Internal Fortification

"Let's go, let's go in!"

Dragon Locking Mountain was full of excavation marks, and the stones were dark black, rich in iron ore. The passages inside were dense and numerous. Fortunately, Jian Xiong was leading the way, otherwise, finding the correct passage would have been a troublesome matter.

After walking for a little over half an hour, the two arrived at the belly of Dragon Locking Mountain, a vast empty area.

What came into view were hundreds of coffins. In front of each coffin stood a tombstone, and the tombstones were long swords.

Some were ancient and imposing, some were filled with killing intent, some had long since decayed, and some were still new.

"These are the ancestors of our Sword Casting City. Their achievements are carved on the tombstones, and as for those precious swords, they were their personal swords during their lifetime," Jian Xiong said with reverence.

Fang Xuan nodded. This Jian Family was truly eccentric, turning a mine into a tomb, and a unique one at that.

The eerie mine combined with these coffins and tombstones gave off a feeling of a ghost movie. Fortunately, this was just a martial arts world. If it were a fantasy world, corpses would probably be rising by now.

"Where is the Fire Phoenix?"

"Ahead."

The two passed through the forest of coffins and arrived at a deep abyss. Looking down, they could see lava flowing below, and hot waves rushed towards them, carrying a strong smell of sulfur.

"The Sacred Beast Fire Phoenix feeds on refined iron, bathes in lava, and breathes fire. Its shape is like a phoenix, hence the name Sacred Beast Fire Phoenix. Every day, the Sacred Beast emerges from the abyss, and you can wait here," Jian Xiong said.

"What time does it come out?"

"I don't know. There's a platform ahead where you can observe the abyss lava. You can see the scene of the phoenix bathing in fire there."

"Oh! Let's go."

The two walked towards the platform one after another. Passing by a pile of rubble, Jian Xiong suddenly leaped to the side, circulated his true energy, and struck the cliff face. Immediately, a large cave appeared within the rubble.

Jian Xiong showed a look of triumph, dropped into the cave, and disappeared.

"This is a forbidden area of my Sword Casting City. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Since you want to see the Sacred Beast Fire Phoenix, you can stay here and keep it company from now on!" Jian Xiong's voice came from the cave.

Fang Xuan did not pursue him. Instead, he stood in place and sighed, "Indeed, the more beautiful a woman is, the more she will deceive. Wu Ji's mother did not lie to me!"

Fang Xuan found the platform Jian Xiong had mentioned, sat cross-legged on it, and waited quietly.

Caw~

Caw caw~

Caw caw caw~

Fang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, his electric gaze looking towards the abyss. The originally calmly flowing lava began to churn inexplicably, and a scorching aura rose from the abyss.

Boom~

Accompanied by a roar, a ball of fire shot out from the lava, soaring into the sky like the sun, illuminating the dark abyss around it brightly.

Looking closely, it was not a sun flame at all, but clearly a giant firebird.

Tens of meters tall, its entire body was crimson, surrounded by flames. With a flap of its wings, countless flames erupted.

"Is this the Sacred Beast Fire Phoenix? No, it should be a rare and exotic beast of this world. The legendary phoenix has the front of a qilin, the back of a deer, a snake's head, a fish's tail, dragon patterns, a turtle's back, a swallow's jaw, a chicken's beak, and is five-colored. This one is barely a firebird. I just don't know if its blood is still useful."

Although he said this, Fang Xuan was already prepared.

With the Black Ice Sword in hand, as the Fire Phoenix flew out of the abyss, his whole body's blood surged, his thigh muscles vibrated, and he stomped on the rock fiercely. His body leaped directly onto the back of the Fire Phoenix.

Caw~

The Fire Phoenix was surrounded by flames. Landing on its back was no different from a moth flying into a fire, being burned by intense flames.

In an instant, his clothes turned to ashes, his hair instantly turned to dust, and his skin exposed to the flames emitted the smell of burnt flesh.

Pain, pain, pain~

Fang Xuan's face was contorted, and he cried out in pain all over.

A fierce look flashed in his eyes. The more pain there was, the more it could stimulate the power within a person's heart. He raised the Black Ice Sword with both arms.

"Wrath of the Thunder God."

"Falling Stars."

He used the internal energy in his dantian to activate the "Heaven's Will Four Symbols Art," drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. A silver-white phantom of the Thunder God appeared behind him, and violent lightning splashed in all directions, creating pits in the rocks.

He gripped the Black Ice Sword tightly with the immense strength of six horses and thrust it directly into the back of the Fire Phoenix.

The lightning formed by the power of heaven and earth, combined with his unparalleled monstrous strength, instantly broke through the flame defense on the Fire Phoenix's back, and the Black Ice Sword went straight into its spinal cord.

Caw~

A painful wail came from the mouth of the Fire Phoenix. It quickly flapped its wings, shook its body, and even crashed into a cliff face.

Bang bang bang~

He gripped the Black Ice Sword tightly. In just this short time, the skin all over his body had turned to charcoal, and he could only barely make out a human shape. If it weren't for the surging blood within his body constantly protecting his heart, he would have been burned alive under these flames long ago.

As the Black Ice Sword penetrated, the Fire Phoenix's blood flowed from the wound. The blood was scorching hot, like lava, emitting intense heat, and it also contained a strange energy.

Fang Xuan did not hesitate at all. He immediately bent down and drank greedily.

There was no imagined bloody smell. Instead, it carried a fragrance, but it was too hot. Fang Xuan felt like he was swallowing charcoal, and it was incredibly painful from his throat all the way to his stomach.

"Ah~"

Screams erupted from Fang Xuan's mouth. Every movement tore at the charred flesh burned by the flames, revealing new skin, as if he were being sliced a thousand times.

The Fire Phoenix's blood entered his stomach, and a strange power spread towards his internal organs. Starting from his stomach, it burned his insides, as if trying to incinerate him from the inside out, turning his entire body to ash.

"Pain, pain, pain~"

Enduring the pain both inside and out, Fang Xuan could clearly feel a strange power strengthening his internal organs.

"It's working."

Without hesitation, he lowered his head and drank the blood again.

"Internal fortification of the organs, making them like iron."

Fang Xuan took a deep breath, swallowing it into his stomach. It churned and gurgled, his internal organs constantly working.

With flames burning outside and phoenix blood tempering inside, his entire body was like red-hot carbon steel in a blacksmith's forge, constantly being hammered, burning away impurities.

"Cough, cough, cough~"

Pfft~

Suddenly, his breath surged upwards. Fang Xuan felt a thick phlegm stuck in his throat, making him uncomfortable like a bellows. With a cough, he actually spat out a large mouthful of bloody phlegm.

After spitting out the bloody phlegm, his entire body felt comfortable. Fang Xuan touched his upper palate with his tongue, and immediately his mouth filled with saliva, like a mouth full of jade liquid. With a slight movement, the jade liquid between his tongue gurgled out, wrapping around his body like a gentle breeze, leaving his entire internal system feeling refreshed.

Body Refinement Seventh Stage, Internal Fortification realm... achieved.

People in this realm have extended lifespans, and their internal organs are free from illness. According to records, if the internal organs are strong, jade liquid will constantly be produced in the mouth, there will be no impurities between the organs, and the physique will improve another step.

"Holy crap."

While Fang Xuan was marveling, the Fire Phoenix, unable to shake off the small creature on its body, directly swooped down towards the lava.

How could this be?

If his small body really fell into the lava, he would be instantly reduced to dust.