Chapter 451: Your Life, I Shall Claim Another Day!
Chu Xuan gazed at the colossal hoof descending from the heavens, immediately recognizing it as a technique from Moon True Master's cultivation of the "Shattered Peaks Skill."
This skill envisioned a formidable ancient beast, Shattered Peak, resembling a giant tortoise, yet spanning ten thousand zhang, its massive hoofs like pillars holding up the heavens.
With a single stomp, entire mountain ranges would collapse into basins. This very hoof was one of the physical cultivation techniques from the "Shattered Peaks Skill." No wonder Moon True Master was brimming with confidence throughout—such formidable skills were already within his grasp.
However, Chu Xuan merely smiled lightly in response. You have your powerful techniques, and do I not have mine?
"Heaven Descending Furnace!"
With a low shout, Chu Xuan's blood surged wildly, coalescing into a titanic furnace above him. The moment this blood-fueled furnace materialized, Moon True Master's face displayed stark astonishment.
"How is this possible! How long have you possessed this body cultivation skill to have already mastered such a technique?!"
His heart was fraught with disbelief. How long had it been since Chu Xuan arrived at the Eight Extremes Palace? Even if by some miracle, Chu Xuan had obtained a thousand corpse demon beads on his first day, and by another stroke of fortune, found the legacy site of the Melting Furnace Hall, it would be impossible to have mastered such techniques so swiftly! These were not skills that one could simply master upon initial entry into the "Melting Furnace Skill."
Just as Moon True Master was lost in his incredulity, the blood-fueled furnace collided violently with the titanic hoof. A thunderous roar erupted, vibrating every spectator's eardrums and nerves. A ferocious gale swept across the area, hurling everyone far and wide.
Thud, thud, thud!
Zhong Tianshuo, Tie Jun, and others slammed against the broken walls and ruins, bleeding profusely and visibly shaken. Meanwhile, Hu, Long, Two Arms, and Four Arms, having braced themselves, only retreated a short distance before quickly stabilizing.
All eyes turned towards the two colossal figures formed of condensed blood in the sky. Moon True Master's expression turned unsightly in an instant. At the moment of impact, he had felt that something was amiss.
This sensation... it was all wrong!
As expected, a crisp crack resounded through the air. The colossal beast's hoof displayed a clear fracture, which, in the blink of an eye, spread like a spiderweb across its structure.
With a thunderous crash, the furnace pulverized the titanic hoof. The latter disintegrated into a cloud of blood mist, dissipating into nothingness. The blood-fueled furnace, undeterred in its trajectory, plunged directly towards Moon True Master.
Moon True Master's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly marshaled his blood energy into a giant tortoise shell to shield himself. With a deafening boom, the blood furnace smashed down. Dust flew and stones scattered, obscuring visibility.
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Zhong Tianshuo, Tie Jun, and the others stared in shock at the cloud of dust. Mixed feelings of anxiety and relief surged within them. If Moon True Master were to fall here, they would be freed from his service forever.
Chu Xuan, however, narrowed his eyes towards the dust cloud. He could sense that Moon True Master's life force had not been extinguished. Instead, it had surged unexpectedly.
"Had he taken some elixir? Or triggered some secret technique?" Chu Xuan frowned, realizing it wouldn't be so easy to kill him.
The winds howled furiously, and the dust soon cleared. A massive crater now marked the ground, and a figure suddenly burst from the pit's depths, hovering in mid-air—it was Moon True Master. His once immaculate white robe was utterly shattered, no longer bearing the semblance of a sage. Now, only tattered clothes clung to his robust, muscular frame. Covered in wounds, these healed at a visibly rapid rate.
Moon True Master looked down at Chu Xuan, his expression grim. He had three Sea Boiling Pills passed down from his ancestors—potent medicinal pellets concocted by body cultivators of the Boiling Sea Hall, designed to explosively augment one's blood energy temporarily.
These pills not only healed injuries but also enhanced strength. However, they had a significant drawback: they only lasted for half an hour. After the effect wore off, one would suffer from debilitating weakness for ten days and drop five minor cultivation levels, accompanied by severe bodily pain. In a bygone era, other medicinal pellets could be used in conjunction to mitigate these side effects, but such auxiliary medicines were long lost.
Furthermore, the ingredients for the Sea Boiling Pills were exceedingly rare, now depleted with each use. This last pill was meant for dire emergencies, and he had not anticipated having to use it in such a situation.
Chu Xuan, sensing the surge in Moon True Master's vital energies, realized that the man now matched a body cultivator of the forty-first level. They were but a minor level apart in cultivation. Still, Chu Xuan was not daunted; after all, he himself was at the forty-second level, one step above Moon True Master.
Just as Chu Xuan was about to gather his energies for another descent of the Blood Furnace, a series of unpleasant growls echoed from all directions, followed by the sounds of numerous corpse demons approaching.
Surveying his surroundings, Chu Xuan identified a number of unusually large corpse demons mingling with the throng of ordinary ones. These titanic beings were at least twice the height and strength of their counterparts, exuding an aura as formidable as that of a body cultivator of the fortieth level.
Chu Xuan recognized them instantly as the great corpse demons Zhao Xuan had mentioned. A quick count revealed at least ten of these behemoths, with ordinary ones numbering over a thousand. Surrounded by such a horde, continuing the battle was no longer advisable. It was time to break free.
As the light column next to him began to dim, the knowledge from the Boiling Sea Hall's cultivation technique melded into a sphere of light and entered Chu Xuan's mind. With a thought, he retreated, his corpse puppets and spirits in tow. Zhong Tianshuo, Tie Jun, and the others each sought their own escape, scattering from the area.
Moon True Master, eyes fixed on Chu Xuan, ground his teeth and bellowed, "Don't let him escape!" Propelling himself off the ground, he chased forward.
Chu Xuan let out a cold laugh and swiftly maneuvered through the ruins. Moon True Master, sensing something amiss, frowned, only to have his path explode with a burst of sword energy from a concealed formation.
The unexpected barrage of sword energy caught him unprepared, piercing him thoroughly. Yet, having ingested the Boiling Sea Pill, which temporarily elevated his cultivation to the forty-first level, the sword energy generated by a Nascent Soul-level formation could only slightly impede him without inflicting serious damage.
The energy dissipated with a series of clangs as Moon True Master continued his pursuit. Then came another array, and another, each ingeniously timed to slow him, forcing him to defend himself. This pattern of haste and delay allowed Chu Xuan to vanish from his sight.
A swarm of corpse demons, attracted by his robust vital energies, charged towards him—their instinct drawn irresistibly to the scent. Cursing under his breath, Moon True Master roared, "Your life, I'll take it another time!" With that, he turned and forced his way through a less crowded area to escape.