Chapter 257: The Sword Formation Complete, the Might of the Thunder Punishment Sword!
Ji Yuan felt the surging Vital Energy within his body. It flowed endlessly, nearly twice as resilient as before. A faint humming arose from deep within his muscles and bones, as though his skeleton was being reforged and his meridians were expanding.
His heart surged with excitement.
This Thunder Marsh truly was a sacred land for Body Tempering cultivators!
After traversing only thirty li, the “lashing” of countless purple lightning bolts had merged with the Vital Energy stirred by his stance training, forcibly tempering his physical body to an entirely new level.
Of course, this was also related to the countless Tempering Aperture Pearls he had consumed before, as well as the vast amount of Spiritual Pig flesh he had eaten.
Previously, because he lacked a Body Tempering cultivation technique, all that Vital Energy from his meals had accumulated throughout his body. Now, after being struck by lightning here... all of it had been stimulated and unleashed, continuing to strengthen him.
But that joy lasted only for an instant.
His gaze pierced through the even more frenzied curtain of purple lightning ahead. Feeling the intense numbness brought by the dense lightning in the air, an even deeper longing ignited within his heart.
“If just thirty li has such an effect... what would happen if I go even deeper?”
Not only did Ji Yuan refuse to stop, he instead stepped even more heavily with the stance movements he had already mastered.
Step by step, he advanced deeper.
With every step, the charred ground trembled slightly beneath his feet. Originally, he had merely been using his stance technique to guide his Vital Energy and share the burden of the lightning's might. But now, he deliberately withdrew most of his Vital Energy back into the depths of his body, leaving behind only a thin protective membrane over his skin, as though intentionally removing part of his armor so the more violent purple lightning could directly "forge" his flesh, muscles, and bones.
“Crack! Boom!”
As he ventured farther, the purple lightning descending from the heavens suddenly grew several times thicker.
It was no longer the thickness of chopsticks, but as thick as a baby's arm, carrying a shrill howl that tore through the air before crashing down upon him. Its frequency also increased severalfold, almost forming an unending purple waterfall of lightning.
Thirty-one li... thirty-five li... forty li!
“Urgh!”
When a solid bolt of purple lightning as thick as an adult's arm landed squarely across Ji Yuan's undefended back, even with his newly advanced Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment physique, he could not help letting out a muffled groan.
It was not merely the searing agony of torn flesh. The violent electrical energy contained within the lightning felt like countless red-hot needles, instantly piercing every corner of his body, ravaging his tendons, bones, and internal organs with wild abandon!
His body shook violently. His skin was instantly charred black as countless beads of blood steamed out from the cracks in his flesh, only to be blasted away by fresh lightning.
The previous tingling numbness had long since disappeared.
In its place was horrifying pain that felt as though his body were about to be torn into pieces.
Had his will not been so firm and his stance foundation so incredibly solid, that single strike would have been enough to knock him unconscious.
“Excellent!”
Instead of crushing him, the unbearable pain ignited the ferocity buried deep within Ji Yuan, just like when he had faced the assault of those ten dried corpses.
Grinding his teeth until blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, he pushed his stance technique to its absolute limit.
His Vital Energy surged through his body like molten magma rushing through a narrow river channel. The invading lightning power was relentlessly washed away, enveloped, and worn down by the even more powerful torrent of Vital Energy.
Each cycle of refinement resembled forging iron in a blazing furnace. The impurities were burned away by lightning and flame, while stronger, purer power slowly emerged amid the agony.
The deeper he went, the stronger the heavenly lightning became.
At fifty li, the purple lightning had become as thick as a burly man's arm. Its color gradually shifted from bright violet to a deep, dark purple, and its power increased tremendously.
The form of the lightning was no longer monotonous. Sometimes it struck like a venomous serpent, viciously targeting his acupoints. Other times it crashed down like a colossal hammer, smashing brutally against his chest and spine.
Ji Yuan's walk had become nothing more than a staggering struggle.
His body was already covered in wounds. New injuries piled atop old ones as charred flesh and crimson blood intertwined. Most of the time, he was blasted until he teetered on the verge of collapse, sustained only by an unyielding will and the rhythm of his stance technique that had become engraved into his very bones.
Violent energies clashed within his body as Vital Energy and lightning frantically collided, merged, and annihilated one another. Wisps of smoke constantly rose from his skin, the result of decayed flesh being directly burned away by the lightning.
Seventy li deep!
“Crack... Hummm...”
Just as his body reached the brink of collapse and even his consciousness began to blur, a sudden transformation occurred!
The Vital Energy flowing through him at its utmost limit, carrying the immense lightning power that it had yet to fully refine, suddenly shattered an invisible barrier.
His entire skeleton erupted in a dense series of crackling sounds like beans exploding in a pan, which then transformed into a resonant hum akin to dragons roaring and tigers bellowing. His internal organs felt as though they had been cleansed by heavenly rain, bursting forth with renewed vitality. The muscles that had been torn apart regenerated rapidly under the stimulation of the lightning, becoming even tougher, thicker, and filled with explosive power.
His total Vital Energy increased severalfold, flowing like a mighty river.
Late-Stage Foundation Establishment!
His physique underwent its second breakthrough, achieved naturally upon the very edge of ultimate agony and destruction!
A sense of strength several times greater than before flooded every part of his body, instantly relieving his body that had been on the verge of collapse. He actually withstood the even more violent lightning baptism seventy li deep within the Thunder Marsh!
“I've succeeded!”
Ji Yuan's spirits soared. A dazzling light burst forth from his exhausted eyes. This newfound strength gave him the confidence to continue advancing!
Yet at the same time, he realized that all the Vital Energy reserves hidden within his body had been completely exhausted during this breakthrough.
In other words, there was no hidden reserve left.
Both of his breakthroughs had relied entirely on the Vital Energy that had accumulated within his body beforehand.
Now...
It was gone.
If he wanted another smooth breakthrough like this, the opportunity was likely gone.
Ji Yuan stood where he was, allowing the heavenly lightning to strike his body. Narrowing his eyes, he looked ahead.
Even beneath the endless curtain of lightning, he still could not see the Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid.
Ten more li...
With his newly strengthened physique, advancing another ten li should not be a problem.
No matter what, he would first reach the location of the Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid.
Move!
Ji Yuan took a deep breath, circulated his Vital Energy once more, and resumed his stance training as he ventured deeper.
Within the Thunder Marsh, there was no concept of time.
Ji Yuan had no idea how long he had been inside. The tribulation clouds overhead remained eternally unchanged, while bolt after bolt of purple lightning descended, bringing fresh flashes of light.
Some time later, after a grueling trek, Ji Yuan finally reached eighty li into the Thunder Marsh.
At the same time, he finally saw the true appearance of the Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid.
The shallow pools covering the ground, which had originally been somewhat dark, now shimmered with a faint purple hue beneath the constant lightning strikes. From afar, the entire ground sparkled brilliantly, creating an astonishingly beautiful sight.
Suppressing the pain wracking his body, Ji Yuan took a jade bottle from his Storage Pouch, intending to fill one bottle and bring it back for study.
Yet the moment the Profound Liquid entered the jade bottle—
Crack!
The jade bottle instantly shattered into pieces.
The Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid itself actually contained the Might of Lightning.
If that was the case, ordinary containers clearly could not hold it.
Ji Yuan then took out a Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact iron box from his Storage Pouch—the 【Cave Dwelling】 he always carried with him.
Pouring the Profound Liquid into it caused no problems.
The iron box could withstand it.
However, after observing it for only a few moments, Ji Yuan noticed that once removed from the Thunder Marsh, the Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid visibly transformed into ordinary rainwater.
In other words, it could not truly be taken away.
The reason it was called Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid was because it constantly received an endless supply of lightning from within the Thunder Marsh.
Once separated from that source and no longer replenished, it immediately reverted to ordinary rainwater.
Since it could not be taken away, there was nothing he could do.
Putting the items away, Ji Yuan looked toward the increasingly violent heavenly lightning ahead and chose to continue deeper.
Eighty li was not yet his limit, even though the Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid already appeared here.
While maintaining his stance technique, he continued pressing forward with all his strength.
Who knew how much time passed before he finally arrived at roughly one hundred li...
Then he stopped.
Because the lightning falling ahead was no longer purely purple.
It now carried a faint...
Purple-black hue!
Judging from its color alone, along with the terrifying pressure radiating ahead, Ji Yuan could already tell that the heavenly lightning beyond one hundred li had reached an entirely different level.
Should he test it?
Since he'd already come this far...
Ji Yuan circulated his Vital Energy to protect his internal organs before cautiously taking a single step forward.
“Bzzz—”
A purple-black bolt of lightning no thicker than an adult's little finger silently struck Ji Yuan's raised arm.
“Pfft—”
The protective Vital Energy of his Late-Stage Foundation Establishment physique was pierced instantly as though made of paper!
His arm immediately turned charred black as terrifying energy, far surpassing any previous lightning strike, surged directly into his body with vicious penetrating force, instantly damaging his meridians and internal organs along the way!
Ji Yuan hurriedly retreated several steps before barely managing to steady himself.
When he looked toward the lightning curtain once more, he suddenly felt that he truly did not dare take another step forward.
Not metaphorically.
He genuinely did not dare.
He had only tested it with one arm and had nearly suffered severe injuries.
If his entire body entered...
He would probably be struck to death.
In that case, there was no need to continue testing.
He would condense his Flying Sword here instead.
Besides, this position was roughly at the ninety-nine point ninety-nine li mark of the Thunder Marsh.
By absorbing the Water Fortune here...
He could still draw in the Water Fortune from beyond the hundred-li mark.
Whether it was ten li more or ten li less made little difference.
Having made up his mind, Ji Yuan immediately swallowed several improved Qi-Blood Pills before using the lightning's power to refine them and heal the injuries within his body.
If he was going to condense his Flying Sword, he naturally had to restore himself to peak condition first.
Before long, after refining the pills, every hidden injury left by the lightning had completely healed.
Glancing into his Storage Pouch, Ji Yuan found that he still had forty-five Qi-Blood Pills remaining, along with twenty-nine Tempering Aperture Pearls.
In that case...
There seemed to be no need to immediately condense his Flying Sword.
He decided to first use the Might of Lightning to completely refine all of the Tempering Aperture Pearls.
As for the Qi-Blood Pills, he would reserve ten for emergencies and refine all the rest.
If it were not for the long journey back to the Water Dragon Sect and the possibility of unexpected dangers along the way, Ji Yuan would have refined them all.
After all, once he returned, he could continue slaughtering pigs to obtain more Tempering Aperture Pearls and refine additional Qi-Blood Pills.
Thus, Ji Yuan began swallowing one Tempering Aperture Pearl after another, using the lightning to temper and refine them, strengthening his physique even further.
This inevitably reminded him of the past.
Back then, every Tempering Aperture Pearl had felt as though he had already reached his limit. Taking even one more had made him feel as if his body were about to explode.
But now?
Each pearl he swallowed was completely refined by the lightning's power not long afterward, transforming into pure Vital Energy that continuously strengthened his physique.
Once all the Tempering Aperture Pearls had been consumed, he moved on to the Qi-Blood Pills.
He had no idea how much time passed.
After refining the final Qi-Blood Pill, a thought suddenly arose in his mind.
Should he...
Try advancing farther again?
Perhaps his current physique could withstand the heavenly lightning beyond the hundred-li mark.
Ji Yuan immediately returned to the boundary, sensing the overwhelming purple-black heavenly lightning ahead.
After hesitating for a long while, he ultimately abandoned the suicidal idea.
He should first condense the Flying Sword Embryo.
That was the real priority.
However, once he began condensing the sword embryo, he would be unable to pay attention to anything else.
He needed someone to guard him.
He had no person...
But he did have a Flood Dragon that loved breathing icy air.
With a thought, Ji Yuan released Monday, who was still dozing peacefully.
The sleepy Ice Flood Dragon had barely emerged before countless purple lightning bolts struck its body.
In an instant, its entire body stiffened.
Its Flood Dragon eyes widened to their absolute limit.
The scales covering its body flared outward as though standing on end, while every spot struck by lightning immediately turned black.
Naturally, it believed it had been ambushed.
Its body instantly writhed as freezing energy poured from it. A thick layer of ice armor quickly covered its body. Only after the ice blocked the lightning did the Ice Flood Dragon look around and finally realize its current situation.
“Haa—”
Seeing Ji Yuan's body torn open and scorched by lightning, the Ice Flood Dragon immediately exhaled a mouthful of icy breath, gently cooling his wounds.
Ji Yuan instantly felt refreshing coldness spread across his body.
Having already converted to an ice cultivation path, the moment he felt that chill, his entire body relaxed considerably.
“One more! One more!”
Ji Yuan hurriedly urged.
The Ice Flood Dragon immediately breathed out another mouthful of icy breath.
“Haa—”
If this icy breath were directed at an enemy, it would be Dragon Breath.
With its Late Second-Tier cultivation, even a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator struck head-on would be frozen into an ice sculpture.
But toward its master...
It controlled the strength with exceptional precision.
One strand more would injure him.
One strand less would have no effect.
After being cooled repeatedly, Ji Yuan revealed a contented smile.
Yet after enjoying the comfort for only a brief moment, he transmitted his thoughts to the Ice Flood Dragon.
“I'm going to cultivate for a while. Guard the surroundings for me and don't let anyone disturb me.”
As for the heavenly lightning descending from above, after enduring it for so long, Ji Yuan had already adapted to it.
As long as it did not suddenly become as violent as it had in the storm zone, there would be no problem.
The Ice Flood Dragon blinked before nodding its dragon head.
Its body, originally only as thick as a human thigh, rose into the air.
After twisting through the curtain of lightning a few times, it instantly transformed into a pale-blue Flood Dragon nearly ten zhang long and as thick as two water barrels.
Its icy armor sparkled brilliantly beneath the constant purple lightning, making it appear extraordinarily majestic.
Ji Yuan's eyes lit up with delight.
He bent his legs slightly before leaping directly onto the Ice Flood Dragon's back, landing steadily behind its head.
Feeling the added weight, the Ice Flood Dragon instinctively lowered its body.
Ji Yuan grabbed both of its dragon horns.
“If you slack off, I'll rip those dragon horns off!”
The Ice Flood Dragon had no choice but to carry Ji Yuan skyward, winding gracefully through the curtain of lightning.
However, after rising less than a hundred meters, it reached its limit.
After all, it had yet to reach the Third Tier.
As merely a Second-Tier Flood Dragon, it could only remain airborne briefly.
Even so, Ji Yuan finally got to experience the thrill of riding a dragon.
After returning to the ground once more, Ji Yuan jumped off the Ice Flood Dragon's back and sat directly atop the Thunder Punishment Profound Liquid, preparing to condense his sword embryo.
As for the Ice Flood Dragon...
The Demon Race was naturally tough and durable.
And among demons, Flood Dragons stood at the very top.
With its naturally powerful physique, resisting this level of lightning posed no problem whatsoever.
Thus, Ji Yuan had it coil its body around him, protecting him at the center.
That way, even if something unexpected occurred, the Ice Flood Dragon would block it first, giving him enough time to react.
The Ice Flood Dragon: “???”
Ji Yuan sat calmly within the coils before circulating his cultivation technique and gradually calming his mind.
Only a short while later, he could no longer feel the heavenly lightning striking his body.
Even the deafening thunder that echoed across the heavens was automatically shut out.
His entire focus turned toward sensing the Water Fortune drifting between heaven and earth.
However, to Ji Yuan's surprise, the Water Fortune within the Thunder Marsh was astonishingly scarce.
It was one thing for it not to rival the abundance within the Ice-Fire Pool.
But it was even less plentiful than the Blood River.
He spent an entire half-day before finally sensing the Water Fortune hidden within the surrounding spiritual energy.
The Water Fortune of the Blood River was crimson.
The Water Fortune of the Ice-Fire Pool was scarlet.
The Water Fortune within the Sea of Clouds atop Tianzhu Mountain was white.
But the Water Fortune of the Thunder Marsh...
Was purple.
Moreover, the moment Ji Yuan drew it into his body, sharp pain immediately spread throughout him.
‘Damn it... Why the hell is there electricity inside the Water Fortune too?!’
In an instant, every meridian in his body went numb from the electricity, causing him to shudder uncontrollably.
There was no other reason.
The sensation was simply too agonizing.
Yet no matter how painful it was, giving up was never an option.
He absolutely had to condense the lightning Flying Sword.
If there were no limit requiring exactly nine sword embryos, Ji Yuan would even have wanted to condense several more right here within the Thunder Marsh.
Once he had sensed the Water Fortune, everything that followed proceeded naturally.
The only difference was that the Water Fortune here was extremely unique.
Absorbing it was exceptionally painful.
And painfully slow.
Normally, filling his Water Fortune completely required only four or five days.
In places where Water Fortune was especially abundant, like the Ice-Fire Pool, even a single day was enough.
But here in the Thunder Marsh?
Ji Yuan spent nearly ten full days before finally absorbing enough Water Fortune.
The price he paid was swollen, aching meridians.
Even within his Dantian, constant crackling sounds echoed.
The lightning-infused Water Fortune he had condensed resembled a massive tribulation cloud, with purple lightning constantly crashing down upon his ice-element Liquid Spiritual Energy.
Now that he had finally completed the absorption, Ji Yuan wasted no more time.
He immediately summoned his other six Flying Swords to form a sword formation around the purple Water Fortune before slowly beginning to compress it, steadily forcing it inward.
The sword formation continuously revolved.
Meanwhile, the purple Water Fortune grew smaller and smaller until it completely condensed into a brand-new sword embryo.
Its entire body was violet.
From hilt to tip, arcs of lightning constantly flickered across its surface.
With a thought from Ji Yuan, the Thunder Punishment Sword emerged from within his body and hovered before him.
He reached out with his right hand.
The sword embryo immediately transformed into a three-foot longsword.
“Fall—”
Ji Yuan swung the Thunder Punishment Sword downward.
In an instant, a dense, nearly black bolt of purple tribulation lightning descended, blasting a huge crater directly into the ground.
...Its power was actually this terrifying?!
Ji Yuan stared at the Thunder Punishment Sword in his hand.
Then he suddenly thought of something.
One sword embryo after another flew from his Dantian and hovered before him.
Finally, the seven differently colored Canglan Sword Embryos formed an overwhelmingly powerful sword formation.
Holding one hand aloft, Ji Yuan poured vast amounts of spiritual energy into the formation before violently thrusting upward.
Under the watchful eyes of both man and dragon, the sword formation surged toward the heavens.
Countless tribulation lightning bolts were shredded apart.
In the end, it blasted directly into the sky, tearing an enormous hole through the endless black clouds.
It was as though...
A single sword had split the heavens apart!
Even Ji Yuan himself was left staring in astonishment at the might of the sword formation.
“Damn... This strike probably has the strength of a Pseudo-Core Cultivator now, doesn't it?”