103: Seriously injured

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of dark golden blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs, could no longer be suppressed and gushed out from his mouth.

His vision went black, and he plummeted towards the ground like a kite with a broken string.

"Bang!"

His body slammed into the cold, sticky swamp, splashing up large amounts of foul-smelling mud.

Shen Yuanmo felt like all the bones in his body had come apart.

He couldn't hear anything in his ears, only a sharp ringing.

He tried to move a finger, but was met with excruciating pain as if his muscle fibers were tearing.

The neck wound, sliced open by the Ghost Shadow, had already ruptured during his earlier burst of power, and now blood was gushing out, taking away his already dwindling body temperature.

No.

He couldn't stop here.

The commotion from that sword strike earlier was too great and would surely attract prying eyes.

He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, the intense pain momentarily clearing his muddled consciousness.

Shen Yuanmo struggled, using his elbows to prop up his mud-like body, and sat up from the mire.

He gasped violently, each breath feeling like knives scraping his lungs.

He didn't bother with his injuries.

He stretched out his hand and grabbed at the air.

From where the Ghost Shadow had been burned to ashes, an inconspicuous Storage Pouch floated unsteadily into his palm.

Clutching the Storage Pouch, he immediately turned and, dragging his broken body, stumbled deeper into the swamp.

He had to disappear immediately.

In his current state, even a second-tier Yao Beast could easily devour him.

The last trace of spiritual power in his body was mobilized, covering his surface, lowering his aura and temperature to the minimum, making him almost merge with the surrounding cold environment.

With every step, the muddy ground made a "squelch" sound.

This sound, in the deadly silent swamp, became the only proof he had that he was still alive... A hundred zhang beneath the swamp.

Inside a natural karst cave, its entrance submerged by poisonous black water.

Shen Yuanmo sat cross-legged.

In front of him were all the healing Medicinal Pills he had plundered from the Storage Pouches of those three unlucky Golden Core Assassins.

He didn't even look, grabbing a handful and stuffing them into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them like beans.

The vast medicinal power dissolved within his body, like torrents of scorching magma, surging wildly through his parched Meridians.

Intense pain struck, but he only grunted, immediately activating the Vajra Glazed Body.

The powerful Body Refining Cultivation Technique began to guide this violent medicinal power, repairing his damaged body inch by inch.

His torn internal organs were re-healing, severed Meridians were reconnected, and the deep, bone-visible wound on his neck sprouted new granulation tissue, bringing with it an agonizing itch.

Time slowly passed in this alternation of extreme pain and rebirth.

After an unknown period.

When the medicinal power of the last bottle of Medicinal Pills was completely absorbed, Shen Yuanmo's tightly shut eyes suddenly opened!

Two golden lightning bolts, solid as substance, flashed and vanished in the dark cave!

He let out a long breath of turbid air mixed with the scent of blood.

His injuries were fully recovered!

No, not just recovered.

After this life-and-death tempering, his spiritual power became even purer, and his Divine Sense several times tougher.

Even the Bottleneck of the Vajra Glazed Body showed signs of loosening.

He could feel that he was only separated from the Golden Core gate by a final thin layer.

"Netherworld Path, Ghost Shadow..."

Shen Yuanmo murmured the name, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

Every detail of that battle replayed clearly in his mind.

The Heaven Rank Killer's elusive footwork, cunning assassinations, and the unpredictable Divine Soul attack had all taught him a vivid lesson.

His Comprehension Ability talent was rapidly digesting and absorbing these combat experiences, transforming them into his own.

He had a premonition that his strength had ascended to another level.

After calming his mind, Shen Yuanmo's gaze fell upon the black Storage Pouch in front of him.

The Ghost Shadow's Storage Pouch.

What astonishing wealth would a Golden Core Great Perfection Heaven Rank Killer specializing in assassination possess?

His Divine Sense probed into it.

The space wasn't large, only ten zhang square, but the contents made Shen Yuanmo's breathing momentarily stop.

First to catch his eye was a small mountain of High-Grade Spirit Stones; a rough estimate put it at least two hundred thousand!

Beside them were more than a dozen Spiritual Artifacts of varying grades, mostly sinister items like daggers, short blades, and soft swords. Although he wouldn't use them, they could fetch a good price if sold.

In addition, there were several bottles of poisonous Medicinal Pills emitting an ominous aura, and a few Jade Slips recording Demonic Path secret techniques.

Shen Yuanmo was not interested in these.

He continued to probe.

Soon, his Divine Sense locked onto a black iron box in the furthest corner of the Storage Pouch.

The box was locked and sealed with a Talisman that blocked Divine Sense.

The more secretive it was, the more it indicated that the contents were extraordinary.

Shen Yuanmo took it out, and a flicker of Glazed True Fire lit up on his fingertip, easily burning away the Talisman and melting the lock.

"Click."

The lid sprang open.

There was no golden light radiating, nor any unusual fragrance.

Inside the box, only three items lay quietly.

The first was a palm-sized pure black mask, neither gold nor iron in material, cold to the touch. It had no patterns, yet exuded a bizarre aura that seemed to devour one's mind.

Shen Yuanmo merely glanced at it and felt as if his Divine Soul was about to be sucked in.

He immediately averted his gaze and looked at the second item.

It was a thin beast-skin booklet, with four twisted ancient characters written in fresh blood on the cover—"Shadowless Killing Scripture."

The Ghost Shadow's famous ultimate skill!

This was definitely an unexpected surprise!

Shen Yuanmo suppressed his excitement and looked at the last item.

It was a black Jade Slip, appearing unremarkable.

But the moment Shen Yuanmo's Divine Sense probed into it.

"Buzz—!"

His Sea of Consciousness violently shook!

A terrifying will, filled with dead silence and malevolence, as if it wanted to drag his Divine Soul into endless Hell, erupted from the Jade Slip, directly impacting his Divine Soul Origin!

"Divine Soul attack?!"

Shen Yuanmo's expression changed, but then he sneered.

"Playing this trick in front of me? Showing off before an expert!"

With a thought, the ninth-grade golden lotus in the center of his Sea of Consciousness instantly bloomed with ten thousand rays of golden light!

"A thought blooms, Divine Soul transforms into a sea!"

Vast and sacred golden Divine Soul power, like a breached flood, instantly washed away that malevolent will, leaving it utterly clean!

After doing all this, Shen Yuanmo once again probed his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip.

This time, there was no obstruction.

The contents of the Jade Slip were clearly displayed before him.

"This is... a Soul Cultivation Technique?!"

After seeing the contents of the Jade Slip, Shen Yuanmo's eyes revealed unparalleled ecstasy!

He never dreamed that the Soul Cultivation method he had painstakingly searched for would appear before him in such a way!

This Cultivation Technique was named "Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns Art."

It was a fragmented Soul Cultivation Technique accidentally obtained by a Demon Path Colossus in ancient times.

This Cultivation Technique did not Cultivate spiritual power, nor did it refine the Physical Body; it only Cultivated the Divine Soul.

It emphasized using Divine Soul power to enter others' dreams, experiencing their entire lives within the dream, feeling their joys and sorrows, partings and reunions.

Through this, one would temper and strengthen their own Divine Soul!

Each time one experienced a complete life, it was like undergoing a Reincarnation, and the Divine Soul would undergo a sublimation!

"What an overbearing Cultivation Technique!"

Shen Yuanmo was shocked in his heart.

This method of Cultivation was simply unheard of, unseen!

But its effects were absolutely astonishing!

However, the Cultivation conditions for this Cultivation Technique were also extremely stringent.

Firstly, the Cultivator must possess Divine Sense strength far exceeding that of ordinary people; otherwise, they would be unable to enter others' dreams and would instead be assimilated by the other party's dream, losing themselves.

Secondly, this Cultivation method was harmful to the natural order and extremely prone to generating Heart Demons.

One careless mistake, and one would be completely lost in endless Reincarnation, becoming a madman without personality.

"No wonder that Ghost Shadow fellow, despite having such a Heaven-Defying Soul Cultivation Technique, his Divine Sense Cultivation was still not top-tier."

Shen Yuanmo instantly understood the key.

Although Ghost Shadow was Golden Core Great Perfection, his Divine Sense had not reached the Realm of "Divine Pass Perfection."

Clearly, he was also troubled by the side effects of this Cultivation Technique and dared not Cultivate it with full effort.

"However, for me, these problems are not problems at all!"

Shen Yuanmo's eyes gleamed with confidence!

He had the Nine Revolutions Spirit Refining Art and the ninth-grade golden lotus guarding his true self, so he feared no Heart Demons!

Furthermore, he was a Transmigrator, with a powerful Soul essence, and his Divine Sense far surpassed ordinary people!

This Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns Art was simply tailor-made for him!

"With it, my path to Divine Pass Perfection is completely clear!"

"The Crimson Sun Glazed Scripture governs Qi!"

"The Vajra Glazed Body governs Essence!"

"The Nine Revolutions Spirit Refining Art as the Foundation, supplemented by this Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns Art..."

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit, with all three passes at Perfection, forming that unparalleled Supreme-grade Golden Core, is just around the corner!"

Shen Yuanmo's heart was filled with boundless ambition!

He felt his immortal path, at this moment, become clearer than ever before!

He organized all the spoils of war and put them into his Storage Pouch.

Then, he closed his eyes again.

He would fully recover his injuries here.

Then, he would adjust his state to its absolute Peak!

When he emerged next, he would face that vast, unknown, and perilous Endless Sea with a new, stronger demeanor!