Chapter 965: Breaking Out From Within

An Ancient Savage Beast lurking in the lake?

Li Qing's pupils contracted sharply. Even while flying through the air, he was too slow to evade the creature's engulfing maw.

He didn't even manage to get a clear look at the beast before the surrounding light abruptly plunged into darkness. Then, his body was enveloped by a searing, slippery sensation.

He had been swallowed whole by this sudden Ancient Savage Beast!

"Such terrifying speed! I couldn't dodge it at all!" Li Qing exclaimed as he fell into the beast's maw. He then felt a crushing pressure as his body plummeted weightlessly.

The Ancient Savage Beast didn't even bother to chew; it swallowed Li Qing in a single gulp.

Trapped inside the beast's belly, Li Qing was about to use his mana to kill it from within when the entire dark space suddenly suppressed him completely.

"You bastard, you're trying to refine me in your gut? What a voracious appetite!" Li Qing's eyes flashed with fierce light as he gritted his teeth and muttered.

The beast's stomach was peculiar; it suppressed spiritual power, making it incredibly difficult to channel mana, as if he were stuck in a mire.

A churning sound echoed through the pitch-black space.

Corrosive stomach acid surged forward, and upon contact, Li Qing felt a burning, stinging sensation on his skin.

Realizing his predicament, Li Qing finally understood what Ancient Savage Beast had swallowed him whole.

"A Spirit Devouring Beast. It resembles a hippopotamus in appearance, but is covered in a layer of bone-like armor. It excels at devouring all things to strengthen itself, and even the most precious spirit metals cannot withstand its refining process."

"What rotten luck. If I can't break out quickly, I'll probably be completely refined."

Li Qing sighed deeply. He hadn't expected to encounter such a formidable Ancient Savage Beast the moment he entered the Heavenlight Secret Realm.

Inside its stomach, he struggled to channel his mana, and even the primordial qi of heaven and earth had been completely blocked, making it impossible to sense its presence.

Moreover, enveloped in the thick, viscous stomach fluid, Li Qing's strength was rapidly draining, and even the power of his fleshly body proved ineffective.

Clearly, the Spirit Devouring Beast had prepared thoroughly. It had used this method to slaughter countless powerful beings without fail, never fearing that its prey might break through from within.

Despite the perilous situation, Li Qing quickly calmed his thoughts, entering a state of extraordinary composure.

He analyzed his current circumstances in the briefest possible terms and reached a conclusion:

"The Spirit Devouring Beast's interior is impenetrable, but it can be easily killed from the outside."

"No wonder it hid in this lake. That creature is truly cunning."

Thoughts raced through Li Qing's mind as he immediately devised two strategies to break free.

The first was to wait for rescue. By enduring the beast's stomach and outlasting it, he could be killed once someone discovered the lake-dwelling Spirit Devouring Beast.

During the process of refining food in its stomach, the Spirit Devouring Beast was at its most vulnerable, making it easy for human cultivators of the same level to kill it.

"This method probably won't work. We were dropped randomly into the Heavenlight Secret Realm, so there's no guarantee any friendly beings will be nearby."

"Moreover, this Spirit Devouring Beast is cunning, hiding at the bottom of the lake. Even my divine sense couldn't detect its presence."

Li Qing immediately dismissed this method. To waste time fighting it would be tantamount to waiting for death.

The second method was to immediately surrender, placing himself in mortal peril, and then use a corpse puppet brought from the lower realm to shield him from one death tribulation.

But Li Qing didn't know if, within this sealed stomach space, the corpse puppet could truly allow him to escape after blocking one death tribulation.

"This method should work. Even if I can't escape its belly, I can use the corpse puppet as a decoy to trick the Spirit Devouring Beast into stopping its refinement process."

"Then, I only need a fleeting moment to unleash my strongest technique and kill the beast."

But this would mean sacrificing a precious corpse puppet.

These puppets were equivalent to a second life, and Li Qing only had two left. He had lost one during his ascension when the Formless Saint Ancestor's dao body struck him, and he was reluctant to waste one on this.

Moreover, the Spirit Devouring Beast's stomach was a valuable resource, perfect for refining certain rare treasures!

Therefore, he decided to use the third method!

These thoughts flashed through Li Qing's mind in an instant. Though it felt like an eternity, it was no more than the blink of an eye.

In that moment, Li Qing made his decision.

Unable to use spells, divine abilities, or his fleshly body within the Spirit Devouring Beast's belly, he still had a third power at his disposal.

The long-dormant Kunpeng Treasure Technique surged through his body, its immense Kunpeng divine power coursing through his veins.

Screech~!

A piercing cry, like the wailing of a thousand birds, echoed through the beast's belly as potent Kunpeng divine power erupted from Li Qing's body.

"Kunpeng's Vast Heaven Diagram!"

At that moment, all the gastric fluids clinging to Li Qing's body were violently shaken off, and the unique power of the Kunpeng burst forth from within him.

Within the Spirit Devouring Beast's belly, it was as if a Kunpeng had materialized, thrashing wildly and unleashing a barrage of deadly techniques.

Before long, at the bottom of the lake, which had just regained its tranquility, the massive Spirit Devouring Beast's eyes snapped open, terror reflected in its pupils.

For the first time in countless years, its supposedly invincible swallowing technique had failed to properly digest its prey.

"Roar!"

The Spirit Devouring Beast roared in agony, trying to expel Li Qing. The searing pain in its abdomen was unbearable.

But it was too late. His body was suddenly pierced by a Kunpeng claw, formed from Li Qing's palm.

The Kunpeng-shaped hand retracted and struck again.

This time, Li Qing crushed the Spirit Devouring Beast's heart, its other organs pulverized by the Kunpeng divine power.

Soon, the lakebed was saturated with thick, crimson blood, and the Spirit Devouring Beast's life force rapidly drained away.

Sensing his mana no longer suppressed, Li Qing burst from the water.

He gazed at the blood-stained lakebed, a pang of regret in his eyes. This was true blood from a savage beast, enough to fetch a substantial price in Profound Ancient City.

Fortunately, its essence blood remained within its body, not yet lost. Otherwise, Li Qing would have been devastated.

Without hesitation, he immediately stored the dead Spirit Devouring Beast in his storage bag, preventing its true blood from being wasted.

"This harvest is quite good. I've slain a Spirit Devouring Beast equivalent to the late divine transformation realm, and its essence blood and stomach are quite valuable."

"The only pity is that the stomach is damaged. If I refine it into a rare treasure, it might have flaws. I'll need to put in extra effort."