Near the rocky mountain ran a river. After Bai Yixin finished preparing the meat, the eight lion heads had been skinned and cleaned. He set up a bronze cauldron right there on the riverbank.
The eight golden heads were boneless, made entirely of rich juices and fragrant golden meat. They weren't real heads, but they contained divine power.
The flames danced. An hour had passed, and the lion heads in the bronze cauldron were glowing, bobbing in the boiling water as rosy light swirled around them. Their aroma was irresistible.
"Brother Little White~ Can we eat yet?" Little One watched from the side, practically drooling. He wiped his mouth and asked.
"Not yet. I still need to add something." Bai Yixin replied unhurriedly. Four of the lion heads had gone in partway through, so they needed to stew a little longer.
Bai Yixin took out a foot-long herb. Its leaves bore bony patterns, and its overall color was pale green, like a moldy, forked bone.
"Brother Little White, what's that?" Little One asked, eyes full of curiosity.
"Thousand-Refinement Bone-Forging Grass. Its medicinal effects let you feel your bones being broken and then reforged. That intense sensation really packs a punch~ (￣▽￣)~*"
Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Yixin took out this Treasure Medicine worth a hundred thousand, preparing to temper his bones once more. He hoped this nourishing meal would push his physical cultivation to a breakthrough.
"Does it taste good?" Little One wasn't scared. Instead, he asked what it tasted like.
"It's bitter. About the same as chewing on dry bones. Mm~ (￣~￣) It's nice and crunchy."
Bai Yixin thought back to how he'd felt the first time he tried the herb. Eating it plain had left a truly unforgettable impression!
As he chatted, Bai Yixin kept his hands busy. He set the last two pairs of marinated chicken wings, weighing dozens of pounds, over the fire and carefully roasted them. Before long, the aroma of meat filled the air, and the glowing chunks turned golden and glistening with oil.
Bai Yixin had taken these two pairs of wings from the Feather King and his lackey.
Humans might not eat human-shaped beings, but there was nothing wrong with trying the wings of a birdman.
Wisps of rosy light curled through the air. The Golden Lion's leg meat and the birdman's wings were golden and glistening, their fat dripping into the fire with a sizzling sound that made mouths water.
A sheen of oil spread over the golden wings and leg meat, forming a crispy crust. Their fragrance filled the air, growing ever more tempting.
When the meat was nearly done, Bai Yixin tore off a golden piece. Honey stretched in sticky strands as he took a bite. His mouth filled with fragrance; the meat melted on his tongue, so delicious it made his mouth water.
Bai Yixin closed his eyes and savored it, his face rapt with delight. From the very first bite, he felt every pore on his body opening, an utterly blissful sensation. It was truly a delicacy fit for the gods.
"My cooking is amazing!"
"This is so good!" Little One eagerly tore off a huge piece of meat too. Honey trailed in sparkling threads, and the golden meat was fragrant and steaming.
Rosy light shimmered, and the aroma wafted through the air. The human geniuses nearby were torn and frustrated, all longing to go over and ask for a piece. The rich aroma was just too tempting.
"Missy, don't be shy. Come over and eat. Senior brothers and sisters, you should try some too." Bai Yixin called out. He'd eaten dozens of pounds of wings and leg meat, thoroughly enjoying himself, his mouth slick with grease. As he spoke, rosy light streamed from him, and divine radiance bathed his whole body.
"I'm not called 'Missy.' My name is Huo Ling'er. Remember that! (▼皿▼#)" Huo Ling'er looked a little displeased, but her body was honest. She joined the scramble, eating until her mouth was slick with grease, gradually letting herself go.
"Thank you, Junior Brother!" The five geniuses from the Heaven-Mending Pavilion thanked him sincerely. They hadn't expected this Junior Brother to be so generous. He was incredibly strong and even treated them to the best food and drink. It was wonderful.
"Sure, sure, Huo Ling'er, missy. Want some soup?" Bai Yixin had gnawed the meat off two lion legs, polished off a pair of chicken wings, and wolfed down over a hundred pounds of lion meat, leaving himself about half full. He headed over to the bronze cauldron to check on his soup.
"Yes!" Huo Ling'er couldn't compete with Little One. She'd only managed to grab a few pieces of meat and felt too embarrassed to eat her fill. Hearing Bai Yixin call her "missy" again, she pouted, but still answered at once.
That pot of soup held the true essence: apart from the lion heart Little One had swallowed, the heads of the Nine-Headed Golden Lion contained the most divine essence, and Bai Yixin had added a Treasure Medicine that could strengthen the body.
With her knowledge, Huo Ling'er couldn't identify the herb, but she could tell it was incredibly precious.
The soup was truly unusual. Its pale gold-and-white broth shimmered with divine light, and the lion meat bobbing within gleamed with precious radiance.
"Smells great~" Bai Yixin casually took out a bowl, ladled in some soup, scooped up a lion head, and handed it to Huo Ling'er.
Then Bai Yixin scooped up a pale gold-and-white lion head for himself and took a bite. It melted in his mouth, and pale gold-and-white juices surged out in rosy light, as if flames were burning.
"The medicinal effects are incredible! Hss—" Huo Ling'er's cherry lips parted slightly. She could feel her body burning, and streams of light spilling from her seven orifices. Her bones tingled, as if thousands of ants were gnawing on them. At first, the food had been delicious and soothing, but gradually her face grew solemn. She began to look constipated, drenched in sweat.
"Little One, eat some more." Bai Yixin glanced at Huo Ling'er, who had started howling, then turned to Little One, who was glowing all over like a little sun. He kept eating as he spoke.
"No, hic— I can't eat any more." Little One had eaten half a lion, one lion heart, three lion heads, and a third of the cauldron's pale gold-and-white broth. He lay on the grass by the river, not wanting to move at all.
As the medicine took effect, Little One began to groan too. It was obvious his pain tolerance was more than a cut above Huo Ling'er's.
"Little One, look at Huo Ling'er. She's such a lightweight~ She can't handle even this little bit."
Bai Yixin thought drinking the soup bowl by bowl was too slow. He polished off the remaining Golden Lion heads in two or three bites, then lifted the bronze cauldron and gulped straight from it.
"Ah— That hits the spot!"
The bone-tempering effect was already negligible for Bai Yixin, but the soup still felt wonderfully soothing. The tingling sensation was positively intoxicating.
Suddenly, it was as if a membrane had been pierced.
"Clang!"
A cauldron's ring suddenly sounded within Bai Yixin's body. His Purple Gold Spirit Sea grew even deeper, and more intricate, profound patterns appeared across the high platform and the Purple Gold Giant Cauldron.
Seventh Heaven of Foundation Establishment!
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, a vast sound boomed, shaking this stretch of the Great Wilderness. The mountains trembled, and the peaks rang in unison, as if the heavens themselves had collapsed.
A sea of runes appeared, densely packed and dazzling, as though forged from immortal gold. They imprinted themselves across the world and completely engulfed Bai Yixin.
A torrent of blood qi shot into the heavens, crashing like waves against the shore and scattering the clouds above. At last, a rocky cavern appeared behind Bai Yixin, like a volcano.
The Seventh Heavenly Cave had opened!
A mighty aura leaked from Bai Yixin, leaving the geniuses in the distance trembling and drenched in cold sweat. It was utterly terrifying.
"Standing before him, I feel like an ant," one person said, trembling.
"This pressure is no weaker than that of Shi Yi, the Double Pupil, is it?"
"No, no! I think he's more like a pure-blooded Primordial Fierce Beast. He's terrifying!"
Now, in the Hundred-Broken Mountain Range, apart from the Sealers who might pose a threat to Bai Yixin, nobody else could match him.
Of course, that was assuming they didn't pull out some clan- or nation-guarding treasure, or something like a Divine Decree. Even then, Bai Yixin was confident he could cut down his enemy in ten moves or fewer.
Even if they did, it would only take him a little more effort.
Bai Yixin didn't have any particularly powerful treasures. He'd left the Wolf-Tooth Bracelet he'd obtained in Bei Village at Stone Village, and fed the Silver Creature's Silver Dagger to the spirit sword he was raising.
He'd kept the remaining Silver Fan because it looked rather flashy and made for a good prop.
The only weapon Bai Yixin could really count on was a spirit sword he'd only recently begun cultivating: the Three-Foot Green Blade that had appeared earlier.
It didn't give him much of a boost, but it looked very cool when he controlled it with his mind.
When Bai Yixin picked up his sword, it usually meant he wasn't taking things seriously.
He only brought out the spirit sword to put on a show and hide his formidable physique.
Sometimes Bai Yixin also used the Purple Gold Giant Cauldron as a shield, or brought it out to smash people with, or to stew soup...
But most of the time, Bai Yixin relied on the indestructible body he had tempered with the Nine-Turn Heavenly Art and the Grass Sword Art. He himself was the sharpest sword!
With his body as a sword, one strike was enough to slay all enemies beneath the heavens.
Before you continue