Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

"Is Tianhao truly now a hybrid of human and beast?"

On the winding corridor, Dugu Xian, Li Mubai, and others stood solemnly.

"That's right, Tianhao is currently using the body of the Ice Flame Dragon."

To be precise, it's a human-animal hybrid.

Mo Wen's tone was somber, and his face was full of worry.

"That day, after he consumed a large amount of magic crystals, the violent magic power within his body filled him up like a balloon."

Enduring the excruciating pain of his body about to explode, he frantically fled into the mangrove forest.

Along the way, not a single magical beast came out to stop him. He ran straight to the center of the magical beasts in the mangrove forest and broke into the territory of the Ice Flame Dragon, one of the overlords of magical beasts.

The newly promoted Ice Flame Dragon is frantically hunting for food to replenish the enormous energy consumed during its advancement.

Just then, the indiscriminately hungry Ice Flame Dragon swallowed Tian Hao, who was on the verge of exploding, whole.

As expected of a seventh-level Heavenly Rank magical beast overlord, it immediately realized it had eaten the wrong thing after swallowing Tang Tianhao. So it put all its strength into its abdomen, trying to spit Tang Tianhao out, but it was all in vain.

The immense external pressure, combined with the magical attribute that was exactly the opposite of Tianhao's, coincidentally restrained the raging magical power within Tianhao's body, ultimately preventing it from erupting.

Two different types of magic, one internal and one external, alternately exerted pressure on Tianhao, making him feel as if he were being constantly steamed in a huge high-pressure container.

A dual magic permeated every cell of his body.

Thus, he suffered greatly under the immense pressure of opposing magical forces from the outside, the extreme abundance of violent magical forces within, and the intense corrosive effect of digestive juices in the stomach of the Ice Flame Dragon.

After eight years of torment, he miraculously survived.

It is truly amazing that they survived in an environment that was more painful than hell.

Fortunately, by a twist of fate, his cultivation level increased dramatically in just eight years, leaping directly from the seventh level of the Earth Rank to the eighth level of the Heaven Rank.

This speed of advancement is unprecedented and cannot be replicated.

Although his profound cultivation level was as high as the eighth level of the Heavenly Rank, in the past few years, his physical body had been corroded beyond recognition by the digestive fluids inside the Ice Flame Dragon.

The Ice Flame Dragon also paid a heavy price, with its internal organs almost completely destroyed.

Two lives miraculously merged and coexisted.

Ultimately, after years of adjustment, the human and the beast merged into one, their two souls occupying one body. Though constantly vying for dominance, they remained evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Until a few days ago, an invisible pressure suddenly erupted in the valley. Although it only lasted for a few breaths, it frightened even the Ice Flame Dragon, which was at the eighth level of the Heavenly Rank, and it involuntarily submitted. It was a submission that went deep into its bones, without even the slightest awareness of self-defense.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tianhao suppressed and sealed the Ice Flame Dragon's soul with his powerful divine soul, turning the tables and becoming the master of the entity.

In its final stand, the desperate Ice Flame Dragon attempted to detonate its divine soul to inflict mutual destruction, but was instead kicked out of its body by Tian Hao, who was prepared.

Although the Soul Explosion of the eighth-level Heaven Rank was extremely powerful, it only caused some damage to the Ice Flame Dragon's body and was not serious.

However, the self-destruction of the Ice Flame Dragon's soul suddenly awakened all the magical beasts that were surrendering to that mysterious pressure, ultimately triggering a magical beast riot.

"Tianhao's life was truly tragic! Such a good person had to suffer such great sins! Heaven is truly blind! Alas!"

Dugu Xian, Li Mubai, and others were all deeply moved upon hearing this.

"Did he show up to meet with you privately just to explain these things to you?"

"Although he can now transform and shrink his enormous dragon body, he cannot transform into a normal human. Therefore, he wants me to find some shape-shaping fruits, bone-changing herbs, and other herbs that can help him transform into human form."

Mo Wen sighed.

"The disguise potion made with shaping fruit and bone-changing grass can indeed permanently change a person's appearance, but the effect is too strong. One transformation is equivalent to enduring the torment of being skinned and having bones removed! Is there no other way?"

Li Mubai asked.

"Although there are other methods, they are all temporary solutions and do not address the root cause. Over time, the condition will return to its original state, so the effect is not very good."

Mo Wen said.

"You agreed to prescribe it for him? Did you tell him about the pain he would suffer while taking these medications?"

Dugu Xian asked.

"He's already endured that kind of pain, why would he care about these things?"

Mo Wen sighed.

“In that case, let’s go with you to collect herbs. Although the Rimu Valley has been destroyed, fortunately, these herbs generally grow on cliff faces.”

Li Mubai said to Mo Wen.

……

The old men in the canyon were busy with the post-disaster reconstruction work, but Xinlan was at a loss due to the sudden change and hid in the house alone to cry. No matter how much Mo Yuming called her, she would not open the door.

They don't even want to go out for dinner.

In the end, it took Grandma Zhang and Grandma Huang a lot of persuasion to finally convince her to come out.

In truth, everyone was extremely reluctant for Xinlan to leave, but it was her biological father's decision, and no one could stop him.

Moreover, leaving the canyon is everyone's wish.

Now that Xinlan has this opportunity, even though everyone is reluctant to part with her, they can only try to persuade her and be happy that she can leave the valley.

Several dozen days passed in the blink of an eye, and Xinlan calmed down considerably.

Her eyes, which had swollen like peaches from crying, have returned to normal.

But with parting imminent, his eyes were filled with sorrow.

Naturally, none of the people in Tiangu could laugh.

For many years, the only child in the canyon has been the beloved darling of all the elderly people.

The depth of their attachment is unimaginable. The elderly women were especially moved to tears.

Mo Yuming took out the unknown soft whip from his storage bag and gently tied it around Xinlan's waist.

The jade inscription at the mouth of the whip had been decorated, making the soft whip tied around the waist look more like an extremely gorgeous belt.

Everyone who saw it thought the soft whip was quite unusual, but no one asked how he got it. They all assumed that Yu Ming had found it in the canyon, since there were so many strange weapons and treasures lost in the canyon.

"Brother, you should keep this. It'll be a good keepsake. You can take it out and look at it whenever you miss Xinlan. Xinlan didn't leave you anything else!"

Xinlan declined, her eyes red.

"Don't say discouraging things. It's just a temporary separation. I'll be able to leave the valley in a while, and then we can meet again."

This is something for girls, it's not appropriate for me to carry it, and besides, you have a strong affinity for it, keeping it with you will be very beneficial.

When Xinlan saw that Yuming refused, she took a small, green jade flute from her waist and forcefully stuffed it into Yuming's hand.

"Brother, this is the jade flute you made for Xinlan. It even has the character 'Lan' engraved on it. Do you remember? Give me that xiao (vertical flute), and let's exchange them!"

This jade flute was carved from a piece of cold jade bamboo that Yu Ming accidentally discovered while playing by the cold pool.

This three-foot-long, thumb-thick jade bamboo is said to have grown in the cold pool for over a thousand years.

According to Li Mubai, this cold bamboo only grows one or two inches every hundred years, making it a rare treasure.

Carrying a small section of it with you can ward off all fire and poison damage, and can also purify your mind, dispel evil, and suppress inner demons.

Once the Jade Bamboo is taken out of the water, it becomes incredibly hard and difficult to work with.

So, in order to carve this flute and the xiao, Mo Yuming stayed by the cold pool for two days, meticulously and slowly carving them with his hands in the extremely cold water.

Although he used his profound martial arts to protect himself and applied Mo Lao's specially made anti-freeze ointment, his hands were still chilled by the cold when he finally finished carving it.

Even after using the best cold-dispelling medicine, it took many days for the stiffness to subside.

After the flute and xiao were made, Yu Ming used several high-level magic crystals of different attributes to make ornaments and inlay them on them, making them extremely exquisite.

They are absolutely priceless treasures, one of a kind in the world.

"It was only a short time ago, how come I don't remember?"

Mo Yuming took out a bamboo flute with the character "Yu" engraved on it from his bag and handed it to Xinlan.

On this day, a long howl echoed from the depths of Ruimu Valley, like a demon that had been suppressed for a thousand years finally breaking free and roaring.

Everyone who heard this felt a chill run down their spine! A short while later, three figures appeared at the valley entrance.

On the left is Dugu Xian, a thin and short man with white hair; on the right is Mo Wen, an old man with graying temples and a tuft of brown beard; and in the middle is a middle-aged man of medium build with piercing eyes and an imposing presence.

Although his messy hair and tattered clothes greatly diminished his image, they did not diminish his innate regal aura in the slightest.

This is Xinlan's father, Tang Tianhao, a beast-man who has just successfully transformed into a human, and an incompetent emperor.

"Brother! Remember to come find me!"

These were the last words Xinlan said before she left.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with everyone, Tang Tianhao picked up Xinlan and flew away.

His speed was many times faster than Dugu Xian's.

Before Mo Yuming could say goodbye, Xinlan had already disappeared from everyone's sight.

Everyone in the canyon remained silent, many waving their hands for a long time without lowering them.

Li Mubai was the first to leave, and as he departed, he muttered something to himself:

"I hope it won't be like what I imagine!..."

After Xinlan left, the canyon returned to its usual tranquility.

Without Xinlan's company, Mo Yuming had much less fun and spoke less.

Although a large group of old men surrounded him all day long, Mo Yuming still found it boring, and his life became much more dull.

And so, besides practicing his skills with the old men every day, Mo Yuming would spend his time wandering around with a few other old men, including Feng Yu Lei Dian, to kill time.

Ramu Valley is a place they frequent.

The magical beasts of Ruimu Valley were severely weakened after that battle, and the surviving high-level magical beasts were so frightened that they fled to deeper canyons to hide.

Even when Mo Yuming and his team ran far into the mangroves, they always returned safely.

Soon, the dilapidated Ruimu Valley lost its mystery and its former charm, becoming a place for Mo Yuming and his companions to come and go as they pleased.

During this period, Mo Yuming also learned alchemy and medicine preparation from Mo Wen, weapon crafting from Zhang the blacksmith, and formation from Li Mubai.

However, because Mo Yuming was young, he only learned some basic techniques and did not specifically practice any particular technique.

Moreover, everyone felt that the time was quite long and there was no pressure.

Mo Yuming himself didn't put much effort into this; he only learned these things to pass the time and make the dull days more interesting.

He was more focused on finding a way out of the valley as quickly as possible.

So I only learned the basics of these things, and didn't even learn any profound techniques or mental methods.

Apart from the Dugu Palm Technique taught by the old man Dugu, he basically didn't learn any other combat skills.

After the beast tide, Mo Yuming and his group not only found a lot of magic crystals, but also found the corpses of many high-level magical beasts deep in Ruimu Valley.

Because of their high level, many of these magical beasts' organs, bones, and fur are useful.

After being divided and processed, the remaining useful items almost filled the five large wooden houses.

Some perishable items were stored in several storage bags at the weapons cemetery.

These items may not be of much use for now, but they will be valuable treasures once they are outside. Now that there is hope of leaving the valley, everyone has begun to collect supplies to accumulate wealth for their future.

Because there was too much of the delicious monster meat, everyone worked together to make it into jerky, braised meat, cured meat, ham, smoked meat, sausages, and other products for storage.

The magical beasts in the valley were severely weakened after this battle, and many types of magical beasts have almost become extinct. They will not be able to recover in a short period of time and will need a certain period of rest and reproduction. Therefore, hunting is not allowed for a while.

Fortunately, everyone collected enough meat to last them a long time.

Mo Yuming and the group of old men spent three years in such a monotonous life.

Over the course of three years, with the help of others, Xuan Gong's cultivation level advanced by leaps and bounds, rapidly rising from Earth Rank 4 to Earth Rank 8, almost one level per year. His other four elemental spiritual energies also made significant progress, all leaping to the level of Earth Rank 0 or Human Rank 1.

Looking inward, the spiritual sea within the dantian has grown to about the same size as the initial qi sea, and its color has changed from a single golden yellow to a variety of colors.

The four types of spiritual energy that originally swirled around the yellow spiritual liquid gradually merged into the spiritual sea in the center after turning into liquid.

However, in this spiritual sea, yellow occupied the majority of the space.

Now Mo Yuming has a much better understanding of the profound arts. He knows that the five colors of spiritual liquid in his spiritual sea represent the five elements of spiritual power. Because his spiritual sea is different from others, he doesn't find it too strange.

Although Mo Yuming currently only appears to be at the eighth level of the Earth Rank, in terms of overall strength, his profound skills are already comparable to those of many old men.

However, Mo Yuming did not tell anyone the secret of cultivating the five elements simultaneously.

Like all cultivators of profound arts in this world, most of the old men in the canyon only cultivate one or two types of profound arts, and almost none of them cultivate three types of profound arts at the same time.

Therefore, no one would believe that someone could cultivate all five elements simultaneously.

Although Mo Yuming's profound cultivation level was close to the peak of the Earth Rank, he still had not awakened his spiritual root, which was his biggest confusion and regret.

As his cultivation improved, he gradually came to understand the difference between those who had awakened their spiritual roots and those who had not.

After the spiritual root is awakened, the spiritual energy in the dantian will continuously revolve around the spiritual root, and this will continue even after advancing to the Earth Rank.

The liquefied spiritual energy will form a vortex that rotates around the spiritual root. The greatest advantage of this autonomous rotation is that the spiritual sea will autonomously absorb the spiritual energy around the body and maintain contact with the outside world at all times, perceiving everything around it and becoming one with heaven and earth.

As one's cultivation level increases, this perceptual ability will continuously strengthen.

The most direct benefit is enhanced sensory and alertness abilities, and even during leisure time, the body will autonomously absorb spiritual energy. The higher the quality of the spiritual root, the faster the body will autonomously absorb spiritual energy.

Therefore, cultivators who have awakened their spiritual roots can improve their cultivation much faster than ordinary people, and their recovery ability after being injured is also much stronger.

Although Mo Yuming's cultivation level improved rapidly with the help of external forces, the spiritual sea in his dantian operated very slowly. Without cultivating, he could not absorb any spiritual energy from the outside world.

Their sensory abilities are also much weaker than those of those who have awakened their spiritual roots.

If he doesn't use his internal energy, he can hardly perceive the objects around him; he can only perceive things like an ordinary person through sight and hearing.

Ren Wuxing did not mention this issue in his scrolls, which is likely related to his living environment; perhaps he himself was simply unaware of this deficiency.