Chapter 587 - 340: Breakthrough
Yang An had Purified his Cultivation Technique long ago, so the process was exceptionally smooth, free of any costs or tribulations.
And all this had happened in just a short time since he began absorbing the Spirit Juice.
By the time he broke through to the Late Stage of Zombie God, about a third of the Spirit Juice in his hand had been consumed, and it had shrunk considerably.
Moreover, after advancing a Small Realm, the pace of his cultivation slowed, requiring even more Mana.
Furthermore, there was indeed an absorption limit to the Spirit Juice; its effects seemed to have diminished somewhat.
At his current rate of absorption, what took ten breaths to achieve ten percent progress during the Middle Stage of Zombie God now required over thirty breaths in the Late Stage.
The rate of his cultivation had slowed severalfold, but it was still incredibly fast.
The Spirit Juice in his hand shrank at a visible rate as Yang An’s Cultivation Level soared, climbing steadily as he blazed through the Late Stage of Zombie God.
Ten percent... Thirty percent... Fifty percent...
After another quarter of an hour, his Cultivation Level neared the Perfection level of the Late Stage of Zombie God. The black sphere of compressed Spirit Juice in his hand had been consumed until it was no bigger than his thumb.
The gap between the Late Stage of Zombie God and Perfection was not to be underestimated; it was practically a watershed moment.
The Late Stage was just that—the Late Stage. But the Perfection level meant one had already taken a half-step into the Insect Dao realm.
’But I know I can’t take that final step into the Insect Dao just yet. To do so requires merging with a complete Forbidden Artifact, and I simply don’t have time to find one.’
’Zombie God Perfection is the limit of what I can quickly achieve right now.’
Even so, by reaching the level of Zombie God Perfection, Yang An was confident enough to face Xuan You in battle.
Back when he was only at the Middle Stage of Zombie God, he had been able to defeat—and even kill—Jishan, who was at the Middle Stage of the Insect Dao.
Now, his Cultivation Level had risen by a full two Small Realms. Due to the effects of his Cultivation Technique and new cultivation base, all his abilities had essentially been amplified and strengthened twice over. His combat strength had increased by an incalculable amount.
As the last of the Spirit Juice transformed into a black mist and entered his body, Yang An’s Cultivation Level finally and smoothly reached the level of Perfection.
The Spirit Juice, gathered from countless Demon Fiends of all sizes across Earth Demon Cliff—many of whom were also at the Zombie God Cultivation Level—had only been enough to raise Yang An from the Middle Stage of Zombie God to Zombie God Perfection.
If not for this whole affair, Yang An would never have known such a boon existed within Earth Demon Cliff.
It was a crisis, but also an opportunity.
WHOOSH—
Yang An let out a long breath. After such a rapid increase in his Cultivation Level, he hadn’t quite adjusted to his newfound power. The mere force of his exhale created a gale within the cavern, its whistling sound echoing off the walls.
He slowly rose from the ground. A web-like pattern spread out from his body, extending in all directions without a single blind spot.
His Spiritual Light Net passed through the cavern rock unimpeded, rapidly spreading out in every direction.
His Spiritual Light Net, which previously had a range of only about a hundred meters, now extended to nearly a thousand meters after his breakthrough across two Small Realms—an astonishing tenfold increase.
RUMBLE—
Deep underground, the rock layers of the cavern were rapidly melted by the light, causing an instantaneous collapse.
Viewed from the sky above Earth Demon Cliff, what had been a patch of flat ground instantly caved in, forming a massive, kilometer-wide crater.
Yang An’s figure appeared outside the collapsed area. He casually clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body, which felt ready to burst forth.
’Time is running out. I can’t afford any more delays.’
He sensed the auras outside Earth Demon Cliff. So far, none of the Scripture Defector Association members captured by Xuan You had been killed. They had bought him enough time.
On the other hand, Xuan You likely never imagined he could advance from the Middle Stage of Zombie God to Zombie God Perfection in such a short time.
Besides, to an Insect Dao expert unfamiliar with his true capabilities, this level of improvement was like a small ant growing into a slightly larger one—hardly a significant change.
Perhaps that was why, whether the members of the Scripture Defector Association were stalling for him or not, Xuan You had given him plenty of time to consider revealing himself.
All things considered, absorbing the Spirit Juice had taken him less than an hour. It really wasn’t long at all.
’But now, it’s time to use Xuan You as a whetstone for the new Dao of Destiny Technique I’ve created.’
Yang An’s figure vanished, and he headed toward Xuan You’s location outside Earth Demon Cliff.
This time, he didn’t ask Huan to watch his back.
Even though Huan was there as backup, Yang An hoped he wouldn’t be needed.
If it ever came to the point where Huan had to intervene, it would mean that he couldn’t defeat Xuan You and had been forced to retreat into Earth Demon Cliff. That would mean he had failed.
At that exact moment, deep within Earth Demon Cliff, Huan quietly raised its head. It had already sensed Yang An leaving, and a flicker of surprise appeared in its eyes.
"How can he be so fast?!"
The hand resting on the Stone Stele lifted slightly.
It was as if something burst from the earth, traveled through an unseen space, and finally returned to its hand.