fully unleash its power. However, when used together with the Heaven-Defying Demonic Sword, it could make up for this shortcoming, and its power still satisfied Brian Carter. The other techniques were also incomplete, and Brian Carter saw no need to cultivate them.

As for the eight-winged purple python, after devouring its mother’s flesh and absorbing a top-grade spirit stone from Brian Carter, it had awakened and grown to nearly thirty feet long. Because Brian Carter had swallowed its mother’s inner core, it now regarded him as its only family, and Brian Carter could already communicate with it—making it a great helper.

At this point, Brian Carter believed that if he fought Richard Bolton again, with these advantages, he might not be able to guarantee victory, but he wouldn’t necessarily be at a disadvantage either—of course, that was assuming Richard Bolton hadn’t made any progress in the past few years. If the gap in cultivation widened too much, his chances of winning would still be very slim!

He felt that simply focusing on cultivation wouldn’t bring much more progress; cultivation was also about tempering the mind. Without enough experience, it would be hard to achieve a breakthrough. Moreover, he hadn’t made any progress in gathering the basic materials needed for the talismans and formations he was practicing. Last time, he had planned to collect some, but Richard Bolton’s unexpected appearance had disrupted his plans!

There were some notes on basic materials in Eric Brooks’s jade slip, indicating where to find them in Duanhun Mountain. This made Brian Carter even happier, as he wouldn’t have to waste time searching blindly. It also made him feel a bit more favorably toward Eric Brooks.

Although Eric Brooks had always harbored ill intentions toward him, it was also Eric Brooks who had brought him into such a mysterious and unfathomable world of cultivation. In this sense, Eric Brooks had done him a favor; otherwise, he might have spent his whole life repeating the steps of those before him, achieving nothing.

After organizing his belongings, Brian Carter left the secret cave!

Duanhun Mountain stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Because of this, the mountain was filled with spiritual energy, rare flowers and herbs, and countless strange rocks and fierce beasts! There were also countless secret caves and deep pools. For cultivators, materials were abundant here, but if you didn’t know where to find what you needed, searching could be extremely troublesome. Fortunately, Eric Brooks’s jade slip included information on the sources of some basic materials, saving Brian Carter a great deal of effort!

Avoiding the sensitive areas near other sects, after several months, Brian Carter had collected almost all the basic materials he needed. The earth rhino horn was one of the most important materials he still required, but earth rhinos only appeared near the caves of Huotong Mountain, which happened to be at the border between the Blood Fiend Sect and the Soul Devouring Sect. Although earth rhinos weren’t particularly rare, disciples from both sects often appeared in that area.