Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 548: Chapter 543: Taiyang Divine Fire, Taiyin Divine Water

Two stone chambers had been carved out inside the cave, one for Ning Jiang and one for Gu Huaying.

At this moment, the stone chamber where Ning Jiang resided was filled with a vast Spiritual Qi. This Spiritual Qi was so unimaginably dense that a single breath of it would make one’s Cultivation stir restlessly.

Before Ning Jiang hovered drops of a crystalline, pearl-like liquid—the Milk of the Earth.

The Milk of the Earth could only form in places deep underground with dense Spiritual Qi, with only one drop appearing every hundred years. A single drop could fetch a price as high as ten million Spirit Stones, making it a highly sought-after treasure on the market.

Currently, Ning Jiang possessed thirteen drops of the Milk of the Earth. He had obtained three drops in the Ancient Ruins, taken six from the twin brothers, and the four that Liu Yama had received at the time had now also fallen into his hands.

’Thirteen drops of the Milk of the Earth should be enough.’

Ning Jiang murmured to himself. Each breakthrough with the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill required a terrifying amount of Spiritual Qi, far more than ordinary Cultivation Techniques. Generally, three drops of the Milk of the Earth were enough for a Martial Artist to advance from the Earth Martial Realm Early Stage to the Middle Stage. Yet Ning Jiang needed thirteen drops just to be confident.

INHALE!

Wasting no more time, Ning Jiang opened his mouth and inhaled. The thirteen drops of the Milk of the Earth were drawn in and sucked into his mouth.

The moment he swallowed the thirteen drops and they entered his body, a vast Spiritual Qi erupted from within him like a volcano.

All the meridians in his body were instantly filled with a sense of swelling fullness, as if they were about to be burst apart by the Spiritual Qi.

’Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, refine.’

With a thought, a Devouring Power surged from his Dantian, frantically consuming the Energy.

Gradually, his aura began to climb, bit by bit.

This process continued for three days.

After three days, he faintly sensed a bottleneck blocking his path forward.

’Break!’

Ning Jiang gathered his aura and charged forward fiercely.

This bottleneck was clearly not so easy to overcome. His first attempt failed, but Ning Jiang wasn’t surprised. After a short wait, he began his second assault.

Each assault on the bottleneck consumed a portion of his Spiritual Qi. If he failed several times in a row, then failure would be his only outcome.

After eight attempts, Ning Jiang paused. He could feel that after being battered several times, the bottleneck had become extremely fragile, needing only one final push.

At this moment, Ning Jiang’s heart was as still as water, neither arrogant nor impatient. When breaking through a bottleneck, impatience was the greatest taboo.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the aura around Ning Jiang’s body began to boil like water, his momentum suddenly cresting.

KACHA!

In the unseen world, the bottleneck blocking Ning Jiang’s path shattered. His Cultivation advanced as naturally as water flowing into a channel, stepping from the Earth Martial Realm Early Stage into the Earth Martial Realm Middle Stage.

’I did it.’

Ning Jiang slowly exhaled. For someone like him, every increase in Realm brought a terrifying boost in combat power.

Previously, at the Earth Martial Realm Early Stage, he could contend with those in the Earth Martial Realm Late Stage, but he still stood no chance against those at the Earth Martial Realm Peak.

Back in the Ancient Ruins, when dealing with the twin brothers, he had to rely on the suppressive effect of his Demonic Qi on them to achieve victory. Otherwise, he would have been no match for them.

But now that his Cultivation had risen to the Earth Martial Realm Middle Stage, his strength had more than doubled. If he were to encounter experts like the twin brothers again, he was confident that his own power would be enough to slay them.

Of course, there were varying levels of strength even at the Earth Martial Realm Peak. Against someone from the Ten Great Earth Martial Realm experts, Ning Jiang’s current strength was still lacking.

’Next step, cultivating the Sun and Moon Divine Eye!’

Compared to raising his Cultivation to the Earth Martial Realm Middle Stage, what Ning Jiang planned to do next was of the utmost importance!

Since he first developed it, the Sun and Moon Divine Eye had been almost invincible, but he was still far from cultivating this Top Level Pupil Technique to its absolute limit.

He took out the Taiyang Divine Crystal and Taiyin Divine Crystal he had obtained from the Celestial Treasure Auction. Inside the two Divine Crystals, Yin Yang Power flowed like liquid, mysterious and beautiful.

As the two Divine Crystals appeared, the temperature of the entire space changed abruptly, becoming extremely hot on one side and extremely cold on the other. Ning Jiang, sitting in the center, felt no discomfort. Within his pupils, a sun and a moon appeared respectively.

’Power of Sun and Moon, forge my Divine Eye!’

RUMBLE!

The two Divine Crystals trembled violently, each condensing a beam of light that shot into Ning Jiang’s eyes. The Taiyang Divine Crystal, entirely golden, transformed into a golden Flame, while the Taiyin Divine Crystal, pitch-black, condensed into a beam of black light.

Cultivating the Sun and Moon Divine Eye was not something that could be accomplished overnight. After a week passed, the sun within Ning Jiang’s right eye was wreathed in fiery light, with streams of golden Flame dancing about like Fire Dragons.

And in his left eye, the silver moon was shrouded in a layer of cold energy, which gave it a hazy, ethereal beauty.

Ten days, fifteen days, twenty days...

...

”What in the world is that guy cultivating? Why hasn’t he come out yet?”

Outside, Gu Huaying frowned as she looked at Ning Jiang’s stone chamber.

She had entered seclusion for less than seven days before successfully breaking through, raising her Cultivation to the Earth Martial Realm Middle Stage. Yet twenty days had passed, and there was still no sign of Ning Jiang emerging.

From within Ning Jiang’s stone chamber, she could feel auras of extreme heat and extreme cold appearing in constant succession. The searing heat made her feel as if she were in a furnace, her body about to turn to ash, while the freezing cold felt like she had fallen into an ice cavern, her blood about to freeze solid.

She knew in her heart that Ning Jiang must be cultivating some astonishing Divine Technique.

Although she was curious, she wouldn’t stoop so low as to pry into Ning Jiang’s secrets.

Eventually, the thirtieth day arrived!

An entire month had passed.

But on this day, the deserted island, which had been silent for so long, received some uninvited guests.

”We’ve been flying over the sea for more than half a month. Even with our Cultivation, it’s a bit tiring. This deserted island is a good place for us to take a rest.”

”Just a short rest. Let’s not waste too much time.”

”Brother, are you worried we’ll miss the opening of the Myriad Treasures Exquisite Tower? Don’t worry, the Tower won’t open for at least another half a month.”

”I know that, but if we get there early, we can find out how many experts will be showing up this time.”

This was a group of eight people, all of them experts at the Earth Martial Realm Peak.

They had met on the road and decided to travel together.

After all, the East Sea was not safe. On the journey to the Myriad Treasures Exquisite Tower in the Dark Sea Region, one could encounter all sorts of dangers—some so great that even Heaven-Reaching Realm experts could perish. Comparatively, it was much safer for them to team up.

”Huh! There’s someone on this deserted island.”

Suddenly, one of them, a burly man with thick eyebrows, let out a soft exclamation.