Crimson Extreme Golden Body Second Stage Is Born

Luo Yue's "trial" had arrived ahead of schedule.

That day, Yan Kui was cleaning up the last batch of rampaging spirit beasts in the Spirit Beast Garden. Suddenly, the garden's formation shuddered—the kind of fluctuation that only occurred when a powerful cultivator appeared.

Luo Yue's voice came from afar. "Yan Kui, stop what you're doing. I've sent you two special guests. They want to inspect the Spirit Beast Garden's security."

Two figures descended from the sky. Both wore the uniforms of Qingyun Sect Outer Disciples, but their auras were clearly different—they were both Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators.

One was a Tall Thin Man, and the other was a burly Square-Faced Man. As they looked at the 2.5-meter-tall, dark-red giant before them, a trace of disdain flashed in their eyes.

"So you're the one guarding the Spirit Beast Garden?" the Tall Thin Man asked in a condescending tone.

Yan Kui's instincts told him this was no "inspection." Luo Yue's true intentions were gradually coming to light.

"We need to assess your defensive abilities," the Square-Faced Man said. "Don't worry, we won't really hurt you. The Elder just wants to see how you perform under pressure."

Before he'd even finished speaking, both Foundation Establishment cultivators charged at Yan Kui.

The Tall Thin Man shot into the air, launching the first attack from above. A pale-blue Mana gathered in his hand, forming a sharp spike of energy. It stabbed straight toward Yan Kui's chest.

The Square-Faced Man charged in from the ground, swinging a Flying Sword that radiated golden light. It was a standard weapon for cultivators—ordinary blades were useless in a cultivator's hands. Only Flying Swords infused with Mana could harm other cultivators.

Yan Kui instinctively used the Crimson Extreme Golden Body's defense to block their attacks head-on.

The energy spike struck his chest with a tremendous boom. The shockwave swept over him, but Yan Kui's body was left without a single scratch. That was how terrifying the Crimson Extreme Golden Body's defense was.

The Flying Sword slashed at his shoulder, sending up a shower of sparks. Golden swordlight clashed against his dark-red muscles, and the blade was finally knocked away.

But the problem soon became apparent.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators attacked far faster than Yan Kui could react. His body was too heavy—even with the boost from Spirit Snake Steps, he still couldn't keep up with their pace.

A spell struck from the side, hitting Yan Kui directly in the armpit. It didn't break through his defenses, but the impact traveled to his organs. He felt his insides shudder.

The Flying Sword slashed at him from behind. He forcibly twisted its course with his muscles, but this way of defending himself was far too passive. He was taking a beating, not fighting back.

Five minutes later, Yan Kui had been forced into a corner of the Spirit Beast Garden. His defense was flawless, but he couldn't hurt either cultivator. The Flying Sword was too fast; his body couldn't keep up. The spells couldn't break through his defenses, but the repeated impacts had begun to damage his organs.

He could feel blood seeping from his insides.

This wasn't a simple "stress test." This was a fight to the death.

Ten minutes later, Yan Kui's body was beginning to give out. He had been sent flying several times, and each time he hit the ground, he left a deep crater. His vision was growing blurry, and he was losing Blood Qi faster than his body could heal itself.

This was an absolute crisis.

Just then, the Mysterious Bone Fragment's light blossomed inside Yan Kui.

The light was golden, and it resonated with the blue glow of the Mysterious Yin Iron Mother, producing a strange harmony. Within that resonance, all the Cultivation Techniques he had mastered—Crimson Extreme Golden Body, Spirit Snake Steps, Spirit Snake Silk Hand, and Earth Fire Body Tempering—began to connect.

The energies of these techniques collided inside him, merging and ascending.

"Fusion!"

Yan Kui roared the word.

[Initial Fusion activated]

[Fusion targets]: Crimson Extreme Golden Body (First Stage) + Spirit Snake Steps (Great Accomplishment) + Spirit Snake Silk Hand (Minor Accomplishment) + Earth Fire Body Tempering (Great Accomplishment)

[Origin Power consumed]: -60.0

[Fusion progress]: 10%...30%...50%...70%...

The entire Spirit Beast Garden plunged into chaos.

Yan Kui's body began a terrifying transformation. Under the impact of his Origin Power, his skin changed color—not remaining simply dark red, but beginning to shine with an unusual light.

His muscles underwent a deep reconstruction. The thick Muscle Fibers, once built for strength, now possessed both power and flexibility. His bones grew denser—not merely harder, but transformed in nature.

His spine underwent the most drastic changes. Already flexible from practicing Spirit Snake Steps, it now gained an even more terrifying range of motion. Each vertebra could twist ninety degrees. It was as if his body no longer had a "spine," only pure flexibility.

He began to grow taller. His 2.5-meter frame stretched further under the infusion of Origin Power—not through crude enlargement, but through growth in more perfect proportions.

But just then, the fusion process suddenly stalled.

[Fusion progress stalled]: 85%

[Notice]: Origin Power is nearly depleted. Unable to complete the final stage of fusion.

[Current Origin Power]: 0 (fusion in progress; consumed Origin Power has been deducted)

Yan Kui could feel the fusion being interrupted. He was now caught between the fused and unfused states—his body had partially transformed, but the fusion was not yet complete. His strength had increased, but it was nowhere near the level he'd expected. Worse still, the incomplete fusion was tearing his body apart with pain.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators realized something was happening as they watched. A trace of feverish excitement flashed in the Tall Thin Man's eyes. He understood: the monster before them was at his weakest right now.

"Kill him! Now!" the Tall Thin Man shouted.

Both cultivators charged at Yan Kui at once.

At that moment, Yan Kui made a life-or-death choice. The incomplete fusion was destroying his body. He had only two options: complete the fusion or die. And the only way to complete it was to obtain more Origin Power.

Yan Kui's gaze fell on the Tall Thin Man. A Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator—his Blood Qi contained enough Origin Power.

Yan Kui made his decision.

Amid the pain of fusion, his body suddenly erupted with terrifying power. The partially completed fusion gave him speed he should never have possessed. It was the incomplete result of merging Spirit Snake Steps with the Crimson Extreme Golden Body, but it was powerful enough.

In his extreme state of fusion, Yan Kui's body changed direction in a way that defied physics. He broke free from the two cultivators' encirclement and charged straight at the Tall Thin Man.

The Tall Thin Man tried to defend himself with a spell, but in the face of Yan Kui mid-fusion, his magic was as fragile as paper. Yan Kui's palm pierced through his defense and pressed directly against his chest.

At that moment, although the fusion was not yet complete, the Earth Fire energy that had already gathered was enough to destroy a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator's body. The Tall Thin Man's screams echoed through the Spirit Beast Garden as flames twisted, melted, and shattered his body.

The essence of life crumbled. The Origin Power of his cultivation base flowed away.

[Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator killed]

[Origin Power: +15.0]

The Tall Thin Man was dead. Completely dead. His corpse hadn't even retained its original shape—only charred, burned remains were left.

Most importantly, the Origin Power released upon his death flowed directly into Yan Kui's body. But even more significant was the most powerful part of this Foundation Establishment cultivator: his Ice Cultivation Technique's Mana, released in the instant of his death.

That Ice Cultivation Technique's Mana rushed like a cold current toward Yan Kui, who was still in the midst of fusion.

At this critical moment, with his life on the line and the fusion incomplete, Yan Kui's body instinctively absorbed the Ice Cultivation Technique's Mana. He had no choice but to let the cold energy merge into his fusion system.

[Obtained]: Essence of Ice Cultivation Technique (absorbed from a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the moment of death)

[Fusion continues]

[Current Origin Power]: 3.7 (15.0 - 11.3)

[Fusion targets updated]: Crimson Extreme Golden Body (First Stage) + Spirit Snake Steps (Great Accomplishment) + Spirit Snake Silk Hand (Minor Accomplishment) + Earth Fire Body Tempering (Great Accomplishment) + Essence of Ice Cultivation Technique

[Fusion progress]: 85%...92%...98%...100%

[Fusion complete]

[Realm obtained]: Crimson Extreme Golden Body Second Stage (Ice Fire Extreme Path)

[Special effects obtained]:

- Ice Fire Yin Yang (Defense +50%, spell damage -70%)

- Extreme Path Domain (all enemies within three meters will be scorched by ice and fire)

- Spirit Snake Absolute Shadow (movement speed +50%, Fivefold Afterimage)

[Attributes surged]:

- Strength: 10.5 → 12.0 (+1.5)

- Agility: 5.0 → 7.0 (+2.0)

- Constitution: 13.3 → 15.0 (+1.7)

The instant the fusion was complete, Yan Kui opened his eyes.

All traces of human warmth had vanished from his gaze. Only cold, deadly, wicked killing intent remained. His entire aura had changed—from that of a powerful body cultivator to something like a walking god of death.

His skin began to change, Ice-Fire Textures spreading across his body. No longer simply dark red, it was now patterned with a complex mix of deep blue and dark red, as if ice and fire were waging an endless war across his skin.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the Square-Faced Man, who was still frozen in shock.

Under the gaze of those eyes, each a different color of ice and fire, the Square-Faced Man felt despair. His body began to tremble uncontrollably—not from fear, but from a terror that rose from the depths of his soul. The monster before him was no longer something he could fight.

Yan Kui vanished within the Extreme Path Domain. The domain was a three-meter area scorched by ice and fire. Within its range, all matter was destroyed by both elements at once.

When Yan Kui appeared again, he was already standing behind the Square-Faced Man. He made no complicated move; he simply extended one finger and lightly tapped the man's nape.

In that instant, the power of ice and fire surged into the man's spinal cord. Under the force of that energy, his entire upper body, starting from the neck, began turning into charred ash entwined with ice and fire. His scream didn't even last a second; his throat had already been frozen and burned.

In the final moment before losing consciousness, the Square-Faced Man saw his own charred body—a terror that surpassed death itself.

[Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator killed]

[Origin Power: +15.0]

The Square-Faced Man's corpse fell limply to the ground, the last trace of despair frozen on his face.

━━━━━━━━━

The two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators had both died in less than three minutes.

Yan Kui slowly turned and looked toward a concealed spot in the distance—the place where Luo Yue was hiding. With his newly awakened senses, Yan Kui could clearly feel the Elder's presence.

A cold smile curved his lips.

It was full of wickedness and killing intent—the inhuman smile of the Extreme Path itself. Any living thing that saw it would feel despair.

"Another trial, Elder Luo?" Yan Kui's voice was no longer hoarse. It had become a deep, echoing murmur from the abyss. "Next time, you can come yourself. I'd like to see how long a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator can last in my Extreme Path Domain."

Luo Yue didn't respond. He shot into the air and fled. Golden Mana gathered beneath him, carrying him rapidly away from the Spirit Beast Garden. But even as he fled, a glimmer of excitement shone in his eyes—a frenzied, twisted excitement.

"Perfect... absolutely perfect... What an unexpected transformation..." Luo Yue's low chuckle carried clearly even from afar. "To break through in the middle of battle, to undergo a physical mutation... An experimental subject like this... We must strengthen our control strategy..."

Luo Yue's figure disappeared completely into the sky.

━━━━━━━━━

After Luo Yue left, Yan Kui used his Spirit Snake Steps to drag the two corpses swiftly to the Magma Edge of the Earth Fire Region. There, he threw them into the roiling magma. Under its relentless heat, the corpses were reduced entirely to ash, and every trace was erased.

By the time he returned to the cave, dawn had broken.

Yan Kui sat inside the cave, feeling his entirely new body. It now possessed the dual properties of ice and fire, with a perfect balance of speed, strength, and defense. Ice-Fire Textures shimmered across his skin, and his eyes were two different colors: icy blue and fiery red. His proportions had changed completely. At 2.8 meters tall, with perfectly defined muscles and those eerie patterns of ice and fire, he looked less like a human and more like a monster from hell.

[Crimson Extreme Golden Body Second Stage born]

This wasn't an advancement. It was a qualitative leap. From the first stage to the second, his combat strength had risen by at least an entire level. Now he was confident he could fight any Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator—not merely defend himself, but crush and slaughter them outright.

Luo Yue's true intentions had been exposed completely. The Elder didn't merely want to "study" him; he wanted to "control" him. At the critical moment during the fusion, Yan Kui had made the split-second choice to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator and take his Origin Power to finish the fusion. That choice revealed the nature of the Extreme Path system: pursuing power by any means, at any cost.

And when that Ice Cultivation Technique's Mana invaded his body, he hadn't resisted. Instead, he had instinctively absorbed it. This revealed another core principle of the Extreme Path system: any enemy's power could become nourishment for his own.

But Luo Yue had yet to understand one thing: on the path of the Extreme Path, no power could control Yan Kui. Only death—or submission.

And Yan Kui would give no one the chance to make him submit.