Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivation

Lu Lin had no time to eat dinner. He set off at once and returned to that familiar field of jumbled rocks.

He sat down cross-legged, focused his mind, and with a slight shift of thought, the cultivation time he had accumulated instantly surged like a flood through opened gates, roaring toward the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art!

Thanks to the rich experience of having successively cultivated the Iron Elephant Body and Spirit Cat Art to the sixth layer, Lu Lin's horizons had broadened greatly. His understanding of the Martial Dao was no longer anything like it had been before.

Cultivating the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art again was like looking down from a towering height; everything came easily to him, and his efficiency far surpassed the past.

But even so, under the harsh conditions of having no Tendon Refining Pills to assist him, he still spent a full thirty years of bitter cultivation before pushing the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art all the way from the third layer to the sixth!

Boom!

As the final barrier was broken through, surging qi and blood erupted inside him like a sleeping volcano! An unprecedented sense of immense power filled every limb and bone in his body!

By rough estimate, this breakthrough had once again brought him nearly three thousand jin of terrifying strength.

At this point, his total bodily strength had broken through the ten-thousand-jin mark, reaching an appalling eleven thousand jin or so.

Ten thousand jin of immense strength was also called "the strength of one elephant." One had to know that ordinary martial artists only possessed such power after cultivating the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art to the perfect completion of the tenth layer and stepping into the tenth layer of Body Tempering.

Yet Lu Lin had accomplished this feat at only the sixth layer of Body Tempering!

If this matter were spread, absolutely no one would believe it.

"My current strength, judging by brute qi-and-blood force alone, is probably no weaker than the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, and might even surpass it..." Feeling the terrifying power surging like a tide within him, as if it would never run dry, a trace of confidence flashed through Lu Lin's eyes.

But the moment that confidence rose, he forcibly suppressed it.

He knew very well that this world was not ruled by martial artists. Those who truly held sway over heaven and earth, who decided life and death at will, were the immortal cultivators who could fly through the air on artifacts and cast spells!

"If I faced an immortal cultivator, how many layers of Qi Refining could this brute strength of mine contend with?" Recalling the scene that night when the Black-Skirted Maiden had controlled a flaming long saber and casually inflicted heavy injuries on a ninth-layer Body Tempering expert, Lu Lin felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head, and he instantly became completely clear-headed.

"Still far from enough! Now, I have to improve the Demonic Ape Palm!" He let out a long breath, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and began pouring the remaining cultivation time into the Demonic Ape Palm!

During the days and nights of bitter cultivation simulated by the Martial Dao Melting Furnace, his comprehension of the Demonic Ape Palm rose at a flying speed.

But this palm technique was fierce and tyrannical, and its cultivation difficulty was clearly greater than the Spirit Cat Step or the Savage Elephant Charge. The time it required was also longer.

There were no shortcuts to cultivating a killing move, nor any pills that could assist it. It depended entirely on the cultivator's comprehension, slow grinding effort, and persistent, hard practice...

In the end, he spent more than fifty years before finally cultivating the Demonic Ape Palm to a flawless state of perfection.

Remaining cultivation time: thirty-two years and two months.

"The remaining thirty-some years aren't enough for another major breakthrough. I'll keep them for now, in case of need." Lu Lin made his decision inwardly.

By now, night had completely fallen.

He did not return immediately. Instead, he repeatedly practiced within the field of jumbled rocks, familiarizing himself with his explosively increased strength and how it worked together with the perfected Demonic Ape Palm.

Only when he could circulate this power as his heart desired, releasing and withdrawing it freely, did he finally stop training and return to the large communal bunk, where he fell into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow, storing up energy for the unknown mission tomorrow.

Early the next morning.

The two hundred selected menial martial artists had all gathered on the open ground. Everyone's expression was grave, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Two streaks of light sped over from the horizon. It was still the young male and female immortal masters from last time.

They stood on flying swords, hovering in midair, their sleeves fluttering as their indifferent gazes swept over the crowd below.

"Those participating in the mission, follow us down the mountain. Mounts have already been prepared at the foot of the mountain," the young male cultivator said loudly, his words concise and to the point.

Then he and the female cultivator controlled their sword lights together and flew down the mountain.

No one dared delay. They all roused themselves and followed in single file.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw that another large group of people had already gathered there in a black, dense mass. They were all dressed as menial martial artists, and at a rough glance, there were no fewer than four hundred of them.

Adding Lu Lin's two hundred people, the total number had actually reached six hundred!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Just then, the earth began to tremble slightly.

At first, it was only a faint vibration, but in the blink of an eye, the shaking grew more and more intense, like ten thousand drums being beaten, dull yet rhythmic, as if thousands of soldiers and horses were charging over.

In the distance, dust and smoke shot into the sky, spreading through the air.

Immediately afterward, a strictly disciplined cavalry unit with Sha Qi soaring to the heavens broke through the dust and smoke, surging over like a torrent of steel.

The sheer might of their momentum actually gave one the feeling of mountains roaring and seas howling, utterly unmatched!

"It's the Martial Army!" someone in the crowd cried out.

In the Blood Baleful Demon Sect, only martial artists whose cultivation had reached the seventh layer of Body Tempering or above could join the Martial Army.

It was said that the Martial Army did not need to perform any menial work and could focus on cultivation, with ample resources supplied by the sect. But the missions they carried out were invariably extremely dangerous, with a very high death rate, so they constantly needed fresh blood to replenish their ranks.

This mission actually required the Martial Army to be mobilized?

Lu Lin swept his gaze over them and roughly estimated that around two hundred Martial Army riders had come.

A full two hundred elite Martial Army members above the seventh layer of Body Tempering.

With this force, what need was there for these six hundred menial martial artists, none of whom were above the sixth layer of Body Tempering? Forget two hundred—just twenty Martial Army soldiers would be enough to easily sweep away all six hundred of them!

The situation was becoming stranger and stranger.

And the stranger it became, the thicker the unease in everyone's hearts grew, hanging over them like dark clouds.

Behind the two hundred Martial Army soldiers were more than six hundred extraordinary warhorses.

The horses were dark red from head to hoof, their muscles smooth and powerful, their hoofbeats like thunder. Faint waves of heat even seemed to gush from their nostrils—the very Flame Horses said to possess a thin trace of spirit-beast bloodline and able to travel a thousand li in a day!

High above, dozens of figures rode all manner of magical artifacts, following close behind the Martial Army.

They were all cultivators, men and women, old and young. Their auras differed greatly, yet all carried an air of standing beyond the mundane world.

An old cultivator with white hair and beard and sharp eyes stepped out from the crowd. His voice was calm, yet held an unquestionable authority as it clearly entered everyone's ears. "All menial martial laborers, mount up at once and proceed with the troop!"

With that said, the dozens of cultivators were the first to put away their magical artifacts. Light as falling leaves, they landed on the Flame Horses at the front, flicked the reins, and the warhorses let out shrill neighs before galloping out ahead.

Qi Refining cultivators could not fly on their own. They could only rely on magical artifacts, and even then only for short-distance flight. For long journeys, they still had to depend on mounts.

Lu Lin and the others did not dare delay. One after another, they vaulted onto horseback, urged their warhorses forward, and followed the great procession, merging into a vast, surging current as they raced toward the distance.

The group traveled by day and camped by night. After three straight days on the road, they had gone more than two thousand li deep, finally stopping before a range of towering, majestic mountains with a grand and imposing presence.

Looking out, they saw the mountains rising and falling in an endless chain, like an ancient colossal beast crouched upon the earth, giving off a desolate, age-old aura.

Yet what was strange was that above the entire mountain range hung pitch-black mist so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve. The mist rolled and surged, making hearts palpitate.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just then, two sharp sounds of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out from the other side of the mountains.

Two figures shot up from within the mountains, then immediately flew through the air at an inconceivable speed. Like two bolts of lightning splitting the sky, they streaked toward where the group stood.

The distance of over ten li seemed not to exist at all. In the blink of an eye, the two figures had already appeared above everyone's heads.

The arrivals were a man and a woman.

The man looked about thirty, with an extremely powerful build. He wore a loose black robe, his black hair draped casually over his shoulders. His features were rugged and old-fashioned, and even without anger, he carried an awe-inspiring authority.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore a daringly cut black dress, revealing large expanses of snow-white, delicate skin. The curves of her figure were enough to startle the heart, and her face was charming and captivating.

Most importantly, there was no glow of any magical artifact flashing around either of them. They simply stood there, quiet and steady, suspended in midair!

A Qi Refining cultivator, without the support of a magical artifact, could never hover in empty air.

Towering waves instantly surged through everyone's hearts, and an awe-inspiring title nearly leapt from their mouths.

Foundation Establishment Realm!

The next moment, the actions of the dozens of Qi Refining immortal masters below immediately confirmed everyone's guess.

"Disciples pay respects to the two elders!"

Led by the white-haired old cultivator, all the cultivators hurriedly dismounted and bowed in salute, their attitudes respectful to the extreme.

They really were great cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Lu Lin's pupils abruptly contracted. Almost by instinct, he pushed the perfected level of the Breath Concealment Art to its limit. In an instant, the aura around him withdrew until he seemed like an ordinary person who had never cultivated at all, while his heart pounded wildly, terrified that his true cultivation would be seen through.

But he immediately cursed himself inwardly for being muddleheaded.

These two great Foundation Establishment cultivators did not even know him, so what was there to fear?

Even if they really saw that he was at the sixth layer of Body Tempering, amid Martial Army soldiers all over the place at the sixth and seventh layers of Body Tempering and hundreds of menial laborers, they would not care at all.

"Greetings, elders!"

All the Martial Army soldiers and menial martial laborers present also snapped awake as if from a dream, hurriedly dismounting and saluting.

The two great Foundation Establishment cultivators swept their indifferent gazes over the dense crowd below, like gods looking down upon ants, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Then the bewitching female cultivator parted her red lips, her voice clearly entering every person's ears.

"Your task is to enter the Four Underworld Mountain ahead and gather Underworld Iron Cardamom. The time limit is three days."

At this point, her tone paused slightly, and a chill seeped into her voice.

"Remember, within these three days, no one is allowed to leave the mountain early. Anyone who leaves without permission... dies!"