Chapter 281 The Pinnacle of Blood Cultivation!
High in the blood-colored heavens, Yang Wei and Blood-Dragon stared each other down, their gazes anything but friendly.
Blood-Dragon snapped its jaw open, and a powerful gust spread across the Dragon's Peak Mountain Range, causing the cloud-wreathed mountains to crumble bit by bit.
Despite the intense force, Yang Wei remained unshaken.
Blood-Dragon, feeling annoyed and insulted, sent another wave of powerful blood discs at Yang Wei.
Humph~!
With a cold snort, Yang Wei performed several double-handed mystical mudras before shooting out one hand to summon his spirit furnace.
Dao of Spirit-forging Alchemy!
The cauldron appeared with a bright surge of blue light, expanding until it dwarfed Yang Wei.
With fluid, stream-like movements, Yang Wei waved his hands in the air, drawing all the blood discs into his spiritual furnace. This time, he wasn't planning on blocking or dodging them.
"Regardless of how powerful you are, the foundation of your existence is still rooted in blood Qi! I'll just refine you away!"
Yang Wei alternated his arms in a continuous forward motion, increasing the absorption of blood Qi.
Blood-Dragon's body was swiftly being pulled into the huge, blinding blue cauldron.
However, despite this, Blood-Dragon maintained most of its physical form. The creature's size was incomprehensible, and before Yang Wei could absorb all of it into his spirit furnace and refine it away, Blood-Dragon might find a means to counter his efforts.
Huuuuuuu!
Yang Wei's body surged with an ancient, immense power, like a pillar reaching for the heavens. His fleshly body power expanded until a massive turtle-like black beast emerged behind him, standing 350 meters tall. It boasted bulging muscles and golden armor that gleamed with celestial grace.
It was the Martial Black Emperor!
ROOOOOOOAAAARR~~!
The beast roared with formidable presence that shove above and below.
Though this avatar was dwarfed by Blood-Dragon, Yang Wei's focus had shifted from fighting to refining.
"Just a bit more!" he urged.
His arms continued to move in a fluid, rhythmic motion as if swimming or clearing through the air.
The Martial Black Emperor mirrored his gestures, accelerating the absorption of blood Qi by a hundredfold.
Blood-Dragon roared in agony as its body was drawn deeper into Yang Wei's spiritual furnace. Its existence began to fade as it dissolved within the cauldron.
For Yang Wei, this was a calculated risk. His spirit root, the Nine Immemorial Nine Dragons' Peak Core, was a Heaven-grade spirit root unparalleled in power! Coupled with the virtually indestructible nature of his spiritual furnace, he pressed on without hesitation or doubt.
"Almost there, I can feel it!" Yang Wei exclaimed.
He thrusted out one hand while forming a mystical mudra with the other. The Martial Black Emperor roared in response, continuing its relentless arm movements to draw Blood-Dragon's blood Qi closer.
Zuuuuuuu~~!
Soon, the blood-colored dragon ceased to exist.
However, the strain was evident──Yang Wei's spiritual furnace was already crumbling under the immense blood Qi contained within.
It was enough to create an entire world of blood!
"Ngkh!"
Yang Wei strained, not to maintain the integrity of his spiritual furnace, but because using the Dao of Spirit-forging Alchemy more than once a day was unprecedented. While Elder Qian and Yang Wei were the only known practitioners, it was still a remarkable feat for an early-stage Gold Core cultivator.
He brought his hands together as if trying to lock them, but faced a powerful unseen resistance.
"Ngaaarrhh~!"
Yang Wei exerted more force, tapping into the Martial Black Emperor's immense fleshly body power to bolster his own.
Finally, he managed to lock his palm just in time.
Before Blood-Dragon could escape, it and the quasi-Blood Dragon-Strengthening Pill it had absorbed were forcefully condensed into a slightly larger, impure blood pill.
"Excellent, now to refine it!"
Yang Wei ignited his spiritual furnace with the flames of his intent, cooking the pill until all impurities were eradicated.
The Martial Black Emperor faded into golden wisps, leaving Yang Wei to focus solely on the refining process.
Moments later, something unexpected happened.
"What…?!" Yang Wei was bewildered.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The pill had condensed perfectly, and he was diligently purging its impurities, yet it continued to leak.
A small crease of worry formed on his brow.
He was certain his intent was strong enough to fuel the flames needed for this new blood pill, but maintaining its molecular structure proved challenging.
Suddenly, the quasi-Blood Dragon-Strengthening Pill began to dissolve, merging with the spiritual furnace.
The cauldron's color shifted from blinding blue to a blazing red.
"Wh- how is this even… NO!"
Yang Wei watched in dismay as the pill lost its physical form.
The cauldron reshaped to match Yang Wei's spirit root once again, then shot back into his chest, merging with him forcefully.
This sudden action triggered a transformation.
His skin paled rapidly, almost becoming translucent, with faint red veins visible underneath. His eyes turned blood-red, ominously glowing in the dense blood cloud that surrounded him.
"ArrRRRGGgHh~~!"
The matriarchs observing were intrigued. Amidst the dense blood Qi in the sky, only their sharp eyes could pierce through, testament to their formidable cultivation bases.
"What's happening up there?" Tian Mingxia (Fangblade) wondered aloud, watching the scene unfold.
Yuehui Menglong's usual cold demeanor towards Yang Wei wavered as she observed his advancement. "Don't worry… he'll be fine," she reassured confidently, though some concern lingered on her face.
Yang Wei, please… be safe.
Liang Xinyue simply smiled, recognizing that any progress for Yang Wei could benefit their sect in the Sect-Resource Allocation Trial.
Initially determined to aid Yang Wei, Xu Tung-Mei (Venomheart) now found herself resigned. "Hmm… I still think we should've intervened sooner…" she muttered, though she knew it was beyond their current capabilities.
Meanwhile, Yang Wei's transformation continued unabated. . .
It was agonizing to watch.
His head dropped forward, and he screamed in agony, black blood pouring from his mouth like vomit. Every orifice in his head—his eyes, ears, nostrils—leaked thick, black blood.
"GAAAHhh~~!"
His eyes felt like they would pop at any moment.
Come on, Wei! I have to fight back the energy… my body is supposed to be at its peak, and yet *cough* I-, I can't… Gah! It feels like there's millions of blood worlds forming in each of my cells! It feels like heaven and earth are forging within the deepest corners of my soul!
He grunted painfully.
N-, no! I have to fight it──!!
Shortly after, Yang Wei found himself no longer in the physical realm but within his spiritual domain.
A transformative moment was unfolding──one that promised a breakthrough in his cultivation, potentially propelling him beyond his celestial limits.
"Wh-, what's happening…"
Floating at the domain's center was a vast expanse of golden water fueled by celestial orbs and massive heavenly clusters!
Around Yang Wei whirled a potent ring of blood Qi, expanding with each moment. His celestial sea responded, the golden water rising to blend with the expanding blood ring, forming celestial blood Qi!
I can feel it…
Its immense power surged into Yang Wei, multiplying the strength of his fleshly body power and spiritual essence by the second.
Suddenly, the scene shifted. . .
Yang Wei now stood in a blank, dark space illuminated by colossal red supergiant stars.
He recognized this place well──it was where blood cultivators strived but often failed to comprehend. Just when they felt close to touching its boundless surface, they found themselves infinitely farther away.
This realm wasn't something one could seek out; it was discovered only through serendipity by blood cultivators. Yet for Yang Wei, it wasn't mere luck──it was the culmination of his relentless pursuit of supremacy.
Truly, this space was the pinnacle of blood cultivation.
It was none other than the body of the Blood Emperor!
...
Author's Note: For more clarity, read Ch. 104 and Ch. 116