Chapter 344: 344. The Genuine Substitute Messenger

Fang Zhou enthusiastically began cultivating the Heavenly Demon Blood Refining Divine Skill.

The Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages just needed a brief overview, focusing primarily on the Innate Chapter.

However, after carefully reading through it once, Fang Zhou realized he had underestimated its complexity.

The foundation of the Heavenly Demon Blood Refining Divine Skill is the Heavenly Demon True Body, which must be refined first, serving as the basis for awakening a complete Heavenly Demon Envoy, or a complete substitute.

Without the Heavenly Demon True Body, any awakened substitute is just a half-baked mess, as the True Mother God Sect’s Secret Technique of Substitute Messenger lacks the Heavenly Demon True Body.

The Heavenly Demon True Body possesses an extraordinary regenerative ability, akin to the Undying Body, able to refine others’ blood for its own use. Its weakness lies in yang energy; it dislikes sunlight and is inheritable.

Seeing the words “inheritable,” Fang Zhou suddenly speculated a possibility.

He recalled the deeds recorded by True Master Blood God Zhao Lingbo in the inscription, especially her attitude towards her descendants and her motivation for building the Imperial Palace Dungeon, finally confirming one thing.

True Master Blood God Zhao Lingbo had already condensed the Heavenly Demon True Body, then passed it down to the Zhao Clan and eventually to the Qiao Clan, though it had weakened to almost disappearing.

The Blood God Mask’s effect was not just to create Blood God Soldiers en masse but also to activate the Heavenly Demon True Body.

In other words, if a member of the Zhao or Qiao clans wears the Blood God Mask, the Heavenly Demon True Body lineage inherited from Zhao Lingbo could be activated, potentially awakening a complete substitute.

Thus, a formula can be derived: Qiao Clan’s physique + Blood God Mask = complete substitute!

In this case, Fang Zhou vaguely guessed why Emperor Qiao Zhi’s body disappeared. If Di Ao also knew this, she had every motive to take away Emperor Qiao Zhi’s corpse.

But why not take Qiao Sen’s? Aren’t young and strong bodies better?

Could it be that Di Ao has a nurturing complex, so she prefers Emperor Qiao Zhi?

Regardless of Di Ao’s quirks, her awakening of the complete substitute is highly probable, meriting caution.

Fang Zhou noted this down and, taking advantage of the Wise Time not ending yet, started learning the two spells, Heavenly Demon Envoy and Blood God Soldiers.

Learning these two spells in the Enlightenment State wasn’t difficult for Fang Zhou; he quickly mastered them just as the Wise Time ended.

With a slight shift of his thoughts, a somewhat blurry substitute appeared behind him.

This substitute had a semi-transparent appearance, looking slightly taller than Fang Zhou. However, its features were indistinct because it’s not a complete substitute and therefore hasn’t awakened any innate abilities.

To achieve a complete substitute, one must refine the Heavenly Demon True Body, which Fang Zhou couldn’t learn.

The Heavenly Demon True Body seemed powerful, with its Undying Body and ability to refine others’ blood, but it had a glaring weakness–fear of yang energy.

This was clearly just like a vampire.

Fang Zhou, naturally abundant in yang energy, nearly at an inexhaustible state, feared refining the Heavenly Demon True Body might render him neither human nor ghost.

So, before resolving this flaw, Fang Zhou didn’t plan to refine the Heavenly Demon True Body and would make do with this degraded substitute.

At least it’s better than the True Mother God Sect’s substitute. Their Secret Technique of Substitute Messenger is a defective version of the Heavenly Demon Envoy, unable to awaken its substitute oneself and requiring a soulless body to refine into a substitute.

Fang Zhou, like a child with a new toy, began fiddling with his substitute.

This substitute had automatic attack and defense features, could be fully controlled, sense-sharing, and could, of course, cut off the shared senses. However, damage couldn’t be severed and had to be endured.

Fang Zhou, following the method instructed by the Poison Fire Ghost Crow, infused Innate True Qi into the substitute.

The substitute immediately turned golden, shimmering, giving off a sense of solidity and sharpness.

Moreover, it exuded a sense of yin-yang balance and vitality resembling lush trees.

This was because Fang Zhou’s Innate True Qi had four attributes: Yin Yang, Gold, and Wood. The attributes of Yin Yang were well-known, Gold meant solid and sharp, and Wood represented vitality.

After fiddling for a while, Fang Zhou called over Ya Zi, Nunu, and Li Yan.

He didn’t cancel the substitute. When Luo Xuan arrived and saw the shimmering substitute behind Fang Zhou, she immediately looked shocked and exclaimed, “You’re also a Substitute Messenger?”

Though she had taught Fang Zhou the Secret Technique of Substitute Messenger, she lacked the secret technique to refine a body into a substitute.

Yet she didn’t know that Fang Zhou had the genuine Heavenly Demon Envoy, unlike their True Mother God Sect’s defective version of the Secret Technique of Substitute Messenger.

Ya Zi, Nunu, and Li Yan, however, found Luo Xuan’s reaction odd, for they could not see Fang Zhou’s substitute.

Indeed, only Substitute Messengers can see each other’s substitutes.

Nonetheless, Li Yan, who always stayed by General Yaksha’s side, naturally knew what a substitute was, and she stared at Fang Zhou with surprise.

Fang Zhou paid them no mind and said to Luo Xuan, “Summon your substitute.”

He lifted the gourd space’s confinement on Luo Xuan, restoring her full power.

Whether through submission or resignation, Luo Xuan, fully empowered, dared not act rashly and obediently summoned her substitute.

Previously, Fang Zhou could only sense the substitute’s existence with the Ripple Divine Skill; now, he saw it with his own eyes for the first time.

Luo Xuan’s substitute was far more blurred than Fang Zhou’s. Fang Zhou’s substitute still showed gender and body contours distinctly, while Luo Xuan’s substitute was a mass of indistinct humanoid shapes, its lines jagged, resembling a large matchstick figure.

Placing the two substitutes side by side, one was a simplistic sketch, the other heavily pixelated, giving off an 18X vibe.

This showcased the difference in appearance between the genuine and the degraded version, and Fang Zhou’s was not even the complete version.

“Have your substitute attack me.”

Fang Zhou instructed Luo Xuan.

Luo Xuan shook her head repeatedly, not daring to attack Fang Zhou.

Fang Zhou could only give Ya Zi a look, and Ya Zi promptly slapped Luo Xuan’s bare bottom, leaving a red handprint, “Whatever the Master tells you to do, do it, no disobeying orders.”

It was worth mentioning that these three women wore no clothes, not by Fang Zhou’s demand but perhaps they found the gourd space rather hot.

After Ya Zi slapped her, Luo Xuan unexpectedly let out a moan of pleasure.

Oh dear, this woman has been trained into an M.

Under Ya Zi’s insistence, Luo Xuan could only control her substitute to attack Fang Zhou.

Fang Zhou didn’t move; his substitute automatically engaged.

In Fang Zhou’s and Luo Xuan’s eyes, a flash of golden light appeared as Fang Zhou’s substitute instantly moved to Luo Xuan’s substitute and sent it flying with a heavy punch.