Chapter 616 - 254: Climbing the Tower 2

Chen Qing scoffed internally and did not respond.

’He expects me to do his bidding without showing me anything tangible? Trying to get something for nothing?’

’Even Li Lao Deng gave me a taste of the reward before assigning a task.’

’Besides, Huang Chengzhi’s identity and motives are a mystery. An existence capable of killing two True Essence Realm masters couldn’t be some simpleton. His methods and cunning must be formidable.’

Chen Qing had always been cautious and would never take risks lightly.

As evening fell, Master of the Seven Sufferings, looking slightly weary, arrived at the second level to perform his routine purification.

The sound of chanting and a wooden fish echoed as a golden Buddha’s Light bathed the area. From the cells on the second level, suppressed groans of pain and curses rang out in response.

When it was over, Chen Qing followed Master of the Seven Sufferings back to the first level and told him everything about Huang Chengzhi’s telepathic message and proposed deal.

After listening, Master of the Seven Sufferings spoke slowly. "Huang Chengzhi... He is an Elder from the Mountain Outside Mountain Gu Sect, an expert in the Gu Path—treacherous and unpredictable. Years ago, with a Cultivation at only Astral Force Perfection, he relied on several Lifebound Strange Gu he had raised to ambush two True Essence Realm masters and turn the tables, successfully killing them."

"Those Gu Insects are connected to his Heart and Spirit, to his very bloodline. They are like a part of him. Even with his Cultivation sealed, as long as he’s alive, the Gu Insects won’t be completely dormant. That’s how he’s still able to communicate with you telepathically."

’Mountain Outside Mountain... the Gu Sect!’

Chen Qing’s mind raced. He remembered Li Baichuan mentioning a Sect beyond the Eight Paths of the Southwest, nestled within endless mountain ranges. It was famous for its use of Gu Insects, possessing a tangled web of influence and employing bizarre, venomous methods.

"Master, why is Huang Chengzhi imprisoned here?" Chen Qing pressed.

Master of the Seven Sufferings glanced at Chen Qing and said calmly, "Of the two True Essence Realm masters he killed back then, one was an expert from the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect."

A chill ran through Chen Qing’s heart upon hearing this, and his wariness intensified.

’A Sect Elder fell at this man’s hands. That says everything about his strength and how dangerous he is.’

’In this world, you can never let your guard down. You never know what trump cards or schemes people are hiding.’

’Were those two True Essence Realm masters not strong?’

’Were they not cautious enough?’

’One moment of carelessness, and you end up dead, your soul scattered.’

"For now, don’t concern yourself with this," Master of the Seven Sufferings advised.

Chen Qing nodded solemnly. "I understand."

Without another word, Master of the Seven Sufferings turned and left, his figure vanishing into the dim corridor.

Chen Qing resumed his Cultivation, though his wariness toward Huang Chengzhi had deepened.

Over the next period, Master of the Seven Sufferings’s continued purifications gradually thinned the Evil Qi within the Black Water Abyss Prison. As a result, Chen Qing’s Cultivation speed slowed.

During this time, Huang Chengzhi tried to contact Chen Qing telepathically two more times, his tone growing more ’sincere’ and ’urgent’ with each attempt.

Chen Qing turned a deaf ear to all of it, offering no response.

Eventually, silence fell from that prison cell once more.

After nearly half a month, the Evil Qi had grown so thin it was almost completely purified by Master of the Seven Sufferings. The entire Black Water Abyss Prison returned to its usual tranquility, as if the recent turmoil had never occurred.

However, thanks to the foundation he’d built by tempering his body in the dense Evil Qi of the Black Water Abyss Prison—especially on the second level—Chen Qing had pushed his Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body to the peak of the Third Layer, touching the threshold of the Fourth Layer.

[Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body Third Layer (9982/10000)]

With matters in the prison temporarily settled, guard duty became quiet.

But the questions in Chen Qing’s mind—about the source of the Evil Qi at the prison’s depths and Master of the Seven Sufferings’s relationship with the Sect—did not fade away.

’Where does the Evil Qi come from?’

’Why is it so pure and vast?’

’And Master of the Seven Sufferings, a Vast-Eyed Vajra excommunicated by the Zen Sect... why would he willingly spend thirteen years here, guarding this prison and seeking to redeem its inmates for the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect?’

’Forget it. It’s useless to think about all this.’

Chen Qing shook his head, pushing aside these mysteries that were currently beyond his reach.

The priority now was to seize this opportunity and achieve a breakthrough.

He returned to his small courtyard on Xu Wang Mountain and changed into a set of clean, fresh clothes, feeling completely revitalized and clear-headed.

Only then did he enter the Quiet Chamber and sit cross-legged upon a cushion.

After a moment of calming his mind and focusing his spirit, Chen Qing took out a Dragon Tiger Bone Tempering Pill and swallowed it.

Once ingested, the Pill quickly dissolved into a familiar warm current that spread throughout his limbs and torso, nourishing his sinews and bones.

However, this was merely the catalyst.

Chen Qing took a deep breath, a sharp light glinting in his eyes, and immediately began to circulate the spell for the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body with all his might!

BOOM—!

As if a slumbering primordial beast had been violently awakened, the already immense, river-like lifeblood within his body was instantly ignited and detonated!

It was no longer a simple surge, but the collective roar of a thousand dragons and elephants. A deafening boom erupted from the depths of his body, and the entire Quiet Chamber seemed to tremble.

VMMMM!

The skin all over Chen Qing’s body instantly turned a deep, dark gold. The luster was no longer a surface sheen but seemed to soak deep into every inch of his skin, fascia, and even his very marrow.

Countless tiny, profound, faint-gold runes appeared, swimming just beneath his skin as if reconstructing the very foundation of his Flesh Body.

KRAK... KRAK...

A series of rapid cracks, like popping beans or the grinding of Gold Stone, issued from every bone in his body.

His sinews and bones were undergoing a deeper level of tempering and reforging under the combined influence of his immense lifeblood and the secret power of the Cultivation Technique. They were becoming denser and tougher, brimming with terrifying explosive power.

His lifeblood roared like a furnace, its flames blazing!

At this moment, Chen Qing felt as if he himself had become a great crucible of heaven and earth. His internal organs pulsed powerfully within, radiating boundless life force.