Ancient Strengthening Technique

The spawns of the Black Ice Divine Worm that Qing Shui had obtained previously were now still weak and small. Qing Shui left it to the Dragon Spider to take care of them. After all, he wouldn’t be able to stay in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal every minute of every day. On the contrary, he spent more time away from it.

A day away was about a year or more in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

This was the strength of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. They aged within the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, but the time passed was calculated based on the outside world, such as lifespan.

Qing Shui could only spend about six hours in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal daily which equated to about three months.

No matter how strong demonic beasts were, their younglings were weak, especially the period right after birth. Some pure-blooded desolate beasts could be strong in their early stages but fragile as usual in their infancy stage. However, the wild beasts were still cautious of being near them. Those without intelligence would be suppressed and startled by their aura, to the extent where they wouldn’t be able to stand.

With intelligence though, comes risks. After all, strong demonic beasts were filled with nourishment. Once devoured, it could improve cultivation. The stronger and valuable the demonic beast, the higher number of treasures to be found with it. It could replenish Origin Qi, which was the most basic, and it could increase strength.

In the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, the Black Ice Divine Worm’s younglings wouldn’t be preyed on. The newborn Black Ice Divine Worm was about the size of a fist, its body sparkling and translucent, the pair of black eyes were filled with spirit. They were the result of rounds of strengthening.

Not just that, Qing Shui had used his Nine Yang Force on them as well. These things were stronger than the usual younglings of the Black Ice Divine Worm. Their innate skills and aptitude doubled from the normal.

Once they had been born, Qing Shui used several valuable medicines and soaked them in the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. He built a strong foundation for them since their weakest period.

After a few days, and a few years in terms of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, the Black Ice Divine Worm grew to the thickness of an adult’s waist. It was about five meters in length, filled with power and spirit.

Qing Shui didn’t panic. He decided not to use medicinal pills to rush their growth. The Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was the best method for that to happen.

Snapping back to reality, Qing Shui hoped the Black Ice Divine Worm’s younglings could mature in haste. It would be a terrifying existence to his advantage by then.

The Xigong Clan shifted the Seven Stars Herbs away without anyone speaking another word. Many had left in search of other medicinal herbs. After all, the Seven Stars Herb weren’t the only things to be found; there were other panaceas which were just as good.

The Sea Moving Immortal Palace managed to get their hands on a stalk of Scarlet Fruit without anyone breathing a word either. Even the rude and unreasonable Xigong Clan stayed silent.

“Give up the Nebula Flower and we’ll spare your life.” A voice sounded from ahead. There were five people surrounding a cool and nonchalant young man.

The young man was holding onto a stalk of herbs which looked akin to clouds. Its aroma filled the space all around them, like something out of a dream. With just a look, it was obvious that it wasn’t anything ordinary. He was now crowded by five other men.

“Who’s the young man?”

“I don’t know, but the five men are the Five Dragons of Kaoshan City’s Cheng Clan.” Someone else piped up.

“Five Dragons? More like Five Worms. Strutting around Kaoshan City using their long distant relatives’ reputation,” Another spoke up in disdain.

“Quiet down. The five of them would take revenge on any grudges. Anyone who speaks badly of them would suffer when they’re found out. They could do anything; they’ve done many terrible things over the years, but no one has been able to do anything to them.”

“Spare my life? What are you?” The young man was good-looking and wore ordinary garb. He raised his brows and the corner of his lips, seeming disrespectful.

“Don’t blame us for seeking your death,” The man who spoke up earlier signaled the other men who surrounded the young guy.

The five of them charged towards the young man in perfect synchronization. They were quick and belonged to the Peak Saint level. Each of them unleashed their killing techniques. Two of their silhouettes were exceptionally faint with black daggers in their hands, emitting a magnificent black radiance.

A sound akin to explosion reverberated around them, lingering in the air. The air around them seemed to have been suppressed.

With a glint in his eyes, the young man moved in a flash, raising his leg before slicing out huge silhouettes of his kick as he swept.

This startled the spectators. It was as if a hurricane had struck.

“That’s the Wind Dragon Kick.” Someone exclaimed aloud.

“That young man was Old Man Yun’s successor?”

Qing Shui didn’t know of any Wind Dragon Kick or Old Man Yun. However, the kick held a profound mystery. It seemed to combine both attack and defense and was explosive in brutality. It was surrounded by a mysterious power.

Thump!

One of the men was flung aside from it.

With a strange leap, the young man kicked again, the same as how he did previously. Blood sprayed uncontrollably from another, and his victims were beyond salvation. The young man’s eyes were stern and the remaining three men panicked. Unfortunately, the young man didn’t have any intention of letting them go.

After a moment, all five men were killed. The Cheng Clan Five Dragons were history. As for their distant relatives, no one mentioned a word about them but kept their attention on the young man instead.

“Who is Old Man Yun?” Qing Shui turned his curious gaze towards Wang Ping.

“I think Old Man Yun is a member of the Nine Continents Martial Association. The Divine Wind Kick and the Wind Dragon Kick were his signature techniques. Old Man Yun was well-known here because of his relations with the Yun Clan. He doesn’t seem to be returning to the Yun Clan in any case and had always remained with the Nine Continents Martial Association.” At the mention of the Nine Continents Martial Association, Wang Ping’s eyes brightened up. It was a yearning; it was where he wanted to go.

“No need to be envious of the Nine Continents Martial Association. You’ll realize that there’s nothing much to it.” Qing Shui laughed.

Wang Ping laughed along. He didn’t dare to dream of it now. He assumed that he would be of Martial Emperor rank when he got out of here, but that was still a huge discrepancy against those at the Nine Continents Martial Association. How much more powerful must this young man be to feel that the Nine Continents Martial Association wasn’t much at all…

“Don’t provoke that kid. He’s part of the Nine Continents Martial Association. He will surely destroy an entire clan if provoked.” Someone warned in haste.

The young man swept a cold gaze towards the crowd before turning his back and leaving the scene to head deeper in.

Qing Shui felt like he had gained new knowledge. The Nine Continents Martial Association just appeared and he didn’t know who else was here. Qing Shui could feel the strength of the young man previously but knew that he would still be able to defeat or even kill the latter easily. However, the same feat wouldn’t be that easy if not for his strenuous training from before.

The young man wasn’t too far off in age compared to Qing Shui. To be regarded with importance by the Nine Continents Martial Association, it must mean that his innate skills were decent too.

This was especially applicable for a sect like the Nine Continents Martial Association. Every disciple could be considered a prodigy and to outshine the others in the Nine Continents Martial Association, one must be the prodigy among prodigies.

Several battles occurred along the way with more deaths added to the pile, but no one felt uncomfortable. This was far too normal. Now that everyone was advancing in this passage, they might need to work together to fight on some occasions. However, they’d be enemies in an instant when treasures were the prize.

Roar, roar…

A low grunting sound rang from the side. Qing Shui was startled as he turned towards Wang Ping. “Could it be that this isn’t a passage?”

“I don’t know, but it does seem that way. I’ve heard about strong contenders who could barrel a passage through when it was activated, giving existence to some men or desolate beasts. Among these was the Ancient Divine Beast Mountain. There were several pure-blooded desolate beasts there, and they would send their sons and daughters here to train. There were many humans who were killed by the offsprings of these desolate beasts which had ancient blood in them.”