In the empty Black Forest, about the time it took to brew a pot of tea after Ling Chen left, several figures suddenly appeared on the blood-soaked ground.
Among these figures, the one at the front was about forty years old, dressed in a luxurious yellow robe, exuding an air of authority. The others were all in black, with an exotic beast resembling a tiger and an ox embroidered on their clothes. Clearly, these people in black were all from the same faction.
"My baby!"
The man in the yellow robe shrieked when he saw the corpse of the Demon Ape on the ground. He ran over to the body and burst into loud sobs.
"My baby was killed! Who did this? Which bastard did this?"
The middle-aged man in the yellow robe let out a heartbreaking howl. "I've raised this Black Devil Ape for twenty years, scrimping and saving, feeding it various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and rare medicines, just to consume its Essence Blood to help me achieve Great Accomplishment in my cultivation! For all these years, I haven't enjoyed a single drop of its blood, yet it was all sucked away by that bastard! How hateful!"
The men in black huddled around the corpse for closer scrutiny, then silently bowed to the middle-aged man in the yellow robe. "Prince, besides the beheaded corpse, there are two more bodies on the ground. Judging from their state of death, they were likely killed by the Demon Ape. After that, someone else must have come and probably killed the ape."
"Judging from the clothing on these two corpses, they should be disciples of the Divine Intent Sect."
"So you're suggesting disciples of the Divine Intent Sect likely did this? Investigate it for me! I must find the murderer!" the man in the yellow robe ordered sternly.
"As you command!"
The men in black clasped their fists in unison.
However, they knew that catching the murderer would not be easy.
"Once I find him, I will make him wish he were dead!"
The Prince's face turned extremely sullen. The Black Devil Ape was an Exotic Beast given to him by the Elder of Myriad Beasts of the Demonic Sect. It greatly aided his cultivation. Now that someone had killed the ape and stolen its Essence Blood, how could he not be furious?
What frustrated him even more was that he could not make this incident public. His raising of the Demon Ape and his demonic cultivation were not things he could disclose, so he could only investigate this matter discreetly.
The Prince's eyes flashed coldly. Once he caught the culprit, he would suck all the Essence Blood from their body to compensate for his loss.
「...」
After leaving the Demon Forest, Ling Chen reported his mission at the Executor's Hall and exchanged all the Contribution Points he earned for Cultivation Resources.
As for the wealth obtained from Meng Yuan and Evil Blood Blade, Ling Chen had secretly disposed of it through the Black Market. Meng Yuan was from an Aristocratic Family and possessed quite a fortune, while Evil Blood Blade had roamed Jianghu for many years. Selling their combined wealth provided enough for two months of Cultivation Resources.
Now, Ling Chen had a total of five bottles of Qi Gathering Powder.
Once back in Wuchen Courtyard, Ling Chen immediately began closed-door intensive cultivation.
Time waits for no one, and the duel with Yun Tianhe was just two months away. He had only reached the Fourth Realm; a huge gap still separated him from Yun Tianhe. If he didn't seize the time and redouble his efforts, he would certainly meet his end on the martial arts platform.
The effect of Qi Gathering Powder is astonishing. I only used one bottle before and reached the Fourth Realm. Now, I have five bottles. I can't help but wonder how much my strength can improve after refining all five! Ling Chen sat on a cushion, his eyes ablaze with excitement.
Of course, there was a limit to the human body's absorption of Qi Gathering Powder. It wasn't as if one could enhance their cultivation just by consuming the powder; such easy things didn't exist in the world. However, due to Ling Chen's strong cultivation foundation, even if he increased his cultivation by consuming a large amount of Qi Gathering Powder, he wouldn't experience instability.
"Let's begin!"
Without hesitation, Ling Chen opened the Jade Bottle, swallowed an entire bottle of Qi Gathering Powder, and began to circulate the Ling Tian Sword Scripture, rapidly absorbing the remarkable medicinal effects.
In the days that followed, Ling Chen continued to devote himself to intensive cultivation.
The Ling Tian Sword Scripture's cultivation speed was much faster than ordinary cultivation techniques. Coupled with Ling Chen's outstanding talent and the fact that he was re-cultivating, his progress was undoubtedly exceptional.
At the same time, Ling Chen had five bottles of Qi Gathering Powder and a massive amount of other Cultivation Resources at his disposal. He used these resources without regard to cost, as long as they could provide even the slightest benefit to his cultivation.
All these factors combined had accelerated Ling Chen's cultivation speed to an incredibly astonishing level.
Every night, Ling Chen would appear in the Copper Man Formation to hone his Swordsmanship.
Aside from practicing various Divine Intent Sect sword techniques he had learned before, Ling Chen was now mainly cultivating the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique. Every move and stance of this technique was incredibly powerful, but mastering each one was correspondingly difficult.
The Copper Man Formation was a place specifically designated for Divine Intent Sect disciples' martial arts training, specially set up by a Formation Master. It was filled with copper figures, and the formation itself contained hundreds of martial arts variations, making them excellent sparring partners.
"This Ling Chen sure is diligent. He enters the Copper Man Formation every day and trains deep into the night."
"What's the point? He has less than two months left. Do you think he can reach the level to compete with Senior Brother Yun Tianhe in just two months?"
"If it were someone else, there would certainly be no hope. But this is Ling Chen, the former number one genius of the Martial World. I think there's a chance."
"Forget it. He's just an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple like us now, nothing more."
In the Copper Man Formation, several Divine Intent Sect disciples who were watching Ling Chen began to discuss amongst themselves.
「In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.」
At this time, only one month remained before the life-and-death duel with Yun Tianhe.
It was dusk, and a light rain was falling.
Inside the wooden hut, Ling Chen had completely absorbed the last trace of medicinal effect in his body. He slowly opened his eyes. Within him, a surge of powerful energy began to roil. Suddenly, he clenched his fists, and an explosive power burst forth, as if it could shatter the very air.
A brilliant light shone in Ling Chen's eyes.
"Martial Arts Sixth Layer!"
Ling Chen was ecstatic.
After more than half a month of hard cultivation, he had absorbed most of the resources in his possession. The effect of Qi Gathering Powder was incredibly potent. Ordinary warriors typically needed at least a month to fully absorb a single pill. However, thanks to his miraculous Lingtian True Qi, he had managed to absorb five such pills in this short period.
As a result, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
From the Martial Arts Fourth Layer he had just recently reached, he had broken through two levels, soaring directly to the Martial Arts Sixth Layer!
At this moment, six rings of True Qi were now clearly visible in Ling Chen's Dantian. The overwhelmingly powerful True Qi formed a cycle, demonstrating Continuous Life.
His eight extraordinary meridians had essentially been reopened.
The glory of his former genius was gradually beginning to shine through him once more.
Even though I've reached the Martial Arts Sixth Layer, it's still not enough to defeat Yun Tianhe.
Ling Chen knew Yun Tianhe's strength. Even during his Peak Period, he wouldn't have been completely certain of defeating Yun Tianhe, let alone now when his current strength was still considerably less than that.
I need to get stronger, but there isn't enough time.
Ling Chen furrowed his brows. My strength has already increased rapidly, but with only one month left and most of my resources consumed, it's impossible to reach my target at a normal pace of progress. Only through extreme refinement is there a possibility of another breakthrough. I almost forgot... there's one place that might actually help me break through my limit!
Suddenly, Ling Chen's eyes lit up, and a hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth.