Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Chapter 657: A Horrifying Sight

"The next time he appeared was when I first saw him, during the Empire’s tournament just a month ago." Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Mu Junwu continued, "By then, he had already become a Martial Sect—a First-Ring Martial Sect. You know the rest. He entered Holy Tomb Mountain, and with strength that shocked the Four Great Dynasties, he made his way, step by step, to the Inner Mountain and stood before us in the flesh."

"Can you really say all of this was just luck?" Mu Junwu’s voice trembled. Suppressing the emotional turmoil within her, she took a deep breath. "We don’t know what his young mind has endured. We have no way of knowing what pressures his slender body has shouldered. But it won’t be long before he becomes someone even we, his seniors, will have to look up to."

Mu Junwu’s words were resolute, and Chu Aoqing believed them without a doubt. ’To reach his current level in six years with a Cultivation speed nine times slower than others...’ She had no doubt that to him, she was just part of the scenery—something he would easily surpass.

The conversation paused. Both women fixed their gazes on Mu Chen, who was smiling, completely immersed in his Cultivation. They both had the same thought. ’He’s probably the only one who looks so happy while cultivating.’

Seeing Mu Chen’s smile, both Chu Aoqing and Mu Junwu felt a pang in their hearts as the same thought surfaced in their minds.

’Are you only truly happy when you’re cultivating?’

...

Time spent cultivating always flew by. After a night of practice, Mu Chen’s stamina and Spiritual Power were fully restored. Not only that, but with the boost from the eighty-fold cultivation speed, his Martial Arts Realm had even grown a little. He stretched his limbs, and after hearing a series of crisp cracks from his body, he chuckled. "Time to get tortured again."

Seeing that Mu Junwu and Chu Aoqing were still in a state of Cultivation outside the Ten-Color Lotus, Mu Chen didn’t wake them. He took the cleaned Demon Beast Meat from his Storage Ring, along with the firewood he had gathered from the Outer Realm the day before. Sitting down on the spot, he began to skillfully roast the meat. Although he wasn’t hungry, he knew it was always good for the body to refuel.

He released his Spiritual Power, quickly enveloping himself in an invisible barrier to prevent the aroma from spreading and waking the two women. Soon, the golden-brown roasted meat was ready. After eating a couple of pieces himself, Mu Chen divided the rest into two portions, skewered them on branches, and placed them over the bonfire. They were just high enough to stay warm without getting scorched.

Stepping out of the Spirit Barrier, Mu Chen’s gaze fell upon the Dazzling Stars once more. His expression hardened. A new day of Body Forging had begun. This time, however, he didn’t start at the bottom of the Dazzling Stars to bathe in the Flame Dragon Blood. Instead, he went straight to where he had left off yesterday: the ninety-ninth step of the sixty-second level.

Swallowing a Dragon Soul Pill, Mu Chen once again took out the ceramic vessel containing the magma-like Holy Realm Flame Dragon Blood. Yesterday’s ordeal had consumed only one-thirtieth of it, an amount that conveniently corresponded to a single Dragon Soul Pill. Mu Chen was quite pleased with this. After all, Holy Realm Flame Dragon Blood was a precious treasure. If he used too much, it would be wasted without a Dragon Soul Pill. If he used too little, the absorption of the remaining pills would be much slower.

’But that pain... it’s about to happen all over again...’

"What the hell is there to be afraid of? Compared to power, this pain ain’t shit!"

With a low growl, he swallowed a Dragon Soul Pill. Mu Chen used his Spiritual Power to levitate the ceramic vessel above his head. The vessel tilted, and once again, the scorching, crimson Flame Dragon Blood poured over his body. A terrifying, burning sensation pierced straight to his soul. Even with the experience from last time, even being fully mentally prepared, the agony still forced a heaven-shaking roar from his lips. The entire Eternal Holy Domain trembled in response.

Mu Junwu and Chu Aoqing, who had been cultivating, were jolted awake by the agonizing roar. Mu Junwu glanced at the roasted meat shrouded in the Spirit Barrier, then said grimly, "Dazzling Stars."

Chu Aoqing nodded and shot to her feet. Ignoring the cooked meat, her figure blurred as she dashed toward the Dazzling Stars. But as the two women reached the edge of the Dazzling Stars, a blast of scorching heat hit them full-on, forcing them back two steps.

"This heat is so intense! Even I can feel how terrifying it is!" Chu Aoqing said, looking down with worry. From their position, they couldn’t see Mu Chen’s figure at all—only a mass of fiery red light.

"Sister Jun Wu, let’s go down and look!" Chu Aoqing exclaimed, and without waiting for a reply, she leaped down.

Mu Junwu watched Chu Aoqing’s back with a wry smile. Sighing, her eyes filled with concern, she murmured, "What in the world is going on?"

As she spoke, the moment Mu Junwu stepped onto the Dazzling Stars, she mentally declared, ’Forfeit.’ Her body instantly felt lighter, and with an uncannily swift gait, she quickly caught up to Chu Aoqing. There was no other way; while forfeiting removed the immense gravity of the Dazzling Stars, the suppression of Primordial Power remained.

They were now relying solely on their physical bodies to endure the unbearable heat.

By the time she crossed the tenth level, Mu Junwu already felt dizzy. As a Wood Attribute Martial Artist, her resistance to heat was extremely low, and the grade of this scorching temperature was exceptionally high. Before she even reached the twentieth level, she was already drenched in sweat.

’She knew this heat couldn’t possibly be coming from Mu Chen, since it was impossible to use Primordial Power on the Dazzling Stars. There was only one explanation: the source of the heat was an external object!’

As a Fire Attribute Martial Artist, Chu Aoqing’s resistance to this heat was vastly greater than Mu Junwu’s. For the time being, she wasn’t reacting much, merely feeling an immense pressure from the scorching temperature.

The two of them sprinted down until they reached the fortieth level, where they were finally forced to stop. The heat had exceeded what they could endure. But at that moment, they finally caught sight of Mu Chen.

’What in the world is that?’

Chu Aoqing’s and Mu Junwu’s eyes widened to their limits. They reflexively clamped their hands over their mouths, stifling the screams that threatened to escape.

Before them, a ceramic vessel hovered beside a figure’s head, having just finished pouring its contents. As for his body... under the combined pressure of gravity and scorching heat, it had become a horrifying sight. Ghastly, bone-deep gashes covered his body. His pale muscles were shriveled and withered. Aside from his skeleton, there was hardly an intact spot on him.

Mu Chen was in the same state as the day before, only this time, he had miscalculated. When his body had been intact, he could withstand the baptism of the Flame Dragon Blood. But now, with the weight of a mountain on his shoulders, his muscles were torn to shreds, leaving him unable to muster even a sliver of strength. The immense gravity ripped his wounds even wider. Wave after wave of agony crashed against his Sea of Souls, making even the release of unconsciousness a distant luxury.

RRIP—

The muscle and skin on Mu Chen’s right shoulder tore again. His right arm was now completely detached from the shoulder, the golden bone underneath fully exposed. The pain made his heart pound even faster.

*’Give up... Give up... Give up...’*

A deep, ancient voice echoed endlessly in his mind, as if trying to brainwash his very soul. It was the resentful will of the Holy Realm Flame Dragon!

’Give up?’ Mu Chen thought with a bitter smile. ’At this point, giving up seems like the only way. Otherwise... I’m afraid this is where it ends for me.’

And yet, the moment he had that thought, the bitter smile on Mu Chen’s face vanished. An aura of pure arrogance, disdain, and fiendish charm erupted from him, soaring to the heavens. Ignoring the gravity tearing at his body, Mu Chen roared in defiance, "Heh, that’s the answer you wanted to hear, isn’t it? BUT! You think this little bit of pain is enough to make me give up? What a joke! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD!"

The sheer force of his shout seemed to pierce the clouds. A shockwave, generated by his physical body alone, instantly scattered the surrounding heat. His domineering aura activated the Dragon Soul Pill within him. With a final shriek, the Flame Dragon’s resentful will was scattered once more. Just like the day before, the Dragon Soul Pill’s regenerative properties—destroying to rebuild—were fully activated. In an instant, Mu Chen’s near-death body erupted with new vitality. A blissful sensation flooded his soul as his cells regenerated and multiplied, becoming even more resilient!

His muscles writhed continuously. The broken meridians, as if alive, coiled and wove themselves back together, becoming wider and stronger than before. Even his detached right arm was reconnected as the muscles undulated and reformed!

His emaciated body filled out once more as he absorbed the remaining Flame Dragon Blood. His blue-and-purple hair flashed, the purple deepening as the blue grew fainter, showing hints of turning red!

His body instantly returned to its original state. Mu Chen snapped his eyes open. Two rays of crimson light shot out from his ice-blue pupils. The whites of his eyes were now tinged a faint pink, and his irises had become an even more fiendish, pinkish-blue.

"Phew!"

Mu Chen’s expression relaxed, and he plopped down on the steps, panting heavily. He grabbed the ceramic vessel beside him. (The Dazzling Stars only seals Primordial Power, not Spiritual Power. Otherwise, how the hell would this even work? = =) He glanced inside and sighed in relief upon seeing that exactly one-thirtieth was gone. Just as he was about to put it back into his Storage Ring, a fair hand suddenly reached out from behind and snatched it away.

"Ah!"

Mu Chen cried out in surprise. He was about to snatch it back when he heard a cry of pain, and the ceramic vessel went flying past his face. Alarmed, Mu Chen quickly released his Spiritual Power to catch it, preventing the precious Flame Dragon Blood from spilling. He slowly drew the vessel back, and after securing it, he looked up. It was none other than Chu Aoqing and Mu Junwu, the two who had been cultivating just moments before...