From start to finish, Qingya stood to the side, never making a move.
Right now, her heart was filled with nothing but shock. The enchanting look on her face was gone, replaced by an expression of utter horror.
This strange young man before her was mysterious, powerful, and fearless. He was immune to all threats, killing even a legacy disciple of the Mountain Sect without a trace of hesitation.
Terrifying!
This was what Qingya felt in her heart. When his gaze fell upon her, she felt as if she had been plunged into the dead of winter.
However...
The young man was already severely injured. This was the perfect opportunity to strike.
Having crushed Yann Song underfoot as if he had done something utterly insignificant, Jiang Jichen turned his calm gaze to Qingya. "To cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots. I should kill you to tie up loose ends, but since you tried to save Little Yue'Er just now, I will let you go."
Earlier, Qingya had offered to take Little Yue'Er away. It was clearly a well-intentioned gesture, as she didn't want Little Yue'Er to die alongside Jiang Jichen.
Qingya had calmed down. She took a deep look at Jiang Jichen, as if to carve his image into her heart. Then, she suddenly broke into a bewitching smile, her voice filled with charm. "You're severely injured. Your combat strength isn't even at seventy percent of its peak. Aren't you being a little too confident? And if you let me go, aren't you afraid I'll report this to the Mountain Sect?"
Jiang Jichen casually wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice indifferent. "First, if I dare to let you go, I'm not afraid of you telling the Mountain Sect. Second, in a fight to the death, you are no match for me. The one who dies will inevitably be you."
Hearing Jiang Jichen's words, Qingya fell silent for a moment. She finally nodded, then turned to leave.
"Goodbye, little sister. And thank you for saving my life!"
Qingya said this as she walked away, waving to Little Yue'Er. Her figure quickly vanished into the dense forest.
Just as Jiang Jichen was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a soft, charming voice suddenly echoed in his ear. "Young Master, would you be willing to tell Qingya your esteemed name?"
Jiang Jichen looked around, but there was no one in sight. It was clearly Qingya, using the Clear Wind Sound Transmission Technique to send her voice.
"Jiang Jichen!"
Jiang Jichen finally replied, also using the Clear Wind Sound Transmission Technique.
"Hee hee... I'll remember that."
The voice faded away, leaving no trace.
...
Jiang Jichen was grievously injured this time and had to find a place to recuperate.
He took Little Yue'Er and found a cave.
It had been the lair of a Giant Python, whose strength was equivalent to an ordinary Ninth-level Mortal Warrior. Jiang Jichen had fought a bloody battle, nearly paying with his life to slay it.
"Big Brother, you're so badly hurt!"
Seeing Jiang Jichen covered in wounds, Little Yue'Er's eyes grew moist and were about to overflow with tears. She wanted to use the Tear of the Moon God to heal his injuries.
"Little Yue'Er, you promised Big Brother you wouldn't cry anymore!"
"But..."
"Don't worry, Little Yue'Er. Big Brother will be fine after a couple of days' rest. For the next two days, you just stay here and don't go outside."
Jiang Jichen cut Little Yue'Er off, instructing her not to go anywhere.
He was so severely injured now that he had to enter a deep state of healing and cultivation, one where he might lose all awareness of his surroundings. He wouldn't be able to look after Little Yue'Er.
And while he was gravely wounded, this might also be an opportunity. The insights gained from a life-and-death battle could allow his Cultivation to reach a new level.
Little Yue'Er nodded obediently. "I'll be very good."
Jiang Jichen said no more. He entered a smaller cavern within the cave and sealed the entrance with a stone, separating himself from Little Yue'Er.
He sat cross-legged, took out his Mid-Level Storage Bag, and tossed a handful of First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills into his mouth.
He wasn't short on Spirit Pills right now—he had enough to cultivate for some time. However, the Body Refining Dao was too difficult. He had no idea how many more Spirit Pills he would need to consume to advance, and it was a hundred times more difficult than he had ever imagined.
He operated the Undying Scripture and the Source Character Qi Condensation Technique simultaneously, refining the First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills one by one. They transformed into the purest Spiritual Qi, which he used to either repair and strengthen his physical body or guide into his Qi Sea to begin forming a second Spirit Vein.
After refining a thousand First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills, Jiang Jichen felt signs that his Undying Scripture was about to break through.
'Just a little more effort,' Jiang Jichen thought, 'and I can push the Undying Scripture to the Late Stage of First Turn. Then I'll truly have no fear of any Ninth-level Mortal Warrior and might even be able to fight a Spirit Cultivator at the Innate First Realm.'
'However, in a world where the Dao of Body Refining is Broken, even breaking through to the Late Stage of First Turn of the Undying Scripture is fraught with difficulty and immense danger. But I need to increase my strength as quickly as possible so I can enter the depths of the Moonlight Forest sooner. Even if it means a nine-in-ten chance of death, I have to risk it.'
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Jichen once again swallowed First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills. This time, he consumed a full two thousand of them.
CRACKLE... CRACKLE...
Inside his body, countless bits of flesh and blood exploded, only to re-form at a terrifying speed, making his physical body even more formidable.
'The Late Stage of First Turn for the Undying Scripture... I'm about to make it!'
Jiang Jichen thought to himself. The barrier was already so thin he could pierce it at any moment.
But just then, a terrifying power suddenly materialized from the void and bore down on Jiang Jichen.
"The pressure of the Celestial Dao, trying to stop my breakthrough!"
At that moment, Jiang Jichen deeply understood the perils and difficulties of cultivating the Dao of Flesh Body in this world.
The sudden pressure from the Celestial Dao instantly caused his newly repaired body to explode once more, leaving him a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
"Mere pressure from the Celestial Dao won't make me retreat or cower in fear!"
"The Dao of Undying requires an undying will, an undying mind. Let its pressure be monstrous; I will remain unmoved."
...
Faced with the obstruction of the Celestial Dao's pressure, Jiang Jichen did not retreat. Instead, he advanced, charging forward even more fiercely, forgetting life and death as he resisted the Celestial Dao.
The Undying Scripture operated at its limit. His physical body was continuously shattered by the pressure of the Celestial Dao, only to be constantly repaired by the Power of Life generated by the scripture.
But the pressure of the Celestial Dao was truly terrifying. Jiang Jichen's aura weakened, his life force withered, and he was on the verge of death.
In such a state, separated from death by only a thread, Jiang Jichen still refused to give up. He continued to stuff handful after handful of First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills into his mouth.
The pills in his hand felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Lifting them was an immense struggle.
Time passed quietly. Two days had already gone by.
Little Yue'Er waited anxiously in the main cave outside. But she was very obedient and didn't go anywhere, merely guarding the spot and waiting for Jiang Jichen to awaken.
But just then, a sudden noise came from outside, and soon, someone found their way to the cave.
"Eh? There's a little girl here. The Giant Python is gone?"
"What's going on? That Giant Python had the power of the Ninth Level Mortal Realm. How could a little girl have killed it?"
"The giant python inner core is crucial for me. It's the key to my breakthrough into the Innate Realm, and I must have it. Whoever took it has to die."
...
The group spoke amongst themselves as they quickly entered the large cave.