Chapter 247: Chapter 245: Ferocious Breakthrough

This was an underground den of giant pythons.

Vast caverns connected one to another in a winding, intricate maze, making it easy to get lost.

Jiang Jichen had absolute confidence in Little Haas!

The Soul Planting Technique not only allowed the spellcaster to control another with a single thought, but more importantly, if the spellcaster died, the one the spell was cast upon would also have their body and soul obliterated.

It was a one-way, irreversible bond!

Therefore, Jiang Jichen simply ignored everything, letting Little Haas carry him on his back while he focused on circulating the Undying Scripture to temporarily keep his physical body from disintegrating.

Soon, Little Haas arrived at an Earth Palace. He placed Jiang Jichen onto a Jade Bed and said, "Master, this is Little Haas’s residence. Please rest and recuperate here. If you have any orders, just send a Divine Thought, and I’ll be here in a flash!"

Jiang Jichen looked at Little Haas, feeling rather speechless.

After all, Little Haas was supposed to be Guo Qishan now.

If anyone from the Southern Continent were to witness this—Guo Qishan, the Young Master of the Guo Family, one of the Seven Great Families of Southern Continent, fawning over and serving Jiang Jichen—their eyes would probably pop out of their sockets.

Jiang Jichen also felt that if Guo Qishan’s soul still existed and could see Little Haas’s obsequious, bootlicking behavior, he’d probably drop dead from rage on the spot.

’He’s really been thoroughly corrupted!’

At this moment, Jiang Jichen had no choice but to remind him, "Little Haas, from now on, you are Guo Qishan. You must be mindful of your every word and action. Don’t let anyone see through your disguise, and more importantly, never expose the relationship between us in front of others."

Hearing Jiang Jichen’s words, Little Haas’s expression turned serious. He declared solemnly, "Little Haas understands. From now on, I will know my place and serve you with all my heart, Master!"

It was barely three sentences, and two of them were just flattery. Jiang Jichen felt a wave of exasperation and could only wave his hand in resignation. "Just go for now. I’ll call you if I need anything."

After dismissing Little Haas, Jiang Jichen could finally quiet his mind and focus on healing his injuries.

The injuries he had sustained this time were no small matter. The slightest misstep, and Jiang Jichen might very well die.

After a moment of thought, the remaining Celestial Blood Grass appeared in his hand.

He had already used six leaves of the Celestial Blood Grass. What remained was a single stalk and three leaves.

The essence of the Celestial Blood Grass was concentrated in its leaves. Jiang Jichen didn’t want to use them all, because Celestial Blood Grass was a primary ingredient in one of the Undying Pill Formulas.

He had to save at least two leaves, no matter what. Therefore, he plucked only a single leaf of the Celestial Blood Grass.

Next, he took out the ten pieces of Fourth-Grade Ancient Spirit Jade he had acquired in the Ancient Ruined City and placed them on the Jade Bed.

’This is a life-or-death gamble. I’m afraid this won’t be enough... In that case... there’s also...’

And so, Jiang Jichen took out the remaining half of the Rootless Spiritual Spring, as well as the Yin Soul Flower, from which he had already used four petals.

The Yin Soul Flower resembled a lotus and had nine petals. With five remaining, Jiang Jichen took three, saving the last two for future use.

Once all his preparations were complete, Jiang Jichen stopped suppressing the breakdown of his body and swallowed a leaf of the Celestial Blood Grass.

BOOM!

The boundless Heavenly Blood Essence Qi from the Celestial Blood Grass erupted, nearly shattering Jiang Jichen’s already fractured and ravaged body.

But then, the Undying Scripture and the Source Character Qi Condensation Technique began to circulate simultaneously, absorbing and refining the Celestial Human Blood Qi and the Sun and Moon Essence from the Celestial Blood Grass.

His body finally stopped its process of disintegration.

But at that very moment, Jiang Jichen did something incredibly insane... he began to push for the Body Refining Innate Tenth Layer!

With his body on the verge of collapse, Jiang Jichen wasn’t thinking about recovery. Instead, he sought life through death, to defy the heavens and break through to the next Body Refining Realm.

’Life and death are illusions, like smoke and dreams. A heart that holds the universe, a spirit that hides ten thousand Daos, a soul tempered a hundred times, a body refined a thousand times—only then can one cross the sea!’

...

The principles of the Undying Scripture’s Second Turn flowed through his mind. Jiang Jichen’s will was like iron; seeking the Dao in the face of death, his determination did not waver in the slightest.

BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions echoed from within his body—the sound of his Great Innate Acupoints being blasted open by sheer force. It was enough to make one’s teeth ache.

At this point, Jiang Jichen was bleeding from every inch of his body. Blood flowed onto the Jade Bed, staining the Spiritual Spring, the Yin Soul Flower, and the Ancient Spirit Jade crimson!

Jiang Jichen’s consciousness was already fading. His physical body continued to disintegrate, threatening to dissolve into nothingness at any moment.

"I have a Dao that cannot be suppressed by the Ten Thousand Daos of the Blue Heaven, that strikes fear into all gods and buddhas! I have a will that cannot be concealed by the infinite expanse, that will endure for a billion years!"

"Undying body, undying will, undying Divine Soul, undying Dao of the original heart—open, ninth Innate Acupoint!"

Jiang Jichen’s black hair whipped about wildly, giving him the appearance of a crazed demon.

He paid it no mind, however, and continued to assault the Tenth Layer of Body Refining.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the ninth Small Innate Acupoint burst open within a Great Innate Acupoint. In that instant, Jiang Jichen’s body seemed to transform into a bottomless, abyssal black hole, starving for Spiritual Power.

With that, Jiang Jichen opened his mouth and inhaled, sucking the entire blood-stained Rootless Spiritual Spring into his stomach.

Next, with a flick of his hand, the Yin Soul Flower and the Ancient Spirit Jades appeared in his grasp.

Like a maddened demon, he shoved the Yin Soul Flower directly into his mouth.

But that wasn’t all—he stuffed the Ancient Spirit Jades in as well.

CRUNCH!

A brutal crunching sound echoed as the ten Spirit Jades were bitten into powder and swallowed into Jiang Jichen’s stomach.

Watching from the shadows, Little Haas felt his scalp go numb, and a cold sweat drenched his robes. He trembled, thinking, ’Gods, the Master is really something else! So brutal! So terrifying, so terrifying... No, I have to survive! For the goddess of my heart! To make sure I don’t die a virgin of the Dark Clan! I must obey the Master’s every word. That’s the only way to stay alive!’

And so, our persistent, pitiful, and cowardly Little Haas wiped away his cold sweat and quietly slipped away.

Meanwhile, although Jiang Jichen was still in the process of breaking through to the Tenth Layer of Body Refining, a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

How could he not have known Little Haas was watching from the sidelines? It wasn’t that he believed the cowardly Little Haas would dare to do anything.

But... it was still beneficial to intimidate the fellow. At least this way, he wouldn’t just be paying lip service to his orders.

At this moment, Jiang Jichen had completed the breakthrough. As long as he replenished his Spiritual Power, he would be a true... Grandmaster of Body Refining at the Innate Tenth Realm.

BOOM!

When the three Yin Soul Petals, the half-measure of Rootless Spiritual Spring, and the ten Ancient Spirit Jades were fully refined and absorbed, Jiang Jichen’s body began to glow with a faint golden luster.

Threads of Undying Power spread throughout his entire body. Compared to before... his vitality, physical strength, and raw power had increased by an unknown number of times.

Strong!

At this moment, this was the only sensation Jiang Jichen could feel.

Now, as a Grandmaster in both Body Refining and Spirit Cultivation, Jiang Jichen was confident that he could face any Foundation Establishment Cultivator without even needing to use his trump cards.