Sadly, Xiao Chen wasn't stupid. He drank the antidote and the battle started once again. He didn't want to use the orb as it was something important for his plans. But the bastard smashed it before he could do anything about it.
"Let's go crazy then." Xiao Chen said as the Heretic God started to shine. "1st Realm, Heretic Soul!"
With his words, Xiao Chen's Qi started to increase. In the beginning, he was in the Second Layer of Qi Crystallization Realm but now he was at the Fourth Layer.
"How is this possible?" Adrian looked at it in dread. Crystallization Realms were different from those before them. There were 9 Layers of these Realms and they weren't simple steps. Each Layer signified a qualitative change.
The first Layer was Essence Crystallizing Layer. In this stage, a cultivator would start to crystalize their Qi or Mana to increase the density of their essences. This process would last throughout the Realm.
The Second Layer was Revolving Core/Stormy Pool. For Qi Cultivation, by increasing the revolving power of Vortex, a cultivator could gather Qi faster. For Mana Cultivation, by creating a storm in the Mana Pool, Mana could be gathered faster.
The Third Layer was Essence-Body Transformation. In this stage, a cultivator could infuse their essence into their skin, bones, and muscles to strengthen them. After this point, cultivators would be able to do Body Cultivation as well.
The Fourth Layer was the Stealing Breath Layer. By cultivating, the cultivators could increase their life spans. Qi and Mana would change the body to increase the lifespan from hundred years to thousand years.
Just reaching the Fourth Layer made a cultivator eligible to create their own forces at Duke II Tier. Every three Layers of Crystallization Realm signified another Tier. Cleansing Buddhist Sect didn't have a cultivator at Fourth Layer for such a long time, that is why they couldn't raise their ranks from Duke III Tier.
But Xiao Chen, who was at the Second Layer, raised his cultivation to that realm just like that. It had to be understood that each layer in this realm had a qualitative increase in power. It was already pretty hard for Ezio and Adrian to battle Xiao Chen but now, he even raised his cultivation.
"We are done for." Adrian gulped heavily. Ezio, instead of waiting, charged with his maximum speed. He had no time to waste. The black sword was about to touch the Prince Consort, but the latter vanished from where he was standing. Ezio didn't wait and phased out. If he didn't, a giant sword would cut him in two from his back.
Xiao Chen previously couldn't handle his speed, but now was a lot faster.
"I didn't tell you, right? Since I could raise my cultivation by two layers with this technique, I could get their benefits as well. I used this technique for the first time in the First Layer and it raised my cultivation to the Third Layer. I wasn't sure if I could start Body Cultivation, after all, I haven't acquired this level myself. It was just a trick. But guess what? I could." Xiao Chen said with a smile as he dropped the sword in his hand to the ground. The following earthquake was attesting to its weight. Then, Xiao Chen sealed all his Essence in his body and raised the sword once again. Although not as fast, he could still swing it without any problem.
"You cannot beat me!"
"Ezio, what are we going to do?" Adrian said in dread.
"Let's not panic," Ezio said quietly as he thought. He hasn't used the ring tattoo ever since he came to the capital, because he was afraid he would be found out. And honestly, he didn't need it before, but now it was different. He charged forward without any care in the world. If Xiao Chen was surprised, he didn't show it. He raised the sword and swung it diagonally. When it was about to hit Ezio on the shoulder, it instead passed through his body. At the same time, Ezio used Shadow to cover his body to give the impression that he used a Shadow technique. He didn't turn invisible, he only used half of the tattoo's power to turn intangible.
The attack sucked a quarter of his Mana but he didn't mind it. He wasn't going to use Mana in this battle. He passed through Xiao Chen but the sword in his hand was coming to a step behind him. When his body was behind the Prince's, he canceled the tattoo and the sword fastened itself to Xiao Chen's stomach.
"How?" The Prince Fool asked as he spat a mouthful of blood. He pulled out a potion in his Spatial Ring and swallowed it.
"Son of a b*tch!" Ezio shouted as he turned to attack once again, but three talismans flew in his direction. He couldn't use the Shadow Skills so he used the tattoo once again when all three talismans exploded at the same time. Because of the size of the explosion, his Mana was sucked dry in a matter of seconds and even some of his Qi was spent.
Potions were Mana versions of Pills. Alchemy solely relied on Qi to cultivate pills and pastes. Potion Masters used mana to concoct different blends with magical effects. In the places where Mana was the main essence of energy, Alchemy was a rare occupation and Potion Masters were much more abundant. Because of the magical effects of potions, in life-saving situations, they were better than pills. Fast healing wounds on Xiao Chen were proof of this.
"You made me even use this. I will tear you into pieces!" Xiao Chen spat out in anger. His eyes were looking red, and his veins were bulging. Ezio was huffing tiredly, as he spent too much energy. Lucky for him, Adrian rushed forward to help him. He couldn't defend against Xiao Chen's power, but he could keep him at bay, allowing Ezio to catch his breath. Sadly, a small amount of time wouldn't be enough to regenerate the Qi and Mana he spent in one attack.