Table of contents
"Brother Su, what's wrong?"
Xiao Jinglin asked.
Su Yun pointed to the interwoven magical patterns on a stone pedestal to his left and said in a deep voice, "It's the Taiyin Blood-Transforming Formation! I finally recognized it."
He exclaimed excitedly, "No wonder when a Wasteland Beast dies, its flesh and blood don't leave any behind. These stone carvings and even the array patterns on the ground look unrelated, but they are actually connected as one, possessing the miraculous effect of guiding blood flow."
As he spoke, he squatted down and cleaned the accumulated dust from the stone sculpture base, revealing a bump the size of a bean.
Su Yun pinched off the scab that had just formed on his index finger, put a drop of blood on it, and then pressed his finger down, followed by a buzzing sound.
The patterns on the base lit up one by one, and then a faint blue light emerged from the foot of the stone sculpture, instantly wandering in all directions.
Before everyone's gaze could follow it, the spot of light had already bypassed a Stone Pillar and leaped onto the skirt of another stone sculpture.
In another flash, they were several feet away again.
Brother Deng!
Su Yun turned around and called out, "I'll have to trouble you to step on these spots of light again, preferably one after another."
Xiao Jinglin frowned. "These light spots are moving so fast and irregularly, how can we possibly step on them?"
As he spoke, the light spots flashed continuously, covering a distance of ten zhang in an instant.
Xiao Jinglin felt that even tracking these spots of light was difficult enough, let alone catching up with them or landing accurately.
Su Yun said, "This is a protective measure deliberately implemented by the ancients. Even if an ordinary person finds the Formation Eye, it will be difficult to break through."
Deng Qing nodded and said, "I'll give it a try."
Then, he pointed to the several Wasteland Beast crashing into the wall in the distance, "Everyone, get ready. These Wasteland Beast have been crashing into the wall for so long, they're at their last gasp. If I succeed, we'll all attack together and not let them escape."
The crowd responded enthusiastically, gripping their weapons tightly and spreading out to make room for Deng Qing.
Many people readily agreed verbally, but still had their doubts.
The pale blue light flickered like shooting stars, shimmering everywhere.
Chen Jun shook his head, "This thing, how could anyone step on it..."
He was still grumbling to himself when Deng Qing suddenly appeared.
Deng Qing looked at himself and realized that he had only taken one step forward, but he was already ten zhang away. When he landed, the sole of his shoe was pressing down on the blue light.
Everyone could hardly believe their eyes.
Then, the light flashed, slid off his feet, and swept toward a Stone Pillar on his left.
Deng Qing moved like a flying swan, traversing the void, seemingly arriving at the Stone Pillar even before the light spot. He lifted his left foot, and the light spot seemed to collide with his left foot.
Another hit!
"This..."
Chen Jun opened his mouth, but it was dry.
The blue light continued to fly, and Deng Qing continued to chase it.
Now that he has mastered the Collapse Step Grand Mastery, it truly has the meaning of shrinking the earth to an inch; no matter how fast the blue light flies, it cannot escape the soles of his feet.
He could even walk backwards with the grace of Duan Yu using the Lingbo Weibu technique, and still manage to step on the blue light.
One of Xiao Jinglin's guards, gripping his sword hilt, was so shocked that the veins on the back of his hand bulged. He muttered, "Seven consecutive hits... not a single one missed?"
Chen Jun's Adam's apple bobbed. "If we were to actually fight, and Brother Deng managed to get behind me, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know it."
The tall guard who had previously tried to turn the Stone Pillar stared blankly at Deng Qing.
The sheer strength Deng Qing displayed when moving the giant pillar had already impressed him greatly.
Who would have thought that the same person, while possessing such immense strength, could also cultivate such Movement Technique?
Xiao Jinglin let out a soft breath, thinking to himself, "Between Deng Qing and me, who is truly from a wealthy family? I feel like I can't compare to him in any way."
Su Yun grinned broadly, "Gentlemen, what do you think? I told you long ago that Brother Deng would succeed; I wasn't lying, was I?"
As everyone was talking, Deng Qing was hit twice more, and suddenly, the blue light sank into the ground.
Immediately afterwards, a series of cracking sounds came from the base of the stone sculpture where Su Yun had previously activated the blue light.
On the floor of the square, countless crimson rays of light appeared.
As soon as these rays of light appeared, they contracted towards the center, and soon the blood lines on the ground disappeared without a trace. However, a strange set of runes appeared on the stone wall where the Wasteland Beast had crashed.
Amidst the swirling runes, one emblem stands out prominently.
It was a crimson sun pierced by a black sword, with numerous flame-like patterns extending outwards from the outer edge of the sun.
" Donghuang Cult!"
Su Yun stared at the emblem and snorted coldly, "As expected, it was them who did this."
As the bloodline on the ground disappeared, the Wasteland Beast finally stopped.
"Let's do it!"
Xiao Jinglin gave a low shout, and the crowd immediately rushed out.
The three Wasteland Beast were exhausted, and although their ferocity remained, their bodies were almost unresponsive.
From the very beginning of the battle, they were at a significant disadvantage.
Each person looked out for the others and did not seek personal credit. After surrounding the Wasteland Beast, they unleashed a series of powerful attacks, striking its vital points.
In a short while, all three Wasteland Beast collapsed to the ground.
Everyone stopped immediately, staring intently at the corpse, their eyes filled with hope.
Wisps of green Azure Qi rose from the Wasteland Beast's body, growing thicker and thicker.
"Should it still be vaporized?" Chen Jun murmured.
Su Yun laughed, "Don't worry, it's just a regular program, just watch the ground."
Everyone looked down at the ground. This time, the ground did not glow red again, and the flesh and blood of the Wasteland Beast did not turn into blood.
However, the enormous shell continued to vaporize, its volume rapidly shrinking. After about two-thirds of it dissipated, the remaining corpse finally stabilized.
At the same time, a strong fishy smell wafted over, forcing everyone to stop breathing and switch to circulating their Internal Breath.
A Martial Artist stepped forward, cut off a piece of meat, held it in his hand, and laughed loudly, "It's done!"
Instantly, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
Although most of the Wasteland Beast's corpse was scattered, these Wasteland Beast were originally huge, and the remaining flesh and blood of the three beasts piled together still amounted to a considerable amount.
This trip was definitely worthwhile.
The three three-lobed Qi Petal were quickly removed and presented to Deng Qing.
Xiao Jinglin said, "Brother Deng, please accept this. Without you breaking the formation, all the killing we could do would have been in vain."
Deng Qing accepted the Qi Petal without hesitation, giving one to Su Yun, saying, "Brother Su also contributed greatly."
Su Yun waved her hands repeatedly, "Don't be so polite with me. If we're talking about helping out, everyone has done their part. You're the backbone, so the little bit of 'Fortune Meat ' I'm getting is more than enough."
Deng Qing stopped pretending to be polite and accepted the three three-petaled Qi Petal.
Before long, everyone had taken out their knives and were busy dealing with the Wasteland Beast.
"Get a few people to help me scoop out the Offal and bury it in the woods next door. It smells awful."
At that moment, Deng Qing led the way, with the help of several Martial Artist, and they found some rags to cover the Offal and carried it into the forest.
Before long, several Martial Artist returned, while Deng Qing stayed behind to practice his skills on the open ground Offal.
Xiao Jinglin rushed over to see what was happening, and Deng Qing said to Xiao Jinglin, "You guys grill the meat first. I've suddenly made some progress in my martial arts, and I need to think about it some more."
Xiao Jinglin nodded, "Brother Deng's diligent cultivation is truly a role model for us. His skills are indeed not acquired for nothing."
You can train without worry, I'll save the meat for you.
After saying that, he left.
Deng Qing then sat cross-legged on the newly filled pit.
Through the trees, he could still hear the sounds of people sharing meat and laughing in the square.
Deng Qing sat quietly for several breaths until his breathing stabilized. A wisp of Blood Baleful Intent emanated from his fingertip, as thin as a spider's thread, and silently descended, disappearing into the soil and sinking into the Offal beneath the Wasteland Beast.
In an instant, a warm current surged into his body along the blood vessels.
Deng Qing was overjoyed and immediately activated the Devour Heaven Scripture.
A continuous stream of warm energy flowed in, and after being refined through the practice, it gushed into the Dantian.
The Wasteland Blood essence had begun to grow again. Deng Qing dared not be distracted and focused on cultivating his inner energy.
Less than a hundred breaths later, the panel suddenly appeared.
[ The Devour Heaven Scripture: Grand Mastery (60%)]
It's done!
Deng Qing felt a surge of joy, and a series of insights followed.
Those techniques for practicing martial arts, which they had long known by heart, underwent many changes at this moment.
The memory and understanding of the exercise techniques were deepened at this moment.
What shocked him even more was that along with these insights came a series of new writings.
It's all content related to the Devour Heaven Scripture technique.
Deng Qing didn't even have time to read them all carefully before his mind was completely captivated by one of them.
Blood Control Art!
His breath hitched slightly.
What he lacks most right now is this kind of evil skill.
Originally, he only thought that if he advanced further in the Devour Heaven Scripture, he might be able to explore more of Zhang Yan's methods. He never expected that he would actually obtain such a method.
Deng Qing suppressed his excitement and carefully pondered the meaning.
Deng Qing was immersed in her own world, unaware that the laughter and chatter in the square had disappeared, and the world before her eyes had faded from her perception.
But his inner world became clearer. At this moment, he could clearly perceive the flow of Qi-Blood in his body, and even the thin line of blood on his fingertip seemed to have a different feel than before.
After an unknown amount of time, Deng Qing opened her eyes, looked down at her fingers, and with a thought, withdrew the bloodline that had plunged into the ground.
He remained seated cross-legged, but his legs and buttocks were covered in a dense network of blood vessels.
Those blood streaks, as fine as hairs, disappeared into the mud as soon as they left the body, plunging into the Offal beneath the pile of Wasteland Beast.
The Grand Mastery level of the Devour Heaven Scripture was operating at full power.
boom!
Deng Qing's body trembled as a surge of heat almost instantly filled his abdomen and then rushed to his limbs and bones.
That's too fast!
If his previous process of refining Blood Baleful Intent was like licking ice cream bit by bit, now it's like holding a bowl of steamed pork and stuffing it into his mouth.
The rates at which the two are ingested are completely different.
Deng Qing was both surprised and delighted. He quickly composed himself and began to extract and absorb the Blood Baleful Intent that had surged into his body.
The Wasteland Blood in his Dantian rapidly accumulated, and his whole body grew increasingly hot.
After a while, Deng Qing withdrew the bloodline, stood up, shifted his feet, and began to perform the Elephant-Throwing Method in the forest.
With a single move Phoenix Swaps the Nest, its waist and hips rotating, its arms crossing as it extends.
Before he could finish his moves, he shifted his Sinking Shoulder and lowered his shoulder, unleashing a powerful "Elephant Hurls, Mountain Crumbles. Now that his Elephant-Throwing Method Perfected Mastery, he had already mastered all the techniques.
Since space in the woods was limited, he adapted to the terrain, moving around trees, twisting his waist, and advancing with his elbows.
He could break down a single move into several steps, or combine several moves into one, executing them effortlessly without any hindrance.
The surging heat that filled his body was rapidly refined into his muscles, bones, and flesh with each exertion of his strength.
Deng Qing felt increasingly exhilarated as he practiced.
Only then did he truly understand what Jian Ruyu meant by cultivating both internal and external Elephant-Throwing Method.
This exercise can strengthen muscles and bones, as well as circulate Qi-Blood, refining and nourishing them.
Especially after mastering the Perfected Mastery, every move can deliver the heat flowing into the body to where it is most needed.
The Devour Heaven Scripture refines the Wasteland Blood, Elephant-Throwing Method digests the heat; the combination of the two yields astonishingly high efficiency.
In less than half an incense stick's time, his once abundant Dantian had become empty.
Suddenly, Deng Qing stopped his punching motion, sensing the changes in his physical body, and felt even more joy in his heart.
The Devour Heaven Scripture is not merely advancing by 1%, but rather a qualitative leap resulting from quantitative change, allowing one to ascend to a new realm.
At the previous pace, refining this Wasteland Blood would have taken a considerable amount of time, but now it's already this fast.
He immediately returned to the pit, sat down cross-legged again, released blood, and continued to draw out the Offal from the underground Wasteland Beast.
At the same time, bring up the panel to view it.
[Realm: Bone Tempering Third Layer (13%)]
Deng Qing was overjoyed; all that effort had truly paid off.
He carefully felt his back; deep in his Spine, the tingling, itchy sensation continued.
He straightened his back slightly and felt the tingling sensation creeping up his spine, making him wish he could find a rock and rub it against it.
Deng Qing focused his mind and continued to speed up his training.
Dense lines of blood were embedded in the Offal, and a continuous flow of heat gushed in. Before long, the Wasteland Blood in his Dantian was replenished, and he withdrew the blood lines and stood up to practice his internal energy.
Fist flashed through the woods, Deng Qing's figure moving swiftly forward and backward, turning like the wind.
As he opened and closed his arms, his muscles and bones creaked and groaned, and his Qi-Blood circulated rapidly throughout his body.
Once the Wasteland Blood was exhausted, he sat back down and continued refining it.
This continued without pause, and before long, more than half an hour had passed.
"Brother Deng, the meat is ready!"
Su Yun's voice came from outside the woods, "If you don't come over soon, we'll eat you up!"
Deng Qing immediately stopped his attack and exhaled a breath of stale air.
He brought up the panel, staring at the realm column, his eyes flashing.
[Realm: Bone Tempering Third Layer (58%)]
This trip was truly worth it. Deng Qing clenched his fist, then stretched his shoulders and back, and heard his spine make a series of soft cracking sounds.
Then, quietly feel the surge of Qi-Blood within your body, and you'll feel an inexhaustible amount of energy throughout your entire being.
He savored the exhilaration in his heart and strode out of the Dense Forest.
In one corner of the square, several bonfires were burning brightly, and chunks of meat roasting over the fire were sizzling and dripping with oil.
Whenever grease falls into the fire, a small flame leaps up, releasing a fragrant aroma.
Before Deng Qing even got close, he saw several shirtless Martial Artist squatting on the ground tying things up.
It turned out that they spread out their clothes, used them to cover large chunks of Wasteland Beast Meat, twisted the sleeves together, tied them into a tight knot, and made a bundle.
Some people felt that one garment wasn't enough, so they simply added another, making their clothes bulge out.
"Are you all planning to take them back?"
Deng Qing smiled.
Chen Jun pressed the bundle down with his knees and looked up. "There's so much meat, how can we possibly finish it all? Taking it out, whether we keep it for our own nourishment or exchange it for silver, will be enough to last us for quite a while."
Someone chimed in, "That's right. I wasn't expecting to gain anything from this trip, but now that I've gotten these pieces of Fortune Meat, I'm already more than satisfied."
"It's all thanks to Brother Deng's efforts."
"Yes, if it weren't for Brother Deng, we'd still be wandering around in the Stone Forest, let alone getting a share of the meat."
As they talked, everyone expressed their gratitude to Deng Qing.
Deng Qing waved his hand and said, "Everyone contributed, how can it all be attributed to me? Especially Brother Su, if it weren't for him identifying the formation, I wouldn't know where to use my strength."
Everyone quickly bowed to Su Yun.
Su Yun smiled and returned the greeting, "You're too kind, everyone. I was just lending a hand. Without Brother Deng's unparalleled skills to back me up, no matter how much I know, it would be useless."
"Unparalleled martial arts skills? You're really good at bragging."
Deng Qing laughed and cursed, then took the roasted meat from Xiao Jinglin, sat on the stone steps, and took a bite.
One bite reveals a crispy outer layer and incredibly tender meat inside. Despite the lack of seasoning, the fragrant juices still fill your mouth.
The more you chew this Wasteland Beast Meat, the more fragrant it becomes; once swallowed, a warming sensation soon rises in your stomach.
Deng Qing was in dire need of supplements, so he didn't stand on ceremony and ate quickly.
In just a few moments, the large piece of roasted meat in his hand was reduced to bones.
Xiao Jinglin handed over another piece, which Deng Qing took and ate cleanly.
After eating the Fortune Meat, his stomach quickly filled with heat, and even his shoulders and back began to feel warm.
He waved to the crowd, "Please enjoy your meal, everyone. I'm going to stretch my legs a bit more."
Having said that, he got up and went into the Dense Forest.
Before long, the sounds of fists and feet cutting through the air could be heard from the forest.
No one thought much of it, and they continued eating meat and packing their bags. After a while, Deng Qing came back and continued eating meat.
After eating, he practiced his martial arts. After practicing for a while, he came back to eat again.
At first, everyone was still chatting and laughing as usual, but later all eyes were on Deng Qing.
In just a short time, Deng Qing had consumed an astonishing amount of "Fortune Meat."
Despite eating so much, Deng Qing's complexion improved, and her abdomen showed little sign of bloating.
Brother Deng...
Chen Jun swallowed hard. "Where did all the meat you ate go?"
Deng Qing tore off a piece of meat and gestured with his chin towards the forest, "It's been processed. Wasteland Beast Meat is very nourishing; after you all eat, you might as well do some light exercise."
Chen Jun opened his mouth, but didn't say anything more.
Who doesn't know that practicing martial arts and refining its effects is beneficial?
But who has ever seen anyone eat or exercise like that?
The crowd stared at Deng Qing, their shock far exceeding that they felt when they saw Deng Qing move the Stone Pillar and step on the spot of light.
This isn't watching people eat; it's watching a ferocious beast in human skin feast.
Deng Qing swallowed the last bite of meat and tossed the bone aside. Xiao Jinglin gave him a thumbs up, "I've truly broadened my horizons today. Without a top-notch internal cultivation method, it would be impossible for Brother Deng to have such an amazing ability to devour food."
This time, Mr. Xiao was truly convinced and completely convinced.
Deng Qing laughed, "Stop flattering me, Brother Xiao, let's talk in private."
Xiao Jinglin nodded and followed him to a Stone Pillar.
Deng Qing lowered his voice and recounted how Su Yun discovered the mural, he stepped on the light spot, and finally activated the formation.
Upon hearing that the woman in the mural could demonstrate Swordsmanship on her own, Xiao Jinglin's eyes widened in astonishment.
" The Ancient Era Sword Manual?"
Deng Qing nodded, "It looks like it, but I can't say for sure. However, I've already recorded the woman's swordplay using the Divine Shadow Stone you gave me."
Xiao Jinglin rubbed his hands together, couldn't help but glance towards the passageway, and said excitedly, "A sword manual that can be preserved in such a way is definitely not an ordinary martial art. Brother Deng has truly stumbled upon a great opportunity this time."
Deng Qing laughed and said, "That's why I called Brother Xiao over. After we leave, Brother Xiao, find another Divine Shadow Stone, and I'll project the image. You can also record a copy to take back."
Xiao Jinglin was taken aback. "For me?"