Chapter Fifty-Eight: Physical Body Breakthrough

In fact, Chen Yi’s decision to immediately consume the Elephant Blood Fruit within the Elephant Tomb was a carefully considered one. Although taking the fruit inside the tomb and forcing a breakthrough in his physical body was extremely dangerous, Chen Yi felt compelled to take the risk in order to achieve a swifter advancement.

Within the spatial confines of the Elephant Tomb lay a blood pool that could hasten the transformation of Chen Yi’s body. The blood within the pool was the most refined essence extracted from the bodies of demonic elephants. The Elephant Clan had set up a mysterious formation within the tomb, one that absorbed and purified the blood from deceased demonic elephants, refining it until it closely resembled the blood of the Earth Elephant.

After purification, the blood would gather together, forming the blood pool. The Elephant Clan used this pool to cultivate Elephant Blood Fruits; the potent essence within the pool accelerated the ripening of the fruits and improved their quality.

Chen Yi’s reason for leaping into the blood pool was precisely because of the rich Earth Elephant bloodline power contained within it, which made the breakthrough easier. As expected, once he began circulating the Dragon Elephant Technique within the blood pool, the speed of the technique’s cycles increased dramatically. His body became like a vortex, madly absorbing the blood from the pool.

The level of blood within the pool visibly diminished, yet Chen Yi remained seated at its center, eyes tightly shut, his face showing no sign of pain. On the contrary, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the thrill brought by his physical breakthrough.

Were any other body-refining cultivators to witness Chen Yi’s pleasure during this process, they would be dumbfounded in disbelief. Physical breakthroughs were notoriously excruciating; each step forward was like being flayed alive, like enduring death by a thousand cuts.

The agony of a physical breakthrough was said to be worse than death itself. Yet Chen Yi experienced none of this; he felt only exhilaration and satisfaction, a truly curious phenomenon.

The reason for his lack of suffering lay in the two mystical treasures he had consumed: the Heavenly Dragon Fruit and the Elephant Blood Fruit. The Heavenly Dragon Fruit had instilled the bloodline power of the Celestial Dragon within him, while the Elephant Blood Fruit had granted him the bloodline of the Earth Elephant. The fusion of these two powers birthed a new Dragon-Elephant bloodline.

This new bloodline had dramatically improved his physical constitution, so much so that his breakthroughs no longer brought that soul-crushing pain.

It was akin to letting a Celestial Dragon or Earth Elephant itself cultivate the Dragon Elephant Technique—they would instantly reach the ninth and highest level. This was not due to extraordinary talent, but because the technique had been created based on the bodies of such beasts.

The pinnacle of the Dragon Elephant Technique aimed to match the physical strength of the Celestial Dragon or Earth Elephant. Thus, these beasts could reach mastery in a single bound.

Now, with his physique transformed by the Dragon-Elephant bloodline, Chen Yi had reached the second level of the technique. With this breakthrough, further progress in the technique came naturally and effortlessly.

A thunderous boom erupted from the center of the blood pool. Suddenly, Chen Yi shot upwards, stepping into the air above the pool. This time, he relied not on spiritual power, but purely on the instinctual strength of his body. It was as if he was born to fly, just as fish are born to swim and birds to soar—he required no energy to remain aloft, much like other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This innate power of flight was one of the fundamental abilities gained after his physical body reached the Foundation Establishment level. Though his cultivation realm had not yet broken through, his body had, and with it came the abilities of those who had.

Flexing his limbs, Chen Yi felt a surge of immense strength within him, so overwhelming that he fancied he could shatter a mountain with a single punch. Of course, he knew this was only an illusion—the sudden increase in strength after a breakthrough often led to such feelings of invincibility.

With his Foundation Establishment-level physique, ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivation, and a Blood-Devouring Spear of lower-grade magical weapon quality, Chen Yi estimated he could easily defeat an average mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and hold his own against those at the late stage.

This breakthrough and the surge in strength convinced Chen Yi that the risks of his journey into the Elephant Tomb had been well worth it. Not only had his power grown, but he had also obtained many ivory tusks of various grades, their value totaling at least several hundred thousand contribution points.

This venture had brought him rich rewards. As he gradually adapted to his newfound strength, the Dragon Elephant Technique began to circulate rapidly within him, helping him adjust to the sudden increase in power.

Once he had fully acclimated, Chen Yi dove back into the blood pool. Though his body had broken through, much of the essence remained, and, unwilling to waste it, he resolved to absorb every last drop and further consolidate his advancement.

A quarter of an hour slipped by unnoticed. Had the pool not been drained of its essence, Chen Yi would not have awakened from his trance. The sensation of his power soaring so swiftly was utterly intoxicating. When he finally opened his eyes, the pool was crystal clear—he had absorbed every bit of the essence.

With nothing left to gain from the tomb, Chen Yi activated his Concealment Talisman and made his way toward the exit. The moment he did so, his presence vanished from the tomb. Empowered by the Dao De Jing, the Concealment Talisman had become extraordinarily potent.

Unless faced with an ancient monster of Nascent Soul or Divided Spirit stage, cultivators of the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stage would be unable to detect him. Thus, Chen Yi strode past dozens of peak Golden Core-level Elephant Clan guards without drawing the slightest notice. The guards, meanwhile, were meticulously scanning their surroundings with their divine sense, wary of any intruders.

They had no inkling that someone had slipped right under their noses. Once outside the Elephant Tomb, Chen Yi hurried toward the canyon at the exit of Elephant Valley, fearing the Divided Spirit-level leader within the valley might suddenly scan the area with divine sense on a whim.