Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

Insta-kill!

The two remaining Iron Armor Pigs, both at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, were spared from an instant death thanks to their formidable physiques. However, it was as if a great mountain had been dropped on their backs. Their hooves sank deep into the earth, their bones emitting a cringe-inducing creak as they were pinned to the spot, unable to move, letting out nothing but desperate squeals.

’So this is the power of an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact...’

Chu Bai was inwardly surprised as he surveyed the aftermath.

No wonder everyone had fought so desperately for one in the first round.

"Go!"

A cold glint flashed in Chu Bai’s eyes as he flicked a fingertip.

Dozens of crystalline Spirit Water Needles materialized from thin air, glinting coldly in the sunlight.

But unlike their usual gentleness, the core of each Water Needle now pulsed faintly with an incomparably sharp Geng Metal Qi.

Metal generates Water. This fusion of hardness and flexibility multiplied their piercing power!

This shower of needles didn’t fall indiscriminately. Instead, like precise arrows, they shot straight toward the bellies of the two pinned Iron Armor Pigs—the most weakly defended part of their bodies.

At this life-or-death moment, the leader of the Iron Armor Pigs—the largest of the pack—let out a deafening roar.

Demon Power surged wildly through its body. In an instant, a layer of hard, earthen-yellow mud armor condensed over its already thick hide.

THWAP! THWAP! THWAP!

A flurry of dull thuds echoed.

The Spirit Water Needles, sharp enough to pierce metal and stone, slammed into the mud armor but failed to punch through. They sank only half an inch deep before being stopped by the thick layer of Demon Power.

Though the attack wasn’t fatal, the agonizing pain drove the two Iron Armor Pigs into a complete frenzy.

AWOOOO—!!

The intense pain fully awakened the Demon Beasts’ savage nature.

With a violent struggle, the two Iron Armor Pigs fought against the lingering power of the Essence-Bearing Tripod, shattering the ground beneath their hooves as they broke free. Then, they opened their massive maws, and two foul-smelling, earthen-yellow beams of light shot toward Chu Bai like cannonballs.

It was the Iron Armor Pigs’ innate Demon Technique—Earth-Splitting Wave!

"Hmph."

Chu Bai snorted, and the red light from the Fire Element Ring at his feet flared intensely.

In the blink of an eye, his figure became a ghostly streak of fire, carving an impossible trajectory through the air as he narrowly dodged the two beams—both powerful enough to shatter solid rock.

The next instant, before the smoke and dust could even settle, the crimson figure had closed in on the two behemoths like the grim reaper himself.

Close-quarters combat!

He wasn’t about to give them a chance to regroup and add another layer of armor.

"Die!"

Chu Bai’s eyes flashed like lightning. He clenched his right fist, channeling his Perfection Realm Formless Cloud Hand with all his might.

This time, it was no longer a gentle swirl of Cloud Qi, but an attack of pure, unyielding force!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In an instant, dozens of solidified fist-shadows of Cloud Qi hammered down like a torrential storm, each one landing precisely on the wounds previously opened by the Spirit Water Needles.

Under the relentless barrage, the once-indestructible mud armor finally shattered.

Black blood and chunks of flesh flew everywhere!

Instead of retreating, Chu Bai pressed forward. Amidst the Iron Armor Pig leader’s blood-curdling squeal, he changed his fist into a claw. A massive hand formed of Cloud Qi plunged deep into the beast’s shredded abdomen.

SQUELCH!

The sensation of tearing through flesh and blood traveled up his arm through the Cloud Qi.

Expressionless, Chu Bai violently retracted his arm.

He had ripped out its massive heart, which was still beating violently!

The Iron Armor Pig leader didn’t seem to realize what had happened. A savage light still gleamed in its eyes as it instinctively tried to lower its head for another charge.

"Burst!"

Chu Bai barked, and his fingers clenched tight.

The heart in his hand instantly exploded into a bloody mist.

Its massive body went rigid, the light in its eyes rapidly faded, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust.

Just then, the other Iron Armor Pig reached him, consumed by a towering rage. Its sharp tusks were mere inches from Chu Bai’s chest.

There was no room to dodge.

So he wouldn’t.

Chu Bai’s eyes turned cold. His footwork shifted, becoming profound and unpredictable. The heatwave from his Fire Element Ring wasn’t used for escape, but was instead converted into pure explosive power.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

He took three steps within that tiny space, each one seeming to land on empty air, yet carrying a strange, concussive force.

The instant the tusks were about to touch him, Chu Bai shifted his weight, slamming his shoulder into the side of the Iron Armor Pig’s neck with the force of a landslide.

Mountain-Leaning Strike!

CRACK!

The sharp sound of bone snapping echoed.

The thousand-pound beast was sent flying by the force of the impact, its neck twisted at a grotesque angle. It landed heavily thirty feet away, twitched a few times, and then moved no more.

Silence.

The once-raucous mountain hollow was plunged into a deathly stillness.

All five of the incredibly ferocious Iron Armor Pigs were now just corpses.

From Chu Bai’s initial suppression to the final, thunderous strike, the entire battle, which seemed to last an eternity, had in fact taken no more than a hundred breaths.

The Iron Armor Pig swarm, completely annihilated!

Chu Bai stood amidst the carnage. Though spattered with blood, the piercing Evil Qi emanating from him was impossible to hide.

As five dense streams of black qi flowed into his body, he slowly exhaled a puff of white mist, his gaze growing ever sharper.

’It’s still not enough...’

’The higher I climb, the greater the rewards!’