Translator: CinderTL
Deep within a remote mountain range where Spiritual Qi was scarce and human presence rare, Song Wen had set up the Five Elements Concealment Formation within a mountain cave.
He then retrieved Wu Yuan's mangled remains and began to devour the cultivation energy within.
A torrent of pure, boundless Spiritual Power, like a raging flood, surged into Song Wen's body, mingling with Wu Yuan's blood essence.
This foreign Spiritual Power, sharing the same origin as Song Wen's own, instantly merged with his existing energy, flowing through his Meridians before converging in his dantian.
Within the dantian, Song Wen's nascent soul, its eyes gleaming with fervor, greedily devoured the incoming Spiritual Power.
The nascent soul's aura rapidly expanded, and within a hundred breaths, it struck an invisible barrier, attempting to halt Song Wen's cultivation progress.
Wu Yuan's cultivation realm was two minor stages higher than Song Wen's. Even with the significant energy loss during the absorption process, the remnants still contained a vast reservoir of Spiritual Power, which continued to pour relentlessly into Song Wen's body.
Due to the bottleneck, the nascent soul could no longer absorb the foreign Spiritual Power. This surging energy accumulated in the dantian, relentlessly battering the nascent soul like an unrelenting tide.
Under the relentless assault, the bottleneck finally crumbled, unable to withstand the surging influx of Spiritual Power.
The nascent soul, like a whale drawing in water, absorbed the surging Spiritual Power from the dantian into itself.
Song Wen's aura instantly surged, his cultivation breaking through to the mid-stage of Divine Transformation.
Gradually, the external Spiritual Power began to wane.
Wu Yuan's internal Spiritual Power had been completely devoured.
Song Wen opened his eyes, a flicker of joy in his gaze.
His cultivation breakthrough had been smoother than expected.
A crimson flame suddenly erupted from his hand, incinerating the mummified corpse into ashes.
Afterward, Song Wen retrieved Wu Yuan's Storage Ring and began meticulously cataloging its contents.
Wu Yuan possessed a wealth of treasures, but the one that truly captivated Song Wen was the man's protective inner armor.
Song Wen examined the armor closely.
The inner armor was pitch-black, composed of countless fingernail-sized scales. It felt remarkably smooth and cold to the touch, like touching snake scales.
Before Wu Yuan's divine soul dissipated, Song Wen had deliberately inquired about this treasure.
From Wu Yuan's lips, he learned that the armor was called the "Profound Abyss Scale Armor." It had been bestowed upon Wu Yuan by the Divine Blood Gate as a reward for his outstanding contributions to the Veiled Moon Hall. Hall Master Feng Zhao had personally petitioned the Divine Blood Gate to honor Wu Yuan's merits.
The Profound Abyss Scale Armor could be worn at will, its size and coverage area shifting according to the user's thoughts. It could transform into a protective shield for the dantian or extend to cover the entire body.
Next, Song Wen retrieved a Blood-Colored Corpse Coffin from his Storage Ring.
This was Wu Yuan's Natal Magic Treasure, which Song Wen couldn't directly refine for his own use.
However, the spirit corpse within the Corpse Coffin possessed the strength of a fifth-tier mid-grade cultivator. After re-refining it, it could become another powerful asset for Song Wen.
The Blood-Colored Corpse Coffin wasn't entirely useless either. It could be used to nurture the spirit corpse and prevent its strength from deteriorating.
Song Wen also obtained five thousand high-grade spirit stones from the Storage Ring, along with a secret art called the Fiendish Spirit Ghost Scroll and a formation flag for the Corpse Fiend Spirit Severing Formation.
The Fiendish Spirit Ghost Scroll not only shared a similar name with the Fiendish Dao Ghost Tome, but its methods for manipulating Malevolent Qi also bore some resemblance, albeit at a far more advanced level.
Although Song Wen currently lacked potent Malevolent Qi, he could still utilize the Fiendish Spirit Ghost Scroll with the Corpse Qi within his body, which would further enhance his strength.
The Corpse Fiend Spirit Severing Formation proved to be a pleasant surprise for Song Wen.
This formation was precisely the fifth-tier high-grade trapping and killing formation he had been searching for, and its activation through Corpse Dao methods made it perfectly suited for his use.
Song Wen suddenly felt that Wu Yuan was practically a treasure-bearing child, not only helping him advance his cultivation but also providing him with the treasures he desperately needed.
After cataloging the contents of the Storage Ring, Song Wen didn't linger in the mountain cave. Instead, he immediately left and headed for the Withered Desolation Marsh, arriving at the barren islet he had previously selected.
Notably, Song Wen named the islet "Wu Yuan Island" in memory of Wu Yuan's good deeds.
Unlike Ye Bing, who had sealed off her entire islet with a formation, Song Wen carved a cultivation cave deep within the island's bedrock, beneath the water's surface.
While Ye Bing's approach prevented others from spying on her islet, it also revealed that a cultivator had claimed the territory, indirectly exposing her whereabouts.
The new cultivation cave was quite spacious, spanning ten miles in diameter. This was primarily to allow his Gu insects and Nether Fox to roam freely; a cramped cave would risk disturbing Song Wen during their movements.
For the next twenty years, Song Wen remained in secluded cultivation.
First, he focused on refining his surging Spiritual Power and stabilizing his cultivation realm.
Second, he refined the treasures he had obtained from Wu Yuan and practiced the Fiendish Spirit Ghost Scroll.
During this time, something occurred that greatly pleased Song Wen. Eleven years ago, all three Shadow Gu had advanced to the mid-stage of the third-tier, and the newly hatched Blood Earthworm Gu had also reached the mid-stage of the second-tier.
In the past year or two, Song Wen had occasionally ventured into the Withered Desolation Marsh, seeking out areas frequented by fifth-tier demon beasts. Using fifth-tier Demon-Attracting Powder and the Corpse Fiend Spirit Severing Formation, he had slain twelve fifth-tier demon beasts, along with a large number of fourth-tier and lower-tier creatures.
He had intended to continue hunting demon beasts, but fifth-tier specimens had become increasingly scarce in the Withered Desolation Marsh, forcing him to abandon his efforts.
Nevertheless, this hunting spree had allowed him to devour a vast number of demon beast souls.
These souls were consumed by the Black Hole in his Sea of Consciousness, generating countless soul fragments that now drifted within his Sea of Consciousness.
Song Wen sensed that if he spent some time absorbing and refining these soul fragments using the Forbidden Divine Art, his divine sense should advance to the late divine transformation stage.
Over the past twenty years, Song Wen had visited Cloudveil City numerous times. While he purchased Spirit Herbs for his cultivation, his primary purpose was to meet with Shi Man.
Having tasted success with Wu Yuan, Song Wen was reluctant to sever his connection with Shi Man.
After Wu Yuan's death, Song Wen's first meeting with Shi Man was fraught with anxiety. He feared that Wu Yuan's demise and his failure to obtain the Corroding Heart Cold from Shi Chang might arouse Shi Man's suspicions. He deliberately chose a meeting place outside Cloudveil City.
However, Shi Man informed him that Chi Pei had already acquired the Corroding Heart Cold.
This news instantly relieved Song Wen's worries.
With Chi Pei possessing the Corroding Heart Cold, he would no longer investigate whether Shi Chang was a real "stall owner" or merely a fabrication.
It's worth noting that the Corroding Heart Cold originated from the Jiang Family in the Qianchang Wilderness.
On this particular day, Song Wen hosted Shi Man at the Moon-Caressing Pavilion, as usual.
But today, Shi Man arrived with a companion: a female cultivator in the mid-stage of the Divine Transformation realm.
The female cultivator appeared to be in her early thirties, with a striking face heavily made up.
What drew the most attention were her proud bearing and revealing attire.
Her upper body was tightly wrapped in a brocade breastplate that emphasized her ample chest.
Her lower body was draped in a long skirt with slits that ran high up both sides, resembling two pieces of fabric tied at the waist. With each step, she revealed tantalizing glimpses of skin.
(End of the Chapter)
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