Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1200 - 933: I Am the Rules_2

Either you can recognize goods yourself, or even if you invite an alchemist to refine elixirs, you would specifically ask an appraiser to check each one before consumption, and you’d use different appraisers, only consuming them if there were no issues.

The puppet pills we refined have hidden depths. First, they cannot escape the scrutiny of professional appraisers; second, they are low in grade. Even if we find a way to have high-realm cultivators ingest them, the effects aren’t as good as imagined.

Besides, refining puppet pills requires money, and we don’t have that much, so we can only refine puppet pills to control cultivators of lower realms.

Life has been much better than before. We could indulge but not fully enjoy life. So we decided to take a risk. While the master wasn’t paying attention, we had him swallow a puppet pill... but we were discovered. We had to kill him, and the rest you’ve already covered..."

"To be so vicious to your teaching master! Jiang, now I understand why you chose to cooperate with me." The old man was furious, stomping his feet, "No matter how bad I might be, I’ve never thought of harming my teaching master!

And you all, taught by an alchemist who imparted knowledge and skills allowing you to stand firm in the cultivation realm. Not only do you not think of gratitude, but you also plan to manipulate him into a puppet, beast! No, no, no, Jiang said not to insult beasts.

I shall turn all of you into aberrations, peeling the skin and cutting bones layer by layer for revenge on your master’s behalf!"

Jiang Yuan gestured for him to calm down, tore off another immobilizing talisman, and asked, "Do you have anything else to add? Hand over the puppet pill formula."

The younger brother, timid and afraid of death, spilled everything, while Tian Cheng shook his head, looking grim as he mumbled, "A pill formula this precious, especially used by evil cultivators, wouldn’t be brought to auctions. But I remember it by heart and can personally pass on how to refine it!"

In his heart, Jiang Yuan thought, even if you teach me, I won’t be able to refine it. Fortunately, the old man is a perfect match for this task.

"While they’re still untainted, please could you write down all the formulas they possess, old teacher," Jiang Yuan added after some thought, "Including any cultivation techniques they can remember, regardless of whether they’re orthodox or evil techniques. I’m not picky."

Tian Cheng and Tian Kuo exchanged glances; with their twin bond, they understood each other’s thoughts instantly—once they laid out the most valuable formulas and techniques completely, their fate would surely be death!

But now, as prisoners, wouldn’t non-cooperation also mean death?

The younger brother, Tian Kuo, opened his mouth but cowered back, not daring to say a word. Seeing this, the older brother, Tian Cheng, couldn’t help rolling his eyes, loudly saying, "Friend, shouldn’t you at least follow some rules?

If you want our formulas and techniques, you should offer something in trade. If you can satisfy us, would you let my brother and me go? Even if we drift in the void, it’d be fine."

"Rules?" Jiang Yuan chuckled, "This is my territory, I am the rules."

He took a step forward, grabbed him and activated the Soul-Devouring Demon Technique!

[Lifespan +20 years]

[Lifespan +18 years]

......

This Tian Cheng wasn’t in a high realm, so he didn’t have much lifespan. In a few swift moments, his health bar was nearly depleted.

He let go, a slight smile on his lips, "Stop the nonsense, think carefully about what formulas and techniques you can offer up, or if your brother says something first, your credit will be stolen."

The feeling of life force quickly slipping away was not pleasant. Tian Cheng’s face was pale and he was extremely weak. As soon as the hand was released, he slumped in the net, pointing a trembling finger at him, terrified, "You—you are an evil cultivator! You’re using the legendary Soul-Devouring Demon Technique!"

At this, Tian Kuo nearly wet himself from fright.

During his descent into being an evil cultivator, he had heard that powerful evil cultivators were said to have an invincible evil technique called the Soul-Devouring Demon Technique. Once executed, it could devour a living creature’s lifespan, leaving the prey with no escape until absorbed into a dried corpse!

Huh? No, wait, why hasn’t brother turned into a corpse? Could there be a mistake?

"Evil cultivator? He’s an evil cultivator?" The old man was amused, the thought making him laugh more, "It’s really not wrong, have you ever seen a good person who raises aberrations?

Jiang not only raises them, but feeds and clothes me, found me a large compound to live in, and brought chess, cards, and strange stories to entertain me. His way of being an evil cultivator is far better than yours!"

Jiang Yuan opened a private channel to communicate with his teammate, secretly: "I’ll leave it to you, note how long it takes for him to become polluted and turn into an aberration, and see what special abilities he gains after becoming one. Our cooperation has just begun; gain experience to work more smoothly in the future."

"Leave it to me, hehehe..." The old man smiled kindly, combing his beard, sitting cross-legged in front of the terrified Tian Cheng, cheerfully said, "Young friend, if you don’t want to deliver the formulas and techniques, let’s talk about doctrines and scriptures. I enjoy that the most."

"I’ll say! I’ll say!" Tian Kuo, scared out of his wits, clawed at the net trying to get the old man’s attention to confess.

The twins didn’t know much, having only heard about aberrations but never truly seen one.

After being captured, it was hit after hit, his head buzzing. When his brother screamed out about the "Soul-Devouring Demon Technique," Tian Kuo was scared out of his mind. Then hearing the old man mention ’raising aberrations,’ he gradually realized that there was no spiritual energy, only a filthy atmosphere here, and understood the kindly old man in front of him wasn’t human at all!

In all the rumors, aberrations possessed terrifying contamination capabilities, even tribulation crossing cultivators were destined, without purification methods, to be polluted into terrifying aberrations sooner or later.

"Old gentleman, I will confess the formulas now, not missing a word!" Tian Cheng sensed himself teetering on the brink of death, now weakened to the point that even a five or six-year-old child could easily kill him.

Experiencing painful retribution for resistance, he couldn’t let his brother get the jump on him again, or he’d die on the spot!

The old man knew the task was to test his own contamination capability, unhurriedly taking out paper and pen, relaxedly saying, "Speak slowly, don’t rush, I’m old and have to write the formula one word at a time, there’s no hurry."

Realizing he couldn’t win against his brother, Tian Kuo grew more desperate and panicked, unable to articulate clearly. His mouth seemed beyond his control, struggling to move the overexcited and stiff muscles, producing only muffled sounds.

"Given the chance and not making use of it, I won’t be polite then, hand over your lifespan!" Jiang Yuan grabbed him and frantically absorbed his lifespan.

"Save, save me!" Tian Kuo struggled but couldn’t escape that hand, his lifespan rapidly slipping away, leaving him weak as air when released.

The old man sat between the two, unhurriedly writing, with contaminating air continuously emanating, enveloping the brothers.

Jiang Yuan sat nearby, remotely handling workshop matters in the small courtyard while silently timing it all.

He had never seen a living person turn into an aberration and was eager for the grand spectacle.

As time went by, around five minutes later, while reciting a cultivation technique, Tian Cheng suddenly shook, stopped speaking, and began breathing heavily. His face grew increasingly pale, he abruptly choked his own neck, thrashing on the ground as if he couldn’t breathe, yet unable to make a sound.

"It has begun!" The old man watched intently, his voice slightly trembling, "I recall vaguely it being just like this... I remember, it was uncomfortable but not painful, like something was fiercely drilling into the body. Then it would turn into a gel-like mass, yes! This is how I became an aberration!"

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but grin; though there was no sound, the body language suggested curse words abound.

It wasn’t over yet, as Tian Kuo also began suffering contamination mutation.

Fortunately, the overall speed was fairly fast, approximately two minutes later, system details popped up, awarding the evil cultivator twins new life as sliceable aberrations, their health bars instantly filled!

The old man turned his head towards him, seriously saying, "Jiang, it seems your Soul-Devouring Demon Technique is quite effective.

Earlier, when the two arrived, despite being doubly contaminated by me and the environment, nothing happened for a long time. Apparently, ordinary cultivators, even without cultivation purification methods, have some resistance.

But after you took their lifespan, making them weak, the contamination speed was rapid!

Let’s follow this process and standard going forward. You first weaken their lifespan, then I move forward to contaminate them, and we get newly remade aberrations."

Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement, "Indeed, this way those who deserve death most can be put to use, at least doing a bit for their yin virtue."

Saying this, he revealed the Soul Hook, preparing for the second experiment.