Ancient Demon Remnant Limb

The Ancient Demon Remnant Limb didn't move again, thankfully. Lu Chen quickly summoned the Myriad Manifestations Furnace and, with a surge of strength, broke through the surface of the pond.

He collapsed on the bank, gasping for breath.

The complete Blood Jade newly added to the furnace was repairing his wounded body. His shattered arm bones were being reshaped by bloody energy, and new flesh grew, emitting a faint golden glow.

He clenched his fist and swung it lightly, the resulting air explosion churning the pond water backward.

If he had unleashed this punch with full power, even a peak Golden Core cultivator would have retreated three miles!

"The price was high, but awakening Spiritual Power was worth it..."

A burning fighting spirit ignited in Lu Chen's eyes.

The Earth Shattering Collapse Fist used by Shi Zhan at the bottom of the pond was the first Spiritual Power he had awakened.

"Son of Heavenly Dao, are you ready?"

Looking at his gradually recovering flesh, Lu Chen turned his gaze to the Blood Pond.

A low hum emanated from the depths of the pond, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Although he had taken the Blood Jade, the pond water itself contained the essence and energy of the Blood Jade. He couldn't leave it for the Blood Spirit Sect or King Yanbei.

With a thought, the phantom images of four furnaces lit up in succession.

The Asura Furnace hovered above his head, the Myriad Manifestations Furnace guarded his dantian, and three external refining furnaces were positioned in the three cardinal directions. Their openings glowed with a dim light, like the fangs of a beast.

"Swallow!"

All four furnaces vibrated in unison, and a hundred-zhang vortex instantly formed on the pond's surface.

The viscous blood water was drawn up into four crimson ribbons, surging into the furnaces and boiling like a cauldron. Impurities dissipated as black smoke, and pure blood energy condensed into droplets that fell to the bottom of the furnaces.

The broken bones and scattered weapons within the mud clanged together.

Three hours later, the pond water had receded to thirty feet.

The exposed rock layers at the bottom of the pond were riddled with honeycomb-like holes. A ten-zhang long, pitch-black arm protruded from a central fissure, its scaled crevices oozing thick black blood, its five fingers like hooks digging into the rock.

Lu Chen descended slowly on the furnace. The moment the soles of his boots touched the scales, the entire arm trembled violently.

"Ant... how dare you..."

A hoarse demonic voice shook the rock walls, causing stones to fall. The scales on the arm's surface peeled off inch by inch, revealing crimson muscles beneath.

The muscles writhed, forming the outline of a head. Empty eye sockets blazed with two balls of eerie green ghost fire.

Lu Chen advanced instead of retreating, his sea of qi domain erupting.

The four furnaces guarded the four directions, and a bloody light screen enveloped the battlefield like an overturned giant bowl.

Just as the Ancient Demon Remnant Limb was about to rise, the Qi and Blood Domain appeared. The newly formed head smashed back onto the rock surface with a "bang."

"Just a remnant soul!" Lu Chen sneered, and three clones wielding furnaces approached.

The clones on the left and right activated their furnaces, their energy forming chains that bound the demon's wrist.

The clone in the center was the most ferocious, charging at the demon's head with a furnace.

With a clang, the Ancient Demon's head was directly shattered.

A roar collapsed half of the rock wall, and the demon's claws tore through the energy chains, sweeping them aside.

Lu Chen's main body seized the opportunity to leap onto the demon's arm, his Soul Severing Saber, wreathed in blade energy, piercing the joint.

Blade energy flowed along the meridians, and wherever it passed, flesh and blood exploded like firecrackers.

The pained Ancient Demon suddenly slammed itself towards the furnace formation.

"Rotate!"

All four furnaces spun, and four energy chains intertwined to form a net.

The moment the Ancient Demon Remnant Limb crashed into the net, the Myriad Manifestations Furnace suddenly opened a gap, allowing it to charge in before abruptly closing.

The Ancient Demon Remnant Limb thrashed wildly inside, its screams causing cracks to spread across the pond floor.

The fierce battle lasted an entire day, and the rock layers had collapsed into a massive pit.

The Ancient Demon Remnant Limb's scales had completely shed, its muscles withered like old bark.

Lu Chen's seven orifices bled, but his eyes burned brightly. As the remnant limb exploded with a crash, the Myriad Manifestations Furnace vibrated violently.

A liquid the size of a pigeon's egg floated out.

The liquid flowed slowly, heavy and exuding a sense of power.

Although it had the aura of Blood Jade, it was much richer.

Lu Chen swallowed it without hesitation. A torrent of heat exploded from his throat to his limbs and bones.

Crack--

His arm bones popped like beans, and his newly formed muscles glowed with a dazzling white light.

With a casual punch, the air wave blasted a transparent hole in the cliff face thirty feet away.

Lu Chen closed his eyes and looked inward, discovering that his blood vessels and meridians had widened by more than three times, and his bones seemed to be plated with white gold.

The power exploded.

The heat spread throughout his body.

Not only did his strength increase, but his bloodline also saw a significant improvement.

It wasn't recovery, it was an upgrade.

His physical strength alone reached a terrifying three thousand Bull Strength, essentially on par with the power gained from leveling up.

A terrifying amplification.

"What is this liquid?" Lu Chen exclaimed.

With a thought, he summoned another drop, the size of a mung bean.

It was condensed from the remnants of an Ancient Demon Remnant Limb.

"Could this be an upgraded version of Blood Jade?" Lu Chen murmured, carefully storing it in a small vial and temporarily placing it in his storage ring.

"Spiritual Power should be able to be activated twice!"

He whispered, stroking his right arm, which had regrown flesh and blood.

The killing move that previously required all his strength could now be unleashed twice with only seventy percent of his Blood Essence.

If he were to unleash it without regard for the cost, its power could shatter the protective magical treasures of a Golden Core cultivator.

A chilling wind suddenly rose from the Blood Pond, and Lu Chen's sense of alarm surged.

He put away the furnace and was about to retreat when a blood-red escape light suddenly illuminated the northwest sky.

A roar, deafening even from miles away, echoed: "How dare you destroy the Blood Pond, are you seeking death?"

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow and chuckled, his toes lightly tapping the rock wall as he sprang up.

The Blood Owl arrived, riding a bone boat condensed from thousands of resentful souls, breaking through the clouds.

His crimson cloak billowed without wind, and as he brandished the Blood Devouring Banner in his hand, the remaining blood mud in the valley surged as if alive, forming thousands of Blood Puppets.

These puppets had bone blades extending from their joints, and each step they took cracked the rock strata.

"You've ruined my Holy Sect's grand plan, today you shall be sacrificed to my banner!"

The Blood Owl sneered and waved his banner, sending the Blood Puppet army surging towards Lu Chen, who stood on the cliff edge.

The first ten Blood Puppets to charge suddenly self-destructed, their corrosive blood condensing into a poisonous net that descended upon them.

Lu Chen's toes lightly tapped the cliff face, his body flipping like a kite and soaring into the air.

Blood Qi surged through his meridians like a river, his right fist shimmering with light:

"Just right, let's test the power of my fist!"

The Earth Shattering Collapse Fist smashed down from the air, the airwaves stirred by the punch tearing the poisonous net to shreds, and the residual force shattering the front-row Blood Puppets.

BOOM!

His fist struck the ground, creating a massive crater.

The terrifying shockwave overturned a large portion of the Blood Puppets.

The Blood Owl's pupils contracted, and he thrust the Blood Devouring Banner into the ground.

A hundred-zhang blood python erupted from the banner's surface, its head spewing venom that condensed into chains in mid-air.

Lu Chen's three clones emerged simultaneously, each holding a furnace and charging towards the python's body.

At the same time, they spewed boundless, violent energy.

"Explode!"

The three furnaces vibrated in unison, and the blood python wailed as it exploded into a rain of blood.

Lu Chen's main body had already flashed behind the Blood Owl, his blade slashing towards its neck.

The moment it touched his skin, the Blood Owl's body suddenly dissolved into scattered blood beads.

It was a substitute body condensed from pure blood!

The true Blood Owl appeared three hundred zhang away, his face as pale as paper.

He bit his tongue and sprayed blood onto the Blood Devouring Banner, which immediately revealed densely packed faces of resentful spirits: "Sea of Blood, Boundless!"

The entire mountain valley trembled violently, and the remains in the burial ground floated up, Mixing with the blood mud to form a blood wave that blotted out the sky.

Innumerable ghostly hands reached out from the waves, each carrying the pressure of an early-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Lu Chen, however, was spurred by the spectacle and laughed heartily, "Excellent!"

The Asura Furnace roared and inverted, the devouring force generated by its opening forming a giant vortex.

Before the blood wave could crash down, it was pulled into a spiral, and the pure Blood Essence poured into the furnace like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The three clones seized the opportunity to advance, their bone blades shattering the Blood Puppets in their path, and under the Blood Owl's horrified gaze, they surrounded him.

"Explode for this seat!"

The Blood Owl frantically shook the Blood Devouring Banner, and seven purple Blood Puppets shot out beams of light from within.

The space at the intersection of the beams distorted, condensing into a blood-colored rune that pressed down on Lu Chen's head.

Lu Chen's right arm muscles bulged violently, and his fist seal shot up into the sky the instant the rune descended.

The improvement in his bloodline doubled the power of the Earth Shattering Collapse Fist Spiritual Power, and the rune shattered like glass. The backlash force sent the Blood Owl spitting blood and flying backward.