Chapter 42: Eighth Level of Qi Refining, Breaking Free from the Wilderness!

Inside the cave.

After several days of relentless cultivation, Shen Lian’s spiritual energy had reached its peak. It had been nearly a year since he broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refinement, but thanks to the surge of spiritual energy, his advancement had not resulted in an unstable foundation. With the Five Qi Returning to Origin technique, the vigor of spiritual power coursing through him rivaled even those cultivators who had lingered at the seventh level for many years.

He toyed with the coarse Barrier-Breaking Pill in his hand, then opened his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Damn it, once he left this wilderness, he would devote himself to the alchemical arts. Who would eat such trash pills? Poor quality pills tasted foul, and after ingesting them, he was assaulted by a burning, stinging sensation.

Soon, the medicinal power was released within his body, spreading through his meridians to every corner. Shen Lian’s spiritual sense swept inward, capturing the scattered energies and drawing them into his meridians strand by strand. Only when the medicinal power traveled through the meridians and converged in the dantian, transforming into spiritual energy, could it achieve its fullest effect.

Now, Shen Lian’s spiritual sense had grown to a formidable seventy zhang. All thanks to the Blood Refining Soul Extension secret art. An increase of twenty zhang in soul strength within a year—something he had never dared imagine before. And this was while restraining his cultivation; if he had embraced the path of demonic cultivation and devoured fellow cultivators, his spiritual sense would have soared even higher.

It was no wonder so many chose the demonic arts—the progress was simply too fast compared to orthodox methods. The downside was the lingering aftereffects; Shen Lian found himself addicted, and every time he refined the flesh and blood of a beast, he had the urge to grab Dahei and take a bite. Fortunately, Dahei was so ugly and black that it suppressed his bloodthirsty impulses, better even than the effect of the Mind-Clearing Talisman.

At his heart, six crystalline beads of blood clung, the essence of beasts he had refined. Once assimilated, this form didn’t remain forever. After nourishing his soul, the vital essence of the blood would gradually be consumed, and when depleted, the residual beads would melt into his body, strengthening his flesh.

Thus, as his spiritual sense ascended, so too did the resilience of his body.

With seventy zhang of spiritual sense, every meridian was revealed to Shen Lian’s perception, allowing him to gather most of the scattered medicinal power into the meridians, directing it toward his dantian.

Boom—

The surging medicinal power rushed through the meridians into the dantian, and the bottleneck of the eighth level of Qi Refinement was shattered in just a quarter of an hour. The assimilated medicinal power cycled through the meridians, transforming into the Five Elements spiritual energy.

This process lasted half a day before Shen Lian’s aura gradually settled. Only then had he truly succeeded in breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

Exhaling deeply, Shen Lian glanced at the flecks of black filth exuded from his skin, then swept his body clean with a surge of spiritual energy.

He did not hurry to rise, but instead checked the increase in his spiritual sense. With each breakthrough since the emergence of spiritual sense, a cultivator’s very being ascends, and the soul grows stronger.

With a thought, Shen Lian extended his spiritual sense outward.

Thirty zhang… fifty… seventy… eighty… eighty-five…

When it finally reached ninety-two zhang, he sensed its limit.

Breaking through from the seventh to the eighth level, his spiritual sense had increased by twenty-two zhang.

Shen Lian could not judge how remarkable this growth was; he would have to confirm it after leaving the wilderness. Yet, Master Weng Xia once said that cultivators with eighty or ninety zhang of spiritual sense at the ninth level were rare in the Biyu Sect. As for a hundred zhang, that was already the domain of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In the world of immortal cultivation, opportunities abound, and many bear the mark of destiny; it was not impossible for someone to gain Foundation-level spiritual sense even during the Qi Refinement stage.

"Just eight more zhang of spiritual sense, and I can begin to practice the Soul-Capturing Seal from the Blood Refining Soul Extension secret art." "Does this mean that once I break through to the ninth level, my spiritual sense will rival Foundation Establishment?"

A bright spark flickered in Shen Lian’s eyes.

"No, as long as I have beasts to refine, I need not wait until the ninth level."

After indulging in a brief moment of pride, Shen Lian steadied his Dao heart. He must be cautious. Before leaving the wilderness, he did not intend to further practice the Blood Refining Soul Extension art; the Mind-Clearing Talisman's effect had diminished, and the aftermath of refining beasts lasted longer each time.

Once he found high-grade Mind-Clearing Jade or Heart-Consolidating Fruit, he could safely strengthen his soul. Whether it was talisman crafting or beast taming, all served the immortal path; soul refinement was the same—an aid, not a master. Even if he became a fiend, it would be by his own will, not through losing his mind to demonic madness.

His spiritual sense swept the surroundings, checking the nest of the Black-Horned Demon Ants.

Dahei’s ant tribe had not yet returned from their scouting expedition. The queen continued to lay eggs ceaselessly. Before leaving the market, Shen Lian had acquired more than seventy first-tier beasts, all now depleted. Twenty-nine he used for soul refinement, the rest to breed the ants.

Fortunately, once the ant colony grew, they could hunt weaker bugs for food, allowing their numbers to swell to over seven hundred.

With his breakthrough to the eighth level and spiritual sense at ninety zhang, Shen Lian felt it was time to advance. The sooner he returned to the Chu Kingdom’s immortal realm, the safer he would be.

…

In the wild mountain forests.

Among the scattered stones and vegetation, fist-sized demon ants poked their heads out from various places. Sometimes, luck failed them and they simply vanished as they traveled.

The ant tribe had its unique method of marking paths; wherever they went, they left a distinctive scent. The Black-Horned Demon Ants could identify the routes their kin had traveled by smell. If the scent abruptly disappeared, it meant the kin had likely perished, marking that path as dangerous.

Of course, to further verify the danger, routes where ants had died weren’t abandoned immediately. There would be a second wave, even a third, to scout further. If all perished…

Emmmn…

That area would be marked as hazardous, and they would detour when passing through.

Besides their pathfinding talent, the ants were also highly sensitive to environmental energies. They marked beast droppings and traces along the way, compiling all data through Dahei, which was then relayed to Shen Lian, forming a map.

In the forest, Shen Lian examined the beast-hide map—covered in scribbles—matching it to the surrounding mountains as he walked.

This map had been forged by Dahei and its kin, paid for in ant lives. Its weight was as heavy as a mountain; their contribution was immense.

…

"Are those two black eyes just for show? How could you miss such a large beast?"

Shen Lian, gasping, clung to Dahei in the underground cave.

Dahei’s antennae drooped, its fangs twitching in grievance. It couldn’t help it—their enemies flew in the sky, while they crawled on the ground.

From the cloud of miasma came a shrill cry that echoed through the air. The miasma churned under the wind, and pairs of black or gray wings flapped, revealing ugly, bald eagle heads.

Deep underground, a hundred zhang below, Shen Lian activated concealment and spiritual sense talismans, masking his presence.

He cursed, but this time it really wasn’t Dahei’s fault.

Following the route Dahei’s tribe had scouted, Shen Lian covered almost two thousand li of mountain roads in just five days. But today, he was spotted by the Corpsebone Demon Eagles emerging from the miasma.

These demon birds were among the most troublesome creatures in the wilderness. Numerous and hidden in the miasma, they appeared and vanished in flocks, hunting together.

Shen Lian was unlucky—he encountered a flock out hunting.

The moment he sensed danger, he activated his earth-escape talismans five times, using terrain and other talismans to burrow into this underground cave.

Thankfully, the cave had been scouted in advance and was only thirty li away, allowing Shen Lian to escape disaster.

The Corpsebone Demon Eagles circled above, their eyes scanning the mountains.

Shen Lian dared not leave, for he feared being beset by the flock.

The eagles hovered for three days before finally disappearing into the miasma.

Dahei crawled out to summon its kin; after gathering, only a hundred remained, most having fled in terror.

Fortunately, the backbone ants at the Qi Refinement level survived; these intelligent ants knew to hide, but the newly mutated ants acted on instinct alone, blindly burrowing and eventually losing themselves.

"Hiss hiss—"

Dahei approached Shen Lian, humming softly.

Shen Lian patted Dahei's large horn, "Let’s rest in the next cave for a few days. I’ll find you more mates, so you can have more offspring."

"Hiss hiss—"

…

Four months later.

In the border forests of Chu.

Shen Lian stood atop a low mountain, gazing at the clear sky in all directions, longing to laugh aloud.

I’m out!

Across ten thousand li, through endless mountains and miasma.

Do you know how many generations of Dahei’s offspring died along the way?

"Hiss hiss—"

Perched on Shen Lian’s shoulder, Dahei hissed in perfect timing.

All around the mountain, nearly a hundred Black-Horned Demon Ants lurked in every corner, their antennae waving.

"Children, let’s go!"

Resisting the urge to shout, Shen Lian strode quickly down the hill.