Reunion with Black Donkey

Clang-clang, bang-bang—a chaotic ruckus erupted. This black donkey had originally been at the Eighth Layer of Body Refining, yet after just a few days unseen, it had shot straight up to the peak of the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, matching Zhou Heng without the slightest inferiority.

After the man and donkey fought for nearly half an hour, both sounded the retreat. They plopped down on the ground, glaring at each other while panting heavily.

"You despicable donkey, what brought you here?"

"Brat, how did you find this lord's den?"

They spoke at the same time, but the black donkey immediately lashed out with a hoof: "It's Divine Donkey Lord!"

Zhou Heng sat off to the side to regulate his breathing and recover his vitality, thinking to himself that with this black donkey around, how could he possibly break through to the Blood Refining Realm? But this donkey was utterly troublesome—driving it out was impossible. Would he have to leave himself?

"Brat, why did you come running here? Could it be you want to serve as This Seat's mount?" The black donkey couldn't stand not being a pest; its first words were enough to infuriate anyone.

Zhou Heng laughed heartily and said, "Then why did you come running over?"

The black donkey stared at Zhou Heng. It wasn't confident it could drive him away either—whenever he unleashed that sword intent, it instinctively sensed something terrifying. Smacking its lips, it sprawled on the ground, propping its massive donkey head up with one hoof, and said, "This Seat likes the night scenery here!"

"You despicable donkey, did you also discover the strange shadow in the pool?" Zhou Heng could guess from what it said.

"Oh? Brat, you know about the strange shadow in this pool too?" The black donkey curled its lip. "Haha, that movement technique of yours must have come from here! This Seat was wondering earlier why that figure's footwork seemed familiar—so that's it!"

"Despicable donkey, didn't you go into the water to look for it?" Zhou Heng urged.

"It's Black Donkey Lord!" The black donkey glared viciously at Zhou Heng, then suddenly let out a "woof" and lunged at him, mouth wide open to bite.

"You're not a dog—why do you keep barking like one!"

"This Seat feels like it!"

After another round of scuffling, Zhou Heng waved his hand and said, "Let's make a pact: I won't call you despicable donkey anymore, and you can't call me brat!"

"Fine, but you must address me as Divine Donkey Lord!" The black donkey puffed out its chest and belly.

"Don't you have a more ordinary name?" Zhou Heng would sooner die than call a donkey "lord."

"This Seat was born to shine—how could I possibly have an ordinary name!" The black donkey strutted around smugly, striking poses.

"Then it's still Black Donkey."

"Brat, what's your name?"

"Zhou Heng!"

"Tch, that name's too hard to remember. I'll just stick with brat!"

The man and donkey temporarily formed an alliance, since both were intensely interested in the shadow beneath the Cold Pool.

Zhou Heng couldn't be bothered with this long-tongued, despicable donkey that claimed to have slept for several hundred or thousand years. He walked under the big tree, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing. The black donkey, bored with talking to itself, also went to the cliff face to meditate.

Watching a donkey sit cross-legged like a human, Zhou Heng couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

He steadied his mind and began to break through to the Blood Refining Realm!

Others needed absolute silence to break through a bottleneck, but Zhou Heng was different. Each breakthrough took him only three or four hours, at most five or six—even that black donkey would never guess he dared to break through at a time like this!

It seemed risky, but it was absolute safety.

He had already reached the absolute peak of the Ninth Layer of Body Refining yesterday. The True Essence Power he cultivated could only be released outside his body now, with no more space to store it.

Blood Refining Realm, come on!

He activated the Moon Shadow Heart Art, guiding the True Essence Power within him to surge toward his blood, aiming to pierce through that barrier.

This was extremely dangerous, because as one's realm increased, the destructive power of a martial artist's True Essence Power grew greater and greater. Yet blood had never been nourished by True Essence Power—it remained fragile. The slightest mistake could destroy the blood plasma!

If too much blood was ruined, the martial artist would die instantly, just like from excessive blood loss.

Zhou Heng spread his divine sense, enveloping every blood vessel in his body under his watch. Only his divine sense, refined by the Black Sword, could sustain such a terrifying drain—otherwise, he would collapse from mental exhaustion within ten seconds.

Boom!

True Essence Power began to assault the blood layer, breaking through that invisible membrane.

Zhou Heng felt neither joy nor fear. He simply channeled his True Essence Power, striking again and again! Again and again! Again and again!

Three hours later, he suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed, and his entire aura surged dramatically!

Tenth Layer of Body Refining, Blood Refining Realm!

His blood churned like liquid mercury and jade nectar, rumbling with the sound of thunder.

"Brat, you broke through?" The black donkey leaped up, staring at Zhou Heng in shock, its donkey mouth gaping wide enough to swallow a human head.

"Heh heh!" Zhou Heng chuckled but didn't get up. He continued circulating the Moon Shadow Heart Art. Though he had broken through, the quantity of True Essence Power hadn't increased—it had merely opened the path for him to continue advancing.

"What a freak!" The black donkey scratched its neck with a hoof and muttered to itself, "Did Mystic Venerable have such talent back then? Pah, how could this brat compare to Mystic Venerable!"

The sky darkened. Zhou Heng lit a campfire, took out some dried meat he had prepared, and began to roast it. Soon, the aroma spread everywhere.

"Sniff, sniff, sniff!" The black donkey twitched its nose and crept over. Seizing a moment when Zhou Heng wasn't paying attention, it lunged at the meat.

Slap!

Zhou Heng kicked out, planting his foot against the donkey's face to stop its theft. "Hey hey hey, what's wrong with you? You're a donkey, not a dog—and you eat meat?"

"This Seat feels like it!" The black donkey charged left and right but couldn't get past Zhou Heng's defense. Finally, it simply opened its wide mouth and aimed for the corner of Zhou Heng's lips.

"You despicable donkey, you really are a dog in disguise!" Zhou Heng winced in pain and stomped his feet repeatedly.

"Ptooey, so stinky! Haven't you washed your feet in a few hundred years, you brat?" The Black Donkey spat repeatedly, looking utterly regretful, then pounced forward, snatched the dried meat, and scurried off far away in a flash.

"So hot! So hot!" This despicable donkey yelled even as it ate faster, quickly polishing off the meat. "Brat, roast a hundred or so more for This Seat to have a snack!"

"Scram!"

Zhou Heng started roasting meat again, this time on high alert, and ultimately didn't let that despicable donkey succeed.

"Brat, we're brothers through thick and thin, our bond stronger than metal, our grace deeper than the sea. Can't you be reasonable and stop hogging it all to yourself?" The Black Donkey scolded Zhou Heng with righteous indignation, but couldn't stop drooling at the corners of its mouth.

Zhou Heng deliberately ate very slowly, not even lifting his eyes.

"Pissing This Seat off!" The Black Donkey twisted its donkey butt and walked away, but soon came back, carrying a huge pile of herbs and fruits in its mouth.

Ginseng, Vermilion Fruit, Poria—all great tonics!

Zhou Heng's eyes lit up. He wolfed down the dried meat in a few bites and walked toward the Black Donkey.

Swish, the Frost Cold Sword left its sheath as he swung it at the Black Donkey.

"I curse eighteen generations of your ancestors—" The Black Donkey yelped and immediately bolted away.

Zhou Heng laughed heartily. Looking closely, the ground was covered in spiritual medicines of the highest grade. He ignored that they came from the Black Donkey, washed them by the Cold Pool, and started eating.

He was now in the Blood Refining Realm, with vigorous blood energy and a preliminary resistance to extreme cold, no longer feeling like he'd freeze solid like last time.

"Brat, you're really cunning!" The Black Donkey ran back, looking disgruntled.

"Likewise, likewise! You snagged a piece of my meat earlier!" Zhou Heng shot back.

"Ptooey, This Seat deigning to eat your stuff is giving you face!" The Black Donkey said shamelessly.

"Speaking of which, where did you get these spiritual fruits and rare herbs?" Zhou Heng asked curiously. He'd just gnawed on an old wild ginseng, at least a few hundred years old—priceless outside!

The Black Donkey lifted its head and said, "This Seat was born with a keen nose; no spiritual herb can escape it!"

"...You really are like a dog! I say, Despicable Donkey, are you sure you're not a mutt of a donkey?"

"Brat, This Seat will bite you to death, woof!"

After another round of tussling, the two struck a truce: Zhou Heng would be responsible for roasting meat for the Black Donkey, and the Black Donkey would provide spiritual herbs for Zhou Heng—mutual benefit.

Of course, Zhou Heng came out ahead. Those spiritual herbs and rare fruits were each worth a fortune! But to the Black Donkey, it was trivial—as long as it wanted, the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range was an open treasure trove for it!

Besides, it could never learn to roast meat—no fingers!

Zhou Heng finally understood how this donkey had advanced in cultivation so quickly—it ate these spiritual fruits and mountain ginseng every day. With such great tonics, how could its realm not rise fast?

That night, figures stirred again at the Cold Pool, but neither Zhou Heng nor the Black Donkey dove in. The Black Donkey hadn't yet recovered to the Blood Refining Realm, and Zhou Heng had just reached the Tenth Layer of Body Refining, his foundation still unstable.

He wasn't in a rush. With the agreement with the Black Donkey, he could rapidly boost his cultivation in a short time, raising his strength further for more certainty.

The Black Donkey also tried to secretly learn the Flying Cloud Steps, but kept tripping over itself, making Zhou Heng laugh and ask what a donkey was doing learning a human movement technique. That only made the Black Donkey open its big mouth and chase Zhou Heng's rear to bite.

Man and donkey divided their work: one hunted, one gathered spiritual fruits.

"Despicable Donkey, if you weren't so despicable, you'd barely count as a good donkey!" Zhou Heng said, gnawing on an unknown spiritual fruit while teasing the Black Donkey.

"Ptooey, This Seat is the king of donkeys. One day, I'll unify the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and all races under heaven will bow to This Seat's donkey might!" The Black Donkey declared with utter pride.

"Speaking of which, your cultivation is advancing pretty fast!" Zhou Heng said seriously. In just four or five days, this Black Donkey had also reached the Tenth Layer of Body Refining, matching his realm.

"This Seat was originally a top expert of the world, but I was suppressed for who knows how many years, my cultivation completely drained, forcing me to start over. Otherwise, This Seat could blow you to pieces with a single fart!"

Zhou Heng leaned against a tree trunk and said, "Then tell me, what is martial arts really about?"

"Brat, you're only at the Tenth Layer of Body Refining and already want to know the true essence of martial arts?"

"So you don't know either!"

"Ptooey, how could This Seat not know! Don't think I can't see you're using provocation. For the sake of our acquaintance, This Seat will tell you the secret of becoming a god through the physical body!"