Devouring Qi and Blood, Consuming Souls, Extracting Vital Essence

As Wang Yue walked out of the Essence Chamber, he suddenly felt the Qi and Blood within his body stir slightly. It wasn't the lingering weakness from before, but a feeling of fullness from being replenished.

He subconsciously sank his consciousness and clearly perceived another familiar Qi and Blood fluctuation, resonating with his own across several miles.

"Is this... the result of cultivating the Vital Essence Body?"

Wang Yue's heart stirred, and he quickly used his consciousness to connect to the Vital Essence Body's perspective. In the scene, the Vital Essence Body was sitting in a desolate courtyard within the county town, surrounded by a faint aura of essence. With each breath, strands of silvery-white airflow merged into its body. As the Vital Essence Body's Qi and Blood grew, Wang Yue's main body's Qi and Blood also recovered at a visible rate. What was originally only half-recovered had, in a short moment, increased to sixty percent.

"It's equivalent to having a parallel cultivation clone, directly doubling my cultivation speed?"

He decided to calm down and carefully examine the Vital Essence Body's perception. He saw the Vital Essence Body looking up at the sky, a hint of cunning flashing in its eyes. It formed hand seals and gently guided the invisible Essence Refining Qi Gathering Array in the air.

A subtle pillar of silvery-white essence, as if pulled by an invisible force, quietly detached from the array's nodes and, following its fingertips, merged into its body. The entire process was silent, without the slightest fluctuation from the array itself.

"This kid can actually steal essence from the great array?"

Wang Yue was stunned. Just as he was about to ask through his consciousness, he saw the Vital Essence Body take out a fist-sized, pale golden stone from its bosom. The stone's surface emitted a soft, luminous aura of essence, and its touch was cool, as if it were solidified essence condensed into form.

The next second, Wang Yue's status panel automatically popped up, answering his doubts:

[Solidified Essence]: Condensed from pure essence through secret methods in special environments. It contains pure essence and can be directly absorbed or used as a catalyst material for artifact refining and pill refining. The conditions for its condensation are extremely harsh.

"It can condense this thing even in the county town? And using stolen essence from the array?" Wang Yue was full of questions. Just as he was about to ask through his consciousness what secret method the Vital Essence Body had used, he found the connected perspective suddenly blurred. The Vital Essence Body had deliberately emptied its thoughts, leaving only the simple notion that "I am cultivating properly," clearly unwilling to let him know the details.

"Deliberately playing dumb with me?" Wang Yue helplessly touched his forehead, but he could vaguely sense the Vital Essence Body's little schemes deep within its consciousness.

This kid occasionally had thoughts like "Once I save enough Solidified Essence, I'll give the main body a big surprise," clearly intending to prepare something secret behind his back.

"Surprise your grandma!" Wang Yue grumbled in his consciousness, giving himself a surprise. This clone's thought process was truly peculiar.

Despite his grumbling, he quickly organized a piece of information and transmitted it to the Vital Essence Body through consciousness: "Don't just focus on saving essence. Go to the mountains and forests outside the town and find some wild beasts to try. Kill them with Qi and Blood and see if it can trigger the effects of the [Devouring Body]. Record the process and your feelings during the consumption."

The moment the information was transmitted, he received a reply from the Vital Essence Body: "Got it, got it. So troublesome. I'll send you feedback once I find prey."

Its tone was full of disdain, yet it obediently got up and walked towards the depths of the forest.

After dealing with the Vital Essence Body's matters, Wang Yue turned back to his residence, closed the door, and sat cross-legged on the cushion. It was a good time to cultivate the sixth form of the Blood Dragon Secret Method during his leisure time.

He took a deep breath, and the fourteen strands of Qi and Blood within his body surged. Ever since his soul was invaded by the Three-Headed Buddha, his Qi and Blood had been like they were activated. Not only had the previous consumption been replenished, but it had also subtly broken through, increasing from twelve to fourteen strands after he woke up.

"Blood Dragon Secret Method, Sixth Form!"

Wang Yue whispered in his heart, forming complex hand seals. The fourteen strands of Qi and Blood condensed into a crimson dragon shadow within his body. The dragon shadow opened its claws and traversed the meridians. Every time it passed through an acupoint, it caused a slight tremor, as if tearing the meridians, causing pain, but also making the circulation of Qi and Blood smoother.

He could clearly feel that the difficulty of the sixth form was greater than all the previous five forms combined. It not only required precise control of the condensed form of Qi and Blood but also demanded perfect synchronization between the dragon shadow and his own movements. Any slight carelessness could lead to Qi and Blood disorder.

But as his cultivation deepened, he gradually discovered that the [Indestructible] trait was secretly playing a role. Whenever the meridians suffered minor damage from the impact of Qi and Blood, a faint golden light would repair the wound, allowing him to cultivate with all his might without worry, not needing to fear injury.

"At this pace, I'll be able to master the sixth form soon, and I'll be getting closer to the first level of the Blood Dragon Secret Method."

Wang Yue rejoiced in his heart, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee. A conversation with Wang Hezheng suddenly flashed through his mind.

He had once curiously asked Wang Hezheng why the Zhao Kingdom's martial artists had withdrawn from the Spirit Seeking Prefecture after the battle for the prefecture three hundred years ago.

Wang Hezheng had replied in a deep voice at the time: "That war was far more brutal than you imagine. In the end, supreme experts intervened and, at the same moment, annihilated the Three-Headed Buddha and all Buddhist temples within the Zhao Kingdom. Those who were affiliated with the Three-Headed Buddha suffered severe damage to their cultivation, forcing them to withdraw from the Spirit Seeking Prefecture."

"Even the Three-Headed Buddha, who possessed divine abilities like the [Unworldly Buddha Three Lives Body], could be annihilated by supreme experts..." Wang Yue murmured softly, a hint of longing in his eyes. "How many powerhouses are hidden in this world? What realm have these so-called 'supreme experts' reached?"

He looked down at his hands, the golden light of [Indestructible] faintly visible on his palms. Since transmigrating to this world, from the early stage of the Blood Condensation Realm to the current fourteen strands of Qi and Blood, from only knowing basic fist techniques to mastering the Blood Dragon Secret Method and the [Unworldly Buddha Three Lives Body], he had only spent nine months.

Yet, these steps had allowed him to see a tip of the iceberg of this world.

There were major sects like the Dragon Transformation Sect, regional powers like the Spirit Seeking Prefecture, malevolent souls like the Three-Headed Buddha, and the unknown supreme experts from three hundred years ago.

"One day, I will stand at the pinnacle of this world."

Wang Yue slowly clenched his fist, his eyes bursting with fervent light. "Exploring the limits, I hope one day I can suppress a realm with my 'Indestructible' cultivation, making everyone know the name Wang Yue!"

The scorching sun in the sky illuminated the ambition in his eyes, an ambition unwilling to settle for mediocrity.

Just as Wang Yue had mastered the hand seals for the sixth form of the Blood Dragon Secret Method, he suddenly sensed a familiar surge of energy from outside the county town. It was the Vital Essence Body's Qi and Blood fluctuating violently, clearly indicating it was in a state of combat.

He subconsciously switched perspectives, his consciousness instantly connecting to the Vital Essence Body's perception.

In the scene, within a dense mountain forest, the Vital Essence Body was confronting a fierce tiger with a distinctive pattern of stripes on its forehead. The tiger was over two meters tall, its fur sleek and glossy, with the clear "King" character pattern on its forehead. Its eyes, as large as bronze bells, glowed with ferocity, and its exposed fangs dripped with saliva onto the ground.

It was clearly a ferocious beast that had long roamed the mountains.

"This kid... actually provoked such a big guy?"

Wang Yue's mouth twitched slightly, his heart filled with helplessness. If he still had the Black Cloud Fist Armor and the second-tier inner armor, dealing with this tiger with his Qi and Blood would have been no problem. But now, the Vital Essence Body was empty-handed, without even a decent weapon.

One had to know that hunting a tiger bare-handed was something even experts in the Entering Force Realm had to approach with caution.

Wang Yue's expression stiffened, and then he saw the tiger suddenly let out a roar. Its hind legs forcefully pushed off the ground, and its massive body lunged at the Vital Essence Body like an arrow released from a bowstring. Its sharp tiger claws carried a whistling sound, aiming directly for the Vital Essence Body's throat. The attack was fierce, leaving no room for evasion.

But in the next second, an astonishing scene occurred. The Vital Essence Body's body was as light as willow catkins. It seemed to move slowly to the side, but it precisely dodged the tiger's claw attack, not even its clothes being touched.

Subsequently, every pounce and bite from the tiger was perfectly evaded by the Vital Essence Body with the most concise movements, as if it knew the tiger's attack trajectory in advance. It weaved through the gaps between the tiger's claws and fangs, handling the situation with ease.

"How did you do that?" Wang Yue couldn't help but ask through his consciousness, his eyes full of confusion. Even with the Vital Essence Body's [Foresight] talent assisting with prediction, it shouldn't have been able to dodge with such precision.

The Vital Essence Body's consciousness quickly replied, with a hint of pride: "It's very simple. I can see the flow of essence within all living beings in this world. Before this tiger attacks, its Qi and Blood converge towards its limbs or claws. By following the path of essence flow, I can predict its attack point in advance and avoid it, isn't that easy!"

Wang Yue's expression instantly filled with shock. This wasn't "prediction," it was a BUG-level ability brought about by divine powers!

Being able to directly observe the flow of essence meant mastering the opponent's action code. It completely disregarded logic. No wonder the Vital Essence Body could handle the ferocious tiger's attacks with ease.

Just as Wang Yue was stunned, the Vital Essence Body clearly grew tired of dodging. The moment it evaded the ferocious tiger's pounce again, it suddenly sidestepped, clenched its right fist, and struck a bizarre pose. It neither twisted its body to build momentum nor lowered its shoulder to exert force.

It was as if a punch was thrown casually, yet it carried a bone-chilling sound as it tore through the air, smashing hard into the ferocious tiger's neck.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of bone breaking echoed through the forest. The ferocious tiger's massive body instantly lost all strength, crashing heavily onto the ground. After a few twitches, it was completely still.

Wang Yue watched, dumbfounded. This method of generating force, which defied conventional understanding, completely shattered his perception of stances. Ordinary martial artists needed to coordinate their waists, abdomens, and arms to exert their full power. However, the Vital Essence Body could skip all the preparatory steps and directly unleash its entire strength. This was clearly an advantage brought about by the Vital Essence Body's special physique. Ultimately, although it possessed tactile sensations, it was essentially condensed essence, unbound by the rules of human force generation.

Before Wang Yue could process this discovery, an even stranger scene unfolded. A faint, invisible aura suddenly emanated from around the dead ferocious tiger, flowing into the Vital Essence Body like water.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Yue's main body clearly felt that one strand of his Qi and Blood, which had been depleted to seven strands, was instantly replenished to eight. The sense of fullness was real and distinct.

However, he didn't feel any change regarding the soul absorption described in the Devouring Body's abilities. He didn't feel his soul strengthening, nor did he receive any feedback of heightened clarity.

What shocked him even more was yet to come. The Vital Essence Body walked to the ferocious tiger's corpse, extended its right hand, and pointed it at the tiger's body. A faint golden light appeared in its palm.

The next second, streaks of silver-white essence were forcibly extracted from the ferocious tiger's body, surging into the Vital Essence Body through its palm.

As the essence flowed out, the ferocious tiger's originally lustrous and smooth fur gradually lost its sheen. Its plump muscles withered at a visible rate. Its once massive body slowly became gaunt and emaciated, as if it had been dead for many days, leaving only a layer of skin clinging to its bones. It was a shocking sight.

"Absorbing Qi and Blood, consuming souls, extracting essence..." Wang Yue clicked his tongue, watching the Vital Essence Body drain all the essence from the ferocious tiger. He couldn't help but mutter inwardly, What kind of monstrous thing have I become? Is this still martial arts cultivation?

He shook his head slightly, about to withdraw his consciousness, when he suddenly felt a warmth spread through his body. Faint wisps of essence emerged from his limbs and bones, flowing along his meridians and converging in his dantian. Although the quantity was small, it carried pure energy. It was the essence the Vital Essence Body had just absorbed from the ferocious tiger, and it could even be shared with his main body!

"Essence can be shared too?" Wang Yue let out a soft breath, a flicker of realization in his eyes. He had only known that the fruits of Qi and Blood cultivation could feed back to him. Now, it seemed that the essence, Qi and Blood, and perhaps even future talents absorbed by the Vital Essence Body could be shared with his main body. This "Unworldly Buddha Three Lives Body" divine ability was even more powerful than he had imagined.

Just then, an idea suddenly surfaced in his mind, making his eyes light up instantly.