Starting from the imperial palace guards, his clones spread all over the world.

Chapter 709 New Divine Power
The moment the lightning strike fruit entered my stomach, it felt as if a ball of lightning compressed to its limit exploded inside my body!

The violent and pure medicinal power, like a flood bursting its banks or a wild horse breaking free, rushed to every part of the body in an instant!
However, under the strong effects of the medicine, Liang Jin actually felt something special!

Divine Beast Essence Blood!

No! It cannot be simply called the essence of a divine beast!

Liang Jin immediately dismissed the idea.

Although this power is equally ancient and powerful, carrying a kind of pressure on a life level, its essence is completely different from the essence blood originating from beasts.

It lacks the stench and violence of blood, instead possessing a unique vitality and tranquility characteristic of plants, yet it also contains a thunderous ferocity and destructive aura!
Because it does not come from beasts, nor is it blood.

But it must be something similar to it—

A strange divine power!

"Is it because of that sacred tree?!"

In a flash, Liang Jin's mind raced, and he instantly thought of the giant tree in Yaoshui City, Nanzhou.

When his other clone was in Yaoshui City in Nanzhou, he had heard that the sacred tree worshipped in Yaoshui City was the only one in the entire Nanzhou that had survived since the ancient times when humans and gods were mixed.

Legend has it that during the long years of dramatic changes in the world, countless powerful beings of the same era were annihilated in the river of history, but this divine tree survived in some unknown way. After thousands of years of vicissitudes, it finally grew into such a towering giant, which is beyond reason.

Its very existence is a miracle.

The crystallized essence of the divine tree is naturally its fruit.

The divine tree only bears fruit once every two thousand years, and the fruit needs to be tempered by thunderstorms to fully mature, making it the essence of the divine tree's essence.

perhaps……

For this ancient and ancient divine tree, such a fruit, which embodies its long life journey and the creation of heaven and earth, is as precious as the essence blood containing the racial inheritance and power source within a divine beast!

"No wonder... no wonder the mountain people of Nanzhou are used to calling those magical powers left over from ancient times 'divine power' instead of being like the Youhuan tribe, who are obsessed with the name 'divine blood'."

Liang Jin felt a sudden sense of clarity, as if he had opened a new door to understanding.

"The term 'divine blood' is too limiting, seemingly confining the source of power to animals or even divine beasts."

"And 'divine power'... its scope is undoubtedly much broader! It can originate from powerful beasts, from spiritual plants, and even... perhaps from some unknown, equally ancient and magical fungi or other beings!"

"This name might actually be more accurate!"

It seems that the ancestors of Nanzhou, in the long years of coexisting with nature, may have already vaguely realized that the inheritance of power is not limited to "bloodline".

These majestic mountains and dense forests hold even more diverse and wondrous possibilities.

The divine tree of Yaoshui Kingdom is living proof of the existence of this plant-based divine power!

The lightning-struck fruit that it condenses and survives the lightning tribulation is probably inherited from its unique and powerful "plant-based divine power" essence!
Liang Jin firmly believes that his spiritual perception is correct.

The strange energy that was currently melting in his abdomen and trying to merge with his body was a plant-based divine power of extremely high quality and unique attributes—the life essence of an ancient divine tree!

"Won't...something go wrong, will it?"

A gloomy feeling suddenly swept over Liang Jin's heart, bringing a chilling sensation.

The witch spirit once said that if a person possesses too much divine power, their life will be in danger.

His clone hesitated and delayed taking the Xuanfeng essence blood from Feng Wu's body because he was wary of this, waiting for the witch spirit to return and protect him, in order to be on the safe side.

But who could have predicted this!
This seemingly pure and natural treasure, the Lightning Strike Fruit, actually contains such pure and powerful divine power?!
This completely caught him off guard!
However, the Lightning Strike Fruit had already entered his stomach, and its violent medicinal effects and unique divine power, like an arrow drawn from a bow, had begun to spread and merge in his meridians, flesh and blood, and even deeper cells.

To try to back out or force it out of the body is simply wishful thinking!
"Damn it! Plans never keep up with changes!"

Liang Jin cursed inwardly, a surge of ruthlessness welling up within him:

"Things have come to this point, hesitation will only hasten our demise! We have no choice but to grit our teeth and go all the way down this path!"

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes:
"At worst... we'll just lose this clone!"

With his mind made up, Liang Jin no longer hesitated. He immediately focused all his attention and began to fully circulate his cultivation technique, guiding and digesting the powerful medicinal effects, and attempting to accept and integrate the unfamiliar essence of the divine tree.

But as for the remaining two lightning-struck fruits...

Liang Jin dared not touch it again under any circumstances.

One is already dangerous; if three come at once, even a miracle might not be able to save them.

At this moment, his skin rapidly flushed an abnormal red, the red growing deeper and deeper, as if magma was flowing beneath his skin. He looked like a shrimp thrown into boiling water, radiating astonishing heat.

The potent effects of the medicine surged through his body like an out-of-control flood. Liang Jin could only desperately circulate his internal energy, trying to guide this torrent along his meridians and transform it into a pure reserve of internal energy.

Under the impact of this terrifying medicinal power, his internal strength increased wildly at an unprecedented speed. His already wide and resilient meridians were forcibly widened, and some minor blockages that were difficult to detect in normal times were instantly broken open and connected by this tyrannical force.

His martial arts skills are rising at a visible rate.

However, this brutal "pioneering" process also brought enormous burdens.

The medicinal power impacted his meridians and acupoints, producing a dull, booming sound within his body, like the beating of a giant drum!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

The sound did not come from the outside, but rather from the violent vibration of his internal blood and energy!

The sound pierced through the thick walls of the earthen fortress where he was, echoing through the silent night sky. Even the soldiers guarding the blockade at the foot of the mountain could faintly hear the muffled sound from the summit, as unsettling as the heartbeat of a giant.

However, the excruciating pain brought on by the drug's effects, which felt like having one's bones scraped and flesh cut out, was merely an appetizer for Liang Jin, whose will had been hardened by countless trials and was already as strong as steel; it was still within his tolerable range.

What truly terrified him, making him feel as if he were on the edge of purgatory, was the unique divine power contained in the lightning-struck fruit, belonging to the divine tree, which began to come into contact with and conflict with the two divine powers that were already in his body!
He had tasted the pain of this rejection and resistance that originated from the very source of life once before!
That was when the "Black Blood" was fused!
At that time, the "Orochi's Blood Essence" that had already perfectly fused within him and the invading "Black Blood" power were like two kings vying for territory, waging a fierce battle within his body.

The direct clash of power treated his body like a battlefield, and every conflict caused him excruciating pain, damaging his internal organs and threatening to rupture his meridians.

Ultimately, the serpent's essence blood, perfectly fused with the system's assistance, prevailed, forcefully suppressing the relatively mild black blood. However, this was only the beginning of a painful fusion process.

Liang Jin still vividly remembers the pain that came with the fusion of black blood—it felt as if countless red-hot steel needles were drilling out from the depths of his bone marrow and from the gaps between every cell, trying to tear him apart and crush him from the inside out!
It was a slow, agonizing pain that could utterly break even the most resolute person!

However, this time, the clash between the three divine powers was far more intense and violent than the last time!

As soon as the conflict began, Liang Jin felt as if an invisible giant hammer had struck his chest. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and suddenly spat out a mouthful of hot blood!

The blood splattered on the cold ground, making a hissing sound and emitting wisps of white smoke!

"Crack! Crack—!"

A series of tiny, teeth-grinding cracking sounds emanated from his body!
Those were his meridians, which, under the frenzied clash of three terrifying forces, were overwhelmed and began to break inch by inch!

Once the meridians were severed, the previously barely controlled, violent effects of the medicine were completely unrestrained, and like a runaway horse, it surged and crashed even more wildly within his body!
This undoubtedly exacerbated his internal injuries.

"puff--!!"

Another mouthful of blood spurted out, and this time, the bright red blood foam was mixed with some small, dark red fragments of internal organs!
At the very beginning of the integration, Liang Jin had already suffered a severe blow and was on the verge of despair!
What's even more chilling is that the blood Liang Jin spurted out was frighteningly hot, steaming hot.

His blood seemed to be on fire, rushing and boiling wildly in his veins, stretching the walls of his veins until they were almost transparent, as if they were about to burst completely at any moment!
His body temperature had long exceeded the limits that ordinary people could withstand, soaring from a normal 37 degrees Celsius all the way up to over 100 degrees Celsius.

And it's still rising!

Fine, cracked bloodstains, like those on porcelain, began to appear on his skin, from which streaks of blood seeped out, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

If Liang Jin's physical body hadn't undergone multiple enhancements, far surpassing that of other martial artists of the same level, he probably would have died from organ failure and blood depletion the moment his body temperature spiked!
"Fuck!"

"What the witch spirit said... was actually true!"

"Possessing more than two divine powers...can really cause blood to boil and the body to collapse!"

"Is this... what will happen to me tonight?"

At this moment, Liang Jin finally realized with absolute clarity how incredibly fortunate and extraordinary it was that the system had helped him fuse with the giant serpent's blood essence!
The system fusion is a true and perfect fusion, and it is not counted in the number of fusions.

Therefore, when he later fused with the relatively mild black blood, although the process was extremely painful, it did not ultimately trigger the potentially fatal "blood boiling and body collapse" danger stemming from a fundamental conflict.

This time, a third, completely different plant-based divine power was introduced. The three powers within him were like three out-of-control primordial beasts, waging a relentless battle until they finally reached that dangerous critical point, triggering this inevitable calamity!

Every minute, every second, he could clearly feel his life force rapidly draining away, his injuries irreversibly worsening, and the shadow of death, like a cold tide, quickly engulfing him.

"No! We absolutely cannot give up like this!"

"Since the integration process is still ongoing, it means there is still hope!"

"As long as I can hold on long enough, until the fusion is complete before my body completely collapses, perhaps... perhaps I can create a miracle!"

A strong will to survive, like a flame burning in the darkness, sustained Liang Jin's almost collapsing will.

Others might not be able to survive such a desperate situation, but Liang Jin is different from others!
Because he has a system!
This is our biggest trump card!

Immediately, Liang Jin took out various healing elixirs from his inventory, such as healing talisman water, cold jade ice toad ointment, or other healing pills.

At this moment, Liang Jin no longer cared about whether using these healing medicines with different properties and origins at the same time would cause conflicts or increase his burden.

He had only one thought—to survive! Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, he frantically stuffed all the medicines he could get his hands on into his mouth and smeared them on his wounds, regardless of type or dosage!
The medicine produced by the system was indeed remarkably effective.

With the addition of a large number of rare medicines, streams of cool, soothing, or life-giving medicinal power began to spread within his body, like the most loyal sappers, stubbornly repairing his body that had been ravaged by the three divine powers.

Beside the severed meridians, tiny granulation tissue sprouted, attempting to reconnect; the damaged internal organs were covered with a protective medicinal film, slowing the rate of collapse; the boiling blood seemed to be slightly suppressed by some icy medicinal power, its temperature no longer rising wildly…

And so, a fierce and protracted battle unfolded within Liang Jin's body.

On one side is the continuous destruction and annihilation caused by the conflict of the three divine powers, and on the other side is the repair and nourishment provided by numerous healing elixirs at any cost.

With the support of what could be described as "luxury" healing medication, the rate at which Liang Jin's injuries were deteriorating was actually slowed down!
This bought him invaluable breathing time!

He clenched his teeth, his gums already bleeding, his mouth filled with a metallic, rusty taste.

He desperately tried to calm his mind, which was on the verge of collapse, and worked hard to circulate his internal energy, coordinating with the effects of the medicine to guide the chaotic medicinal power in an attempt to reconnect and nourish the broken meridians.

Whenever he felt the conflict between the three divine powers gaining the upper hand again, and his body was about to reach its limit, he would grab a handful of healing medicine and stuff it into his mouth without hesitation.

Relying on the medicine to forcibly prolong his life, he endured wave after wave of excruciating pain and a sense of destruction.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely amidst this extreme pain and struggle.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Liang Jin's clothes were already soaked with sweat and blood, clinging tightly to his body, and then dried by the high temperature inside his body, forming a layer of dark red scabs.

His lips were bitten raw, and his nails dug deep into his palms, leaving several marks.

This torment, which exceeded the limits of human endurance, constantly assaulted his mental defenses, almost destroying him completely.

"Ugh..."

Hot blood flowed uncontrollably from his seven orifices, carving hideous marks on his face.

Despite the miraculous healing medicine that forcibly prolongs life, the overall trend of the injury worsening is still inevitable.

As time went on, his physical functions deteriorated to an extremely dangerous level, and he was truly on the verge of death!
"Could it be... that even so many healing elixirs rewarded by the system are ultimately unable to avert such a devastating conflict that originates from the very source?"

"Unfortunately... we've already used up all the miraculous medicines like the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill that can truly bring the dead back to life..."

"Is this clone really going to perish here?"

An indescribable sense of sadness and resentment welled up in Liang Jin's heart.

He never imagined that a seemingly fortuitous consumption of rare and precious herbs would trigger such a terrifying chain reaction, forcing him into a hopeless situation with no chance of survival!
At this moment, he could no longer even maintain the cross-legged posture; his body slumped limply on the cold ground, as if all his bones had been removed.

He could only clearly feel that the fine cracks on the surface of his body were constantly widening, like the cracks on parched land.

It was as if, in the next moment, he would be completely shattered like a piece of broken porcelain, with blood splattering everywhere!
at this time.

Outside the skylight of the earthen fortress, the pitch-black night sky finally lost its inky blackness, and a faint ray of dawn struggled to penetrate the clouds and shine in, landing precisely on Liang Jin's blood-stained face.

However, Liang Jin didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

The intense pain seemed to have numbed me, replaced by a deep-seated weakness and coldness.

Breathing became extremely difficult; each inhalation felt like pulling on a broken bellows, and lung function was rapidly failing.

The intense feeling of suffocation was like an invisible giant hand, gripping his throat and swallowing his last vestiges of consciousness.

Vision began to blur, and darkness continued to spread and encroach from the edges of her field of vision...

Finally, his eyelids drooped heavily, and his consciousness, like a candle flickering in the wind, was about to be extinguished completely.

However, just before his consciousness sank into the boundless darkness, Liang Jin's almost stagnant thoughts suddenly caught a glimpse of something incredible!
The deterioration of his injuries, which had been like a runaway horse pushing him ever closer to destruction... had actually stopped?!
Not only has it stopped, but it seems... there's also a very faint, yet real, sign of... improvement?!
Liang Jin was shaken to his core and wanted to investigate carefully, but his extreme weakness and near-collapse made it impossible for him to concentrate.

He could only vaguely sense that a strange, fragile balance had been achieved between the three violent forces that had been trying to tear him apart.

An overwhelming exhaustion swept over him like a tsunami. He finally couldn't hold on any longer, and everything went black before his eyes. He lost consciousness completely...

……

I don't know how much time has passed; it felt like just a moment, yet also like millions of years.

A chilling cold jolted Liang Jin awake from his deep coma.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and what came into view was the pitch-black night sky outside the skylight of the earthen fortress. The cold wind was howling and blowing in through the window, bringing icy dampness.

He... didn't die?
Liang Jin immediately felt his body.

Although I am still extremely weak and my whole body aches as if it is falling apart, the feeling of being on the verge of death, where life is rapidly slipping away, has disappeared!

Instead, there was a feeling of life returning, slow but absolutely firm!

The internal injuries have actually stabilized!
And it is repairing itself at a speed far exceeding normal!

"How could the injuries be like this... Could it be... that the fusion... is complete?!"

An unbelievable thought flashed through Liang Jin's mind like lightning. He suppressed his excitement, quickly composed himself, and looked inward.

Upon seeing this, immense joy instantly dispelled all his fatigue and pain!
really!

The essence of the divine tree originating from the lightning-struck fruit, and that unique plant-based divine power, were no longer fiercely clashing with the serpent's essence blood and black blood power within his body.

Although the three have very different attributes, they have formed an extremely subtle and stable triangular balance, and there are even signs of mutual complementarity!

The serpent's divine power is similar to that of the black blood, but the divine power brought by the lightning strike fruit is completely different, which explains why this fusion was so difficult.

"It seems my guess was right!"

"A person's body can indeed contain many different divine powers!"

Liang Jin felt a sudden sense of relief and enlightenment, as if he had just survived a calamity.

"But the process was extremely dangerous, like walking a tightrope!"

"The vast majority of people are simply unable to withstand the 'blood boiling and body collapse' calamity brought about by the conflict and struggle for dominance of multiple divine powers within their bodies, and often die from their bodies exploding in the early stages of fusion."

"As for me... if it weren't for the almost endless supply of healing elixirs provided by the system, which forcibly kept me alive and repaired my injuries, I probably would have already followed in their footsteps and wouldn't have been able to hold on until these three forces reached a balance!"

"I've narrowly escaped death!"

Having figured all this out, Liang Jin dared not be negligent in the slightest.

He immediately took out several healing medicines from his inventory and consumed them.

Then, he gritted his teeth, used all his strength, and struggled to lift himself up from the cold ground, sitting cross-legged again.

Although the most dangerous fusion of divine power had been completed, most of the immense medicinal effects of the Lightning Strike Fruit remained unabsorbed, still surging within his body like a raging wild horse.

If it weren't for the residual medicinal power of the previous healing elixir still working, constantly repairing the damaged meridians, the impact of the elixir alone would have been enough to worsen his injuries.

Now, he must race against time to completely repair and unblock the broken and damaged meridians as soon as possible, and then guide the violent medicinal power back into the meridians, circulating it through the body according to the cultivation method, refining it completely and transforming it into his own pure internal energy.

Fortunately, the process of absorbing and refining the medicinal effects, although equally painful and requiring immense willpower, is far safer than the destruction caused by the previous conflict of divine power.

Liang Jin held his breath and focused all his attention on his body, guiding his internal energy like the finest embroidery needle, slowly stitching up and nourishing the damaged meridians, while carefully guiding the raging medicinal power into the gradually recovering channels...

Time slipped away quietly in this selfless practice.

The sky outside the earthen fort's skylight brightened and darkened, then darkened and brightened again, as the sun and moon alternated and the stars revolved.

Liang Jin's condition also underwent a dramatic change.

From initially being critically injured and on the verge of death, to later becoming weak and struggling to move, and then stabilizing his condition and gradually regaining his strength...

The meridians within his body, which had been blessed by misfortune and repeatedly washed, torn, and repaired by the three divine powers and the effects of the violent medicine, became wider and more resilient than before, like widened and reinforced river channels, capable of accommodating a more powerful flow of internal energy.

I don't know how many days have passed.

As the new day dawned, the first rays of bright sunlight, like golden swords, pierced through the skylight and shone precisely on Liang Jin.

His tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

A glint of light seemed to flash in the depths of his eyes, and the previously surging and restless aura around him completely subsided and settled, returning to a kind of unfathomable calm.

A powerful aura, several times stronger than before, was naturally revealed, though it was not yet unleashed.

Liang Jin slowly raised his hand, clenched his fist, and felt the pure internal energy surging and roaring within his body like a great river, seemingly endless. Finally, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile full of confidence and joy.

"Second-grade realm..."

"Finally, a breakthrough!"

(End of this chapter)