Chapter 131: The Azure Python's Inheritance, The Sea Swallower Returns!
Chapter 131: The Azure Python Inheritance, The Sea-Swallowing Returns!
Chapter 131: Frenzied Devouring, Blood Qi Surging!
On the Sea-Swallowing.
"This 'Purifying Furnace Alchemy' was created by my first master, the 'Sea-Startling King,' back in the ancient times. He collected various alchemical techniques from across the seas, contemplated their essence, and combined them with the path of blood-qi body refinement," the beast furnace rumbled in a muffled voice.
"Alchemy was the forte of the ancient immortals; it is difficult for those on the path of body-refining gods and demons to truly master it to the peak. However, once a certain level is reached, all paths lead to the same destination, and one can grasp a portion of its capabilities."
What the beast furnace referred to as the path of body-refining gods and demons was what martial artists called their own path—using one's own blood and qi to seize the creation of heaven and earth.
"Our lineage’s alchemy is actually very simple! Since the master is constantly in a state of harmony between heaven and man, it is not difficult to comprehend this 'Purifying Furnace Alchemy'."
"Master, why not try first to simply manipulate water and fire to cleanse the furnace?" the beast furnace suggested.
"Once you have grasped a wisp of the Dao’s essence, your manipulation of water will feel like a complete rebirth."
"These pills were likely refined using the same method."
The essence of the Water Dao!
Bai Xuan held the alchemical furnace in his palms, his blood and qi circulating throughout his body, roaring as it poured continuously into the vessel.
...
"Draw the fire, refine..."
Bai Xuan flipped his hands, taking out the remaining bottles of pills.
The sailors of the Bai family were filled with shock.
"Yes, this is the Divine Image. If you can truly transform your own blood and qi into a flood dragon, this Divine Image will be achieved."
In its view, Bai Xuan was not so far from that realm. With this powerful treasure of an alchemical furnace in hand, it was enough for him to improve rapidly in a short time!
...
Even though it was not yet perfected, it was already seven or eight meters long, coiling at the bow of the ship, ferocious and terrifying, causing the many sailors on board to tremble in their hearts!
"No, it is the 'Four Seas Azure Firmament Dragon Image Map,' the foundational visualization technique of our Bai family's martial arts!"
This only required ordinary blood and qi to flow like a stream to achieve.
With this ancient conch, the speed of the Sea-Swallowing increased several times over, allowing it to cover hundreds of miles in a short time.
The Sea-Swallowing cut through the waves, having once again collected a portion of an inheritance.
But.
At this moment.
Bai Xuan’s blood and qi condensed for a moment, then collapsed into clouds and mist, returning to human form.
If the blood and qi are powerful, they can evolve the might of tides, raising waves of hundreds of meters!
For a large ship, this was already terrifying; while it lacked combat power, it was a rare treasure.
"Heavens, is that the Azure Scale Art?"
"The fragmentary scrolls of water and fire do not record the true killing techniques, only simple insights into water, but that is enough—this is the foundation."
Of course, after exploring it for two days, Bai Xuan found that its combat ability was essentially worthless, but it could be used to ride the waves, pushing the Sea-Swallowing forward.
Moreover, water benefits all things without contention and possesses vast changes; in an instant, it surged and flowed with ease within the furnace.
Originally, when he manipulated water currents, a wisp was at most at the level of ten thousand catties, but now the power could increase tenfold.
The beast furnace rumbled.
He had initially mastered the "Purifying Furnace Alchemy," which involved the interplay of water and fire—burning, cleansing, and finally forming the pill to break out of the furnace.
A few days passed in a flash.
Azure scales appeared all over Bai Xuan’s body, transforming into the Dragon Image. Suddenly, the essence of the Water Dao almost merged with his own body, as if he were truly about to turn into a real flood dragon and soar into the sky!
"Yes, because for this body-refining lineage, Dao essence alone is not enough. Comprehension of the Great Dao is the spirit; cultivation of one's own blood and qi is the blood; and the undying will is the bone."
This inheritance was under a reef, its spiritual light dim—a low-grade inheritance.
Bai Xuan whispered.
The furnace's perspective was not broad, but this level of understanding was common knowledge to it.
Bai Xuan sighed in his heart.
Inside, the flames were burning, barely kept under control. Endless seawater rushed in, and all impurities were refined away, leaving only pure water to flow with a rumbling sound.
"Still not enough. It's just a facade, lacking true flesh and blood."
Bai Xuan struck, shattering the tens-of-meters-long reef in one blow. The dim barrier also shattered, revealing an ancient shell; the living creature inside seemed to have already shed its shell and left.
They had never seen such a transformation; it was like a god, a real flood dragon in the process of evolution!
This shell was actually a horn. When blown, it produced the sound of mighty ocean tides that could be heard for tens of miles.
"Master, you are actually not far from this level," the beast furnace said, "but you cannot rush perfection. Better to focus on alchemy first to make up for the lack of blood and qi."
Bai Xuan held the furnace in his palms.
Inside were a bottle of Longevity Pills, a bottle of Longevity Medicine, and a bottle of blood pills for the corpse-refining.
"This... what kind of pills are these!"
The beast furnace was shocked.
"The first type, the Longevity Pill, is barely acceptable, but the blood and qi are too crude. It’s like eating food; how can this be called a pill?"
"The second type isn't even a pill at all... damn it! These people are unworthy of alchemy!"
The beast furnace was somewhat exasperated.
In its view, these pills were like mud made of flesh and blood, rolled into balls to masquerade as medicine.
"The third type is also trash. This person does not understand the water method and uses only fire to burn them, resulting in half-cooked pellets!"
"No, I cannot stand this garbage. Master, refine them all quickly."
The beast furnace swooped down and swallowed all the bottles of pills.
Rumble!
Bai Xuan activated his Water Dao essence, driving the water patterns within the beast furnace.
"Purify the furnace!"
The mighty water current in the furnace swirled, dissolving the pills. All kinds of impurities were washed out and flowed out along with the water.
Rumble!
The boundless flames burned, incinerating all the impurities in the water flow.
"Now, Master, form the pill!"
The beast furnace rumbled.
"Collect!"
Bai Xuan’s gaze sharpened.
His blood and qi shifted, merging with the alchemical furnace. In an instant, the grand array inside rotated, and all the medicinal power that had been refined merged into one. The beast furnace opened and spat out a single pill.
The pill had just formed and was still spinning; its luster was crystal clear, without a trace of blood color, yet it contained powerful blood and qi.
"This is the cleansing of the water method! Pills contain infinite impurities. Relying solely on fire to calcine them requires immense fire-control ability, likely at the Dao Realm level. True alchemy requires the combination of water and fire."
The alchemical furnace rumbled.
"Truly profound."
Bai Xuan reached out and caught the re-refined pill.
This single pill could increase his blood and qi by two small streams; it was already quite powerful. If an ordinary person at the Eight-Stream Blood Refining level obtained one, they might step into the realm of 'Blood and Qi like a River,' comparable to a Yin-Yang True Blood Pill!
A moment later.
"Captain, did you call for me?"
Yi Yuan walked in, but when he saw the pill, his eyes widened, and his voice went dry with shock.
"This pill... so pure!"
All impurities, strange energies, and even the bloody stench had been washed away from this pill, leaving only the purest blood and qi. Anyone who consumed it would not affect their own cultivation and could advance a thousand miles in a day.
For Yi Yuan, it was even more precious. He hated taking those dirty blood pills, but he had no choice.
At this moment, seeing this clear blood pill, he felt a deep thirst in his decaying body, as if by instinct. He knew that as long as he swallowed it, it would be of great benefit to him!
"This pill is bestowed upon you."
Bai Xuan said indifferently.
After this blood pill was re-refined, consuming just one would likely ensure that Yi Yuan’s blood and qi would not fade for a year, and it might even allow him to advance further.
For him, this blood and qi were not that useful, but for Yi Yuan, it was infinitely precious.
"Thank you, Captain!"
Yi Yuan knelt on one knee, took the pill with both hands, and swallowed it.
"This blood and qi... I can feel it! My blood and qi are reviving!"
Within mere moments, Yi Yuan’s eyes trembled. His blood and qi surged, condensing; many rotten parts of his body seemed to be falling away, replaced by this pure blood and qi.
"This is nothing, just an ordinary blood pill," the beast furnace rumbled.
"When you, Master, advance further and master the technique of combining water and fire, let alone this blood pill, even this corpse can be refined."
"By washing away all the decaying blood and qi, and then merging it with endless vitality—refining the life essence of thousands of sea beasts—it is entirely possible to make this body regain its vitality!"
The beast furnace was quite proud. "Hmph, anyone on the sea who obtains this supreme alchemical furnace of mine can use it to extend their life by hundreds of years. How can it be ordinary?"
Bai Xuan’s eyes also narrowed.
This was the power of the Desolate Blood Alchemical Furnace.
"Yes, if someone is truly dead, their soul taken, and their body turned to dust, then I cannot help."
"But this kind of corpse, not yet completely rotted and still capable of being refined, can absolutely be revitalized," the furnace rumbled.
"Go."
With one word from Bai Xuan, Yi Yuan’s heart was filled with endless hope! He bowed deeply and walked out.
...
A few days later.
"Hey! Put your backs into it!"
On the deck of the Sea-Swallowing, the sailors were struggling to haul in the nets, dragging tens of thousands of fish onto the deck.
These large fish were full of blood and qi. Once released, the alchemical furnace moved, and streams of water rolled out, swallowing all the fish.
Bai Xuan held the furnace, swallowing over ten thousand catties of large fish in one go before the furnace finally vibrated.
"This blood and qi should be enough."
The beast furnace was very certain.
"This blood and qi is actually equivalent to a whole river, but it must be refined before it can be merged."
"When ordinary people eat and devour flesh, they can refine at most ten percent! If they swallow a river of blood and qi, only one small stream can be integrated into themselves."
"So-called alchemy is about raising this level. If seven or more streams out of a river can be refined, that is considered entry-level."
The beast furnace was very simple and brutal.
In its eyes, there was no mystery or cleverness to alchemy; in the end, it all came down to how much blood and qi one could digest!
"Of course, Qi Refiners do have many treasure pills, which are indeed rare and powerful, but the recipes are expensive."
The beast furnace rumbled, "Those treasure pills have long legacies; without paying a price, one cannot obtain the recipes."
The beast furnace did not remember many other recipes and couldn't be bothered to mention them; it simply focused on the most brutal way: refining blood pills.
Because its first master was a body-refining powerhouse who was not skilled in Qi Refining techniques.
"I understand."
Bai Xuan urged the water and fire in his palms.
Boom!
What he had cleansed before was merely using the water method to reshape the pills. Starting from scratch was vastly different.
In less than a quarter of an hour, those tens of thousands of catties of fish were refined by the furnace fire into pure blood and qi. The water method cleansed them, eliminating and grinding away all ashes, impurities, and strange energies.
"Form the pill!"
With a loud bang, the beast furnace spat out hundreds of pills. Each was odd-shaped and angular, with blood and qi roaring and rising; clearly, they had not been truly condensed!
"Failed, Master. The final step of this alchemy is very difficult. The heat and control are challenging; miss it by a little, and it cannot be formed."
The beast furnace rumbled.
The Purifying Furnace Alchemy was meant to turn stones into gold, gathering these vast but scattered blood and qi, undergoing nine cycles of change, sublimating the mystery, and forming a pure blood pill containing an entire river of blood and qi!
Any error in this process would cause the pills to collapse, resulting in many waste pills that could barely be eaten but were greatly reduced in efficacy.
"I see now how the so-called 'Longevity Medicine' came to be."
Bai Xuan felt helpless.
These waste pills, of course, still contained vast blood and qi, but because they had not been sublimated, they were far inferior.
Why, at the beginning, did those at the Blood Refining level consume Longevity Medicine and find that a few could form a stream of blood and qi?
And later, why were dozens not enough?
It was because as blood and qi grew, it became like water in a cup, flowing upward to form a high tower. Ordinary water poured into it would simply overflow and could never be stored.
Only when blood and qi were transformed, turned into gold, and sublimated, could one continuously increase the upper limit of one's own blood and qi.
"However, for me, it is enough."
Bai Xuan’s gaze sharpened.
He had the Golden Viscera, which could devour and refine a great deal; he could swallow thousands of catties of giant fish in a day!
At this moment, what did refining these waste pills matter?
Boom!
Bai Xuan’s blood and qi wrapped around the waste pills and swallowed them directly, refining them.
Within his internal organs, faint water and fire appeared, grinding and refining the waste pills.
The fragmentary scrolls of water and fire were profound, pointing directly to the Great Dao. This internal operation was equally effective!
"Master swallowed the waste pills directly?"
The beast furnace blinked.
Digesting these waste pills was a heavy burden. Even though they were pure blood and qi, they hadn't been sublimated and still needed to be slowly condensed. Ordinary people would be full after eating a few, requiring their internal organs and blood circulation to refine them.
But at this moment.
In just a moment, Bai Xuan opened his eyes, his blood and qi roaring as they surged, increasing by half a river of blood and qi!
"Again!"
Bai Xuan’s tone was very calm.
So what if the alchemy was poor?
If he could refine an inch, he would have an inch of power. By refining these tens of thousands of catties of giant fish into hundreds of pills, he could swallow them twice a day, and his strength would still surge!
At this moment, the beast furnace’s eyes widened.
"Swallowing waste pills like candy! What kind of constitution does this master have? Does he have immortal viscera and bloodlines?"
"Terrifying. This master’s physical body is likely already approaching the Divine Image. Would a Divine Image eat waste pills like this? No, that’s not right; this is the master’s talent, something others can hardly find."
The beast furnace was shocked.
"Every day by the master’s side, I discover something new... phew, this inheritance was truly the right choice! I hit the jackpot!"
In addition to being shocked, the beast furnace was very excited.
To it, a sufficiently talented and monstrous master was its victory!
Soon.
On the deck, more nets of sea fish were hauled up, one after another.
Now that the Sea-Swallowing was wandering the sea, fishing wantonly, its speed was far faster than before.
"The number of exotic fish in the sea is also greater than before, and their blood and qi have all become stronger."
A sailor scratched his head.
These fish struggled harder than before, and hauling them in was becoming strenuous.
If they hadn't been practicing blood-qi martial arts, it would be difficult to handle them.
The sailor picked up a large fish. It was originally just an ordinary sea fish, but now it was nearly two meters long, with faint blood and qi appearing around its body. As it struggled, it slapped its tail, and with a bang, the sailor was pushed back a few steps.
...
The inheritance in the sea was emerging, and throughout the East Sea, there were changes everywhere. Some even witnessed a six-eyed giant whale appearing in a deep-sea storm!
...
The situation on the sea was surging like clouds.
On the ranking board, positions were constantly changing. Sometimes newcomers would rise, only to fall moments later.
There were also experts who remained undefeated, their rankings never changing.
Bai Xuan’s name fluctuated, but it always stayed around the 90th position, never truly falling out.
After this period, those on the sea basically understood...
"Having an inheritance is not enough; if you aren't a true powerhouse, you can hardly participate in this hegemony."
"Indeed, many experts have terrifying strength. Even if you obtain an inheritance, it is hard to contend with them."
"A medium-grade inheritance is not enough; there is a gap even among top-grade inheritances!"
By now, the people on the board had almost stabilized, forming a stable pattern. There were rises and falls, and occasionally people were replaced, but most were calm.
"As long as a holder of an Immortal Talisman is willing to lie low, and they haven't reached the top fifty to be marked, they can actually hide completely."
"True, but if you participate in an inheritance, you might be caught."
The board hung high in the sky.
Names like Abyss-Breaking and Ten Divine Spears were all ranked at the top, very stable!
Some also noticed that some names were extremely strange.
"The name 'Fourth Great Nether'... could it be the fourth-generation leader of the Sea God Sect? That was a figure from two hundred years ago."
"I see someone called Hong He Pan. This person obtained the Ghost Village inheritance and is in the top ten. He seems very old, recorded in history books—the founder of the government’s Blade-Catching Division, a figure from the Ancestor Emperor's era!"
"Someone really has seen them. Recently, the Blade-Catching Division has appeared on the sea; they seem to be top experts sent from the mainland by the Great Song."
Many people were discussing, and Bai Xuan’s name was naturally mentioned.
"This Bai Xuan holds the talisman but remains unchanged. It seems he hasn't hunted, but is exploring and cultivating."
"No one went to hunt him?"
"Yes, but he has left the volcano where the furnace was, and no one knows where he went."
Soon, everyone on the sea put Bai Xuan out of their minds.
There were too many experts and too many changes; no one paid too much attention to Bai Xuan!
...
On the Sea-Swallowing.
"In these days, I have swallowed I don't know how many waste pills; even my Golden Viscera are struggling. It's time to slow down."
Bai Xuan held the alchemical furnace in his palms.
In a place no one had searched, Bai Xuan’s strength was growing crazily, reaching a limit. Even the Golden Viscera couldn't keep up and needed time to recover.
At this moment, his blood and qi moved.
Boom!
Seven rivers of blood and qi flowed out, majestic and peerless!
The power of seven rivers!
Anyone who saw this scene would be terrified and shocked. Even on the vast East Sea, relying solely on this blood and qi, he could be ranked among the ancestors of powerful forces.
A Seven-River Grandmaster—even among the Star-Hunting Pirates, there was no second one.
He had almost eaten this sea area empty to reach this level. The ability of the Desolate Blood Alchemical Furnace to refine blood pills was truly terrifying!
Fortunately, the ocean was vast, and by the time he went to fish in other areas, the schools of fish would grow endlessly.
A large ship, no matter how much it fished, could not empty the sea; the scale was too different.
"My blood and qi now, when overlaid with the Giant Whale, have the power of nine rivers!"
Bai Xuan could feel it.
He was not far from the final breakthrough in blood and qi!
"Pity, the path of alchemy hasn't been unlocked yet. It seems that just refining this pill is not enough; I am still missing a kind of pill."
Bai Xuan speculated in his heart.
Opening the path required two changes to correspond with each other. Since the method of water-fire blood refining hadn't broken through, perhaps another technique was needed.
"However, I have mastered the essence of the Water Dao to a certain extent."
Bai Xuan reached out and grabbed.
Boom!
The Sea-Subduing Spear fell into his hand, vibrating slightly. In an instant, a dragon shadow appeared upon it.
That wisp of Dao essence also merged into it.
At this moment, it seemed as if a boundless ocean appeared on the Sea-Subduing Spear, merging with the dragon-shadow spear intent. If this spear erupted, the entire Sea-Swallowing would shatter!
Clatter!
At this moment, the dragon image around Bai Xuan’s body was also undergoing profound changes, presenting a power that merged with the Dao essence.
Rumble!
The Sea-Subduing Spear thundered and vibrated, finally calming down, and the wisp of Water Dao essence dispersed, no longer condensing on it.
"The so-called Dao essence... is a comprehension of the Dao. Once understood, it manifests everywhere and is not confined to one place."
Bai Xuan’s dragon image retracted.
Others, like blood and qi, if condensed at the tip of a spear, could not appear from the fingers and claws—this was the principle of the conservation of matter and energy.
But Dao essence?
Dao essence was the comprehension of the Great Dao. Once understood, all water-related abilities would receive a terrifying boost.
Whether it was the scales of the dragon image or the spear intent of the dragon shadow, all were like this!
"My combat power now has undergone earth-shaking changes compared to before. Next, I will continue to contemplate the fragmentary scrolls of water and fire."
"When my blood and qi are perfected and I break through, and I comprehend the second Dao essence and condense the spear intent... all three will be complete."
Bai Xuan was filled with anticipation.
By then, his combat power would reach an extreme, and it would be time to go to the Water Mansion he had wanted to visit long ago.
During this time, he had come into contact with several inheritances, including the Desolate Blood Alchemical Furnace, and he understood...
A cave mansion ten thousand meters deep?
This level of inheritance was almost certainly top-grade, or even stronger!
...
On the island where the dragon python coiled.
"Your qualifications are too poor."
A massive, peerless azure dragon python, coiling for hundreds of meters, was coldly hissing.
It coiled among the mountains, its pair of snake eyes incomparably cold, its vertical pupils looking down at the many Bai family members below.
"This part of the inheritance is the limit of what you can accept."
"For the sake of your ancestors who received the inheritance left by my master... retreat. I will not kill you!"
The azure dragon python sank down with a rumble, most of its body hiding within the island, not visible at all.
It fell silent again, no longer speaking to the Bai family.
"We actually obtained this part of the inheritance!"
Bai Xuanji led the Bai family and left in a hurry, his eyes filled with endless joy, but also vigilance and worry.
On his arms, his blood and qi were vaguely changing and sublimating, undergoing a complete transformation.
At this moment.
On the board in the sky, under the eyes of all, Bai Xuanji’s name rose like a shooting star, rapidly bursting toward the top!
(End of chapter)