Chương 139: Beast Forging Body Technique Perfected!

Chapter 139 The Hundred Beasts Body Tempering Technique is Completed!

Returning to the "Cloud and Mist Cave," layers of restrictions were lifted, completely isolating it from the noise and prying eyes of the outside world.

The cave remained peaceful as ever, with the babbling of the spiritual spring and the fragrance of the medicinal garden. Only the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed and gathered silently under the guidance of the spirit-gathering array.

Zhou Ding did not immediately begin his cultivation.

With a thought, he opened the mouth of the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a stream of dark golden light shot out, landing on the ground and rapidly expanding to reveal Xiao Jin's enormous body, which was over ten zhang long, as majestic as a small mountain, and covered with ferocious dark golden scales.

After advancing to level five, and especially after absorbing a lot of high-level demon beast essence, Xiao Jin's aura became increasingly deep and heavy. Just by lying there quietly, it exuded a terrifying and ferocious primordial power.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Ding revealed the "Supreme Demon Blood Stone" that had been carefully preserved in the Sealed Spirit Blood Jade Box.

The moment the jade box was opened, the pure and domineering aura of demonic blood and demonic power once again spread out.

Zhou Ding gently tossed the Demon Blood Stone, and Little Gold opened its huge mouth, releasing a suction force that precisely swallowed the pigeon-egg-sized crimson crystal into its belly.

Without chewing, the demon blood stone melted instantly upon entering its mouth, transforming into a scorching, powerful, and magma-like torrent of pure blood and demonic energy that surged into its limbs, internal organs, and even every inch of its flesh and scales!

"roar--!"

Xiao Jin couldn't help but let out a low roar that was a mixture of pain and pleasure!

Its massive body shuddered violently, and a dazzling crimson light suddenly burst forth from the gaps in its dark golden scales!

The light was not emitted outwards, but rather seemed to emanate from within its body, illuminating the entire front hall of the cave in a crimson glow, filling the air with a thick stench of blood and a terrifying pressure.

Immediately afterwards, countless fine, lifelike crimson lines emerged from beneath Little Gold's scales.

It spread, rapidly intertwined and combined, eventually condensing on its surface into a layer about a foot thick, incredibly solid.

The surface is covered with strange "blood cocoon" or "blood shield" with dark gold demonic runes flowing around it!

This blood shield was not static, but pulsated slightly like a heart. With each pulsation, it emitted stronger fluctuations of blood energy and faintly emitted the sound of blood flowing like muffled thunder.

Under the protection of the blood shield, Xiao Jin's massive body slowly curled up. Its crimson eyes closed, and its aura quickly became calm and restrained, yet even more unfathomable, as if it had fallen into the deepest state of slumber and transformation.

"It's starting—" Zhou Ding stood to the side, his eyes fixed intently on Xiao Jin, who was enveloped in a blood shield, with anticipation on his face.

The effects of the top-grade demon bloodstone are indeed extraordinary.

With Xiao Jin's terrifying physical foundation and primordial bloodline, if he could fully absorb the essence of this stone, his gains would be astonishing.

Perhaps, this opportunity will allow me to break through the barriers and advance to the ranks of level six demonic beasts!

At that time, his strength will experience a qualitative leap, which will be a huge boost and benefit for him.

After all, there was a mysterious and close spiritual connection and mutual support between him and Xiao Jin.

He carefully set up several protective and spirit-gathering restrictions around Xiao Jin's sleeping body to ensure that its evolution process was not disturbed and to prevent excessive leakage of its aura.

After doing all this, Zhou Ding separated a wisp of his divine sense and probed into the other two meditation rooms deep within the cave.

The array in Xin Ruyin's quiet room was fully activated, and her aura was calm and long, clearly indicating that she was immersed in the profound deductions of the "Tianyuan Array Canon" or the honing of her own magical power.

In Xiaomei's quiet room, the array fluctuations were slightly more active. Her aura had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and her magic power was full and surging, with a faint feeling of "overflowing when full". She seemed to be only one step away from the Pseudo-Core Formation stage, or even half a step away. She was stabilizing her realm and preparing for the final Core Formation sprint.

"This girl is indeed very diligent in her cultivation." Zhou Ding's lips curled up slightly, feeling gratified.

Xiao Mei's talent was already quite good, and with the perfect inheritance of the "Heavenly Talisman Scripture," coupled with his and Xin Ruyin's unwavering support, reaching this point was a natural progression. Judging from her progress, it might not be long before she attempts to break through to the Core Formation stage.

At that time, their "Cloud and Mist Cave Heaven" will have three disciples who have reached the Core Formation stage, and they will have a preliminary foothold in Tianxing City.

He did not disturb the two women's cultivation and turned back to his main meditation room.

In the center of the quiet room, a bathtub about half a person's height, carved entirely from "Warm Sun Jade," with runes for stability and gathering spirits engraved on its surface, had already been prepared.

On the small table next to the bathtub, several jade bottles of different colors, each with a sealing talisman, and several porcelain bottles containing pills of different colors were neatly arranged.

Zhou Ding waved his hand, and the bathtub was filled with clear spiritual water taken from the cave's spiritual spring and heated to boiling hot by his magic.

He removed the sealing talismans from the jade bottles and carefully poured the viscous liquids—sometimes bright red, sometimes dark purple, sometimes deep blue, and sometimes exuding astonishing blood energy and violent demonic aura—into the bathtub.

These were the essence blood of several sixth-level demonic beasts that he had recently acquired at a cost of a considerable amount of spirit stones!

Although each type is present in small quantities and has been processed to remove most of its violent intent, the essence of blood and qi it contains, along with a trace of the original power of the demon beasts, is a great tonic for cultivating techniques like the "Hundred Beasts Body Tempering Technique," which requires drawing upon the essence of demon beasts to temper the body!

"Glug glug glug————" The essence blood of several kinds of demonic beasts merged into the spiritual water, instantly turning the entire bucket of water into an eerie dark red. It then violently churned and boiled, emitting high temperatures and a pungent, bloody stench. Furthermore, the phantoms of various demonic beasts appeared and disappeared in the blood mist, emitting silent roars that assaulted the mind.

Zhou Ding remained expressionless as he removed his clothes, revealing a physique with smooth lines, a sense of power, and not an overly exaggerated one.

He stepped into the bathtub.

"laugh--!"

The scalding hot liquid, containing the power of the blood essence of a raging demon beast, instantly enveloped his entire body!

An indescribable burning, stinging pain, as if thousands of steel needles were piercing at the same time, or as if countless tiny monsters were tearing at my bones, surged like a tidal wave!

At the same time, the faint remnants of demonic beasts and their violent aura remaining in his blood essence also attempted to invade his consciousness, stirring up killing intent and chaos.

Zhou Ding groaned, and fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, but his eyes remained icy and clear.

He immediately activated the eighth level of the "Hundred Beasts Body Forging Technique," and his internal energy surged like a giant dragon awakening!

On the surface of the skin, a pale golden luster flowed, and the faint outlines of various ferocious beasts such as tigers, leopards, bears, and pythons appeared, echoing, resisting, and even—devouring and merging with the demonic beast power of the medicinal liquid in the bath tub!

He endured the pain that would have driven an ordinary Core Formation cultivator to despair, then picked up a pill the size of a longan, pure gold in color, and emitting a scorching medicinal fragrance from a small table beside him—the "Dragon Elephant Bone Tempering Pill"—and swallowed it with his head tilted back.

Once the elixir entered the stomach, it transformed into another powerful medicinal force—hot yet balanced and harmonious—which merged into the surging blood and qi, guiding and harmonizing the external demonic beast's essence and blood power, penetrating deeper into the bone marrow and internal organs for a more profound tempering.

Time flowed slowly amidst this inhuman pain and extreme tempering. The medicinal liquid in the bath gradually faded in color, and the essence of the demonic beast's blood and its violent aura were absorbed and refined little by little by Zhou Ding's body, like a sponge absorbing water.

His skin was sometimes as red as a branding iron, sometimes glowing with a pale golden luster, and sometimes there were faint sounds of bone cracking and healing coming from within his body.

Its aura fluctuated accordingly, sometimes as ferocious as a beast, sometimes as calm and still as a mountain.

Time flies, time flies.

Cultivation knows no bounds, and time passes unnoticed within the cave.

In the blink of an eye, four years have passed since Zhou Ding moved into "Cloud and Mist Cave" and devoted himself to cultivation.

On this day, in the main meditation room, the bath tub had already been put away.

Zhou Ding, shirtless, sat quietly cross-legged on a futon in the center of the quiet room.

His eyes were closed, his breathing was long and deep, and his skin had a strange luster that was warm and smooth like jade, yet subtly revealed a metallic texture. His whole body was clean and without a trace of impurity.

Within his body, the flow of qi and blood no longer produced a thunderous sound, but rather resembled the Yangtze River—deep, restrained, yet containing terrifying power.

The internal organs, muscles, bones, skin, and even the smallest meridians all seem to have been forged and tempered, exuding an indestructible and vibrant texture.

The Hundred Beasts Body Tempering Technique, Ninth Level - Perfection!

Suddenly, Zhou Ding opened his eyes. There was no glint of brilliance in his eyes, but rather a calm stillness, like a deep pool in an ancient well.

He slowly raised his right arm, his five fingers slightly clenched, without using any magic power, relying solely on the pure strength of his physical body, and gently clenched his fist towards the void in front of him.

"Snap!"

A soft yet clear sound, as if the space itself were being creased, rang out in front of his palm!

The air in the quiet room rippled with visible distortion as he made that gesture! A pure, savage, terrifying power, as if capable of tearing apart a dragon or a tiger with bare hands, flashed by from his center and then quickly subsided, returning to calm.

"Body Tempering by a Hundred Beasts, Ninth Level Perfection—The flesh is as hard as metal, and the blood and qi are as powerful as a dragon." Zhou Ding felt the immense power within his body, yet he could control it completely, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

With just his physical body, without using any magic power, divine sense, or magical treasures, his strength, speed, defense, and recovery have reached an astonishing level!

He was confident that if he encountered a monster like the level six infant carp beast again, he could even try to fight it hand-to-hand and kill it!

Even when facing a cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation, as long as the opponent doesn't have a particularly powerful ancient treasure or heaven-defying divine ability, he can contend with, fight against, and even defeat them with just his physical body! This undoubtedly raises his overall combat strength and survivability to a whole new level.

"The path of body refinement is indeed difficult, but it is worthwhile." Zhou Ding stretched his muscles and bones, producing a slight popping sound like popping beans.

The years of hard work and resource investment have not been in vain.

It took Zhou Ding about three more months to completely stabilize his newly broken-through Body Refinement realm, familiarize himself with the new power, and polish his slightly enhanced magical power from Body Refinement to a smooth and unimpeded state.

On this day, he was practicing a set of ancient and fierce close combat techniques derived from the "Hundred Beasts Body Forging Technique" in the courtyard. The wind from his punches howled, accompanied by the faint sounds of dragon roars and tiger howls, stirring up the spiritual mist in the courtyard.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, his fist abruptly stopped, and his gaze, sharp as lightning, shot towards the other side of the cave, towards the meditation room where Xiaomei was.

A strange yet familiar fluctuation of the heavens and earth was slowly spreading out from that quiet room, gradually growing stronger!

Immediately afterwards, the light barrier of the cave array above the quiet room began to fluctuate violently on its own, as if it could not completely block the leakage of some kind of power from inside!

"Is this... about to begin?" A glint flashed in Zhou Ding's eyes, and with a swift movement, he appeared in the corridor outside Xiao Mei's quiet room.

Almost at the same time he arrived, the stone door of the quiet room suddenly opened, and a petite figure flashed out with excitement and determination—it was Xiaomei!

Her face was tense, but her eyes shone brightly. Her magical power surged, and her aura had reached a critical point that she could no longer suppress.

"Young Master! I... I feel it! I'm about to form my core!" Xiao Mei said hurriedly when she saw Zhou Ding, her voice trembling slightly, a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

"Okay, go ahead. With Ruyin and me protecting you, don't worry." Zhou Ding's expression was calm as he gently patted her shoulder, channeling a gentle yet firm magical power into her to help her calm her turbulent mind.

"Yes!" Xiaomei nodded emphatically, no longer hesitating. Her figure transformed into a stream of light, rushing straight up along the passage inside the cave, heading towards the open-air platform at the top of "Cloud Mist Cave Heaven" that was specially reserved and connected to the mountain's spiritual veins.

That is the core of the entire cave, where the spiritual energy is most concentrated and pure.

Zhou Ding and Xin Ruyin, who had come out of their quiet room upon hearing the news, exchanged a glance. The two of them took off at the same time, following closely behind Xiao Mei, and arrived at the platform at the top of the cave. They stood on the left and right, like the most loyal guards, hovering in mid-air at the edge of the platform.

Xin Ruyin waved her hands repeatedly, instantly setting up several sets of protective, isolation, and spirit-gathering formations that she had prepared beforehand, completely covering the entire platform area.

Xiao Mei sat cross-legged in the center of the spiritual eye, took out the "Snow Spirit Water", "Heavenly Fire Liquid" that she had prepared in advance, as well as the "Dust-Subduing Pill" and "Heart-Concentrating Pill" given by Zhou Ding, and began to take them without hesitation, circulating her cultivation technique to break through the crucial bottleneck of the Golden Core!

Half a month later, one day, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of dozens of miles centered on the "Flowing Cloud Zone" on the forty-seventh floor of the sacred mountain where the "Cloud Mist Cave Heaven" is located, as if under the command of an invisible monarch, began to frantically converge towards the direction where Xiao Mei was!

It started as a gentle breeze, then turned into a whirlwind, and finally formed a visible, colorful funnel of spiritual energy!

High in the sky, the wind rose and the clouds surged, and thick clouds of spiritual energy quickly gathered, covering the area. Faint glows flowed within the clouds, and the sounds of Taoism were faint.

The extraordinary phenomenon of Core Formation has appeared!

With such a commotion, how could it possibly go unnoticed by others on this sacred mountain where cultivators are densely packed and experts abound?

Within a few breaths of the strange phenomenon appearing, waves of varying strength, filled with curiosity, inquiry, and surprise, appeared...

Envy, and even a little jealousy, swept through the area where the "Cloud and Mist Cave Heaven" was located from all sides of the Holy Mountain, like invisible tentacles!

Among them were several Core Formation stage cultivators, and even a few particularly obscure and profound divine senses that resembled those of late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

"Another person has reached the Core Formation stage? On the forty-seventh floor?"

"Judging from the speed at which spiritual energy is gathering and the scale of this phenomenon, the Core Formation cultivator's foundation is quite strong!"

"Is it the Liuyun District? I remember the rent for a cave dwelling there is quite high. Looks like it's some guy with connections."

"Hmph, lucky them—" Countless thoughts intertwined in the air. For the cultivators of Tianxing City, Core Formation was not uncommon, but it was by no means rare, especially on this sacred mountain, where it could be seen every now and then.

But every time it appears, it still attracts a lot of attention.

Zhou Ding hovered in mid-air, his expression calm, but a sharp, cold glint suddenly flashed in his deep eyes!

He snorted coldly, and a vast and powerful divine sense, far surpassing that of ordinary mid-stage Core Formation cultivators and faintly carrying the pressure of Nascent Soul cultivators, erupted without any concealment. Like an invisible tsunami, it ruthlessly charged towards the divine senses that were sweeping in from all directions, centered on him!

"roll!"

There was no sound, but a cold, domineering, and warning-filled divine thought traveled along the terrifying wave of divine consciousness, clearly reaching the sea of consciousness of every divine consciousness master who crossed the boundary and attempted to explore it deeply!

"Pfft!"

"Uh!"

From various parts of the distant sacred mountain, several muffled groans and low shouts could be faintly heard.

Those weaker divine senses, or those that were merely probing casually, were instantly shattered as if they had hit an iron plate. Their owners all turned pale, their eyes filled with horror, and they hurriedly withdrew their divine senses, no longer daring to cross the line.

Even those few late-stage Core Formation stage divine senses, when they came into contact with Zhou Ding's ridiculously powerful divine sense, paused slightly, seemingly somewhat surprised. They then wisely and quietly retreated, choosing not to confront him head-on.

What powerful divine sense!

And why are they so fiercely protective of their own?

It seems that this newly formed Core Formation cultivator has a close relationship with him, and he might be someone not to be trifled with.

In an instant, those probing divine senses that crossed the line and carried an offensive connotation receded like the tide, leaving only some divine sense fluctuations that were observing respectfully from a distance.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth continued to gather wildly, and the phenomenon of Core Formation intensified. However, the sky above the "Cloud Mist Cave Heaven" was temporarily restored to a state of "tranquility" due to Zhou Ding's silent "Get out" and the powerful shock of his divine sense.

Xin Ruyin looked at Zhou Ding, a hint of tenderness and reassurance flashing in her eyes. With him around, she felt at peace.

Zhou Ding calmly gazed at the spiritual eye below, where it was enveloped by the five-colored spiritual energy tide and rays of light.

The small figure, whose aura was undergoing a dramatic transformation, had eyes full of anticipation.

"Girl, you must succeed!"