Due to the pain and blood loss, Wang Yu spent another three days resting before he felt fully prepared.
He took out the Vajra Liquid from his storage pouch. This Body Refining Foundation Establishment treasure looked like a pool of shimmering, molten gold. Using his spiritual power, he guided the liquid until it covered his entire body, paying special attention to his spine.
Once covered, a warm, soothing feeling spread through him. He immediately began the final stage of the Flood Dragon Strength technique: Condense the Dragon Spine!
Having perfected the 'Nine Living Dragon Sinews,' it was time for them to merge. A bloody mist began to steam from his body, a sign of his vital energy taking physical form.
This energy gathered on his back, slowly forming the shape of a small, blood-red flood dragon. Its head rested on his shoulder, its crimson eyes holding a faint dragon-like pressure.
"So that's it," Wang Yu realized. "The dragon blood medicine wasn't just for training. It was also for creating this energy dragon during the breakthrough."
He felt relieved. The third-tier Flood Dragon inner core he'd used in the medicine had only given a tiny bit of its power, but it had greatly increased his chances of success. It almost made up for the energy he'd lost from his missing arm, making what he had both stronger and more plentiful. No wonder it was so hard to digest later; the medicine's power was incredibly potent.
This discovery boosted his confidence. His hands moved quickly, forming seals. With a mental command, tens of thousands of spirit stones flew from his pouch, spreading out around him in neat piles.
Breaking through a major realm requires a huge amount of energy from the world to rebuild the body, to be reborn in a way. This is why the location is so important.
This cave wasn't on a spiritual vein. Only a faint energy hung in the air, probably drifting from nearby. His placement slots provided a steady, gentle stream for daily cultivation, but they couldn't create the massive surge needed for a breakthrough. This was why he had saved over a hundred thousand spirit stones. For a moment like this, it was worth it.
As he pushed his technique harder, the spirit stones around him began to dim, turning clear and lifeless. A vast amount of power flooded into him, scouring his body from the inside.
The Vajra Liquid now showed its true value. It seeped into his pores, becoming a golden light that protected his veins and organs. The treasure's power mixed with the spiritual energy, making his body stronger. His organs, the base of his spine, his head—all his weak spots began to visibly improve.
His vital energy, growing with his body, exploded in quantity and intensity, until it felt like it was boiling over!
The breakthrough was more than halfway done.
"Nine Dragons Merge into One, Condense!" he shouted.
His muscles suddenly felt alive, twisting and writhing on their own, causing him terrible pain. Blood oozed from his skin. His bones creaked and cracked.
Then, something unexpected happened. The Sky Yin Blood and the Corpse Demon Bone, changes made to his body years ago by the Corpse Demon Secret Art, began to mutate.
These changes were permanent. The Sky Yin Blood gave him a natural feel for ghostly, Yin-cold energies and boosted his spiritual sense. The Corpse Demon Bone made him highly resistant to death and corpse energies, and gave him a body as tough as a zombie's, even allowing for limb regrowth.
In a way, they were like two artificial demonic physiques, not as good as a real innate spiritual body or even his Demon Embryo, but still powerful.
But a Body Refining breakthrough is a total rebirth of the body. The original form is shattered. The other powers hidden inside him were forced to mix and change.
His boiling, hot vital energy was invaded by the cold Sky Yin Blood. Its temperature plunged, turning from bright red to a dark, cold black. The energy dragon on his back turned a blackish-blue, like it was made of dark ice.
Inside, his bones broke. The hidden patterns within them were set free. Thick Yin and Corpse energies mixed with the spiritual power, washing through him. His zombie-like features became more pronounced. His upper teeth grew sharper. His nails turned black and shiny. His skin became as pale as a dead man's. The only thing that stayed normal were his eyes, protected by his Lunar Gaze.
These changes weren't all bad. The power from the Corpse Demon Bone fully manifested. The hair on his body vanished, replaced by scales of bronze corpse armor covering his skin. This was the Bronze Corpse Armor! Before, it was invisible, only appearing when he was hit. Now it was a permanent, extra layer of defense. Its grade was a bit low now, but if he could restore the Corpse Demon Secret Art to the second tier, this armor would become Iron Corpse Armor. A second-tier zombie body combined with second-tier body refining strength... the thought was exciting.
"Power..." he mused.
There was always a trade-off. The Corpse Demon Secret Art was incredibly effective. It could turn an ordinary person into a powerhouse. Some side effects were acceptable. The strange appearance would fade once the secret art was fully restored later. He wasn't worried about temporary changes. He even suspected that once it was second-tier, his "little friend" might work again. If that happened, a weird look was a small price to pay.
The breakthrough was ending. Despite the strange turn, the final result was good. Wang Yu leaped up and plunged into the healing pool.
The energy dragon on his back, now mixed with the Corpse Demon Bone's essence, grew even darker, a black flood dragon with icy blue lines. Its eyes turned black-blue. Finally, it sank into his spine, leaving a tattoo of a fierce, coiled black dragon on his back.
He somehow knew its name.
— **Nether Abyss Demonic Flood Dragon Spine**!
A double mutation, caused by his technique and his secret art mixing.
The Flood Dragon Strength technique could take him no further. The normal way to continue this path was now closed to him. His only hope was that his placement slots could derive a new method, perfectly suited to what he had become.
**(End of Chapter)**