A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 455 Body Refining Breakthrough

The spirit beasts in Luo Ming's hands had previously devoured demon cores and demon flesh, and their cultivation was not far from the peak of the seventh level. If they refined these blood essences, they would probably all reach the threshold of transformation.

However, this place is clearly not a place where one can withstand the tribulation of lightning. In addition to the lack of spiritual energy, the entire secret realm is probably unable to withstand the arrival of the tribulation of lightning and will collapse. In that case, Luo Ming and the others will probably be swallowed up by the violent spatial rift.

He looked at Ling Yuling and Miaoyu, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air: "If I can break through my body refinement cultivation to the equivalent of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and with the help of some secret techniques and resources, I am confident that I can cultivate several avatars of considerable strength. At that time, with my main body's cultivation level, plus several avatars with at least the combat power of the early Nascent Soul stage—the chances of forcibly breaking through this Four Symbols Gathering Spirit Array from the inside will be much greater."

"As for how long it will take—" Luo Ming looked at the blood pool again and estimated, "The key is when I can break through the bottleneck of body refinement, and after the breakthrough, whether the remaining myriad spirit blood in this pool will be enough to support the cultivation of the avatar. Ten or twenty years may only be the most optimistic estimate."

After listening, the two women remained silent for a moment, their eyes quickly exchanging glances. Both were intelligent and instantly understood Luo Ming's entire plan, realizing it was currently the only viable way to escape. Although they would be trapped here for over a decade, it was a glimmer of hope compared to being trapped forever. Moreover, Luo Ming's increased strength also provided a guarantee of their safety.

Ling Yuling spoke first: "I will follow Senior Luo's arrangements. I will cooperate fully without complaint. If there is anything I can do to help, please feel free to ask." She had recovered from her initial panic and understood that the most important thing now was to get out alive, and relying on Luo Ming was the only option.

Fairy Miaoyu also bowed gracefully and said softly, "Senior has considered everything very well. During this time, my sister Ling and I will cultivate in peace and will not disturb you. If you need our help, we will do our best even at the cost of our lives." She lowered her stance even further, directly positioning herself as subordinate.

Luo Ming nodded and said no more: "In that case, there's no time to lose. The two fairies may find a quiet place to recuperate and heal their injuries."

Cultivation. The spiritual energy here is decent; though not enough to form a Nascent Soul, it should be sufficient for the two of you to stabilize your cultivation. I, Luo, will now begin refining the blood.

Having said that, he ignored the two women, turned to face the blood pool, sat down cross-legged, and with a flick of his sleeve, several jade bottles flew out. He began to collect the blood from the pool methodically, carefully taking only a small amount each time.

He knew that the essence of this blood was the flesh and blood of that Nascent Soul demon cultivator. Although it had been refined by the formation for many years and had been consumed, there was still a possibility that the demon's soul had left behind some hidden tricks. He had to be careful in purifying and refining it. He planned to use the newly acquired "Spirit Devouring Silver Flame" as the main refining method. This flame contained refining power and was best at purifying and exorcising evil.

Seeing Luo Ming begin to act, Ling Yuling and Miaoyu exchanged a glance, silently walked to the edge of the cave, each found a relatively flat spot away from the blood pool's malevolent energy, sat cross-legged, took pills, and began to circulate their internal energy to heal their injuries. Inside the cave, for a moment only the faint sound of flowing blood and the three of them breathing slowly and softly could be heard.

At the bottom of the pool, deep within the pale golden demon bones tightly bound by the Four Symbols Sealing Chains, a weak yet extremely venomous remnant soul silently roars and curses.

It could "see" and sense that Luo Ming was extracting and refining the recovery resources that belonged to it. Its heart was filled with boundless hatred, yet it was helpless.

The sealing power was strengthened by Luo Ming's intervention, making it impossible for the human to even probe out with a trace of its divine sense, let alone interfere. It could only watch helplessly as this human consumed its last "tonic," and even worry about how the human would deal with its sealed remnant soul once its strength increased significantly.

Time slipped away quietly in the silence and cultivation. Luo Ming's refining process was exceptionally slow and cautious. He only ingested a small amount of blood each time, repeatedly burning and tempering it with the Soul-Devouring Silver Flame to remove the violent demonic energy and lurking malevolent intent, until it became relatively mild and pure. Only then did he carefully introduce it into his body, circulate his body-refining technique, and slowly absorb it to temper his physical body and accumulate qi and blood.

Inside the cave, there was no sun or moon; only the slight drop in the level of the blood pool and the gradually increasing fluctuations of blood energy on Luo Ming's body marked the passage of time.

Outside, in the waters around Silver Shark Island, the situation was constantly changing.

Twenty years ago, after the Ninth Elder of the Star Palace, Blood Fiend of the Reverse Star Alliance, and several other Nascent Soul cultivators entered the "Sea King Sect Secret Realm" together, they disappeared without a trace.

At first, everyone just speculated and waited, but as time went by, no one returned, and even communication was cut off, so the rumors of his death gradually became a reality.

With both Star Palace and Reverse Star Alliance suddenly finding themselves without their highest combat power on Silver Shark Island, undercurrents surged within the two major forces, eventually escalating into open and covert struggles.

Core Formation stage cultivators constantly clashed and clashed over power, resources, and territory.

In particular, the Reverse Star Alliance, which was originally a coalition of multiple forces, has now lost the powerful unification of the Nascent Soul cultivator Blood Fiend. It has immediately revealed its true colors, with various merchant guilds, families, and independent cultivator groups acting independently, fighting against each other, and creating chaos.

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Amidst this chaotic situation, "Mingyuelou," a company that had previously operated discreetly and primarily dealt in intelligence and the trading of scarce resources, suddenly began a rapid expansion.

Its owner, "Fairy Yuan Yao," is a mysterious and beautiful late-stage Core Formation female cultivator who displays astonishing skill and courage.

With generous rewards and relatively fair treatment, she attracted a large number of rogue cultivators seeking refuge and opportunities amidst the chaos to join her, including many experts at the Core Formation stage.

The power of Mingyue Tower expanded like a snowball, its tentacles quickly extending to various important markets and resource points on Silver Shark Island, and even beginning to get involved in core interests such as shipping and mining that were originally controlled by the Star Palace and the Reverse Star Alliance.

Initially, the Star Palace and the remnants of the Reverse Star Alliance, preoccupied with their internal strife, did not pay much attention. However, when the expansion of the Bright Moon Pavilion began to significantly encroach on their traditional territories, both sides realized something was amiss, temporarily setting aside their disputes and attempting to join forces to contain this "unruly" newcomer.

Clearly, they were unaware that the primordial spirit lamp Luo Ming left behind in Mingyue Tower had not been extinguished, and they still thought that Luo Ming, like other Nascent Soul stage cultivators, had perished in the secret realm.

In a conflict over the ownership of a newly discovered medium-sized mineral vein on the outskirts of the Sea King Sect, several Core Formation stage experts from the Star Palace and the Reverse Star Alliance joined forces to launch an attack, intending to force the Bright Moon Tower to withdraw from the competition and teach this "arrogant" force a profound lesson.

However, something happened that shocked all the onlookers. Faced with the pressure from nearly twenty Core Formation stage cultivators from both sides, the Bright Moon Pavilion not only did not back down, but more than ten powerful and unfamiliar Core Formation stage cultivators suddenly stepped out from their ranks!

Adding to the known Core Formation stage combat power of Mingyue Tower, the number of Core Formation cultivators gathered on site instantly exceeded the sum of the Star Palace and the Reverse Star Alliance!

What was even more shocking was what followed. In that battle, Fairy Yuan Yao, who had rarely shown herself, displayed terrifying strength at the late stage of the Core Formation realm. Her pair of Nether Phoenix Wheel magic weapons appeared and disappeared unpredictably, and her techniques were strange and unpredictable.

In just a few rounds, right before everyone's eyes, they swiftly and decisively killed the two renowned late-stage Core Formation cultivators from the Reverse Star Alliance! Blood stained the sky!

The news sent shockwaves through the entire Silver Shark Island sea area! The name of Bright Moon Pavilion instantly rose to become a force that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Star Palace and Reverse Star Alliance! And its leader, Fairy Yuan Yao, was recognized as the number one Core Formation cultivator in the Silver Shark Island sea area!

While turmoil was raging on Silver Shark Island, things were much quieter on Luo Ming's side, as if it had become a forgotten corner of the world.

Time flies like water, and twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the secret realm, in a cave, the water in the blood pool has decreased by more than half compared to twenty years ago, and its color has changed from deep red to dark red, but the blood and qi power contained within it remains immense.

Not far from the pool, Ling Yuling and Fairy Miaoyu sat cross-legged, their spiritual energy fluctuations hidden, having already reached the peak of the Core Formation stage—the False Infant realm.

If this place hadn't been sealed off by an array, where the total amount and quality of spiritual energy wouldn't be sufficient to support the massive infusion of spiritual energy and the stimulation of the world's primordial energy during the Nascent Soul formation, and given the enormous risks involved in forming a Nascent Soul and the need to find an absolutely safe and secure place, the two women would probably have already attempted to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck.

Even so, after twenty years of secluded cultivation, with the help of the pure spiritual energy of this place and some cultivation insights occasionally shared by Luo Ming, their magical power and foundation have far surpassed those of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.

This day was as peaceful as the previous seven thousand days and nights.

Ling Yuling was silently circulating the "Zhou Tian Xing Chen Jue" (a secret technique passed down in the Star Palace), refining the last bit of her magical power, trying to bring it to perfection.

Miaoyu was studying a secret technique she had obtained from Luo Ming, which was used to conceal her aura and enhance her divine sense. This was her preparation for better control of her own power and for dealing with complex situations after she formed her Nascent Soul.

suddenly-

"boom!"

A violent, savage aura, brimming with primal life force, erupted from the blood pool in the center of the cave, like an ancient beast awakening from its slumber! The aura was so powerful that it even caused a slight tremor in the surrounding space, and the air seemed to become viscous and heavy.

Ling Yuling and Miaoyu were startled awake from their meditation almost simultaneously. Their beautiful eyes snapped open, their sharp eyes flashing, and they both looked toward the source of the aura—the center of the blood pool.

In the center of the blood pool, Luo Ming, who had been sitting cross-legged, now had a faint dark golden light flowing beneath his skin, as if lava was surging through his blood.

His already tall and straight figure seemed even more robust and solid, and just sitting there gave people a sense of heavy pressure like a mountain.

The exposed skin has a subtle metallic sheen, yet it is full of explosive power.

What is most striking is the aura and blood power emanating from his body. It is scorching hot and boundless, like a blazing furnace, which gives Ling Yuling the illusion that he is even stronger than the level nine demon cultivator "Whale Power King" whom she met on Silver Shark Island back then, who was known for his strength!

"This—this power of blood and qi—" Ling Yuling's lips parted slightly, her beautiful face unable to conceal her shock and complex emotions. "Brother Luo—how exactly did he cultivate? This body-refining technique, reaching the mid-Nascent Soul stage, actually possesses such power?"

Having shared a room for twenty years, they cultivated separately but occasionally exchanged cultivation experiences. Luo Ming would also give the two women some pointers from time to time. This had long since made the three of them no longer strangers, and they even had a hint of an alliance of mutual support. The way they addressed each other had also become much more casual, changing from the initial "senior" and "fairy".

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