Chapter 21: Perfecting the Marrow Cleansing Realm

"You are impossible," Liu Yebai said with a shake of his head and a smile. He had nothing more to say to his old friend. Yet, wasn't it their mutual admiration for each other's character that made them lifelong friends?

"Let's go, into the city," Meng Dajiang said.

The two arrived quietly at Yufang Prefecture City. It was deep into the night; the city gates were long closed, and guards were posted on the walls. However, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai silently transformed into two phantoms, soaring with a gentle leap to a height of several dozen zhang, more than ten zhang higher than the city walls. A faint black mist enveloped their bodies, making them even harder to detect in the dark. In this manner, they silently glided over the city wall, ten zhang above it.

"Lord.""Lord."

On the city wall, City Gate Commander Wang Qianfan led several subordinates on patrol. The guards were all very respectful.

"Hm?" Wang Qianfan suddenly frowned and looked up.

"Lord, what's wrong?" a puzzled deputy asked beside him.

"Tell the men to be careful; don't let any demons sneak in," Wang Qianfan said with a frown. He felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint why. He was a Leakless realm expert who had comprehended 'potential,' and he was the commander of Yufang Prefecture City. Below the level of gods and demons, it was highly unlikely that anything could escape his senses. If it truly was a god, demon, or demon lord, there would be no point in mere mortals like them trying to stop it.

"Yes, sir," the deputy quickly replied.

Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai quietly entered Yufang Prefecture City.

"The leader of the city gate guards just now was actually a master who had comprehended 'potential.' If we had been careless, he might have discovered us," Liu Yebai said with a smile. "If we truly had been discovered, we wouldn't have been able to stay here long."

"I've implicated you," Meng Dajiang said.

"Why speak of such things between brothers?" Liu Yebai replied.

In a wealthy merchant's residence in Yufang Prefecture City, the servants knew that their master had two friends visiting, and their master was entertaining them with extreme hospitality.

"Alright, you may withdraw," Liu Yebai instructed.

"Yes," the merchant replied obediently.

Only Liu Yebai and Meng Dajiang remained in the hall. Meng Dajiang was devouring a whole roasted lamb, with a large quantity of beef beside him. Crunch, crunch. Meng Dajiang had excellent teeth; even the hardest bones were easily crushed and consumed cleanly in his mouth. As he ate the meat, he occasionally picked up a gourd and drank the wine within.

"Dajiang, seeing you eat like that makes me hungry," Liu Yebai said, sitting there, pouring himself some wine from a pot, and leisurely drinking it. He chuckled, "Seriously, your appetite must be number one in Dongning Prefecture, at least. A whole roasted lamb, plus hundreds of pounds of beef and pork—you just eat it all clean."

"Are you envious of me?" Meng Dajiang, who had visibly gained some weight, picked up a nearby wine jar and poured wine into his gourd. Once full, he took a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, extracted three pills, and put them into the gourd to dissolve in the wine.

"Regardless, I've never heard of your cultivation method before. To gain strength simply by eating—it's remarkable," Liu Yebai exclaimed.

Meng Dajiang continued to drink and eat. After finishing all the meat, he had gained approximately ten jin.

"This way, my healing is also fast. Most of my injuries are healed today," Meng Dajiang said. "I'll be completely fine tomorrow. However, I burned too much flesh and blood in the previous battle, so to recover to my peak, I'll need to eat for another five or six days."

"Eat slowly, there's no rush," Liu Yebai said with a smile. "Meng Chuan won't enter the Embryonic Realm until at least May, so there's plenty of time."

"Understood," Meng Dajiang nodded.

They stayed in the wealthy merchant's residence for six days. During this time, Liu Yebai secretly managed everything while Meng Dajiang ate, drank, and cultivated daily. After six days, his weight had increased by approximately eighty jin. He had transformed from a rather handsome man back into a stout one.

With his strength restored to its peak, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai quietly departed from Yufang Prefecture City.

"What happened?" The wealthy merchant and his six servants in the residence suddenly awoke, feeling as if the past six days had been a dream, though they couldn't recall what they had dreamt.

On the second day of the fifth month, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai returned to Dongning Prefecture City.

"We're back," they both said, their moods excellent as they gazed at the Meng family's Mirror Lake Residence before them. Meng Dajiang felt the jade box on his chest. Inside was an 'Ice Heart Fruit,' a reward he had earned through years of perilous missions.

"Master, Master Liu!" The guards at the gate showed signs of joy.

"Young Master, Young Mistress, the two masters have returned!" A servant immediately ran off to report.

Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai entered the residence together. It was midday, and Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were both eating lunch. They were pleasantly surprised to find that their fathers had returned.

"Dad, you're finally back! You've been gone for almost half a year this time," Liu Qiyue exclaimed, rushing to hug her father, Liu Yebai, tightly, tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm back," Liu Yebai said, smiling as he stroked his daughter's hair. "Qiyue has grown taller again; it won't be long until you catch up to your dad."

"Dad," Meng Chuan also walked up to his father.

"I've been busy, but I've brought back the lotus fish powder," Meng Dajiang said, his chubby face full of smiles. He patted the bundle on his back and chuckled, "Catching the fish, drying them into jerky, then grinding them... none of that is hard, it just takes time and effort."

"Dad, Uncle Liu, you haven't eaten, have you? Come on, let's eat together," Meng Chuan said, his mood greatly improved by his father's return.

"Yes, let's eat," Meng Dajiang cheerfully agreed.

"Your dad is always happy when food is mentioned," Liu Yebai said with a laugh from the side.

"You just don't eat enough; look how thin you are," Meng Dajiang retorted, raising an eyebrow, and strode into the hall.

Late on the eleventh day of the fifth month, Meng Chuan's marrow cleansing and blood exchange was completely finished, marking the perfection of his marrow cleansing.

On the twelfth day of the fifth month, Meng Dajiang took Meng Chuan to the ancestral residence.

Aunt Meng was leisurely eating some pastries and flipping through a book in her hands.

"Grand Aunt," Meng Chuan greeted Aunt Meng.

"Your marrow cleansing is complete?" Aunt Meng nodded in satisfaction, then took a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Meng Chuan. "Inside is a drop of God-Demon Jade Marrow Liquid! You can take it once you begin cultivating a God-Demon Body. At the very latest, you must consume it within the first three months of cultivating the God-Demon Body. After those three months, you will have missed the critical period for establishing your God-Demon foundation."

"Yes," Meng Chuan solemnly accepted it. This was something the entire Meng family had almost exhausted its treasures to acquire.

"Have you decided which God-Demon Body to cultivate?" Aunt Meng asked. "Choosing a God-Demon Body is of utmost importance! Once selected, it cannot be changed. Even if you become a God-Demon in the future... you must follow the original path."

"For example, if you choose to cultivate the 'Flame God Body,' then when you become a God-Demon in the future, you will only be able to choose from several types of God-Demon Bodies similar to the 'Flame God Body,' and you won't be able to switch to other paths," Aunt Meng explained.

Meng Chuan, of course, understood this. The God-Demon Bodies cultivated in the Embryonic Realm are very basic and only possess a fraction of a God-Demon's power. Only by becoming a God-Demon in the future... will one possess a complete God-Demon Body!

"God-Demon Bodies are categorized in many ways," Aunt Meng continued. "Some offer extreme defense, virtually becoming 'indestructible.' Others have incredible vitality, allowing them to regrow severed limbs. There are also those with immense strength, those with extraordinary speed, those skilled in perception and detection, and those capable of influencing an entire area... Each God-Demon Body has its own unique strengths."

"And once chosen, you must follow this path for life."

"Our Meng family possesses the methods for all sixteen basic God-Demon Bodies," Aunt Meng said. "You should have reviewed them all by now, right?"

"I've looked through all of them," Meng Chuan nodded. The basic God-Demon Body methods can only be cultivated before becoming a God-Demon, and it's not difficult for any God-Demon family to collect them all.

"Which type of God-Demon Body do you plan to cultivate?" Aunt Meng asked.