txolops Chapter 357 Body Refining Breakthrough
Chapter 357 Body Refining Breakthrough
Luo Ming stared at the golden pill with a complex expression, muttering to himself, "Barbarian... this time, I owe you a huge favor."
Thinking of this, he remembered that cunning old fox, Qingyi Jushi, and shook his head with a wry smile:
"Given that old man's cautious nature, he's probably already hidden away in some remote corner to cultivate in seclusion, and he would never easily get involved in the battle between the Star Palace and the Reverse Star Alliance."
Composing himself, Luo Ming no longer hesitated, picked up the "Imperial Essence Pill," and swallowed it.
The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed down his throat and spread throughout his body. Immediately afterwards, a powerful, pure, yet incredibly gentle medicinal force, like a revitalizing torrent, erupted within Luo Ming's body!
Wherever the medicine went, the damaged meridians, bones, and internal organs felt as if they had been parched for a long time and had received sweet rain. They experienced waves of numbness, itching, and comfort, and began to repair and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye! Furthermore, a pure primordial energy nourished his nearly depleted blood and spirit.
Luo Ming quickly composed himself, activated the "Myriad Spirits Blood Technique," and guided the immense medicinal power to methodically repair every wound on his body.
Time slipped away quietly on this deserted island.
In the blink of an eye, ten days have passed.
Luo Ming, who was sitting cross-legged in a simple cave, slowly opened his eyes.
He exhaled a long breath of turbid air with a faint fishy smell, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, his face regained its rosy color, and although there was still no fluctuation of magic power in his aura, the powerful, vigorous, and life-full aura of a body-refining cultivator had been fully restored, and was even better than before!
He looked down at his arms and chest. The horrific wounds that had previously been deep enough to expose bone and torn flesh were now completely healed, leaving only faint, pinkish traces of new flesh, indicating that he had suffered severe damage not long ago.
With unobstructed meridians, strong internal organs, and surging blood and qi, the previous feeling of weakness has been swept away.
"What a magnificent 'Imperial Essence Pill'! No wonder it's a healing elixir cherished even by Nascent Soul cultivators! Its effects are truly miraculous!"
Luo Ming stretched his limbs, feeling the long-lost sense of fullness in his body, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
He estimated that the medicinal power he absorbed and refined was probably less than one-tenth of the total medicinal power of this pill! Most of the medicinal power was still settled in his limbs and bones, integrated into his blood and marrow, continuously nourishing and strengthening his physical body.
It's important to know that the "Royal Essence Pill" is refined from the essence of a level seven demonic beast, and its main effects go far beyond just healing. It is also a top-tier body-refining pill, capable of greatly enhancing the user's blood, strength, physical resilience, and recovery abilities!
"I didn't expect this pill to be so potent and long-lasting; most of its medicinal power has settled and not yet dissipated..."
A thoughtful glint flashed in Luo Ming's eyes, then brightened. "My physical injuries have now healed, and my body refinement cultivation has improved considerably under the stimulation of the 'Myriad Spirits Blood Technique' and the nourishment of the medicinal power, reaching the bottleneck of the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation... Perhaps, I can take this opportunity to use the remaining vast medicinal power to try and break through to the late-stage Core Formation realm of the 'Myriad Spirits Blood Technique'!"
This thought warmed his heart. A breakthrough in body refinement could also bring a huge increase in strength, especially since he had now lost all his magic power, and his powerful physical body would become his main reliance.
This near-death experience greatly stimulated the body's potential, and with the nourishment of top-tier pills like the "Royal Essence Pill," the cultivation of the "Myriad Spirits Blood Technique" became exceptionally smooth.
Luo Ming felt his blood and qi surging like dragons within his body, showing faint signs of breaking through his cultivation barrier. He couldn't help but sigh, "Does a body-refining cultivator really need to constantly teeter on the edge of life and death and temper themselves if they want to make rapid progress?"
This idea is somewhat crazy, but it's not entirely without merit. The path of body refinement inherently emphasizes practical combat and tempering; under extreme pressure, it often unleashes deeper potential.
Without further delay, he closed his eyes again, calmed his mind, and fully activated the "Myriad Spirits Blood Technique," guiding the vast and boundless medicinal power of the "Imperial Essence Pill" within his body to transform into a surging torrent, launching a fierce attack on that invisible, solid bottleneck that was hindering his physical body from advancing any further!
His blood and qi roared like a surging river. His bones emitted subtle popping sounds, his muscle fibers tore and reformed repeatedly, becoming even more resilient, and a faint dark golden light flowed across his skin, a sign that his physical strength had been further enhanced.
Two months later, Luo Ming closed his eyes, and his blood and qi surged violently like a furnace, emitting a low rumble like a river eroding its banks.
The blood was as viscous as mercury, and as it surged through the blood vessels, it faintly shimmered with a dark golden luster, radiating a terrifyingly powerful force and a heavy sense of oppression, making the air in the cramped cave seem to stagnate and become heavier.
"Buzz!"
A sudden surge of crimson light erupted from Luo Ming's body! He abruptly opened his eyes, a flash of crimson lightning seeming to streak across the depths of his pupils. He then brought his right hand together, palm facing upwards, and the vast, boundless power of his blood and qi instantly converged and compressed wildly towards his right palm!
"Hiss hiss hiss—!"
A piercing, teeth-grinding sound, like metal being compressed and rubbed to its extreme, filled the air. A sharp "blade," only a foot long, condensed to the point of being almost tangible, and entirely dark blood-red, slowly condensed and took shape above his palm!
Although this "blood blade" is small, it exudes a terrifying sharpness that stings the soul, as if it can cut through all obstacles in the world!
"cut!"
Luo Ming roared, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. His right palm, now condensed into a "blood blade," swept across the cave wall ahead with a seemingly casual yet mysterious trajectory!
"Whoosh—!!!"
A condensed, dazzling, and massive crimson blade of light, tens of feet long, burst forth from the edge of his palm. Like tearing cloth, it easily ripped through the air, carrying an aura of resolute destruction, and slammed fiercely into the thick stone wall above!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a faint, almost inaudible "swoosh" sound, like a sharp blade cutting through tofu.
next moment--
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The stone wall struck by the blood-red blade light, along with the thick rock layers dozens of feet behind it, and the entire mountain hundreds of feet high covering it above,
It was as if it had been cleaved in two by the sharpest divine weapon, and along the trajectory of the blade, a huge crack, over ten feet wide with smooth, mirror-like edges, stretched straight to the sky!
Sunlight streamed down from the top of the crack, illuminating the smoke and dust filling the cave and reflecting Luo Ming's slightly panting face, which was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
This "blood blade" strike actually cleaved the small mountain he was standing on in two, from its belly to its summit! Its terrifying power and thorough destruction were no less than the full-force strike of an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
Luo Ming looked up at the long-lost blue light streaming through the cracks above him, and then at the smooth, mirror-like, hundred-foot-high shearing rock walls on either side. A joyful and happy smile finally appeared on his face.
"Haha! I never expected that with my current breakthrough in the late Core Formation stage of the 'Myriad Spirits Blood Technique,' my surging Qi and blood power, combined with my physical explosive techniques, to unleash the 'Yin Demon Slash' originating from the 'Mysterious Yin Scripture'... its power would reach such a terrifying level!"
Luo Ming was filled with excitement, feeling a slight soreness in the meridians of his right arm from the attack, but he was also overjoyed.
"The power of this strike is probably comparable to the sword formation strike of my natal magic weapon 'Xuanyuan Pearl' at full power! Moreover, it is faster and consumes only blood and qi, without requiring magic power to activate it."
"Unfortunately, the longer this technique takes to build up, the greater its power becomes. To reach the level just now, it would take several breaths to prepare, otherwise the meridians simply cannot withstand the short-term mobilization of blood and qi."
However, for him in his current state of having lost all his magical powers and relying solely on his physical body, this is undoubtedly a timely help, giving him an extra powerful trump card.
"However, the name 'Yin Demon Slash' is now completely devoid of evil energy when activated with blood and qi. Instead, it is domineering and fierce, making the name 'Yin Demon Slash' a misnomer."
Luo Ming pondered for a moment, then a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
"Since it uses blood and qi as its blade, possessing unparalleled sharpness, why not call it—'Blood Demon Slash'!"
High above the clouds, a massive, menacing, black-bodied flying ship with a terrifying demon face carved on its prow was cutting through the clouds at a considerable speed.
On the bow deck stood two figures. Both were dressed in black robes, and a sinister, ghostly aura swirled around them, clearly indicating that they were cultivators practicing demonic arts.
One of them, with a fleshy face and fierce eyes, was complaining to his companion, his tone full of dissatisfaction:
"Ever since our Ancestor and Young Island Master perished in the Void Heaven Palace, our Extreme Yin Island has been declining day by day, almost losing its head in the Inner Star Sea! Everyone's scrambling for territory and resources, working feverishly, while we've been sent to this godforsaken outer sea, supposedly to support Silver Shark Island? The journey is millions of miles! Don't even think about it for three or four years! And who knows how many storms and sea monsters we'll encounter along the way? It's truly the worst luck imaginable!"
The tall, thin cultivator with a sinister face beside him remained calm upon hearing this, glanced at his companion, and said indifferently:
"Junior brother, complaining is useless. Who told us that without a Nascent Soul Ancestor to oversee things on our Extreme Yin Island, we don't have much leverage in the alliance? This kind of arduous and distant task naturally falls on our shoulders. However, every cloud has a silver lining. Getting away from that meat grinder of the Inner Star Sea might not be a bad thing. At least, our lives are safe. And the journey is long, the sea is vast, and there might be opportunities...."
As he spoke, a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.
The burly man with a face full of scars lit up, licked his lips, and grinned maliciously: "Senior brother is right! We can't have come all this way for nothing. If we encounter some foolish high-level demonic beasts, or lone fat sheep... hehe, we can use them to refine our Hundred Soul Banner and make a fortune!"
The two were talking in hushed tones, and the tall, thin man seemed to be using his divine sense to explore the surrounding sea.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he abruptly turned his head, staring intently in the direction of the deserted island where Luo Ming was. His face instantly lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy, and he urgently said to the burly man beside him:
"Quickly! Report to the elder! A highly condensed and astonishingly powerful beam of blood-red light just shot into the sky from the left front, with considerable force! Judging from its spiritual pressure fluctuations, it's definitely not ordinary! Perhaps some rare and precious treasure has been unexpectedly created!"
"Bloodshed? The birth of a treasure?" Upon hearing this, the burly man with a face full of scars was greatly encouraged, and his eyes gleamed with greed.
"Alright! I'll report to the elders right away! If it's a treasure, it rightfully belongs to my Extreme Yin Island! If it's a cultivator... Hmph, in this desolate place in the outer sea, it's perfect for making an example of them!"
Having said that, he didn't hesitate any longer, turned around and hurriedly ran towards the cabin in the middle of the airship, his steps showing a bit of urgency.
The tall, thin man remained standing in place, his sinister eyes fixed on the direction of the deserted island where Luo Ming was.
A moment later, the giant, pitch-black, menacing airship, after receiving a message from its scouts that it had discovered "anomalies," trembled slightly and slowly adjusted its course, heading unhurriedly toward the deserted island where Luo Ming was.
At this moment, on the edge of the mountain fissure that split the deserted island in two, Luo Ming had already sensed the arrival of the flying boat and the undisguised Reverse Star Alliance insignia on the flying boat with his powerful divine sense, which was comparable to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Far from being alarmed, he instead revealed a strange smile on his face, a mixture of surprise and amusement.
"Judging from the design of this flying boat and the ghostly skull on the flag... they are cultivators from the Reverse Star Alliance, and most likely... from the Extreme Yin Island faction?" Luo Ming stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming.
"Truly... I've been searching high and low, only to find it right under my nose. Perfect timing, I was just completely clueless about where I am. Now that 'one of our own' has delivered himself to my doorstep, I can go over and have a 'friendly chat,' and while I'm at it... ask for directions."
His mind raced, and he instantly made a plan.
Since his appearance remains unchanged, even though he is currently in the open sea, there's no guarantee that his wanted poster from the Reverse Star Alliance or the Star Palace won't be leaked to him. For safety's sake, it would be best to change his appearance.
His facial muscles and bones twitched slightly, and with the help of the shape-changing technique in the "Azure Nether Scripture," he instantly transformed into a sallow-faced, weathered, and somewhat dull-looking middle-aged man, exuding the aura of a mere early-stage Core Formation cultivator.
After completing these disguises, Luo Ming calmly dusted himself off, stepped out from the crack in the mountain, and stood on a relatively open rocky beach at the edge of the island. He stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the approaching black giant ship on the horizon, and the three streaks of light of different colors shooting out from the giant ship.
The three streaks of light were fast; in just ten breaths, they had already swept across the sea and landed on a rocky beach dozens of feet away from Luo Ming. The light faded, revealing three cultivators.
The leader was an old man with a withered face, a goatee, wearing a gray Taoist robe, and sharp eyes like an eagle. His cultivation level had reached the late stage of Core Formation.
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