Chapter 164: Cult Leader [PART 2]
Li Yao froze when she heard the name. Although there were many so-called cult leaders in the eastern region, only one would dare to claim the title so openly - the Wuming Cult’s sect master.
It was said that even the Alliance found it difficult to deal with the Cult Leader. Just how strong could such a person be?
[Don’t panic, it’s just a soul clone,] the Empress spoke. [The strength is nowhere near his full power. He’s just at the peak of Nascent Soul realm at best.]
Li Yao calmed down a little hearing this. Although the peak of Nascent Soul realm was also quite strong, it was a million times better than the Soul Formation realm. Besides, the Nascent Soul realm focused mostly on the soul, so with her physical strength, she might not necessarily lose out.
She suddenly caught herself. "Wait, soul clone?" she asked. If it was a soul clone, didn’t that mean she couldn’t attack since she didn’t have any soul power?
"I noticed that the men I had sent as reinforcements suddenly died. I’m quite glad I decided to come take a look myself," the Cult Leader spoke. "You’ve really caused me great trouble, you know that?"
He stretched out his hand toward her. Although the hand didn’t move especially fast, Li Yao could feel the immense strength behind it. She stepped back, but the soul clone accelerated, appearing directly before her.
"Although it’s a loss for the eastern continent to lose such a genius like you," the man spoke, then shook his head. "Well, you wouldn’t have lived long anyway."
The Cult Leader delivered his palm strike. Li Yao quickly raised her sword, attempting to block the attack, though she didn’t have much hope. Suddenly, she heard a clanking sound.
Both Li Yao and the Cult Leader had their eyes wide open in astonishment. How was it possible? Li Yao had actually blocked his soul attack.
The Cult Leader observed her sword. Although he felt it was strange, he could tell that it didn’t have what it took to accomplish such a thing. He then gazed at the surprised Li Yao. So the issue was definitely her.
When he noticed that she had managed to kill his subordinate, he had assumed the man had let his guard down and was caught by some sort of life-saving treasure. It wasn’t strange for a genius like Li Yao, who was blessed by heaven, to have a trump card or two.
He threw a palm strike again, and Li Yao was able to block it. This time she did so with a palm of her own. The man thought to himself that the moment he made contact, he could tell it wasn’t a treasure. It was purely her body. It seemed somewhat similar to a soul though it remained physical.
From what he knew, there was a realm known as the Soul and Body Integration realm. In this realm, a cultivator’s body and soul would be integrated into one vessel, absorbing the benefits of having both a soul and a physical body. But that was at least a realm above Soul Formation. Yet this kid, although he couldn’t tell her exact realm, from their exchange, he could tell that she definitely wasn’t in the Nascent Soul realm.
He took a step back and wore a smile. "I’ve changed my mind," he spoke. "Join my Wuming Cult and I’ll spare your little sect for offending me."
The Cult Leader thought to himself that if he could figure out the trick behind how Li Yao’s body works, then he wouldn’t have to worry anymore about the...
...
As Xiang Yu settled into the spirit spring’s warm embrace, he was a little nervous. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the stimulation pain, he was already used to it. After today’s reset, his bloodlines would advance to the half-blood level, transforming his body’s blood composition entirely. Half of it would consist of dragon essence, while the other half would be phoenix essence.
Though this advancement represented tremendous progress, he was a little uncertain. Could he still continue using this brutal method of improvement with his body being made up almost entirely of the two bloodlines?
Pushing aside his doubts, Xiang Yu steeled himself. He would deal with future complications when they arose. For now, he had a ritual to complete.
With careful deliberation, he released his control over the bloodlines. They erupted into violent motion, surging through his body like they always did. His internal organs immediately felt the devastating impact as the opposing forces collided. His skin began to rupture, crimson lines spreading across his flesh as the conflicting energies tore through tissue and muscle.
Fighting through the agony, Xiang Yu reached for a healing pill and swallowed it. The medicinal energy provided temporary relief, but the destruction continued relentlessly. He maintained this torturous cycle throughout the long night - enduring the pain, consuming pills at crucial intervals, allowing his body to be broken and rebuilt over and over.
Hours passed in this state of controlled chaos until finally, the system notification appeared:
[Calculating Settlement]
Day 52: (Day 3)
[Body Refining: 13th Layer (3000/13,000) (+1000/13,000)]
[Qi Gathering: 10th Layer (700/10,000) (+500/10,000)]
[Mind: Level 5 (2580/5000) (+60/5000)]
[Soul: Infant (950/100,000) (+50/100,000)]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (640/2000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (8990/1,000,000) (+10/1,000,000)]
[Chaos Body: Level 1 (6450/10,000) (+50/10,000)]
[Bloodline: Dragon, Phoenix: Common Blood (1500/2000) (+100/2000)]
[Enlightenment: Sacred (30/5000) (+30/5000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 5th Grade (640/50,000) (+20/50,000)]
[High-grade Lightning Strike & Palm: Intermediate (50/300) (+50/300)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Major Success (25/400) (+25/400)]
[High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Intermediate (70/300) (+50/300)]
[High-grade Ice, Wind, Light, Dark Palm: Minor Success (180/200) (+100/200)]
[Cook: 3rd Grade (390/700) (+10/700)]
[Appraiser: 4th Grade (100/600) (+100/600)]
[Talisman Maker: 6th Grade (190/400) (+50/400)]
[Alchemist, Formation Master, Blacksmith: 6th Grade (150/400) (+50/400)]
[Spirit Farmer, Medicine: 9th Grade (60/100) (+20/100)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Spirit Farmer, Medicine: 9th Grade (60/100) → 8th Grade (0/200)]
[Alchemist, Formation Master, Blacksmith: 6th Grade (150/400) → 6th Grade (300/400)]
[Talisman Maker: 6th Grade (190/400) → 6th Grade (380/400)]
[Appraiser: 4th Grade (100/600) → 4th Grade (200/600)]
[Cook: 3rd Grade (390/700) → 2nd Grade (0/800)]
[High-grade Ice, Wind, Light, Dark Palm: Minor Success (180/200) → Intermediate (0/300)]
[High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Intermediate (70/300) → Intermediate (140/300)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Major Success (25/400) → Major Success (50/400)]
[High-grade Lightning Strike & Palm: Intermediate (50/300) → Intermediate (100/300)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 5th Grade (640/50,000) → 5th Grade (1280/50,000)]
[Enlightenment: Sacred (30/5000) → Sacred (60/5000)]
[Bloodline: Dragon, Phoenix: Common Blood (1500/2000) → Half Blood (0/3000)]
[Chaos Body: Level 1 (6450/10,000) → Level 2 (0/20,000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (8990/1,000,000) → Level 1 (17,980/1,000,000)]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (640/2000) → Medium (1280/2000)]
[Soul: Infant (950/100,000) → Infant (1900/100,000)]
[Mind: Level 5 (2580/5000) → Level 6 (0/10,000)]
[Qi Gathering: 10th Layer (700/10,000) → 10th Layer (1400/10,000)]
[Body Refining: 13th Layer (3000/13,000) → 13th Layer (6000/13,000)]
...
Author’s Corner
Please comment on anything I’ve missed
Thank you