Chapter 384: Lifeforce

“Everyone can use their lifeforce to heal themselves,” Cia Jie said with a sigh. “It is just that no one around here has realized how to do so yet.”

Thinking for a bit Hui Yue nodded his head. Everyone had a specific amount of lifeforce; this could be increased by breaking through into a higher rank, or by eating specific pills that increased one’s longevity.

When one was severely injured, it could also affect one’s lifeforce, therefore it made sense that people should somehow be able to use their lifeforce to heal. It was after all an energy source every living creature possessed.

‘It is somewhat the same as blood essence,’ Lan Feng mentioned. ‘Do you remember how I told you that to create blood essence you need to use the purest of your energy which is hidden deep within your Qi swirl, your spiritual energy sea, and your Wu Wei core? This energy also requires your lifeforce; however, using it will not damage your lifeforce unless you use too much of it.

“So what are you planning on doing now?” Hui Yue asked Cai Jie.

“I need a few days, and then I will go hunt for some herbs to increase my longevity. I am not able to break through as I am now,” He said honestly, but although he was quite certain about his plans, Hui Yue knew that it was highly unlikely for him to be successful in finding any herbs or pills that would increase his longevity as he would die before then from running out of lifeforce.

‘Stop thinking so much!’ Lan Feng suddenly said. His voice had a haughty ring to it as always when he was about to say something he considered smart. ‘You just merged with the witch and got her abilities. You absorbed a whole lot of lifeforce when fighting the Saints in the grave and although you’ve tried using some of it, try to see if it is possible for you to merge your lifeforce with another person to prolong their life.’

It was not that Hui Yue had not considered this before, it was just that he was not certain how to do it. Unlike the monk and the wolf, he did not have specific abilities for lifeforce; everything seemed to be more natural, more like having a flood of energy within his body that he was free to control.

He felt that the lifeforce he absorbed had merged with his own, prolonging his life by thousands of years. However, this energy was also the energy he needed to use to heal and attack other’s lifeforce.

These things were considered the easy parts of being a witch. To absorb lifeforce required nothing more than being close to a person who died and then the lifeforce would naturally flow into the body of the witch.

When a witch absorbed lifeforce, this energy would naturally merge with their own lifeforce, and when it did, it would increase one’s overall strength. It would make their body able to regenerate almost any wound. As long as one had enough lifeforce, that person would be able to regenerate from even just one drop of blood.

These were the basics of being a witch. Nevertheless, there were other uses of lifeforce as well. When he became skilled at manipulating lifeforce, he would have the ability to drain his enemies making them visibly age in front of him; this could even cause their death if not stopped.

He could use his lifeforce to attack and to defend depending on how skilled he was in manipulating it. It also increased his strength and was capable of increasing the life of his friends as well as healing others. To heal others, he needed to be capable of manipulating lifeforce well enough to merge it with his friend’s lifeforce. While using the energy to heal others or to restore other’s health he would use up double the amount of lifeforce than if he healed himself.

So if he gave four hundred years worth of lifeforce to Cai Jie, it would only turn into two hundred years of longevity for him.

Although it was a big waste to heal others, Hui Yue still wanted to help Cai Jie, his only problem was that he was uncertain how to do so.

“Let me try something,” He finally said after having been quiet for a long time. Cai Jie, who was waiting patiently while watching the thinking Hui Yue, nodded his head. Placing the small black and white fox from his shoulder to the ground, Hui Yue moved towards his friend.

“Sit up and let me see your back,” He said as he placed his palms on Cai Jie’s back. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and started to look for the strange new energy which he had felt flowing within his veins.

It took him an astonis.h.i.+ng ten minutes to once more locate his lifeforce, and as he did, he was fully focused on moving this energy to his palms. Afterwards he forced the energy through his hands and into the body next to him. But it did not end here. Although he had pushed his energy into Cai Jie’s back, he needed to forcefully rotate it through his meridians before the energy would slowly start to vanish. When the energy vanished, it meant that it had merged with Cai Jie’s own lifeforce.

Hui Yue moved fifty years of lifeforce at a time, resulting in an increase of twenty-five years of life for Cai Jie. He repeated the same action four times until Cai Jie had gained an extra hundred years of longevity while Hui Yue lost two hundred years.

All Cai Jie felt was his body suddenly becoming more and more vigorous, though Hui Yue felt quite weaker than he had been moments before. Not only did his body feel more sluggish, but he could also feel that he needed to use more of his internal energies to form his attacks. This feeling of losing power was something which caused him to be baffled. It was an experience he did not enjoy at all.

While Hui Yue was busy checking his body and seeing how much damage he had taken, Cai Jie was dumbfounded as he felt his body fill with energy. So much energy that he was even more energized than he had been when he was at his peak.

“How did you do that?” He asked astonished as he looked at Hui Yue with wide eyes and surprise on his face. Jumping up from the bed he noticed that his friend no longer seemed too energetic, and allowed for Hui Yue to lay down on the bed he had just left.

“Sorry, I am just a bit dizzy,” He said but only moments afterward his eyes slowly closed and he fell into a deep sleep. As soon as he had laid down on the bed, the black and white fox jumped onto the bed and rolled into a furry ball on top of his chest. She closed her eyes falling asleep on top of her new master.

A few hours pa.s.sed before Hui Yue finally woke up. His body was no longer fatigued, but now filled with energy once more. Although it was not as overwhelmingly vigorous as he had been before, Hui Yue was still stronger than before he had not acquired more lifeforce. He still had around four hundred years worth of lifeforce absorbed from the Saints he had killed.

“I need to find another way to harvest lifeforce,” Hui Yue mumbled to himself as he slowly stood up, only to see something drop to the floor while a yelp was heard. Looking at the ground, he found an indignant little fox who was yapping at him.

“Sorry,” He grinned as he picked up the fox once more and together they left the chamber.

Cai Jie had vanished somewhere, but Hui Yue a.s.sumed that he had disappeared into the city to ensure that no more Crusaders were present.

Walking through the house, Hui Yue found that neither Lao, Jo, nor w.a.n.g Ju Long were present. Neither were any of the other experts he usually spent time with and slightly confused he left the house to enter the park behind it. There he found w.a.n.g Ju Long seated on the green gra.s.s together with Lao and Jo, the three of them apparently cultivating.

Hui Yue could not help but laugh as he looked at these three people who were all working hard together and with silent steps he reached his three friends. He sat down and decided to cultivate together with the; this was his family, this was a place he felt at peace.

Thinking this, Hui Yue’s mind started to wander. He thought about his little brother whom he had left back in the village together with his parents. The three of them had a much better life now that he had given them so many gifts and money. Even so, he felt some pain in his heart as he wished to go visit them.

‘I wonder when Sha Yun will be home,’ Hui Yue suddenly thought. ‘I haven’t seen her since they left the chamber at Heaven’s door.’ He pondered, but he was not worried. She was with a strong group of experts, and she, herself, was incredibly strong. She would return to him sooner or later when it fitted her.

Sighing, he emptied his mind of all his thoughts, and instead, focused on steadying his breathing. He focused on his surroundings and slowly the energy around them started to swirl as it rushed into Hui Yue’s body.

As he absorbed the energy, he could not help but notice that although the majority was still Yang energy, some of the energy he absorbed was also Yin energy. It had been impossible for him to previously absorb Yin energy unless it was at night, however, this time he could absorb some of it.

‘What’s going on?’ He wondered, but suddenly the answer hit him. He had merged with the witch, and now he had a soul which was both male and female. It was only natural that some of the energy he absorbed was Yin energy, but once more the change made him sigh in confusion. The more he thought about it, the more he decided not to worry. Although his soul had changed time and time again, he was still himself.

‘Well, no need to complain about it since I am benefitting in more than one way,’ He thought as he once more returned to cultivating.

The sun was high in the sky while the four people sat together, cultivating. The servants were all smiling and happy as they saw how Hui Yue and w.a.n.g Ju Long were seated with their kids.

As night descended upon them, Hui Yue was the first to open his eyes. Looking at Jo and Lao he found that Lao was one with the world; his senses were already combined with nature.

Looking at Lao, Hui Yue realized that he had not asked about which elemental affinity the young boy had. ‘I better have a conversation with him after this,’ he thought to himself as he gently stroked Huli’s fur. He was not going to awaken either Jo or Lao as he understood how important their current cultivation was.

Although Jo was far from being as talented as Lao, she was still talented enough to be considered a genius, and Hui Yue was once more grateful that he had taken in the two children. Closing his eyes he kept petting Huli while he enjoyed the quietness around him and enjoyed watching both w.a.n.g Ju Long and the two children working hard by his side.