Chapter 16
The process of bone refinement consists of three shatterings and nine refinements, each resulting in a different type of refined bone. After the first shattering and three refinements, one obtains iron bones. After the second shattering and three refinements, bronze bones are achieved. Finally, after the third shattering and three refinements, golden bones are obtained. With perseverance, hard work, and fortune, one can further refine their bones to achieve jade bones.
In the past month since his first shattering and first refinement, Wang Shitian has already undergone his second refinement. If his skin were to be cut open now to examine his bones, it would reveal a silvery grey color resembling iron. This transformation not only brings about a physical change but also greatly increases his combat power.
On an open grassland, a deadly battle unfolds with approximately 15 individuals engaged in combat. Energy rages, talismans trace arcs in the sky, and fire engulfs the surroundings. There are no signs indicating an end to the conflict.
In the midst of the intense battle, the combatants suddenly sense and witness a figure soaring through the air above them. The figure is covered in blood, his white hair stained red. His sorry state shocks those present, but what is even more astonishing is the sight of a giant palm crossing the sky and striking him down. Another figure gallops through the air as if stepping on clouds. He approaches with terrifying speed, dressed in tattered white robes adorned with green leaf patterns. The person is Wang Shitian, while the youth in black is known as the little demon king. Their appearance does not surprise many, as they have become legends on the battlefield. The elders of both sects have already declared them madmen, demanding their retreat to their respective sects. However, both have resolved to kill each other. In this moment, Wang Shitian stands with bloodstains on his robes, wearing a smile on his face, while the gloomy youth in black glares at him with undisguised killing intent.
Wang Shitian insists on continuing the fight because he realizes that his techniques can be refined to an incredible level through battle. With each fight, he improves, and his strength grows exponentially. However, the young man has a different motive for wanting to kill Wang Shitian. Not only has Wang Shitian been a hindrance to his plan, but he has also stolen the two blood beads the young man possessed and discovered his possession of this body.
"Who exactly are you?" Wang Shitian asks exactly as he had many times before, but receives no response, only a cold stare. Educated in the different levels of cultivation, Wang Shitian knows that only old monsters at the Nascent Soul stage can abandon their bodies to possess others. He has no doubt that the person in the body is a Nascent Soul cultivator, and even their techniques are unusual.
"Hmph, brat Wang Shitian, you have done well to anger this king. The next time we meet, I'll make sure to end you," the little demon king speaks, taking out a talisman, the divine travel talisman, and attaching it to his body. With its activation, his speed multiplies, making it impossible for Wang Shitian to follow. However, Wang Shitian still gives chase in that direction. The disciples standing around look at each other and slowly retreat, spreading the news of the encounter between the two. Such news occasionally emerges and is not surprising.
At this moment, Wang Shitian is certain that he will encounter the little demon king again, as he realizes the need to recover the two blood beads.
As the little demon king flies away, he falls into deep thought. It turns out that the larger blood bead was his true mission, but he had decided to refine a smaller one for his own benefit. His blood bead is 80% complete, while the other is a blood pearl ten times larger and a thousand times more potent. This blood pearl has been refining for over 200 years, and he was tasked with finding it. While the other princes went out to obtain their own blood pearls, he was in a crucial stage of cultivation and could not leave. As a result, he formed a trace of his soul's will and possessed a young man from the blood sect, inadvertently starting a war in the process to refine his own blood bead. But now, that brat has taken both beads. How is he going to explain this to the ancestor? To make matters worse, his true self cannot descend here for the time being, and he is certain that he will be intercepted by people from the Sky Covering Sect, given his high identity.
Wang Shitian embarked on a search for a secluded cave on the other side. His purpose was to continue his cultivation, focusing on his third refinement. The combination of water and fire essences, along with the pure essence from the blood bead, had propelled his progress to astonishing heights.
Without the aid of the blood bead, Wang Shitian estimated that completing a single refinement would have taken him at least six months. The toll it would have taken on lives was beyond imagination. Seated within the cave, he engaged in a lengthy meditation before commencing his practice. As he absorbed the materials, a sensation reminiscent of being bitten by thousands of ants seeped into his bones. Although less painful than bone shattering, it was still an uncomfortable ordeal he had experienced before.
For two days, he endured the pain until he finally reached a point of satiety. It was as if he could no longer absorb any more essence. Recognizing that the time had come for his second shattering, Wang Shitian closed his eyes and immersed himself in deep meditation. Chants filled his mind, guiding him into an unimaginable state. Unbeknownst to him, three days passed while he remained in this transcendent state.
Upon opening his eyes, Wang Shitian's gaze held a distant focus, fixating on nothing in particular. The scene that had frequently visited him in his dreams became even clearer, allowing him to peer further into the golden light atop the mountain of corpses in the blood sea. Closing his eyes once more, he entered a brief meditation, lasting only about ten minutes. The sound of cracking echoed through the cave as his bones gradually shattered, turning into particles of dust. All that remained was a mere sack of flesh.
This moment was the most perilous for Wang Shitian, as any attack launched against him could easily overpower him. The reconstruction process commenced, albeit at a slow pace. Nonetheless, the blood bead expedited the healing, making it faster than it would have been otherwise. At this point, Wang Shitian only utilized the smaller blood bead, sensing that the larger one contained an immense amount of energy.
Even with the assistance of the blood bead, it took a full week to complete the reconstruction. His bones were now sturdier than ever, instilling within him an unwavering sense of invincibility. A surge of power coursed through every inch of his body. Rising to his feet, Wang Shitian exited the cave and unleashed a powerful strike with his palm, causing a tree located a hundred meters away to explode in a display of his newfound might.
A smile of satisfaction graced his face as he set off in pursuit of the little demon king. After only half a day of travel, he found himself surrounded by three youths, each bearing a striking resemblance to the little demon king. It was a shocking revelation that they were all manifestations of the little demon king himself.