48: The Sharpness Beneath the Crust

Inside the cave, time lost its meaning; there was only the constant dripping of water eroding stone and the faint echo of life restarting in the darkness.

Li Ao resembled a hibernating Vicious Beast, his body covered in a thick, dark red scab mixed with blood and dust, encasing him like a grotesque statue.

His aura was almost completely internalized, and even the rise and fall of his chest were imperceptible; only an occasional faint silver-gray stream of light flashing through the cracks in the scab proved that his vitality had not been cut off, but was undergoing a deeper Nirvana.

“Ding! Purification of Alien Rule Power complete! Physical Body damage reduced to 18%! The Bottleneck of Black Iron Hegemon Body, Second Stage Middle Stage, has been Broken Through! System energy reserve remaining 28%...”

The cold System prompt sounded clearly in the depths of Li Ao’s Soul, like a bell awakening a sleeping consciousness.

“Crack...”

A subtle crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the silent cave.

A thick scab covering Li Ao’s left elbow joint was the first to crack, then, as if triggering a chain reaction, the thick scabs all over his body began to crack inch by inch and fall off with a rustling sound.

The newly exposed skin was no longer the pure dark iron color of before, but presented a deeper, more internalized dark golden luster, as if it had undergone a thousand refinements of Divine Iron, with its sheen flowing beneath the muscle lines, containing a majestic power and toughness far exceeding what it had before.

His skin was smooth, and the terrifying crisscrossing wounds from before now only left some faint silver marks, like strange tattoos.

He slowly opened his eyes.

His dark iron-colored pupils remained, but in their depths, two clusters of silver-gray flames seemed to burn silently; these were the imprints left after the "Annihilation" Rule was initially integrated into his essence, Qi, and spirit, making his gaze deeper, colder, and imbued with a meaning of seeing through illusions and disregarding life and death.

He gently moved his fingers, his joints crackling softly, and an unprecedented sense of power surged through his limbs.

Not only had the strength of his Physical Body increased, but within his Qi Sea, the nearly depleted Dou Qi had become full again, and it was even more condensed and pure, carrying a faint Annihilation aura, its quality far surpassing what it was before.

His Mental Energy also became more tenacious and sensitive due to the confrontation with the Rule Power and the System's auxiliary analysis.

Break first, then establish; without breaking, there is no establishing!

The struggle with Yun Shan, which was almost a battle between life and death, and the subsequent process of struggling to recover from the brink of death, although extremely dangerous, were also the best whetstones.

At this moment, he had not only fully recovered from his injuries, but his strength had also Advanced further!

The Black Iron Hegemon Body had officially entered the Second Stage Middle Stage, his Physical Body strength was comparable to a Seventh-tier Intermediate Demonic Beast, and his Dou Qi Cultivation was stable at the Two-Star Dou Huang level.

More importantly, his control and understanding of that wisp of "Annihilation" Rule had deepened by several times!

With a slight thought, he brought his fingers together like a blade, and a barely perceptible wisp of silver-gray Qi flowed around his fingertips.

He lightly swiped it against the hard stone wall beside him.

Without any sound, a smooth, mirror-like cut appeared on the stone wall; the rock structure at the cut seemed to have undergone tens of thousands of years in an instant, weathering, annihilating, and turning into the finest dust that rustled down.

“Annihilation... not just destruction, but also returning to nothingness...” Li Ao murmured to himself, experiencing the deeper Concept contained within.

This was no longer the wild outpouring as before, but a more condensed, more controllable power.

He stood up, and the remaining scabs covering his body all fell off, revealing a strong physique with flowing lines, perfect proportions, and a dark golden luster.

He took out a spare green robe from his storage ring and put it on; although simple, it could not conceal the terrifying power contained within that body, enough to make strong practitioners of the same rank tremble with fear.

It was time to leave here.

He walked to the cave entrance and pushed aside the vines.

Outside, it was still a world of ice and snow, but the biting cold wind blowing on him felt like a spring breeze, no longer causing him any discomfort.

His gaze swept around, and based on the star positions and topographical features, he quickly determined that he was roughly in the northern part of the Jia Ma Empire, deep within a branch of the Magical Beast Mountain Range near the border of the Izumo Empire.

“Cloud Mist Sect... Mittel Family... Hall of Souls...” Names flashed through his mind.

Yun Shan and the Hall of Souls would certainly not give up and were undoubtedly searching for his whereabouts with all their might.

As for the Mittel Family, based on their previous interaction, he might be able to try and utilize them.

He needed information, he needed to understand the changes in the outside world over the past half month, and he also needed resources to further consolidate and improve himself, especially as the resources required for the subsequent Cultivation of the Black Iron Hegemon Body became increasingly rare.

“First, to the nearest gathering point.” Li Ao made a decision.

Although the border area was chaotic, it was also well-informed and easy to hide in.

He chose a direction, and his body moved; he did not use Thunder Sound Steps to avoid making too much noise, but merely relying on his Physical Body strength, each step he took left a shallow pit in the snow, and his body shot out like an arrow, his speed even three points faster than when he fully exerted his movement technique before he was injured!

His figure flickered a few times and then disappeared into the vast forest and snowfield.

Jia Ma Holy City, Mittel Auction House secret chamber.

Ya Fei rubbed her somewhat throbbing temples and put down a report marked "No Result."

Many days of high-intensity searching had yielded nothing, leaving her feeling a trace of fatigue and frustration.

Just then, the door to the secret chamber was gently knocked, and a trusted maid quickly entered, her face showing a hint of suppressed excitement.

“Young Miss, we have news! It wasn't discovered by our people, but an unofficial piece of intelligence sent back by an informant in 'Black Rock Town' in the north, regarding an energy anomaly half a month ago!”

“Black Rock Town? Energy anomaly?” Ya Fei’s spirits lifted, and she immediately sat up straight.

Black Rock Town was a chaotic, ungoverned small town on the northern border of the Empire, a mixed bag of people.

“Yes! The intelligence states that about half a month ago, deep within a branch of the Magical Beast Mountain Range outside Black Rock Town, there was a brief but extremely subtle energy fluctuation of unknown nature, but extremely high intensity, which then completely disappeared.

Because the location is remote and the timing matches, the informant listed it as suspicious information and reported it.”

Time, location, energy intensity... it all matched!

Ya Fei’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“Immediately notify the Black Rock Town informant to activate the highest level of reconnaissance procedure, but remember, only observe, do not make contact, do not track!

Report any findings directly to me at the first opportunity!” Ya Fei quickly ordered, the light in her peach blossom eyes rekindling, “Also, prepare the 'gift' we have ready, and keep it on standby.”

“Yes!”

The maid left to carry out the order.

Ya Fei walked to the window, looked north, and her red lips parted as she murmured, “Mr. Li Ao... you are indeed still alive.

This time, our Mittel Family will definitely not miss this opportunity.”

Cloud Mist Sect, back mountain Forbidden Ground.

Yun Shan sat cross-legged amidst the clouds and mist, the space around him slightly distorted.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and a hint of doubt flashed in his gray pupils.

“The sensation of that wisp of Annihilation Rule... has completely disappeared?” He frowned slightly.

Although he had been unable to pinpoint Li Ao's exact location before, he could vaguely sense his general direction in the northern part of the Empire, relying on the spatial Rule remnants he had left in Li Ao's body and the resonance generated when Li Ao used the Annihilation Rule.

But just now, this sensation had completely vanished.

“Has he fallen... or has he found a way to completely remove my imprint, or even... completely mastered that Rule?” Cold light flickered in Yun Shan’s eyes; whichever situation it was, it was not what he desired.

“Give the order to increase the search efforts in the northern border region!

Focus on any suspicious powerful auras or energy fluctuations!”

Holy City courtyard.

Xiao Yan slowly finished his Cultivation, and the surging Dou Qi around him gradually calmed down.

He had successfully Broken Through to a Three-Star Great Dou Master.

He walked into the courtyard, picked up the heavy xuan heavy ruler, and began his daily practice of wielding the ruler.

His movements were steady and meticulous.

His gaze was firm, and his mind seemed to have completely calmed, no longer swayed by external disturbances.

Yao Lao’s ethereal figure nodded silently from the side.

He could feel that Xiao Yan’s state of mind had undergone a baptism, becoming more composed, and his goal more pure—to become stronger, and then, to ascend the Cloud Mist Sect and fulfill the Three-Year Agreement!

However, whether it was the Mittel Family secretly searching, the Cloud Mist Sect with its undiminished killing intent, or Xiao Yan diligently Cultivating, none of them realized at this moment that the figure who had stirred up monstrous waves in their hearts had already emerged like a hibernating Dragon, carrying a sharper edge than before after his Rebirth from the cocoon, silently stepping into the chaotic vortex of the Empire’s border.

A new storm will first unfurl its prelude in that lawless land.

Li Ao’s next stop—Black Rock Town!