Chapter 142: Second-level Deinosuchus

The acquisitions of cultivation techniques and secret arts had concluded. Inside the grey-robed elder's storage bag, there were still 14,000 spirit stones, a high-grade second-tier magic artifact, the Glazed Soul Lamp, a low-grade second-tier magic artifact, the Earth Origin Cauldron, and various sundry items.

He could make use of both magic artifacts. The Earth Origin Cauldron primarily offered defense and suppression abilities; he would be able to refine and use it once he broke through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment.

"What a generous provider of treasures."

The inventory of gains concluded here. As for the third placement slot, Wang Yu decided to put the Profound Yin Hand there, as it would be perfected in about five years anyway, and he believed in seeing things through.

He shifted his body, patted the little alligator dragon's head beside him, and prepared to venture deeper into the swamp.

And so.

Another ten-odd days passed.

Wang Yu, who had ventured unknown miles deep into the Withering Leaf Swamp, was moving in the general direction of the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain that day when he discovered an alligator dragon over ten meters (three zhang) in length on the edge of a mudflat.

Wang Yu's eyes lit up, feeling that his luck had recently taken a turn for the better.

"An early second-tier beast, you're my target!"

It wasn't to use it to conceal his tracks, but to slaughter it.

Since breaking through to second-tier body refinement, relying solely on the daily feedback from the placement slot had made his progress excruciatingly slow.

Since he had entered the Withering Leaf Swamp, the alligator dragon, a dragon-species demonic beast and one of the local specialties, was naturally a delicacy he had to try.

He wanted to refine another batch of Dragon Blood Secret Medicine to enhance the foundation and potential of his Dragon Spine. Improving his body refinement cultivation was merely a side effect; he could only relax when a second-tier body refinement technique was developed in the future.

This alligator dragon in front of him was only in the early second-tier, just within his manageable range.

He preferred to fight demonic beasts. The thrill of direct, close-quarters combat not only suited his advantage as a second-tier body cultivator but also trained his combat instincts.

Combat: exhilarating!

The alligator dragon, wide-mouthed and napping, pondered with its not-so-bright brain where this human came from to disturb its sunbathing.

"Roar—"

Roars echoed as Wang Yu landed the first punch on the alligator dragon. Its thick scales protected it from harm; even a punch imbued with the form of the Netherworld Demonic Flood Dragon only managed to send it sliding several meters sideways.

The ground of this mudflat was very slippery.

The alligator dragon also let out a roar and flicked its large tail, sending countless splashes of mud to form a large mud ball that not only blocked out the sunlight but also enclosed both beast and human within.

A fair duel!

Seeing this, Wang Yu was spared the spiritual power he would have used for the Ice Coffin Spell to prevent the alligator dragon from escaping. What a truly combative species! Instead of counterattacking immediately after being ambushed, it tried to prevent him from escaping.

"Come again."

As a dragon-species demonic beast with both water and earth attributes, the alligator dragon not only possessed a powerful physical body but also had extraordinary innate demonic arts inherited through its bloodline.

As the muddy water surged, a giant flood dragon's head astonishingly formed from the mud and water, covering the alligator dragon's long, sharp snout.

Its massive mouth, capable of crushing metal, ferociously snapped down.

Wang Yu also activated his Profound Yin Hand to cover both arms. Two grey-black iron fists, each measuring 3.3 meters, violently collided, holding open the alligator dragon's upper and lower jaws.

He opened his mouth and spat.

A gushing torrent of cold flames burst forth from his mouth.

The Flame Breath Art!

This kind of combat reaction seemed like an instinctive inspiration to him, a perfect manifestation of his spell-fighting talent.

With the cold flames burning in its stomach, countless ice crystals formed in the alligator dragon's mouth, and its tender flesh was scorched black. The entire demonic beast was in severe distress.

Suddenly, it pushed off with its hind legs, rising onto them.

Its two front claws struck repeatedly, battering Wang Yu deep into the mud, his lower body sinking into it. He could only use his arms to protect himself from fatal injuries.

"Swish swish swish—" In the blink of an eye, countless mud spears shot forth again. The defensive Profound Yin Hand was struck until it became dim and transparent, gradually fading away, and the mud spears left numerous wounds on his body, bleeding profusely.

As this wave of attacks ended, the moment for counterattack arrived. The ice spiritual power within Wang Yu surged, transforming this dangerous mudflat into frozen ground.

Wang Yu burst out of the ground, leaping high into the air.

The Netherworld Demonic Flood Dragon wrapped around his right leg. With a sudden burst of power from his kick, he actually sent the alligator dragon flying. Seizing this excellent opportunity, the Golden Edge Whip rapidly extended, tightly coiling around the alligator dragon.

A violent slam to the left, then a crushing impact into the ground on the right!

The alligator dragon, whose weight was immense, was violently slammed around like a sandbag. While the opponent was disoriented, the Golden Edge Whip suddenly retracted, and his left arm swung back, preparing for a punch charged to its limit.

"ROAR!!!"

The Netherworld Demonic Flood Dragon Spine fully erupted, overlaid with the Divine Strength Corpse Arm.

With a squelching punch, he penetrated the alligator dragon's softest abdomen. Wang Yu precisely seized a hot, pulsating heart and fiercely yanked it out.

The perfected Heart Extraction Hand achieved its ultimate goal.

The early second-tier alligator dragon—dead!

After confirming the opponent had lost its life force, Wang Yu quickly put the corpse into his storage bag. The essence blood of this demonic beast would be used to refine second-tier Dragon Blood Secret Medicine.

Its physical body could also be used to refine Beast-Feeding Pills to feed the Snow Jade Fox. This little fellow had been with Wang Yu for quite a few years since being subdued, and all its food was top-grade.

By the time he broke through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, it was estimated that it could also reach the late first-tier. However, cultivating it to the second-tier to fight alongside him would still require a considerable amount of time.

Moreover, his alchemy skills were no longer sufficient and urgently needed to be improved.

The thing is...

The Cold Serpent Alchemy Art was an incomplete third-tier alchemy technique. It would take twenty years to complete it to the second-tier, and he didn't have that many placement slots available.

Especially now that he had added thirteen Soul Dao inheritances.

This truly put him in a difficult position. Should he perhaps sacrifice one of his other cultivation methods again? The Corpse Demon Secret Art didn't seem that important...

"Cough cough~"

He vigorously shook his head, tossing away his jumbled thoughts. Wang Yu quickly left the area; with what he needed in hand, it was time to find a place for secluded cultivation.

After this battle, all of Wang Yu's objectives were achieved.

He could then refine medicine while cultivating, awaiting the day he reached the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation Layer Nine.

It would be soon, only two and a half months more.

One day later.

Finding a spot on the edge of a late second-tier alligator dragon's territory, Wang Yu submerged himself in the swamp, using his ice spiritual power to solidify a small patch of mud.

He created a small, temporary cultivation cave.

He meditated quietly to recover his condition, and only after three more days did he begin refining the Dragon Blood Secret Medicine.

This medicine was of lower difficulty, and it wasn't his first time refining it. He had long since perfected its preparation, so he now proceeded with practiced ease.

Demonic beast essence blood (from a second-tier dragon species), Yellow Essence Lotus, Solid Origin, Red Spined Knotweed, and Blood-Patterned Grass Seeds.

A total of five ingredients were used, with only the alligator dragon's blood being second-tier. This secret medicine didn't need to be refined into a pill; instead, it was extracted with fire, repeatedly decocted nine times, and then catalyzed with spiritual energy.

One could then obtain a batch of Dragon Blood Secret Medicine sufficient for nine uses.

It was much easier than refining spirit pills and caused little disturbance. Since Wang Yu's body refinement divine ability was the Dragon Spine, it naturally required this kind of replenishment.

Dragon blood, flood dragon, and true dragon materials from higher dragon species all provided immense help to him. The higher the level of the Dragon Spine, the stronger his power among body cultivators of the same tier.

Therefore, even without a second-tier body refinement technique, he could still improve through this method.

(End of chapter)