While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

The ancient rock dragon lizard's tail was jolted back, and Xu Chuan also staggered back a few steps, his arm feeling numb from the shock.

"As expected of the pinnacle of the Rock Dragon Lizards, such immense power."

However, what he wanted was this kind of pure contest of strength to hone his own life.

The ancient rock dragon lizard's vertical pupils contracted slightly; it couldn't believe that this weak human possessed physical strength comparable to its own.

Soon, it pounced again, its huge front paws slamming down, its rocky armor gleaming coldly in the firelight.

However, Xu Chuan used his size advantage to turn sideways and quickly dodge the attack.

Then, he punched it in the side.

The fist sank into the crack of the rock armor, creating a fissure.

But this crack, placed before that enormous body, was like a tickle.

The ancient rock dragon roared and turned around, sweeping its tail horizontally.

Xu Chuan raised his hand to block, but was pushed back a few steps, his toes carving two shallow furrows in the ground.

A man and a beast were locked in a fierce battle in this underground cavern.

The entire underground cavity trembled, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.

Each attack from the Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard carries the power of an avalanche.

The dull thud of heavy rock armor rubbing against each other, the shrieking of sharp claws tearing through the air, and the tremors of the giant beast stomping on the ground all blended together, exuding an unparalleled sense of oppression.

The ancient rock dragon lizard demonstrates its formidable strength.

Before long, Xu Chuan was sent flying and crashed into the cave wall, with rubble falling down with a clatter.

But in this contest of pure strength, neither side seemed to have their defenses breached.

Golden light rose from the ground, moving away the rubble one by one. Xu Chuan stretched his limbs and muttered to himself.

"Ouch... that really hurts."

A look of confusion, unlike anything he had ever seen before, began to appear in the vertical pupils of the ancient rock dragon lizard.

It couldn't understand why this tiny intruder couldn't be killed.

The ancient rock dragon lizard raised its head and roared, drawing rock element from the depths of the earth, which surged into its body along its limbs.

Its body began to glow, a violent, magma-like dark red color emerging from the surface of the rock armor.

The intense heat emanating from its body distorted the surrounding air.

A large amount of fire elemental power accumulated within its body and then erupted.

It had grown even larger, with rock spikes protruding from the gaps in its shell, each as thick as an adult's arm.

As soon as the soles of the feet touched the ground, cracks appeared in the earth.

The ancient rock dragon lizard pounced again.

This time, it was faster and more powerful.

The element of fire flows within it, providing it with a continuous source of power.

It is no longer fighting with just physical strength, but with the strength of the entire earth.

Xu Chuan's eyes lit up.

"That's more like it."

He rushed forward and slammed his fist into the ancient rock dragon lizard's rock armor, widening the crack and shattering the armor.

The Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard's counterattacks grew increasingly fierce, constantly drawing elemental power from the earth's veins in an attempt to overwhelm Xu Chuan with its elemental attacks.

But this was still to no avail.

The attacks, fueled by condensed fire elements, nearly melted the ground into magma, and the intense heat distorted the air itself.

On the cliff face, Ying and the others watched the fierce battle below and couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

"Xu Chuan is actually using only his physical strength to fight this kind of monster, it's really..."

"Is this a way to hone oneself by using monsters?"

Shen He watched the figure fighting with the ancient rock dragon lizard.

……

Xu Chuan did not take a single step back, his breathing did not falter once, and his rhythm remained unchanged.

In the eyes of the ancient rock dragon lizard, confusion turned into fear.

It began to back away.

After most of the day had passed, Xu Chuan decided to stop holding back.

The Corruption Sword emerged from the spatial ring, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the dim cave.

Wind elemental power surged from Xu Chuan's palm, wrapped around the sword hilt, and lifted the sword into the air, with the tip aimed at the broken rock armor of the ancient rock dragon lizard.

The Corruption Sword shot out, its blade transforming into a white light that tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.

Pfft!

Unsurprisingly, the white light pierced through the ancient rock dragon lizard's body, entering from its back and exiting from its abdomen.

The ancient rock dragon lizard suddenly froze.

Its limbs were still lunging forward, but its body was no longer under its control.

It charged forward a few more steps, then crashed to the ground.

The body crashed to the ground, causing the cave to tremble violently. Dark yellow blood gushed from the wounds, seeping into the gravel and soil, emitting a pungent, fishy smell.

When the body dies, the soul has no one to rely on.

Xu Chuan raised his right hand and activated the Spirit Binding and Commanding.

Golden light surged from his palm, drawing the soul of the ancient rock dragon lizard from its corpse.

The enormous soul hovered in the cave, like a sleeping mountain.

“Soul, come.”

The soul was enveloped in golden light and shrank, shrinking from the size of a giant beast to the size of a small dog.

Xu Chuan absorbed the newly acquired soul into his body.

"It's done."

Chapter 175 Seven-Seven First, Walnut Second

The soul of the ancient rock dragon lizard was absorbed into his body, and Xu Chuan closed his eyes to sense it for a moment.

Three powerful soul entities now occupy different parts of his body.

Before Durinpan and Andrius, the newly arrived Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard huddled in a corner like a young beast, not daring to cross the line.

Dulin's aura was as intense as flames, while Andrius's was as cold as ice. The two intertwined, suppressing the Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard.

"My physical body can only accommodate a limited number of souls, so I need to find a way to expand the methods of nourishing souls."

Xu Chuan pondered as he adjusted the position of his soul within his body.

Dulin and Andrius are Demon God-level beings, while the Ancient Rock Dragon Lizard is merely a slightly stronger monster. The three are not even in the same league, so there's no question of them competing for it.

But what if we replaced them with more demon-level souls?

The limited number of monster souls is an unavoidable problem for him to realize his envisioned monster army.

Furthermore, Xu Chuan was not entirely satisfied with the combat power of the souls controlled by the Spirit Binding General.

The soul that dies is ultimately not as powerful as when it was alive.

Dulin was capable of burning mountains and boiling seas in his lifetime, but now, like Andrius, he can only barely maintain the combat power of a demon god.

If they encounter opponents of similar strength, the help they can provide is limited.

These problems need to be solved gradually.

On the other side, Ying skillfully dissected the ancient rock dragon lizard's body, cutting along the gaps in the rock armor with her sword blade, prying open the shell piece by piece to reveal the tender flesh and bones underneath.

She was agile and experienced adventurer.

She picked out the precious materials and sorted and packed them one by one.

"I'll help." Shen He quickly stepped forward.

She bent down, gripped the ancient rock dragon's body with both hands, and her arms bulged with strength, the veins on them slightly visible.

She moved that mountain-sized corpse all by herself.

With a loud bang, it landed belly up, causing the ground to collapse even further.

"Wow...that's some real strength!"

Paimon's mouth gaped slightly, his face filled with disbelief.

She circled Shen He twice, as if she were visiting some rare creature.

After all, putting aside Xu Chuan, there's someone with such great strength.

Ying was also shocked by the terrifying power contained within Shen He's slender body.

If I'm not mistaken, she didn't seem to have used any elemental power at all.

The sheer power of his physical body—the ability to flip an ancient rock dragon lizard with his bare hands—is this the power of an immortal?

Before long, Xu Chuan and Xiao also joined in.

The four men surrounded the mountain-sized corpse and began to work on it.

The sword flashed, the sharp blade sliced, and the usable parts were stripped away one by one.

The alchemical ingredients were sorted and packed away, while the fresh meat was cut into chunks and piled aside.

After gathering all the alchemical materials, Xu Chuan started cooking on the spot.

He took out pots and seasonings from his spatial ring, found a flat spot outside the cave, set up the pots and started a fire.

The meat of the ancient rock dragon lizard was sliced ​​thinly and then pan-fried.

The oil sizzled under the high temperature, releasing its aroma.

Xu Chuan tasted a piece, chewed it, and nodded.

"The meat of the ancient rock dragon lizard tastes pretty good."

The meat is firm but not dry, with little fat but evenly distributed. After pan-frying or grilling, it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique wild aroma.

"Really? I'll have some too!"

Paimon's eyes lit up instantly. He flew to the pot, stretched out his little paws, and then pulled them back.

Ying picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Xiao also tried a piece without saying a word, but then reached his chopsticks into the pot again.

"Miss Shen He, you're too kind."

Seeing that Shen He hesitated, Xu Chuan smiled and handed him a piece of cut meat.

"Lord Liuyun Jiefeng asked you to come with me to Liyue Harbor so that you could experience the various aspects of human life and temper your character."

"Trying different things is also a form of spiritual practice."

Shen He took the meat and looked down at the glistening, fragrant slice.

During her ascetic practice at Mount Aozang, she ate a variety of medicinal herbs and flowers every day, which were bland and tasteless, consisting of clear soup and water.

This was the first time she had ever tasted the flesh and blood of such a monster.

She took a bite.

Chew and swallow.

A rare hint of emotion flickered across that delicate, indifferent face.

"How is it?" Xu Chuan asked. "Is it different from what you imagined?"