Chapter Fifty-Two: The Assault of the Magical Beasts

After searching for a few fruits to eat, Yun Yufeng climbed back up the tree, fashioning a simple platform and covering it with large leaves to create a shelter. Wounded so severely in this battle, Yun Yufeng felt he should properly absorb the lessons learned. Defeating an enemy whose strength far surpassed his own, despite being at the late stage of the fourth tier, brought him no pride. Only through combat could he grow, could he discover his potential as a warrior.

Yun Yufeng realized that though the Stacked Wave Palm could bypass defenses and directly impact internal structures, damaging them from within, every material transmitted vibrations differently, especially with the presence of battle energy barriers. Therefore, to fully wield the power of this technique, he needed to understand the properties of more materials and the characteristics of various battle energies, which meant seeking more practice, more battles.

Facing a peak fifth-tier warrior had proved so difficult precisely because he lacked experience; he had never encountered fifth-tier battle energy or faced a peak fifth-tier opponent, nor understood the strength of their defenses. Thus, throughout a series of battles, constant experimentation was required. Opportunities for combat were fleeting and hard-won, often ending in mutual injury.

Sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, Yun Yufeng replayed every moment of the battle in his mind, reviewing and summarizing his experience. He was confident that if he faced a peak fifth-tier warrior again, he could easily overcome them. Once he understood their traits, he could maximize his own strength.

He exhaled softly, forming a hand seal, and began to circulate the Purple Extreme Imperial Heart Technique. His body flashed with violet light, nearly invisible to the naked eye. The energy of heaven and earth, along with elemental forces, converged around him, enveloping him like a sphere of energy.

Energy surged in, rejecting unnecessary elements, pulsed like a great heart in rhythm. As the sun rose higher, a ray of golden light filtered through the leaves, bathing Yun Yufeng in a faint golden glow.

Drops of battle energy flowed into his dantian, which in turn released large amounts into his meridians. This energy joined the great circulation of battle energy, permeating bones and sinews as it moved.

The sixth stage of the Purple Extreme Imperial Heart Technique was meant to strengthen a warrior’s meridians and bones. The meridians, channels for battle energy, had been gradually fortified since he began cultivating, forming the first part of the body to be strengthened.

Yet, the enhancement of meridians had its limits. They could only bear the normal flow of battle energy, but during overload, battle energy could damage or even rupture them. Thus, strengthening the meridians was essential for every warrior, though often frustrating.

The root of the problem was that while meridians carried battle energy, they themselves had little capacity to absorb it. As battle energy passed through, almost none remained within; they acted like superconductors, solely transmitting battle energy, unlike muscles that could actively absorb trace amounts to strengthen themselves.

Threads of battle energy seeped through the walls of his meridians, infiltrating limbs and bones, slowly increasing his physical strength. Yun Yufeng’s brain domain had crystallized thanks to his powerful sea of consciousness control. After breaking through to the fifth stage, he completed in seven days what others would take years to achieve, perfecting the crystallization of his brain domain.

Now, faint traces of battle energy lingered in his meridians, subtle violet glimmers, slowly enhancing their strength. As he had just entered this stage, the process was slow, but with experience, it would accelerate.

Day rose and fell, and the bright moon climbed into the night sky. Throughout the day, Yun Yufeng had only hunted a low-level magical beast, roasted it for food, and shared it with Little Greedy Wolf.

After a full day of treatment, his severe internal injuries seemed fully healed; the rest would have to rely on slow recuperation. Internal wounds inevitably left hidden damage, such as slightly misaligned meridians at the site of injury, affecting the flow of battle energy.

Lying on the roughly built platform, gazing up at the lush canopy, Yun Yufeng found himself nostalgic for Earth. He had spent some time in the Purple Star Continent, and had almost completely immersed himself in this world.

No road home and no means to return—best not to dwell on it. Even heroes like Huo Qubing died far from home. Perhaps, upon reaching the summit, he might discover a path back.

Yet, after countless years of change, perhaps Earth would no longer bear that name.

A bitter smile flickered at his lips, his gaze growing resolute. This lingering thought might become an obstacle, but it would also be his motivation—it absolutely could be. Yun Yufeng’s dark pupils flashed with violet light, pulsing with intensity.

Looking inward, his vast dantian was nearly filled, and Yun Yufeng grinned suddenly. Though his injuries were grave, they were worthwhile. He had expended much battle energy fighting and supporting Little Greedy Wolf’s evolution, but the gains were considerable.

His cultivation had broken through to the late stage of the fourth tier, his dantian brimming with battle energy, nearly overflowing.

Clenching his fist, the air exploded beside his ear, the explosive power in his hand palpable. Yun Yufeng resumed cross-legged meditation, circulating the Purple Extreme Imperial Heart Technique to refine and solidify these gains, striving to reach the peak of the fourth tier and ultimately break into the fifth—his goal for this trial.

Once he reached the fifth tier, his physical strength might approach the sixth, and his spiritual power would multiply. Currently, with his late fifth-tier physique, he could only force his spiritual power to manifest at the early sixth-tier. The most painful part was his body, enduring severe discomfort, as if his soul were about to separate from his flesh.

Though not truly soul and body splitting, Yun Yufeng knew that wielding spiritual power beyond his body’s capacity would lead to collapse and instant death.

Normally, Yun Yufeng rarely used spiritual power offensively, instead employing it to monitor his surroundings, placing little burden on his body. Upon entering the fifth tier, the Ancient Killing God Tower would open for him, surely containing methods for harnessing spiritual power. His own spiritual strength was unrivaled, vast as an ocean, for reasons unknown.

To prepare for that day, Yun Yufeng would work tirelessly to strengthen his physical body, best achieved through combat and the enhancement from the Purple Extreme Imperial Heart Technique.

The fleeting violet light drew energy toward him. Gradually, multicolored sparks flickered in the night sky, enveloping Yun Yufeng like a luminous orb, shining brilliantly. From afar, it looked as though a rare treasure had emerged, as if a sacred herb had appeared.

In the distance, magical beasts were startled by this strange sight. High-pitched roars rang out as several fourth-tier beasts charged toward Yun Yufeng. Lower-tier beasts cowered, trembling on the ground, letting the high-tier creatures pass, whimpering softly.

As they approached Yun Yufeng, the beasts saw that the light emanated from a human. Excited, they instinctively believed that consuming this glowing figure would bring incredible benefits, and without hesitation, they lunged at Yun Yufeng.

The fastest, a mid-fourth-tier Golden Coin Leopard, arrived first, leaping up the tree without hesitation. The massive roots spawned numerous branches, enabling all but the most cumbersome beasts to climb.

As the magical beasts arrived, Yun Yufeng, deep in meditation, awoke instantly. He slapped the trunk, leaped into the air, and his fleshy palms descended upon the Golden Coin Leopard. Violet light burst forth as his fair hands clashed with the beast’s hard skull.

With a roar, the leopard’s head was struck, and it fell to the ground even faster than it had arrived, smashing a pit into the earth.

Shaking its dizzy head, the Golden Coin Leopard glared angrily at Yun Yufeng, who descended to the ground. Unwilling to submit, it leaped again, pouncing at him.

As it attacked, Yun Yufeng summoned his black greatsword. With a blazing wave-splitting strike, hundreds of sword shadows erupted across the beast’s skull. The Stacked Wave Seal worked just as well with the heavy sword; the leopard’s hard skull was slashed into a bloody mess, nearly shattered.

With a miserable groan, the Golden Coin Leopard fell and lay still, its brain reduced to mush by the Stacked Wave Sword Seal—dead beyond saving.

The leopard’s death occurred in the blink of an eye. No sooner had Yun Yufeng touched down than the other beasts arrived. Pausing briefly at the sight of the fallen leopard, their bloodthirsty instincts took over, and they charged at Yun Yufeng together.

The Mighty Bear Man reared up, roaring at the sky, its fan-like paws swinging down toward Yun Yufeng’s head. Even with his late fifth-tier physique, Yun Yufeng could not withstand such a blow.

The smaller Armored Tunnel Beast dug its sharp claws into the earth, crawling swiftly, its gaping jaws snapping sideways at Yun Yufeng’s legs.

The strongest, the peak fourth-tier Saber-Toothed Tiger, proud as all tiger beasts, leaped high, descending with the force of a mountain upon Yun Yufeng.

Attacked from three sides, Yun Yufeng stood firm as a mountain, raising his black greatsword. He aimed first at the Armored Tunnel Beast—a notorious low-road attacker, difficult to guard against.

Calculating their attack trajectories, Yun Yufeng shifted his right foot aside to dodge the Mighty Bear Man’s paw, then brought his heavy sword down upon the Armored Tunnel Beast. With a dull thud, as if striking leather, the beast’s scales remained intact, but its bloodshot eyes showed its anger. Though unharmed, it was in considerable pain.

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