A Blood Cave appeared on Liu Chuanxiong’s brow, faintly revealing the white of his brain matter. Then, his body crashed to the ground, never to stir again.
Killed by a single finger!
Ling Chen, too, felt a wave of emotion. Just moments ago, the incredibly arrogant Liu Chuanxiong had been killed by Elder Lv Meng with a single finger strike. The difference in their strength was truly immense.
"You two, how did such a simple task end up in such a massive mess?"
Lv Meng floated down from the treetop, frowning as he looked at Ling Chen with a hint of reproach.
Ling Chen shook his head with a wry smile, then turned his gaze to Xu Ruoyan at his side. "Elder Lv Meng, Xu Ruoyan is badly injured. You should take her back for treatment first."
"Alright!" Seeing Xu Ruoyan’s condition, Lv Meng’s expression filled with deep concern, and he took her into his arms.
This girl is injured so severely. I must take her away immediately. Lv Meng’s expression was somewhat anxious. His gaze then fell upon Ling Chen. "Kid, what about your injuries?"
"I’m not seriously injured, Elder Lv Meng. You don’t need to worry about me. Please, take her back for treatment quickly," Ling Chen said, a smile appearing on his face.
"Very well. Take care of yourself."
Holding Xu Ruoyan, Lv Meng moved as if treading on wind, his feet barely touching the ground as he sped off in a specific direction.
Once a martial artist reached the Grand Master realm, further cultivation of Light Skill would make their speed significantly greater than that of warriors below the Grand Master level.
This was why Ling Chen had urged Lv Meng to take Xu Ruoyan first. She had been struck by the Ice Shattering Palm. If she didn’t receive treatment soon, the consequences would be dire.
Watching their retreating figures, a trickle of fresh blood escaped the corner of Ling Chen’s mouth. His injuries were far from being as light as he had made them sound. He had taken a combined attack from two Martial Artists and one warrior, and even one of his ribs was broken. His injuries were severe.
Even so, Ling Chen didn’t reveal this to Lv Meng. The Elder could only carry one person. Besides, Ling Chen was not a member of the Sky Void Palace; they had no obligation to save him.
I need to find a place to heal quickly.
Ling Chen shook his head, then mobilized the remaining True Qi in his body and hurried towards the cave from which they had come.
Back in the cave, Ling Chen sat down cross-legged. He took a deep breath and began to circulate his True Qi.
After swallowing a Healing pill, its Medicinal Power quickly spread. Under Ling Chen’s guidance, it converged towards the wound on his chest.
For warriors, cultivation first strengthens the meridians. Among the many meridians, the heart meridians are the most critical. If a person’s heart meridians were severed, they would surely die.
This time, his injury was extremely dangerous. The broken rib had nearly pierced his heart, causing massive internal bleeding. Although he had managed to seal his meridians in time, such an injury could easily be fatal without prompt treatment.
However, to Ling Chen’s pleasant surprise, he found that after this injury, the Demon Ape Essence Blood within his body had actually assimilated a little more, yet the violent power it contained had not diminished in the slightest.
Abundant power instantly filled Ling Chen’s entire body, and even the pain from his wounds lessened considerably because of it.
The power in this Essence Blood is incredibly violent. I need to heal my wounds before refining it completely.
Having made this decision, Ling Chen took his time, slowly closing his eyes and quietly adjusting his internal state.
After the better part of half a day, Ling Chen’s injuries had mostly recovered.
After eating some dry rations to fill his stomach, Ling Chen began to refine the Demon Ape Essence Blood in his body.
Strands of extremely sharp Sky-Piercing Sword Qi surged out rapidly, like a stream, continuously washing over the Black Devil Ape Essence Blood embedded in his flesh and blood.
And with such intense washing, the originally crimson Demon Ape Essence Blood actually began to become somewhat purer, its violent aura rapidly diminishing.
Under the wondrous effects of this Lingtian True Qi, the refinement was proceeding with unexpected smoothness, much to Ling Chen’s surprise. However, despite this, Ling Chen gradually felt the True Qi in his Dantian nearing depletion. Just as he was about to quickly swallow an Elixir to sustain the refinement, the trace of Dragon Ape Essence Blood within his body suddenly began to tremble faintly.
The Dragon Ape Essence Blood spread over his blood vessels, then seeped in, instantly merging with the blood within them, becoming one.
At this moment, Ling Chen’s eyes also filled with crimson bloodlines. However, unlike the previous times when his rationality would diminish, this time, his blood-red gaze remained filled with calmness.
Feeling the immense power surging wildly within his body, a look of ecstatic joy appeared on Ling Chen’s face. He could sense that now, relying solely on his physical body, he could probably match experts of the warrior level. If he were to use other techniques, he was confident he could even face a higher-level Martial Artist head-on!
Ling Chen kicked out behind him. Instantly, a large Rock behind him exploded into fine powder. He then executed a set of Boxing techniques. Immediately, the air in the cave crackled, and the fierce wind from his fists swept over the surrounding stones, causing the entire cave to tremble.
Ling Chen threw a punch, and the stone wall on the inner side of the cave was shattered by this blow.
A look of delight appeared on Ling Chen’s face. If anyone else were here, they would surely be astounded. Was this someone who had just been severely injured? To be so full of life and vigor in such a short time, it was as if nothing had happened to him.
He had absorbed about fifty percent of the Demon Ape Essence Blood’s power. Although his Realm hadn’t broken through, his strength had achieved a new level.
I almost used too much force; I nearly brought down the entire cave.
Looking at the mess around him, Ling Chen gave a wry smile. However, when his gaze shifted to the inner part of the cave, he noticed that behind the Rock he had shattered, there was a hole about the size of a human head. A ray of light and a gust of cold, eerie wind were blowing out from this hole.
Could there be more to this cave than it seems?
Surprise flashed in Ling Chen’s eyes. He made a swift decision, taking two steps back. Then, circulating his True Qi once more, he punched out fiercely, striking the remaining stones repeatedly.
The stones shattered one after another. What then appeared before Ling Chen was an even larger space, four or five zhang high and a dozen-odd zhang in length and width. It was clearly a new Cave World.
Seeing this, Ling Chen’s eyes lit up. Generally, such Cave Worlds were remnants from distant ages, lost in such small places. Perhaps it was some ancient ruin, or maybe a tomb; it was hard to say.
Such places were often unpredictably dangerous.
However, Ling Chen showed no hesitation. He took out a flint, lit a torch, and walked into the depths of this Cave World.