Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

While Liu Xing was diligently drawing the talisman, Jiao Jiao was also diligently practicing. One day, he suddenly felt something and immediately rushed to Jiao Jiao's cave, only to see that Jiao Jiao's aura was constantly rising.

"Is it finally going to break through?" Liu Xing muttered in surprise, and encouraged Jiao Jiao through his thoughts to make a final push and break through successfully in one go. At the same time, he ran out of the cave, carefully paying attention to whether there was any danger in all directions, to protect Jiao Jiao's breakthrough.

After nearly three years of seclusion, Jiao Jiao had completely refined the spiritual energy from the horn python's inner elixir and the dragon scale fruit, pushing his mana to the peak of level one. He then expelled his own demon elixir and performed a comprehensive ritual to enhance his mana, gradually transforming it from gaseous to liquid. Finally, today, he was ready to break through the bottleneck and reach level two in one fell swoop.

A breakthrough for demon beasts differs from that for human cultivators. While humans must cultivate foundational elixirs to lay the foundation for their cultivation, demon beasts primarily stimulate their bloodline power to further their molting. A panacea that stimulates this power would be even more beneficial in overcoming bottlenecks. Jiao Jiao's courage to attempt the second level now stems not only from her extensive accumulation but also from the inner elixir of the third-level demon beast, the Horned Python, which allows her to rapidly accumulate vast amounts of spiritual energy. Furthermore, the Dragon Scale Fruit stimulates her bloodline power. This trifecta of strengths ensures a breakthrough. Otherwise, at normal rates, it would require at least two hundred years of arduous seclusion to cultivate her mana to the point of no return, and then, with the help of other spiritual elixirs, she could attempt a breakthrough.

Now, everything was ready, Jiao Jiao only waited for the opportunity to break through. This valley, where Jiao Jiao retreated and broke through, was also what Jiao Jiao had conveyed to Liu Xing. Overjoyed, Liu Xing stopped and chose this place without hesitation to help her break through.

Jiao Jiao's aura grew stronger, and Liu Xing could clearly sense its changing emotions: excitement, fear, anxiety, and determination. A breakthrough in realm could only be achieved on its own; outsiders could not help.

Finally sensing the presence of a realm barrier, it channeled all its spiritual energy and charged towards it. The first time, the barrier remained motionless. The second time, still no movement. Jiao Jiao continued to charge towards the barrier, again and again. It felt its mana rapidly depleting, though it was fortunate that it had accumulated a significant amount of energy, otherwise it would not have been able to endure.

Finally, with a loud bang, the diaphragm shattered under Jiao Jiao's desperate charge, using all of his magical power. Jiao Jiao instantly felt as if he had entered a completely new realm, but at the same time, he felt a wave of sleepiness coming over him and fell into a deep sleep.

Liu Xing observed the changes in Jiao Jiao's state. This was his first time witnessing a demon beast's breakthrough, and with no experience, he had no idea how to help it. He could only let nature take its course and let it flourish. He had just sensed a surge of joy from Jiao Jiao before she fell into a deep sleep, presumably indicating a breakthrough in her realm. He couldn't help but anticipate Jiao Jiao's transformation in her slumber.

The spiritual energy from the surrounding valley rapidly converged here, coalescing into visible masses of air, which Jiao Jiao inhaled with each breath. The spiritual energy within her was undergoing a qualitative change, becoming increasingly viscous, more and more like a liquid. Previously a stream of air flowing through her meridians, it now flowed like water through her tendons and veins. Nourished by the new spiritual energy, her dantian and meridians were slowly widening and growing stronger, adapting to the increasing power of her mana.

Its demon core was also undergoing a dramatic transformation. Not only had its size doubled, its color also deepened. The absorbed spiritual energy from the water circulated throughout the day, eventually converging and settling within the demon core. As the spiritual energy gathered, the demon core's aura grew thicker and thicker, its mana concentration doubling compared to before.

Jiao Jiao is a pterosaur, the royal clan of the Jiao clan. Possessing the power of dragon blood, she is a rare and unrivaled genius among the demonic beasts. Nourished by the dragon scale fruit, this bloodline power is subtly growing. Over time, her talent will only grow higher and higher, and her cultivation speed will only accelerate. Her current mana is more than half that of a second-level demonic beast of the same rank, making her unmatched.

Jiao Jiao's entire body is undergoing dramatic changes, a rebirth and renewal. Old scales are slowly shedding, while new ones are slowly forming. The scales are harder and smoother, more than doubling its defense. Simultaneously, a unique fragrance emanates from its body, a scent that is highly attractive to other demonic beasts. Therefore, demonic beasts seeking breakthroughs choose hidden locations to prevent others from taking advantage and launching attacks. Simultaneously, its teeth, nails, and wings are also undergoing transformation, making its teeth harder, its nails sharper, and its wings more powerful. Originally, there were only three natal scales on its neck, but now there are four. These scales are more powerful than even the finest magical instruments, and they can automatically shed and change size at will, allowing them to be used for defense or attack. They are the innate magical treasures of the Jiaolong clan. As one's realm increases, the number and power of these natal scales increase accordingly.

Half a month passed quietly, and Jiao Jiao's advancement was nearing completion. However, it continued to sleep soundly. The extent of its strength increase after the transformation could only be understood upon its awakening. Liu Xing hadn't slept a wink for the past month, carefully observing Jiao Jiao's changes while vigilantly defending all around.

Fortunately, the second-level advancement didn't cause any thunderstorms or other disturbances. However, the strange fragrance from the molting was blocked by Liu Xing's hastily arranged concealing formation. Without help to conceal the scent, the strange fragrance would likely attract monsters within a ten-mile radius, which would have been troublesome.

Twenty days later, Jiao Jiao finally awoke from her slumber. She briefly sensed her own magical power and, as expected, had successfully advanced to the second level. A beaming smile lit up her face, and she shrieked in delight, announcing the good news to Liu Xing through her thoughts. Liu Xing, delighted for her as well, showered her with praise and instructed her to focus her mind and consolidate her realm.

Jiao Jiao obeyed, immediately curling up and channeling her magical energy to stabilize her realm. Only then did Liu Xing finally feel relieved and returned to his cave to rest for a few days. It would take time for Jiao Jiao to stabilize her realm, so he began to use Niu Xiong's essence and blood to create talisman ink. Although Niu Xiong was only at the peak of the first level, he was significantly stronger than others of his level, so his essence and blood were also very powerful, capable of drawing talismans with the power of eleven levels. Liu Xing named it the Green Ox Talisman, and when his essence and blood ran out, he eventually obtained nearly a thousand Green Ox Talismans. During Jiao Jiao's breakthrough, Liu Xing dedicatedly protected her, which deeply touched her. His master's strength was still relatively weak, and he needed to quickly improve his strength to help her conquer the world.