CHAPTER 249: CHAPTER 244 MEMORY FLESH? CULTIVATING BIZARRE OBJECTS!_1

"Failure! Still a failure!"

Unlike the previous Parasitic Trickster Blossom, I had thought that after grinding the flesh and blood into powder and adding materials, it could be blended into Spirit Ink. However... no matter how finely the flesh and blood of the Misleading Bizarre were chopped, they would always reassemble, reforming into their original shape with astonishing speed. Bizarre Demons and Bizarre Objects are different—their flesh seems to possess ’memory’. No matter how severe the injury, even if smashed by the Evil-Slaying Demon-Purging Sword, the only change was a slower rate of regeneration. As long as there was flesh and blood of the same kind nearby, it would slowly gather and return to its original form.

If the flesh and blood of the Misleading Bizarre couldn’t be made into Mislead Bizarre Ink, how could I possibly make a Bewildering Charm?

Bizarre Demons are different from Bizarre Objects. Bizarre Objects are more like...products affected and contaminated by bizarre forces, belonging to the ’Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures’ of the strange. Bizarre Objects are easier to utilize. It didn’t take Jia Ren too long or too much effort to craft the Bizarre Sound Talisman and Parasitic Ghost Whip separately. Refining Bizarre Demons into treasures is much more difficult.

After trying many methods, I finally resolved the issue. Under the influence of the Artifact for Quelling Trickery, the flesh and blood of the Misleading Bizarre entered a state of slumber, and the Bizarre Demon flesh wouldn’t aggregate. I thought everything would be smooth sailing from there, but then—when mixing the Spirit Ink—new problems arose. The materials wouldn’t integrate with the Misleading Bizarre’s flesh and blood... None could merge; Spiritual Medicine and Bizarre Demon flesh and blood were like two distinct entities, starkly separate, each maintaining its independence.

Jia Ren took out all the existing materials for experimentation, but the result was unchanged; none would meld. Not even the Parasitic Trickster Blossom worked. The two were incompatible, leading to failed experiments.

There might be materials in the world that could meld with the Misleading Bizarre; the problem was I didn’t have any... With the materials unable to fuse, it was impossible to make Talismans, let alone Magic Artifacts or Elixirs, with the Misleading Bizarre.

Another failure... The primary problem was that the Bizarre Demon flesh and blood couldn’t merge with any known materials. This meant Bizarre Demons couldn’t be crafted into treasures... Without resolving this issue, there was no chance of success in my lifetime. No experience to draw from...

The Mysterious Instruments, Bizarre Formations, and Mysterious Pills of the Bizarre Alliance seemed successful, but in reality, they were only superficial. Their method involves sealing the flesh and blood of Bizarre Demons, then breaking the seal to stimulate and release it. The cores of Mysterious Instruments, Bizarre Formations, and Mysterious Pills are all identical in this regard. The released Bizarre Demons are uncontrollable. Although claimed to be peculiar treasures, they have little technical content and offer no reference value for Bizarre Talisman research.

My thought process was limited, I couldn’t find a breakthrough, and I was even more incapable of crafting the Bizarre Talismans I wanted.

Sigh... all this time wasted in vain. Jia Ren couldn’t help shaking his head, preparing to give up on making the Bewildering Charm. He felt a strong reluctance in his heart, not wanting to give up... Why can’t Bizarre Demons be made into treasures? The Parasitic Trickster Blossom has already succeeded, hasn’t it? What’s the difference between Bizarre Demons and Bizarre Objects?

He thought of the Parasitic Trickster Blossom, a kind of Bizarre Object. How are Bizarre Objects born? Could they be cultivated artificially? Could I possibly cultivate... Talisman-Making Materials using Bizarre Demons? If there are no Bizarre Objects, create them myself!

Jia Ren’s eyes brightened. This was a breakthrough. Success would still require experimentation.

He transplanted a batch of young Spiritual Medicines from the Spirit Medicine Garden specifically for experimentation. Next was watering with the diluted blood of the Misleading Bizarre; each plant needed to be irrigated with it. Observing the next day, ninety percent of the Spiritual Medicines died, and only a few tens of plants were alive, most on their last breath. He recorded these few tens of plants and continued to water them with the diluted blood of the Misleading Bizarre.

On the seventh day, the number of dead Spiritual Medicines increased, leaving only three barely surviving, in poor condition. In the following days, I watered them with Bizarre Demon blood at fixed times, observing their condition. Their changes became more pronounced. Over six months, only one of the three Spiritual Medicines survived, with the other two not making it past a month before withering away.

This Spiritual Medicine was called Path-Seeking Grass. After contamination by the blood of the Misleading Bizarre, it had transformed completely. The color of the Path-Seeking Grass was no longer green but had turned blue. It carried an almost imperceptible bizarre aura. Anyone seeing it would suspect it was a Bizarre Object. Had the artificial cultivation of a Bizarre Object succeeded?

"I’ll call you Mislead Trickster Grass!"

The Mislead Trickster Grass was vastly different from the Parasitic Trickster Blossom and couldn’t be considered a true Bizarre Object as it did not possess any bizarre abilities; it had merely absorbed some traits of Bizarre Demons. With extended growth, it might mutate into a real Bizarre Object.

Jia Ren didn’t want to wait any longer and was eager to test whether the newly acquired Mislead Trickster Grass could be used to make Talisman Ink. Finally, the flesh and blood of the Misleading Bizarre can merge... With the addition of the Mislead Trickster Grass, which had mutated from being cultivated with the blood of the Misleading Bizarre, this mutated Spiritual Medicine acted as a harmonizing agent, allowing other materials to gradually fuse. I had finally taken the first successful step.

In the ensuing time, Jia Ren continuously refined the Mislead Bizarre Ink, constructing the framework for the Bewildering Charm. Time flew by, and a whole year had passed since the initial attempt to produce the Bewildering Charm. After countless failures, I finally concocted usable Mislead Bizarre Ink and a workable talismanic framework.

As the Talisman Brush soaked with Mislead Bizarre Ink, Jia Ren sketched the Bewildering Charm with fluid motions. Within the time it took for a cup of tea to cool, the Talisman was complete. He looked at his creation with a satisfied expression on his face.

"At last, I’ve succeeded! Let’s find a place to test it!"

Cradling the Bewildering Charm and wearing a satisfied smile, Jia Ren had just arrived at the sea domain. Before he could find a Sea Demon to test it on, his expression drastically changed. The Mislead Bizarre Ink on the Bewildering Charm began to move as if alive, slowly congregating, bit by bit reforming into the shape of the Misleading Bizarre.

The Misleading Bizarre bounced back?! The Misleading Bizarre Ink, sealed in the River Mountain Bag, also underwent this change. Was the mutation period of the Mislead Trickster Grass too short? Or could it only facilitate a brief fusion? Unable to ensure long-term stability of the Bewildering Charm? Another failure?!

After more than a year of hard work and effort, I had thought success was within my reach. Could it be that I had failed again? The Misleading Bizarre Ink struggled to remain stable for long, and the Talismans could not be preserved indefinitely. One couldn’t possibly mix Misleading Bizarre Ink and craft the Bewildering Charm in the midst of battle with an enemy, right? The enemy wouldn’t give you time. By the time the Talisman was made, I would have been dead a thousand times over. What to do? This was a headache-inducing problem.

That’s right! Artifacts for Quelling Trickery! Fu Wan! Jia Ren thought of a solution—crafting a Fu Wan in the style of an Artifact for Quelling Trickery! The Bizarre Objects of Bizarre Alliance Cultivators all had a type of sealing that, once activated, would release and trigger their power. This could be directly applied to the manufacturing of Bewildering Charms. The Fu Wan would be inscribed with the Town Ghoul Inscription, forming an Artifact for Quelling Trickery, suppressing the mutations of the Bewildering Charms, and maintaining a stable state. When confronting an enemy, one would simply need to activate the Fu Wan to stimulate the internal Bewildering Charm. The idea was feasible! The only downside was... the cost was too high! The Fu Wan that turned into consumable Artifacts for Quelling Trickery, even in their simplified form, would greatly consume precious Xuan Ming Stone.

Jia Ren had mined a mineral vein. Most of it was a Yunmo Stone Mine deposit; Xuanming Stone Mine deposits accounted for less than a tenth. The creation of Evil-Warding Full Body Armor, Evil Warding Artifacts, and Suppressing Ghoul Talismans had already used up a considerable amount of Xuan Ming Stone. Adding new Artifacts for Quelling Trickery in the form of Fu Wan would surely result in a staggering expenditure.

Furthermore, the successful creation of the Bewildering Charm indicated the potential of Bizarre Demons as materials. Going forward, the making of Bizarre Talismans would not be limited to just the Misleading Bizarre; more Bizarre Demons would join the ranks of experiments, becoming materials upon the Talisman-Drawing Desk. To securely and stably turn Bizarre Demons into Bizarre Talismans without any accidents, a series of processes needed to be complemented by Artifacts for Quelling Trickery; it would be best to create a... Trickery-Quelling Talisman Making Room. The processes of making Bizarre Talisman Ink, drawing, and sealing had to ensure the materials of Bizarre Demons did not mutate, remaining safe and stable. Not all Bizarre Demons are as harmless as the Misleading Bizarre. If one day the Split Bizarre were sent onto the experimental table, I would not want parts of my body going awry during the Talisman Crafting process and then having to chase after my runaway body parts. Preparing in advance is the key to avoiding disasters. This will again be a sizable expense of Xuan Ming Stone... No matter how abundant the Xuan Ming Stone was, it couldn’t withstand such relentless expenditure with no returns.

Let’s test if the plan is viable?!

Jia Ren created three different Artifacts for Quelling Trickery: the Ink-Grinding Platform for preparing Talisman Ink, the Talisman-Drawing Desk for drawing Bizarre Talismans, and the Demon-Sealing Platform for suppressing any abnormalities in the finished Talismans. The combination of the three Artifacts for Quelling Trickery equated to a brand-new Bizarre Talisman Crafting station.

The chopped body of the Misleading Bizarre wriggled, attempting to restore itself, while the Inscriptions on the Ink-Grinding Platform flashed, suppressing the irregular movements of the Bizarre Demon’s flesh and blood. Having formed the Misleading Bizarre Ink, it was brought over to the Talisman-Drawing Desk to craft the Bewildering Charm. Twelve Bewildering Charms were placed on the Demon-Sealing Platform, embedded into Second-Order Fu Wan made with Xuan Ming Stone and inscribed with the Press Bizarre and Seal Trickery Engravings for preservation. Every step in the process would be influenced by the Artifacts for Quelling Trickery, ensuring that the Bizarre Demons wouldn’t go rampant and pose harm to oneself.

"It’s finally a success!" However, Jia Ren didn’t completely let his guard down; he set aside the newly-created Lost Path Guai Talisman Pills, watching them cautiously.

Three days!

Seven days!

A month!

The Lost Path Guai Talisman Pills contained within the Suppressing Ghoul Fu Wan remained dormant without any abnormalities. The Lost Path Guai Talisman Pills were stable, eliminating any internal worries.

Although the Talismans are great, the cost is a bit steep... The research and creation of the Bewildering Charms took a bit too long, and cultivating the Mislead Trickster Grass also required time. The overall cost was not high. In comparison, the most expensive part was indeed the Fu Wan itself... Seal Trickery Artifacts are known to be costly, with prices for Superior Grade Seal Trickery Artifacts even higher than those of Supreme Grade Defense Artifacts.

Jia Ren simplified the materials for the Fu Wan, reducing the production cost, but the price remained not too low. With the Xuan Ming Stone dwindling, the crafting of Bewildering Charms in large quantities was not feasible. This thing couldn’t be bought with Spirit Stones... Once the Xuan Ming Stone was exhausted, I would be unable to produce usable Lost Path Guai Talisman Pills.

I wonder if a substitute can be found... The known materials for sealing Bizarre Demons included Xuan Ming Stone and Profound Underworld Essence Stone. Thunder Rhino Horn, Xuan Yang Gem, and Phoenix Flame Tail were Warding Off Evil materials, unable to seal Bizarre Demons... There were only two solutions: to increase revenue or decrease expenses. Increasing revenue seemed unlikely, so cutting costs was the only way. To reduce the expenditure on Xuan Ming Stone, the quantity of Bewildering Charms must be decreased.

Let’s first test the effect? I hope it does not disappoint me!

Jia Ren took out the just-crafted Lost Path Guai Talisman Pills, eager to test their effectiveness.