Confrontation of Auras

The outer areas of the Spirit Beast Garden were a mountain forest bathed in moonlight.

The moment Yan Kui burst from the cave, a terrifying heatwave emanated from his entire body. His Demon God Physique, standing 3.2 meters tall, appeared particularly ferocious under the moonlight. Golden runes flowed like living creatures across his deep red skin. The eyes blazed with an interweaving trio of deep blue, dark red, and gold light.

Everything was ready. All six cultivation techniques had broken through their limits.

Yan Kui didn't linger. He strode into the depths of the forest. With each step, the ground trembled slightly, and scorch marks spread across it. He needed to test this new power, to confirm his current combat strength ceiling.

He entered a wide clearing surrounded by thick ancient trees. This was a good testing ground.

Yan Kui slowly clenched his fist.

First, he tested the special effect of Wind Travel Without Trace. His body flickered in the air, vanishing instantly from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already on a treetop a hundred meters away. Afterimages left ghostly trails in the night sky—his speed this time was at least 50% faster than before.

"Good," Yan Kui commented in a low voice.

Next was strength. He turned to face a massive mountain rock, easily three times his height and weighing over a thousand tons. Flame Infusion automatically enveloped Yan Kui's fist, a blend of blue and red flames entwining.

He charged forward.

One punch.

BOOM—

The terrifying fist wind tore through the air, emitting a piercing explosion. The moment his fist connected, the mountain rock exploded from within! The thousand-ton boulder shattered, scattering countless fragments in all directions. The flames from Flame Infusion left scorch marks on the debris, and the entire small hill was leveled by this single punch. The residual force of the punch swept backward, carving a massive indentation over ten meters deep into the mountainside dozens of meters away.

"Hmm," Yan Kui nodded, retracting his fist with satisfaction.

Next was defense. He extended his right hand, feeling the texture of his skin. The combined effects of Indestructible Diamond Body and Unbreakable Body had pushed his physical body to a terrifying hardness. He casually struck a thick ancient tree nearby, one that required three people to embrace. CRACK— The tree trunk instantly shattered at his palm. The entire tree disintegrated from the point of impact as if struck by lightning. Yan Kui withdrew his hand, his skin completely unharmed, instead exhibiting a faint metallic sheen, as if forged from pure iron.

Strength, speed, defense... all had undergone a qualitative leap.

Finally, Yan Kui stood still and slowly released his Blood Fiend Domain. Deep red energy spread outward from his body, forming a domain with a ten-meter radius. Surrounding plants withered rapidly, black smoke rose from the ground, and the air filled with the scent of blood and death.

"Six cultivation techniques... fusion of all arts..." Yan Kui murmured, "This is the essence of Divine Demon Power."

He clenched his fist, the surging power within him constantly assaulting his consciousness. This feeling was unprecedented—as if the entire world was making way for him.

"Luo Yue... you've come at the perfect time." A cold killing intent flashed in Yan Kui's eyes.

He could sense a familiar aura approaching from the direction of Artifact Refining Peak. That was Luo Yue's aura.

On Artifact Refining Peak, Luo Yue suddenly opened his eyes.

He had been meditating when he suddenly sensed an abnormal energy fluctuation from the direction of the Spirit Beast Garden. That aura... shocked him. Its intensity was already approaching the late stage of Foundation Establishment... What had this brat done in these three days?

Three disciples in the early stage of Foundation Establishment had fled back, their descriptions vague, only mentioning that Yan Kui's body had undergone some kind of mutation. But now, by personally sensing this aura, Luo Yue finally understood—Yan Kui wasn't just cultivating; he was undergoing some bizarre metamorphosis.

"If I continue to let him be, he'll eventually become a menace," Luo Yue immediately stood up, a sword light condensing in his hand. "However... the potential of this body... is even more perfect than I imagined."

He flew on his sword, his body turning into a streak of light, rushing towards the Spirit Beast Garden.

A moment later, Luo Yue was hovering above the Spirit Beast Garden.

He used a secret technique to spy on the situation below. The abandoned area of the Spirit Beast Garden had been completely destroyed—stones shattered, trees collapsed, with scorch marks and bloodstains everywhere. And that 3.2-meter-tall figure was standing in the center of the clearing.

Luo Yue narrowed his eyes.

He could see clearly—Yan Kui's height had grown again. The color of his skin had changed from a simple deep red to an ice-and-fire interwoven texture. On his body, golden runes flickered under the moonlight, as if alive. In his eyes, blue, red, and golden lights flashed alternately.

With every breath, a circle of heat waves emanated from Yan Kui's body.

"The degree of physical transformation... far exceeds my expectations," Luo Yue muttered to himself. "The intensity of his aura has actually reached the level of Foundation Establishment Late Stage... This path of body cultivation is indeed strange."

He let out a cold laugh, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "However, no matter how strong a Body Cultivator is, they are just physically powerful. They can't use spells, can't fly on swords, and have no Spiritual Sense attacks... Even if their aura is strong, they are nothing more than lambs to the slaughter."

A greedy glint flashed in his eyes.

"This body... if used to refine a War Puppet... it would be the strongest sect-protecting treasure in the history of the Qingyun Sect." Luo Yue's lips curled into a cold smile. "His physical strength, aura quality, combat ability... all have reached the optimal level. As long as the refinement is successful, I, Luo Yue, will truly hold the sect's life and death power."

However, Luo Yue noticed a problem.

Yan Kui's aura contained dangerous, violent factors. This kind of aura... if directly refined, it would easily get out of control during the process. His will had to be suppressed first, making him semi-comatose, before the refinement could begin.

"First observe his combat power limit, then suppress him with a confinement formation... this should be the safest plan," Luo Yue planned silently in his heart.

He waved his hand in the air, and streams of spiritual energy began to be arranged around the Spirit Beast Garden. These spiritual energies formed a huge confinement formation, encircling the entire Spirit Beast Garden. Although this confinement formation was invisible and intangible, it was enough to restrict the movement range of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.

With all preparations complete, Luo Yue finally descended slowly from the air.

Yan Kui had already sensed Luo Yue's presence.

When that oppressive aura of Foundation Establishment Late Stage pressed down overwhelmingly, he turned his body and faced Luo Yue's direction. His Blood Fiend Domain instantly expanded, layering with the terrifying aura of the Extreme Path Domain, forming a counteracting force no less than Luo Yue's pressure.

The two domains collided in the air.

The surrounding trees were instantly snapped by the pressure, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground. Explosive sounds could be heard in the air—a sign of the confrontation between the two energies.

"Very good." Luo Yue landed slowly from the air, about a hundred meters away from Yan Kui. "Your body has transformed quite well, even more perfectly than I anticipated."

Yan Kui did not reply. He just stared coldly at Luo Yue, the tri-colored light in his eyes becoming more dazzling.

"Now, it's time to fulfill your promise," Luo Yue said in a condescending tone. "Come back to the Artifact Refining Peak with me and accept the War Puppet Refinement. This should be a great honor for you."

"War Puppet... will retain your consciousness, but your body, your power, your everything, will be completely under my control." A crazy glint flashed in Luo Yue's eyes. "You will become the strongest weapon of the Qingyun Sect... become the sharpest blade in my, Luo Yue's, hand."

"You should be satisfied with such an ending. After all... this is the highest achievement you can attain."

A cold smile appeared on Yan Kui's face.

He slowly clenched his fist.

The Flame Infusion special effect around his body instantly triggered, with Blue and Red Flames burning fiercely on his fist. Every inch of muscle on his skin tensed, and the golden runes flowed even more intensely.

"It seems you want to resist," Luo Yue's expression turned cold. "Unfortunately... I gave you a way to live, but you chose death."

"Then don't blame me for crippling your limbs before taking you back. Anyway... a body without limbs can be refined into a battle puppet just the same." Luo Yue's body began to emit a terrifying aura of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

"You think... you're strong now?" Luo Yue said sarcastically, "Body cultivators... are just body cultivators in the end. They can't use spells, can't wield swords. Even if their aura is stronger, so what? My Magic Tools, Talismans, and formations... any one of them can easily suppress a Brute like you who only relies on Brute Force."

"Surrender obediently, and you'll suffer less... This is my final advice to you."

In Yan Kui's eyes, killing intent was boiling.

He released all suppression on his body.

The auras of the Six Cultivation Techniques erupted simultaneously—Indestructible Diamond Body, Unbreakable Body, Blood Fiend Domain, Flame Infusion, Wind Travel Without Trace, Divine Demon Power. Six forces perfectly merged within his body, forming an invincible cycle.

A terrifying aura swept out like a tsunami.

The surrounding Mountain Rocks cracked under the impact of the aura, and Ancient Trees were uprooted. Piercing explosive sounds echoed in the air. The entire Spirit Beast Garden trembled under the pressure of this aura.

Luo Yue's expression changed drastically.

"This aura... just what are you..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw the unfathomable killing intent in Yan Kui's eyes.

Yan Kui slowly raised his right fist.

On his fist, flames danced, as if heralding the impending destruction.

"You cultivators... talk too much," Yan Kui coldly spat out these words.

The next moment, two figures simultaneously disappeared from the open space.

The battle erupted instantly at this moment.

In a secret chamber deep within the sect.

The Sect Master, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes. He sensed the terrifying aura fluctuations coming from afar—it was from the direction of the Artifact Refining Peak.

"Luo Yue's aura... and another unfamiliar aura..." The Sect Master frowned slightly, his Spiritual Sense swept across the entire sect, quickly locking onto the two confronting parties.

"Yan Kui? That Outer Disciple with No Spiritual Root?" The Sect Master's tone held a hint of surprise. "He's only been in the sect for a few days, and a body cultivator has actually managed to cultivate to a point where his aura rivals that of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage?"

He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then relaxed.

"It's just a Body Refining Cultivator... Although the aura's strength is not weak, without spells, without sword wielding, without Spiritual Sense, he can't achieve great things in the end." The Sect Master closed his eyes again. "Luo Yue is at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and he's at the Artifact Refining Peak with many means. Dealing with a body cultivator who only knows Brute Force is more than enough."

"Let Luo Yue test this kid's limits... If he's truly valuable, then we'll make a decision."

The secret chamber fell silent again.