Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Entering a Dream Again

"Senior Brother Qi?"

The moment Xu Yunfan tossed over half of the giant snake’s hardest bone, Qi Huan instinctively shot back seven steps.

With just a casual toss from the young man, the bone embedded itself thirty feet into the rock formation. The Qi Force erupting from the resulting cracks lifted the surrounding rubble into midair.

’What kind of terrifying control is this?’

’Even an Elder from the Celestial Craft Cave probably couldn’t have caught that effortless toss!’

Xu Yunfan seemed a little surprised and sized Qi Huan up.

"This is a real treasure. You don’t want it?"

"...Thank you."

His voice was as hoarse as if it had been seared by thunder and fire, and the muscles beneath his cyan scales spasmed uncontrollably.

As Xu Yunfan turned to deal with another of the snake’s heads, Qi Huan stared at the plume of Blood Qi still surging behind the young man, not yet subsided. He suddenly felt a sliver of pity for those arrogant True Disciples of the Profound Daoist Sect.

’Those people probably have no idea what kind of Fierce Beast they’re about to face.’

-----------------

The days that followed passed in a numb haze for Qi Huan.

Xu Yunfan seemed completely unconcerned about whether the True Disciples from the top Sects were appearing in the Secret Realm. Instead, he simply proceeded methodically, following his own rhythm.

The stronger these Demon Fiends were, the more abundant the Essence Qi contained within their flesh, and this was especially true for the Nine-headed Serpent.

Every time he consumed the roasted flesh, he felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his entire body.

Watching Xu Yunfan’s astonishing daily appetite from the side, Qi Huan was rendered even more speechless.

Every day, Xu Yunfan would devour nearly six hundred and sixty pounds of flesh, then begin to train frantically. The more he trained, the more energetic he seemed to become, never sleeping or resting.

One day, inside a natural cave.

He sat cross-legged before the bonfire, holding a large piece of snake meat that sizzled and dripped with fat as he roasted it, taking huge bites.

With a single bite and a jerk of his head, Xu Yunfan tore off a large chunk of meat. He ground it between his teeth a few times, then swallowed. His eating speed was absolutely astonishing.

"Your roasting has improved a bit today, but it’s missing some spice. I remember there are a few bushes of wild mountain peppers at the foot of the mountain. Tomorrow, you can pick them and rub them on to make it spicy."

The corner of Qi Huan’s eye twitched upon hearing this, but when Xu Yunfan’s gaze fell upon him, he could only nod.

"I understand."

For the past half-month, while Xu Yunfan ate to his heart’s content, he had, as a matter of course, delegated the task of roasting the flesh to Qi Huan.

Training every day, he hardly had the time for such things.

Seeing Xu Yunfan finish his meal, Qi Huan finally couldn’t help but ask, "It’s been almost two months since I met you, and you haven’t slept or rested at all. Can you really get by on Meditation alone?"

Xu Yunfan thought for a moment, glanced at the small amount of snake meat left, and nodded slightly. "You’re right. I really should get some sleep tonight."

His cultivation progress for the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique was now over three-fifths complete, with 3018 Skill Level points accumulated. The Pure Yang Qi Skill was at 2790.

The Linn Character Technique, however, had only accumulated 92 points.

A Secret Technique like this, which focused on spiritual cultivation, progressed extremely slowly with diligent practice alone. Still, it could not be neglected. Continuous daily Cultivation would one day build a profound foundation for future breakthroughs.

The snake meat was almost gone. After they ate tomorrow, they would need to set out again.

’This place truly is a sacred ground for Cultivation.’

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but look back at the place where the mountain’s power converged and Spiritual Qi gathered.

A month had passed since he had killed the Nine-headed Serpent, and the Primordial Spirit Qi below, which had once roiled like a dense fog, was now pitifully thin.

With a Cultivation method like his—akin to draining a pond to catch all the fish—which completely disregarded the mountain’s Earth Vein Recovery rate, his progress was naturally extremely fast.

At dusk, the setting sun was the color of blood.

Xu Yunfan stood on the edge of Broken Dragon Cliff, gazing at a distant peak where the crimson afterglow roiled. He could faintly hear a whistling sound, as if the mountain itself were breathing.

’Over there,’ he thought, ’slumbers even more ferocious prey.’

Seeing the direction of his gaze, Qi Huan, who was standing beside him, felt his heart skip a beat.

"What do you think that big fella entrenched over there is? What kind of Demon Fiend?"

Before he could even gather his thoughts, he heard Xu Yunfan’s quiet voice drift over.

Qi Huan’s thin lips pressed into a tight line. He desperately wanted to remain silent, but compelled by Xu Yunfan’s overwhelming presence, he had no choice but to say, "Before, when my instincts led me in this direction, that place... it filled me with an intense sense of dread, forcing me to change my path. That’s when I met you, Brother Xu."

Xu Yunfan nodded slightly. After a moment, he spoke again. "Tell me, where do you think these Demon Fiends come from? The Spiritual Qi in this Secret Realm is abundant, but from my observation of the mountain’s Earth Veins, there’s no fertile ground here for them to spawn."

"That... I really don’t know."

Xu Yunfan hadn’t expected Qi Huan to have an answer. The number of Demon Fiends in this Secret Realm was astonishing. In the past few days, aside from his training, as the aura of the slain Nine-headed Serpent gradually faded, a steady stream of other Demon Fiends had been drawn to the convergence of Spiritual Qi.

Unfortunately for them, none could withstand a single blow from Xu Yunfan.

Now, as his Skill Level with the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique and his own physique improved, he could no longer feel any boost from the energy contained within their Demon Flesh and Blood.

That night, under Qi Huan’s relieved gaze, Xu Yunfan finally lay down to sleep, using his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer as a pillow. Just as Qi Huan was about to stand up, a sudden, inexplicable force shoved him out of the cave.

"I don’t like having others nearby when I sleep."

Hearing Xu Yunfan’s quiet voice in his ear, Qi Huan’s expression stiffened. He said nothing, simply finding a fork in a nearby tree’s branches to lie down on.

Once Xu Yunfan had fallen into a deep sleep, the Dragon Scale Armor he wore seemed to be influenced by some unknown force. It trembled slightly, and the Dragon Scale Armor Leaves slowly shifted, causing the whole suit to loosen considerably, no longer clinging to Xu Yunfan’s body.

Then, the Extreme Dao Relic Shell, strapped to Xu Yunfan’s torso like a vest, began to slowly squirm again. The surrounding Primordial Spirit Breath began to pour into the Relic Shell, drawn in as if by a whale devouring the sea.

The veins clearly visible on the fleshy shell grew even more profound.

The Extreme Dao Relic Shell, pressed tightly against his ribs, suddenly began to emit an eerie, glass-like glow.

As the fleshless skin began to ravenously absorb Spiritual Qi, it took on a translucent, ice-crystal-like texture. The barely-visible network of channels beneath it resembled a river of stars, flowing with a faint fluorescence. Now, as the Primordial Spirit Qi poured in, it pulsed with a deep indigo halo.

The skin, as warm and smooth as mutton-fat jade, was pressed against nearly every inch of Xu Yunfan’s body.

’An unknown powerhouse has entered your dream and possessed your body.’

When Xu Yunfan opened his eyes, the scene before him snapped into focus.

He was standing at the edge of a Cold Pool.

The pool’s water reflected nine solitary peaks, each as straight as a sword. At their summits, the clouds and mist had coalesced into the shape of a Cyan Simurgh with its wings outstretched. As it beat its wings, scattered flecks of frost refracted the sunlight into tiny rainbows.

A woman in a simple white dress stood barefoot upon the shortest of the Sword Peaks. The mountain wind filled her long, draping sleeves, making her look like a paper kite about to ride the breeze and fly away.

The bronze sword-shaped hairpin tucked into her hair was no more than three inches long.

"Defeat me, and I will let... hm?!"

The woman spoke suddenly, her voice like an Ice Spring washing over stone, yet carrying the cold ring of clashing metal. But then, that same voice issued a sound of pure, Spiritual confusion.

The moment she began to turn, the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace on Xu Yunfan’s back suddenly let out a tremor like a dragon’s cry, and his Dragon Scale Armor Leaves flared open uncontrollably, as if enraged.