Chapter Seventeen: Dragon Elephant Body Refinement Technique

With the combined strength of Chen Yi and Howling Sky, he was no longer afraid of those three cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. Chen Yi planned to wait for their arrival in the forest outside the cave, for the existence of the spiritual liquid within made him reluctant to let them discover it and cause any unforeseen complications.

Just as Chen Yi reached the woods, he noticed the young man with bare fists walking towards him.

Chen Yi quickly signaled Howling Sky to hide, intending to test his own abilities against this bare-fisted youth.

Though Chen Yi estimated his own strength to match the eighth level of Qi Refinement, he had yet to test it in actual combat and was unsure of the true extent of his power.

“Haha, kid, I, Li Li, have finally found you. Hand over the Heavenly Dragon Fruit and the Golden Flood Dragon Egg, or I’ll kill you,” the bare-fisted youth exclaimed with delight.

“The Heavenly Dragon Fruit and the Golden Flood Dragon Egg are right here. If you want them, we’ll see if you’re capable,” Chen Yi replied, learning the youth’s name for the first time.

At Chen Yi’s words, Li Li charged forward, his iron fist aiming straight at Chen Yi’s head.

“Thunderous Action!”

Chen Yi met his blow with the Thunderclap Palm, which he had cultivated to the Minor Mastery level.

Of all Chen Yi’s skills, his swordsmanship had reached a transcendent realm, his footwork was perfected, but his palm techniques were still at the Minor Mastery level. He intended to refine his palm technique through this battle.

When Chen Yi’s Thunderclap Palm collided with the iron fist, he felt a tremor through his body, forcing him back a step.

The fist seemed ordinary, yet its force was immense, surging like a furious wave crashing upon a boat.

Li Li was surprised to see Chen Yi only step back lightly after taking his punch. He let out a surprised “Hmm?”

He had used half his strength in that blow, believing it enough to kill Chen Yi outright, or at least seriously injure him.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yi had only stepped back. Li Li was confident that with half his power, he could slay even a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refinement with a single punch.

This boy possessed incredible strength. What Li Li did not know was that Chen Yi’s might was the miraculous result of the Heavenly Dragon bloodline’s transformation.

The Heavenly Dragon bloodline had tempered Chen Yi’s body beyond that of a typical seventh-level Qi Refiner. Coupled with the amplification of the Thunderclap Palm, Chen Yi could meet Li Li’s attack head-on.

Chen Yi was also puzzled by Li Li’s overwhelming strength. Unbeknownst to him, Li Li practiced a body-refining technique, granting him immense power; among the three, he was the strongest.

Li Li moved like a phantom, flashing forward with both iron fists hammering toward Chen Yi.

Chen Yi quickly employed the Nine Steps of the Golden Swallow, retreating into the air.

Li Li pressed on relentlessly, attacking again.

“Rainbow Pierces the Sun!”

Unable to endure further, Chen Yi drew his Rainbow Sword from his waist and unleashed the first move of the Illusory Light Sword Technique against Li Li.

Originally, Chen Yi wished to hone his Thunderclap Palm in battle, but Li Li’s fearsome strength forced him to switch to the Illusory Light Sword Technique.

Sword energy filled the air, shredding leaves as three arcs of sword light flew toward Li Li. Unfazed, Li Li swung his fists at the sword lights.

Surprisingly, his fist passed through the first sword light—it was an illusion. Only the following sword lights were real, but by then, it was too late. Such was the wonder of the Illusory Light Sword Technique: reality blended with illusion, leaving opponents defenseless.

The sword lights struck Li Li, but instead of being cleaved in two, he only suffered two shallow wounds.

Seeing Li Li’s hardened body, Chen Yi showed no mercy. Channeling both his inner energy and the power of the Heavenly Dragon bloodline into the Rainbow Sword, he unleashed the full might of the Illusory Light Sword.

With the sword’s radiance arcing across the sky like a rainbow after a storm, Chen Yi executed “Sword Becomes the Rainbow” and “Rainbow Across Ten Thousand Miles.”

With both sword forms unleashed, the air filled with countless sword lights, thoroughly suppressing Li Li. Yet Li Li’s fists shattered each sword light that came his way—an astonishing feat.

“Lightning Soars Like a Wild Goose!”

With a sudden shout, Chen Yi dashed forward. The tip of his Rainbow Sword was already at Li Li’s throat. Li Li, drenched in cold sweat, tried to dodge but was a moment too late—the sword tip carved a deep wound into his shoulder.

“Wild Goose Sweeps the Shadows!”

Seizing the advantage, Chen Yi unleashed the Illusory Light Sword again. Twelve sword lights surged toward Li Li. He frantically punched at them, but the initial lights were illusory. As Li Li exhausted himself, a true sword light pierced his throat.

His body stiffened, face pale, and he collapsed to the ground. The final sword light was real—Li Li was dead.

In all his lives, this was the first time Chen Yi had killed a man. Afterward, he was seized by terror and nausea, but he knew that on the path of cultivation, killing was commonplace; it was either you or your foe. He had to adapt to it.

Suppressing his fear and disgust, Chen Yi approached Li Li’s body and searched his clothing. What he truly wanted was the body-refining technique Li Li practiced; another means of combat would only benefit him in the future.

He found nothing within the clothing, but on Li Li’s finger was a low-grade spatial ring—worth at least a hundred spirit stones, more than Chen Yi’s entire fortune. Li Li had indeed been wealthy.

Sliding the ring onto his own right hand and infusing it with spiritual energy, Chen Yi saw a space within about six meters across. Inside were many spirit stones, monster cores, and—most importantly—the body-refining technique Li Li practiced: Dragon-Elephant Body Refining Art.

Unfortunately, the Dragon-Elephant Body Refining Art was incomplete. According to its notes, the full version had nine layers, created by an ancient master who studied the physiques of Heavenly Dragons and Earthly Elephants.

Both Heavenly Dragons and Earthly Elephants were mighty races among dragons and elephants; adults could rival immortals themselves. One could imagine the power of this body-refining art.

Each layer corresponded to a cultivation realm, and it could be practiced from Qi Refinement all the way to the Tribulation Passing stage—a true body-refining path to immortality. However, Li Li’s ring contained only the first three layers, sufficient to reach the Golden Core stage.

It was a pity Li Li had died; otherwise, Chen Yi could have questioned him about the origin of the Dragon-Elephant Art, making it easier to search for the rest in the future.

For now, though, Chen Yi’s cultivation was still too low. He decided to wait until he reached the Golden Core stage before seeking the remaining layers.