Chapter 81: Third Level of the Divine Body Realm

Chapter 81: Third Level of the Divine Body Realm

The Dark Mountains, where flames burned eternally, were shrouded in endless mystery, giving birth to strange and unfathomable creatures!

The Small Red Dragon was one such being—intelligent and alert, with a body impervious to flames and sword energy. It could venture into forbidden lands inaccessible to ordinary people, as if it were an auspicious creature born of heaven and earth.

Ning Xiaochuan no longer paid attention to it and instead focused wholeheartedly on his cultivation.

The Blood Qi within the Golden Battle Lion was quickly drained by Ning Xiaochuan, flowing into his body until only a desiccated golden lion carcass remained on the ground.

Ning Xiaochuan stored the dried lion in the Heaven and Earth Bag and immediately returned to the underground pit.

Murong Wushuang lay at the bottom of the pit, his hands pressed against the ground, his legs slightly curled, resembling a turtle in repose. Though he wasn’t breathing, streams of Profound Qi circulated through his pores.

He was cultivating the Turtle Breath Immobility Art, utterly still like an ancient turtle that had lived for millennia. His cultivation was advancing at an astonishing speed!

Ning Xiaochuan didn’t wake him. Instead, he sat cross-legged and began refining the Blood Qi of the Golden Battle Lion. Lightning currents flickered across his body, and the Profound Qi within his Martial Arts Heart Palace transformed into bolts of Lightning and thunder.

Boom!

After an unknown period of cultivation, the Heavenly Thunder Bell technique reached Great Perfection!

Ning Xiaochuan threw his head back and let out a deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth, like a thunder god descending upon the world. The mystic beasts within a radius of several kilometers fled in terror, their hearts gripped by overwhelming fear.

The earth around the pit shattered, fissures spiderwebbing across the ground. Sand and stones flew, trees were reduced to splinters, and boulders cracked apart—leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.

Ning Xiaochuan took a deep breath, drawing the scattered Profound Qi back into his body.

Miraculously, Murong Wushuang remained undisturbed, still lying quietly on the ground, breathing in the manner of a turtle. Even a sound capable of shaking a man to death had failed to rouse him.

Another full hour passed before Murong Wushuang finally finished his cultivation. When he saw the ruins before him, he was startled. "Did a great battle take place here last night? Why didn’t you wake me? I could have fought alongside you against the enemy."

Ning Xiaochuan didn’t tell him that this destruction was the result of his second Divine Ability reaching Great Perfection. Instead, he said, "Let’s find another place to hide. I need to prepare to break through to the Third Level of the Divine Body Realm. Guard me while I cultivate."

"Your second Divine Ability has reached Great Perfection?" Murong Wushuang exclaimed in delight.

Ning Xiaochuan nodded.

"That cultivation speed is absurd—ten times faster than so-called geniuses." Murong Wushuang had always considered himself highly talented, but compared to Ning Xiaochuan, he suddenly felt like he was lagging an entire level behind.

Ning Xiaochuan retrieved two fist-sized beast cores from the Heaven and Earth Bag. One emitted a bloody glow, pulsating continuously as streams of Profound Qi circulated within it. The other was golden in color, beating powerfully with a rhythmic thump-thump sound.

"These are the cores of the Explosive Ape and the Golden Battle Lion. They still retain immense vitality, and their medicinal value rivals that of an Intermediate Elixir. If you consume these two cores, you should be able to break through to the Second Level of the Divine Body Realm."

Murong Wushuang's jaw nearly dropped to the ground as he cupped the two inner cores in his hands. These were priceless treasures, filling him with overwhelming excitement. Yet, he didn't stand on ceremony with Ning Xiaochuan and happily accepted them.

"Those who stand on ceremony are bastards!"

Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang found a hidden cave by a gorge, concealed behind massive trees. Without careful searching, the entrance would be impossible to spot.

Ning Xiaochuan sat cross-legged inside the cave and began cultivating, striving to break through to the Third Level of the Divine Body Realm!

Murong Wushuang also consumed the two inner cores and cultivated nonstop for two days and a night, breaking through the First Level of the Divine Body Realm and reaching the Second Level.

Whenever he circulated his Profound Qi, a layer of white stone-like shell would form on his body, making him as tough as a boulder or a tortoise shell. Even a first-grade Mystic Artifact might not pierce his defense.

Ning Xiaochuan even tested it by striking him with full force, but the blow only sent Murong Wushuang flying without injuring him.

Such defensive power was downright monstrous.

Tonight was the final deadline set by Dark Emperor City. If the Golden Roc Prince's Manor failed to deliver twenty Black Firewood Pearls, they would kill Princess Qianxi.

Ning Xiaochuan remained in the cave, continuing his cultivation to break through his current realm. Advancing to the Third Level of the Divine Body Realm was far more difficult than reaching the Second Level.

Meanwhile, Murong Wushuang went out to gather information.

"I must reach the Third Level of the Divine Body Realm before sunset today." A sense of urgency burned in Ning Xiaochuan's heart.

Inside his body, the Third Divine Source showed signs of melting, indicating that the third divine ability could manifest at any moment.

Ning Xiaochuan pushed himself to the limit, condensing the Profound Qi in his Martial Arts Heart Palace into countless blades and swords, forming a raging dragon of steel that pierced into the Third Divine Source.

"Boom!"

The Third Divine Source shattered!

The third divine ability was born!

The moment it awakened, mist gathered in the sky, unleashing a torrential downpour.

In the Fire Demon Mountain Range, where only flames had ever existed, rain had never fallen before. Yet now, a deluge poured from the heavens, as if influenced by some unnatural force, creating this bizarre phenomenon.

Ning Xiaochuan stepped out of the cave and stood in the rain. Dozens of lightning bolts erupted from his body, slicing through the downpour and splitting a distant tree in half, sending up wisps of smoke.

"Boom!"

The sound of thunder roared within Ning Xiaochuan, shaking the earth and making the vegetation tremble. The rain intensified, as if trying to extinguish the flames of the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

"Ten Thousand Swords Transforming into Rain."

Ning Xiaochuan raised a finger toward the sky. The moisture above condensed into thirty-five sword-shaped shadows of energy, soaring through the rain before streaking toward the gorge behind him like a meteor shower.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The thirty-five sword shadows struck the gorge walls, blasting out thirty-five massive craters and sending rocks and dirt cascading down.

Ning Xiaochuan nodded in satisfaction. "After lightning comes heavenly thunder, and after thunder comes a storm—this is the law of nature. The divine abilities within the body are born according to this same principle."

Lightning Divine Beast, Heavenly Thunder Bell, Ten Thousand Swords Transforming into Rain... Isn't this just the natural order of phenomena? A celestial spectacle!

The third divine ability, "Ten Thousand Swords Transforming into Rain," had only just been born, capable of condensing thirty-five sword qi illusions at most—the limit of what Ning Xiaochuan's Profound Qi could muster.

In its ultimate form, this technique could condense billions of divine swords from water vapor, capable of annihilating heaven and earth with unstoppable might.

When Ning Xiaochuan withdrew his Profound Qi, the torrential rain in the sky ceased abruptly.

"How strange! How strange! Did it rain within a hundred-meter radius here? Why are all the flames on the ground extinguished? And why is there so much water pooled in this pit?" Murong Wushuang walked back barefoot, munching on a fist-sized red fruit.

He rummaged in his robe and pulled out another fruit, tossing it to Ning Xiaochuan, who stood some distance away.

"It really did rain. Too bad you came back too late—otherwise, you might’ve gotten a free bath," Ning Xiaochuan said as he caught the fruit, wiped it with his sleeve, and took a bite. "Sweet! So? Any news?"

Murong Wushuang plopped onto the ground and shook his head. "This matter has caused quite a stir in the Fire Demon Mountain Range, but none of the powerful young warriors from the Golden Roc Prince's Manor have made a public appearance, let alone voiced any intention to rescue Princess Qianxi. Isn’t that odd? The Golden Roc Prince's Manor has five hundred and sixty young geniuses participating in the assessment, with at least ten experts who’ve reached the Divine Body Realm. Why hasn’t a single one stepped forward?"

"Perfectly normal!"

Ning Xiaochuan analyzed, "Many have already guessed that the ones who kidnapped Yu Qianqian are likely from the Dark Emperor City. Those young geniuses in the Golden Roc Prince's Manor might have decent cultivation, but few have the courage to act. Gathering twenty Black Firewood Pearls would inevitably harm many people’s interests. Even if you succeeded in rescuing Princess Qianxi, you’d only earn merit at the cost of making countless enemies—hardly worth the effort."

"But if you fail? Then it’s all over. The Great Golden Roc King would kill you. Those who gave you the Black Firewood Pearls would kill you. And the Dark Emperor City would still kill you."

"So, whether you rescue Princess Qianxi or not, there’s no benefit for you."

"On the other hand, if you stay hidden, neither speaking up nor stepping forward, even if Princess Qianxi dies, you can feign ignorance once you leave the Fire Demon Mountain Range. At worst, you’d face some reprimand. You might even secure a spot in the Emperor's Martial Palace by holding onto your Black Firewood Pearls."

"If I were in their position, I’d also choose self-preservation over throwing myself into the storm."

Murong Wushuang said, "But you’re not in their position. Seems like you’re determined to go. What? Planning to be a lone hero, charging into the enemy’s den alone? Single-handedly defeating all challengers and returning with the beauty in your arms?"

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "I’m just thinking—since I already know about this, if I don’t act and Yu Qianqian dies as a result, I’d regret it deeply. Since I know I’ll regret it later, why not take the risk now?"

"Good! You're a real man. I'll go with you." Murong Wushuang showed great camaraderie and said, "But where are we supposed to get twenty Black Firewood Pearls? Without them, we won't even be able to lay eyes on Yu Qianqian."

"Borrow them!"

Ning Xiaochuan stood up and strode swiftly toward the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range, his pace quickening until he became a blur.

Murong Wushuang chased after him at full speed, his body enveloped in Profound Qi, keeping close behind Ning Xiaochuan. Curious, he asked, "From whom? Who would lend us twenty Black Firewood Pearls? And who even has that many to spare?"

"Whoever has twenty Black Firewood Pearls is who I'll borrow from."

The sun was nearly setting.

By dusk, Ning Xiaochuan finally arrived at the edge of the Five-Colored Poison Miasma Forest. Crossing it would lead deeper into the Fire Demon Mountain Range, but Ning Xiaochuan stopped in his tracks, not taking another step forward, as if waiting for something.

Murong Wushuang caught up and glanced around. Aside from desolate trees, there were only the highly toxic mystic beasts lurking within the Five-Colored Poison Miasma Forest. "There's no one here. Who are you borrowing from?"