Inside the Star-Gazing Pavilion, within the Chaos Sword Domain.
Time had lost all meaning here. Only the tremendous life essence and savage demonic power contained in those ten eighth-tier Demon Cores, together with the cold, deathly still true demon qi drawn from the void, held dominion over this tiny world.
The seventh Demon Core crumbled to powder. A torrent of pure energy and true demon qi underwent their final, most violent fusion and tempering within the "furnace" of Han Li's body.
Crack, crack...
Faint, teeth-grating sounds, like bones being crushed and reassembled, rang clearly through the silent pavilion. Beneath the skin of Han Li's bare upper body, countless tiny gray-gold "snakes" seemed to writhe and burrow madly. Every movement brought tearing agony, yet also left intricate, mysterious dark-gold patterns upon his resilient skin.
Flesh and Skin Refining, the first level of the Brahma Saint True Demonic Art, was nearing completion.
By now, a thin, almost transparent dark-gold glassy sheen covered Han Li's body. This was not protective spiritual light, but the outward manifestation of his thoroughly tempered and strengthened skin, flesh, and fascia. His skin was as smooth as the finest jade, yet possessed a breathtaking toughness and elasticity. Unless imbued with the full spiritual power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, an ordinary flying-sword magical treasure would likely struggle even to leave a white mark upon it.
Deeper within, his muscle fibers resembled divine metal hammered and tempered a thousand times, their strands tightly interwoven and brimming with explosive strength. Blood coursed through his vessels with the faint rumble of wind and thunder. Every drop seemed to contain a trace of "true demon" nature, carrying an instinct to devour and strengthen.
Hum-
When the last wisp of Demon Core essence and true demon qi merged completely into him, the stream