Defeating Bai Yan

Bai Yan did not possess the Perfect Human-Demon Bloodline and still cultivated True Essence. However, his True Essence was tainted with a massive amount of demonic qi. Mixed with True Essence, this demonic qi not only did not weaken its destructive power—it made it even more violent.

As Bai Yan circulated his True Essence with all his strength, grayish-white currents sprang into existence around his body, whirling furiously about him. A terrifying pressure swept through all directions, dispersing much of the dense black mist at the island's edge. Some of the small hills on the island were reduced to flying ash, scattering between heaven and earth.

This cultivation may not compare to Wang Taiyi of the Blackwater Alliance, but it is not inferior to the Blazing Inferno King's in the slightest. In terms of pressure, the Blazing Inferno King falls far behind. The Human-Demon Clan truly deserves to be called the rulers of the Chaotic Demon Sea; their resources are beyond imagination.

The Half-Step King realm was a process of accumulating True Essence. The more abundant one's True Essence, the greater the hope of reaching the peak of the Half-Step King realm and gaining the chance to charge into the Life and Death Realm. If one's True Essence accumulation was insufficient, then breaking into the Life and Death Realm would remain a distant, unreachable prospect—visible yet untouchable.

For Half-Step Kings, accumulating True Essence was extremely difficult. Cultivating with High-Grade Spirit Stones, one might not reach the peak of the Half-Step King realm even after a hundred years. Top-Grade Spirit Stones could accelerate the process severalfold, while the best choice was naturally to cultivate with True Essence Crystals. That was a shortcut.

Unfortunately, Top-Grade Spirit Stones were far too difficult to find. Even Fifth-Rank Sects might not have much in reserve,