The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 209, Section 224: Refining the Yuan Essence! The Sword of Heartfire!

Lu Chen did not investigate where the Evil King and the Queen of Yin had gone.

He gracefully floated down and stood on the water's surface. The water beneath his feet was so calm that not even a ripple appeared, as if it had turned into ice.

He savored the feeling of manipulating the wind and waves to fight the Evil King, especially the final collision with the Evil King, which gave him a lot of insights into the Evil King's way of life and death.

Although the exchange was brief, given Lu Chen's current cultivation level and his existing understanding of the principles of life and death, this short encounter was enough for him to gain a great deal.

"The collision of life and death, the twisting and grinding force... the cycle of life and death, transforming the death energy that attacks me into life energy that restores my true energy... Heh, it won't be so easy for them to exhaust my true energy in the future!"

While he was pondering...

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling floated on the water, looking at Lu Chen who stood on the water like an immortal, and called out with awe:
"Brother Lu."

"Ah."

Lu Chen snapped out of his daze and nodded to the two of them:

"Come with me."

He waded across the water towards his own residence. Kou Xu quickly swam to catch up.

Back at his own residence, Lu Chen led Kou Xu up to the second floor of the waterside pavilion, to the hall where they had met the previous night.

"sit."

Lu Chen sat down directly on the couch and then invited Kou Xu to sit down as well.

Kou and Xu exchanged a glance, and Kou Zhong stepped forward, presenting the bronze jar containing the Evil Emperor's relic:
“Brother Lu, this should be the Evil Emperor’s Relic. The jar is filled with mercury, which can isolate the Evil Emperor’s Relic from death and evil energy to a certain extent.”

Xu Ziling added the following explanation:
"Brother Lu, please do not touch the Evil Emperor's Relic with your hands. The death energy and evil energy inside are extremely sinister."

Before their deaths, each evil emperor would pour his life's essence into the evil emperor's relic.

Due to the special nature of the Evil Emperor's Relic, the true essence cultivated by successive Evil Emperors throughout their lives has been differentiated within the relic, with the core being restored to pure primordial essence, making it a supreme treasure for cultivation and capable of comprehensively enhancing one's spiritual cultivation.

The rest consisted of miscellaneous true energy, as well as the death energy and evil energy left behind by successive evil emperors—regardless of the personal character of each evil emperor, their cultivation of the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique was an out-and-out evil and demonic art.

Therefore, the Evil Emperor's Relic contains a large amount of death energy and evil energy.

When Xu Ziling first found the bronze jar, he channeled his true energy into it, attempting to detect whether there was any relic of the Evil Emperor inside.

Even with the copper pot separating him from the mercury, he still experienced numerous hallucinations, seeing all sorts of bloody and terrifying scenes, and even feeling as if thousands of wronged souls were seeking his life.

Even now, recalling those terrifying hallucinations still fills Xu Ziling with lingering fear.

"Yes. Thanks for reminding me."

Lu Chen thanked him verbally, but after taking the copper jar from Kou Zhong, he unhesitatingly opened the lid, reached into the mercury, and pulled out a fist-sized bead that emitted a faint yellow light.

The bead resembles a crystal, yet it feels remarkably supple. Inside its translucent interior, one can faintly discern blood-red patterns that resemble clouds, flowing slowly.

"Brother Lu, be careful!"

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling urgently reminded him, but upon closer inspection, Lu Chen remained completely unfazed, as if he had not been affected by the impurities emanating from the Evil Emperor's Relic.

"This……"

The two looked at each other.

However, as long as true qi is not used to stimulate the Evil Emperor's Relic, the impure qi within the Relic will not be triggered to impact it.

The reason Xu Ziling had experienced various hallucinations was because he had channeled his inner energy into the copper pot, triggering the flow of impure energy. Had it not been for the mercury barrier, he would likely have been in serious trouble on the spot.

However, even knowing this, Lu Chen still channeled his true energy into the relic after taking it out, probing its core.

Now, the impurities inside the Evil Emperor's Relic surged back in response to the true energy he had input.

However, Lu Chen remained unfazed.

He is not afraid of the impact of evil energy.

Deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, the intent of the Immortal Slaying Sword resides, ensuring that no external evil can affect his mind.

The only things that could affect his mind were the various demonic obstacles that arose during his own cultivation.

For example, when refining the Calamity Qi, various dark and negative emotions, mainly characterized by killing and destruction, arise. Since killing and destruction are in line with the essence of the Immortal Execution Sword Intent, the Immortal Execution Sword Intent will not pay attention to this, and Lu Chen can only rely on his own mental cultivation to erase and suppress it.

Although the deathly and evil aura of the Evil Emperor's Relic is malevolent, it is an "external evil" and therefore cannot affect Lu Chen in the slightest.

The various impurities that tried to penetrate his mind and affect his consciousness were treated as a gentle breeze and completely ignored by him.

As for the residual power of the evil emperors that had not been transformed into primordial essence, he ignored it and instead activated the new version of "Shifting Stars and Revolving Dipper," which incorporated the essence of borrowing and deflecting force from various techniques such as "Seven Revolutions of Raging Waves" and "Heavenly Demon Art." He then guided and transferred the useless mixed power back into the evil emperor's relic.

After a thorough investigation, Lu Chen discovered a problem.

That is, he can detect the primordial essence at the core of the relic, but he cannot draw it out.

After carefully recalling the process in the original timeline where Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling accidentally guided the essence of the relic, Lu Chen pondered in his heart:
If there is no orthodox extraction method found by Xiang Yutian, then it is necessary to stimulate two people who share the same origin but whose true qi attributes are opposite to each other in order to guide out the primordial essence?
Think of this.

He looked at Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, who were staring blankly at him, and said:

"Come here."

Kou Xu obediently came over and asked:
"Brother Lu?"

Lu Chen opened his palm, cradling the fist-sized relic of the Evil Emperor:

"Each of you, place your hand on one side and channel your inner energy into it. Don't worry, I'm here, nothing will happen."

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling already trusted Lu Chen, and seeing him holding the Evil Emperor's Relic in his hand with an air of nonchalance, they didn't hesitate to each extend one hand and place their palms against one side of the Evil Emperor's Relic.

Then they each infused their true energy.

As soon as Fang entered his true energy, the relic's impure energy was triggered, and it immediately began to flow back into the two people's meridians through the channel formed by their true energy.

Lu Chen was prepared. Sensing the unusual movement of the mixed energy, he immediately increased his output of true energy, forming a larger channel of true energy.

Thus, most of the impure energy was drawn by him and flowed into his meridians, where it was then moved back into the relic by him using a modified version of the Star Shift technique, forming a loop.

Although Kou and Xu were affected by some of the impure energy, and various terrifying hallucinations arose in their minds, the impact was relatively small and did not cause them to lose their senses. They felt that they could still withstand it, so they continued to input true energy into the relic.

When the two individuals' true energy reached the core of the relic and met there, their longevity true energy, though of the same origin but different, immediately underwent a wondrous reaction. The primordial essence within the relic's core, which had been motionless, began to stir. After a series of brief but complex and strange reactions, a massive amount of primordial essence, as if a dam had burst, erupted from the relic's core and poured out.

If they were allowed to be infused with this primordial essence, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling would surely die—in the original timeline, the two accidentally extracted most of the primordial essence from the relic, and each obtained half.

However, the reason they were able to survive the massive impact of vital energy was because they had undergone the transformation of meridians and acupoints using the He Shi Bi jade, making their meridians and acupoints strong and resilient enough to withstand the violent impact.

After all, this is not the orthodox extraction method. It's like taking water. The orthodox extraction method is to open the sluice gate of a reservoir, release water in a limited way, and extract and utilize it little by little.

Kou Xu's unexpected method was equivalent to blasting down most of the reservoir in one go, causing most of the water in the reservoir to gush out all at once.

Thus, the water source that was originally beneficial for irrigation turned into a flood that destroyed farmland and villages.

Kou Xu has not yet undergone the transformation of acupoints and meridians using the He Shi Bi jade. Although he has received the Yin-Yang Qi combined cultivation method taught by Lu Chen, which can also transform acupoints and meridians, it is a long-term process, and it can only be said that the future is promising.

As for now, Kou Xu has only had this method for a little over two months. Although it has achieved some results, how can this short period of cultivation compare to the immediate and powerful effects of the He Shi Bi?

Therefore, if Kou and Xu were to have most of the relic essence poured into their meridians now, even if they each bore half, their meridians would burst and they would die on the spot.

Therefore, we have to rely on Lu Chen.

As the essence of the relic erupted and began to flow back, Lu Chen unleashed the new version of the Star Shift technique with all his might. The true energy he poured into the relic spun wildly, forming a vortex funnel that seemed to cause space to collapse, emitting a terrifying suction force.

The massive amount of primordial essence that poured out surged towards Lu Chen under his full force.

Lu Chen possessed the physique of the third stage of sword body, "refining tendons and bones," and also had powerful meridians that had undergone the transformation of acupoints and meridians by the He Shi Bi jade. The impact of this large portion of his primordial essence was just a slightly larger wave to him, and it couldn't harm him in the slightest.

Although Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling only suffered a small portion of the impact on their vital essence, and it was shared between the two of them, they still grimaced and looked quite uncomfortable.

Soon, the pale yellow light of the Evil Emperor's Relic dimmed, and the blood-red stripes resembling clouds inside it were reduced by more than half.

Then Kou and Xu shuddered, staggered backward, and fell to the ground, panting heavily.

Lu Chen remained nonchalant, then channeled his true energy to probe the core of the Evil Emperor's Relic again, discovering that compared to before, only about 10% of its original essence remained.

Of the 90% of primordial essence that was just drawn out, Lu Chen got 80% and Kou Xu shared 10%, which can be considered as their reward for their hard work.

Lu Chen tossed the Evil Emperor's Relic back into the bronze jar and asked them:

"How does it feel?"

Kou Zhong said with a bitter face:
"My meridians are swollen."

Xu Ziling also said:
"My head is also feeling dizzy."

Lu Chendao:
"The essence of this Evil Emperor's Relic is equivalent to some kind of rare and precious material, which can greatly benefit cultivation. After you return, refine it well, and your power will surely advance by leaps and bounds."

Kou and Xu looked at each other, their faces filled with surprise and delight:
"His skill has improved by leaps and bounds?"

After practicing the Yin-Yang Qi cultivation method taught by Lu Chen, their martial arts skills had already been improving rapidly over the past two months. If they were to make another leap forward, they dared not imagine how formidable they would become.

"You should meditate and refine your essence here first."

Lu Chen told them to meditate and refine their spiritual essence here, while he went to the study next door, took out a blank book, and wrote down his insights on Yin and Yang, life and death, and even his new insights from his battle with Shi Zhixuan.

After spending almost half an hour writing a full volume, Lu Chen went to the hall, woke the two people who were meditating, and tossed the volume to them:
"These are some of my thoughts. Take a look; they might be of some help to you."

"Thank you so much, Brother Lu!"

After Lu Chen killed the Demon General, the Heavenly Lord and other experts of the Demonic Sect in one battle, his reputation was no less than that of the three Grandmasters. Kou Xu knew how precious his insights were. He was so excited that his voice trembled and his knees went weak. He almost knelt down and called him "father".

It's unclear whether Lu Chen would be willing to accept these two good sons who aren't much younger than him. They're worried that calling them "father" might anger him, otherwise these two would probably have knelt down and kowtowed on the spot.

"Alright, that's all for now. Go back and cultivate diligently."

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling bowed respectfully and reluctantly took their leave.

Lu Chen returned to his seat and began refining the primordial essence.

Yuan Jing can be used to refine the body, as well as to cultivate true qi and the mind. Its comprehensiveness is comparable to that of Jie Qi, and it is extremely pure without the side effects of Jie Qi. It can be called the number one treasure medicine in the Twin Dragons world.

Unfortunately, this is a non-renewable resource. Over hundreds of years, countless evil emperors have accumulated just this much primordial essence—well, not just this much. Xiang Yutian has found the orthodox method of extraction and has already extracted a considerable amount of primordial essence, using it to shatter the void.

In short, although the primordial essence of the Evil Emperor's Relic is safer than the calamity energy of the Killing Tribulation, it is not inexhaustible, which is a bit of a pity.

Of course, Lu Chen was satisfied with this one-shot deal.

With a major battle between three thousand and one hundred thousand imminent, the stronger the opponent, the better.

As for what to cultivate with the Yuan Essence, he already had a plan. With three thousand against one hundred thousand, physical strength is the most important thing, so of course he would temper his sword body.

He was now practicing the fourth stage of the sword body technique, "Refining Internal Organs," to temper his heart.

The difficulty of refining the internal organs is many times greater than that of refining the muscles and bones. Even with a cultivation partner, it is unknown how long it would take to complete the process if one were to cultivate step by step.

As expected of the number one precious medicine in the Twin Dragons world, when Lu Chen directly refined the Yuan Jing to temper his heart, his cultivation progress soared rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Gradually, his heart rate slowed down, but his strength grew stronger. As his heart strength increased, his physical strength also improved.

As the heart tempering progressed, his heart faintly emitted a crimson light resembling fire.

The crimson light even penetrated through muscles and skin, reflecting outwards and turning the entire small hall a dark red.

I do not know how long it has been.

Suddenly, wisps of green smoke rose from Lu Chen's clothes, which then began to curl and char. Finally, with a loud bang, they burst into flames. Within moments, his clothes were reduced to ashes, and even the sandalwood couch was affected, with charred marks appearing on its surface.

The couch was starting to smoke.

The red light on Lu Chen's body gradually subsided, and his skin returned to its normal color.

He then opened his eyes and raised his sword finger, shooting out a three-foot-long sword of energy from his fingertip. As he silently channeled his profound energy, the invisible sword of energy faintly emitted a red light and radiated astonishing heat.

"Ha, Flame Sword!"

Lu Chen laughed heartily:
"It's countless times sharper than the Flaming Blade of the Great Wheel King!"

Having exhausted all the primordial essence he had acquired, Lu Chen had barely managed to successfully temper his heart.

The rewards, besides stronger physical strength and power, a heart even more resilient than the skin, and the ability to withstand flames and high temperatures, also include the "Sword of Heartfire" that can melt gold and iron!
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(End of this chapter)