Chapter 115

In the tent, Uesugi Emiko lay in Cang Luo’s arms, clutching him tightly as she softly spoke words of devotion.

Yet in her heart, she wondered why Cang Luo had not been poisoned or fallen unconscious.

After much thought, she could not find a reason, so she turned her mind to his identity.

Lord Cang is from the Secret Realm—perhaps he possesses some special ability. Yes, his strength far surpassing his cultivation base must be due to the Secret Realm.

That Secret Realm... is truly miraculous!

I must send word to the Yamato Imperial Court as soon as possible about Lord Cang and the Secret Realm...

At this moment, Uesugi Emiko’s thoughts had already flown thousands of miles to the Yamato Imperial Court, yet she continued whispering tender words to Cang Luo.

Cang Luo listened in silence.

This feeling—holding a girl while she whispers sweet nothings... is incredibly relaxing.

But that’s all it is.

Cang Luo isn’t foolish; this Yamato woman tried to steal his phone and even resorted to poisoning—how do I know she isn’t pretending right now?

Trying to win my sympathy, feign weakness, then strike with a fatal blow?

Cang Luo listened carefully for a while longer, then said calmly: “As long as you don’t betray me, I will protect you and share everything I have with you.”

“But if I ever discover you’ve betrayed me, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Uesugi Emiko immediately looked up at him and declared firmly: “Lord Cang, I am yours—forever, I will never betray you!”

Cang Luo nodded, but did not believe her; he said nothing. Uesugi Emiko fell silent.

After a while of tender closeness, Uesugi Emiko suddenly said: “Lord Cang, when will you take me to see your homeland? I wish to meet your parents.”

Cang Luo froze, instantly recalling last night’s screening of The Avengers.

Shit!

What did I say last night? Did I say the world in The Avengers was my homeland? Did I mention Earth?

Cang Luo felt a chill—he forced calmness and said: “Homeland? My homeland is far away... let’s talk about it next year, see if I can take you there.”

He then mumbled a few more vague words and got up to dress.

Far from being disappointed by Cang Luo’s evasiveness, Uesugi Emiko grew even more excited—his vagueness confirmed several things.

The Secret Realm truly exists, and it is very distant from the Yuanwu Continent.

Lord Cang is indeed from the Secret Realm—he can communicate with it, return to it, and even bring me there!

But from his tone, it seems Lord Cang cannot return to the Secret Realm at will?

As she rose to help Cang Luo dress, Uesugi Emiko pondered deeply.

Lord Cang likely cannot return to the Secret Realm on his own—or perhaps he cannot return at all, and requires someone from the Secret Realm to guide him.

Then I must change my plan.

Originally, my plan was to notify the Yamato Imperial Court, and have them send powerful cultivators to seize Cang Luo and extract the Secret Realm’s secrets.

But now that I know Cang Luo may be unable to return alone, I will first investigate exactly when and how he can return, then act accordingly.

Of course, I must still notify the Yamato Imperial Court—once we return to the Five Elements Hall.

Then I’ll decide whether to accompany Lord Cang to the Secret Realm first, or let the Yamato Imperial Court launch a direct assault...

As Uesugi Emiko thought of these things, she finished dressing Cang Luo.

Cang Luo glanced at her and smiled: “I’ll go get something to eat. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Uesugi Emiko nodded silently, slowly dressing herself—her body ached slightly...

Cang Luo quickly prepared some roasted meat; after eating, they resumed searching for demonic beasts.

Uesugi Emiko wanted to subdue a second-rank demonic beast as a pet, preferably a mutated one. Cang Luo also sought a second-rank demonic beast as a pet, but he didn’t expect a mutated one.

Soon, under satellite surveillance, Cang Luo quickly found a second-rank demonic beast resembling Earth’s giant bears—though not mutated. Uesugi Emiko shook her head, declining it; Cang Luo declined too.

So Cang Luo immediately obliterated it.

He used only three strikes: the first two were Thunderclap Palms infused with Thunder Essence.

The third was a palm-blade infused with Yang Essence.

At that moment, Cang Luo finally felt the power of Essence, and began to grasp how to use it.

Essence—cuts through iron like mud!

Thunder Essence was even more potent, like an electric field clinging to the skin; upon impact, it electrocuted the target, its paralysis effect stronger than Thunderclap Palm.

Yang Essence was scorching, immense, and devastating!

Moreover, the Yang Essence absorbed and transformed by Cang Luo’s Earth-grade Upper-tier cultivation method, the Divine Body Destruction Art, was three times stronger.

The Yang Essence palm-blade forged by the Divine Body Destruction Art sliced clean through the giant bear’s neck—its power rivaled a Grade Three longsword.

Beside him, Uesugi Emiko was stunned—she had no idea when Cang Luo had broken through to Martial General, growing even stronger.

She realized his Yang Essence was extraordinarily powerful—stronger than that of most Martial Masters.

Faced with Cang Luo’s abnormal strength, Uesugi Emiko once again attributed it to the miraculous Secret Realm.

She believed the Secret Realm Cang Luo came from must have unique cultivation methods.

For instance, that man who, in normal state, looked like he could be killed by a single slash—yet transformed into a “green-skinned gorilla” and became terrifyingly powerful!

Immense strength!

Invulnerable to blades and bullets!

Grew stronger the longer he fought!

With just one punch, he defeated a giant flying fish that looked like at least a seventh-rank demonic beast...

If Cang Luo knew Uesugi Emiko called the Hulk a “green-skinned gorilla” and the Chitauri whale-ships seventh-rank demonic beasts, he would have laughed out loud.

At this moment, Cang Luo was digging out the demonic core; after extracting it, he swallowed it without hesitation and immediately began refining it on the spot—he wanted to test his “Starvation Supplement” ability again.

Ten minutes later.

Cang Luo frowned slightly—this time, refining the demonic core did not trigger rapid absorption. This confirmed his suspicion: only in a state of extreme hunger could he rapidly refine demonic cores.

Then, I just need to confirm whether extreme hunger occurs only during sieges and territorial conquests.

That would prove the “Starvation Supplement” ability isn’t an accident or coincidence—it’s my new ability.

Though the “Starvation Supplement” ability is wasteful—squandering at least ninety percent of resources—and deprives me of my pleasures, it might prove invaluable someday...

For example, if I ever get rich, I could buy vast quantities of resources to refine.

Thinking of this, Cang Luo also recalled the idea of trading between the two worlds: exchanging Earth’s goods for Yuanwu Continent’s resources, then using “Starvation Supplement” to cultivate.

If I cycle this, wouldn’t I become Emperor or Sovereign in minutes?

Cang Luo smiled bitterly—how easy would that be?

The higher the cultivation, the more resources required; using “Starvation Supplement” multiplies that consumption tenfold!

Last night, I broke through from Martial Warrior Ninth Layer to Martial General Second Layer, consuming at least two hundred low-grade Yuan Stones’ worth of demonic cores—roughly 2.8 million RMB.

Think of it: forget Martial Sovereign or Martial King—even reaching Martial Spirit, a fourth-rank cultivator, might be beyond my means.

Martial General is a second-rank cultivator, and I’m only at Second Layer—each advancement now costs millions. What about Martial Spirit? Tens of millions? Hundreds of millions? Billions?

Where the hell am I going to get this much money?

Cang Luo sighed deeply—no wonder they say the poor study, the rich cultivate. Martial cultivation truly is built on gold.

Moreover, “Starvation Supplement” only boosts cultivation base, not actual combat power—if the technique doesn’t keep up, it’s all useless.

Also, I don’t even know if I’ll survive to return to Earth...

Cang Luo sighed again, stopped thinking about it, and decided to take things as they come—cultivate steadily. With his Earth-born physique, his current cultivation speed is already fast enough.

Beside him, Uesugi Emiko noticed his troubled expression and asked gently: “Lord Cang, what’s wrong?”

Cang Luo shook his head: “Nothing. Just a little homesick. Let’s keep searching for demonic beasts.”

With that, Cang Luo regained his focus and resumed searching.

Behind him, Uesugi Emiko, hearing his mention of homesickness, became even more convinced: Lord Cang cannot return to the Secret Realm on his own...

Searching for demonic beasts passed quickly; night fell.

That afternoon, under satellite surveillance, Cang Luo spotted hundreds of demonic beasts—first, second, and third rank. Had the satellite penetrated the dense forest, he could have found more.

Yet among these hundreds, only dozens were solitary; most moved in groups.

Demonic beasts aren’t stupid—human cultivators hunt in teams, so demonic beasts fight in packs too. The higher their rank, the smarter they become.

Many demonic beasts were found, but none suited either of them.

Uesugi Emiko said she wanted a... cute second-rank demonic beast.

Cang Luo was speechless—do you plan to use this beast for battle, or as a pet?

Cang Luo himself wanted to subdue a stealth-type demonic beast—a master of ambush.

He thought: the Husky can spit smoke to create mist—what if the next beast is a stealth type? Then I could hide in the mist and strike unseen.

The idea was good—but no such beast was found.

Still, the afternoon wasn’t fruitless: Cang Luo killed five solitary second-rank demonic beasts, plus the giant bear—six total—and collected six second-rank demonic cores.

In truth, had he not been searching for a suitable pet, he could have killed far more.

Night had fallen; Cang Luo and Uesugi Emiko entered the tent...

Inside the tent, they sat in silence; a faint osmanthus fragrance drifted in the air.

Cang Luo remained wary, wanting to test his “Starvation Supplement” ability, but hesitated—too much initiative would seem desperate, even cruel.

So he swallowed a second-rank demonic core and began refining it silently.

Uesugi Emiko instantly relaxed, and began her own cultivation—she was afraid.

Last night, Lord Cang was too wild...