Breaking Through

In the side room of Wei Dayong's house, the oil lamp flickered like a bean-sized flame. Wang Quan sat cross-legged on the earthen kang, his eyes slightly lowered and his breathing long and steady. In his mind, the remaining 160 Skill Points glimmered faintly. Within his body, the forces of Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength and Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art were merging and surging in an unprecedented manner under the guidance of his understanding of force, crashing against that invisible barrier.

The time had come.

"Derive the Mortal Transformation Chapter of Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength!"

[Would you like to spend 15 Skill Points to derive Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength (Mortal Transformation Realm)?]

"Yes!"

[Derivation successful! Obtained the Mortal Transformation Realm cultivation method Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture!]

[Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture: Based on perfected Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength, it fuses the true meaning of force and draws upon the profound yellow qi of the earth to temper the body. Upon reaching its depths, the body becomes like a divine mountain, its strength suppressing the eight wilds, its qi and blood settling as thickly as mercury. Insight into, control over, and application of strength reach an entirely new level, allowing one to borrow, transform, and accumulate force at will during battle, revealing the true principles in the minutiae.]

Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture! What a name! Wang Quan's heart settled, and without hesitation, he continued adding Skill Points!

"Raise Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture to the entry level!"

[Consumed 10 Skill Points. Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture raised to the entry level!]

"Raise it to the minor achievement level!"

[Consumed 12 Skill Points. Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture raised to the minor achievement level!]

"Raise it to the major achievement level!"

[Consumed 14 Skill Points. Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture raised to the major achievement level!]

"Raise it to perfection!"

[Consumed 28 Skill Points. Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture raised to the perfected level!]

Total consumed: 79 points!

Remaining Skill Points: 81 points!

The instant Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture was raised to perfection, it was as if some shackle that had existed since time immemorial was blasted open within Wang Quan's body! His perfected Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength underwent a complete qualitative transformation, becoming profound yellow qi that was heavier, purer, and imbued with the earth's deep, weighty intent, flowing through every limb and bone! His muscles and bones rang together, giving off sounds low as a dragon's growl and heavy as a mountain collapsing. Beneath his skin, a faint earthy-yellow sheen surfaced, filling him with indescribable strength and solidity.

The Mortal Transformation Realm! He had done it!

But this still wasn't enough! Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art was stuck at the perfected Soul Sculpting Realm. Though his physical body was powerful, it still had its limits. He needed to knock open that even more mysterious and mighty door!

"Derive the Palace Knocking Chapter of Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art!"

[Would you like to spend 30 Skill Points to derive the Palace Knocking Realm of Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art? This cultivation method is extremely special, and the risks of derivation are relatively high.]

"Yes!" Wang Quan did not hesitate. Risk and reward went hand in hand; he needed greater strength to face the storm that was about to arrive.

[Derivation in progress... Analyzing the demon source... Derivation successful! Obtained the Palace Knocking Realm cultivation method Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture (Initial Spirit Platform Opening Chapter)!]

[Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture (Initial Spirit Platform Opening Chapter): Based on perfected Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art, it glimpses a trace of the secrets of the Chaos Demon Emperor. It opens a spirit platform within the body, initially commanding and refining the bloodline origins of myriad monsters, shedding the mortal shell, and forging the foundation of a Demon Emperor. The body's strength, the quality of its qi and blood, its recovery ability, and its control over demonic power will all undergo a fundamental leap. Note: This cultivation method is tyrannical beyond compare. Cultivation must be undertaken with the utmost caution.]

Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture! Initial Spirit Platform Opening! A brilliant light burst from Wang Quan's eyes. This was it!

"Raise Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture to the entry level!"

[Would you like to spend 30 Skill Points to raise Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture to the entry level (Initial Spirit Platform Opening Realm)? This process will draw chaotic demonic power into the body. It will be extremely painful, and there is a risk of losing control.]

"Raise it!"

[Consumed 30 Skill Points... Beginning advancement...]

Remaining Skill Points: 21 points!

The instant the command was issued, Wang Quan felt as if a chaotic seed deep within his dantian had suddenly exploded! It was neither the warmth nor the frenzy of his previous qi-and-blood enhancements, but a cold, chaotic, bizarre force that contained endless ancientness and majesty. Like the first wisp of turbid qi when heaven and earth were cleaved apart, it brutally poured into every corner of his body!

"Gahhh—!"

Wang Quan groaned, the veins across his body instantly bulging. Yet their color was no longer the normal blue-green; instead, they took on a dark, nearly black hue interlaced with threads of Dark Gold Patterns! Beneath his skin, his muscles writhed and twisted madly, while his bones gave off a teeth-grating crackle, as if they were being repeatedly hammered and reforged by invisible heavy mallets!

An even more terrifying change took place within him. Upon the stable, weighty foundation of qi and blood opened by the Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture, a vague, chaotic, peculiar "space" that seemed to exist between reality and illusion was slowly taking shape and opening between his chest and abdomen. That was the spirit platform!

The instant the spirit platform was initially opened, Wang Quan felt his five senses and spiritual perception undergo a world-shaking transformation! He could hear the faint Monster Qi carried by the wind from much farther away, see the subtle flows of energy drifting through the air that he had previously been unable to detect, and even vaguely sense the faint yet vast fluctuations of the earth veins deep beneath the ground! His control over his own qi and blood, muscles, and bones also reached an unprecedented level of precision. With a thought, his strength could move as easily as his own arm, concentrating at a single point or spreading throughout his body.

The greatest change, however, was in his physique!

The perfected Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture had given him the deep weight and stability of a mountain, while the Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture with its newly opened spirit platform had begun transforming his body toward some inhuman, higher lifeform! His skin's toughness increased explosively; ordinary blades and swords would likely struggle to injure it at all. His muscle fibers had reached a frightening density—he only had to lightly clench his fist for the air to crack with an explosive report. His bones were as lustrously white as jade, yet glimmered with a metallic chill, their hardness comparable to a hundred-forged steel. His qi and blood had become heavy and viscous like mercury, and the sound of wind and thunder faintly accompanied their flow!

This physical strength... had already surpassed the limits of the Soul Sculpting Realm, enough to rival the great demons of the Core Condensation Realm famed for their tyrannical bodies! It might even exceed them! After all, his body was now a monster's physique forged from the essence of Human Race body cultivation fused with the potential of the Chaos Demon Emperor's origin!

Remaining Skill Points: 21 points.

It wasn't enough. From the minor achievement level to perfection, the Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture would certainly require a vast number of Skill Points.

Wang Quan slowly opened his eyes. As his eyelids lifted and fell, a flash of dark golden chaotic light flickered and vanished, then sank back into their depths. He lightly moved his hands and feet, and the bones throughout his body crackled like popping beans. An unprecedented sense of immense strength filled him from head to toe.

He tried throwing a light punch at the air.

He used none of his qi and blood—only the strength of his physical body.

Whoosh—!

The wind of his punch surged, forming a visible white wave in the air. It slammed into the earthen wall opposite him with a muffled impact, and dust pattered down.

"This is... the physique of a Core Condensation great demon?" Wang Quan murmured as he felt the surging strength within him. Combined with the force control granted by the perfected Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Scripture and the heightened perception brought by the newly opened spirit platform, his actual combat strength had likely reached an unfathomable level.

With a slight shift in thought, he circulated the Thousand Forms Transformation Art and imitated the aura of the Pig Demon leader he had slain earlier. The transformation was complete almost instantly. An aura identical to that of a Pig Demon in the Spirit Awakening Realm radiated from him, lifelike in every detail. With his current cultivation, unless someone's realm was far higher than his or they possessed a special detection method, it would be extremely difficult to see through the disguise.

He then tried the tracking and fortune-and-misfortune sensing of Mysterious Mechanism Tracing Art. His spiritual perception spread outward like an invisible web. Within a radius of several hundred zhang, the flow of auras and traces of life faintly reflected in his mind. He could even vaguely sense that the side room where he stood was peaceful and temporarily safe.

"Twenty-one Skill Points... I'll have to use them sparingly." Wang Quan reined in every trace of his aura and stopped circulating his cultivation methods, once again becoming that seemingly ordinary guard soldier. The explosive increase in strength brought by his breakthrough would take time to adapt to. More importantly, he needed more "supplies"—Monster Cores and Skill Points—to fill the bottomless pit that was the Chaos Demon Emperor Scripture.

He pushed open the door, and the sky was already bright. In the courtyard, Lingling was practicing her horse stance with great seriousness, her little face stern. Wei Dayong squatted beside her, watching with a foolish grin. Sister Xu was busy before the stove, wisps of cooking smoke curling into the air.

This brief peace and warmth warmed Wang Quan's heart, yet also made the weight on his shoulders feel heavier. Wasn't the purpose of becoming stronger precisely to protect these glimmers of light and tear apart the darkness that sought to devour them?

"Uncle Wang!" Lingling's eyes lit up when she saw him.

Wang Quan walked over and gently patted the little girl on the head. "Practice hard."