Chapter 110: Absorbing the True Blood

The magma relentlessly scorched the True Essence Barrier, and Wang Changsheng clearly saw many strands of True Essence emit wisps of blue smoke and vanish after being burned by the magma.

Seeing this, Wang Changsheng dared not delay any longer!

Although Li Yunqing had said that this True Essence Barrier could last three years, Wang Changsheng was uncertain exactly how long it would hold.

“Fortunately, a cultivator at the Vein-Opening Realm can survive for years without food or drink; otherwise, I’d be the first to starve to death!” Wang Changsheng said helplessly.

He took out the jade vial again and opened its stopper. A surging aura burst forth from within.

Though he had experienced it once before, this time, Wang Changsheng was still startled by the overwhelming might.

Peering inside the vial, he saw a drop of dark red blood swirling. Normally, blood coagulates shortly after leaving the body, but this drop, no matter how long it had been stored, remained fluid—an extraordinary sight.

Within the blood, a shimmering figure flickered—a fiery phoenix, continuously tumbling.

Without hesitation, Wang Changsheng opened his mouth wide and swallowed the true blood of the Fire Phoenix.

Roar!

The moment the true blood entered his body, Wang Changsheng’s face flushed crimson. He grasped his throat with both hands, retching violently.

Before swallowing the Fire Phoenix’s true blood, Wang Changsheng had anticipated the overwhelming power would cause discomfort and had mentally prepared himself. Yet, only after actually ingesting it did he understand what it meant to be in unbearable agony.

The pain was so intense that he barely had the chance to breathe!

Gagging...

With his right hand tightly clutching his throat, he writhed inside the True Essence Barrier, his left hand reaching into his mouth, down to his throat, producing repeated retching sounds.

His eyes bulged, no longer thinking about anything except how to expel the Fire Phoenix’s true blood he had just swallowed.

He no longer cared whether the blood was precious—his neck felt as if it were burning through, and survival was paramount!

Sadly, all efforts were in vain.

As the Fire Phoenix’s true blood flowed down his throat, though agonizingly painful, it had already dissolved, spreading throughout his entire body. Wang Changsheng realized it was impossible to vomit it back up.

He lost track of time; the pain in his throat subsided, but after only a few breaths, his whole body began to convulse.

Lying sideways within the True Essence Barrier, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his complexion turned pale, drained of all color.

“What... what exactly is this? Essence blood... or poison?” Wang Changsheng cursed through gritted teeth.

He felt as if his entire body was being burned—not just flesh, but his meridians and marrow, all seared by a tremendous energy. He knew the culprit was the Fire Phoenix’s true blood.

Immediately, he circulated his True Qi, trying to expel the Fire Phoenix’s true blood.

But the moment he moved his True Qi, he regretted his foolishness.

Sensing the movement of True Essence, the Fire Phoenix’s true blood, like sensing a breakthrough, surged along Wang Changsheng’s True Qi toward his dantian.

“It’s over... it’s really over...”

Using the last shred of consciousness, Wang Changsheng saw this and knew he was doomed.

If such immense energy entered his dantian through his True Qi, the dantian would not be able to contain it. The only outcome was that Wang Changsheng would explode and die.

Boom!

True Qi flowed back to the dantian, mixed with the Fire Phoenix’s true blood. Wang Changsheng heard a tremendous explosion within.

As his consciousness approached the dantian, he saw it had turned a blood-red, roiling with towering waves.

Boom boom boom...

The turbulent waves of True Qi crashed against the dantian, and Wang Changsheng clearly saw cracks forming.

“This time... it’s really the end...” he thought, rolling helplessly with despair in his eyes.

The dantian could not withstand such overwhelming energy and would surely shatter, causing death. Wang Changsheng had never heard of anyone surviving an explosion of their dantian.

“Why is this happening...?”

“It’s over, it’s over...”

Boom boom boom...

Explosions continued within the dantian, but by now, Wang Changsheng had lost consciousness.

Sigh...

As Wang Changsheng fainted, far away in the cave dwelling, Li Yunqing slowly opened his eyes, sighed, and showed a look of regret.

“Still didn’t hold on...” Li Yunqing said regretfully, “The greatest use of the Fire Phoenix’s true blood is not the energy it contains, but its transformation of the body. If he could have endured, it wouldn’t have taken three years...”

Li Yunqing was the most knowledgeable person in the Li family regarding the Fire Phoenix’s true blood. Although he had never personally tried it, he understood its profound mysteries.

According to Li Yunqing, if Wang Changsheng had managed to remain conscious and continued circulating his True Qi, he could have absorbed the Fire Phoenix’s true blood to the greatest extent. Then, rather than taking three years, he might have broken through to the second level in just one year.

After all, the Fire Phoenix’s true blood was extraordinary. Compared to other Li family cultivators, Wang Changsheng’s ability to absorb it had already surpassed most of them.

After a while, Li Yunqing closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation.

Unaware of these events, the fainted Wang Changsheng’s body still trembled occasionally, showing that turmoil raged within him. Even unconscious, he felt pain—terrifying pain.

After the initial turmoil, Wang Changsheng’s dantian did not settle. As more Fire Phoenix true blood flowed in, the disturbance grew.

Boom boom boom...

Roaring sounds emanated from his body, though Wang Changsheng could not hear them.

Boom!

Ultimately, his dantian could not withstand the assault and collapsed with a thunderous crash.

With the dantian destroyed, his True Qi lost its anchor and ran wild through his body, causing severe damage to his meridians.

Moreover, the Fire Phoenix’s true blood infiltrated his bloodline and clung tightly.

Pfft!

Even in his coma, Wang Changsheng coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Then he slipped deeper into unconsciousness.

As his body suffered immense damage, suddenly from the shattered dantian emerged a streak of gray light.

The gray light darted chaotically through Wang Changsheng’s body. Wherever it passed, his body and meridians began to slowly heal.

Not only that, the gray light continuously activated, and a new dantian began to form where the old one collapsed.

This new dantian was at least ten times larger than before and far more resilient. When Wang Changsheng’s True Qi returned, even when it stirred massive waves, the dantian remained firm, showing no sign of collapse.

Wang Changsheng’s body regained calm, and his damaged meridians and flesh rapidly recovered.

Of course, still unconscious, Wang Changsheng was unaware of the changes in his dantian or the presence of the gray light. Had he been awake, he would have recognized it as the gray aura he once comprehended under the protection of the Yun Palace Peak’s Artifice Sanctuary when he reached the Heavenly Realm.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Changsheng slowly awoke. His first reaction was to cough up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Afterward, he felt somewhat better.

Inspecting himself, Wang Changsheng noticed the changes in his dantian.

“How could this be?” he wondered, staring in disbelief at the enlarged dantian.

To grow a dantian, one must advance in cultivation, yet he saw no trace of True Essence inside—only True Qi.

If, as Li Yunqing said, his previous realm was the tenth level of Vein-Opening, then what realm was he at now?

The eleventh level?

Wang Changsheng did not know.

“What exactly is going on?” he pondered with confusion.

He did not see the Fire Phoenix’s true blood, but he sensed its aura within his bloodline.

“Could it be that I’ve already absorbed it?” he wondered.

If so, Wang Changsheng considered himself fortunate.

Originally, he had succumbed to pain and fainted, but now the Fire Phoenix’s true blood was absorbed. This meant that in future cultivation, if the pain became unbearable, he could faint and bypass the agony.

Could such a thing really be possible?

Of course, Wang Changsheng knew this was merely wishful thinking.

There is no shortcut in cultivation. This time was just luck—he had somehow survived the crisis. Next time might not be so fortunate.

Even if luck favored him a thousand times, one unlucky failure could mean death and annihilation.

“Now that I’ve absorbed the Fire Phoenix’s true blood, can I cultivate?” Wang Changsheng thought deeply.

Previously, cultivating in the Li family was impossible due to the intense burning sensation in the spiritual energy.

Now, having absorbed the Fire Phoenix’s true blood, he was unsure if cultivation was feasible.

Moreover, he was still within the core’s fiery depths; cultivating there would only intensify the scorching spiritual energy. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be worse than mere pain.

After much contemplation, Wang Changsheng resolved to attempt cultivating the Fire Phoenix Art once more.