Chapter 8: Metamorphosis

  Under the void, countless Bloodstone Clan members looked up at that majestic figure, an intangible aura of pressure spread out, even a hundred-man commander-level strongman would have their heart and soul trembling, the stronger one was, the more they could feel the war intent inside them like a vast ocean.

  The pinnacle of the Ministry of War, Xiao Yi's hook moved the barbaric elephant spirit, suppressing the spiritual world. The pressure of middle-aged men was the heaviest for the four of them, even if it was unconscious, and could not be underestimated.

  "Hundreds of feet away, the young man from the Blood Clan roared in anger: 'If you kill me, one day my Blood Clan's war masters will surely bathe your Bloodstone Tribe in blood!'"

  The middle-aged man didn't say a word, he simply reached out with his large hand and the blood-clad youth flew back into it. The next moment, he slapped down with his palm, and with a loud "thud", the blood-clad youth was completely pulverized, turning into a cloud of blood powder that scattered everywhere, leaving nothing behind, not even his spiritual will.

  This was an extremely shocking scene, the powerful blood clan, one person had intimidated the entire Bloodstone tribe, but in front of this middle-aged man, they were killed without any resistance.

  A corner of the Bloodstone tribe, Shi Taiyi gazed at that figure, his eyes flowing with thoughts, unsure what he was thinking about. After a few breaths, in the eyes of many Bloodstone tribesmen, the middle-aged man's body slowly lit up, finally breaking into purple sparks, disappearing into thin air.

  However, Xiao Yi could feel the broken spear in his hand sink slightly, apparently the middle-aged man had returned to the broken spear. The patriarch Shi Zhi Xuan also sensed this and looked at the broken spear with reverence, bowing three times. Shi Hu Qian Fu Zhang also paid their respects, they vaguely understood that the existence within the broken spear might not be just a simple soldier's soul, but possibly a living ancestor.

  Bloodstone Tribe West.

  At the end of the Panlei mountain range, on the summit of an ancient mountain over a thousand zhang high, a slender black figure stood tall. The mountain wind was biting, but it couldn't budge him in the slightest. He slowly turned around, revealing an ordinary face. He gazed into the distance, and within his eyes, two earthy yellow glows flickered.

  "Is he dead? Indeed, one can't be too careful. This land of human tribe, even in the marginal areas, has many secrets. I wonder if Biyun is ready on his side. It's actually quite exciting to see him recover to his peak."

  Bloodstone Tribe

  When the moonlight once again shrouded the earth, Xiao Yi stood in the new Qing Shi Yuan, and footsteps sounded from behind him. Turning around, Xiao Yi looked at the young man in front of him, a smile spreading across his face as he said, "You've finally returned."

  "Xiao Gege!" Shi Gu clenched his teeth, his fists tightened, and his body trembled slightly. "It was me who killed them, all of it was me!"

  "Do you know how many lives die under the sunlight every day?" Xiao Yi said calmly.

  "A life born under the sun." Shi Gu was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."

  Xiao Yi took a deep breath and said, "You don't know, but I also don't know. However, in this world, there are still people who die and people who are born. If you feel guilty, then work hard to cultivate yourself, become a strong warrior like Wu Chang, Bai Fu Chang, or even a clan leader, and when the time comes, your life will be in your own hands."

  "Take your life into your own hands." Shi Gu muttered.

  "Not bad." Xiao Yi said in a low voice, "You can't turn back time, so you should make yourself stronger. If the alien tribes invade, you should kill them. When you stand higher, maybe one day you can descend upon the Hundred Clans' Grand Boundary and help our human tribe conquer this land."

  The stone drum fell silent. After a moment, he turned and left. His back, however, was much straighter now, his spine as straight as a mountain peak pointing towards the sky.

  "You're quite concerned about him." Suddenly, a voice echoed in Xiao Yi's mind.

  Without a hint of surprise, Xiao Yi chuckled and said, "I'm not taking him seriously, I'm just telling the truth."

  In his mind, the voice fell silent for a moment.

  "Memories from before, I've forgotten many of them. All I remember is that you picked up the Soulbreaker Gun, and from that day on, I showed signs of revival. It wasn't until recently that I accumulated enough power to revive once more."

  "What about you now, senior..." Xiao Yi trailed off.

  "I don't know either." The voice was filled with a sense of desolation and bleakness. "As for me now, I am neither a soldier's soul nor a warrior's soul. This state won't last long, within a hundred years, I will completely disappear into thin air. It's also good this way, all the past things will also disappear into thin air. As for me now, I can't do anything either. A century has passed, and I have lived through the ages of the Human Emperor, which is also a kind of longevity."

  Xiao Yi furrowed his brow, not expecting this outcome. He had thought he could gain some insight, but instead, he still got nothing. The faint hope that had ignited in his heart was extinguished once again. It seemed that trying to take a shortcut wouldn't work after all. If he followed the proper steps, Xiao Yi couldn't even imagine when he would be able to fully repair the Stone Mirror. This was going to be a long and arduous journey, and even if he could wait it out, his loved ones couldn't.

  "My state is not stable, and I can only make a few more moves. Each time I do, it will cost me thirty years of my lifespan. At most, I have two more times left. As the successor to the Duanhun Gun, this soul sword may be broken, but its foundation remains. Cherish it well, for perhaps one day, it can once again drink fresh blood in your hands."

  The middle-aged man's voice rose and then fell into complete silence. Xiao Yi tried to call out, but got no response again.

  No longer forcing himself, Xiao Yi returned to the Qing Shi house. He could feel that his spiritual will was stirring, a sign of breakthrough. Under the impact of Shi Hu's three spiritual wills, the layer of barriers that Xiao Yi had originally touched had already been breached. Now all he needed to do was to gather his spiritual will and thoroughly break through that layer of barriers.

  Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yi silently observes the barbaric elephant diagram. The barbaric elephant's spirit is stirred and descends into the spiritual world. Perhaps because Xiao Yi's spiritual will is about to break through, the barbaric elephant's spirit has become more solid than before, looking even more real. The aura emitted is also stronger and more oppressive, suppressing the spiritual world, supporting heaven and earth, becoming a green heavenly pillar.

  This is another variation of the Barbarian Elephant, which emerged when Xiao Yi's spiritual will was about to break through. The barbarian elephant spirit transformed into a blue heavenly pillar, supporting the spiritual world. As long as the heavenly pillar does not fall, no one can invade it, this is an extremely strong defense.

  Ah!

  At this moment, in Xiao Yi's spiritual world, the momentum of the barbaric elephant appeared. The momentum of the barbaric elephant at this moment was a four-zhang-tall, crystal-clear, and radiant barbaric elephant with a dazzling aura that flowed along with Xiao Yi's thoughts, letting out a long whistle as if it were a dragon's roar or a tiger's howl. The cracks on the wall in front of him grew denser.

  "Not enough!"

  Xiao Yi let out a low growl, and then he stirred up his battle spirit, manipulated the stone mirror, and in an instant, he found himself standing on the vast earth. In the distance, his future self stood with his back to him, and the sound of his surging blood was clear as a furnace. Now, what Xiao Yi saw was only the back of his future self many times, but as his cultivation realm improved, his future self's methods became more and more numerous, yet it seemed that he was getting farther and farther away from him. The gap between them had always been huge, and this gap did not shorten with Xiao Yi's improvement in cultivation, but instead grew larger and larger.

  At the slightest thought, the momentum of the brutal elephant manifests in front of him. At this last juncture, Xiao Yi is about to borrow the hand of his future self, transforming his spirit and will between life and death, breaking free from shackles and piercing through obstacles.

  The mighty elephant's momentum roared, with a green glow flashing on its body, which was one part more agile than before. This has already entered half a step into that realm, and the spirit will has changed, but it is still not perfect, and sufficient power is needed to thoroughly penetrate.

  For Xiao Yi's move, Future Body didn't show any courtesy. He suddenly turned around, like a giant furnace that had its lid lifted off, and a vast, unmatched aura of blood burst forth. He fiercely threw out a punch, with dark blue fist energy whistling through the air, accompanied by a low rumbling elephant-like roar. From his body, an ancient, weathered aura emanated, as if a true wild elephant had transformed into human form, awakening from eternal slumber and bursting forth with a heaven-shaking roar.

  This punch is not fast, nor is it fancy, but it cannot be avoided. This is pure power, unmatched and vast, with spirit, will, and physical energy combined as one, belonging to the absolute peak of the Blood Refining Realm. The dark blue fist aura sweeps across, completely enveloping the momentum of the ferocious elephant. This punch not only kills the body but also the spirit.

  A green light flashed in his eyes, and Xiao Yi suddenly shouted: "The barbaric elephant turns over!"

  Rumble!

  Only to see that the momentum of the elephant is full of green and majestic, rushing between, it is actually a faintly emitted sound of substance, but still micro-invisible. The next moment, the four-zhang elephant body suddenly flips over, fiercely colliding with the future self.

  This is a move that combines the Barbarian Elephant Gun Technique with the Barbarian Elephant's momentum. Although Xiao Yi can't yet turn the Barbarian Elephant Gun Technique into a fist technique, it is very compatible with the Barbarian Elephant's momentum. The Barbarian Elephant Gun Technique was originally created based on the Barbarian Elephant's divine charm, and now using the Barbarian Elephant's momentum to display it is even more compatible. Xiao Yi even feels that when the Barbarian Elephant's momentum is integrated into another style of the Barbarian Elephant Gun Technique, he will have enough foundation to turn the Barbarian Elephant Gun Technique into a fist technique.

  Suddenly, the future body color does not change, his shape does not stop, only the fist is faster by one minute, a punch comes out, and it is born with the sound of wind and thunder. The fist falls down, and no matter how many changes are made to the momentum of Xiao Yi's barbaric elephant, they are all torn apart, unable to withstand this extremely rigid fist force.

  The momentum of the barbaric elephant was shattered, and the spiritual world was suddenly in chaos. The blue sky pillar supporting the spiritual world had a series of eerie cracks on it. In a daze, Xiao Yi saw his future self punch open, with ink-blue fist energy surging forth, shattering the air wherever it passed, and the biting wind pressure even transmitted into the spiritual world.