Chapter 592 - 170: Introducing Evil into the Body, Refining Evil into Gang; Inner Marrow Tempering, External Defense of Ten Thousand Techniques

Night fell, a solitary moon hanging high in the sky. Inside, candlelight flickered, casting a tall, slender silhouette upon the window paper. Chu Fan sat at a table, his fingertip gently brushing his Sumeru Ring. With a flash of white light, an exquisite, lustrous white jade bottle landed in his palm. It was the bottle of Red Flame Stone Marrow Pills gifted to him by Princess Zhaohua. He pulled out the stopper, and a searing heat washed over him... Peering inside, he saw three elixirs, each the size of a longan, resting quietly within. The elixirs were a deep, dark red—not a lifeless crimson, but the color of flowing magma. Dark Gold patterns swirled across their surfaces, exceptionally strange, faintly emitting a soul-captivating glow. ’Six-Striped Red Flame Stone Marrow Pill...’ A fiery look entered Chu Fan’s eyes. This elixir was a Body Refining Holy Medicine, priceless and nigh impossible to find on the market. Princess Zhaohua had once told him that the Red Flame Stone Marrow was extracted from veins tens of thousands of feet deep within the earth. It was nurtured by subterranean fire for a millennium, then refined by a master from Medicine King Valley who infused it with the power of the deep earth’s Red Flame. ’Its medicinal properties are fierce and domineering. Anyone without a powerful physique would be incinerated on contact, with absolutely no chance of survival.’ The princess’s warning still echoed in his mind:’When you take it, you must grind one pill into a fine powder and divide it into twenty portions.’ ’Take one portion at a time, dissolved in water. You can take it at most twice a month, with at least ten days between each dose.’ ’It is best to take it with Cold Pool Water to suppress the fire poison within the elixir.’ Her words still fresh in his memory, Chu Fan had no intention of following her instructions. He had already cultivated the first layer of the Vajra Undying Body. His physical form was incomparably tough; he could crush the bones of a Demon Puppet—which were as durable as a Body Cultivator in the fourth realm, the Bright Heart Realm—with his bare hands. He could even take a direct hit to the head from a High-Grade Profound Weapon and remain completely unscathed. ’If I take it the way an ordinary Martial Artist would, how long will it take to finish them all?’ Still, it was best to be cautious. He took out a small knife, poured out one of the elixirs, and planned to divide it into several pieces to test its potency first. As he applied force with his wrist, the knife met a tough resistance, as if he were trying to cut through metal. CRACK. CRACK... The elixir was cut into four pieces. Chu Fan took one piece and tossed it into a bowl of water he had prepared earlier. The water didn’t boil, but it visibly thickened and grew murky, eventually turning into a blackish-red paste that bubbled with heat. Chu Fan picked up the bowl and stared at the dark slurry, the corner of his mouth twitching. ’Well, this looks... nutritious.’ Tilting his head back, Chu Fan drank the asphalt-like concoction in one go. It was slightly bitter, but at first, he felt nothing out of the ordinary. But the instant the liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach— BOOM! It was like he had swallowed a mouthful of molten lava! A moment later, a terrifying torrent of heat erupted in his abdomen, rampaging wildly through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. His entire body, from his limbs to his bones, felt as if it had been set ablaze. Every inch of his flesh and blood seemed to cry out in agony from the searing heat! ’Such potent medicinal energy!’ Chu Fan felt no panic. On the contrary, his eyes filled with wild joy. He immediately sat down cross-legged. With a single thought, he activated the Spirit Array Map of the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture. Using Introspection, he could see the medicinal energy of the Red Flame Stone Marrow Pill raging through his resilient meridians and bones like a swarm of violent, fiery serpents. His meridians were corroded and damaged, only to be rapidly repaired by the domineering power of the Stone Marrow and the foundation of his Vajra Undying Body. Destroyed, then reformed. Destroyed again, reformed again... With each cycle, his meridians grew wider and tougher. His bones became increasingly translucent, glowing with the faint luster of metal and stone. The elixir’s effects were far more powerful than he had anticipated! Though Chu Fan was suffering the pain of feeling his body burn from within, his Divine Sense remained exceptionally clear. ’At this rate, even though I’ve only taken a quarter of the pill, the effects will last for a long time.’ ’If I took all three pills and used the Vajra Subduing Demon Skill for my Body Refinement, pushing my Vajra Undying Body to the second layer is definitely possible!’ The heat became unbearable, so Chu Fan simply stripped off his shirt, revealing an upper body as lean and solid as cast iron. Barefoot, he strode into the Martial Arts Arena. The night air was cool, but it did nothing to dissipate the intense heat radiating from his body. "Vajra Subduing Demon Skill!" Chu Fan let out a low shout and fell into his stance. The wind from his fists howled with unparalleled ferocity. Every move, every form, carried the faint rumble of thunder. Chu Fan hadn’t paid much mind to the lethal combat techniques of the Vajra Subduing Demon Skill. However, each training session tempered his body and enhanced his Vajra Undying Body, something he had become somewhat obsessed with lately. He was currently holding back on advancing his Martial Arts Realm, deliberately reducing his intake of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism. He no longer casually consumed Elixirs and Treasure Plants, as his focus had shifted entirely to enhancing his Vajra Undying Body. Thus, his daily cultivation consisted mainly of the Vajra Subduing Demon Skill and the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture. ... ["Vajra Subduing Demon Skill" Experience Points +1] [Skill: Vajra Subduing Demon Skill (Perfection) Progress: (439/3000) (Trait: None)] 「More than four hours later.」 Chu Fan slowly relaxed his stance and stopped his movements. He was now drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled from the water. Instead of trickling down his face, his sweat evaporated from his skin like steam. This wasn’t from the exertion of his training; it was purely because the rampaging medicinal energy in his body had no other outlet. For a full four hours, the potency of that single quarter-pill had shown no signs of weakening! Deep within his marrow, it felt as if he were still bathing in fire. He walked over to a stone bench and sat down. Mo Yunzi immediately handed him a damp towel and, producing a large cattail-leaf fan from seemingly nowhere, began fanning him vigorously. "Young Master, you have practiced the Vajra Subduing Demon Skill for many days. Why are you sweating so profusely this time?" Mo Yunzi asked. "It has nothing to do with the Vajra Subduing Demon Skill. I took a Body Tempering Elixir," Chu Fan said, wiping away his sweat. It was only early autumn, yet when he spoke, his breath plumed in the air like a white cloud! Just as Mo Yunzi was about to speak, a Seven Stars Gang disciple came running over. The disciple was a good dozen years older than Chu Fan, but he cupped his hands with the utmost respect. "Senior Brother Chu! The Fiery Sun Gang’s Leader, Sheng Yang, has come to visit with several of his Hall Masters. Our Gang Leader and the others are receiving them in the main hall and have specifically sent me to invite you to join them." The disciple paused for a moment before adding, "The Fiery Sun Gang really went all out this time. The floor is covered in gifts!"