Now, his body refining power has already surpassed his martial arts strength. A single punch is enough to severely injure a True Dao Fifth Layer martial artist.
Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, with foul odors wafting around him, Chu Ming boiled some water to take a bath. After finishing, he instantly felt refreshed, his spirit reaching its peak.
"I’ll stay in Lanyu City for a few days."
Chu Ming thought to himself. Although his "Fire Element Body Forging Chapter" had broken through to the Fifth Layer, it was still far from true Great Success. According to the introduction in the body refining technique, only when the power of fire inside the body reaches one hundred strands can it be considered Great Success. These strands can then merge to form a single fire essence, at which point the body will become like a large furnace, continuously absorbing spiritual power from the surroundings to refine the body, reaching Perfection.
Chu Ming did not consider achieving Perfection in his "Fire Element Body Forging Chapter" at this time; it was unrealistic. Currently, even a hundred-year-old Blood Spirit Flower could only refine seven to eight strands of the power of fire. Achieving Great Success would be a long process.
In Celestial River Kingdom, three people stand at the pinnacle of the young generation.
The first is Black Ink from Black Water Sect, who has comprehended Sword Intent. His cultivation is True Dao First Layer, and he was just taken as an Inner Sect Disciple by Celestial Travel Sect a few days ago.
The second is Bei Wushuang from Beihua Sect, known as "Young Master Bei Hua." He has not comprehended any Intent, but his body refining technique is extremely formidable. He once punched and killed a Fifth Level top-tier Demon Beast. Strictly speaking, Bei Hua’s strength is stronger than Black Ink’s, but since Bei Hua is two years older than Black Ink, his reputation in Celestial River Kingdom is not as prominent as Black Ink’s.
Chu Ming now possesses the power of eleven hundred tigers, comparable to Young Master Bei Hua.
As for the third, she is the cherished daughter of the Sovereign of Celestial River Kingdom, Princess Huo Yun, who has comprehended the Seed of Sword Intent. In the future, she will also be a Sword Dao Master.
As night falls, the stars dim, the sky darkens, and a gentle breeze rustles the slender willows in the courtyard, making a soft whispering sound.
Inside his room, Chu Ming sat cross-legged on his bed, holding a Middle Grade Spirit Stone. Continuous streams of spiritual power entered his body, slowly accumulating spiritual power within his dantian.
After a while, Chu Ming opened his eyes, a hint of sigh in them. As his strength increased, the speed of his cultivation slowed down. He had been at the Ninth Layer of the Transcendence Realm for dozens of days, yet still remained stagnant.
He couldn’t help but chuckle at his own dissatisfaction. For True Dao martial artists, each advancement requires considerable time. For those in the Guiyuan Realm and the Realm of Transcendence, this is even more true; a single retreat often spans years.
For Life and Death Realm Kings, staying in one realm for a century is normal.
In the small courtyard, Chu Ming continued cultivating and resting. Ten days later, he arrived once more at the entrance to the Blood Demon Sea.
On the slope, yellow sand spread far and wide, a desolate scene. Dozens of figures surrounded Chu Ming, holding various weapons, staring at him coldly.
"I didn’t expect you to dare come to Blood Demon Sea again. This time next year will be your death anniversary!"
At the front of the group, Huang Lei said maliciously, gripping a blade with his single arm. His body had only one arm; the hatred from losing his limb was irreconcilable. Originally, he thought he might never have another chance to encounter Chu Ming, but fate had other plans.
"So much nonsense, just a defeated opponent!"
Chu Ming squinted his eyes, briefly scanning the surrounding martial artists. They were all dressed in gray, radiating a faint evil qi, indicating they had killed many. Clearly, Huang Lei understood he was no match for Chu Ming, thus he had brought these helpers.
"Huang Lei, remember your promise."
A seductive woman in leather armor, eyes glinting like serpents, reminded Huang Lei coldly. Her tight leather armor perfectly outlined her alluring curves.
"As long as you help me kill him, that item will naturally be yours!"
Huang Lei’s eyes showed a flicker of pain, but remembering his deep-seated feud with Chu Ming, he firmed his resolve and said steadfastly.
The leather-clad woman nodded contentedly. She was well-known in this area and had long coveted the treasure Huang Lei possessed. Initially, she hesitated due to Huang Lei’s strength, but with him actively seeking her help now, the treasure would be her reward.
The leather-clad woman’s eyes flashed with malice as she commanded the gray-clad martial artists, who instantly raised numerous iron arrow crossbows, their cold, gleaming arrows ready.
Chu Ming’s eyes showed a hint of surprise, raising his evaluation of the woman. Single-piece iron arrow crossbows posed little threat to martial artists of the Transcendence Realm, but quantity could lead to qualitative change; dense iron arrows were capable of killing True Dao martial artists.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Numerous iron arrows shot towards Chu Ming from all directions, like a swarm of locusts. Even a True Dao Fourth Layer martial artist could be killed if caught off guard.
Chu Ming took a deep breath, and amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, clenched his right fist. His robe fluttered, his handsome face showing no signs of panic. His right arm stretched, muscles slightly bulging, a faint yellow glow flickering on his fist.
As the iron arrows reached him, Chu Ming punched out, yellow light like a dragon. In his punch, he infused two strands of the power of fire, instantly creating a continuous sound of air being blasted. Waves of qi surged around, creating deep holes in the ground.
The icy iron arrows encountered the dragon-like fist force and instantly turned into molten iron, dripping onto the ground. The fist force swept through, extinguishing all gray-clad martial artists except the leather-clad woman and Huang Lei without making any sound.
The leather-clad woman’s face changed drastically. Chu Ming’s strength far exceeded her expectations. According to Huang Lei’s statement, Chu Ming’s power was supposed to be comparable to his, and with her help, they could kill Chu Ming. Now, it seemed that not even ten of her could match Chu Ming.
This was no longer a matter of quantity but a qualitative change, akin to how numerous ordinary people could not kill a True Dao martial artist.
"Huang Lei, you’ve deceived me!"
Watching Chu Ming slowly approaching, the leather-clad woman glared at Huang Lei with bitter resentment.
"Impossible, impossible, how can you be this strong?!"
At this moment, Huang Lei was utterly disarrayed, muttering to himself in disbelief.