Chapter 375 - 278: A Blessing in Disguise

The Celestial Dao seemed to have received the information and Merit transmitted by the Transformed Creatures.

The next moment.

BOOM!!

An immense surge of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi suddenly burst forth from the Rebirth Jade, instantly flooding his body.

This stream of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was at least ten times purer than the ordinary Primordial Qi of the outside world, and its volume was immense. It immediately slammed into his body, the impact far exceeding his physical limits. In fact, it was several times greater than the amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi he had actively drawn into himself during the previous battle.

Thankfully, the Primordial Qi obtained through Merit was exceptionally pure, with very few impurities. Otherwise, that instantaneous surge would have made Zhao Xuanqi’s injuries even worse.

Outside.

At that moment, Wang Sea and several experts from the Martial Arts Association were in disguise, carrying a "coffin" as they hurried toward the Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land.

Zhao Xuanqi was currently inside this very coffin.

The coffin was of special make. It had been custom-built by the Three Elders using an Array and a number of special materials. It was designed to block sensory detection, preventing anyone from tracking them, exposing Zhao Xuanqi’s location, and inviting unnecessary trouble.

The group carried the coffin in silence, their minds completely focused.

On one hand, they worried about an ambush. On the other, they feared another sudden change in Zhao Xuanqi’s condition.

Everyone had witnessed the power of the Black Flame emanating from his body. If they were unfortunate enough to be struck by it, their lives would be at stake. They had no choice but to be exceedingly careful.

THUMP THUMP!!

Suddenly, the intensely focused men heard a noise from within the coffin. In unison, their faces paled.

WHOOSH!!

Like startled birds, Wang Sea and the others carrying the coffin instantly let go and bolted, scrambling away from it as fast as they could.

THUD!!

No longer supported, the coffin crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The men scattered, keeping a distance of at least ten meters as they watched from afar, their expressions taut with tension.

HUMMM!!

A few seconds after the noise, they noticed a faint light seeping from within the coffin.

Then.

BOOM!!

The coffin lid was instantly blasted open by an immense force. It shot ten meters into the air before crashing heavily back to the ground.

The terrifying power contained within the radiating light made them all break out in a cold sweat.

If they hadn’t gotten away in time, they would have surely been injured by the impact of that force.

An injury from Primordial Qi was not so easy to heal.

’Just what was happening to Zhao Xuanqi now?’

’They were all top-tier experts, famous throughout the land. How had a simple escort mission for an unconscious man become so dangerous that they felt one wrong move could lead to their instant demise?’

’The Divine General realm...’

’It was just too absurd.’

Meanwhile.

’Too much! It’s too much!’

Zhao Xuanqi’s consciousness communicated with the Transformed Creatures, frantically sending them his intent.

Even though the Primordial Qi procured with Merit was exceptionally pure, the sheer volume was so far beyond his body’s limit that it was still causing damage.

He could already feel it. Various parts of his body were showing signs of Rainbow Transformation under the onslaught of Primordial Qi, and the injuries he had just managed to stabilize were worsening once more.

Thankfully, the Rebirth Jade conveyed his request to the Celestial Dao. The explosive torrent of Primordial Qi immediately slowed to a manageable flow. At the same time, he noticed that the numbers on his Merit record were now fluctuating much less wildly.

’Good grief. If I hadn’t actively regulated the flow, was it going to try and pump all the Primordial Qi from a single "Gain" into me at once?’

Zhao Xuanqi sighed inwardly. ’Looks like I’ll have to figure out the specifics of how this Rebirth Jade works by myself.’

Gradually, through his willpower, he adjusted the amount of Primordial Qi erupting from the Rebirth Jade, bringing it close to the maximum limit his body could endure.

’Fill the body with Primordial Qi, and let it be completely reforged...’

He used his mind to guide the surging Primordial Qi, distributing it to every part of his body and commanding it to fuse with his being.

FWOOSH!!

At the same time, as the concentration of Primordial Qi in Zhao Xuanqi’s body rose, the Black Flame covering him flared up as if doused in fuel, burning more fiercely than ever.

The Black Flame’s power was terrifying, a result of it being mixed with a trace of True Essence and combined with the inherent corrupting ability of a Bloodline Species. But this did not make it invincible. There was a limit to how much Primordial Qi even it could burn.

It was just that no ordinary life form could possibly replenish Primordial Qi fast enough to compensate for what the Black Flame consumed. But Zhao Xuanqi was different. As long as his Merit held out, he had a plentiful supply of Primordial Qi to refine and use, offsetting the drain from the flames.

He could even supply more than the Black Flame could burn, using the excess to strengthen his body.

Moreover, the burning of the Black Flame brought Zhao Xuanqi an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

The Primordial Qi that passed through the Black Flame had its already-scarce impurities burned away, making it even purer and easier for him to absorb.

This process didn’t just affect the Primordial Qi; it affected Zhao Xuanqi’s body as well. The searing Black Flame acted like a catalyst, accelerating the fusion between his body and the Primordial Qi. Through this constant cycle of consumption, replenishment, and recovery, both his Flesh Body and the Primordial Qi within were like steel in a forge, undergoing a deep tempering that made them tougher and more robust.

His body was the furnace, the fire refining pure essence!

Yin Yang reversed; disaster and fortune were intertwined.

A crisis, in itself, was also an opportunity.

Zhao Xuanqi became completely immersed in his cultivation.

"Is it quiet now?"

Wang Sea muttered to himself, watching as the light inside the coffin gradually faded until it was silent once more.

"Should we go take a look?"

A Harmony master beside him suggested.

"Let’s wait a bit longer, just to be safe," Wang Sea said after a moment’s thought, wary of another incident. "Stay alert for anyone spying on us. We can’t have our location and identities exposed."

The men waited in place for about ten more minutes before they dared to slowly approach the coffin.

"He doesn’t seem... any different?"

a Harmony master said, glancing at Zhao Xuanqi lying in the coffin. He couldn’t see any difference from before.

"I don’t know. Matters of the Divine General realm are beyond our understanding. We can’t possibly fathom it. In any case, as long as his condition isn’t getting worse, it’s a good thing, right?"

someone replied.

"That’s true. The more we’re exposed to it, the more we understand how terrifying a Divine General is. Chairman Zhao is severely injured, yet even his unconscious reactions are enough to fill us with dread. It’s like Divine Generals and us exist in two different worlds."

another man lamented.

Everyone nodded at his words. They were among the top masters in the Divine Land, yet a severely wounded and comatose Zhao Xuanqi could still make them feel threatened. It was simply inconceivable.

But alongside their awe, their hearts grew heavy.

’What kind of power could push such a being into this state?’ The thought alone was enough to breed despair in their hearts.

"Let’s go," Wang Sea said with a sigh. "Since he seems stable, we need to make up for lost time."

Hearing this, the men all composed themselves and resumed their journey.

No matter what horrors lay ahead, they could not back down.

To take even one step back meant the destruction of their nation and the extinction of their people.

Zhao Xuanqi ignored the events of the outside world, dedicating only a sliver of his awareness to sensing the passage of time and guarding against any life-or-death crises.

Right now, he had to make every second count.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Zhao Xuanqi discovered that after ten continuous days of Primordial Qi infusion, the "Gains" digit on his Merit record had finally ticked over completely, changing from a "seven" to a "six."

A single "Gain’s" worth of Merit had sustained nearly ten days of his Primordial Qi consumption.

’Three Merits and Seven Gains... The amount of Merit Li Zhenyuan left behind really isn’t small, at least by the standards of this world. But I still can’t be sure if it will be enough.’

Zhao Xuanqi mused. This amount of Merit seemed like it could last for a long time, but his goal was not something that could be achieved overnight.

Back then, it had taken Li Zhenyuan a full eight years to go from breaking through to the Divine General realm to condensing a single trace of True Essence, and that was with the help of the Transformed Creatures.

Having confirmed the Merit exchange rate and sensed his safe arrival at the Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land, Zhao Xuanqi completely withdrew his consciousness. He focused solely on his cultivation, losing all track of day and night.

And at that very moment, the winds of change began to sweep across the world.