Chapter 243: Second Stage Body Refinement Peak, Earth Mother Scripture

Days later, the remaining toxins from the third-tier spiritual item, Myriad Spirit Poison Marrow, were completely devoured by the Immaculate Jade Toad. Wang Yu looked as if he had just crawled out of water, drenched from head to toe.

The torment of the corrosive poison was truly unbearable for a human. Fortunately, it was over, and the gains perfectly met expectations.

The essence blood in his dragon spine had accumulated to over 8,600 drops. With a bit more effort, he would be close to his peak.

And he coincidentally possessed the Glazed Lotus Heart Liquid, a boundary-breaking spiritual item used for achieving a breakthrough to the third tier of body refining, which he had exchanged from the Sky Treasure Pavilion using a Lava Core Fruit.

In the past two years, his true essence had only increased to 2,822 drops. Even refining five Black Cloud Worm Grasses would only add 400 drops of true essence, still a ways off from breaking through to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.

Perhaps it would be better to temporarily focus his energy on body refining. Once he breaks through to the third tier, combined with his divine sense power, he would definitely be able to contend head-on with Core Formation cultivators.

Speaking of which, it was still the divine sense secret technique that held him back; otherwise, with his divine sense capacity, he could play a much greater role in combat.

“Once the Ancient Soul Art legacy is complete, everything will fall into place.”

He turned his head to look at Long Yiran, who was still beneath the ancient carvings on the stone wall. A mysterious aura enveloped her; it seemed less like comprehension and more like she was merging with some kind of spiritual item.

Her soul aura was strengthening, and perhaps she too could reach the third tier ahead of her cultivation.

“Does the Earth Array Master’s legacy involve the path of the soul? It doesn’t seem simple. No wonder she was interested in the Heavenly Soul Sect’s legacy; it seems she has stumbled upon it.”

After observing for a while, he secretly used his divine sense to probe the stone wall.

Finding that he couldn't discover anything without a 'scriptural guide,' he reluctantly left. He planned to search this underground herb garden, as even things like Black Cloud Worm Grass were present.

Perhaps there were also body-refining spiritual herbs. Refining the body with poison, which he had just tried, was definitely feasible.

“The poisonous plants in the Celestial Demon Bone Forest beneficial for body refining, I recall, are... Bone Obstruction Poison, Bloodthorn Tiger Cane, and Corpse Poison Earth Fruit!”

These were the three most renowned during the Foundation Establishment stage.

Wang Yu had even seen the first type before; during the first Gui Ling Scent Gathering, the Blood Saber Swordsman had presented Bone Obstruction Poison, which was then exchanged by Daoist Yu.

Walking through the dim herb garden, to his surprise...

Wang Yu actually found some: one Bloodthorn Tiger Cane and three Corpse Poison Earth Fruits. Both only grow where bodies are buried, and the corpses in the Celestial Demon Bone Forest... were countless.

The essence from the corpses near this herb garden had likely been absorbed dry by these two spiritual herbs.

Bone Obstruction Poison was the most abundant, with six blossoms found.

“This truly is a treasure trove.”

Wang Yu thoroughly inspected the entire herb garden this time. Besides what he had gathered, there were thousands of first-tier spiritual herbs, hundreds of second-tier spiritual herbs, and twelve third-tier spiritual herbs.

There were also many withered ones. Wang Yu recognized ninety percent of them, but the remaining ten percent were unfamiliar; they were mutated special poisonous plants affected by the local environment.

These spiritual herbs would require a customized pill recipe based on their medicinal properties for optimal use, or they could simply be used directly.

After exploring, Wang Yu burned the Bloodthorn Tiger Cane into a bloody pulp with his Ice Dragon Elixir Flame and applied it directly to his body. He swallowed all three Corpse Poison Earth Fruits.

The six Bone Obstruction Poisons circulated around his body, releasing granular powder that seeped into him through the acupoints of his circulation pathways.

Having undergone the baptism of Myriad Spirit Poison Marrow, his body's resistance to toxins had greatly increased, rendering ordinary poisons almost useless. Only he could employ such an expansive and aggressive refining method.

The Ice Dragon Elixir Flame began to burn and forge his body from the inside out, integrating the medicinal properties of the poisonous plants into his blood and bones.

After several days of this, Wang Yu felt it wasn't quite enough.

He then took out the Starfall Cold Furnace and sealed himself inside using the furnace-sealing method, replicating his actions from years ago in the Lightning Descent Abyss. This time, however, the Ice Dragon Elixir Flame burned even fiercer.

As the Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon Art circulated, Wang Yu's vital energy surged violently from within him, forming the shape of a Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon, undergoing a new round of body refining.

Within his dragon spine, his essence blood was increasing at a pace far exceeding before.

One year and two months later.

His essence blood successfully reached 9,999 drops.

Peak of second-tier body refining, achieved!!!

“Huuuuh~”

Taking a deep breath, the puff of white air Wang Yu exhaled struck the elixir furnace with a clang, making it vibrate continuously as if hit by a boulder. This was a testament to his strengthened internal organs.

As the saying goes, 'exhaling like an arrow, breathing like thunder'.

This was precisely it.

Once he broke through to the third tier of body refining, he would possess the power to throw mountains. The ability to swing a million catties with one arm would be a thing of the past; 'throwing mountains' was literal.

He could uproot a mountain and hurl it at his enemies.

At this stage, breakthroughs became increasingly difficult.

The final 'three condensations and three dispersions' was extremely difficult. Moreover, this drop of mixed true blood not only needed to disperse throughout his body but also coalesce within his spine to form the foundation of a third-tier body refiner.

—Divine Marrow!

Just as breaking through to Foundation Establishment granted 'protective true energy' and 'physical flight', and breaking through to Core Formation granted 'Samadhi True Fire' and 'indestructible Golden Core', these were all subsidiary divine abilities bestowed by one's cultivation realm.

They were also innate talents acquired after a life transformation, deeply ingrained in the essence of one's bloodline. This was one reason why high-tier cultivators found it difficult to conceive offspring.

While these traits could be inherited, what manifested were different spiritual root aptitudes, or even innate spiritual bodies.

When yin and yang combine, if one side is too weak or too strong, the resulting offspring would have a vast range of potential, from heavenly spiritual roots to useless ones, almost entirely by chance.

However, a union of two powerful individuals would either result in no offspring or, without exception, a genius.

Not everyone was qualified to pass on these realm-specific traits; even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't. Only Deity Transformation Venerables could achieve such inheritance.

Deity Transformation was the realm acknowledged by heaven and earth as truly powerful, essentially maximizing the difficulty of a 'strong-strong' union, as Deity Transformation Venerables were already the strongest in this world. And Divine Marrow was the root of a body refiner's vital energy and the source of their divine power!

In essence, it was also a type of realm-specific divine ability, equivalent to the Golden Core.

Pure body refiners were eliminated by their era not only due to the difficulty of cultivation, but also partly because the Divine Marrow, which could only be condensed at the third tier, was deadly!

If the breakthrough failed, life would enter a countdown.

Boundary-breaking spiritual items like Glazed Lotus Heart Liquid could only increase the chance of success; if it failed, the outcome of vital energy depletion was still inevitable.

At that point, the body would become like a sieve, unable to retain vital energy or life essence, resulting in rapid aging and death within a decade or so.

Even though Wang Yu had used various body-refining spiritual items and had a deep foundation, giving him a high success rate, he couldn't help but seriously consider it at this moment.

Furthermore, breaking through to the third tier of body refining required a third-tier spiritual vein environment and facing a lightning tribulation. He wouldn't choose to break through now; the location wasn't right.

After condensing the Divine Marrow, a body refiner would undergo a transformative change, truly unleashing the essence of their divine power. It was also best to refine a Bloodline True Artifact.

This item, like a Natal Magical Treasure, was essential and could grow with one's cultivation realm. It could be crafted without relying on artifact refining skills.

It could be upgraded by continuously integrating more heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the future.

This was also why he constantly collected various third-tier materials. They were genuinely insufficient, and he had practically exhausted his family's wealth to prepare, ensuring that once he broke through to the third tier, he would possess formidable combat power.

As his thoughts drifted, envisioning the future, Wang Yu suddenly looked towards the ancient carvings on the distant stone wall.

Long Yiran had finished her comprehension.

The next moment, their eyes met across the distance for an instant.

“You’re awake. How was your harvest?”

“It was alright. Brother Wang will know once he experiences it himself.”

“Hmm?”

While Wang Yu was puzzled, Long Yiran took out a blank jade slip, pressed it to her forehead, expended a significant amount of divine sense and time, then with a flick of her wrist, tossed it into his embrace.

“This is the wondrous Feng Shui art you wanted. Previously, I only learned the basic section, but after completing the legacy, I now know its full scope.

It contains various Feng Shui secret techniques, along with records and analyses of strange formations across heaven and earth. Aside from lacking array formation legacy, it's extremely complete.”

This was her fulfilling the contract. Wang Yu gave her a deep look.

He hadn't left for over a year, and her trust in him had clearly increased significantly.

As he browsed the jade slip with his divine sense,

Wang Yu's eyes showed a look of shock.

“A single Earth Mother Scripture actually contains so much content.”

“Of course. Legend has it that the Earth Mother was a descendant of the Earth Master Ancestor’s lineage, though I don't know how much of the true inheritance she received. Be sure not to pass this geomancy text on to others.”

“Naturally.”

After speaking, Long Yiran happily went to observe the spiritual items, while Wang Yu remained rooted, immersed in the jade slip's content.

It was roughly divided into four sections.

The first section, the Secret Chapter on Heavenly and Earthly Formations, recorded all sorts of Feng Shui formations, both seen and unseen, ranking them and providing analyses.

The top-ranked Heavenly Formation was the Starry Yin-Yang Reversal Formation, never before seen in this world. It required waiting for a specific celestial phenomenon, with an extremely low probability of forming.

Its effect was simple and brutal: reversing yin and yang, turning life and death upside down.

Regardless of how long someone had been dead or if any remnant soul remained, perfect resurrection could be achieved. This was a power that did not involve time; it was more like... creation!

The second Heavenly Formation, the Starry Sky Furnace Profound Elixir Formation, was also unseen in this world. Legend had it that its formation would be accompanied by a divine elixir, which, if consumed, would grant instant ascension to immortality and natural longevity.

Heavenly Formations were ethereal and elusive. Wang Yu continued to scroll down.

Only the last Heavenly Formation, the Empty Dipper Nine-Star Alignment Formation, had truly been encountered by the Earth Master Ancestor.

The formation of this alignment would create a 'Gate of Realms.' Cultivators passing through it would travel to other worlds, with no means to stop them.

Legend had it that the Earth Master Ancestor disappeared into a Gate of Realms. Before entering, he was ecstatic to the point of madness, described as dancing with joy in the Earth Mother Scripture, with a strong sense of envy palpable in the text's narration.

Wang Yu couldn't help but have more questions.

While the Heavenly Formations were doubtful, the Earthly Formations had all been witnessed by predecessors.

There were many formations beneficial for cultivation, such as the Nine Dragons Revered Formation, the Earth Mother Life-Nourishing Formation, and the Ninety-Nine Mountain Cauldron Formation. However, they were difficult for humans to set up and could only be sought out extensively across the land.

Among them, what most captivated Wang Yu were...

the Golden Core Natural Formation and the Infant Transformation Divine Gaze Formation. The former could exempt one from lightning tribulation and assist in Core Formation, equivalent to a top-grade Core Formation spiritual item aid.

It had appeared three times in the records of the Earth Mother Scripture.

The latter... was even more incredible, defying description.

Just the content of the first section alone satisfied Wang Yu greatly. Following that were the Profound Chapter on Feng Shui Secret Arts, the Golden Pupils of Qi Observation, and a detailed explanation of Dragon Imprisonment and Vein Fixing!

This content was truly outstanding for expanding one's knowledge. Moreover, since the "Earth Mother Scripture" was not a single mystic art, it couldn't be placed in just one category.

While the first section, the Secret Chapter on Heavenly and Earthly Formations, was pure knowledge, the latter three were intertwined with numerous secret techniques and profound mysteries, necessitating separate categorization.

In summary, this time's harvest was unexpectedly abundant.

It might not even be achievable with a million spirit stones.