31: Chapter 31 Devouring the Demon Corpse, Spatial Transformation, Cultivation Breakthrough

Practicing the Divine Refining Technique consumed more mental energy than Ye Qing had anticipated.

Those methods for tempering the Divine Sense and expanding perception were like using invisible hammers to repeatedly strike his fragile Soul, with every cycle bringing needle-like stabs of pain and intense exhaustion.

However, the effects were immediate.

Coupled with the cool nourishment continuously emitted by the moonlight jade tree, his Divine Sense became like refined iron that had been repeatedly quenched, becoming more solid and keen at a slow but steady pace.

His range of perception steadily expanded from five zhang to six, then seven zhang, and his ability to capture fluctuations in Spiritual Qi became increasingly refined.

This greatly enhanced his control over the surrounding environment.

Five days later, Ye Qing left his temporary stone chamber and ventured deep into the Black Water Swamp once again.

This time, his goal was clear; he stealthily headed toward a hilly region marked on the map where "Iron-Backed Wolf" packs frequently appeared.

The Iron-Backed Wolf is a First Order Middle Stage Yao Beast with a copper head, iron back, sharp claws and teeth, and a ferocious temperament; they often move in packs.

Its fur is an excellent Material for crafting low-grade armor, its bones and teeth can be used to refine crude Magical Artifacts, and its Yao core is quite valuable.

For the current Ye Qing, they were the perfect targets to test his strength and acquire resources.

He circulated the Breath Concealment Technique, suppressing his aura to the extreme, and like a phantom in the forest, he silently approached a leeward mountain hollow.

In the hollow, seven or eight robust, grey-furred Iron-Backed Wolves were lazily lying down or gnawing on the remains of unknown beasts.

Among them, one particularly imposing alpha wolf with a tuft of white fur on its forehead possessed an aura that had clearly reached the peak of the First Order Middle Stage, approaching the Late Stage.

Ye Qing lurked in the bushes downwind, his gaze sweeping calmly over the wolf pack as he quickly formulated a tactic in his mind.

First, ambush and kill the sentry wolves on the periphery to create chaos, then use the "Pseudo-Fireball Technique" for long-range sniping to avoid being surrounded, and finally, take care of the alpha wolf.

With the plan set, he did not hesitate any longer.

His Divine Sense locked onto an Iron-Backed Wolf on the periphery that was yawning, and he flicked his finger imperceptibly.

A crimson speck of light, only the size of a date pit but immensely condensed, shot out silently and precisely embedded itself into the Iron-Backed Wolf's ear.

Pfft.

A barely audible sound.

The Iron-Backed Wolf's body stiffened, the light in its eyes instantly faded, and it collapsed softly without a sound, with charred blood seeping from its ear.

It was a miniaturized, insidious version of the "Pseudo-Fireball Technique," specialized for attacking vital points and silent sniping.

The wolf pack remained completely unaware.

Ye Qing followed suit, using two more miniaturized fireballs to silently dispose of two other sentry wolves on the other side.

Just as he was preparing to strike the fourth one, the alpha wolf with the white fur on its head seemed to sense something was wrong, suddenly raising its head, its nostrils twitching as its eerie green eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

Ye Qing knew he could not wait any longer.

His figure suddenly erupted from the bushes, his Light Body Technique pushed to the limit, and like an arrow leaving the bow, he lunged toward the flank of the wolf pack!

At the same time, he raised both hands, attacking from both sides!

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Several fist-sized, dazzlingly white "Pseudo-Fireball Techniques" rained down like a meteor shower, smashing head-on into the gathered wolf pack!

The sudden attack and terrifying explosions instantly stunned the wolf pack.

Two Iron-Backed Wolves were directly hit by the blazing white light projectiles, blown to pieces and killed on the spot.

Several others were overturned by the shockwave of the explosions, howling in misery, their fur catching fire and their skin torn open.

The alpha wolf let out an extremely furious roar, its grey-blue fur standing on end, even faintly shimmering with a metallic luster, and bracing against the aftermath of the explosions, it kicked off the ground, turning into a grey shadow that pounced toward Ye Qing with a foul stench!

Its speed was far beyond that of an ordinary Iron-Backed Wolf!

"Well come!"

A cold light flashed in Ye Qing's eyes; he did not dodge or evade, instead, he abruptly swung his left arm across!

Hum!

A solid, tangible Triangular Spirit Shield with a pale golden hue instantly appeared, its surface covered in circulating runes and glowing brilliantly.

Clang!!!

The explosive sound of metal clashing resonated through the mountain hollow!

The alpha wolf's sharp teeth, capable of biting through iron plates, bit fiercely into the Spirit Shield, sending sparks flying!

The Spirit Shield shook violently, cracks spreading, but it did not shatter, firmly blocking that immense force and Yao power.

Ye Qing was jolted back half a step, his blood and Qi churning, but his right hand had already struck like a viper emerging from its hole, his index and middle fingers pressed together, a point of light at his fingertips, white to the extreme, frantically compressing and condensing!

This time, he had drained nearly thirty percent of the Spiritual Qi in his body, pushing the compression and explosion of the "Pseudo-Fireball Technique" to the limit of his current control!

A speck of blazing white aurora, only the size of a grain of rice yet emitting destructive fluctuations, suddenly lit up at his fingertips!

"Die!"

He let out a low roar and pointed his fingertip at the space between the alpha wolf's brows, which was inches away!

A trace of fear finally flashed in the alpha wolf's eyes, and it tried to turn its head to dodge, but the distance was too close, and Ye Qing's attack was too fast!

Sss—

A slight sound, as if a red-hot branding iron had been thrust into grease, rang out.

The blazing white aurora easily pierced through the alpha wolf's forehead, which was touted as being iron-cast, and entered its skull, and then—

Boom!!!

A low, muffled sound erupted from within the alpha wolf's skull.

The alpha wolf's robust body suddenly stiffened, charred smoke and blood spilled from its seven orifices, the light in its eyes quickly faded, and its massive body collapsed like a falling mountain, twitching twice before it ceased to breathe.

Seeing this, the remaining two injured Iron-Backed Wolves let out a howl and tried to flee with their tails tucked.

How could Ye Qing let them go? He flicked his fingers repeatedly, and two miniaturized fireballs caught up, precisely hitting the backs of their heads and ending their lives.

From start to finish, the battle lasted no more than a dozen breaths.

The mountain hollow returned to silence, leaving only the lingering smell of gunpowder, burnt flesh, and blood.

Ye Qing panted slightly, quickly scanning the battlefield to confirm there was no more danger.

He did not immediately deal with the spoils; instead, he sat down cross-legged, took a Qi-Recovery Pill, and quickly adjusted his breathing to restore the consumed Spiritual Qi while remaining vigilant of his surroundings.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, his Spiritual Qi had mostly recovered, and he stood up to begin cleaning the battlefield.

His movements were practiced as he communicated with the space within his body with his mind.

A gentle suction force came from the twenty-five-zhang space, enveloping the eight Iron-Backed Wolf corpses on the ground, including that of the alpha wolf at the peak of the First Order Middle Stage.

In an instant, all the wolf corpses vanished from their original spot, and the next moment, they appeared in the "waste area" reserved at the edge of the space.

Without needing his instructions, the space operated spontaneously; the black soil and the moonlight jade tree resonated slightly, and strands of pure vitality and the power of creation spread out, like the most efficient decomposition furnace, beginning to rapidly decompose and devour these Yao Beast corpses.

Yao power, blood Qi, life essence, the "metal and iron" attributes contained in the bones and fur... every usable energy and substance was rapidly stripped, absorbed, and converted.

Ye Qing could clearly feel that the space was like it had eaten a great tonic, greedily "digesting" this sumptuous feast of flesh and blood.

He waited patiently, while also collecting a few stalks of "Wolf Poison Grass" scattered near the wolf pack's lair that had not been affected by the battle, as well as a small piece of "Red Iron Ore," into the space.

About half an hour later, the space's "digestion" was nearing its end.

Boom!!!

A dull yet grand roar, which only he could hear, resounded deep within his mind!

The grey mist at the edge of the twenty-five-zhang space surged wildly like a boiling sea of clouds, expanding outward at an astonishing speed!

Twenty-six zhang... twenty-eight zhang... thirty zhang!

It continued to expand until it reached nearly thirty-five zhang in radius before the momentum of expansion slowly ceased!

The black soil in the center also surged accordingly, now measuring twelve to thirteen zhang square!

The land shimmered with jade-like luster, the Spiritual Qi mist so thick it was almost impenetrable, and as it churned, there were faint sounds of wind and thunder accompanying it.

The moonlight jade tree shone with brilliant silver light, and its three fruits became increasingly crystalline.

More importantly, the energy fed back by the space, like a surging flood breaking a dam, poured violently into Ye Qing's body!

This energy was not only vast and pure, but it was also mixed with the unique "toughness" and "sharpness" of the Iron-Backed Wolf's Bloodline aura, as well as the pure life essence of the Yao Beast!

Ye Qing's whole body shuddered violently; he felt his limbs and bones, Meridians and acupoints, and even the depths of his Divine Soul being frantically scoured, baptized, and filled by this vast energy!

That thin barrier of the Middle Stage of Level 5 Qi Refining melted instantly like ice and snow under the sun.

His cultivation reached its natural conclusion, fiercely breaking through to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining!

His Qi Sea expanded once again, the total amount and purity of his Spiritual Qi surging, viscous like mercury, with faint sounds of wind and thunder as it flowed.

His Divine Sense also surged accordingly, his perception range breaking through the ten-zhang mark!

His Physical Body received extra nourishment from the Yao Beast's life essence; although he had not specifically practiced Body Refining, his muscles and bones resonated together, his blood and Qi became more vigorous, and his skin, membranes, and muscles faintly gained a trace of the toughness characteristic of an Iron-Backed Wolf.

Ye Qing slowly opened his eyes, a brilliant divine light gleaming within them before quickly receding.

Sixth Level of Qi Refining, achieved!

And it was a perfect Breakthrough with an incredibly solid Foundation, incomparably pure Spiritual Qi, and synchronized reinforcement of his Divine Soul and Physical Body!

"Eight Iron-Backed Wolf corpses, one of which was nearly First Order Late Stage, were actually able to make the space expand by ten zhang and helped me break through directly to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining! The efficiency of this devouring of Yao Beast corpses and the conversion feedback is too high!"

Ye Qing was excited.

This was more than ten times more efficient than simply absorbing Spirit Stones or ordinary Materials!

"Sure enough, fighting and plundering are the shortcuts for a Loose Cultivator to grow rapidly. Of course, the prerequisite is that one's strength is solid enough and one's life is tough enough."

He calmed his agitated emotions and looked toward the "waste area" of the space.

The eight Iron-Backed Wolf corpses had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only eight small piles of grey-white bone powder, as well as several clusters of the most refined "Metal and Iron Essence" and "Yao Beast Bloodline Essence," floating in the air, sealed by the power of the space, waiting for his use.

Artifact Refining Materials such as fur, sharp claws, and teeth had also been perfectly stripped and were neatly stacked to the side, rich in Spiritual Qi, their quality seemingly even better than when they were alive.

"It even completed the purification of the Materials? This function... is too practical!"

Ye Qing was overjoyed.

This meant that in the future, when hunting Yao Beasts, he could not only use the corpses to nourish the space and improve his cultivation, but also directly obtain purified, high-quality Materials, saving countless hours of processing work!

He sprinkled the bone powder out of the space, letting it return to the dust.

The Metal and Iron Essence, Bloodline Essence, and the purified Materials were carefully put away.

After cleaning up all traces at the scene, Ye Qing did not stay any longer, casting the Light Body Technique, his figure like the wind as he quickly left the mountain hollow.

Within his body, the thirty-five-zhang space operated stably, moonlight flowing, spiritual plants growing vigorously, and vitality was immense.

The Spiritual Qi of the Sixth Level of Qi Refining surged through his Meridians, vigorous and condensed.

One hunt, a Breakthrough in cultivation, growth of the space, and a harvest of resources.

On the path of steady development, he had taken another solid and powerful step forward.

Loose Cultivator Ye Qing's life in the Black Water Swamp was gradually entering a better state.