Chapter 24: Twelve Open Palm Dispersing Hands

Li Weiyi had studied the Grand Ancestor Taiji Fish for a long time. He believed it was the most important magical item for subduing the White Bone Demon, so he tried various methods to activate it.

He first used a few drops of his own blood, then some of the Golden Crow's and Black Flood Dragon's blood, but there was no reaction. Even injecting the scorching hot airflow that originated from the center of his right foot had no effect.

"To activate it, it must be related to my blood, and it always happens during moments of extreme danger. Could it be that my blood changes when my life is in peril?"

Furthermore, it seemed to require a significant amount of blood. The more blood it received, the stronger and more lasting its reaction would be.

Everything was pure speculation and analysis.

Li Weiyi gritted his teeth and decided to do something foolish. He used his sword to cut his wrist, letting almost half a bowl of blood flow onto the Grand Ancestor Taiji Fish, but it showed no reaction at all.

"Forget it... I'll try again later when I'm in a life-or-death situation."

Li Weiyi quickly channeled the scorching hot airflow from the center of his right foot to stop the bleeding and heal his wound, then wrapped his wrist. Afterward, he picked up a cup of diluted Golden Crow blood from the table and drank it to replenish his vital energy.

With his hands forming the "Zi Wu Taiji Seal," he performed the Yu Xu Breathing Technique, channeling the scorching hot airflow from the center of his right foot to circulate through the thirteen silver meridians, refining the intense mystical energy contained within the Golden Crow blood.

In recent days, he had been drinking Golden Crow blood daily, and his physical strength had increased significantly.

Half an hour later, Li Weiyi stopped.

"My body doesn't seem to have changed much... Before, when I drank Golden Crow blood, my whole body would heat up, and my heart rate and blood flow would significantly increase."

"I'll try another cup."

Days earlier, after drinking the first cup of Golden Crow blood, Li Weiyi had lost his awe of it. This was because the scorching hot airflow within him could refine it, and he didn't even need to wear the crucifix pendant. Cai Yutong, after drinking just one cup, had nearly burned to death. Fortunately, with the crucifix pendant, her body underwent drastic changes, transforming as if into a celestial spirit.

Li Weiyi had already consumed ten cups in total, yet he showed no signs of burning up or undergoing a complete transformation; only his physical strength had increased. He wasn't sure whether to be frustrated or grateful.

After drinking the eleventh cup, the Golden Crow blood felt as bland as water, and his body showed no reaction.

"My physical body must have reached another critical point, requiring some kind of breakthrough to progress further."

How could he achieve this breakthrough?

The diluted Golden Crow blood was no longer potent. What about the undiluted kind? Could it provide a strong enough stimulus? Could relying solely on external objects help him break past this critical point?

He decided to act immediately. He could still give it a try now. He couldn't just wait for the White Bone Demon to come for him; that would be akin to waiting for death.

Li Weiyi drank a cup of undiluted Golden Crow blood. Upon entering his stomach, it became increasingly scalding, as if he had swallowed molten lava. He immediately performed the Yu Xu Breathing Technique, channeling the scorching hot airflow from the center of his right foot to refine it.

The thirteen silver meridians couldn't refine it fast enough; the Golden Crow blood seemed to be burning through his internal organs. Smoke emanated from his entire body, and his blood seemed to be boiling. It felt as if he could breathe fire.

"It's not that terrible; I can still bear it."

The spring-like energy point in the center of Li Weiyi's right foot surged with increasing intensity, fiercely combating the Golden Crow blood.

Suddenly, "Whoosh!"

A bone-chilling cold air emerged from the center of his left foot. Subsequently, the first silver meridian appeared from this cold energy spring, ascending his left leg and heading directly towards his internal organs, which were suffering from the intense burning sensation. The second silver meridian was born. Then the third, the fourth...

Before long, the number of meridians originating from the center of his left foot reached thirteen. Combined with the thirteen meridians rooted in his right foot, he now had a total of twenty-six. The vital energy and destructive mystical power contained within the Golden Crow blood were instantly suppressed.

The spring-like energy point in his right foot was scorching hot, while the one in his left foot was icy cold. Two entirely different types of airflow were being generated. Li Weiyi's body rapidly alternated between hot and cold. One moment he was drenched in sweat, the next his sweat droplets froze into ice beads.

"This is unbearable!"

He stopped his breathing exercise, rushed out the door, and began frantically practicing the Twelve Loose Forms of the Chan Sect on the deck.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

He alternately formed palm strikes and delivered punches. His speed was extraordinary, and his movements were unpredictable.

"Heaven-Overturning Palm Print."

Forming a palm seal, he leaped a zhang (about 3.3 meters) high, descending from above. The palm wind in front of his palm print was condensed, resembling a massive, heaven-overturning seal. Although his palm didn't directly touch the mound, the earth beneath it sank, forming a three-foot-square depression. It looked as if it had been pressed by a three-foot-wide seal.

"Grand Unity Splits the Sea."

The palm print transformed into a palm blade. The palm wind cut through the air in front of him like an invisible blade.

"Yellow Dragon Ascends to Heaven."

As if transforming into a dragon, he took five consecutive steps in the air, creating what seemed like an ethereal staircase. With the fifth step, he had ascended to a height of eight or nine meters.

Li Weiyi had practiced the Twelve Loose Forms for many years in the mountains. Previously, he had only considered them methods for strengthening his body, never imagining they possessed such power. When facing Xie Tianshu and others, he hadn't even needed to use these techniques. Although called "Loose Forms," they were not exclusively hand techniques. Instead, they were a comprehensive martial art comprising twelve fundamental moves, integrating punches, palm strikes, footwork, leg techniques, finger seals, claw prints, and more. They were not fixed forms. Each move offered infinite variations and could be performed freely according to his will.

He wasn't sure how long he had practiced. When the hot and cold energies within him balanced out and he finally stopped, the survey team members, drawn by the commotion, had already gathered around him. Everyone's expressions varied: some were shocked, others awestruck, some admired him, and some were fervent.

Of course, some speculated that Li Weiyi had consumed a Buddha's relic, but no one dared to harbor any improper thoughts. Given the power he displayed while practicing, if Li Weiyi were to get serious, a single punch would likely be enough to pierce through their chests. They were unaware of Li Weiyi's true situation and thought he was merely showing off his strength to intimidate any potentially unruly individuals.

Qin Ke walked up to him and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Brother Weiyi, you seem to have become even more powerful. Is it because you drank the Golden Crow blood?"

"Yes."

Li Weiyi did not deny it. He had already planned to let everyone on the ship drink Golden Crow blood in stages to change their physiques, thereby increasing their chances of survival in this unfamiliar world. Cai Yutong's physical transformation couldn't be hidden. According to her, instead of concealing it and letting everyone speculate, which might cause estrangement, it was better to inform them openly.

Qin Ke, filled with anticipation mixed with a little apprehension, asked, "Can I drink it too?"

"Of course." Li Weiyi added, "But we need to wait for the First Mate to wake up first."

Four days earlier, Zhao Meng's injuries had worsened. Out of desperation, Li Weiyi gave him diluted Golden Crow blood and placed the crucifix pendant on him. However, the Golden Crow blood's effect was too slow, and Zhao Meng was on the verge of death. Li Weiyi then gave him Black Flood Dragon blood to drink and placed the dragon-patterned thumb ring on his finger. Since then, Zhao Meng had been undergoing drastic changes every day. By this morning, his fractured bones in his knees and shoulders, which had been set, had fully recovered, and his physique had grown remarkably, reaching nearly three meters tall. Fortunately, he did not experience the terrifying dragon-like deformity that Xie Tianshu had. Only his arms and legs had grown a few black scales. His hair had turned fiery red, like the feathers of a Golden Crow.

After the spring-like energy point in the center of his left foot opened, Li Weiyi's combat power greatly increased, and he finally felt confident enough to confront the White Bone Demon again. His last encounter had been too humiliating!

Li Weiyi wore the Corpse Garment leather armor, the Grand Ancestor Taiji Fish around his neck, silver-thread gauntlets on his hands, the three-headed snake bracelet on his wrist, and the scripture belt. He carried the black iron seal and Golden Crow blood in his pockets, wielded the Yellow Dragon Sword in one hand, and a black long spear in the other. Discovering the black long spear was too heavy and cumbersome, he cast it aside.

Arriving near the White Bone Demon's tomb, he took out the Golden Crow blood, poured it onto the scripture belt, and activated it. Li Weiyi moved with swift footwork, like a crimson phantom, and charged up the burial mound with his sword. Standing at the edge of the hole he had dug at the top of the mound, he looked down to see that the ice coffin had already melted.

Inside... It was completely empty.

In an instant, Li Weiyi's entire body went numb, and his heart felt as if it would leap out of his chest. The White Bone Demon had already escaped?

He immediately channeled both the hot and cold airflows, maximizing all his senses. He scanned his surroundings for any sign, but found nothing. Even the bone wind chimes on the tombstone had vanished.

"Even confined to the coffin and only able to use her hair, she was terrifyingly powerful. Now that she's out..."

Li Weiyi could barely imagine how strong the White Bone Demon would be if she could move freely.

"Since she's out, Dr. Qi's disappearance might indeed be connected to her."

After searching around the burial mound, Li Weiyi found the footprints left by the White Bone Demon and looked up into the nether mist. They led in the direction of the Golden Crow's remains.

"Since she has attacked both Dr. Qi and me, she will surely strike again. The reason there hasn't been another victim yet is likely because she has some physical limitation, just as she couldn't leave the tomb earlier."

"I can't let her continue to recover. If she does, I'm afraid I won't have any power to resist her."

After a moment of thought, Li Weiyi ultimately decided that no matter how terrifying the White Bone Demon was, he still had a chance to fight now. If he retreated out of fear today, he would be at her mercy in the future.

Following the footprints, Li Weiyi cautiously and meticulously arrived beneath the Golden Crow's remains. By the blood pool, he saw the figure in red. She sat cross-legged, radiating golden light. Her black hair floated in the air like long silk threads, and a pair of several-meter-long fiery wings, similar to the Golden Crow fire wings that appeared when Cai Yutong transformed into a celestial spirit, blazed brilliantly on her back.

Without hesitation, Li Weiyi accelerated to his maximum speed, reaching a zhang behind her. He leaped into the air and brought his sword down.

"Whoosh!"

This sword strike was precisely "Grand Unity Splits the Sea" from the Twelve Loose Forms. With all his strength channeled into it, the sword blade flashed with yellow light, cleaving the air apart.