Chapter 277 - 140: The Stone Stele Appears

Liang Cheng fought through the searing pain burning through his meridians, racing through the vast forest at the edge of the swamp.

The wind whistled past his ears. Behind him, Shi Podang’s enraged roars and the sound of Sword Aura cutting through the air grew more and more distant until they vanished completely.

He didn’t dare to let up in the slightest, plunging several more miles into the forest. Only when he was certain he had completely shaken his pursuers did he stop before a hidden crevice in a rock face.

The entrance to the crevice was concealed by trees, only wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

The space inside wasn’t large, about twenty feet square, but it was dry and ventilated, and faint daylight filtered in through natural cracks in the rock.

Liang Cheng quickly arranged a few dry twigs outside the entrance to serve as a makeshift alarm. The method was crude, but it was guaranteed to make a sound if anyone approached.

After doing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down cross-legged.

"Huuu—"

He exhaled a foul breath, heavy with the scent of blood.

Inside his body, the immense energy from the Tier Five Earth Armor Horned Python’s Demon Core was still rampaging through his meridians like a wild horse that had broken its reins.

The residual Medicinal Power from the Crimson Flame Vermilion Fruit also lingered within his body.

’I have to refine this energy first...’

Liang Cheng closed his eyes and focused, circulating the Broken Wave Technique at full power.

After reaching the Perfection stage of his Gang Body, the resilience and capacity of his meridians had increased significantly. Though it was still painful, they were able to firmly contain the violent energy.

The Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment circulated through his body, peeling away the Demon Core Energy strand by strand, guiding it to be refined. The True Essence of his Broken Wave Technique circulated without pause.

As time passed, the fine beads of sweat on Liang Cheng’s forehead began to dissipate, and the burning pain in his meridians slowly subsided. The True Essence gathered in his Dantian, and the nine True Essence Light Groups expanded by nearly thirty percent, their rotation speed increasing significantly as well.

Finally, after five hours—

HUM!

The last bit of Demon Core Energy in his body was completely refined. Liang Cheng opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them for an instant before disappearing.

[Third Layer of Broken Wave Technique: Great Success (19,692/30,000)]

’I still have other Demon Cores. The Spiritual Qi in this Secret Realm is so rich... I should focus on increasing my strength first. Everything else can wait.’

The pursuit by Shi Podang had instilled a profound sense of danger in Liang Cheng. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Exploring the Secret Realm Center would have to be put aside for now.

He took out his remaining Tier Four Demon Cores, six in total. Clasping one in his palm, Liang Cheng circulated his Broken Wave Technique to its limits and began extracting the Demon Core Energy.

As the Broken Wave Technique circulated, his True Essence probed into the Demon Core like fine threads, carefully drawing out its energy. The energy surged into his meridians, and the Crossing the Sea True Intent Fragment began to circulate as well, guiding it into the Circulation of the Celestial Cycle to be converted, strand by strand, into his own True Essence.

「Two hours later.」

The Demon Core lost all its luster and crumbled to dust.

Liang Cheng opened his eyes, the sharp glint within them now restrained.

[Third Layer of Broken Wave Technique: Great Success (20,232/30,000)]

Sensing the abundant True Essence now filling his meridians, he took a moment to regulate his breathing before picking up the second Demon Core.

The energy from this Demon Core was gentler, flowing into his body like a soft stream. His body, fortified by the Perfection of his Gang Body, had meridians with a capacity far beyond what they once were. His absorption efficiency was also over thirty percent higher.

「Three hours passed.」

The second Demon Core was completely refined.

[Third Layer of Broken Wave Technique: Great Success (20,818/30,000)]

Liang Cheng didn’t pause, moving on to the third.

Then the fourth, the fifth...until all the Demon Cores were completely refined.

By now, the True Essence inside Liang Cheng’s body was as vast as the tide. In his Dantian, the nine True Essence Light Groups spun without stopping, faintly showing signs that they were about to merge.

[Third Layer of Broken Wave Technique: Great Success (21,215/30,000)]

His strength had advanced another step.

If not for the Perfection of his Mixed Element Gang Body, his meridians would never have been able to withstand refining so many Demon Cores in succession. The sheer abundance of True Essence within him now was a rare sight in the world.

The defense of his Perfected Mixed Element Gang Body, combined with such abundant True Essence, meant his true combat strength had undergone a qualitative leap.

Liang Cheng stood up and stretched his stiff muscles.

However, if he were to face Shi Podang again, he still wasn’t confident of victory.

Disciples of the Penglai Sect possessed extraordinary combat prowess, completely unlike ordinary prodigies of the Martial Dao.

But even if he couldn’t win, he wouldn’t end up in such a sorry state as before.

’In that case, I’ll avoid a direct confrontation for now, continue hunting Fierce Beasts, and look for more opportunities. Once my Cultivation Technique reaches Perfection and I break through to the True Gang Realm, the outcome of our fight will be anyone’s guess!’

...

「Outside the entrance to the Secret Realm, at the edge of the temporary encampment.」

The tense atmosphere, originally caused by the arrival of the Penglai Sect, was shattered by a sudden commotion.

"Make way! All of you, make way!"

Several figures shot through the air and landed. The one in the lead was an old man in a green robe, with a gaunt face and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.

He didn’t deliberately release his aura, but with every step he took, not a speck of dust was stirred from the ground, yet the surrounding Spiritual Qi seemed to faintly recoil from him.

This was a sign of power unique to the Breaking Mortality Core Formation Realm!

"It’s the Situ Family’s Honored Guest Elder, Huang Tiancheng!"

In the crowd, a Martial Artist from Chi Xiao Island cried out in shock.

"Huang Tiancheng? You mean the one they call ’Unwavering Loyalty,’ who never married and has guarded the Situ Family for fifty years?"

"That’s him! The sworn brother of Old Master Situ. After the old Patriarch passed away, he could have left freely. Instead, he chose to stay as an Honored Guest Elder to protect the Situ bloodline, and has done so to this day. Everyone says his loyalty is second to none!"

"He hasn’t involved himself in worldly affairs for years, just peacefully enjoying his old age. Why would he come out now?"

A buzz of discussion spread through the crowd, and admiration filled many people’s eyes.

Huang Tiancheng turned a deaf ear to the discussions around him.

He came to a stop at the edge of the encampment and took something out from his robes. It was a shattered jade Life Token, covered in spiderweb-like cracks. In the center, the two words "Situ Ming" were dim and without light.

His expression was incredibly grim, and his knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping the token.

"What? Young Master Situ has fallen?"

Someone gasped.

Situ Ming, the most outstanding young master of the Situ Family’s current generation, a cultivator at the True Gang Realm, had actually perished inside this Secret Realm?