Qian Ye once again used Void Flash, appearing above it, then slammed into the giant rhinoceros’s back like a meteor. Dong Yue plunged deep into the previous sword wound, and a fierce surge of origin power caused flesh and blood to fly in all directions.
The second impact instantly created a terrifying wound on the giant rhino’s back, as wide as a well, filled with shattered flesh and blood. Before the giant rhinoceros could feel the pain, Qian Ye’s light wings appeared behind him. The Primordial Wings activated, and a feather from the Twin Blossoms flew out and plunged into the wound!
As the Primordial Spear entered the body, the damage was unimaginably devastating. The flesh and blood inside the rhinoceros’s wound surged, and then erupted like a volcano, reaching the ceiling of the cave. The rhinoceros lifted its head and roared wildly, stomping the ground with its four hooves, causing the earth to crack, clearly in extreme agony.
A hint of madness flashed in Qian Ye’s eyes. He suddenly lunged into the wound, drilling into the giant rhinoceros’s body. Ignoring his damaged body, he desperately channeled his blood energy and initiated Life Drain at the center of the rhinoceros’s body!
The moment Life Drain activated, Qian Ye felt a torrent of molten blood rushing into him, almost bursting his body open!
The vital blood of the giant rhinoceros contained terrifying energy, far surpassing that of the insectoids, and the absorption and conversion speed was much slower. However, once Life Drain was initiated, it could not be controlled, especially within the rhinoceros’s body, where flesh and blood surrounded him in every direction, and the blood lines shot out uncontrollably.
An unstoppable flood of vital blood rushed in, instantly causing Qian Ye’s blood core to swell several times. His muscles burst, and blood sprayed out. The blood lines, once they left Qian Ye’s body, immediately ignited fiercely but were quickly overwhelmed by the rhinoceros’s blood.
At this moment, indescribable pain occupied Qian Ye’s entire consciousness. Shaking, he used his last vestiges of clarity to activate the Profound Chapter of the Song Clan’s ancient scroll, attempting to refine the vital blood. However, refining vital blood with the Profound Chapter was too slow; it would take nearly a month to refine a full body of vital blood, and there was no time for that now.
The blood core, sensing the crisis, also began to pulse frantically. The crystals embedded in the flesh and blood began to explode one by one, resisting the pressure of the vital blood, and burning the vital blood that flowed into the core, converting it into Fiery Golden Blood, which was then expelled. At this moment, the Fiery Golden Blood was truly burning, with an enormous amount of origin power having nowhere to go, transforming into flames.
The Fiery Golden Blood, like flowing fire, set Qian Ye’s flesh and blood ablaze wherever it went. However, the immense vitality and energy also stimulated the rapid growth of new flesh. But the new flesh was also burned away, only to be replaced by more new flesh.
This cycle repeated several times, and the newly grown flesh finally resisted the burning blood, no longer igniting. As more and more flesh that could withstand the burning blood grew, Qian Ye’s physical condition finally began to stabilize.
However, the pain had already gradually overwhelmed Qian Ye’s consciousness, and the burden on his blood core reached its limit, while the vital blood of the giant rhinoceros, like flowing lava, seemed endless. Qian Ye’s body began to swell, and even the ancient blood race’s physique could not resist such a massive influx of vital blood.
In this critical moment, the Book of Darkness reappeared. Its cover turned into a void, absorbing the excess vital blood. The Book of Darkness was like an abyss, swallowing all the vital blood without any reaction, silently devouring. As the amount of vital blood increased, one of the pages slowly began to light up.
The Primordial Wings were also absorbing the vital blood, but their capacity was limited. After condensing a new light feather, they lay dormant, unable to absorb any more.
With the Book of Darkness’s consumption, the blood core finally weathered the most dangerous moment, with the transformation and influx gradually balancing. The moment the pressure disappeared, Qian Ye could no longer hold on and lost consciousness.
Within the giant rhinoceros, countless amounts of vital blood gathered around Qian Ye, forming a massive blood ball. This blood ball was entirely solid, unlike the blood mist condensed by the insectoids.
Finally, the giant rhinoceros’s four legs gave way, and its massive body collapsed, the light in its eyes dimming.
An entire day and night passed before Qian Ye woke from his slumber. Surrounding him was the deepest darkness, making it difficult to extend his senses. He instinctively tried to breathe, but his mouth and nose felt blocked, unable to draw in a single breath.
Qian Ye tried to move, but his entire body was restrained, preventing any movement.
Remaining calm, Qian Ye slowly attempted to activate his blood core, preparing to free himself from his predicament. His initial attempt revealed that the force restraining his body was not very powerful.
The moment his consciousness touched the blood core, Qian Ye was stunned. The blood core had completely changed. In the center was a cluster of crystals, and the flesh had grown around these crystals, forming a new blood core. The blood core was now larger, occupying half of his chest cavity, and the human heart was squeezed to the side, taking up only a limited space.
How would such a blood core function?
The moment his consciousness touched the blood core, it immediately responded, beginning to pulse, and strength gradually returned to his body. Qian Ye exerted his strength, and the restraints around him began to crack. Another exertion, and the restraints shattered, freeing him. His senses could extend once more.
The surroundings remained dark, with a strong stench of blood. A quick scan revealed that he was still inside the giant rhinoceros. The restraints were solidified blood, which had formed a blood ball, sealing him inside.
Qian Ye leaped up, attempting to break through the giant rhinoceros’s corpse. With a burst of power, he shot out like a cannonball, crashing into the ceiling, embedding half of his body. Dazed, the dizziness quickly faded. He struggled, and the surrounding rock cracked, freeing him.
Qian Ye was startled; the rock felt unusually fragile, crumbling at the slightest touch. During the battle, the rock had been as hard as steel, and even the giant rhinoceros’s full-strength impact had only created a large hole. If the rock were this fragile, the entire underground palace would have collapsed.
Floating in the air, Qian Ye stabbed at the wall with Dong Yue, and the blade sank in up to the hilt. Realizing the wall was still extremely hard, Qian Ye understood that his strength had suddenly increased, almost doubling, making the wall seem fragile. Holding Dong Yue, it now felt light as a feather, something he was not accustomed to.
In the cave, the giant rhinoceros’s corpse lay on the ground, still emitting a faint pressure. Several surviving insectoids were gnawing at its flesh, but due to its sheer size, they had only eaten a small corner.
Near the insectoids, several white cocoons containing intense vitality lay. The aura within the cocoons was similar to the insectoids but stronger and more vicious, likely the result of the insectoids consuming the rhinoceros’s flesh and mutating. Beside the cocoons, there were several fist-sized insect eggs, dotted with golden stars, exuding a powerful aura.
Qian Ye slowly descended and stood on the giant rhinoceros’s corpse. Within his range of perception, most of the origin power in the rhinoceros’s flesh had dissipated, leaving it equivalent to an ordinary beast. Inside the massive body, there was little sign of vital blood, suggesting it had all been drained by the Life Drain.
Reflecting on the previous battle, it was indeed a mad act, only a madman would think of using the Primordial Spear to create a path, then diving into the rhinoceros’s body to unleash Life Drain. Qian Ye had gone mad, ever since Night Pupil’s sudden departure. Coming to the underground lair, he had carried a sense of self-destruction.
Climbing the Holy Mountain was no less difficult than ascending to the heavens. Rather than being given a chance, it was better to refuse outright.
Perhaps due to enduring too much hardship, Qian Ye had a stroke of luck. After the madness, he seized a sliver of life, survived the crisis of vital blood explosion, and reshaped his body and blood core in his sleep. According to the standards of the ancient blood race, during the Earl stage, the Fiery Golden Blood gradually transformed the flesh. Depending on the degree of transformation, there were various realms: Glimmer, Flame, Flow, and Fire, each vastly different. To advance to Marquis, one needed a Flowing Golden Body to bear the immense power.
Once the Fiery Golden Blood completed the transformation, the body’s strength would reach a new level. In ancient times, the blood race was renowned for their robust bodies, not inferior to the spider demons. During the process of refining vital blood, Qian Ye’s flesh had been reborn multiple times, and the new flesh could withstand the burning of blood fire, making it extremely strong. In the inherited memories of the Blood River, what Qian Ye achieved was the Burning Body, one of the strongest bodies according to the standards of the ancient blood race.
Qian Ye’s blood energy advanced another level, reaching the standard of a Strength Earl. Once the remaining unrefined parts of his body were also transformed by the Fiery Golden Blood, he would advance to Count of Cadence. Now, most of his body was the Burning Body, and advancing to Count of Cadence was just a matter of time.
After adjusting to his new strength, Qian Ye looked down at the giant rhinoceros’s corpse. With a few slashes of Dong Yue, he reduced the corpse to pieces. The insectoids that were still feeding were also dealt with.
Most of the vital blood of the giant rhinoceros had been consumed by Qian Ye, leaving little of value inside. However, its flesh, bones, and thick hide were still valuable, but Qian Ye had no way to transport the mountain-sized corpse.
Yet, the giant rhinoceros left behind an invaluable treasure: its horn. This horn, undamaged in the battle with Dong Yue, had even chipped Dong Yue. Considering Dong Yue was a divine weapon forged by the combined efforts of the Song and Zhao clans, it was evident how extraordinary the material of the horn was.
The base of the horn, connected to the skull, was covered in cracks, a testament to the damage it had sustained. The skull was far less sturdy than the horn. Qian Ye used Dong Yue to dig along the base of the horn, taking half an hour to remove it, and placed it in Anduya’s mysterious space.
Acquiring this horn made the underground expedition worthwhile, not to mention that Qian Ye had also gained the top-tier constitution of the ancient blood race.
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