txolops Chapter 239 Mid-term Peak
Chapter 239 Mid-term Peak
The venomous dragon felt the intense yang energy that made him somewhat uncomfortable, and his eyes twitched slightly. The other party was using both soft and hard tactics! Although he, as a local strongman, wasn't afraid of the other party, he wouldn't offend a ninth-level demon cultivator of unknown strength over a wind spirit essence that was of little use to him.
It gave Luo Ming a deep look, then glanced at the beautiful but now meek female cultivator behind him, and finally laughed heartily, its laughter revealing little emotion: "Brother Ming, you're too kind! Since it was a misunderstanding, it's good that it's cleared up. Brother Ming, you're new here; if you need anything, you can find me at the 'Black Reef Dragon Abyss,' a million miles to the southeast. I won't disturb your recuperation any longer, Brother Ming. Farewell!"
Having said that, he didn't linger or try to catch the Wind Spirit Essence. A flash of blood-red light enveloped him, transforming him into a terrifying blood rainbow that whipped up a swirling, foul wind as he sped off towards the southeast, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye. He left so decisively.
Only when the blood-red rainbow completely disappeared from the edge of his divine sense did Luo Ming secretly breathe a sigh of relief, a slight sheen of cold sweat trickling down his back. Facing a true Transformation Stage demon cultivator, this level eight poisonous dragon, whose strength was comparable to that of an average mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, was under immense psychological pressure, despite his thorough preparation and flawless disguise.
"Master...Master?" Only now did Mingyue dare to speak in a low voice, her voice still trembling with the shock of surviving a calamity and disbelief. Looking at the tall, mountain-like figure in black robes before her, she felt that after sixteen years of seclusion, her master had become even more unfathomable, capable of even frightening away a demon cultivator in human form! Moreover... "Great Jin Ten Thousand Demon Valley," "Ming King"...when did her master acquire such identities?
Luo Ming turned around, his inscrutable "King Ming" demeanor vanishing, replaced by his usual expression, though a hint of seriousness remained in his eyes. He gently waved his hand, silencing Mingyue's questions: "We'll talk about it back on the island. That poisonous dragon might not fully trust us; it might still be spying on us."
"Yes, Master!" Mingyue nodded quickly, her voice trembling.
The master and disciple transformed into streaks of light and landed on the island. The heavy stone door slowly closed again, and layers of array lights shone, completely enveloping the cave.
Beneath the distant sea surface, a faint, blood-red phantom rippled slightly before sinking completely into the depths and disappearing from sight. It was none other than the Poisonous Dragon, who had returned, concealing its form and aura with a secret technique, and secretly observing for a moment.
"Ten Thousand Demon Valley... Ming King... Hmph, I'll trust you a little for now. However, in this Chaotic Star Sea, no matter how strong you are, you still have to be cautious..."
"This demon's origins are unknown, but its strength is formidable. If I hadn't fought that madman of the human race a while ago and been injured, I would definitely have investigated its strength. By the way, Brother Feng has been active in the vicinity recently. If he knew that this demon has a female human cultivator with the Wind Spirit Root under his command, he would surely be interested and able to find out its true strength!" In the icy vertical pupils of the Poisonous Dragon, fierce light and doubt intertwined, eventually turning into a deep and inscrutable expression.
Inside the quiet chamber of the cave, spiritual energy filled the air. Luo Ming sat cross-legged on a futon, not immediately adjusting his breathing, but first slowly closing his eyes and introspecting on himself.
Within the dantian, a fist-sized, entirely... The golden elixir, with its restrained color, was slowly rotating with a mysterious rhythm.
The surface of the Golden Core was no longer purely golden-white or azure, but instead shimmered with five colors: gold, azure, blue, crimson, and yellow. These colors intertwined and continuously generated, forming a tiny yet perfect cycle of the Five Elements. The crimson light, in particular, though still the weakest, had solidified and remained tightly connected to the other four colors. Each rotation of the Golden Core absorbed and released a massive amount of pure Five Elements spiritual energy, its power far exceeding that of ordinary Core Formation cultivators, even faintly touching upon a certain limit.
Within his meridians, magical power flowed like a mighty river, vast and surging, pure and refined, with faint sounds of wind and thunder emanating from its circulation. Looking inward with his divine sense, he found that his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness had expanded several times compared to before his seclusion. His divine sense was so refined it was almost tangible; with the slightest thought, it could cover an area of nearly 130 miles in radius, revealing every detail. His control over his own magical power and physical body had reached an almost microscopic level.
"Peak of the mid-stage Core Formation... His foundation is probably no less solid than those old guys who have been immersed in the late-stage Core Formation for hundreds of years." Luo Ming's mind was clear. He slowly opened his eyes, his eyes shining brightly, then he calmed them down, turning them into a deep pool of calm.
Recalling a year ago, with the help of the island's spiritual veins and a large number of high-grade spirit stones, he cultivated diligently and tirelessly, finally achieving success and pushing his cultivation to the mid-stage of Core Formation. As soon as his realm stabilized, he did not hesitate to take out the "Wood Spirit Holy Embryo," which had been nourished by pure wood spiritual energy in the center of the Spirit Gathering Cauldron for more than ten years, becoming increasingly verdant and vibrant, its vitality almost overflowing.
The refining process went more smoothly and was even more awe-inspiring than expected. What the sacred embryo contained was not only the vast and pure spiritual power of the Wood element, but also the origin of the innate Wood spirit.
When this power completely merged with his already achieved "Flame Wood Body," it was as if parched earth had received a timely rain from the heavens, or as if a dormant volcano had found an outlet to erupt. There's always a story waiting for you to uncover. Having just advanced to the mid-stage of Core Formation, he began to climb at an unprecedented speed! Finally, a month ago, when he reached the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation, he exhausted all his energy.
It should be noted that Luo Ming's Golden Core was seven or eight times larger than that of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator. Moreover, due to his extremely deep foundation, he consumed even more spiritual energy than an ordinary cultivator. If an ordinary cultivator were to refine that Holy Embryo, which had been strengthened by the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, it would probably allow them to directly advance to the late-stage Perfect Core Formation realm. However, for Luo Ming, it merely saved him the equivalent of thirty years of arduous cultivation in this spirit stone mine.
He originally thought he could try to break through to the late stage of Core Formation directly, but he discovered a problem.
Although the magical power he gained from refining the sacred embryo was not superficial, it was not something he had refined bit by bit himself. Therefore, his divine sense could not control this magical power as easily as he controlled his own limbs. He knew very well that if he forced himself to advance to the late stage of Core Formation in this state, it would cause instability in his realm and affect his future advancement.
For the past month, he has been focusing on honing his magical power, repeatedly refining it with his divine sense, hoping to gain complete control over this surging magical power as soon as possible.
"If it weren't for the stroke of luck a month ago, when I refined that 'Wood Spirit Holy Embryo' that had been nurtured in the Spirit Gathering Cauldron for over a decade, causing my cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds to the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation realm, and my divine sense to also increase significantly... I'm afraid that under the repeated probing of that poisonous dragon's divine sense just now, I might not have been able to conceal myself so flawlessly, and the intense demonic aura created by the 'Demon Simulation Technique' would hardly have had such a soul-shaking effect." Luo Ming muttered to himself, with a hint of emotion.
"The Sacred Wood Spirit Embryo... a creation of heaven and earth, truly monstrous!"
"If only I could get another one..." The thought had barely formed in Luo Ming's mind when he shook his head self-deprecatingly and extinguished it. On the path of cultivation, opportunities and luck are of paramount importance, yet they are also the most elusive and unpredictable.
To obtain a complete Wood Spirit Embryo is already an incredible stroke of luck, consuming countless blessings. Insatiable greed risks incurring divine wrath. Moreover, such a spiritual object is extremely rare; to encounter even one is defying the heavens, let alone daring to hope for a second.
"Good fortune may be lurking within misfortune..." Luo Ming's gaze narrowed slightly as he looked out of the cave, as if he could see through the stone walls and formations to the direction the venomous dragon had gone. "Having just broken through and greatly increased his strength, he just happened to run into a passing venomous dragon... Is it a coincidence, or some kind of balance in the dark?"
That poisonous dragon was an eighth-level demonic beast, equivalent to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm of a human cultivator. However, the dragon race was powerful, and this poisonous dragon could be regarded as a human cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Luo Ming could only match his opponent in terms of spiritual sense. If his opponent discovered his true strength, he would have no choice but to flee for his life, and even then, he might not be able to escape in this vast ocean.
After all, in the past, when he was being hunted by human cultivators, he could rely on the Xuan Turtle's ability to hide in the water and escape from the deep sea. However, when facing a transformed dragon, the Xuan Turtle's underwater hiding ability was not enough.
While the Wind-Escape Shuttle is incredibly fast for a short time, it consumes a great deal of wind-attribute spirit stones. If he runs out of wind-attribute spirit stones and still can't shake off his opponent, then what will happen to him...?
"The venomous dragon seemed to have retreated, but the doubt and greed in its eyes remained. Its last mention of 'Black Reef Abyss' seemed like an invitation, but it was actually a test, or perhaps a trap. It may not entirely believe in my identity as the 'King of Ten Thousand Demon Valley.' It might be secretly watching me from somewhere right now, or mobilizing its forces to investigate my background." Luo Ming was meticulous and analyzed several possibilities in an instant.
"This place... is no longer a place to linger." He made his decision. Being targeted by a demon cultivator in human form, even if it's just suspicion, is like being next to a volcano, facing imminent annihilation. Continuing to stay on this island in seclusion is too risky.
To be honest, Luo Ming was really reluctant to leave this island. With the abundance of high-grade spirit stones inside, and with his resources, he could probably reach the Nascent Soul stage in a few decades.
As for advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, it is a hurdle for all cultivators, and even those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots cannot avoid it.
Although he had already swallowed a Heaven-Mending Pill, and after several decades when the effects of the medicine were fully digested, his overall spiritual root refining efficiency would be second only to that of a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator. However, he was still not very confident that he could successfully advance to the Nascent Soul stage.
Therefore, he was extremely envious of the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng in the Void Heaven Palace, and he was prepared to get a share of it.
Having made up his mind, Luo Ming no longer hesitated. A faint blue light flashed around him, and his figure darted out of the cave like a ghost, avoiding all the visible restrictions on the island, heading straight for the underground mine in the heart of the island.
Over the years, the Black Tortoise and the Azure Dragon have been his main forces in mining spirit stones. Relying on the Black Tortoise's earth-elemental supernatural powers and the Azure Dragon's immense strength, they have worked tirelessly for more than a decade, almost emptying out one of the main branches of this giant spirit stone mine, accumulating countless high-grade spirit stones.
As they ventured deeper underground, thousands of feet below the surface, the surrounding spiritual energy grew increasingly dense, and they could even see scattered fragments of spirit stones gleaming with a lustrous sheen.