Chapter 704 - 185: Ghost Bone Elder: You’ve Gone Too Far! You’ve Gone Too Far

Chapter 704: Chapter 185: Ghost Bone Elder: You’ve Gone Too Far! You’ve Gone Too Far

As the fourth Demon Puppet Fierce Soul was brutally refined and devoured by the banner, the originally ink-black Ten Thousand Souls Banner began to faintly glow with a dark crimson light.

Countless ghastly faces roared on its surface, emitting a Yin Evil Qi so condensed it felt tangible, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet to a freezing point.

"The fifth one..."

Chu Fan rushed relentlessly to the Chaotic Burial Mound where the fifth Demon Puppet had been, only to find the place completely empty, leaving behind nothing but a giant, deep pit.

Evidently, the Ghost Bone Elder had sensed the danger. At the cost of damaging his own Divine Soul, he had remotely awakened the Demon Puppet and commanded it to burrow into the earth to escape.

But it hardly mattered.

This little excursion had been incredibly profitable.

Four Fierce Souls, each with the power of the Bright Heart Realm—especially that terrifying entity from the Chaotic Stone Forest, which was comparable to an Ancient Relic Species—had drastically increased the might of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Now, with just a casual wave, the horde of demonic shadows it could summon would be enough to tear an ordinary late-stage Bright Heart Realm expert to shreds.

Chu Fan looked up at the sky.

There were only seven days left until the Profound Origin Secret Realm opened.

In his eyes, those so-called peak Bright Heart Realm prodigies were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

What truly concerned him were the unknown dangers lurking within the Profound Origin Secret Realm.

’I have to raise my strength another level before I go in!’

Without further hesitation, Chu Fan moved like the wind, unleashing his Running Technique. He became a residual image, changing direction and speeding toward Qing Province City.

The wind howled in his ears as the scenery on both sides blurred past.

As he ran at top speed, his mind raced, reviewing the cultivation systems of this world.

There were countless cultivation methods in this world, but they all ultimately led to the same goal and could be broadly divided into three main systems.

The first was "Qi Refining."

This was the current mainstream, encompassing Martial Artists, the Taoist Sect, and the Buddhist Sect.

They absorbed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, transformed it into Primordial Qi, and wielded vast Divine Techniques and boundless Magical Power.

The second was "Soul Refining."

This was the strange and unpredictable path of the Warlock.

They did not cultivate their physical bodies and accumulated little Primordial Qi, specializing instead in cultivating their Divine Soul and Telekinesis. Their methods were sinister and ruthless, allowing them to kill without a trace.

The third, and the rarest and most difficult, was "Body Refinement."

In the eyes of outsiders, the Chu Fan of today was a Body Cultivator who had honed his physical form to the absolute limit.

His ultimate trump card, the Vajra Undying Body, followed the path of becoming a Saint of Flesh.

It involved cultivating one’s meridians, qi, blood, skin, and bones, achieving the power to shatter all techniques with brute force.

It didn’t matter what Divine Techniques or Magic one faced—a single punch could shatter them all. The body itself was a Divine Weapon.

Body Cultivators had their own cultivation realms.

Previously, Chu Fan had only cared about what layer his Vajra Undying Body had reached and hadn’t paid much attention to the specific realm divisions for Body Cultivators.

Based on his combat experience, he judged that the third layer of his Vajra Undying Body was roughly equivalent to the Early Stage of the Ruyi Realm.

He could kill a peak Bright Heart Realm expert in three punches, so even if he hadn’t truly reached the Ruyi Realm, he couldn’t be far from it.

But if he wanted his path to becoming a Saint of Flesh to proceed more smoothly, it was necessary to return to the Demon Suppression Bureau and research their information on Body Cultivation.

Although the Vajra Subduing Demon Skill was powerful, its might would surely ascend to a new level if he could supplement it with a systematic Body Cultivation Method.

More importantly, Chu Fan had no intention of abandoning his Martial Arts Cultivation.

The Traits of his various Cultivation Techniques were all built upon a foundation of Primordial Qi.

Furthermore, a powerful Magical Treasure like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner also required an abundant supply of Primordial Qi to function.

He had previously put his Martial Arts Realm breakthroughs on hold mainly because he was spooked by that damned "Pollution Level."

After all, in this bizarre world, the last thing he wanted was to descend into madness while cultivating.

Thus, during this period, even while sitting on a mountain of Treasure Plants and Spirit Pills in his Sumeru Ring, he had forcefully resisted the urge to use them and controlled himself not to absorb too much of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism.

But who could have known that even after almost completely cutting off his Spiritual Mechanism intake, the "Pollution Level" on that strange system panel continued to increase, slowly but surely!

In that moment, Chu Fan finally figured it out.

The source of this damned pollution wasn’t external Elixirs or Spiritual Mechanism at all, but the Demon Suppression Stele residing in his palm!

’If that’s the case, what’s the use of worrying about my Martial Arts Cultivation Realm?’

’Why hold back on using Elixirs and Treasure Plants?’

Chu Fan cursed inwardly as a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

’Since the Pollution Level will rise even if I just drink water, why should I hold back?’

’In seven days, it’s impossible for my Vajra Undying Body to break through another layer. But as for raising my Martial Arts Realm... I have more than enough resources for that!’

’The Primordial Qi of a Third or Fourth Heaven Divine Power Realm cultivator is indeed weak—insignificant before a truly powerful expert.’

But!

’The Extreme Cold Freeze Qi and Yellow Springs Death Qi unleashed by my Twelve True Forms Fist are rooted in Primordial Qi!’

’The stronger the Primordial Qi, the more potent the Fist Intent!’

’Besides, an ultimate weapon like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner consumes a massive amount of Primordial Qi with every activation.’

At this thought, Chu Fan no longer hesitated.

While sprinting at full speed, he flipped his palm, and an exquisite jade bottle appeared in his hand.

He flicked the stopper open with his thumb, and a rich medicinal aroma instantly wafted out.

It was a Five-Stripe Essence Enhancing Pill!

An ordinary Divine Power Realm Martial Artist would need to enter seclusion for three days to slowly refine a single pill; otherwise, they would risk having their meridians shatter.

Without even looking, Chu Fan tilted his head back and tipped three of them straight into his mouth!

GULP!

The three round elixirs went down his throat, instantly transforming into three scalding currents that surged into his abdomen like an eruption of magma!

BOOM!

The violent medicinal power instantly detonated within his body, transforming into a raging torrent that crashed through his limbs and bones.

Had it been anyone else, their body would have likely burst like an overinflated ball.

But Chu Fan merely let out a muffled grunt, his skin taking on a faint golden glow.

His meridians, as tough as dragon sinew, withstood the impact and began to devour and refine the violent medicinal power, absorbing it like a great whale drinking the sea!

"Incredible!"

A sharp light burst from Chu Fan’s eyes. He could feel the once-dry lake of Primordial Qi in his Dantian instantly swell!

"Again!"

Riding the wave of this immense medicinal power, Chu Fan let out a long cry as the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture within him began to spin frantically.

WHOOSH—

His sprinting figure instantly blurred, finally becoming a wisp of pure wind that completely merged with the world around him.

In that instant, his speed doubled!