[Integrating the upper and lower fragments of Profound Nether Hand...]
[Integration successful!]
[Obtained complete Spirit Tier Lower Grade martial art: Profound Nether Hand]
[Description: One of the Profound Nether Sect's supreme arts. It draws on the Yin Fiend Qi of the Nine Hells to temper Profound Nether Cold Qi. When mastered, a palm can freeze a thousand miles; anyone struck will have their blood congeal and their soul freeze. This art is overbearing and sinister. Only those with strong physiques can cultivate it. Otherwise, the cold poison will turn back on them, and death is certain.]
Lu Chen sat on the Cold Jade Chair, watching the detailed information appear on the panel, his eyes flashing with excitement.
The complete technique was even more powerful than he had imagined.
The original fragment only allowed cultivation up to the early stage of the Meridian Connecting Realm, and its explanations were vague, with many crucial details missing.
Now that it was complete, the entire technique flowed smoothly, from sensing Yin Fiend Qi and guiding it into the body, to circulating it through the meridians, and finally condensing it into "Profound Nether Cold Qi." Every step was laid out with perfect clarity.
"So that's how it works..."
Lu Chen skimmed the technique, and his mind suddenly opened up.
No wonder he'd never managed to get started, no matter how much he practiced.
The first step of Profound Nether Hand, "Qi Induction," required a special breathing method, combined with the magnetic field of Netherworld Stone, to form a "Pseudo Yin Meridian" inside the body.
Only then could one hold on to the slippery, elusive Yin Fiend Qi.
And that trick was precisely what the lower volume contained.
"With this method, I'm confident I can get started in three days!"
Lu Chen's confidence surged.
But he didn't start cultivating right away. Instead, he went back to the Stone Gate and peered through the crack to check what was happening outside.
The sight made his heart sink.
The Water Ghost King's transformation was nearly complete.
Its once pitch-black body had turned dark red, like a red-hot iron brand, radiating heat so intense it was suffocating even underwater.
It was a sign that its qi and blood had grown immensely powerful!
It had grown another size larger, standing a full three zhang tall, like a mountain of flesh.
Its scales had grown thicker, their edges as sharp as blades, each one gleaming like metal.
Most terrifying of all were its eyes.
Its once-scarlet eyes had turned a bizarre, deathly white. There were no pupils, only that ghastly pallor.
When its gaze swept over him, Lu Chen felt as if even his soul were about to freeze.
"Roar—!"
The Water Ghost King suddenly threw back its head and howled.
This time, its voice was no longer deep. It was piercing and shrill, like metal and stone shattering.
The sound waves spread through the water, shaking the surrounding rocks until they cracked apart. Countless fragments tumbled down.
Even the heavy Stone Gate vibrated, shedding clouds of dust.
"Meridian Connecting Realm... mid-stage? Or late-stage?"
Lu Chen's expression turned grave.
He had never seen a true late-stage Meridian Connecting Realm expert fight, but the monster before him was unquestionably several times more powerful than Li Qingyi had been!
Li Qingyi had relied on skill and footwork.
The Water Ghost King relied on nothing but brute strength and its body!
If that enormous claw struck him, even his perfected Iron Cloth Shirt probably wouldn't keep him from being smashed into a lump of pulp.
Worse, the monster seemed to have sensed him watching.
It whipped its head around, fixing those deathly white eyes on the crack in the door.
Bang!
A huge claw slammed into the Stone Gate.
The entire palace shuddered violently.
Several hairline cracks split the Cyan Jade Flagstone beneath Lu Chen's feet.
"Damn it! It's trying to break in!"
Lu Chen's heart tightened.
The Stone Gate was sturdy, but it couldn't withstand a monster like that battering it again and again.
And as the Water Ghost King's strength increased, it seemed less afraid of the cold qi.
Before, it had only dared to absorb the escaping cold qi from a dozen zhang away.
Now, it was bold enough to rest its claw against the door!
That meant the door wouldn't hold it back for long.
"I can't wait any longer."
Lu Chen made up his mind and retreated to the center of the hall.
He had to be quick!
Before the Stone Gate was breached—or before the Water Ghost King fully adjusted to the cold qi and charged inside—he had to gain enough strength to protect himself.
On the surface of the Angry River.
Night had fallen completely.
Dozens of Windproof Lanterns had been lit aboard the ship, illuminating the water all around.
But the atmosphere aboard was oppressive.
"Two hours."
Zhao Gang stared at the black river, his voice hoarse. "Hall Master Lu... is probably done for."
It had been so long. Even an immortal would have suffocated underwater by now.
And that terrifying howl from beneath the water earlier had shaken the ship from bow to stern.
That monster was beyond anything human strength could oppose.
"I don't believe it!"
Wang Xiaoliu's eyes were bloodshot, his Water Splitting Dagger clenched tight in his hand. "The boss is incredibly capable! He even captured Li Qingyi. What are a few Water Ghosts to him?"
"That wasn't an ordinary Water Ghost!"
Zhao Gang shouted. "Didn't you feel it? That aura just now... That was a demon! A Great Demon!"
"We have to retreat!"
Zhao Gang glanced at the terrified constables and Water Ghosts around them, then gritted his teeth. "If we stay here and that thing comes aboard, everyone on this ship will die!"
"Who dares retreat!"
Wang Xiaoliu suddenly drew his saber and held it across Zhao Gang's path, his face twisted with fury. "The boss hasn't come back up. Nobody's leaving! Anyone who so much as touches the sail, I'll cut them down!"
The twenty Black Water Gang elites behind him also drew their blades, glaring murderously at Zhao Gang and the others.
"Have you gone mad?!"
Zhao Gang trembled with rage. "Do you want to drag everyone down with you?"
"Then we'll go down together!"
Wang Xiaoliu roared. "The boss gave us our lives! He's risking his life down there while we run away up here? How could I ever show my face in this line of work again?"
Both sides stood with weapons drawn, the situation on the verge of exploding.
Just then.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
The water beneath the ship suddenly churned violently.
Every argument fell silent at once.
Everyone turned to look at the water.
The river, which had been frozen solid, was now boiling.
Countless huge bubbles rose to the surface, carrying a nauseating stench of sulfur and rot.
Then a giant tentacle—or perhaps a tail—whipped out of the water.
A sharp crack rang out.
The ship's sturdy gunwale, as if made of paper, was instantly smashed apart, a huge section of planking blasted to pieces.
Splintered wood flew everywhere.
Several constables standing nearby screamed as they were swept into the river. They vanished without even making a ripple.
"What... is that thing?"
Zhao Gang stared at the tail, as thick as a barrel and covered in scales, his legs turning to jelly.
"It's that monster! It's coming up!"
Someone screamed in terror.
Fear spread through the ship in an instant.
Even Wang Xiaoliu, who had stood his ground just moments before, had gone deathly pale. His hand shook around the hilt of his saber.
A monster that huge was beyond anything they could handle.
"Hold steady! Don't panic!"
Wang Xiaoliu shouted, forcing himself to stay calm. "Use the Armor Piercing Crossbows! Hurry!"
Several Black Water Gang experts scrambled to set up the three Armor Piercing Crossbows borrowed from the County Yamen and aim them at the water.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three arm-thick Crossbow Bolts shot into the water with a whistle.
A muffled thud sounded below, followed by an enraged roar.
The giant tail snapped back and submerged.
"Did we hit it?"
Everyone felt a surge of hope.
But in the next moment, an enormous force slammed into the bottom of the ship.
A tremendous crash rang out!
The entire ship lurched violently, nearly capsizing.
The sound of planks cracking came from the hold.
"We're taking on water! The hull's leaking!"
The sailors from the lower deck came running up, screaming.
"It's over..."
Zhao Gang's face went ashen.
The ship was going to sink.
In the whirlpool at the heart of the river, if the ship went down, not one of them would survive.
"Boss... where are you..."
Wang Xiaoliu gripped the railing and stared into the black water, despair filling his eyes.
Inside the Dragon Palace's main hall.
Lu Chen had no idea what was happening outside.
He was in a state that was both exquisitely mysterious and unbearably painful.
He sat cross-legged on the Cold Jade Chair, holding a piece of Netherworld Stone in each hand.
Following the method in Profound Nether Hand, he was trying to draw the Yin Fiend Qi from the stones into his body and use it to strike open the so-called "Pseudo Yin Meridian."
It hurt so much!
As soon as the Yin Fiend Qi entered his meridians, it felt like countless tiny ice blades scraping along his veins.
Each inch forward tore through flesh and froze his blood.
Lu Chen's face was as pale as paper, and his entire body trembled violently beyond his control.
His eyebrows and eyelashes were coated in thick white frost.
Even his breath froze into a pillar of ice before him.
"This kind of pain... an ordinary person would probably pass out instantly..."
Lu Chen gritted his teeth until they chattered.
But he didn't stop.
Because he had a trump card.
[Corroded by Yin Fiend Qi. Qi and blood frozen: 1%. Meridians damaged: 1%...]
[The "Body Immunity" talent has activated!]
[Negative effects are being reduced...]
[Pain suppressed by 30%...]
[Meridian resilience temporarily increased...]
Lines of red warning text appeared one after another on the panel, then were quickly covered by green immunity notices.
The agony that would have driven a person insane became barely bearable under the talent's effects.
The frozen, torn meridians were quickly repaired by the nourishment of his qi and blood, growing tougher and wider.
It was like repeatedly destroying something, then rebuilding it.
With every reconstruction, his meridians adapted a little more to the Yin Fiend Qi.
One hour.
Two hours.
Lu Chen sat motionless, like an ice sculpture.
But the Netherworld Stones in his hands were visibly fading.
The stones, once as black as ink, had turned ashen gray.
He had drained all the Yin Fiend Qi inside them!
Crack.
The two stones crumbled into powder.
Lu Chen's eyes snapped open.
A ghostly blue light flashed in the depths of his pupils.
Inside his body, a hidden meridian had been fully unblocked.
The Yin Fiend Qi flowed through it cheerfully, no longer harming him. Instead, it carried a sense of intimacy.
The first step—Qi Induction—was complete!
But it wasn't enough.
This little bit of cold qi might work against ordinary people, but it was still far from enough to deal with that big brute outside.
He had to condense true Profound Nether Cold Qi!
Without hesitation, Lu Chen reached out again and picked up two fresh Netherworld Stones from the ground beside him.
Keep going!
He was going to master this Spirit Tier cultivation method right here!
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