Promise!

Chapter 274, Three Corpses

After consuming the 'Super Gang Yuan Pill', Zhuang Jin went into seclusion to refine it, focusing on improving his accumulation of the Two Corpses Severing Realm until several days later, when Li Shizong came looking for him.

Today, it was just Li Shizong alone, not the gatherings of several people that used to be held.

Of the original six, after Zhan Shengchu, Mai Yinghuang, Ao Zhiqi, and Bian Zhihao each experienced their own separations, only Li Shicong and Ge Zhaoqing remain, and they can no longer reunite.

Zhuang Jin ordered tea to be served, his expression shifting slightly as he looked at Li Shicong: "Congratulations, Brother Li, on breaking through to the Three Corpses Severing Realm!"

"It was also thanks to Brother Zhuang that I was able to break through. The precious pill that the treasure basin had nurtured for hundreds of years was obtained by my uncle, the governor. The state government received a portion of it, and I was able to break through by chance because of it."

Li Shizong explained, then added, "Speaking of which, even in the realm of severing the three corpses, Brother Zhuang severely injured and defeated one in our previous duel. My achievement is nothing to mention."

"That was also a clever trick, relying on the help of a treasure."

Zhuang Jin was polite, but a strange feeling lingered in her heart.

His mental strength was powerful, and he sensed Li Shicong. If, as the other party said, he had broken through in the past two days, such a breakthrough should have caused fluctuations and turbulence in mental strength and innate energy. However, this person was full of energy and spirit, as stable as a mountain, as if he had broken through for a long time.

'This situation either indicates that Li Shizong was hiding something beforehand, or there are other extremely special circumstances. Either way, it means this person is not simple.'

Zhuang Jin narrowed her eyes slightly, and couldn't help but think of Bian Zhihao's last words before he died—Be careful of Li Shicong!

"External things are also part of one's own strength, just like using precious pills to break through."

Speaking of the precious pills, Li Shizong praised them highly: "The treasure basin itself is a great treasure, which can nourish and upgrade the quality of pills. Moreover, those that have been nourished in it for hundreds of years are truly rare treasures. It's a pity that there are only a dozen or twenty of them. Bian Zhihao swallowed three or four of them, and the rest were divided among the state government and the three major families, so each family didn't have many left."

He gave a brief explanation, and after laying the groundwork, he took out an item.

It was a palm-sized red fruit, shaped like an embryo. Through the outside, one could vaguely see the incomplete face of a monster inside. It emitted a vermilion light and a very strange smell, neither fragrant nor foul, yet it had an indescribable and great attraction.

Upon first glance, Zhuang Jin couldn't help but swallow hard. He then composed himself, calmed his mind, and finally managed to completely shake off the influence.

Li Shicong introduced to Zhuang Jin: "This is the essence fruit of Chunling Qiuguai. It is the essence of the body's 'essence' among the three elements of essence, qi, and spirit. Taking it greatly benefits the 'essence' of the three elements of the human body and has a miraculous effect on breaking through the last two barriers of the Yin Spirit: Fusion and Peace of Mind!"

"Brother Li, you didn't bring this out to show off to me, did you?"

“Of course not. I heard that Brother Zhuang encountered difficulties while cultivating the secret method of physical body cultivation, so I specially sent this item to help him.” Li Shizong said with a smile, never one to be outdone.

Previously, Zhuang Jin had mentioned at a gathering that he was stuck at the seventh level of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique and that progress was slow. So his words were not surprising.

"Oh?"

Zhuang Jin narrowed his eyes, his expression slightly lowered, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking: "Brother Li certainly won't give it away for nothing. Is he trying to exchange something from me? I seem to have nothing of value."

"Brother Zhuang, you are too modest. I have heard that you possess a secret method that can strengthen the soul. I would like to use it..."

"Wait, Brother Li, from whom did you hear this?" Zhuang Jin interrupted and asked.

Li Shicong seemed surprised that Zhuang Jin would take this so seriously. He paused for a moment and replied, "It's Ao Zhiqi."

“Normally, it’s not good to talk about people behind their backs, but since Ao Zhiqi stole my opportunity, we are irreconcilable enemies, so there’s no need to hide it.”

He explained it this way, but Zhuang Jin felt something was amiss when she heard it.

According to Li Shicong, it was Ao Zhiqi who told him about this before the Shenyuan Fruit incident. However, for almost a year, Ao Zhiqi did not bring it up again. Judging from his judgment of people, Ao Zhiqi was not a talkative person.

Moreover, Ao Zhiqi's soul was damaged, and he coveted this secret method as a backup plan. He should have kept it to himself and kept it a secret. Why would he tell Li Shizong?
Zhuang Jin felt that there seemed to be some problems with the logic here, and couldn't help but think of Bian Zhihao's dying words, "Be careful of Li Shicong."

"Now that I have severed all three of my corpses, I also need to plan and prepare to break through to the Yin God realm. Among the three elements of essence, qi, and spirit, the Divine Essence Fruit was stolen by Ao Zhiqi. Unfortunately, the Divine Essence Fruit is my weak point. Therefore, I want to exchange the Essence Fruit for Brother Zhuang's secret technique."

Li Shizong explained why he did this, and the logic seemed reasonable.

"I'm sorry to disappoint Brother Li, but this secret technique has its own details and cannot be passed on to outsiders."

Zhuang Jin refused.

On the surface, exchanging a knowledge-based secret technique like the "Yin-Yang Union Technique" for such a treasure seems like a good deal, but this secret technique is not something he alone possesses.

Furthermore, Li Shizong's offering of the 'Essence Fruit' made him vaguely aware of something amiss. Combined with other factors, from Bian Zhihao's dying reminder to sensing Li Shizong's breakthrough aura and his abundant energy, to his strange urge to devour the 'Essence Fruit', and finally Li Shizong's claim that Ao Zhiqi had told him about a secret technique for the soul, a lingering suspicion remained in his mind.

Finally, the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique has already reached the eighth stage, and with the assistance of the Super Strengthening Pill, the ninth stage is in sight. There is really no need for the Essence Fruit anymore.

"Then so be it. It was I who was presumptuous."

Li Shizong was confident of victory and thought Zhuang Jin would not refuse, but he did not expect her to decline. This unexpected turn of events made his expression stiffen slightly.

"What are you saying? I should thank Brother Li for his trouble. If this matter hadn't succeeded, it would have been truly a misfortune."

Zhuang Jin chatted for a couple more minutes, and then saw Li Shizong off after he said his goodbyes.

After bidding farewell to Zhuang Jin, Li Shizong turned and walked away, the smile on his face gradually fading, becoming calm and profound, like a deep pool.

……

On the same day, in the first ring road, at the Ge residence.

This is not the Ge family, one of the three great families. Ge Zhaoqing is a Corpse Slayer Realm cultivator and also has a mansion in the First Ring, but it is not as large as the Ge family's.

“Brother Ge, what do you think of this item? I would like to give it to you to help you achieve your goal.”

"Is this the Qi Yuan Fruit of Chun Ling Qiu Guai? As for what Brother Li said later, I don't quite understand."

"Ah!"

Li Shizong chuckled softly, his lips moving slightly to convey his voice.

Upon hearing this, Ge Zhaoqing's expression changed slightly. Afterwards, he talked with Li Shicong about something and accepted the 'Qi Yuan Fruit'.

After Li Shizong left, Ge Zhaoqing looked at the 'Qi Yuan Fruit' with a cryptic expression. Ge Daoqian of the Ge family, one of the three great families of Cangzhou, had less than ten years left to live and seemed to be facing a crisis of succession with no one to carry on the family line.

This doesn't mean that Ge Daoqian, despite living so long and having a Yin spirit with a lifespan of nearly 150 years, couldn't cultivate a qualified successor. It's just that this wasn't a problem in his early years. Back then, passing on the family headship required transferring the authority of the Suspended Heaven Mirror, but due to some personal reasons, he couldn't do so.

Later, he began to have the idea of ​​cultivating a good seed, but he cultivated it too well. Because of his filial piety and his arrogance, the other party was unwilling to use the power of the Suspended Mirror and failed to break through.

Next, the first and second seeds were selected again, but due to a series of coincidences and unexpected events, the current situation has been created.

Of course, some of the unexpected events at the end were due to the personality flaws of the person chosen by Ge Daoqian, the Cen family's opportunistic trap, and the information revealed by Ge Zhaoqing.

He did this because he also had the surname Ge and wanted to return to the Ge family and join the main branch from a minor branch!

'From Zhan Shengchu's roundtable discussion to Mai Yinghuang's failed breakthrough, and then to Ao Zhiqi and Bian Zhihao, all these examples have proven that without the support of a powerful family, it is impossible to break through to the Yin Spirit realm.'

"And if I want to break through to the Yin God realm, it would be best if I joined a powerful family and became the next head of the Ge family."

Ge Zhaoqing appears to be only at the First Corpse Realm, making his desire to take over seem somewhat laughable. However, in reality, he has been using a special secret method to condense the Gang Yuan Pearl for the past two or three decades.

If he so desires, after breaking through a realm, he can quickly complete the accumulation of a realm by refining these self-condensed Gang Yuan Pearls that all originate from the same source.

In other words, without considering bottlenecks, Ge Zhaoqing could quickly and perfectly sever the three corpses in just a few months.

For this earth-shattering plan, Ge Zhaoqing had prepared more than just these things. He had a tacit understanding with Cen Chongxuan, the head of the Cen family, cooperating and using him, but also maintaining caution towards him, and had not left the third ring road of the state city for many years.

After years of preparation, the time has come.

Ge Zhaoqing thought to himself, glancing at the 'Qi Yuan Fruit': 'Should I consume this to strengthen my foundation and increase my leverage?'

……

Unaware of Li Shicong and Ge Zhaoqing's schemes, Zhuang Jin continued to rapidly accumulate power to reach the level of the Two Corpses Severing Realm, relying on the 'Super Gang Yuan Pill'.

As time passed, the tide of vitality subsided, and Cangzhou City gradually calmed down after the annual grand event.

The opening of Bailu Martial Academy and the auction on the fifteenth of the first lunar month were all bustling with activity, but he focused solely on cultivation. Finally, on the twenty-fourth of the first lunar month in the sixty-fifth year of Qian Yuan, he completed the accumulation of the Two Corpses Severing Realm.

"This 'Super Gang Yuan Pill' is indeed powerful. After obtaining it, I completed the accumulation of the Two Corpses Severing Realm in less than a month. It is worthy of being nurtured by the Treasure Basin for hundreds of years. It's a pity there is only one."

Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly: "Forget it, we'll talk about that later. Today, let's first eliminate the last of the lower corpse worms and the red worms, and break through to the Three Corpses Severing Realm!"

He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, calming his mind and focusing his thoughts. As he broke through another bottleneck without any apparent obstacles, a dark silver light appeared between his eyebrows, and he easily entered the state of 'super introspection'.

With spiritual power penetrating deep into the human genome, and observing within the space of a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru, one could see the last remaining crimson corpse worm, emanating a faint black aura and clinging to the bone like a malignant tumor.

As Zhuang Jin's spiritual power entered and sensed the other party, he observed it. Similar to a quantum collapse effect of observation, the lower corpse worms and red worms underwent a change in an instant, wriggling as if about to awaken.

"cut!"

The next moment, a divine sword, a fusion of spiritual power and martial will, fell down, its power neither too much nor too little, instantly shattering the opponent into wisps of drifting black mist.

As he slew the last corpse worm, a profound joy of fulfillment welled up within him. A faint light began to emanate from the genes of the tiny mustard seed, and from the inside out, silvery-white needle-like rays of light burst forth all over his body, mysterious and wondrous.

hum!
The Holy Spirit Pearl floated autonomously behind his head, from which pure ice-attribute energy cascaded like a beaded curtain, supporting the final transformation of the innate Qi in the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the innate vital energy became incredibly clear and pure, even spontaneously emitting a faint, peaceful light.

Swish!
Zhuang Jin opened his eyes, the dark silver light between his brows disappeared, and under the influence of the microscopic dust in the entire room, it floated and rose, like a starry sky at the bottom of the sea.

"The lower corpse worms and red worms have been slain; the realm of severing the three corpses has been achieved!"

He felt his body strengthen, his bones and fascia becoming like steel, and his blood and qi rising again, flowing like a great river.

"The red corpse worms are responsible for destroying bones and blood, causing bones to wither and blood to burn. It is only natural that such a transformation would occur after these corpse worms are killed."

Moreover, this time, after slaying the last corpse worm, all three corpse worms were eliminated, leaving no trace of impurity in the body, and the primordial chaos was unified, thus achieving a body without leakage.

"To achieve a flawless body, the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique will complement it, making it much simpler and faster. Once I complete the Nine Revolutions Technique, I will possess a flawless golden body, more than capable of meeting the requirements for 'essence' in the Three Trials of the Yin Spirit."

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly: "Now that I've reached the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm, specifically the Three Corpses Severing Realm, I'm already at the pinnacle below the Yin God level. Currently, in the entire Cangzhou City, only the heads of the three major families and the four governors surpass me in cultivation."

"In terms of actual combat strength, considering my ultimate ice attribute, even if I had just broken through, I could easily defeat other warriors who have slain three corpses, and even beasts that have undergone three blood transfusions would be easy to kill."

'As for true Yin God warriors... well, never mind.'

As mentioned before, those with the highest attributes can challenge opponents of higher levels, but that applies to those below the Yin God level.

Those who can break through to the Yin God realm, even if their innate Qi Yuan is not as good as the ultimate attribute when they are in the Innate Corpse Severing Realm, have still condensed to a certain level. Not to mention that after breaking through to the Yin God realm, their innate Qi Yuan leaps into divine essence. It is impossible to cross a major realm to challenge others based on this alone.

Even considering all the trump cards: the Kui Niu Drum, the Holy Spirit Pearl Shield, and the Jade Token that can deliver a single blow at the half-step Yin God Realm, it would probably be difficult to achieve this unless the Holy Spirit Pearl is self-destructed.

'So, I am now: invincible below the Yin Gods, and one-for-one above them?'

"By the way, the heads of the three great families possess the authority of the Suspended Heaven Mirror. Within the Third Ring, they seem to have protective measures that separate the two realms. Therefore, outside the Third Ring, self-destructing the Holy Spirit Pearl might be able to replace, or at least severely injure, a Yin God, but within the Third Ring, that probably wouldn't work."

'Greater realms are like insurmountable chasms; my next step should be to break through to the Yin Spirit realm myself.'

Zhuang Jin secretly calculated: 'The three trials of Yin Spirit require the highest level of essence, energy, and spirit. My innate Gang Yuan is of the ultimate attribute, so I don't need to worry about the soul. I expect to be able to advance to the ninth level of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique in another two or three months.'

"And then there's the matter of accumulating realm power. I've just severed my last corpse, and there's still room for improvement. I need to raise the innate vital energy in my dantian to its limit. Normally, relying on my own abilities, considering the acceleration from improving my aptitude, the Holy Spirit Pearl, and the upgraded medicinal formula, this step would take about a year."

"If only we had another Super Qi Yuan Pill nurtured in the Treasure Basin for hundreds of years! Perhaps we could exchange it for a Super Qi Condensation Pill, which can help break through the bottleneck of the Corpse Severing Realm. If that doesn't work, the Shangguan family now possesses the Treasure Basin; even regular upgrade pills can significantly shorten the time required."

He was brimming with confidence: 'In short, within a few months at the earliest, or by the end of this year at the latest, I will definitely break through to the Yin God realm, truly transcend the chessboard, and stand atop Cangzhou.'

……

(End of this chapter)