Chapter 195 - 148: Life in the Wild

Chapter 195: Chapter 148: Life in the Wild

Zhao Zuo faintly sensed the flow of air, realizing there must be an air vent.

"But we still need to watch out for burrowing Demon Beasts like Earth Dragons and Earth Pangolins," Shen Yunjiao cautioned. Her face was slightly pale; the battle, combined with creating this space, had consumed most of her Mana.

"Right."

Zhao Zuo lightly tapped the surrounding walls, which were formed from compacted earth.

’Earth Movement Technique and Mud Transformation Technique.’

Zhao Zuo recognized the two Earth Element Magic Skills Shen Yunjiao had used. Magic Skills were essentially simplified versions of Magic. When the difficulty and power of a Magic spell were stripped away, it became a Magic Skill.

He hadn’t factored Magic Skills into his considerations when building his combat system. But now, seeing the practical effect produced by combining these two skills gave him an idea.

’Of course, not to practice the Magic Skills myself, but to get a Magical Artifact that can instantly cast them just by injecting Mana.’ He had long since ruled out the painstaking option of practicing them himself.

On the other side, Shen Yunjiao cut a fifty-centimeter-long gash on the Thunder Bull’s body. She then sat cross-legged and plunged her hands inside. A moment later, Zhao Zuo felt an incredibly dangerous aura, as if a terrifying being had awakened within her.

The Spirit within the Thunder Bull’s body was rapidly devoured by Shen Yunjiao, transforming into wisps of Qi Blood that coiled around her. Even the fresh blood that had soaked into the soil was not spared.

Her aura grew stronger and more demonic throughout the process. A layer of bloody light enveloped her, strengthening not only her Mana but her physical body as well.

Zhao Zuo took out some Spirit Stone powder to feed the day’s MVP, the Tracking Insect. Once it had eaten its fill, it curled into a ball and fell asleep in his palm. Seeing this, Zhao Zuo placed it back inside its bamboo tube.

The Fire Spirit Snake was currently in the Spirit Beast Bag, and it had already grown to four meters long. Zhao Zuo was worried that Xiaohei might accidentally crush the Tracking Insect while rolling over, so he had moved it to a new spot.

Shen Yunjiao was still absorbing the Spirit contained within the Thunder Bull, looking completely focused.

Enveloped in Qi Blood, her aura grew stronger with every passing moment.

The speed of her improvement made even Zhao Zuo a little envious. Suddenly, he froze. The Spring and Autumn Cicada in his robes emitted a burst of heat, and an almost imperceptible shade of gray colored his vision.

After a moment, he took out the Spring and Autumn Cicada. Within its jade-like body, another green dot of light had appeared.

’Did she just lose more of her lifespan?’

Zhao Zuo shook his head, took out a Vajra Pill, and swallowed it before starting to practice the Golden Body Technique. He had only recently broken through to the Fifth Layer of the technique, so his physical strength was still in a phase of rapid growth.

About twenty minutes later, he took out another Vajra Pill and swallowed it.

He cultivated cycle after cycle. Four hours passed before Zhao Zuo stood up and stopped. His entire body ached as if pricked by countless needles. The Source Water pearl in his Dantian began to release Energy, repairing his body.

Zhao Zuo could feel his body getting stronger, and a sense of pleasure bloomed in his chest. This joy, born from his increasing physical power, quickly faded. In truth, this level of Cultivation was far from his limit; he needed to conserve some energy for the battles to come.

"Looks like we’ll have to stay here for the night," Shen Yunjiao said, pulling out of her absorption state. The Taotie Secret Technique had no limits, but she, the Cultivator, did. Roughly six hours of absorption had pushed her Meridians to their breaking point.

"Alright." Zhao Zuo nodded, his gaze fixed on the demonic red glint in her eyes.

Several hours of travel had covered about a tenth of the distance. With seventeen days remaining until the battle, they still had plenty of time.

"I need to rest for a bit. Keep watch... you can continue your Cultivation," Shen Yunjiao said.

Zhao Zuo didn’t stand on ceremony. He sat down, took some spices from his Storage Bag, mixed them in a porcelain bowl, and then took out the Thunder Bull’s basin-sized heart. He sliced it with his Sky-Breaking Saber, coated a piece in the sauce, and swallowed it.

The Thunder Bull’s heart was chewy without being too gamey. Occasionally as he chewed, a tiny arc of electricity would burst forth, giving it a surprisingly firm bite.

In truth, Body Refining was simple: absorb Spiritual Power, Qi Blood, or other forms of Energy to temper the body. The Vajra Pill’s purpose was to provide that Energy, and a Demon Beast’s heart could serve the same function.

After eating about a third of the heart, the burning sensation in his abdomen became unbearable. Zhao Zuo had no choice but to stop, get to his feet, and assume a stance from the Golden Body Technique.

As he moved through the forms, white steam began to radiate from his body. His muscles trembled as if alive, constantly expanding and contracting.

’I ate too much...’ Zhao Zuo thought. He had underestimated the intensity of the Energy contained within the Thunder Bull’s heart. Faint purple arcs of electricity coursed through his muscles, stimulating their rhythm as they spread.

He panted, steadily accelerating his Cultivation. The churning Energy in his abdomen was absorbed and converted into Qi Blood, which in turn tempered his body, increasing his strength and subtly promoting its evolution.

This session lasted a full six hours. When Zhao Zuo stood up, he saw that Shen Yunjiao had already resumed absorbing the Thunder Bull. Looking through the connecting passage, he could see that all the flesh and blood around her had vanished, leaving only dry, brittle hide and pale bones.

If Zhao Zuo managed to absorb seventy percent of the Energy from the portion of the Thunder Bull’s heart he ate, his utilization rate was still only between fifty and sixty percent. In contrast, Shen Yunjiao’s Taotie Secret Technique had an absorption rate approaching one hundred percent, and its conversion rate was terrifyingly high as well.

That was why the Thunder Bull’s corpse had been reduced to such a ghastly state.

Zhao Zuo watched for a moment before releasing Xiaohei from the Spirit Beast Bag. The snake was excited to be out, coiling itself around Zhao Zuo’s legs, but it refused to go anywhere near Shen Yunjiao.

He fed it a few Fire Element Seeds, as usual, before returning it to the Spirit Beast Bag. Then, Zhao Zuo took out a new bracelet and put it on his wrist.

Then, he resumed eating the rest of the heart, washing it down with a few large gulps of water.

A new round of Cultivation began.

Zhao Zuo was deep in his Cultivation when a faint sound from overhead forced him to stop and listen carefully.

SCRAPE, SCRAPE, SCRAPE.

’The sound of digging.’

It sounded like a Demon Beast was clawing at the earth above them. Zhao Zuo guessed a predator must have smelled the blood from the Thunder Bull’s corpse.

A moment later, Shen Yunjiao opened her eyes.

"I’ve absorbed most of it. Let’s just leave the rest."

She formed a hand seal, and the tunnel connecting their space to the Thunder Bull’s corpse was swiftly buried under earth, the barrier growing thicker and harder.

A short while later, the sounds of chewing and swallowing came from above. The Demon Beast had clearly reached the Thunder Bull’s corpse, but Zhao Zuo wasn’t worried.

Only weaker Demon Beasts scavenged for meals; powerful ones preferred to hunt their own prey.

Neither of them resumed their Cultivation. Instead, they leaned against the wall to rest.

Zhao Zuo estimated his strength was now approaching twenty-five thousand *jin*.

The next morning, Shen Yunjiao formed a hand seal. The earth beneath their feet and above their heads began to move, splitting apart. Zhao Zuo felt himself rising and couldn’t help but marvel internally at the practicality of Magic Skills.

Blinding sunlight and fresh air rushed in, revealing a blue sky and white clouds.

Zhao Zuo took a deep breath and used a Cleaning Talisman to remove any lingering scents from his body.

Nearby, a pit about five meters in diameter had been dug into the ground. Most of the Thunder Bull’s skeleton was buried deeper, with only its spine now exposed.

"Let’s go," Shen Yunjiao said. After absorbing most of the Thunder Bull’s Spirit, she looked to be in excellent condition, her skin glowing with health.

The two continued on their way toward the small city.

.....