An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 175 Homologous Enhancement
[Consuming 104277 Karma Points, the fifth level of Golden Muscle and Nether Bone cultivation has been completed!]

As the notification sound rang, Chu Xiu felt a surge of power flow into his body. His muscles and bones were evolving towards a higher level, becoming denser and stronger, like steel that had been repeatedly tempered hundreds of times.

Faint golden runes crept onto his face, making him look as majestic as a god.

[Golden Skin and Nether Bone Fifth Layer: Constitution +1640, Energy Level +760, Skin Defense +116, Bone Defense +464, Skin's heat insulation, acid corrosion resistance, and impact absorption are all greatly enhanced.]

[Unlock the "Same Source Enhancement" Divine Power: The power of "Blood Thirst Refining Heart Method" and "Golden Embryo Nurturing" is increased by an additional 50%]

[Note: Once the "Golden Skin and Dark Bones" cultivation is perfected, the ultimate divine power will be unlocked.]

"Oh?"

The prompt before him surprised Chu Xiu.

First, as expected, his physique surged again, gaining almost 700 points compared to before. This was equivalent to gaining the attributes of an S-rank level 9 Awakened being out of thin air, and his body's defense was also enhanced once more.

Even tank shells can hardly penetrate Chu Xiu's skin now, unless specially made armor-piercing shells are used to barely break through his defenses.

It has become a veritable "humanoid monster".

What surprised him even more was that he unlocked an additional new supernatural power!
"Blood Thirst Refinement Method" and "Golden Embryo Nurturing" are both basic chapters in "Golden Embryo Netherworld Method". Although there is no prompt after mastering them, the effects will gradually increase with the level. It is not a one-time enhancement that ends there.

Just like when Chu Xiu first entered the Abyss, his physical attributes were not even as good as those of B-rank melee professions of the same level, and were even much worse! But after mastering the "Blood Thirst Refining Heart Method", even without investing any more resources, when he reached the Warrior rank, his physical attributes were still able to catch up with those of A-rank melee professions, which was much better than before.

Even before he cultivated the Golden Muscle and Nether Bone techniques upon entering the Fierce Rank, his physique had already approached that of an S-rank melee fighter of the same rank, taking him to a higher level. This was the foundation brought by these two divine abilities; their bonus attributes were not static but were integrated into each level up.

Of course, the improvement will not be as significant as investing 100,000 Karma Points to cultivate one more layer of Golden Muscle and Nether Bone.

Chu Xiu still remembered that when he first completed the Golden Embryo Rebirth stage, it added a little over 100 points to his physique. Now, that number has increased to nearly 250 points.

The [Same Origin Enhancement] ability can further amplify this bonus!
"The increase in physique is already surprising enough, but more importantly, the Golden Embryo Origin can also be increased by 50%, which will make my sustained combat ability stronger, or be used to condense a stronger True Demon Blade!"

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

Right now, his physique alone is close to 2,500 points. If you include the True Demon Blade he has fully condensed, even the colonel would probably not be able to withstand it! He is even confident that he can fight against an ordinary King-level Awakener!
He didn't even dare to imagine how terrifying his strength would become if he cultivated the Golden Muscle and Nether Bone to the sixth level.

Of course, such a powerful force requires an extremely large amount of resources.

It took Chu Xiu 100,000 karma points just to cultivate one level of [Golden Muscle and Nether Bone].

With so many causal points, let alone a fierce-level awakened being, even a general-level awakened being would need more than ten years to accumulate them! Even a king-level awakened being probably wouldn't spend them as extravagantly as he did!
Chu Xiu could sense that to cultivate to the sixth level of [Golden Muscle Nether Bone], the required karmic points would be at least 200,000! And that was with the blessing of [Spark of Inspiration]!

"The resources required are too great, and I'm afraid I won't be able to gather them in a short time. However, this basic inheritance is meant to run through the entire Foundation Establishment stage, and it's not something I can master at the Fierce Rank."

"I'd better level up as soon as possible and invest the resources I gain from leveling up into the Legacy skill that unlocks at level 7."

"Once my strength reaches its maximum, I'll go to the Bloodstained Arena and collect all the points, then start challenging the Trials of the Past."

Chu Xiu silently made a plan in his mind.

Of course, he also knew that when he entered the Blood Arena later, he would definitely not be able to obtain such abundant resources as this time.

This time, he got the better end of the bet, making a huge profit by taking advantage of the information gap. Now that all the gods know his true strength, they can only honestly earn points.

Without thinking too much about what would happen next, he wanted to focus on reaping the resources from the calamity before him.

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu walked out of the cave.

However, just as he was about to leave, his eyes suddenly lit up and he caught sight of a figure not far from the cave.

The man was Zhang Qingshan. His aura was much stronger than before, and his physique was much more robust, probably over two meters tall. His bulging muscles made people feel the explosive power contained within them just by looking at them. His physique was probably close to six hundred! Clearly, he had completed the Fierce Rank Trial.

Even more astonishingly, his heart was pounding like a high-powered engine, like a thunderous drum, and on his bare left arm, a lifelike blue dragon tattoo had appeared, as if it had a soul and was coiled around him.

Needless to say, this is naturally the power brought by the talents [Dragon Heart (A)] and [Dragon Knight (S)].

"Six hundred physique right after advancing to the next level? That's higher than I expected. It seems that Aoyama must also possess some kind of skill or inheritance that increases physique."

Of course, it's not only demonic cultivators who have inherited attributes that increase their power; other professions do as well.

Moreover, combat is not just a contest of basic attributes. High-level professions generally possess a large number of combat skills, allowing them to unleash strength exceeding that of their peers.

Seeing his good brother successfully pass the fierce-level trial, Chu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and was happy for him.

However, he didn't show it on his face at all, and a strange, distorted voice came from under his mask: "Is there something you need?"

"Senior Qin is looking for you; the offensive is about to begin."

As Zhang Qingshan spoke, he took out a bronze mirror from his storage space. With a flash of light, Qin Xiang's face appeared in it.

"Chen Ce? I'm here to inform you of the arrangements for this attack."

"I told you before, there are three main battle lines this time. I hope you will come with me and take the middle one. That way, even if something unexpected happens, I can ensure your safety."

"Don't worry, I'll arrange a suitable position for you to make full use of your abilities and allow you to farm as many corrupted creatures as possible."

Qin Xiang's voice rang out in the room, but Chu Xiu rejected him without hesitation the moment his words fell.

"Thank you for your concern, senior, but I would like to move around freely."

These words caused Qin Xiang, reflected in the bronze mirror, to frown slightly.

He let out a sigh of relief and said, "Chen, I know what you're thinking. You want to use your high mobility to defeat monsters one by one and level up, just like you did in the Corpse City, right?"

“But this time the situation is different. The calamity underground has extremely high intelligence and special abilities that we do not know about.” “To be honest, during this period, all four of us at the King level have entered the mountain to investigate. We found that all the corrupted creatures have retreated to the vicinity of the deep pit and gathered their power into one group.”

"The calamity underground has an extremely strong ability to control information near the pit. As soon as we get close, we will be attacked by a large number of high-level creatures that have been lying in ambush. Even one of the king-level creatures was forced to use a life-saving item to barely escape."

"In other words, they didn't give us a chance to expend our strength at all!"

“I understand that you’re used to fighting alone, but this battle requires a steady, methodical, and targeted large-scale decisive battle. If you come with us, you’ll only gain more benefits while the danger decreases!”

Qin Xiang tried to persuade him earnestly.

Chu Xiu naturally knew this as well. The calamity underground possessed extremely high intelligence. It had previously sent out its forces to seize the [pollutant], giving Chu Xiu an opportunity to exploit. Now, it would naturally not be foolish enough to let its subordinates kill monsters and level up for free.

In this situation, the only way to kill the corrupted creatures is to enter the deep pit! Even with Chu Xiu's current strength, he would likely perish if he wasn't careful, given the terrifying density of monsters in the pit.

This is why he hadn't ventured into the mountain to kill monsters before, but instead tried to develop his character through other means.

Even so, he shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Qin, but I have my own plans."

After that, he was ready to leave.

Qin Xiang, reflected in the bronze mirror, first showed a look of surprise, then exclaimed, "Wait!"

A look of hesitation crossed his face, then, as if he had made up his mind, he said solemnly, "Chen, I didn't want to tell you this, but since you insist on acting alone, I have to explain the dangers involved."

"You may be facing more than just abyssal monsters!"

"Oh?" Chu Xiu paused, but his expression under the mask did not change much, as if he had expected what Qin Xiang was going to say.

Qin Xiang continued, "Currently, besides myself, there are three other King-level beings who have entered the Corpse Demon World. I have also sent people to investigate their situation."

"Although on the surface these three seem to be without fault, you can't judge a book by its cover! I've worked in the Investigation Bureau for almost twenty years and have witnessed far too many hypocrites. The Awakened's pursuit of power can easily lead them astray, causing them to betray their oath to 'protect humanity' and become 'oath-breakers' who will stop at nothing for power, especially King-level Awakened!"

"Most of the awakened ones who can reach this level are veteran awakened ones who have been exploring the abyss for more than ten years. They have lived in an environment detached from human society for a long time and have witnessed a lot of dark things of deceit and treachery. Their own values ​​are easily distorted under such circumstances."

"Although I don't like to speculate maliciously about others, I have to consider the possibility that they might attack you! Chen, although your strength is outstanding among your peers, you are still far behind a King-level Awakened."

Qin Xiang advised with a solemn expression.

In fact, he didn't make this statement without reason.

The world of high-level awakened beings is far darker than ordinary people can imagine. A well-dressed, polite, and gentle gentleman on Earth may become a ruthless and merciless executioner once he enters the abyss.

When you possess the extraordinary power to easily take someone's life, killing becomes far easier than you imagine.

Since there are awakened individuals who take it upon themselves to protect all living beings and wish to create a peaceful and prosperous world for future generations, there will naturally also be awakened individuals who disregard life, treat all things as straw dogs, and only pursue their own cultivation.

Therefore, unless they know someone very well, high-level awakened individuals rarely team up with others, and even if they cooperate temporarily, they will be wary of each other.

King-level Awakeners, because of the extremely difficult "Heroic Spirit Trials" that stand in their way, will be even more insane than Awakeners of other ranks!
There are tens of thousands of King-level beings in the entire China, but fewer than five hundred Heroic Spirits! This is a huge threshold, and countless King-level beings who have reached level 9 are stuck at this threshold.

These awakened individuals have the time, the resources, and the determination to improve their strength at all costs, making it easy for them to cross moral boundaries.

In Qin Xiang's view, the three kings' previous inquiries about Chu Xiu were merely a pretext to test the government's attitude under the guise of caring for the envoy of civilization!

He didn't believe these guys cared about grand narratives like "human survival," or at least not entirely.

Most of them were probably thinking about whether they could seize Chu Xiu's talent to help themselves grow to a higher level!

That's why he stated without hesitation: the government's attitude is to protect Chu Xiu at all costs!
As for how many people this statement can fool, and whether any of these three people have ulterior motives towards Chu Xiu, that's hard to say.

As Chu Xiu is a civilization envoy who has the potential to save civilization, Qin Xiang dares not take the risk!

Letting out a sigh of relief, Qin Xiang continued, "Of the three people who came this time, there are two you need to pay special attention to. One is named Li Zhan, a level 5 King, who is the handsome young man. He started as a C-level professional, but he fought his way up and eventually married into the Zhang family, gaining access to a large amount of resources and advancing to the King level in one fell swoop."

"The other person is Wen Feiyan, the only woman among the four of us at the King level. Her strength is unknown. It is said that she is related to the Mountain Beyond Tower, but we have not found any evidence yet."

"These two are ruthless individuals. You can't even imagine the methods of a King-level Awakened. If they really want to attack you, you might be subdued before you even have time to call for help!"

"And then there's the 'Yakuza' lurking in the shadows. We still haven't found their whereabouts, and that's another threat!"

"So, just to be on the safe side, you should come with me."

In order to persuade Chu Xiu, Qin Xiang deliberately exaggerated the consequences.

In his view, this was enough to frighten the eighteen-year-old youth in front of him. After all, to ordinary people in Jiangcheng, King-level Awakeners were all high and mighty figures, and it was difficult to even meet them on a regular basis. Even among all Awakeners, they definitely belonged to the upper echelons.

However, Chu Xiu simply shook his head slightly. He looked at Qin Xiang, and his tone of voice did not change at all: "What Senior Qin said makes a lot of sense."

"How can I know that you, Senior Qin, are trustworthy? If you intend to attack me, wouldn't I be walking into a trap?"

Chu Xiu's words left Qin Xiang speechless for a moment. After he had thought of what to say, Chu Xiu gave him no chance to say anything more and disappeared in a few steps, leaving the latter with only a helpless bitter smile.

In fact, Chu Xiu had long been wary of the four King-level beings, otherwise he wouldn't have kept his distance from them at all times.

He trusted no one but his own strength!

"The estimates of my strength by several King-level experts should still be based on the time when I saved Xue Li, which is roughly equivalent to the strength of a high-level General-level Summoner."

"If they really intend to attack me, I will definitely give them a huge surprise!"

When he was weak, Chu Xiu was seen as easy prey by others, but once he became strong, all those demons and monsters would become stepping stones on his journey to the West!

(End of this chapter)