Free Web NovelChapter 89: Chapter 89: 6-Eared Demon Ape
"Ten days. In ten days, my injuries will be fully healed."
Ling Shuanghua said lightly. She then took an Elixir from her robes, swallowed it, and sat down on the ground. Closing her eyes, she focused on healing.
Shen Daoxing could clearly feel it. After Ling Shuanghua took the Elixir, a massive amount of the surrounding Primordial Energy began to surge wildly into her body, mending her broken bones.
’Ten days. That’s enough time for me to break through to the Ninth Layer of the Profound Platform realm.’
Shen Daoxing nodded and found an empty spot to sit cross-legged.
He remembered that he had obtained quite a few Vermilion Fruits in the True Dragon Secret Realm. Reaching into his pouch, he took them out.
Vermilion Fruits were excellent Elixir Materials. The best way to use them for cultivation was through Alchemy to refine them into Elixirs. Absorbing them directly was less effective due to the many impurities they contained.
But Shen Daoxing desperately needed to increase his strength quickly, so he couldn’t afford to be picky. He placed the Vermilion Fruits between his legs.
He began circulating the Annihilation of Ten Thousand Swords Technique. All one hundred and eight of his acupoints opened, greedily absorbing the surrounding Primordial Energy.
The dozen or so Vermilion Fruits at his feet levitated into the air. Under the pull of Shen Daoxing’s one hundred and eight acupoints, their transparent, glistening Primordial Energy gushed out frantically.
Gradually, the light of the dozens of Vermilion Fruits dimmed. The plump fruits shriveled up, finally turning into blackened pits.
The Primordial Energy that had surged wildly into Shen Daoxing’s body quickly condensed and poured into the Seven-Colored Profound Platform in his Dantian.
Immediately, the Seven-Colored Profound Platform flared with a brilliant light, erupting in a dazzling glow. The surrounding Spiritual Qi swarmed into his body with even greater ferocity.
He even began siphoning away the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that Ling Shuanghua was absorbing nearby.
Shen Daoxing felt as if he had broken through some kind of barrier within his body. His heart skipped a beat as a vast power from his Seven-Colored Profound Platform flowed back, nourishing his entire body, from his limbs to his bones.
Shen Daoxing’s cultivation was already at the peak of the Eighth Layer of the Profound Platform realm. After absorbing the Vermilion Fruits, he naturally broke through to the Ninth Layer of the Profound Platform realm.
However, Shen Daoxing didn’t stop cultivating. The Ninth Layer of the Profound Platform realm was still far from enough. He continued to circulate the Annihilation of Ten Thousand Swords Technique, his one hundred and eight acupoints frantically and greedily absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Nearby, Ling Shuanghua noticed that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi she was absorbing was inexplicably being stolen away. She opened her eyes and cast a surprised glance at Shen Daoxing.
And so, time passed, drop by drop.
In a vast, dense mountain forest, atop a most inconspicuous hill, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi for dozens of miles around seemed to be drawn by an invisible force. It converged madly, pouring into the small hill like an ocean tide flowing backward, creating a vortex between heaven and earth.
「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Shen Daoxing opened his eyes, and a flash of gold glinted within them.
"BOOM!"
A soft hum sounded as a vast power radiated out from him.
Shen Daoxing felt his entire body brimming with power.
In ten days, he had already cultivated to the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Profound Platform realm.
But breaking through from the Ninth Layer of the Profound Platform realm to the Grotto Heaven realm required not only his own effort but also an opportunity. It wasn’t something that could be achieved through simple cultivation alone.
’Perhaps it’s time to return to the Imperial City.’
Shen Daoxing paused. A thought occurred to him, and he turned to look at Ling Shuanghua. "Elder Ling, it’s been ten days. How is your recovery?"
At that moment, Ling Shuanghua’s face was still pale, and she looked to be in poor condition.
Ling Shuanghua opened her eyes and looked at Shen Daoxing, a hint of embarrassment on her cold face. "That Wang Hua’s methods were trickier than I imagined. I’ll need a few more days to recover from my injuries."
Shen Daoxing was taken aback. He looked closely at Ling Shuanghua and realized her injuries didn’t seem to have healed much compared to ten days ago.
Questions rose in his mind, but he had yet to voice them.
"Just focus on your cultivation. Don’t worry about me!"
Ling Shuanghua said this lightly and spoke no more. She closed her eyes and continued to heal.
In truth, Ling Shuanghua’s injuries were not that serious. She just needed enough Primordial Energy to recover quickly. However, over the past few days, Shen Daoxing’s cultivation had siphoned away all the Primordial Energy in her vicinity, leaving her with none to use.
Ling Shuanghua did not disturb Shen Daoxing over this, hoping only that he could increase his strength even faster.
The gap in cultivation realms between Shen Daoxing and Xia Junze was simply too vast. Although she didn’t believe Shen Daoxing could surpass Xia Junze in a year, every extra bit of cultivation gave him a better chance of survival.
If possible, she hoped Shen Daoxing would not participate in the life-or-death duel a year from now.
Because she had already seen how extraordinary Shen Daoxing was, more so than any disciple she had ever taken.
For some reason, a strange hope had suddenly kindled in her heart. ’Perhaps Shen Daoxing is the future hope of our Sword Institute, if only he’s given enough time to grow.’
’But right now, he is still far too weak.’
Since that was the case, Shen Daoxing could only sit down to meditate again. He considered that if he wanted to break through to the Grotto Heaven realm, his only option was to find an opportunity through constant battle.
With a flicker of his will, Shen Daoxing arrived in the Venerable Domain.
The Venerable Domain had nine layers in total. It was a massive, hollowed-out mountain, wide at the base and narrow at the top. Each layer was lined with countless prison cells. The farther inward one went, the stronger the prisoners became.
In the very center of each layer was a spiral stone staircase that served as the passage to the level above.
The Giant Race expert from before was merely a prisoner in the outermost area of the first layer, and Ying Er was only a prisoner from slightly deeper inside.
This time, Shen Daoxing did not see the Blood Dragon circling above the great mountain of the Venerable Domain.
He paid it no mind and went directly to the first layer. He then proceeded inward, arriving at the deepest part of the first layer before a pitch-black cell.
However, Shen Daoxing didn’t stop there. He turned and stepped directly onto the central stone staircase of the first layer, heading for the second.
The moment he set foot on the second layer, an invisible pressure like a great mountain bore down on him, making it hard to breathe. It was killing intent—a chilling killing intent that made one tremble uncontrollably.
The first thing Shen Daoxing saw was a pair of soul-stirring, blood-red eyes in a nearby cell.
Then, the blood-red eyes in the cell moved, slowly approaching the cell door.
Shen Daoxing saw a humanoid ape, two heads taller than him, standing before him.
It had a human body and a monkey’s face, with six ears. Its bright red fur made it look incredibly fierce and menacing.
"This is a Six-Eared Demon Ape, a type of Ancient Demon Ape from the Desolate Ancient Era. He is extremely vicious and unruly. He once single-handedly turned an entire country upside down. Although his cultivation is only at the Fifth Layer of the Grotto Heaven realm, he is so agile that even experts at the Spirit Transformation realm can’t catch him."
The Blood Dragon’s voice appeared in Shen Daoxing’s ear.
Shen Daoxing nodded, then reached for the cell door.
The Blood Dragon hastily warned him, "The Six-Eared Demon Ape is ferocious by nature. If you let him out, he’ll only kill you!"
