txolops Chapter 38 Stepping into the Earth Immortal Realm
Chapter 38 Stepping into the Earth Immortal Realm
The blood and qi rushed up first, like a pot of molten iron heated to its limit, forcefully surging through the meridians to the limbs and bones. The next instant, the dark red mist surging in the acupoints also poured in, drilling into the mouth, nose, pores, and acupoints all over the body, rushing straight to the dantian and spine.
Huang Chen's shoulders and back arched suddenly, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood.
The blood fell to the ground, hissing and steaming.
The cave was already scorching hot, and now it felt as if something had set it ablaze. Rocks rolled, sparks flew, and the entire half-collapsed cave reverberated softly.
"Oh shit……"
Huang Chen gritted his teeth, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
He didn't move.
At this critical juncture, there is no room for retreat.
That sudden movement loosened the door.
Now, if you lose your strength, the backlash from enduring the previous hardships, the hidden injuries accumulated during the bloody battle, and the feedback from the system rewards will all backfire and turn into a mess within your body.
He took a deep breath of the hot air, which smelled of blood and earth fire, and forcibly calmed his mind. With a focused thought, he directly activated the system panel.
A pale golden light curtain unfolded before my eyes.
There's still a lot of karma left.
This was what he had accumulated after slaying the Blood Valley Demon and a host of other villains. A lot.
It's also too hot to handle. If it's not quickly transformed into a real trump card, keeping it on your person is just a pile of kindling that could set you on fire at any moment.
Huang Chen glanced at the mall and tapped the air with his fingertip.
Exchange - "The Ancient Body Forging Scripture (Volume 3)".
Further exchange—essential for completing the intermediate-level Witch Clan Battle Body, a key bloodline catalyst.
The two notifications appeared almost simultaneously.
[Ding! Exchange successful, consuming Karma Points!]
】
[Ding! The Ancient Body Forging Scripture (Volume 3) has been distributed!]
】
[Ding! The key bloodline catalyst has been issued!]
】
The next moment, a large number of obscure and difficult scriptures, patterns, and body-tempering routes pierced Huang Chen's mind like red-hot iron needles.
pain.
It hurts more than being stabbed.
His vision went black, his temples throbbed, and his ears were ringing.
It felt like someone was smashing open his skull with a giant hammer and stuffing in scrolls of ancient, blood-stained scriptures.
Immediately afterwards, another, even more ruthless force exploded from within his body.
That crucial bloodline catalyst was not some gentle medicinal liquid at all.
It was like a drop of primordial, ferocious blood that had been sealed for countless years. As soon as it entered his limbs and bones, it rushed towards his entire body with extremely violent power of rejection and reshaping.
Click.
Click click.
Huang Chen's shoulder blades were the first to make a popping sound, like popping beans.
Then, there's the sternum, the ribs, the spine, and the arms.
The old scars on his shoulders and back, which had been shattered by the Heavenly Mirror last time, exploded first. Then came the hidden damage to his tendons and bones from the fierce battle with the Black Tiger Demon General, the meridian injuries caused by the demonic poison during the fight with the Green Python Demon General, the stagnation in his lungs caused by the Black Scale Demon King's snake tail, and the scorching wounds that had burned into his bones by the flames of the Crimson Flame Demon King...
Normally, he suppresses it, relying on pills and his battle physique to tough it out, and looks like nothing's wrong.
This breakthrough brought everything to the surface.
Huang Chen shuddered, and cold sweat instantly streamed down his forehead.
It felt as if countless tiny knives were cutting through the skin and flesh simultaneously, or as if red-hot iron hooks were tearing and pulling at the meridians inch by inch.
He let out a low growl and slammed his hands onto the ground.
He pressed his fingers into the hard rock, leaving deep dents.
"Open it... for me!"
The Ancient God and Demon Technique is in operation.
The methods in Volumes One, Two, and Three of the "Ancient Body Forging Scripture" are interconnected, forming a more complete and domineering body forging path within his body than before.
He frantically devoured the remaining pure earth vein energy in the spiritual cave.
That aura was not gentle; it still carried the malevolent scent accumulated by Blood Valley over the years. For an ordinary cultivator, inhaling it would be tantamount to suicide.
However, Huang Chen is currently following the path of suppressing alien forces with his physical body and refining them through regeneration. The fiercer and more intense the attack, the more suitable it is for breaking through barriers.
Dark red spiritual mist surged in, enveloping his body.
Dark gold patterns gradually appeared on his arms, neck, and chest.
At first, it was fragmented.
Soon it spread from the collarbone to the shoulders and back, and then from the spine to the waist and abdomen, like an ancient sacrificial text, or some kind of barbaric totem, heavy, cold and hard, exuding an indescribable sense of oppression.
With each passing second the light shone, Huang Chen's pain intensified.
Flesh and blood are being torn apart.
It is healing again.
The meridians are cracking.
It was then expanded anew by the newly emerging forces.
Even the sea of consciousness couldn't escape it.
Huang Chen felt as if his soul was being repeatedly crushed in a millstone, his consciousness fluctuating between clarity and confusion.
He could even feel every wound, every crack, and every bone in his body being "corrected".
This is not an initiation ceremony.
This is a disassembled and reassembled unit.
Time passed little by little.
The fire outside gradually subsided.
Only Huang Chen's heavy, suppressed breathing and the low, resonant sounds emanating from his body remained in the cave.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly heard something break inside his body.
It's not bad.
The barrier that had been holding him back finally cracked open after repeated impacts.
boom!
His dantian suddenly trembled.
The spiritual energy surged forth like a flood bursting its banks, rushing out through the newly opened meridians.
Huang Chen straightened up, his long hair billowing even without wind, and the blood mist around him instantly dissipated. Cracks spread outward from where he was sitting, crackling and creeping up the cave walls.
Huang Chen straightened up, his long hair billowing even without wind, and the blood mist around him instantly dissipated. Cracks spread outward from where he was sitting, crackling and creeping up the cave walls.
Rock debris fell in a flurry.
The deepest acupoint seemed to have its last essence drained, and the mist it emitted suddenly slowed down.
The system notification tone sounded at the appropriate time.
【Ding!
Host's cultivation level has increased!
【Ding!
Current cultivation level: Early stage of Earth Immortal!
【Ding!
The intermediate-level Witch Clan battle body has been further improved!
【Ding!
Overall combat capability enhanced!
The moment the voice faded, Huang Chen slowly opened his eyes.
The blood-gold hue in his eyes did not immediately dissipate; instead, it lingered deep within his pupils for a moment before gradually fading away.
He sat still for a moment.
Then raise your hand and make a fist.
Click.
It wasn't the bones making a cracking sound.
It was as if the air had been squeezed and burst by him, producing a low, muffled sound.
Huang Chen looked down at the back of his hand. The surface of his skin looked much the same as before, but upon closer inspection, he could see dark gold patterns flowing deeper within, like a layer of armor hidden beneath his flesh.
He exhaled a breath of stale air.
The breath, carrying a faint hint of blood, struck the stone wall in front of him, causing a layer of fine stone powder to be shaken off the surface.
"Earth Immortal..."
His voice was a little hoarse.
It's not a lie.
It was because the power within his body had surged so rapidly that even his throat bones felt like they had been re-tempered.
Huang Chen stood up, his shoulders and back relaxed, and his joints immediately made a series of popping sounds.
That wasn't the crackling sound of stiffness after an injury, but the resounding clang of power returning to its original state.
He looked at the half-collapsed stone wall in front of him, then suddenly raised his hand and threw a punch from a distance.
There are no fancy moves.
No magic weapon was used.
Pure physical strength, enveloped in the spiritual pressure of a newly born Earth Immortal, crashed out with a thunderous roar.
boom--
The entire stone wall in front of them paused for a moment.
The next instant, it was as if it had been struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer, the ground caved in, cracks spread instantly, half of the cliff collapsed, and rubble rolled down like a rainstorm, raising a cloud of dust.
Huang Chen stood still, raising an eyebrow.
The force was even greater than he had anticipated.
More importantly, it's about perception.
After the breakthrough, he didn't even need to deliberately release his divine sense to clearly perceive the direction of the heat flow, the rolling of the rubble, and even the faint, uneven breathing of the surviving humans further away.
A child is coughing.
Some of the wounded were groaning softly.
The old man stood guard at the entrance of the cave, not daring to close his eyes all night.
Huang Chen closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the panel appeared.
[Host: Huang Chen]
[Realm Level: Early Stage Earth Immortal↑]
[Battle Body: Intermediate Witch Clan Battle Body (Further Completed)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Ancient God and Demon Technique, Ancient Body Tempering Scripture (Volume 1/Volume 2/Volume 3)]
[Karma: Sharp Decline]
[Merit: Steady Growth]
[Overall combat strength assessment: Capable of directly suppressing most early-stage Earth Immortals]
Huang Chen glanced at it, and a slow twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The karma I'm carrying is painful.
Worth it.
It was totally worth it.
He put away the panel and stepped out of the cave.
The sky outside was already bright with sunlight.
It wasn't early morning; it was almost noon.
After last night's fierce battle and fire, the air in Blood Valley still carried the lingering smells of burnt blood and the sweltering heat of damp stones. Smoke still rose from several collapsed cave entrances in the distance, the plumes of smoke drifting crookedly upwards before being swept away by the wind and dissipating into the gray-white sky.
Outside the valley, in front of a relatively safe cave, groups of rescued humans sat in twos and threes.
Someone had their wound bandaged.
Someone held a cup of clear water and sipped it slowly.
Several small, thin children huddled in the woman's arms, sleeping restlessly, occasionally twitching.
The old man heard footsteps, looked up, and was stunned when he saw that it was Huang Chen who came out.
Last night, Huang Chen was covered in blood and exuded a menacing aura, as if he had just crawled out of a pile of corpses.
It still looks the same, with tattered robes and bloodstains on its face.
But the atmosphere was completely different.
Like a piece of iron just forged from a furnace, it stood there dark and imposing, its imposing presence even when still.
The old man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he quickly stood up and hurried forward: "My benefactor!"
"You...you succeeded?"
Huang Chen nodded.
"What are the casualties?"
The old man quickly replied, "No one is dead."
Two of them couldn't make it through last night, but thankfully the medicine you gave them saved their lives. They're still alive, but extremely weak.
Everyone did as you said and didn't dare to go into the deep valley.
At this point, he couldn't help but glance at Huang Chen again, lowering his voice: "My benefactor, your aura... I've lived for so many years and seen so many cultivators, but none of them are as frightening as you now."
'
Huang Chen smirked: "That's what scaring people is all about. It'll save us from any more trouble on the road."
'
The old man was taken aback, then grinned, though his eyes were a little red.
Yes, that makes sense.
'
Huang Chen looked up at the sky.
We cannot stay in Blood Valley any longer.
Too many evil spirits have died here, and the blood and energy here are mixed together; sooner or later, it will attract other things. If this drags on any longer, the elderly, weak, women, and children among the survivors simply won't be able to hold on.
"Pack up and get ready to leave," Huang Chen said. "Help the wounded who are still able to move."
"If they can't walk, I'll lead them."
The old man readily agreed and turned to greet the others.
Low voices and rustling sounds of tidying up soon filled the cave.
Those people, who hadn't even dared to look up before, suddenly seemed to be awakened when they heard the word "go," and their numb expressions finally came alive.
A woman holding a child staggered to her feet, her voice trembling: "My benefactor...can we really get out?"
Huang Chen glanced at her.
"able."
Just one word.
The woman seemed to be held up by something, tears streaming down her face as she tightly hugged the child in her arms and nodded frantically.
Half an hour later, the group slowly emerged from Blood Valley.
Huang Chen walked at the front.
He no longer deliberately suppressed his aura; the pressure of an early-stage Earth Immortal naturally spread out, like an invisible barrier, suppressing all the restless creatures in the surrounding shadows.
The mountain forests along the way were humid and hot, with vines entwining the trees and the ground covered with decaying leaves.
Occasionally, the aura of a demonic beast would flash by in the distance, but as soon as it approached, it would shrink back instantly, as if it had been targeted by some ferocious beast.
Huang Chen felt it clearly.
After his breakthrough, he became far more acutely aware of bloodlust, malice, and even the lurking killing intent.
A mandrill hid in the treetops dozens of feet away, baring its teeth and peering at the group.
Huang Chen didn't stop walking, only glancing at the other side of his head.
The mandrill seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer, letting out a strange squeak before grabbing the tree trunk and darting deeper into the depths, never daring to stop.
Those behind them, seeing this scene, held their breath.
Some people stared at Huang Chen's retreating figure with eyes full of awe.
Some people were muttering under their breath, as if they were reciting a life-saving talisman.
"Stay close."
Huang Chen said something without turning his head.
Don't fall behind.
The team then moved forward a little further, trying to get as close to him as possible.
The journey back from Blood Valley isn't short.
With many elderly and wounded people, the speed cannot be increased.
They walked and stopped frequently, and when it got to the hottest part of the afternoon, Huang Chen decided to take his men to rest at the foot of a shady rocky slope.
An elderly man distributed clean water, and several women who were still able to move helped take care of the injured.
Huang Chen stood on the hilltop, looking back at the road he had come from.
The wind swept through the mountains, carrying withered grass and the earthy smell that hit my face.
The wounds on his body that hadn't fully healed had scabbed over after breaking through to a higher realm. The deepest laceration on his shoulder and back had also been forcibly closed by new flesh and blood, leaving only a hideous old scar lying there.
He moved his shoulders and felt no resistance.
Just then, a system notification sounded.
[Ding! Your merit points have increased for escorting and sheltering the rescued humans!]
】
[Ding! Current merit points are being calculated...]
Huang Chen's eyes flickered slightly.
Killing enemies brings karmic retribution.
Saving lives brings merit.
This path, at this point, can be considered a truly closed loop.
It's not just about killing.
It's not just about hiding.
Kill when you should kill, save when you should save.
Karma and merit must both work together to truly nourish the system.
He glanced down at the slowly rising merit points on the panel, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.
Behind him came the hesitant, cautious footsteps that were often heard when Ah Shi wasn't around—it wasn't Ah Shi; this time, it was the old man who caught up.
The old man held a broken wooden bowl in his hands, which contained freshly heated clear soup, with a few pieces of wild mushrooms and grass roots floating in it.
"My benefactor, have a drink or two." The old man handed over the bowl. "It's nothing special, but at least it'll warm your stomach."
'
Huang Chen took it and took a sip.
It tastes bitter, with a slightly earthy flavor.
It's not exactly delicious.
But as the heat went down my throat, I felt a little more relaxed.
The old man stood to the side, cautiously asking, "My benefactor, are we returning to that... spirit of the past?"
"Um.
'
"Can people really live a peaceful life in that place?"
Huang Chen handed the wooden bowl back, his gaze falling on the undulating mountains in the distance.
"It's too early to talk about peace and tranquility."
"However, they can survive."
'
The old man nodded vigorously, his hands trembling as he held the wooden bowl: "It's good that you can live. It's good that you can live."
'
Huang Chen didn't say anything more.
After resting, the group continued their journey.
After crossing two mountain ridges, the terrain suddenly opened up. Further ahead, the towering, dark shadows of the Ten Thousand Mountains, which seemed to press down on people and make it hard to breathe, finally faded a bit.
The sky brightened a bit, the clouds were torn apart by the wind, and large swaths of midday sunlight poured down, illuminating the mountain ridges, jagged rocks, and withered grassy slopes until they turned white.
Huang Chen walked up to a high slope ahead, and loose stones tumbled down from under his feet.
He stopped and looked up.
In the distance lies the edge of a continuous mountain range.
Further out, the world seemed to suddenly expand a layer.
The survivors who followed also stopped and looked up at the front.
Some elderly people were wiping their eyes, some women were holding their children and staring blankly, and some people were standing there without moving for a long time, as if they couldn't believe they had really come out of that cannibalistic place.
The wind lifted the blood-stained corner of Huang Chen's clothes. Standing on the hilltop, breathing in the air that was no longer so foul, the heavy feeling that had been pressing on his chest for so long finally dissipated.
In the early stages of becoming an Earth Immortal, the Qi and blood flow slowly and steadily within the body, like a great river that truly runs deep into the bones.
A high slope beneath my feet, survivors behind me, the edge of the distant mountains and fields, and the blazing sun overhead.
Huang Chen raised his hand and pressed the hilt of the knife at his waist. He stood there for a moment before walking down the slope.
"Don't just stand there."
He spoke without turning his head.
"Keep up."