He didn’t want to run away, either.

This cataclysm sweeping across the Continent was like a giant net, constantly tightening.

There was nowhere to run, unless he steeled his heart and utterly abandoned everything in the Monte Territory—giving up Option Two and even his plan to quickly reach the Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm with resources—to flee overseas or hide deep in the mountains like a stray dog.

And that kind of "survival" had already lost all meaning to him.

Therefore, venturing deep into the Deep Red Wilderness, while certainly forced upon him by the mandate and the circumstances, was also a proactive counterattack.

Within the crisis also lay the "opportunity" he needed.

Opportunities like the Spiritual Material refined from the giant beast’s carapace, and the "Heart of the Fierce Sun" he had just traded for.

Back inside the stone house, Murphy did not rush to rest.

He once again took out the dark silver metal box, opened it, and gazed calmly at the golden-red potion flowing slowly within the crystal tube, like a liquid, fierce sun.

Surging, violent, and carrying a resolute will that seemed to want to incinerate all creation.

It could push a Great Knight’s Life Energy to an almost berserk peak in a short amount of time, at the cost of overdrawing their potential and damaging their foundation.

This was a cultivation item prepared for those Legendary Knights with physiques honed to the absolute extreme; ordinary Great Knights would avoid it like the plague.

But Murphy’s Essence was as high as 3.0, a physical foundation that far surpassed the Peak of Mortality. This gave him sixty to seventy percent confidence that he could withstand the impact of this tyrannical medicine’s power.

He hesitated no longer.

Murphy sat cross-legged in the center of the rug and regulated his breathing. The Qi that had been flowing at a steady pace within him began to accelerate, surging like a torrential river and emitting a low rumble through his meridians.

He adjusted his condition to its peak and focused his mind completely.

Then, he uncorked the crystal tube.

There was no extraordinary fragrance as he had imagined. Instead, an extremely restrained yet searingly hot aura, one that felt like it could scorch the soul, spread out. The temperature in the room even seemed to rise faintly.

Murphy tilted his head back and slowly poured the small tube of viscous, golden-red liquid into his mouth.

The moment the potion entered his mouth, it didn’t dissolve immediately. Instead, it felt like a ball of condensed lava, sliding heavily and searingly down his throat.

The instant it came into contact with his Qi...

BOOM!

An indescribably violent torrent of heat erupted!

It was as if a miniature sun had been ignited in his stomach. A terrifying torrent of energy, like magma from a burst dam, charged tyrannically into every meridian and every inch of flesh in his body!

His skin instantly turned crimson, and his veins bulged as if countless small snakes were slithering beneath them.

His muscles spasmed and swelled uncontrollably, and his bones emitted a faint grinding sound, as if unable to bear the load.

The tidal wave of energy was not merely searing hot. It carried a primitive, destructive will intent on tearing apart and incinerating everything as it madly assaulted his body and consciousness.

Had it been any ordinary Peak Mortal Knight, their meridians would have been scorched, their internal organs damaged, and they might even have lost control or fallen unconscious.

But Murphy’s body, even as it groaned in agony, displayed astonishing resilience.

An Essence of 3.0 meant that his physical strength, Recovery Power, and endurance had all reached an unbelievable level.

Although the violent energy stretched his meridians to the point of excruciating pain, they did not break. Although his flesh was being scorched, it stubbornly resisted and repaired itself, nourished by his Qi and his own formidable Life Force.

Even more crucial was his Spirit of 2.4.

His powerful Spiritual Power was like a sturdy lighthouse, standing unshaken amidst the tidal wave of energy and the assault of pain. It calmly monitored every minute change in his body, firmly restraining his consciousness so it wouldn’t be devoured by the violent will contained within the potion’s power.

He gritted his teeth, fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples, only to be instantly evaporated by his high body temperature.

He operated the Refining Technique from [Qi Absorption and Eating Mist] with all his might, guiding the already immense Qi within his body. He attempted to direct, divert, and buffer the energy, pulling it strand by strand toward his Dantian Qi Sea.

The process was excruciatingly painful, like being placed in a furnace and repeatedly forged.

But his eyes remained clear and lucid throughout.

Time passed slowly amidst the extreme pain and concentration.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper. The only sounds in the stone house were Murphy’s heavy, suppressed breathing and the faintly audible rumbling of energy surging through his body like muffled thunder.

To live longer, to possess the strength to protect everything, he willingly endured the present torment, turning all usable things into fuel for his journey forward.