The Sword Aura flashed past.
The world fell silent for a moment.
The Grey Robe Guardian’s charging figure froze. A thin line of blood trickled down from the center of his forehead.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the frenzied, blood-red light in his eyes faded, leaving only a hollow, deathly gray.
THUD.
His body fell heavily to the ground.
The Blood Puppet, caught mid-pounce, froze like a marionette with its strings cut. Then, it crumbled apart, collapsing into a heap of shattered bone and foul-smelling ooze.
Liang Cheng didn’t stop. Suppressing the turmoil roiling within him, he cut down the remaining Fire Worship Sect disciples.
Only after every disciple had fallen did he stand, saber in hand, and slowly exhale a foul breath. The faint blue halo around him gradually receded.
Liang Cheng turned to the barely breathing people below the altar. Lin Yue was unconscious, but the eyes of the Lin Family members and the miners once again shone with a flicker of hope.
He swung his saber, severing their bonds.
"Take Patriarch Lin and get out of here first."
Lin Chong, being at Transformation Force Perfection, was weak but otherwise mobile now that he was free.
"Town Guardian Liang, thank you!"
With that, he hoisted Lin Yue onto his back and directed the Lin Family members and miners to support one another as they staggered toward the tunnel exit.
Liang Cheng finally relaxed and was about to search the bodies when the pile of Blood Marrow Jade Raw Stones at the center of the altar—their Qi Blood now raging out of control—suddenly flared with a blinding crimson light!
A destructive wave of energy was rapidly building within them!
Though the Grey Robe Guardian was dead, his final act of burning his own life force seemed to have completely detonated these unstable energy crystals!
Liang Cheng’s face changed, and he shot backward.
But it was too late.
The devastating wave erupted!
The entire grotto began to tremble violently!
...
The raging crimson light instantly devoured everything.
The instant the energy erupted, Liang Cheng held his Zhenxian Saber horizontally before him. He pushed his Golden Armor Realm cultivation technique to its absolute limit, causing a solid, pale-gold Protective Light Shield to materialize around him.
BOOM—!!!
Raging Qi and Blood Energy, mixed with shattered rock, slammed into him. The shield shook violently, emitting a low hum as if on the verge of collapse.
Liang Cheng felt a massive force slam into his chest. A sweet taste filled his throat as blood rose, but he forced it back down. His skin stung as if pierced by countless needles; the Blood Evil energy was frantically eroding him.
Each impact made the shield a fraction more solid. Each wave of corrosion made its pale-gold luster grow deeper and more profound.
’A few lines of small text were constantly changing in the depths of his consciousness. His Golden Armor Realm was steadily improving.’ This was why he didn’t give up and retreat, but chose to weather the storm.
[Stone Armor Skill (Golden Armor): Perfection]
After what felt like an eternity, under the relentless assault and pressure of the raging Qi and Blood Energy, the barrier to the next stage of his Golden Armor Realm finally shattered.
The pale-gold light on his skin completely receded. His flesh became as smooth as jade, yet indestructible. Metallic patterns flowed beneath the surface. His defensive and physical strength had skyrocketed once more!
His Stone Armor Skill, a Hard Skill, had now reached the final Perfection Realm!
However, the aftershocks of the altar’s explosion weren’t over. Though less than the amount of energy required to reach Golden Armor Realm Perfection, a torrent was still pouring madly into his body.
This chaotic energy was enough to make an ordinary True Qi Realm Martial Artist explode. Liang Cheng grunted, and trickles of blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
He didn’t dare to slacken in the slightest. He resisted with the full power of his Golden Armor Realm while simultaneously circulating the Second Layer Heart Method of the Broken Wave Technique at full force.
His nine True Qi Seeds spun like nine small vortexes, forced to frantically devour the raging Qi Blood pouring into him. The True Qi coursed through his Meridians faster and faster, almost creating the thunderous roar of a great tide.
His Cultivation, which should have required a long and patient effort to increase, was now advancing at an astonishing rate.
[Broken Wave Technique Second Layer: Beginner Level (1047/2000)]
...
[Broken Wave Technique Second Layer: Minor Success (1/6000)]
...
[Broken Wave Technique Second Layer: Minor Success (2999/6000)]
As the last wisp of raging Qi Blood was refined and absorbed, the surging True Qi in Liang Cheng’s body gradually calmed. His nine True Qi Seeds had grown a size larger, their light was more substantial, and his total True Qi had reached a new peak.
The Second Layer of his Broken Wave Technique was now at the Minor Success Realm, almost halfway complete. However, his Meridians had sustained widespread damage from the violent energy. Although his True Qi had increased dramatically, he would need at least half a month of recuperation to fully stabilize his Realm.
He slowly opened his eyes. For a fleeting moment, the phantom image of a pale-blue tide flashed within them. The aura around him was now deep and heavy.
Dust and smoke filled the grotto. The altar had completely collapsed, and the Blood Marrow Jade Raw Stones were all reduced to powder, mixed in with the rubble.
The bodies of the Grey Robe Guardian and his subordinates had long been reduced to ash. Liang Cheng coughed up a mouthful of foul air flecked with blood. Though it was a blessing in disguise that had advanced his Cultivation, the internal injuries from withstanding the explosion remained.
He looked at the half-collapsed tunnel entrance and breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn’t absorbed the brunt of the violent energy, he would have been buried alive.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the tunnel. Wu Zhenshan was the first to rush in, followed by Zhou Jin and a large contingent of Martial Preparation Hall soldiers.
Wu Zhenshan’s face was a mask of shock as he took in the wreckage of the grotto.
"Town Guardian Liang, what are you doing here? What happened?"
Liang Cheng nodded. "Let’s head back first. I’ll explain later."
Zhou Jin nodded, ordering his men to clear the scene while he quickly helped Liang Cheng out. Wu Zhenshan followed behind. Sensing the fluctuations in Liang Cheng’s aura, he was inwardly seething. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, yet the smile on his face grew ever more sincere.
’Eight years of planning, countless efforts... all destroyed in a single day, just as I was about to reap the rewards. What’s worse, not only did that Liang Cheng not die, but it seems he even had a blessing in disguise—his Cultivation has greatly advanced.’
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