Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 119: One hundred nineteen: Tempering

Chapter 119: One hundred nineteen: Tempering

Crack!

Yun Xiao took out a dagger from his Waist Storage and sliced open the belly of the giant crab. Although the belly was much softer than the back, it was still relatively hard, much harder than Yun Xiao’s own flesh. When he cut into it, a strange sound was emitted.

"Heh heh, I’m really quite lucky!"

Yun Xiao reached into it, fumbling around, and soon a look of joy appeared on his face. Drawn back into his palm was a blood-stained Demon Core.

Generally speaking, it is rare to find a fully formed Demon Core within a low-level Third Rank Vein Demon. Obtaining one largely depends on luck, demonstrating that Yun Xiao’s luck had truly returned.

A Demon Core was naturally indispensable to Yun Xiao, but at this moment, he just wiped it off before storing it into his Waist Storage. He then reached his hand into the belly of the giant crab Vein Demon once again.

When Yun Xiao’s right hand felt a trace of warmth, he was overjoyed, knowing that his purpose for coming to Yurong Mountain had finally been achieved.

Withdrawing his right arm again, in Yun Xiao’s palm now was a fiery-red jade stone. This jade, however, was extraordinary due to the warmth it emitted and the faint red luminescence it exuded.

"It really is a Fire Stone Heart!"

Seeing the appearance of the jade stone and sensing the aura it emitted, Yun Xiao had no more doubts. To be honest, previously at the bottom of the hot spring, he couldn’t confirm it was the Fire Stone Heart because before he could thoroughly examine it, the jade stone had already been swallowed by the giant crab Vein Demon.

The true Fire Stone Heart, which has an extremely rich Fire Attribute Energy content due to being at the bottom of the hot spring for years absorbing a lot of Water Attribute Energy. The complementing energies had formed this special-effect Fire Stone Heart over the years.

Now that he had the Fire Stone Heart, the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures needed to neutralize the Stone Heart Marrow power were all gathered. Therefore, after looking around, he resolved to use the Stone Heart Marrow for Body Refinement right there.

This place might have been still due to the presence of that giant crab Vein Demon, and Yun Xiao believed that other Vein Demons from outside did not know of this overlord’s death and would unlikely disturb this area.

Deciding this, Yun Xiao saw him swipe his hand at his waist, soon producing a verdant Jade Bowl in his hands. In the next moment, various strange things appeared beside him.

These items were naturally the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures used to neutralize the medicinal properties of Stone Heart Marrow. They might not necessarily be herbs grown in soil but each had its unique efficacy.

These were items Yun Xiao had found with difficulty inside Jade Pot Cave. If not for the lack of the most crucial Fire Stone Heart, he would have likely used this Stone Heart Marrow to enhance his Physical Strength back at Jade Pot Sect.

After preparing these items, Yun Xiao swiped his hand at his waist again, and a Jade Bottle materialized, which contained the Stone Heart Marrow.

Without any hesitation, Yun Xiao poured the Stone Heart Marrow from the Jade Bottle into the Jade Bowl. A pool of black liquid emitted an eerie aura, but this did not stop Yun Xiao’s movements.

It should be noted that Yun Xiao was indeed a genuine low-level Mortal Rank Meridian Refining Master, and his Meridian Refining Techniques were likely even more advanced than Zhao Ningshu or Xuan Zhi, owing to his rich experience from his past life.

Now, refining the power of Stone Heart Marrow, for example, involved the memory heritage of the previous life as Long Xiao Battle God. Without this, even with the Stone Heart Marrow, perhaps only a Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Master could refine it to a degree suitable for cultivators in the Early Stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm to undergo Body Refining.

"Meridian Fire, appear!"

As Yun Xiao’s low command sounded, a blood-red flame suddenly appeared at the bottom of the verdant Jade Bowl, and under Yun Xiao’s control, the Jade Bowl naturally remained undamaged.

Gurgle...

After a moment, the black Stone Heart Marrow in the Jade Bowl began to steam, and bubbles surfaced, bringing a smile to Yun Xiao’s face.

"Body Tempering Ginseng, Condensing Liquid, Refining Body Vine, ..."

One by one, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were burned by Yun Xiao’s Meridian Fire into liquids and medicine powders which he then added into the Stone Heart Marrow in the Jade Bowl, causing unknown changes.

About two hours later, when Yun Xiao smelled a faint fragrance, he knew the crucial moment had arrived. He then threw out the newly obtained Fire Stone Heart, directly tossing it into the neutralized Stone Heart Marrow.

This time, Yun Xiao did not use the Meridian Fire to refine the Fire Stone Heart, because he wanted to utilize the inherent power of the Fire Stone Heart. He also believed that the Stone Heart Marrow at this moment could absorb the power from the Fire Stone Heart to reach a perfect state.

The experience from Yun Xiao’s past life proved to be no mere talk. As time passed, another two hours passed and night began to fall, the originally black Stone Heart Marrow gradually took on a faint reddish hue.

Fire red and pitch black intertwined, casting an eerie and mystical presence in the dark night, but Yun Xiao, who had seen the perfect Stone Heart Marrow in his previous life, felt only joy in his heart.

"It’s time!"

Muttering to himself, Yun Xiao swiped his right hand over his Waist Storage, and a large wooden barrel that had been prepared beforehand suddenly appeared. He then scooped up some hot spring water, ready for everything.

"Success or failure, it all depends on this one move!"

Looking at the steaming hot spring water, Yun Xiao gritted his teeth and poured nearly a bowl of Stone Heart Marrow into the barrel. In the next moment, the water that was previously clear and transparent instantly turned a dark red.

Yun Xiao, with prior experience, didn’t overthink it and stripped completely, diving headfirst into the barrel, even submerging his head under the water.

"Ah, it hurts!"

Upon entering the barrel, Yun Xiao felt a scorching pain first, followed by a kind of special energy forcibly pressing into his body, causing him to cry out in pain under the water.

However, all of this was within Yun Xiao’s expectations. He knew that the refinement process with Stone Heart Marrow would be exceedingly painful, equivalent to re-refining a human body to expel impurities. If one did not undergo such pain, how could such effects be achieved?

Furthermore, Yun Xiao knew this process would not be short—lasting at least several days. So, after the initial severe pain, he remained silent.

.....

While Yun Xiao was absorbing and refining the Stone Heart Marrow to strengthen his physique in the hot springs, at the southern entrance of Yurong Mountain, a robust figure quickly approached.

If Yun Xiao were here, he might recognize this robust figure as Guan Tong, who he had shaken off not far from the north side of the Jade Pot Sect. However, Guan Tong’s expression was quite unpleasant now.

Truthfully, as a cultivator at the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm and almost stepping into the Meridian Rushing Realm, being played by Yun Xiao previously was an extreme disgrace for Guan Tong.

Originally, Guan Tong had wanted to settle the score with Yun Xiao by sacrificing 500 points of pain just outside the Jade Pot Sect, but unexpectedly, he ended up capsizing in the gutter, barely escaping from a third-rank advanced peak Night Wolf Owl.

That battle had drained all of Guan Tong’s skills, barely allowing him to escape. From that moment, his intent to kill Yun Xiao surged, an intent that he had always harbored.

Fortunately, Guan Tong knew that Yun Xiao’s mission was at Yurong Mountain, so he hadn’t gone in the wrong direction. After traveling for almost half a month, he finally reached Yurong Mountain.

"Yun Xiao, just wait, I won’t let you leave Yurong Mountain alive!"

A resentful voice emerged from Guan Tong as his figure rapidly vanished at the entrance of Yurong Mountain, leaving behind a strong gust of wind, quite impressive indeed.

Several hours after Guan Tong’s figure disappeared at the entrance, another figure arrived gracefully, clad in green robes. This figure seemed somewhat slender, and a mild smile was on his face, appearing quite dashing.

"Hehe, Fire Spirit Crystal, this time it’s mine!" Shen Xiao, announcing himself, chuckled lightly, then moved slightly, disappearing at the entrance of Yurong Mountain like a ghost. His movement speed appeared even faster than Guan Tong’s.

However, what Shen Xiao didn’t notice was that shortly after his entry into Yurong Mountain, at another nearby entrance, a mysterious young man also appeared. This individual, however, did not utter a word, and his disappearance into Yurong Mountain seemed as if it had never happened.

As these individuals entered, Yurong Mountain was bound to become increasingly lively, but Yun Xiao, currently at a particular hot spring location, was no longer concerned with these matters, as he had reached a critical moment.

It had been exactly seven days since Yun Xiao had entered the barrel to absorb the power of the Stone Heart Marrow, and throughout these seven days, the Stone Heart Marrow’s power was ceaselessly refining his body, steadily enhancing his physical strength.

Yet, even the most flawless plan could encounter unexpected issues. This was the underestimated energy of the Stone Heart Marrow by Yun Xiao after reincarnation.

Or perhaps it was an underestimation of the endurance of his body. By the seventh day, he suddenly realized that his ability to absorb the energy of the Stone Heart Marrow had reached its saturation point.

Human bodies have a limit to how much energy they can store, which also limits how much their bodies can endure through refining processes.

At this moment, Yun Xiao had undoubtedly reached his limit; however, there remained a significant amount of Stone Heart Marrow energy left in the barrel, becoming a deadly poison.

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