Sage’s Qi nature was still slightly geared towards the wood element because of the Seed of Life and the Life Nebula technique that was the core of his cultivation. The vast majority of Qi Techniques were related to the usage of elemental natured Qi, weapons, or a combination of the two. There were plenty of new wood related techniques that he could have studied, but many of them were only variations upon the moves he already used. Wood related techniques were enduring and persistent, reflecting the ability of plants to grow in all sorts of places and conditions. The combination of the Sacred Banyan, Parasitic Roots, and the Winter Lotus was already enough to cover his needs for altering the battlefield and enhancing his two Primal Laws.

Sage learned many other techniques over the first few years as he detoured from the material section of the library to copy down all the restricted techniques first. After that was done he went back to the material section to continue tracking down information on the Ghostwood Tree. While searching for information on the tree, he sorted through all the techniques on the Inner World. Teams were assigned to categorize and study the different techniques, so that others could then use them as research projects later. During this process, Sage came upon a pair of techniques that had earned their place in the restricted section for very good reason.

They were both strange and dangerous, the first more dangerous to others while the second was harmful to oneself. The first came from the ‘Advancing Infernal Manual’ which was quite vague as a name, but very recognizable in use. It was not a Qi Cultivation Technique, but it was more than a simple Qi Technique. Qi Cultivation Techniques were the basis of one’s cultivation and was a blueprint for how Qi was purified and generated in the body while Qi Techniques were merely methods of using that Qi, mostly changing its shape and subtle effect on the world. The Advancing Infernal Manual was sort of an intermediate step. It wasn’t a way to purify or generate Qi, but instead a sort of filter that transformed Qi into a different state. This transformed Qi could still be used with other Qi Techniques, which made it very unusual. In fact it quite reminded Sage of the way a Heavenly Material worked, changing Qi into a different state.

It almost seemed like it was too good to be true, but it came with quite a downside. The Advancing Infernal Manual transformed Qi into ‘Infernal Qi’ which, as the name implied, was very volatile. Infernal Qi took a semi-physical form like Earth or Wood techniques, but it appeared as fleshy bodily constructs. Worse yet, these fleshy constructs appeared partially flayed and dripping gore. They were also very inefficient energy wise creating less material with lower toughness than those made by wood, earth, or metal powers. Not only did the Infernal Qi create gruesome disgusting shapes, they were weaker than other options.

It was no wonder this wasn’t a popular technique among the world, especially considering its unique feature: Infernal Force. Anything that came into contact with the Infernal Qi constructs would be affected by this Infernal Force which slowly acts upon their minds, tainting them to grow more violent and sinister over time. Normally Sage would want nothing to do with such a disgusting thing, but it synergized with the Primal Law of Corruption to a great degree. It had much higher compatibility than the Parasitic Roots did and it could still be used with the Parasitic Roots technique at the same time. Upon practicing the technique, it was just as gross as advertised. While the direct strength of the techniques using Infernal Qi were weaker, the power of laws was much greater which led to a more powerful end result.

If it was just this, Sage still might not be swayed to use such a gruesome technique, but the synergy between it and the second technique was unquestionable. The Order of Blood’s Cursed Embrace. As the name suggested, this technique came from an ancient order that was summarily destroyed with only this technique remaining as their final legacy. It was also locked in the restricted section and prevented from spreading because the ‘Cursed’ in its name was not just for show. The Order of Blood’s Cursed Embrace was also not a normal Qi Technique as once it was practiced, it could never be stopped. Another weird technique, it altered the meridians, the channels that Qi traveled upon. It also affected a cultivator at a fundamental level, as even if their body was destroyed and they created a new one, the Order of Blood’s Cursed Embrace would remain. Its effect was also unlike anything Sage had seen. It was easy to describe, but hard to explain. Quite simply, the more ‘evil’ blood was in the body, the more powerful the user became.

It wasn’t a measure of Yin energy, like the Silver Yin Lightning, but a literal gauge of evil. Somehow it not only measured the ‘evil’ inside blood, but also used it as a source of strength to boost a cultivator in every aspect. The more evil the Cultivator was, the more powerful they would become. It was no surprise that such a thing would be confined to the restricted section, and its creators would be utterly wiped out. Thankfully, this power was not without cost. This ‘evil’ blood not only strengthened the user, but also wore them down. The stronger they became the faster their body would break down, rapidly burning through their lifespan. The Order of Blood had likely become a scourge, committing great evils to boost their power rapidly, only to die just as quickly.

None of these traits of the Cursed Embrace sounded appealing, but there was still one important factor. The evil blood didn’t just have to be the users. It also functioned upon other blood that the user consumed. This was in fact the originally intended use, using the blood of the wicked to hunt other evils. Used in this way the evil blood would be burned away to power the boost in strength. This temporary strength boost then became a consumable resource and also prevented the Cultivator from aging rapidly. The problem seemed to be the difficulty of hunting evil for a temporary boost versus the ease of committing evil for a permanent enhancement.

This second avenue opened a route for Sage to make use of the technique. He had never considered himself a great hero, or a moral example for others. At the same time, he also did his best to keep from committing evil acts without reason. As long as he could continue to maintain this mindset, then it should be possible for him to keep from being destroyed by the Cursed Embrace.

The synergy between these techniques and his Corruption Law was just too great for him to ignore. Infernal Qi could create evil blood within others, which could then be consumed by the Cursed Embrace. Sage would never wish to follow this path as his only option. Wouldn’t inciting evil within others count as doing evil himself? On the other hand, since it was only one of many options available to him, then corrupting the minds of those who were already out to kill him did not seem that bad. If they were already villains, then what did it matter if they were a little more demonic before he wiped them out?

Sage didn’t take these two techniques on without proper caution. They spent decades researching them carefully before he finally made the decision to commit. Using Infernal Qi was merely an option he could use, so the real issue was whether or not he could use the Order of Blood’s Cursed Embrace. Eventually, he chose to go through with it and was relieved to find out that the evil in his own blood was not enough to cause him any great harm. There was some damage, which didn’t surprise him as he felt it would be quite difficult for a person to be perfectly sinless, but the natural healing ability he’d acquired from his beast body was enough to counter it.