011 Demonic Toxin Body Refinement

"Everyone says demon beasts are terrifying precisely because of the demon poison they carry. This Mad Heart Fox's demon poison is actually so overbearing; in just a few breaths, I've already developed such an intense reaction to the toxin!"

At this moment, the area around Zhang He's wound had turned a purplish-red and was slightly swollen.

Without hesitation, Zhang He pulled the Five Poison Beads from his pack and swallowed them immediately. No matter how fierce the demon poison was, taking the Five Poison Beads would provide some relief.

Then, Zhang He immediately circulated his Rejuvenation True Qi.

The strand of green True Qi residing in his Guanyuan Acupoint finally stirred. It moved rapidly along his meridians. Wherever it passed, it felt like a cool mountain stream, refreshing Zhang He's dizzy, muddled brain and reviving his spirit.

"The Rejuvenation True Qi has thickened! The power of this demon poison is truly overbearing!" The growth of Rejuvenation True Qi required the absorption of potent toxins; the stronger the toxicity, the greater the growth of the True Qi.

Zhang He was pleasantly surprised to discover that as the Rejuvenation True Qi absorbed the demon poison within his body, it was thickening rapidly. This rate of growth was something Zhang He had not anticipated.

"Excellent. The demon poison of this Mad Heart Fox is far more effective than ordinary poisonous herbs. It's actually as potent as the venom of a King Cobra!"

Zhang He was both shocked and delighted. In his previous cultivation, only the venom absorbed from a King Cobra had allowed the Rejuvenation True Qi in his body to grow rapidly. He hadn't expected the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison to be in no way inferior to the King Cobra's venom!

"The Rejuvenation True Qi has grown a full fold compared to before!" Zhang He checked the Rejuvenation True Qi in his Guanyuan Acupoint, his face beaming with joy.

Zhang He applied specially prepared herbs to his wound, and with the stimulation of the Rejuvenation True Qi, the wound had healed until only a thin slit remained; he believed it would be completely sealed very soon.

"The Mad Heart Fox's demon poison can make me lose my senses and fall into a stupor. I wonder what would happen if I circulated it in reverse." Once Zhang He had completely refined the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison within his body, he couldn't help but be tempted.

He was desperate to see what effect the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison would have if he reversed its flow.

The Rejuvenation True Qi within his body immediately began to rotate in reverse, emerging from the Guanyuan Acupoint. It traveled rapidly through his body, following a unique path.

By now, all the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison in his body had been refined by the Rejuvenation True Qi. The strand of Rejuvenation True Qi now possessed the attributes of the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison.

When circulated normally, the Rejuvenation True Qi could utilize the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison attribute to attack enemies. When circulated in reverse, it could invert the demon poison's properties to temper his own body.

A cool sensation instantly spread throughout his body.

Zhang He's spirit soared. At this moment, he felt invigorated; the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects around him were all audible, exceptionally clear.

The entire world seemed to gain a new, rich layer of depth in that instant.

His senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—were incredibly sharp. He could even see the feathers of a small bird flying in the distance with perfect clarity.

"The Mad Heart Fox's demon poison can both invigorate my spirit and keep me calm, and it makes my senses incredibly sharp!"

Zhang He was overjoyed.

In his memories, demon poison was something that made people turn pale at the mere mention of it. The reason people feared demon beasts, aside from their inherent strength, was primarily their demon poison. Once infected, if it couldn't be resolved, the consequences were dire. Take this Mad Heart Fox, for instance; though it looked small, if one were bitten and not treated in time, they would go mad, leading to disastrous outcomes. Therefore, people usually locked up those infected by a Mad Heart Fox, and if symptoms of madness appeared, they would kill them immediately to prevent further tragedy!

Now, the very poison others feared had become a supreme tonic in Zhang He's eyes. His Rejuvenation True Qi suppressed all potent toxins, and the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison helped his True Qi grow.

Zhang He knew he had found his goal.

"Hunt the Mad Heart Foxes, absorb the demon poison." Zhang He made up his mind instantly. His gaze fell upon the cluster of Mad Heart Grass, and his heart stirred.

"The Mad Heart Fox's demon poison can drive one mad... Mad Heart Grass has the same effect. Could it be that the demon poison inside the Mad Heart Fox comes from eating this grass?"

Zhang He immediately went to the Mad Heart Grass. There, he found a small pile of granular droppings. It was clear that some Mad Heart Grass had been eaten by a small beast, leaving only the stems with visible teeth marks. The fact that many of the droppings were dried out confirmed Zhang He's deduction.

"I can use the Mad Heart Grass to lure the Mad Heart Foxes!"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhang He's eyes; he already had a brilliant strategy to trap them.

A Mad Heart Fox rushed out of the bushes. Although it was somewhat puzzled as to why there was so much Mad Heart Grass in front of it, it couldn't resist the temptation and began to eat.

After only a few bites, it felt dizzy and its body began to go numb, before it collapsed onto the ground.

"That's the eleventh one!"

Zhang He's figure leaped nimbly down from a nearby tree. The tree was over three zhang tall, yet Zhang He landed without a scratch.

"As a foodie, it really is hard to resist the temptation of a good meal."

Zhang He smiled slightly, looking at the Mad Heart Foxes on the ground. They had come one after another, eleven in total, all collapsing before this patch of specially treated Mad Heart Grass.

Zhang He had sprinkled a bit of anesthetic he'd concocted onto the grass. When preparing the anesthetic, he had specifically mixed in the juice of the Mad Heart Grass, making it impossible to smell anything unusual. The Mad Heart Foxes ate it without suspicion, and soon their entire bodies were paralyzed, though their lives were not in danger.

Zhang He pried open a fox's mouth. He had already figured out that the demon poison was stored in a venom sac in its throat. With a flick of his small knife, the sac fell into his hand.

After doing this, Zhang He placed the fox back into the bushes. In a while, the effects of the drug would wear off, and it would be back to its lively self. As for the removed venom sac, it would grow back after some time.

Zhang He circulated his Rejuvenation True Qi, absorbing all the demon poison from the sac.

The True Qi in his body grew significantly once again.

At this moment, the True Qi within Zhang He had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation compared to before he entered the mountains. Thanks to these eleven Mad Heart Foxes and two other demon beasts, his True Qi was now incredibly robust. If he were to fight Han Zhao or Zhao Feng again, they would struggle to last even a single round against him!

The difference between possessing True Qi and having none was truly like a chasm!

"My strength is now roughly nine shi. This is only because the time spent tempering my body with True Qi has been too short. If this continues, in another day or two, I'll be able to reach ten shi of strength!"

Ten shi of strength—that was the Brute Force Realm! The peak of the Force Martial Realm!

Such a rapid cultivation speed was something that would make anyone doubt their own eyes, even if they saw it themselves. In truth, Zhang He was a bit surprised as well. He had originally thought that if he could temper his body to the seventh stage during this trip, it would be quite good. He hadn't expected that because of the Mad Heart Fox's demon poison, his Rejuvenation True Qi would surge, allowing his body to be tempered at every moment, drastically increasing his physical strength in just two or three days.

At this moment, Zhang He's senses had also reached a freakish level of sensitivity. As long as a Mad Heart Fox stepped within a hundred paces, Zhang He could detect it. Mad Heart Foxes made almost no sound when they walked, yet Zhang He could still sense them—a testament to just how sharp his senses had become.

"Four acupoints have been opened now. Four more, and I will have perfectly cultivated the first level of the Rejuvenation True Explanation. By then, I'll be able to utilize the acceleration of the Rejuvenation True Qi within those acupoints to unleash the power of a critical strike!"

A gleam of brilliance flashed through Zhang He's eyes.

This was a technique Zhang He had created himself! It involved circulating true qi through the body in coordination with martial arts to strike enemies and inflict destruction. The faster the true qi flowed, the greater the damage dealt. However, for most people, the speed of true qi circulation was limited by the depth of their cultivation and the width of their meridians. Zhang He's Rejuvenation True Qi, however, remained coiled within his acupoints; as the true qi flowed through his meridians and passed through these points, the Rejuvenation True Qi inside would rotate and accelerate, boosting the overall flow and thereby enhancing his attack power.

This was the ability granted by the first level of the Rejuvenation True Explanation: a double critical strike! Once all eight acupoints were opened, the assistance of the Rejuvenation True Qi would allow him to unleash double the power during combat!

"I'm truly looking forward to it. I believe that if I continue to cultivate, the completion of the first level of the Rejuvenation True Explanation won't be far off. This world is filled with countless demonic beasts, and with all that demonic venom, the day I reach the realm of [Daytime Ascension] shouldn't be too distant either."

Zhang He licked his lips, filled with longing for the realms beyond the True Martial Realm. What would those higher realms be like? Could one truly soar through the sky as recorded in the ancient texts?

"Hmm?" Zhang He's expression shifted suddenly. He whipped his head around, catching a glimpse of a black and yellow figure vanishing into the grass not far away.

"There's actually another one. My attention was so focused on the first that I didn't notice this one. But wait, its belly is swollen—it seems to be pregnant. Its movements are sluggish, which is why it let the male Mad Heart Fox go out to find food. Chase!" Zhang He's eyes lit up. He immediately shouldered his medicine basket and gave chase.

His true qi was currently abundant. By channeling it into his legs, he had reached the Godspeed Realm, his pace rivaling that of a blood-sweat horse. Otherwise, he would never have dared to leap directly from a three-zhang-tall tree. With a few bounds, Zhang He reached the hillside.

His senses were sharp, and he could clearly discern the path the female Mad Heart Fox was taking by the sound of its movement. He was highly confident he could catch it. The venom sac of a female Mad Heart Fox was much larger than that of a male, so Zhang He was determined to secure it.

A strange sound suddenly echoed from ahead, causing Zhang He to frown. It sounded like a human voice.

Could there be others? This was deep in the mountains; could a hunter have wandered this far?

One can never be too careful. Zhang He immediately suppressed his aura and crept forward stealthily. Peering through the grass, he froze: "Lady Lian?"

Ahead, a woman in tight-fitting attire was slumped on the ground. That exquisite face belonged to none other than Lian Yunbi. However, she seemed to be in trouble; she pulled a bottle of pills from her bosom, swallowed them quickly, and began to vigorously squeeze the outer side of her thigh.

Zhang He saw it clearly: there was a bleeding bite mark there.

"So she was bitten by a Mad Heart Fox. It seems that was the work of the female one from earlier. Tsk tsk, a pregnant Mad Heart Fox really has a vicious bite."

Zhang He noted that the wound was significantly larger than the one he had received earlier!

Lian Yunbi was feeling incredibly frustrated. She was so unlucky; she had just found an Ice Cold Pangolin and was on the verge of capturing it when a beast suddenly lunged from the grass. Caught off guard, she had been bitten.

Fortunately, she carried medicine and had squeezed out the blood in time, so it shouldn't be a major issue.

Thinking of the Ice Cold Pangolin she had been hunting, Lian Yunbi ignored her injury, tightly bound her wounded leg with a strip of cloth, and struggled to her feet. Clutching her bow and weapon, she prepared to give chase.

Yet, after only a few steps, Lian Yunbi felt her vision go black, and the blood in her body seemed to ignite.

"That beast was a demonic beast!" Lian Yunbi was both shocked and furious. She collapsed to the ground, her vision blurring into double images.

A sound suddenly came from not far away.

Lian Yunbi snatched up her weapon, her beautiful eyes filled with vigilance.

"Who's there?"