"Wow, so many!"
Stone rubbed his hands together, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a gleam of excitement.
He didn't use any techniques or activate his demonic physique; he simply moved his wrists, clenched his fists, and charged toward the nearest giant soul bear.
"Bang!"
The stone's fist slammed into the giant bear's chest, and the soul bear roared, its massive body being forced back two steps by the impact.
He chuckled and punched the giant bear on the head again. The soul bear instantly disintegrated, turning into specks of soul mist and dissipating.
The initial battle was like a "warm-up" for Stone. His physical body was already strong, and although these soul-form demonic beasts were more durable than ordinary demonic beasts...
However, it couldn't stop the power of his punches. He killed almost every one of them with a single punch. The soul mist on the gray plain kept dissipating, and new soul beasts kept emerging from the mist.
But as time went on, the stone gradually began to feel strained.
One day, two days, three days... the spirit beasts on the plains seemed inexhaustible, their numbers increasing and their strength growing stronger.
From the initial stage of Asking the Way, it gradually progressed to the early and middle stages of Proving the Way, and finally, even the late stage of Proving the Way, where peak-level soul-body demonic beasts appeared.
They no longer fought alone, but attacked the stone in groups of three or five, using their claws and fangs to strike, each attack causing the stone's flesh to ache.
Stone's breathing grew heavier, his chest heaving violently, and his punches slowed, his arms trembling slightly.
The continuous fighting for several days without sleep had already exhausted his strength. What made it even worse was that he was a body cultivator and needed to replenish his energy through meat.
But these spirit beasts vanished without a trace, leaving not even a scrap of meat. His hunger grew stronger and stronger, and his strength was slowly draining away.
"Damn it... how come there's still so much!"
Shi Tou punched a spirit tiger away, but was also knocked back two steps by another spirit bear, his back hitting a rock, making him grimace in pain.
Looking at the dozen or so late-stage Dao-proving soul-form demonic beasts surrounding him, the thought of "breaking through" arose in his mind for the first time.
If this fight continues, even if we don't die from the fighting, we'll starve or die from exhaustion.
Just as he was about to activate his demonic physique to forcefully break through, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ears, carrying a hint of laziness.
Yet it was also remarkably clear: "Stone, you haven't reached your limit yet. The path of body cultivation is about constantly breaking through your own limits and challenging yourself."
"If you can't even handle this little bit of hardship, how can you work with me?"
"Master?!"
Stone suddenly looked up and glanced around, but saw no one.
That was Lin Zhou's voice! He instantly understood that his master had been watching him all along!
"My master said I haven't reached my limit... which means I can still fight!"
The weariness in Shi Tou's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a burning fighting spirit.
He rubbed his rumbling stomach and grinned, "So what if there's no meat to eat? So what if I'm tired? I can handle it!"
He no longer wanted to break through, nor did he hold back his strength. He clenched his fists, and although the pale golden spiritual power did not activate his demon god physique, it was still concentrated in his fists. Every punch was filled with the fierce force of "burning the boats", and he charged towards the soul beast!
"kill!"
The roar of the stone echoed across the plain, and the muffled thuds of fists striking the soul-shaped monsters were incessant.
His arm was scratched, his chest ached from the impact, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet he still didn't take a single step back.
He wanted to prove to his master that he could do it! He wanted to break through his own limits, become stronger, and better protect his senior brother in the future!
On the gray plains, soul mist churns, and human and beast figures intertwine as a "limit challenge" for body cultivators continues.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhou, far away at the Qingyun Sect, looked at the stone that had regained its strength in the water mirror and smiled with satisfaction: "That's more like my disciple... Just a little more perseverance and he'll break through."
A month passed quietly during the training in the forbidden land where souls returned.
Xiao Chen's spear intent became increasingly pure and refined, his peak Dao-proving realm was now firmly established, and the rusty iron spear in his hand trembled slightly.
This allows one to resonate with the surrounding airflow, achieving a previously unattainable state of "unity of spear and mind."
It was now within reach; the stone had completely broken through the limits of its physical body, and its demonic physique had been further stimulated.
Even without channeling spiritual power, a single punch could shatter the defenses of a late-stage Dao-proving soul body, and his muscles became increasingly defined and bulging.
His eyes held a newfound composure born of hard-fought battle; using the fiery currents from the blazing passage, Lin Jingxing successfully touched the threshold of the Creation Realm.
The dragon's flames were several times stronger than before, and the oppressive aura emanating from him was far greater than ever; Luo Qingyang also comprehended a new spatial technique in the Soul Mist Swamp.
It can teleport away to evade a soul attack the instant it strikes, and can even briefly distort the surrounding space to restrict the soul's movement.
When the four reunited, they could all sense the changes in each other, and their eyes held a newfound respect.
Everyone gained a lot from this month of training, and their abilities have made a qualitative leap compared to before.
"There should be even greater opportunities deeper within the forbidden area. Should we explore further?"
Lin Jingxing looked at the increasingly dark passageway before him, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Although they encountered many dangers during this month, they also gained a lot of benefits. He vaguely felt that the core secret of this forbidden area was still deeper.
Luo Qingyang nodded in agreement: "The strength of the souls here increases as we go deeper. The core area may contain soul crystal veins or treasures that can directly improve one's cultivation level. It would be a pity to miss it."
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou exchanged a glance, but neither objected. Although they had already broken through, facing the approaching demon army, the stronger they became...
The greater the chance of survival, the more opportunities one has, and naturally, one is unwilling to give up.
The four immediately decided to continue deeper into the core of the forbidden area.
But as soon as they stepped into the deeper passage, the surrounding light vanished instantly.
It was an extreme black, thicker than ink in the dead of night, so dark you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face, not even your own palm. You could only rely on hearing and your sense of direction.
Even more bizarrely, the evil energy here can interfere with divine sense. Divine sense will be swallowed up before it can even extend three feet, making it impossible to perceive the surrounding environment.
"Walk back to back, be careful of soul attacks!" Xiao Chen shouted, standing back to back with Shi Tou, his rusty iron spear held horizontally in front of him, the tip of the spear trembling slightly, constantly alert to the surrounding movements.
Lin Jingxing and Luo Qingyang huddled together in tacit agreement—though they had been rivals vying for the secret treasure, they were now united in the face of this extreme darkness and unknown danger.
Both put aside their prejudices. Luo Qingyang used his spatial techniques to detect and evade, while Lin Jingxing's dragon flames were ready to erupt at any time to deal with any unexpected situations.
The passage was eerily quiet, with only the echoes of four people's footsteps. Occasionally, faint ghostly howls could be heard from afar, but their direction was unclear.
Not long after they left, several icy claws suddenly attacked from the darkness, aiming straight for Xiao Chen and Shi Tou's backs!
"careful!"
Xiao Chen reacted extremely quickly, thrusting his rusty iron spear backward and precisely piercing the core of a soul entity.
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