Promise!

Chapter 288, Harvest

Zhuang Jin unleashed eight swords, their sword energy soaring into the sky. He was prepared to stop the Teng Snake from escaping, but unexpectedly, the snake did not run away. Instead, it crashed into his domain.

This is highly illogical.

In nature, even ordinary wild animals generally won't attack a threatening creature unless absolutely necessary, because even if they could win, they might get injured. Injury means the wound could become infected, hunting would become more difficult, and the risks would increase significantly. This is even more true for exotic beasts. They usually won't be reckless when faced with a target that might threaten them. The behavior of this Teng Snake is quite unusual.

Just as the opponent crashed into his domain, Zhuang Jin, surprised but also about to make a move—

Wow!
The mist surrounding Tengshe expanded instantly, almost engulfing the entire domain in the blink of an eye. This mist was hazy and indistinct, neither real nor illusory, and had the effect of weakening people, disrupting the flow of spiritual energy, and making them drowsy.

And in the next moment, its scales flashed and disappeared.

As the saying goes, "A serpent rides the mist," and this mist is indeed extraordinary!

Zhuang Jin's spiritual power surrounded his body, isolating him from the fog. He frowned slightly. The fog affected his vision, needless to say. In the fog-filled area, his spiritual power also seemed to be inert, and his perception became hazy and indistinct.

The next moment, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

Almost instantly—

Swish!
Where Zhuang Jin had been standing, the head of the Teng Snake appeared and snapped shut. Its extremely potent venom caused the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) to wither and die.

"What a wicked beast!"

Zhuang Jin had just subconsciously descended into the sea of ​​his soul, activated his 'mind's eye' to perceive, and entered a 'super-sensory' state. He then used the 'Ice Spirit Flash' to dodge, otherwise, if he had been hit like that, he would have been crippled even if he hadn't died.

call out!call out!call out!
At this moment, he maintained his "mind's eye" and "extrasensory perception" state, and the Eight Gates Sword Formation sealed the sky and locked the earth, with all eight swords flying together.

"Fizz!"

Tengshe darted and dodged quickly, but it couldn't withstand the eight swords flying together, forming a formation that targeted the enemy like missiles. With nowhere to go, it was repeatedly slashed.

Its body shimmered with a diamond-like light. Its body, which was a highly refined and condensed form of gold and steel, was actually cleaved with numerous crisscrossing cracks. The entire snake's body was cracked like shattered porcelain that had been pieced back together.

Moreover, the eight swords not only sever the physical body but also the soul, causing the double pain of the body and soul to make it constantly emit painful screams.

Swish swish!
Tengshe could only repeatedly blur into shadow to avoid damage to the physical body, but it could not cope with the damage to the soul. It could only rely on its own mysterious attributes to withstand the damage. If this continued, it would only take a short while to kill it.

'Huh, several more Vajra Realm beast auras are approaching, and they're accelerating!'

Sensing the several fierce auras, Zhuang Jin arrived three times faster, knowing that he could not delay and had to end the battle as soon as possible.

"Eight Gates Sword Formation, Eight Swords United as One, Kill!"

With a single thought, the eight swords—Rest, Life, Injury, Block, Scenery, Death, Shock, and Open—combined in mid-air with a series of clicks, merging into one. The dazzling divine energy made the sword almost transparent and disappear, leaving a trail of light like a silkworm's thread. Then, it vanished in a flash, shifting through the void beneath the domain, and the next instant it arrived at Tengshe's forehead and pierced through.

"Fizz!"

The Tengshe, restless, flicked its tongue, about to repeat its old trick, its form becoming ethereal, entering a shadowy state to weaken its attack.

"Thousands of miles of ice!"

But at that moment, a wave that almost froze the soul swept by, freezing everything within a radius of several miles in the entire domain. Its body also suddenly stopped, forcibly locked in a physical state, and was pierced by a sword. Its entire body was cut in two, split in two, with blood and flesh splattered, emitting a faint golden light.

"It's done!"

After killing the Teng Snake, Zhuang Jin sensed that the several Vajra Realm beasts were less than ten miles away. Their fierce auras intertwined, altering the celestial phenomena for tens or even hundreds of miles around.

'From the very beginning, it was the appearance of this Teng Snake, which was not restrained by my superior spiritual power; to my unleashing of eight swords, yet it did not flee but instead abnormally entered my domain; and now, these several Vajra Realm beasts have quickly come to my rescue—the entire process has been filled with something amiss.'

He harbored doubts, but he wouldn't risk his life to explore. Looking at the corpse of the Teng Snake, which weighed over ten thousand pounds, he knew it wouldn't be easy to take it away. He raised his hand and sent one of the golden beads flying out.

It is the core of the Vajra Realm Teng Snake!
If we say that the beast beads of the Bone Forging Realm beasts are usually only the size of a soybean, round in shape, and semi-transparent;

The cores of the strange beasts in the Five Viscera Realm are usually the size of a cherry, uneven, gray, and have patterns, with a maximum of five patterns;
The core of the strange beast in the Six Organs Realm gradually turned black, and at most six more patterns were added;
Upon reaching the Blood Exchange Realm, golden spots will appear on the beast core. With each blood exchange, the golden spots will connect to form a golden pattern, gradually seeping into the interior.

The core of a beast in the Vajra Realm is the size of an infant's fist, and it is pure gold. Because of the name of this realm, the core of a beast in the Vajra Realm is also known as a 'Vajra Relic'.

This 'Vajra Relic' accounts for more than half of the entire Tengshe's value. Zhuang Jin beckoned it over, put it into his sleeve, and quickly left.

Less than ten breaths after he left the battlefield, the several Vajra Realm beasts arrived, only to find the Teng Snake's corpse split in two. They immediately let out a series of roars, their terrifying aura almost capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, causing the valley to tremble and shake.

A moment later, an eerie silence fell, with only the hissing and chewing sounds remaining.

……

After leaving the triple death zone of the Funiu Mountains, Zhuang Jin's figure flashed repeatedly, moving at lightning speed. The several Vajra Realm beasts behind him did not pursue him, but he still maintained an extremely fast speed, returning to Cangzhou City.

On the first ring road, at the Shangguan family's residence, I happened to run into Shangguan Jinfeng on my way back.

"Xiao Zhuang, how did things go?"

Swish!
A token flew away; it was the Dragon King's Token of Xiao Linye Qinglong Society, which he obtained from the man's bag after killing him.

"Xiao Linye is a lucky man. He chased this person and jumped off a cliff, entering a triple death zone before finally killing him. There he encountered a Vajra Realm beast."

This is the truth, but it is the truth with the beginning and the end cut off. Zhuang Jin would not mention that the person's cultivation method is special, the Void Realm Stone, the blue light ball, and so on.

"A Vajra Realm beast?!"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Jinfeng suddenly realized, and her opinion of Zhuang Jin rose even higher: "No wonder I saw your aura fluctuating, Xiao Zhuang. You should go into seclusion to recuperate. The 'Azure Dragon Society' will be dealt with by the Suspended Heaven Bureau."

'The aura fluctuated? That's due to the burst of energy generated in preparation for a swift and powerful kill of the Teng Snake.'

Zhuang Jin was no longer a young man; showing off or explaining would only arouse more suspicion and unnecessary trouble. He simply nodded slightly and left.

...In the quiet room.

Zhuang Jin sat cross-legged, with four items on his body: a bundle; a golden round pill that shone brightly; a broken silver-white stone; and a blue light ball that was neither real nor illusory.

This bundle was carried by Xiao Linye, containing a martial arts manual called "Nine-Nine Heaven and Earth Skill", several secret manuals, and a stack of gold notes.

'Gold tickets are a regular resource, secret techniques can enrich one's foundation, but the most precious is this cultivation manual, the "Nine-Nine Heaven and Earth Technique."'

Zhuang Jin examined the manual and discovered it was complete, covering all three levels of the Yang Shen realm. However, what caught his attention most was the inscription on the title page: 'Is this the fourth version of the technique created by that immortal?'

As he guessed, if one practices this technique and holds a high position or establishes a power, one can rely on the system to absorb the wandering spiritual energy of those below, purify and refine it into the spiritual energy of all beings, as well as byproducts such as the five aggregates of the mortal world.

The power of sentient beings' thoughts can be directly used as resources for spiritual practice, and can also accelerate spiritual practice and help break through bottlenecks.

Furthermore, this technique has another profound mystery: it is highly anticipated and favored by the people, allowing one to cultivate oneself into someone like a chosen one of destiny, where the heavens and earth lend their support when the time is right, and to a certain extent, one can turn misfortune into good fortune and difficulties into auspiciousness.

'That immortal was quite thoughtful, because this technique evolved from the first three versions, so there's an inherent connection between them. Furthermore, with the help of the 'Seed of Qi,' the conversion can be achieved with almost no cost.'

This technique is indeed exquisite, but Zhuang Jin would never switch to it. Not to mention that there is only one 'Seed of Qi', which Xiao Linye has already used. Even if he hadn't used it and could switch, he wouldn't do it this way.

"The advantages of the *Nine-Nine Heaven and Earth Skill* are: faster cultivation, easier breakthroughs in bottlenecks, and the ability to transform oneself into a pseudo-chosen one of destiny. Of these three advantages, the Black Fiend Skill inherently squeezes out potential, making cultivation relatively faster, and for a long period, it wasn't much slower than the *Nine-Nine Heaven and Earth Skill*. As for its benefit in breaking through bottlenecks, I myself don't have any bottlenecks."

"As for those who are falsely favored by fate, while they may benefit from it, they also suffer from its drawbacks. They will be dragged down by fate. As the saying goes, when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless."

Just like Xiao Linye, if this technique is really that good, why would he die by his own hand? Compared to fate, Zhuang Jin has more faith in himself.

Besides, the drawbacks of the "Nine-Nine Universe Skill" are also obvious. To be swayed by it and embark on the path of gathering crowds and vying for supremacy is too much of a risk, like dancing on the edge of a knife, which does not fit its style.

Zhuang Jin put down the "Nine-Nine Heaven and Earth Technique" and looked at the second item, which was the "Vajra Relic" of the Vajra Realm beast Tengshe.

This item can be used to comprehend the divine powers of the Tengshe, such as the eerie mist and the ethereal shadows. It can also be used to refine various high-level pills, such as pills that accelerate the accumulation of Yin Spirit realm, pills that restore the power of the divine soul, and pills that enhance the physique.

"The Tengshe divine power is incompatible with my nature, so there's no need to try to comprehend it. I can divide it in two and refine it into pills. One half can be refined into a pill to accelerate my accumulation of the first level of Yin Spirit realm, and the other half can be refined into a pill to enhance my physique, so that Yun Chang's 'Ice Soul Glazed Body' can be perfected."

Physical cultivation techniques like the "Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique" and the "Ice Soul Glazed Body" are usually extremely difficult in their final step. Zhuang Jin was unwilling to painstakingly refine them step by step, so he relied on the "Super Body Strengthening Pill." Shangguan Yunchang is now also stuck on this final step.

The third item was the broken, silvery-white stone that had been stolen from Xiao Linye—the Void Realm Stone.

Zhuang Jin took out the Holy Spirit Pearl and released the suppression. Instantly, the Holy Spirit Pearl and the broken Void Stone resonated with each other, seemingly having a great attraction to each other. He activated the secret technique of the Holy Spirit Pearl to devour and absorb it.

After a full cup of tea's time.

hum!
The broken Void Stone lost its divine power, resembling an ordinary stone weathered and broken into dust over the years. In its place, the Holy Spirit Pearl shone brightly, radiating a mysterious energy.

Zhuang Jin carefully sensed that the various functions of the Holy Spirit Pearl, such as concealing one's aura, accelerating cultivation, purifying energy, and enhancing aptitude, had been greatly enhanced once again. What caught his attention even more was the sublimation of the Holy Spirit Pearl's essence.

'If the Holy Spirit Pearl absorbing the Yin-Yang Five Elements Wind, Thunder, and Ice Spirit Pearls is a replenishment of its origin, then the Holy Spirit Pearl absorbing this broken Void Stone is a dimensional sublimation.'

To put it simply, even if the Holy Spirit Pearl absorbs ten different spiritual pearls and undergoes a divine transformation, opening up a space, it can only accommodate inanimate objects at most. But now, after absorbing the broken Void Stone, there is hope that living beings will enter in the future.

Of course, we are still far from that step. Even if we can create a physical space that can store things, as Zhuang Jin has thought, we can only store spiritual power and soul power.

'Storing the power of divine souls?!'

Zhuang Jin carefully sensed it, and his divine soul power entered, allowing him to perform more precise operations. He transformed the massive amount of pure ice-attribute energy contained within it from the shape of an ice phoenix into a Kui Niu, a chaotic ape king, a Teng Snake, and so on. However, because this was ice-attribute energy, no matter what form it took, it was as clear and transparent as glass and crystal.

The most direct benefit of this is that it allows for further mobilization of the energy within the Holy Spirit Pearl to participate in the battles at the Yin God level, enabling attacks and defenses.

'With this change in the Holy Spirit Pearl, I now have a certain ability to protect myself when facing martial artists at the second or third level of the Yin Spirit Realm.'

However, Zhuang Jin cherishes and treasures the energy within the Holy Spirit Pearl. He is reluctant to use it in his daily life, hoping to rely on it to survive until he reaches the Yang God level. He will not use this move unless absolutely necessary.

The last item was the ethereal blue light that emerged after Xiao Linye was reduced to ashes.

This item is extremely special. Zhuang Jin tried to reach for it, but he couldn't touch it with his bare hands. Only the power of his soul or spirit could touch it and take it away.

'What is this thing, and why does it have such a strong attraction to the soul?'

Zhuang Jin was cautious by nature, so he would not rashly take in and refine such an unknown object into his soul. Instead, he would release his soul power to test and explore it.

A moment later, he found the trick and triggered a resonance.

hum!
The cyan light sphere flowed like water, and in mid-air, it transformed into a panel at will.

Name: Zhuang Jin

[Realm: Yin Spirit First Level: Meditation (Progress: 321/1000)]

[Technique: Black Fiend Technique - Yin Spirit Chapter]

[Martial Arts: Eight Gates Sword Formation - Minor Mastery (Progress: 12/1000), Ice Spirit Flash - Minor Mastery (Progress: 999/1000), Thousand Miles of Ice Seal - Beginner Level (Progress: 887/1000), God-Slaying Thrust - Beginner Level (Progress: 501/1000)... Folded]

[Items: Holy Spirit Pearl, Vajra Realm Beast Tengshe Core, Cultivation Technique "Nine-Nine Qiankun Technique" (Details can be viewed by concentrating the mind)]

[Recommendation: 1. The target's cultivation techniques and martial arts skills are quite comprehensive. It is recommended to supplement this with a secret technique for protecting the soul!]

2. The target possesses perfect essence, energy, and spirit, with an innately powerful soul. At the Yin God realm, cultivation is rapid, and strength far surpasses others in the same realm. Breaking through the Yin God realm bottleneck is relatively easy, but breaking through to the Yang God realm, the transition from Yin to Yang, presents a tremendous challenge… Based on the target's current aptitude, the probability of breaking through the Yang God bottleneck is seven percent. It is recommended to either change cultivation methods, search for auxiliary techniques to aid in breaking through to the Yang God realm, or seek out extremely powerful divine objects to increase the success rate!

[Power of All Beings: 0 (Gray Seal, to be unlocked after soul refinement)]

……

(End of this chapter)