Can This Cage Imprison Me?

It hurt too much!

He had no idea how many muscles in his body had been torn apart by the brutal training.

His five organs felt as though they were about to explode.

Chen Yan's thoughts began to blur.

He remembered his blood energy clearly burning, yet his body was now wavering between heat and cold.

At some point, Chen Yan's vision gradually cleared. He was lying on the ground, and when he looked around, there was actually light.

Gritting his teeth, Chen Yan looked to his side again.

Eight upright beams of clear light stood within the space like rifts in the void.

He sat up.

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

His back and the ground were frozen together beneath a thick layer of ice. Chen Yan's eyes trembled.

He looked around. A thin layer of ice coated the surrounding walls.

He reached out and touched his chest. It was ice-cold.

He could only feel an indescribable power residing within his heart. He could clearly sense this energy, as if it had always been there from birth.

With a thought, the power flowed out from his heart. A chill instantly spread through his body, and a brilliant blue icy gleam surfaced in Chen Yan's hand.

Blood energy!

Blood energy with the properties of Cold Ice!

He had succeeded.

Chen Yan's eyes widened, and a smile appeared on his lips. His body was still wracked with agony, but he did not care.

His consciousness instinctively entered the Saint Breaking Realm.

Chen Yan opened his mouth, his joy growing even greater.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 3 (4/75)]

[Saint Breaking Fruits:

Strength: (356/100)

Blood: (178/100)

Technique: (252/100)

Body: (585/100)]

This...

In that corner of the silent, Dim Vast Land, upon a frail Small Tree, more than a dozen crystalline fruits like agate hung from the few pitiful, crooked branches.

Orange, red, gold, green!

In the darkness, they seemed like falling stars, gleaming brilliantly.

There were too many.

This was the first time Chen Yan had seen several fruits growing on a single branch.

Perhaps it was because he had always kept close watch on the Saint Breaking Tree before, eating each fruit the moment it grew. In truth, one branch might have always been able to bear several fruits.

Or perhaps the Saint Breaking Tree had also undergone a slight change because of his constant transformations this time.

From afar, it did seem to have grown somewhat sturdier.

In order to awaken, Chen Yan naturally had to shatter his limits.

It might have looked like he was merely throwing punch after punch.

But he had activated the Breathing Technique, and every punch he threw was the move used by the bronze statue.

It was very simple, yet far more difficult than ordinary punching.

He had never expected a single awakening to bring him such enormous gains.

Eat the fruits!

A [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit went down his throat. As Giant Strength coursed through his body, the intense soreness and pain throughout him vanished.

Keep eating!

The Saint Breaking Tree's greatest harvest from this awakening had unexpectedly been [Body] Character Saint Breaking Fruits.

That was related to Chen Yan using the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon] while throwing punches.

After eating them all, Chen Yan sat there blankly for a long while as crack, crack, crack sounds continuously rang out from his body.

It was as though his skin, tendons, bones, and flesh were all being remade at this moment. His mind was also filled with energy containing the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon] and the techniques of punching.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

A [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit entered his stomach. Tiny, fragmented ice crystals danced around Chen Yan, while the Blood Energy within his heart grew denser as well.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Chen Yan's hearty laughter echoed through the prison as he covered his eyes with one hand and laughed.

"Can this cage truly hold me?"

It was as though the mountain pressing down on his shoulders had, at this very moment, been shattered by a gentle breeze and vanished without a trace.

He had grown stronger again.

He was very happy.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 3 (15/75)]

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (56/100)

Blood: (78/100)

Technique: (52/100)

Body: (85/100)]

In the blink of an eye, Chen Yan swept the fruits clean.

He looked down at his chest, somewhat startled.

Besides the pattern lines resembling a Coiled Dragon, there were four more faint pattern lines.

One of those four was still a Strength Stripe.

This Strength Stripe was the most distinct, already half-solidified.

The other three resembled a tiger, a cloud, and water.

They corresponded respectively to skin, tendons, and bones.

The pattern lines were extremely simple, each no more than a single stroke, yet each possessed its own shape.

The formation of these pattern lines was not solely the effect of the Saint Breaking Tree. Over the past few days, Chen Yan himself had been continuously circulating the [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon].

Even before today, he had already felt his Physical Body growing stronger.

Beyond that, Chen Yan's five senses became even sharper at this moment.

Someone outside seemed to be cursing furiously.

Was Xin Gongxian berating someone?

Forget it. He would deal with it later.

He stood up. Cold air was still unconsciously leaking from his body; after slowly acclimating to it, he should be able to control it.

Then Chen Yan looked beside him, at the several Light Pillars that had existed ever since he awakened.

The moment he noticed those Light Pillars, his heart began pounding violently for some reason.

They were waiting for him, as though they had existed since eternity itself, waiting for him.

He placed one hand against a beam of Clear Light, and icy cold pierced into his five fingers.

"Bestow upon you the name of Qi and Blood!"

A vast and majestic voice suddenly exploded in Chen Yan's mind.

"Yan Zhe!"

Chen Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. Was that Zhou Ming's voice?

Zhou Ming—the God of a whole continent, the being who had created Limit Breaking Awakening!

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

Streams of Clear Light flowed from the Light Pillar like snakes, winding around Chen Yan's fingers and wrist before seeping beneath his skin. They followed his flesh and blood, pouring into Chen Yan's heart.

Cold. An inexplicable cold.

Layer upon layer of faint Ice Crystal rapidly formed over Chen Yan's body.

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, surging pitch-black Ink Light suddenly emerged and flowed toward the Saint Breaking Tree.

Yet it was blocked three feet away by an invisible barrier.

[Notice: Elemental Energy absorption detected. The Saint Breaking Tree cannot absorb it. The Saint Breaking Tree must be raised to Level 5.]

This was... Elemental Energy!

Chen Yan froze. He had never seen this before.

Chen Yan's vision was engulfed by Cold Light. The Cold Light shifted, and everything before him blurred.

"Another newcomer has arrived. Where are you from?" A clear male voice rang out, sounding exceptionally sincere.

"Don't trick him into speaking. If Chen Min finds out, he'll definitely send people to look for him." Another voice spoke, neither distinctly male nor female, impossible to identify.

"It would be a good thing if Chen Min found out. Even if his Yan Zhe Talent is drained away, the quality of his Qi and Blood far surpasses that of ordinary True Origin Awakening and Bloodline Awakening." The first speaker continued.

"He awakened two months later than you and me. Far too late."

"Then tell me directly where you are," said a voice that sounded neither male nor female. "I'll come find you."

"Heh, I'm afraid you don't just want Yan Zhe—you want my life too," a clear male voice drifted lightly through the air.

And it was at that moment.

"Interesting." A detached voice sounded.

"Earlier, when the fourth person's Yan Zhe disappeared, why did the two of you both assume I had taken it?"

Once that voice spoke, the other two fell silent.

"Why must you two put on such false courtesy? Once I reach the Hundred Meridians, everything will come to an end."

This person was probably Chen Min.

It was not the first time Chen Yan had heard that name.

Before him lay a stretch of pale light. He could make out three figures within the Cold Light, but nothing else was visible.

Without speaking, Chen Yan continued absorbing the several pillars of light around him.

There were eight in total.

The pillars contained an enormous amount of Elemental Energy. The more Chen Yan absorbed, the colder his Qi and Blood became.

"This person is absorbing Awakening Essence. How much do you think he can absorb?"

At that moment, the clear male voice from the beginning spoke again.

No one answered.

"Hey, aren't you concerned?"

"Wishing for others to be weak is foolish," said the voice that sounded neither male nor female.

"I hope he can absorb all of it," the indifferent voice said, utterly unmoved by everything, lofty and above it all.

"How could he absorb all of it? After Break Limit, the body is completely at its limit. Even breathing becomes difficult.

"Treasure Medicine is useless too. Zhou Ming's will directly extracts the medicine's essence.

"I know Chen Min. Back then, you absorbed seven pillars.

"As for me, you all know—I only managed five."

Chen Yan quietly listened to their conversation, surprise stirring in his heart.

After swallowing the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, the feeling of utter exhaustion had indeed vanished, and his torn muscles recovered as they normally would.

If Zhou Ming's will interfered with the effects of Treasure Medicine taken after awakening, then why had he not been affected?

Or was the Saint Breaking Tree more powerful than Zhou Ming?

It probably was.

After Chen Yan swallowed the first [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, it swiftly vanished again. It was not because the Saint Breaking Tree was inferior to Zhou Ming.

Rather, before his awakening, his Physique simply could not contain Qi and Blood. No matter how potent the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit was, it could not fill a cup with no capacity.

Chen Yan continued absorbing. Streams of frigid current flowed out, invading his arms. Light flames swirled, falling upon Chen Yan and revealing mottled radiance across his body.

At the same time, an immense quantity of Red Light surged forth within the Saint Breaking Realm.

At the same time.

The villages around Green Mountain Town.

"Have you heard? Venerable Sir Yin, the elder from the town's City Martial Division, has arrived. He's holding a public trial for Hall Chief Xin right in the street!"

"Really? Something this huge happened?"

"Hurry up and go! Everyone nearby has gone. That bastard Xin Gongxian is finally getting what's coming to him."

"Good! This is truly satisfying! That son of a bitch assigned my family's two mu of land to Li Ming's family!"

"Really? But... my father already died on Green Mountain. If he knew about this, how wonderful that would be... how wonderful..."

News of Xin Gongxian being publicly tried outside the Town Martial Hall quickly spread through the nearby villages.

People rushed toward the town along country roads and streets alike.

In the silent night, Green Mountain Town's streets suddenly teemed with people. Hu Zeyuan and his son stood on tiptoe, peering toward the Town Martial Hall ahead.

There were simply too many people. Father and son could only hear one low shout after another.

"Xin Gongxian, you accepted two thousand in bribes and leased Li Shan's three mu of land to Wang Feng. Tell us honestly—how much did you really take?"

"You accepted One Hundred Thousand in bribes and leased storefronts such as the town's Noodle Shop and Clothing Store to Zhang Ge!"

"You'd better explain yourself clearly. After tonight, the City Martial Division will investigate as well!"

Yin Yanjun's gaze was icy as he spoke again and again. Xin Gongxian's problems were so severe that Yin Yanjun himself would also be in trouble.

At that moment, Xin Gongxian had fallen to the very depths. He looked around, only to find that the villagers who had once treated him with the utmost respect were now looking down on him from above.

He was in despair.

Amid the crowd, Hu Zeyuan frowned.

"Such good luck. Chen Yuxu's storefront is going back to him again."

He had heard it perfectly clearly just now—the Chief had directly stated that Xin Gongxian had taken bribes before approving those few shopfronts for Zhang Ge.

Now that it had been said aloud, Chen Yuxu could not possibly lose his storefront.

"Isn't it just some lousy storefront?" Hu Yuan muttered, somewhat dissatisfied.

Yet his heart felt dazed.

Chen Yan's illness had recovered, his family's storefront had returned, and Chen Yan had even received the Town Martial Bonus. He was only going to surpass him more and more.

But he had a good relationship with Zhang Qingsi. Before Zhang Qingsi left, he had clearly told him to come find him in the county to hang out later.

At that thought, Hu Yuan once again put on an utterly unconcerned expression.

"Old Hu."

Up ahead, a Bald Man suddenly turned around and looked at Hu Zeyuan with naked envy.

"Your family's fortunes have turned around."

Hu Zeyuan froze, failing to react, but the Bald Man said with a grin, "Your brother-in-law is something else. He can stand together with the officials from the Town Martial Division. Your Hu Family is really about to prosper."

"Hm?" Hu Zeyuan frowned. Brother-in-law?

Who was his brother-in-law?

Chen Yuxu.

In an instant, his expression changed drastically, and disbelief filled the eyes of his son Hu Yuan as well.

"Make way!" Hu Zeyuan hurriedly squeezed toward the front. The disgruntled voices of the surrounding neighbors rang in his ears, and he quickly saw what was happening at the very front.

Chen Yuxu and Wang Yang were standing beside Luo Puxin, while Zhuang Xihang at their side kept smiling as he spoke to Chen Yuxu.

"Old Hu is going places. Look, that white-haired man is the Vice Principal of County Second High—a martial artist even more formidable than Xin Gongxian. Just look at how he treats your brother-in-law. Tsk, tsk."

Someone sighed in admiration. The Villagers had sharp eyes indeed.

"Your family is really about to rise."

The people around them looked at Hu Zeyuan with eyes full of envy, yet Hu Zeyuan and his son Hu Yuan were ashen-faced.

Up ahead, Yin Yanjun was still condemning him. At first, the people around them had not dared to comment, but slowly, some began to cheer. More and more voices joined in denouncing Xin Gongxian.

Luo Puxin could feel the changes in the Town Martial Hall behind him in real time, and his heart grew increasingly shaken.

Beneath a roadside tree across the street, the man named Zhang Ge watched the scene, his expression turning gloomy.