Bianca approached Azrael, her eyes filled with admiration. "Darling, that was truly incredible. You handled the situation with such finesse."
Azrael, looking into Bianca's eyes, remarked, "Well, that went rather smoothly, wouldn't you say?"
Bianca grinned, "Smooth for you might be a bit chaotic for others. But I loved every moment."
Azrael chuckled, "It's always entertaining when arrogance gets a reality check."
Bianca playfully punched his arm. "You really do enjoy stirring things up, don't you?"
Azrael pulled her closer, "Only to protect what matters. Like you."
She leaned against him, "True, we make quite the team. I bet my sisters would be jealous."
Azrael raised an eyebrow, "They won't because my love for you all are equally great and massive ", he then look at her passionately.
Bianca laughed, "You have a point. I just can't deny the thrill of our adventures."
Azrael, with a mischievous glint in his eye, said, "And this is just the beginning, my love."
Bianca smirked, "As long as we're together, I'm ready for anything."
Azrael kissed her forehead, "That's my Bianca. Fearless and extraordinary."
Amidst the aftermath, they shared more kisses, each touch reinforcing the unspoken bond between them. Onlookers, as if bound by a universal law, averted their gaze, as the air around Azrael radiated an intense aura, deterring anyone from meddling in the intimate connection of this extraordinary couple.
"So, darling, any exciting plans after this little... demonstration?"
Azrael smirked, his confidence unwavering.
"Well, I was thinking of taking a detour. The corrupted region has some interesting sights, don't you think?"
Bianca chuckled, her gaze lingering on Azrael.
"You and your love for chaos. But you know what? I'm in. What mischief are we up to this time?"
Azrael leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on Bianca's forehead.
"Just a bit of exploration. Who knows what secrets we might uncover?"
Bianca grinned, her eyes sparkling.
"As long as it's with you, I'm game. Let's turn this journey into an adventure, my powerful husband."
Bianca teased, "What if we stumble upon a scary monster, Azrael? One that wants to make a meal out of me."
Azrael chuckled, his amusement evident.
"Always with the theatrics, my love. You do enjoy playing the damsel in distress, don't you?"
Bianca winked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Well, it adds a bit of spice to our adventures. Keeps you on your toes, doesn't it?"
Azrael grinned, wrapping an arm around Bianca.
"As if anything in this world could pose a threat to you. But alright, my drama queen, let's be ready for any 'scary' encounters."
As Azrael and Bianca strolled towards the entrance of the corrupted region, the atmosphere among the cultivators shifted. Whispers of concern and awe spread like wildfire.
"Did you see that? Those two are entering the corrupted region!"
"Better steer clear. Don't want to cross paths with them and end up in trouble."
"Yeah, it's wiser to retreat for now. Don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."
The general sentiment became clear—most cultivators, fearing unknown consequences, opted for a strategic retreat, leaving the entrance to the corrupted region less crowded.
Upon entering the corrupted region, Azrael instantly sensed the lingering traces of the corruption law—a force teetering on the edge of a great dao transformation.
"As expected, some mere emperors have their hands on it," Azrael stated.
"As expected, a drama was about to unfold," Bianca jokingly said.
Azrael looked at her, smiling dryly, then said, "That drama is far in the future and may not happen."
"What a bummer, but I always trust in the arrogance of some mere emperor. They will definitely cross paths with you," Bianca giggled.
"Oh, you trust them. I am so jealous."
"But I trust you more that you will beat the crap out of them and will show me the most spectacular scene again. Your dominance, darling."
Azrael smiled sweetly and placed his lips on Bianca's, surprising her. They engaged in an intense and intimate tongue war that lasted for a couple of minutes. Before Azrael withdrew, he said, "Let's make a detour now."
Bianca pouted.
"So thirsty," Azrael commented.
The two continued walking and stumbled upon a monster. Azrael managed to almost one-shot every monster with his fist. Occasionally, they saw dead bodies of cultivators and even live cultivators who had entered this region from who knows when. Strangely enough, these cultivators seemed not to notice Bianca or Azrael. There were a couple of times when Azrael encountered a monster with corruption property. Its fangs and claws could infect people with a small scratch, making it lethal. However, to Azrael, it was nothing.
In their journey, the two saw "treasures" like weapons that seems to be strategically placed to attract cultivators, rare plants corrupted by the region (often used as poison), and naturally occurring rare minerals, some even with corrupted properties. These minerals could be used to forge weapons, especially those with corruption properties, which were considered deadly and could be used as hidden weapons. In the eyes of Azrael and Bianca, however, these were nothing but junk.
"BOOM!!!"
The echoing boom reverberated through the corrupted region as the colossal body of the gorilla-like monster crashed into a small hill, pulverizing it completely. This formidable creature, equivalent to a 9th Profound Sovereign Realm Cultivator, stood up once again, glaring at the man responsible for its current state—Azrael, an immortal-like figure, and the elegant woman, Bianca, standing by his side.
Azrael, with a body that exuded both beauty and strength, faced off against the mighty overlord of the region. The gorilla-like monster, despite its broken ribs from Azrael's powerful kick, displayed exceptional vitality. In this dark and corrupted domain, the monster sought revenge.
The fight unfolded as a clash of titans. Azrael, adopting a brawler style, confronted the formidable creature. From time to time, the monster spewed energy with corruption properties, attempting to gain an upper hand. However, Azrael's robust essence energy rendered the creature's attempts ineffective, leaving him unscathed.
Azrael dominated the battle, executing precise and powerful strikes. His movements were a dance of fluidity and grace, a stark contrast to the brute force of the gorilla-like monster. The corrupted energy emitted by the creature had no impact on Azrael, his essence energy proving impervious to its effects.
The monster, on the other hand, struggled under Azrael's relentless assault. Various heavy injuries accumulated, hindering its movements. Each blow from Azrael was a testament to his dominance, and the corrupted overlord found itself gradually succumbing to the overwhelming might of the Blood Refining Realm cultivator.
As the fight continued, Azrael remained unscathed, his body a paragon of strength and resilience. The gorilla-like monster, battered and weakened, could not withstand the onslaught. The corrupted region witnessed the clash of these two forces—one untainted, the other consumed by corruption—until Azrael emerged as the uncontested victor.
Bianca, standing beside Azrael, observed the aftermath of their decisive victory over the gorilla-like monster. Azrael's eyes, gleaming with insight, scanned the creature's lifeless form, and he spoke with a thoughtful tone.
"As expected, the vitality of monsters differs from humanoid races. If there were no restrictions in our cultivation system, humans might possess this kind of resilience. Of course if there's no restriction, once monsters gain intelligence, they, too, can cultivate Qi Techniques," Azrael remarked, his words carrying a deep understanding of the intricate balance between different races and cultivation paths.
Bianca remarked, "Well, one of my sisters undoubtedly possesses robust vitality; after all, she is a phoenix."
Azrael chuckled and concurred, "Yeah, that's true."
Phoenixes, as a type of mythical beast, share a stark contrast with common monsters. These majestic creatures primarily reside in the great planes and are rarely found in mortal universes. Mythical beasts, from the moment of their birth, already possess the strength of a Qi Core Cultivator. Unlike humanoid species, they do not cultivate Qi. Instead, their focus lies in cultivating ancestral energy, often referred to as the essence energy of their body. The term "ancestral energy" emphasizes the unique energy base each divine beast inherits from its lineage.
Upon awakening their ancestral energy, mythical beasts unlock and comprehend their innate powers, enabling them to embark on a cultivation journey akin to humanoid species. However, the key distinction lies in their core energy.
Similar to humanoid species, mythical beasts face cultivation restrictions. They can only cultivate their ancestral energy, or in comparison to Azrael's Cultivation system, it is equivalent to the cultivation of the body or essence energy. Nevertheless, mythical beasts follow the same cultivation process from the Profound Sovereign realm to the late stages, where comprehension becomes crucial. While their core energies differ, the comprehension process in these stages remains comparable.
In contrast to humanoid cultivators whose Qi grows stronger with each stage of cultivation, mythical beasts experience an enhancement in the strength of their bodies. This distinction arises from their primary focus on cultivating the ancestral energy within their bodies. It's noteworthy that if there were no restrictions, humanoid species could cultivate their "ancestral energy," essentially the essence energy, just as mythical beasts, if unrestrained, would have the capacity to cultivate Qi.
[A/N: I apologize for the abrupt info dumping. Upon reviewing the story, I realized that I haven't adequately explained how the "restrictions" function, especially concerning the mythical beast side. As the narrative progresses, encounters with mythical beasts may cause confusion for some readers. To preempt this, I've provided this information dump to clarify that the restrictions work by locking the other two cultivation paths and allowing only the most suitable one for each species or race. And the way I explained it earlier chapters was always on Humanoid Species perspective. Regarding Kal's statement suggesting that no one can cultivate the body except for "monsters," it stems from the fact that mythical beasts, residing in the great planes and rarely found in mortal universes, are considered impossible to encounter. Hence, he assumes that, aside from monsters, there are no sentient beings systematically cultivating the body.]