Chapter 92: The Dantian Devours the Immortal

The Black Chi did not know when the Immortal Lord would appear on him, so it could not draw its sword too early, lest it alarm the snake.

But it knew that when the “Binglu” was about to be seized, He would already be there.

It precisely timed this moment, delivering the final strike of the Shattered Heart Liuli , extinguishing the consciousness.

Pei Ye gritted his teeth and gripped the sword hilt; this time, no dragon blood remained to mend his body.

“This time, it’s surely been completely destroyed?” Pei Ye slowly sat down beside a tree, Ming Qitian drew her sword and placed her hand on his shoulder to send in true qi to stop the bleeding.

The black cat fell silent for a moment, then sighed: “Perhaps.”

This answer was not swift enough, just as the end of all this was not joyful. Pei Ye turned his head; the old man leaned against the tree, quietly gazing at the blue sky.

“Great-uncle Yue…”

“Take it now,” the old man said, “someone will be coming soon. It dissolves on contact with blood—perfect, since you have a wound on your belly.”

Pei Ye lowered his head; his fingernails were still sharp, a deep blue. He held the pearl and slowly pressed it against the wound on his abdomen.

A strange sense of familiarity arose—he seemed to have grown accustomed to being drilled into and out of.

Thankfully, this was likely the last time.

The moment it touched the wound, the pearl softened into a pliant gel, sliding inward.

Pei Ye felt a cool, slender stream slowly sinking into his belly, and the wound sealed itself first, bound by the gel.

He now understood how the old man had survived his grave injuries back then.

Gradually, Pei Ye sensed something new within his belly—an unfamiliar yet familiar sensation… the Dantian Seed.

Unlike the Dragon Tongue and Divine Seed that had lain in his belly days ago. When those two were present, though he could control them somewhat, they always felt alien and strange—not like his own organs, but foreign implants.

He could only use their external functions, never understand or perceive their inner workings.

Not to mention the strange cravings that kept surfacing.

But this Dantian Seed was different.

It was like a gentle, courteous guest; upon entering his belly, it revealed everything to Pei Ye. It felt as if it had naturally grown from within, not come from outside—he could feel complete mastery over it.

Then it immediately began its first stir.

Unlike the greedy hunger transmitted from the Dragon Tongue, which he had merely sensed, its need appeared directly in his mind.

Or rather—it was his own need.

Like hunger calling for food, or a cut calling for bandaging.

With this stir, Pei Ye gazed at the deep blue on his fingertips; it slowly dissolved into his body, becoming energy to nourish the pearl.

“How much more is needed?” the old man asked.

“What?”

“How much more to fill it,” the old man said. “It draws in heavenly and earthly xuan qi to grow, but if starting from zero, it takes eighteen years. Look—how much remains?”

Pei Ye carefully sensed—and indeed, he clearly perceived the energy level within. It had once been full inside the old man’s body, but much had been consumed in its recent self-defense; now it was roughly two-thirds full.

That meant… he would have to wait another six years?

Pei Ye told the old man honestly.

“Hmm… then try eating it?” the old man’s gaze shifted toward something.

Pei Ye froze, following the old man’s gaze—the massive, monstrous dragon carcass lay sprawled among dead leaves.

“Eat… eat Him?” Pei Ye stared back at the old man, dumbfounded.

“Aren’t you experienced at absorbing corpses?” Yue Muzhou glanced at him sideways. “What, only brave enough to absorb humans? What’s there to fear? Looks about as scary as a crab.”

Pei Ye, clutching his belly, slowly rose and approached the corpse.

So cold. So vast. So fearsome, majestic.

Thick, deep blue blood clung to its black, glossy scales; blade-like bone spines still gleamed with cold light. Even lifeless, the body retained its profound, magnificent grandeur.

And now, standing before this colossal form, Pei Ye truly felt an “appetite.” Not from his tongue, but from a deeper, primal longing.

For countless millennia, countless lives had relentlessly climbed upward—this ancient, inherited instinct surged forth before the dragon’s body.

The longing for power. The longing to ascend the ladder of life.

If the Immortal Platform were here, they would never allow Pei Ye to devour such a precious dragon carcass. But now, only three people and one cat remained in the woods; even Ming Qitian, the sole outsider, cared nothing for such matters.

Pei Ye stared at it for a moment, then unconsciously bent down. When he came to his senses, his hand was already touching the cold body.

The scales, which had once resisted his sword even after a full day and night of hacking, now softened like gel, clinging to his hand and swiftly seeping into his skin.

A joyful draught!

Like a thirsty man drinking sweet spring water, a hungry man feasting on fine food—or even if neither hungry nor thirsty, devouring it was pure, perfect satisfaction.

This was an utterly new sensation for Pei Ye. Unlike when the Dragon Tongue devoured corpses, when he had only felt visual revulsion and the distant satisfaction from within his belly.

Now, the satisfaction arose directly within his heart.

As the dragon’s corpse gradually vanished, Pei Ye felt the pearl within his belly rapidly filling—until, at a certain moment, he stopped absorbing.

The luminous pearl within his belly slowly sprouted two tiny buds; a qi sensation rose from his Dantian and swept through his entire body in an instant.

His robes stirred without wind, but Pei Ye, having once manipulated dragon blood, quickly mastered this qi.

True qi.

Pure, refined true qi—not strange substances like the deep blue liquid—but power uniquely human.

His body felt washed clean; limbs agile, reflexes swift, senses sharp. The true qi from “One Life” was not abundant, but this was a breakthrough from nothing to something—its overall enhancement to his strength actually surpassed that of advancing from “One Life” to “Two Life.”

At this moment, Pei Ye deeply understood why the Immortal Lord had been so determined to find and destroy this thing.

For just as He could devour all living beings—including humans—to transform them into His dragon blood, this Dantian Seed could devour Him, transforming Him into the purest human true qi.

…

Noisy footsteps echoed through the woods; several robes sliced through the air above the treetops.

Xing Zhi leapt through the forest, her gaze repeatedly drawn to the horrifying traces along the way.

The frost ghosts the city had been struggling to clear—now suddenly melting into liquid and flying toward the city’s edge—prompted her to gather nearby personnel and pursue.

Along the way, her heart felt heavy as stone; she had seen from afar that the black-clothed old man had not held the upper hand.

The woods fell silent; the signs of destruction drew nearer. She felt like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

Suddenly, she halted. Before her, in the forest clearing, the scene came into view.

The old man leaned against a tall tree, blood staining his clothes; Ming Qitian stood with her sword in hand, turning to look at her; at her feet crouched a black cat; farther ahead, a slender boy in plain robes stood with his back to them all.

The scene was utterly serene.

Xing Zhi blinked: “The… the Immortal Lord?”

The boy turned around, cradling a massive dragon head larger than his chest and belly.

He offered a faint apology: “Sorry. Only this remains.”

Most readers voted last night to release the chapters together, so today I’ll release all three at once!

(End of Chapter)