Chapter 123: Great Advancement in Cultivation! The Path of Body Refining (Part 4)
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……
Fortunately, this new secret method seemed almost tailor-made for strange flames. These divine treasures, nurtured by Heaven and Earth, were astonishingly powerful—not merely in strength, but in their very nature.
As Cao Chengyu’s physical body was repeatedly destroyed and then restored under the ceaseless operation of the Glazed Flame-Eating Body, a faint glaze-like luster gradually spread across him, silver radiance flickering over his skin.
As the glazed body grew ever stronger, the sound of rushing rivers began to rise and fall through the air. It was the blood and vital force within him boiling over.
The more Yin-Pole Yang Flame he devoured, the stronger his body became. Then, at a certain moment, he broke through the bottleneck between the Dao Body and the Purple Palace, successfully surpassing the limit. His physical body was now comparable to that of a Divine-Manifestation fiend.
His cultivation and physical strength had reached parity. Because he had never ceased refining his spirit, his soul had long since surpassed the other two by a slight margin.
Essence, energy, and spirit once again became one. With the Three Flowers Gathered Above the Crown, Cao Chengyu instantly felt the Yin-Pole Yang Flame grow far gentler. He began devouring its source flame almost like a whale swallowing the sea.
His magical power rose rapidly, while his physical body continued to advance. Only his soul progressed somewhat more slowly, though even that growth was countless times faster than usual.
In a mere half-hour, the Yin-Pole Yang Flame was completely consumed by his ravenous body.
Another silver flame appeared within his dantian.
The Yin-Pole Yang Flame had been refined!
From now on, whether refining pills or forging artifacts, he would only need to supply the flame seed with magical power to control it as effortlessly as his own limbs. It could naturally be used in battle as well. For instance, merging it into the Twin-Dragon Grinding Disc would greatly increase the power of its fusion of wind and fire.
Because he had swallowed and refined the entire flame, his cultivation rose another great step, and his path of body refinement could be said to have formally entered the hall.
Human body refinement differed from that of the demon race. Before reaching the Purple Palace, it consisted entirely of tempering the sinews, bones, skin, flesh, internal organs, and the like.
The primary purpose was to strengthen the body.
Human body refiners could not fly and possessed little ability for long-range attacks, so at lower realms they were utterly inferior to cultivators who focused on magical power.
Upon reaching the Purple Palace, however, they could extract the blood essence of demons and seize their innate bloodline talents. By opening the Four Extremities of Heaven and Earth, they could also gain the ability to emulate Heaven and Earth.
In simple terms, the Four Extremities of Heaven and Earth corresponded to the four limbs of the human body. They were the path forward for human body refiners in the Purple Palace Realm.
It could be called the Purple Palace Realm, or the Four Extremities Realm.
Once Cao Chengyu opened even one of the Four Extremities, every punch would possess the might of emulating Heaven and Earth. His fists would descend like meteors, striking targets five hundred meters away.
Once all four extremities were opened, his limbs would become the most terrifying of weapons. Shattering magical artifacts with his bare fists would no longer be a dream.
After completing the Four Extremities, the next step was the Dharma Form Realm, comparable to the Golden Core Realm.
At that stage, one could fully manifest a true Dharma form standing a hundred meters tall. Only then could human body refiners truly stand proud.
When the Lord of the Heaven-Watching Tower had once played a game of strategy against Lord Myriad Serpents, he had used the Azure Flood Dragon Transformation, gained by refining the flesh and blood of an azure flood dragon. As for the ability to emulate Heaven and Earth, he had never even had the chance to use it.
Lord Myriad Serpents had subdued him with the poison of his contract, leaving him to die an extraordinarily miserable and frustrated death.
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Cao Chengyu had now officially taken his first step along the path of body refinement. He could begin considering the refinement of demonic blood essence and acquire the offensive methods of a body cultivator.
As for whether he should choose an ancient demon or a fiend, he would decide later. He was not lacking in methods in that regard.
Finding and refining the Yin-Pole Yang Flame had taken roughly half a day. A great disturbance had also occurred during the earlier battle, so this place could not be considered safe for long.
Cao Chengyu put away the jade gourd and was just about to leave when something caught the corner of his eye.
“Hmm…”
At the bottom of the pool, a large quantity of Yin-Yang spirit crystals had actually formed. This stuff was a true treasure. With these crystals, one could refine a fourth-grade Yin-Yang Dragon-Tiger Union Pill, a restorative pill used in dual cultivation with Golden Core cultivators.
This was truly a fine discovery.
After hurriedly scraping away the crystals, another object was revealed beneath them: a fourth-grade high-tier Yin-Yang Divine Iron.
One pleasant surprise after another left him dumbfounded.
Since leaving Great Yue, his luck seemed to have returned.
Fortuitous opportunities kept falling into his lap.
No wonder the Yin-Pole Yang Flame had remained here without moving. The essential power of this Yin-Yang Divine Iron was perfectly suited to nurturing it.
With much grunting and heaving, he dug out the five-jin piece of spiritual ore. After carefully searching the area once more and confirming that he had not left behind even a single trace, Cao Chengyu immediately activated the third version of his Wall-Piercing Art and departed by land, keeping himself better concealed.
Not long after he left, cultivators belonging to the Black Emperor Cult finally arrived to investigate.
There were three of them: two Spirit Refiners and one Dao Body cultivator.
After descending into the cavern and sensing the dense Yin-Yang energy dispersing through the area, they immediately guessed what had happened. Someone had infiltrated the mine and obtained a treasure of Yin-Yang attributes from deep beneath the earth.
They could not determine its grade, but their anger was unmistakable. At the same time, they regretted not having thought to investigate the mine when they first took it over.
They had missed out on an unknown treasure. The three exchanged glances and could only choose to report the matter.
The report passed upward through layer after layer until it finally reached the hands of the Black Lotus Holy Mother of the Black Emperor Cult.
At first, she paid it no heed. But when she noticed how exceptionally dense the Yin-Yang energy had been, her eyes brightened.
Lotus was at a critical moment in her breakthrough to the Dao Body Realm and happened to need a Yin-Yang spiritual object to forge the foundation of her Dao Body.
The ancient inheritance of the Two Principles Adept that she had obtained some time ago would pair perfectly with Lotus.
“Someone!”
“Holy Mother, what are your orders?”
“Seal off the Blood Crystal Mountain City area. Announce that a thief has stolen a Yin-Yang treasure belonging to our holy religion. Anyone who sees a suspicious person is to report it and will be rewarded.”
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“Also, keep a close watch on the Hundred Refinements Sect. It is possible that the object was left behind by them and has already been taken away.”
“Yes, subordinate obeys.”
The Black Lotus Holy Mother nodded in satisfaction.
“You may leave.”
……
Cao Chengyu had no idea that merely coming to retrieve his own possession would draw attention. By then, he had finished purchasing food and returned to the spirit vessel, preparing to depart.
He had originally intended to let his clansmen relax for a while, but he had just refined the Yin-Pole Yang Flame, and his cultivation had advanced greatly.
He needed to find a safe place to consolidate his foundation and avoid advancing too quickly and leaving his foundation unstable.
Seclusion would take some time. This place was also unsafe with an evil cult nearby, so it was better to leave as soon as possible.
By the time he returned to the spirit vessel, evening was approaching.
After exchanging a few words with everyone and explaining the situation, he was about to set off.
Just then, a black-robed cultivator suddenly appeared in midair, his voice spreading across the surrounding area through an amplification technique.
He was announcing precisely what the Black Lotus Holy Mother had ordered.
Cao Chengyu frowned and examined him briefly. The man was only in the early Purple Palace Realm. If Cao Chengyu forced his way out, the man could not stop him. But doing so would make him the conspicuous first bird that others struck down.
With such a large family in tow, charging straight through was unrealistic.
Just then, the Hundred Refinements Sect cultivator who had received him earlier came over, looking rather displeased.
“That damned Black Emperor Cult has already taken resources from five of our Hundred Refinements Sect’s mines, yet they still act so arrogantly. I truly cannot understand what our sect master sees in that Black Lotus Holy Mother. What good is a big chest? Bah!”
Cao Chengyu’s eyes lit up. He moved closer and asked,
“Friend, do you know the background of this Black Emperor Cult?”
“Senior, it is you.”
“If you want to talk about that, then I have plenty to say.”
The small cultivator, who was in the middle stage of Spirit Refining, immediately began speaking at length. After listening to him, Cao Chengyu gained a general understanding of the circumstances.
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