The Miraculous Effects of Zombie Crystal Cores

He could sense a stone-like barrier covering the surface of his body. Inside his body, his blood qi was also being rapidly consumed as the Sha Qi transformed him.

In just half an hour, a great deal of blood qi had been depleted, and Zheng Yi's face had turned noticeably paler.

"It's time!"

Sensing that the moment was about right, Zheng Yi directly took out a Zombie Crystal Core. The bloodstains on its surface had long since been cleaned away.

Zheng Yi squeezed with two fingers. With a crack, a thin fissure appeared on the surface of the crystal core.

A stream of pure energy flowed out from within. Zheng Yi immediately placed it in his mouth, and the pure energy swiftly passed through his throat and entered his body.

Just as his heart had begun to beat weakly from the massive loss of blood qi, the pure energy from the crystal core followed the heartbeat, and the powerful blood qi pumped out by the heart rapidly circulated through his entire body.

His face, which had gone pale from excessive blood loss, regained a hint of color and gradually turned rosy.

"Just as I thought. This crystal core is the purest Life Origin Energy. It can continuously replenish blood qi, making it even more convenient than those Pills that replenish blood qi."

"After all, every medicine carries some poison. Even Pills that replenish blood qi are no exception. They are artificially refined, so they cannot possibly be flawless."

"But these Zombie Crystal Cores actually contain pure life energy. Though the amount is not great, there are no Pill Poison impurities at all..."

"Most importantly, for me, these Zombie Crystal Cores are practically inexhaustible."

For a moment, Zheng Yi could not help but want to laugh aloud.

The Zombie Crystal Cores dropped by the countless zombies he had killed in the Apocalyptic World actually stored exceptionally pure energy. They were undoubtedly an excellent choice for replenishing blood qi.

Those Pills that replenished blood qi were good, but they were still Pills, carrying varying amounts of Pill Poison within them.

Under ordinary circumstances, the harm of Pill Poison might not be apparent. But once one let down one's guard, it could gradually and imperceptibly erode the body.

When danger struck or one encountered a bottleneck, the trouble caused by Pill Poison might erupt. When that happened, it could lead to immense and irreparable losses.

The Zombie Crystal Cores contained incomparably pure life energy. Using them to replenish Life Vitality was entirely drawing from heaven and earth—how could there be any Pill Poison?

Having found suitable cultivation resources, Zheng Yi placed a Grain Avoidance Pill in his mouth and directly entered seclusion to cultivate.

Inside the Cultivation Room, the Azure Profound Fiend Qi stored within the Soul Devouring Banner, produced by the Black Fiend Technique refining Vengeful Spirits and Malevolent Ghosts, was continuously released.

As the Black Fiend Technique circulated, the Sha Qi grew viscous, gradually changing from a faint light blue-green to a deep blue-green.

The illusory, ethereal Sha Qi, like air itself, now began to faintly produce the sound of flowing water.

Within the dense air, dark blue-green flames began to fill the space, clinging to the blue mist as they burned.

This blue Sha Qi was far more effective than ordinary ghostly Sha Qi or yin fiend qi. It clung to Zheng Yi's body and, as the technique circulated, seeped into him.

The blue Sha Qi began to cover his body from head to toe, like a suit of blue armor draped over him.

At the same time, Zheng Yi took out handful after handful of Zombie Crystal Cores and impatiently tossed them into his mouth, absorbing the pure life energy within to replenish his constantly dwindling blood qi.

It had to be said that ever since opening the Apocalyptic World, Zheng Yi had felt as though his fortunes had turned.

The various restrictive conditions required to cultivate the Profound Fiend Body Tempering Art were incomparably difficult for others.

Yet for Zheng Yi, they were there for the taking, prepared long ago.

Whether it was the Azure Profound Fiend Qi produced by the Black Fiend Technique refining Vengeful Spirits and Malevolent Ghosts, or the Zombie Crystal Cores that replenished life energy, these were things he had never dared imagine before.

During his time at the Soul Devouring Sect, Zheng Yi cultivated diligently every day without interruption, doing nothing but hiding in his room or going to the Cultivation Room to cultivate.

Every time he cultivated, he was exceedingly cautious. Not only did he activate the Defense Formation to its fullest, but he would also release his Lifebound Artifact, the Soul Devouring Banner, and use the yin fiend qi within the banner to shroud the entire room.

Only under the cover of such an environment could Zheng Yi barely feel at ease.

During this period, the main technique he cultivated was the newly acquired Body Tempering Method, the Profound Fiend Body Tempering Art.

As for the subsequent cultivation method of the Black Fiend Technique, Zheng Yi had already mastered its circulation route, but he had not truly begun cultivating it.

The Soul Devouring Sect was located atop a Second-Grade Spirit Vein, which provided a certain boost to cultivation techniques.

Thus, many sect disciples preferred to remain in the sect and cultivate by relying on the spiritual qi released by the sect's immensely powerful spirit vein. It was far faster than cultivating elsewhere.

However, compared to other techniques that could be improved by absorbing spiritual qi, the foundation of the Black Fiend Technique was rather unusual. Though it also required breathing exercises to absorb and circulate spiritual qi, the advancement of this technique was built entirely upon refining all kinds of Vengeful Spirits and Malevolent Ghosts.

It could be said that the more Vengeful Spirits and Malevolent Ghosts Zheng Yi refined, the faster the Sha Qi in his body would advance—from the lowest-tier Black Fiend Qi at the beginning, to Profound Yin Fiend, and then to Azure Profound Fiend.

After advancing all the way, he could even transform the attributes of his entire cultivation method into the legendary Nine Nether Soul Slaughtering Fiend.

By then, who knew how much the power of this technique would increase?

So long as he had enough Vengeful Spirits and Malevolent Ghosts as cultivation materials, Zheng Yi's cultivation speed with the Black Fiend Technique would be several times faster than with other techniques.

This was also an important reason why Zheng Yi had been able to recover his realm in such a short time and break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

The Soul Devouring Sect had been established for at least three or four hundred years, with its inheritance passed down through several generations. Naturally, the methods mastered within the sect were not something Zheng Yi, a newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple, could possibly know.

That was why he did not dare to casually open the Apocalyptic World, lest he be discovered by the sect's experts.

After all, there was still a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator stationed in the sect.

In this world where immortals and demons surged and the Righteous Path stood opposed to demonic cultivators, Zheng Yi did not dare display any behavior that set him apart. If some major figure in the sect discovered the abnormalities he displayed, Zheng Yi would truly die without a burial place.

Thus, whether it was cultivating the subsequent method of the Black Fiend Technique or continuing the refinement and advancement of his Lifebound Artifact, the Soul Devouring Banner, Zheng Yi would not casually employ them within the sect unless he found a way to conceal them.

Otherwise, they might fall under the eyes of someone with ulterior motives, and that would be troublesome.

The path of cultivation had always been a struggle against heaven and a battle against others—fighting for opportunities, seizing treasures, strengthening oneself, and pursuing higher realms.

Therefore, while in the sect, it was best to remain cautious and keep a low profile.