84: Body of Steel

The Evil Daoist looked down at the wound on his chest, which had been agitated and was throbbing with pain, then looked up at the White-Robed Demon Person. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, which immediately transformed into a hideous, sinister laugh:

"Hehe... I wondered who it was, so it's a rat from the White Lotus Sect! Instead of staying in your sewer, you've come to this desolate wilderness to seek your death?"

When the White-Robed Demon Person saw the Evil Daoist's condition, he was momentarily stunned. Then, a burning, intense light of greed erupted in his eyes, like a hungry wolf seeing a wounded fat sheep!

"A heavily injured Iron Bone Realm... Hahaha! Heaven is truly helping me!" The White-Robed Demon Person laughed wildly, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement. "If I can drain your essence, blood, and soul, and refine your Iron Bone Origin, my 'White Lotus Holy Method' will surely advance another step! At that time, who else could compete with me for the position of the sect's Saint?!"

"Just you, a rat hiding its head and tail? You dare covet my Dao fruit?"

The Evil Daoist laughed in extreme anger. Although he was heavily injured, how could the dignity of the Iron Bone Realm allow a demon person of the Jiaojin Realm to provoke him?

Moreover, he could also feel that the blood and Qi of this White Lotus Cult Heretic were also a great tonic for him!

"Take him down!"

The White-Robed Demon Person spoke no more. With a sharp shout, his body blurred, transforming into several white phantoms that attacked the Evil Daoist from different directions.

The nails on both his hands suddenly became pitch-black and sharp, whipping up gusts of foul wind as they struck directly at the Evil Daoist's vital points.

The remaining three controlled Flesh Refining Realm Martial Artists also lunged forward like Puppets receiving orders, unafraid of death. Their Moves were wide and sweeping, a completely desperate fighting style.

"Ants dare to shake a tree? You're looking for death!"

The Evil Daoist roared, and the black Qi around him surged again. Though thin, it still possessed the terrifying property of corroding all things and plundering life force.

His palms flew, grabbing or striking, as he fought the White-Robed Demon Person and his Puppets.

For a time, the sounds of exploding energy, cracking rocks, and the terrified flight of wild animals echoed incessantly within the valley.

The Evil Daoist's black Qi was strange and malicious, capable of eroding blood and Qi and polluting the spirit. Every movement carried the power to shatter monuments and split rocks.

Meanwhile, the White-Robed Demon Person's movement was ghostly, his claws sharp, and he was even more skilled in mental attacks and manipulation techniques, constantly interfering with the Evil Daoist's mind. The three Flesh Refining Realm Puppets were entirely cannon fodder used for exhaustion and delay.

The battle was exceptionally brutal, and both sides were fighting with true fury.

The Evil Daoist's heavy injuries had not healed, his strength was greatly reduced, and he was countered by the White-Robed Demon Person's strange Cultivation Technique. For a moment, he actually fell into a disadvantage, and several more wounds were added to his body.

The White-Robed Demon Person was not having an easy time either. The Evil Daoist's deathbed counterattacks were incredibly fierce. The black Qi brushed against his body several times, making his blood and Qi churn and his face grow even paler. The three Flesh Refining Realm Puppets were smashed in the head one by one or sucked into dry corpses by the Evil Daoist; in the blink of an eye, only one remained barely standing.

Finally, the Evil Daoist endured a heavy claw strike from the White-Robed Demon Person, condensed his remaining black Qi, and struck the White-Robed Demon Person's chest with a ruthless "Netherworld Ghost Hand."

"Pfft!"

The White-Robed Demon Person spat out blood and flew backward, collapsing a section of the rock wall, his aura instantly withering.

The Evil Daoist was also in a bad state. The arrow wound on his chest burst open, and the seven-colored light flashed again, causing him to let out a painful groan. The black Qi around him almost dissipated, and he stumbled backward, clearly at the end of his rope.

Both sides were severely wounded!

Hiding in the shadows, Chen Linsheng's heart pounded.

The scene before him was truly a case of the snipe and the clam fighting!

He forcibly suppressed the urge to rush out and take advantage of the situation, his gaze quickly scanning the battlefield.

The earth core fire lotus was still near the pile of rubble where the White-Robed Demon Person had fallen, contained in a jade box.

Meanwhile, the last remaining and already mortally wounded White Lotus Sect Flesh Refining Realm Puppet was standing unsteadily not far away.

An opportunity!

Chen Linsheng hesitated no longer. Taking advantage of the moment when both the Evil Daoist and the White-Robed Demon Person were busy suppressing their injuries and unable to attend to anything else, he pushed the Movement Techniques of [Eight Steps Catching Cicada] and [Spirit Monkey Hundred Changes] to their limits. Like a true ghost, he silently swept across the edge of the battlefield.

First, he rushed toward the area where the "ice crystal orchid" and "green snake vine" were likely to grow, as recorded in his memory from the "Encyclopedia of a Hundred Herbs."

Sure enough, in a shaded rock crevice by a cold pool, he found two translucent ice crystal orchids emitting traces of cold air. Not far away, at the gnarled roots of a thousand-year-old tree, he discovered several green snake vines that wound like green snakes and were incredibly tough.

His movements were swift as lightning. He carefully collected them using special tools and placed them into a jade box; the entire process took no more than ten breaths.

After collecting the two main medicinal herbs, his gaze shifted and locked onto the only remaining White Lotus Cultist.

This person's sternum had collapsed, blood overflowed from his mouth and nose, and his eyes were hollow; he was on the verge of death.

Chen Linsheng did not hesitate. In a flash, he appeared behind the man. With his fingers held like a blade, the icy Evil Qi contained within the [Python Dragon Strength] instantly severed his heart vessels, ensuring his complete and silent death.

Immediately after, he quickly searched the body. Sure enough, in the other's bosom, he found the jade box containing the earth core fire lotus!

In addition to that, he also pulled out a thin metal booklet made of a special material that felt heavy in his hand, as well as a letter sealed with wax.

"Hundred Refinements Steel Body"!

Seeing those ancient characters on the cover of the thin metal booklet, Chen Linsheng was ecstatic!

This was exactly one of the prerequisite Cultivation Techniques for the "Golden Robe Skill" that he had been dreaming of!

He had no time for a detailed look and stuffed the jade box, the metal booklet, and the letter into his bosom all at once. The entire process was clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

He didn't dare to stay for even a moment, nor did he even dare to look at the severely wounded Evil Daoist and White Lotus demon person. His figure once again turned into a faint wisp of green smoke as he sped back along the treacherous path he had come, heading toward the downstream direction of the Black Water Ravine at his maximum speed without looking back.

Only after running for over a dozen miles and confirming he was completely away from that dangerous area did Chen Linsheng dare to slow his pace slightly, leaning against an ancient tree and panting heavily.

It wasn't exhaustion, but a mixture of lingering fear and excitement.

He took out the spoils from his bosom and first looked at the thin metal booklet of "Hundred Refinements Steel Body."

Opening it, he found that it was indeed the cultivation method for this body-tempering technique. Although it also seemed to be a fragment, only recording the cultivation methods for the first four levels, it was already enough for him!

Forcing down the urge to study it immediately, he took out the letter.

Tearing open the wax seal and pulling out the letter, Chen Linsheng was stunned when he unfolded it.

He didn't recognize a single character on the letter! It wasn't the official script of Great Liang, nor any font he had ever seen. The writing was crooked, like ghostly charms, yet it seemed to contain some kind of pattern.

"Is this... a code?" Chen Linsheng's brow furrowed as fragments of memories from his past life surfaced in his mind.

This kind of secret letter, which required a specific method to decipher, often contained extremely important information.

He carefully put the letter away; this thing might be of great use in the future.

Finally, his gaze fell on the jade box containing the earth core fire lotus. He gently opened a crack, and that unique fragrance and warmth drifted out once more.

earth core fire lotus, ice crystal orchid, green snake vine... the last three main herbs required for the Muscle Tempering Prescription had actually been gathered in this life-or-death situation in such an unexpected way!

Not only that, but he had also obtained the fragment of "Hundred Refinements Steel Body" and a secret letter that might reveal a conspiracy of the White Lotus Sect!

This trip to the Black Water Ravine, although fraught with danger and nearly resulting in him being crushed by getting involved in a battle far beyond his level, had yielded a harvest far exceeding his expectations!

"I must return as soon as possible, prepare the Muscle Tempering Medicinal Bath, and Cultivate the 'Hundred Refinements Steel Body'!" A determined light flickered in Chen Linsheng's eyes.

Strength! He had never craved powerful strength as much as he did at this moment. Only by possessing enough power could he truly control his own destiny in the future storms!

He stayed no longer. Identifying the direction, his figure accelerated once more, disappearing into the vast mountain forest.