Chapter Eighteen: The Barbarian Elephant Spirit

  "Tribe leader!" Qian Gu said in a low voice, "Brothers, we're dead!"

  Take a deep breath, Shi Zhi Xuan looked into the distance and said: "Bring the soil from here back, bury it in the tomb of the soldiers. There are mysterious things happening recently, the other end of Pan Lei mountain range is also restless, there are changes in the north, we can't act rashly for now, from now on, focus all our efforts on excavating the refined stone and distribute them, perhaps our time is limited."

  Shi Qiren and Shi Taiyi exchanged a glance, both of them were shocked, if it was really the case, it might be a great disaster.

  At this moment, Shi Zhixuan looked at the broken gun, and a hint of strange color flashed in his eyes. After a moment, he sighed: "Take this gun back, bury it in the tomb of arms, and bury it with Stone Gong."

  Shi Lei and Shi Qian were both stunned at the same time, Shi Qian stared blankly at the broken gun, which was still humming, its body stained with blood, dripping down one drop at a time. He slowly clenched his fist, his fingernails digging into his flesh.

  Tens of miles away.

  A dark shadow emerged, and a hint of heart palpitations appeared in his pitch-black eyes.

  "How infuriating! You've ruined my Soul-Devouring Formation. If it weren't for this, I could have at least condensed a fake Soul Pellet. With two fake Soul Pellets in hand, I would have had a 100% guarantee."

  A sharp glint flashed in his dark eyes, and he said coldly: "However, since it's come to this, I'll first return to the Wind Tooth tribe. First, I'll refine that external incarnation, then refine the entire Wind Tooth tribe. Although it will stir up trouble, as long as I can advance again, unless an upper-grade Blood Clan takes action, this entire area of several thousand miles will be my blood food!"

  Three days later, east of the Bloodstone Tribe, a thousand miles away.

  Feng Yan and dozens of others stood quietly at the foot of an ancient mountain, their faces solemn and respectful, with cloud patterns flashing on their foreheads, flickering uncertainly.

  After counting his breaths, a black shadow emerged from afar, like a ghost, and with one step, it was already dozens of feet away. In the blink of an eye, it had arrived right in front of him.

  "Hand him over to me, and you two go back. After that, bury the essence stones according to the formation chart I gave you." The dark shadow chuckled, "When I get back, I'll increase your lifespan for both of you."

  The two Fengyan were overjoyed when they heard this, and they bowed their heads in succession: "Thank you, Master Biyun."

  He reached out and grabbed Xiao Yi, pulling him into his grasp. The dark figure waved his hand: "Go."

  "Yes! Lord Azure Cloud!"

  Waiting until Fengyan and the others gradually went far away, Heiying let out a sneer, he took one step forward, his whole body suddenly rising into the air, continuously ascending tens of zhang before his footsteps lightly touched the mountain wall again, then once more soared upwards. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the middle of the mountain waist, weaving through the mountains, and after a moment, he came to a hidden cave within the mountains.

  The cave was enormous, at least several dozen feet in diameter. In the center of the cave stood a three-meter-tall bronze cauldron, its surface densely covered with cloud patterns. Below the cauldron was an opening that led directly into the belly of the mountain, where scarlet flames burst forth, enveloping half of the cauldron. The rolling heat waves churned within the cave. Black Shadow put down his flute and didn't seem to make any movement, but a green jade box suddenly appeared in his hand. As he opened the box, a bright green lotus flower emerged. The entire lotus was crystal clear, with eleven leaves. As soon as it appeared, it emitted a rich fragrance. After taking a deep breath, Black Shadow's eyes revealed an unwillingness to part with it.

  "This azure-colored flesh lotus is a highly nourishing substance, although it has not yet reached spiritual awareness, it already has over 1,100 years of medicinal age and is a rare treasure. Unfortunately, my physical body cannot withstand its potency before ascending, as my path requires that if the physical body is too strong, it will constrain the spirit and make it difficult to break through later on. It's better to use it to refine this physical body instead. I have been brewing this Hundred Herb Refining Body Broth for a hundred days, and any further delay will cause the medicinal properties to evaporate and become less effective. These inferior bloodlines, possessing such a physical body is already considered top-notch, and after refining with this azure-colored flesh lotus again, it may not be inferior to those with special physiques."

  With a fixed gaze, the black shadow glanced at Xiao Yi, chuckled and swung his hand, opening the bronze cauldron's lid. The bubbling liquid inside was revealed, with a blood-red juice like jade, emitting a strong medicinal aroma, even with a faint sweet and fishy smell wafting out. A look of satisfaction appeared in the black shadow's eyes.

  "The hundred-day fire trial is just right, and for the human race, the broth in this cauldron is even more valuable than ordinary thousand-year-old treasures. It's a sacred product that refines the flesh and replenishes blood energy. With this green-colored meat lotus, with the solidity of this flesh body, once it's cultivated to the point of externalizing the body, it's possible to directly reach the realm of great perfection in refining blood. Having such cultivation will also make it convenient for me to act in the future."

  "Go!"

  With a light drink, the black shadow threw Xiao Yi into the bronze cauldron, and the bubbling broth churned, submerging Xiao Yi's body.

  Ouch!

  The lid of the cauldron fell, and a black shadow bent its fingers to pop in dozens of inferior spirit stones one after another. In an instant, the scarlet earth fire suddenly became more vigorous, and the flames changed from scarlet to white, instantly wrapping the entire large cauldron.

  His eyes revealed a hint of pain, but upon seeing the slowly burning red cauldron wall, the dark shadow nodded again. The next moment, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate in silence, waiting for the final moment to strike the thousand-year-old flesh lotus into the cauldron, allowing this externalized body to break through in one move, bringing his physical strength to the realm of Blood Refining Great Perfection. At that time, with his spiritual entry, he could fully exert twelve percent of this flesh body's power.

  In the bronze tripod.

  The bubbling crimson medicinal liquid was boiling, the jade-like liquid resembling quicksilver. Xiao Yi sat cross-legged within it, the threads of medicinal energy seeping into his body through his pores, tempering his flesh and refining out some impurities while also strengthening his blood and qi, slowly accumulating for a breakthrough later on.

  Suddenly, Xiao Yi's tightly closed eyes snapped open, and two astonishing green lights flashed by.

  He had never fallen into a deep sleep, his spirit was bound by the dark shadow, but the fierce elephant suppressed his will, he kept a wisp of consciousness, deeply hidden, silently waiting for an opportunity. Now being brought here, the astonishing medicinal power in the cauldron suddenly awakened him. Without hesitation, he began to absorb these medicinal powers. At the same time, in his mind, a green-scaled fierce elephant appeared, the elephant let out a long whistle, one leg like a heavenly pillar, heavily trampling on the golden giant snake's body.

  Pfft!

  The giant snake's body suddenly broke into two segments, the golden snake let out a furious roar, opened its mouth and sucked in, making a gesture of swallowing the sky in Xiao Yi's mind. This was to swallow the elephant, and the entire Qinglin Man Elephant would be swallowed into its belly.

  His mind was wavering, and he repeatedly observed the barbaric elephant map. His spirit and will were extremely concentrated. In an instant, the green-scaled barbaric elephant seemed to come alive in Xiao Yi's mind, shining brightly. Each piece of green scale was crystal clear, like a star. The originally huge elephant body expanded infinitely, reaching the sky and standing on the ground. Those originally lifeless eyes seemed to have revived at this moment.

  This is an omen, the spirit of the green scale barbarian elephant revived in Xiao Yi's mind, and for a moment it was as high as the sky, occupying the entire empty space of his mind. The ancient and precipitous aura spread out, shaking Xiao Yi's heart and soul. This barbarian elephant diagram was indeed extraordinary, and when he stimulated it to the extreme, it actually awakened the spirit of the barbarian elephant to descend and help him subdue his enemies. This is simply unimaginable.

  Wow!

  The mighty elephant trumpeted, like a dragon's roar that shook the heavens. In Xiao Yi's mind, it truly appeared, its massive trunk sweeping across, like a heavenly whip punishing evil. The golden snake suddenly revealed a terrified expression, not because it had gained sentience or given birth to life, but because of the spiritual power's own fear. The giant serpent's body was instantly frozen, without any resistance, staring wide-eyed as the elephant's trunk fell upon its body.

  Boom!

  The entire snake body was suddenly scattered, turning into golden sparks. The green scales of the elephant's long nose rolled up and swallowed all the golden sparks in an instant. Finally, it raised its trunk and sprayed out, transforming into sparkling green sparks. These green sparks were masterless spiritual energy, which was previously scattered by the golden snake being swallowed, refined, and purified by the green scales of the elephant, resulting in a pure and flawless spiritual power.

  Later, the green scales of the barbaric elephant shrank in size and returned to their normal state. The earth-shaking momentum also disappeared into thin air. However, Xiao Yi carefully observed that it seemed to have an extra touch of spirituality compared to before, more realistic than what he had imagined earlier, as if correcting some of his previous mistakes. When he re-imagined the entire barbaric elephant diagram, it felt even more harmonious and complete than before, with a sense of intuitive understanding and seamless connection.

  No longer hesitant, Xiao Yi's spiritual power surged, the momentum of the brutal elephant roaring in his mind, like a giant whale absorbing water, devouring all the green awns. As these spiritual powers were absorbed, an invisible barrier was violently shattered, and he charged in.

  In an instant, the illusory figure of the fierce elephant in Xiao Yi's mind quickly solidified, from his limbs to his body, then his head, and finally his trunk and tusks.

  Unprecedented clarity of consciousness, spiritual power stirred, at this moment, Xiao Yi could even see the depths of his own flesh and blood, those fine meridians, chest mouth, stone mirror floating, still motionless.

  Ordinary realm is higher!

  Xiao Yi's spiritual will broke through the shackles, finally breaking into the ordinary higher realm, and the momentum of the barbaric elephant turned from virtual to real, becoming a truly second-class momentum, belonging to the power of a hundred strong men.

  "Barbaric elephant absorbing water, heavenly pulse in all directions, give me a breakthrough!"

  The majestic spiritual will descended, and in the flesh, the nine heavenly veins jumped violently. The war gas was stirred up, and it also transformed into a green-scaled elephant. The surging medicinal power broke through the golden snake's restraint and was swallowed, slowly echoing the thunderous sound within Xiao Yi's body. The thunder rumbled, and even the bronze tripod couldn't stop its transmission.

  Outside the bronze tripod, a black shadow suddenly opened its eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then smiled lightly: "Indeed, the medicine's power has tempered my body, stirring up the heavenly pulse and thunderous sound. My cultivation will naturally break through on its own. Your innate talent is indeed not bad, but it's impossible to break free from my restraints. If you succeed in breaking through, just one more day and you'll basically be refined."