Continuing the Breakthrough

The Snake Demon was at the fifth or sixth layer of the Object Manipulation Realm. Although Jiang Ming had stripped away nearly all of her cultivation, the energy remaining in her physical body was still not to be underestimated.

For Li Ye at this stage, it could be described as terrifying.

This was what led to the Corpse Incineration Furnace tempering two streams of light mist.

The cultivation contained within each stream of light mist was incredibly astonishing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A thunderous roar erupted within Li Ye's body, the rolling sound of thunder merging with the crackling flames inside the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

His aura grew at a terrifying speed. The faint crimson arcs of electricity on his skin became increasingly deep, bright, and dense.

In just a few breaths, Li Ye reached the absolute limit of the tenth layer of Body Tempering.

The next moment, he made another breakthrough.

Boom!

A powerful aura erupted from Li Ye's body, and more crimson arcs of electricity surged out, flowing like water.

This time, Li Ye had broken through to... the eleventh layer of Body Tempering.

With that, the light mist was completely absorbed.

Are you kidding me? After the tenth layer, I reached the eleventh?

Why isn't it the Qi Gathering Stage?

Did something go wrong somewhere?

Ten thousand question marks appeared on Li Ye's forehead. This is just too damn bizarre.

This is the body of the Holy Son, and the Holy Son never encountered such a situation when he cultivated.

Have I gone astray and ended up on the wrong path?

Perhaps after I cultivated the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art, my physique changed, leading to a massive surge in potential.

Next time, I should be able to become a great expert of the Qi Gathering Stage.

Li Ye thought to himself.

He then sensed his current strength.

Before this, he had two thousand seven hundred jin of force; now, he should have five thousand jin.

If he combined it with the Swift Wind Leg, he should be able to unleash the power of ten thousand jin.

Compared to the Qi Gathering Stage, it should be not the least bit weaker.

Therefore, he could now also be considered to be at the Qi Gathering Stage.

This is great, Li Ye thought to himself, feeling pleased.

The chimney went cold, and the door opened.

The Black-Clad Academicians outside breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Li Ye was safe and sound.

Before leaving, the leader, Wu Qing, stepped forward and patted Li Ye on the shoulder before walking away.

This left Li Ye completely confused.

"Young man, here is your pay for today."

A Black-Clad Academician handed Li Ye a handful of copper coins.

"Give him steamed buns to eat tomorrow, for three days in a row."

"Damn it, those bastards say my Corpse Incinerators don't live long. I'm going to show them that the Corpse Incinerators under my command not only live long, but live better than theirs."

On the way back, Wu Qing grumbled and cursed.

"Boss, you really need to step up your game next time we draw lots."

A Black-Clad Academician reminded him weakly.

What's the point of feeding this young man well? If you want him to live long, it depends on your luck.

"That goes without saying. Next time, it definitely won't be me who draws the short straw."

Wu Qing said with full confidence, his tone brooking no argument.

After the Corpse Incineration Furnace cooled down, Li Ye shoveled out the ashes of the giant snake.

There was a massive amount. Li Ye carried a full bucket to the back mountain, dug a pit, and buried them.

"Big sister, thank you for your cultivation. Rest in peace."

Li Ye said.

To show his gratitude for the Snake Demon's 'gift,' he specifically burned some paper money for her.

After Li Ye's cultivation soared, his senses became incredibly sharp. Just as he was about to return to his small courtyard, the voices of two people suddenly reached his ears:

"Why is this Divine Concealment Sect so gloomy? I've had goosebumps the entire way here; the air itself is unsettling."

"Maybe the feng shui of the Immortal Mountains in the Central Plains is just like this. Forget about it for now, let's just finish the task the Holy Son gave us... Huh? There's someone up there. They might have spotted us. Kill him."

Immortal Mountains in the Central Plains?

They are foreigners? They aren't from the Great Gan Dynasty?

So these two idiots mistook the Corpse Refining Courtyard for the Divine Concealment Sect and came up here to complete some task assigned by their Holy Son.

Li Ye caught the hidden information in their conversation and couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise.

But immediately after, he heard the second person say they were going to kill him. The opponents were likely climbing up and were very close; a faint killing intent had already surged up ahead of them.

They are both at the Qi Gathering Stage, likely around the first or second level.

Li Ye's expression shifted slightly, then he sneered, "You're still too green to kill me."

Hum!

His hands glowed, rippling with intense fluctuations, and the next moment, he vanished from his spot.

Hand of Earth: With enough time, you can dig through the planet.

"Huh? Where did he go? Did I sense him wrong?"

One of the foreigners said in surprise.

The other foreigner noticed it too.

Just as the two were standing there, hesitant and surprised, the solid rock in front of them cracked open, spilling out golden light. Instantly, two brilliant, massive hands surged out, surging with golden glow, and plunged into the chests of the two foreigners.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!

Blood light erupted, and blood sprayed in all directions. The two Qi Gathering Stage foreigners, completely caught off guard, tumbled off the cliff and landed one after another, hanging from a large tree.

In that brief moment, Li Ye didn't even know how many times his five fingers had pierced their chests; the number of bloody holes on the two foreigners' bodies was countless.

This was not surprising.

Li Ye's Hand of Earth could dig over a hundred meters in a single second, capable of pulverizing even solid rock.

Now that Li Ye was using it to defend against enemies, even though the two foreigners were Qi Gathering Stage experts, they were caught in a surprise attack by Li Ye while completely off guard. Even their sturdy Qi Gathering Stage bodies appeared fragile and vulnerable before the Hand of Earth.

Boom!

Li Ye dashed out from the cave entrance, executing the Swift Wind Leg. His body flickered, turning into streaks of afterimages as he appeared before the two foreigners, who were hanging in the tree and spitting out bloody foam.

"Foreigners, where do you come from?"

Li Ye asked with a smile, using the Western-accented tone from his past life.

"You... who are you?"

A foreigner pointed a trembling finger at Li Ye, asking with great difficulty.

His life was rapidly fading, and with his end near, speaking was an immense struggle.

"I am your God, and you are all my sons."

Li Ye replied, maintaining the same accented tone.

"How dare you insult our Great Jin Kingdom... Pfft!"

The foreigner was so enraged he spat blood on the spot. The blood sprayed high into the air before his head tilted to the side, and he breathed his last.

Great Jin?

Li Ye looked surprised.

They actually came from the Great Jin Kingdom.

The Great Jin Kingdom was located to the south of the Great Gan Empire. It was a powerful nation with strong troops, sturdy horses, and masters as numerous as the clouds.

The country was bellicose; in just a few short decades, it had successively annexed over a dozen smaller nations and was eyeing the Great Gan Dynasty with predatory intent.

The recent rebellion by King Liang had been backed by the momentum of the Great Jin Kingdom.

The war had not yet ended.

"What are you doing in my Great Gan?"

Li Ye asked the second foreigner.

The man's voice was as thin as a thread: "I'm already dying, why would I tell you?"

After speaking, he decisively kicked his legs out and departed for the afterlife.

Li Ye was stunned.

Are you serious about dying like this?

You just die the moment you say you will?

Being mocked like this by a defeated foe right before their death left Li Ye feeling incredibly stifled.

"I'll just look for myself."

Li Ye muttered to himself, and then, he grew excited.

With two Great Experts at the Qi Gathering Stage just dead, he should be able to gain quite a bit of cultivation.

Li Ye had intentionally avoided striking their dantians, all so that after killing them, the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy gathered there would dissipate more slowly.

This way, he could harvest more cultivation.

Having had the experience once before, Li Ye's heart stirred, and sure enough, a glowing red furnace appeared before him.

It was precisely the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

Or perhaps it should be called the artifact spirit of the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

Li Ye did not hesitate to toss the two corpses inside. They intertwined with the flames, and before long, the bodies merged into one with the fire.

At this moment, Li Ye noticed two dazzling lights emerging within the Corpse Incineration Furnace and exclaimed, "Magical Artifacts! They each had a Magical Artifact inside their bodies."

"Damn it, why didn't I notice that just now?"

Li Ye was suddenly overcome with heartbreak.

Magical Artifacts were weapons with spirituality used by cultivators after breaking through the Qi Gathering Realm. Such weapons could cut through iron like mud and possessed infinite power.

The levels of Magical Artifacts were divided into Low-Grade Magical Artifact, Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, High-Grade Magical Artifact, and Top-Grade Magical Artifact...

Even a low-tier Magical Artifact used by those in the Qi Gathering Realm was of immeasurable value.

But it was too late for Li Ye to regret it. He vaguely saw that the two Magical Artifacts belonging to the opponents were a sword and a bag resembling cowhide.

At this moment, both were being swallowed by the flames within the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

The life imprints of the two foreigners began to be broken down by the Corpse Incineration Furnace, blooming with scenes from their lives.