Chapter 90

"Remaining calm, even if the sky falls..." Inside the Lingyun Cave, where Nie Ying's body was locked, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged, silently reciting the mantra in his heart. A faint, hazy light enveloped his body, and not far from him, a blood-red longsword was embedded in the ground, trembling continuously.

It had been a month and a half since he had fought the Fire Kirin to the death. That day, after repelling the Fire Kirin, his entire body was drenched in Kirin blood, and he had accidentally swallowed some of it. Under the combined internal and external pressure, he almost fell into a near-death state. Fortunately, his Immortal Devil Body was formidable, and he had just taken the Blood Bodhi, which could neutralize the Kirin blood, allowing him to survive the life-and-death crisis.

However, surviving the crisis did not mean the danger was completely over. Just like Nie Ying and Yu Yue in the past, Nie Ying eventually went mad and had to lock himself in the Lingyun Cave to prevent harm to the world. Even his descendants had to endure the erosion of the mad blood, becoming abnormal when angry. In comparison, although Yu Yue's condition was not as severe, he could never fully control the Kirin Arm, living in constant pain.

Jiang Chen did not want to end up like that. He did not want to go mad or lose control of his own power. Therefore, after surviving the crisis, his first thought was: he needed to refine the Kirin mad blood.

For others, this might be an extremely difficult task, but for Jiang Chen, it was just a matter of time. However, before that, he had to suppress the demonic nature of the Kirin blood. Thus, his second thought was: the Blood Bodhi and the Ice Heart Sutra.

The Blood Bodhi could neutralize the Kirin mad blood, and the Ice Heart Sutra could suppress the demonic nature. With the Netherworld Soul Refinement Technique in hand, this secret cultivation method could refine even the powers of demons and monsters, so the Kirin mad blood was no exception.

Moreover, at this point, there was no other choice. Jiang Chen immediately followed the traces left from his previous escape, returning to the place where Nie Ying was locked. He took the Blood Bodhi, studied the Ice Heart Sutra, and redoubled his efforts to refine the Kirin mad blood using the Netherworld Soul Refinement Technique. His wristwatch space contained a large amount of living supplies, enough to sustain him for a year or more in the Lingyun Cave, so he had no worries.

Over the past month and a half, he had been quietly cultivating, combining the Daoist techniques, and the progress of the Ice Heart Sutra was very rapid, reaching a near-perfect state. The demonic nature of the Kirin blood was gradually suppressed, allowing him to freely use the Netherworld Soul Refinement Technique to refine the Kirin mad blood within his body.

Although the Fire Kirin was the weakest of the four mythical beasts in this world, the effects of its blood were also the weakest. However, this was only relative. In fact, the Kirin blood was still extremely miraculous. Internally, it could enhance one's power, and externally, it could strengthen the body. After initially refining the Kirin mad blood, Jiang Chen clearly felt that his Immortal Devil Body had significantly improved, and his internal and magical powers had greatly advanced.

Similarly, not only had he transformed, but so had his Gold-Breaking Sword. This sword was originally the legendary sword of the Sword Saint, Dugu Qiubai, from the Divine Crane World. In his youth, Dugu Qiubai's power was insufficient, so he relied on the strength of the divine weapon, which was said to be indestructible. It was not an ordinary weapon, made from meteoric iron. Now, after being saturated with Kirin blood and refined by Jiang Chen using Daoist true fire, it underwent a transformation similar to the Fire Kirin Sword.

The sword was three feet, six inches, and nine points long, weighing thirty-six pounds and nine ounces. It was entirely blood-red, as if made of congealed blood, with strange veins covering its surface, emitting a bloodthirsty and mysterious edge.

Suddenly opening his eyes, Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with two visible red lights. At the same time, the blood-red longsword embedded in the ground trembled violently, surrounded by flames that formed a Kirin-like shape, leaping up from the ground and into Jiang Chen's hand, emitting a long, resonant hum.

"The Golden Wheel is broken. Now that you have transformed by drinking the Kirin blood, you shall be called the Crimson Kirin." Holding the sword, Jiang Chen immediately felt an unprecedented connection, as if man and sword had become one, sensing his power gradually increasing. This filled him with joy, and he decided to rename the sword.

The Crimson Kirin was still new, and with the refinement by Daoist true fire, it had great potential for growth. Although Jiang Chen had not yet seen the divine weapons of this world, he believed that the Crimson Kirin would not be inferior to them and might even become more powerful in the future.

"Alright, it's time to leave. Although time is limited, I can't leave without seeing the martial arts experts of this world. It would be a great regret." With this thought, Jiang Chen immediately stopped his cultivation.

The Kirin mad blood, after all, came from a mythical beast, and compared to the zombie blood of Old Lady Ren, which had only coalesced for less than twenty years, it was clearly superior, containing much greater power. Completely refining it would be extremely difficult and would require a long time.

He had a time limit in this world, and six months had already passed a third. He did not want to continue like this, so he was eager to leave the Lingyun Cave.

One of life's great pleasures is a spontaneous journey.

After a brief rest, Jiang Chen had nothing to pack. He picked up the Crimson Kirin and chose a cave to proceed. His eyesight was excellent, and seeing in the dark was not a problem, so he did not need a torch, which might attract the Fire Kirin and lead to another battle.

Although he had managed to repel the Fire Kirin by chance a month and a half ago, that battle was purely a stroke of luck. If the Fire Kirin had not been caught off guard, if he had not discovered its weakness, and if his attack had not succeeded... In short, without absolute strength, he did not want to face the Fire Kirin again.

The Lingyun Cave was filled with sharp rocks and numerous interconnected caves, with winding and twisting passages. Finding a way out was not easy. He also dared not release the female ghost Dong Xiaoyu to help, as the high temperature and geothermal activity in the cave could damage her ghostly form, and encountering the Fire Kirin would be a disaster for her.

Jiang Chen walked for several days. At first, he could remember the route, but as time passed, he gradually lost his way, wandering around the cave without finding the correct exit.

The cave had many passages, and Jiang Chen kept moving forward. After what seemed like ten days or half a month, he began to feel restless. One day, he saw the figure of the Fire Kirin in the distance and followed it to a massive mural.

This was an ancient stone carving, with intricate lines and a profound aura. In the lower left corner, two striking characters were carved: "Xuanwu."

The painting depicted a misty, blood-red sky, with a mighty man with wild hair and a furious expression striking the Fire Kirin, which was emitting fierce flames. The man's divine power was overwhelming, and even such a fierce beast was subdued, leaving Jiang Chen deeply moved: Could this be the legendary supreme diagram?

Three hundred years ago, the demon emperor, Dishi Tian, wreaked havoc in the world. The great martial artist, Wu Wudi, emerged and defeated him. Wu Wudi had mastered all aspects of martial arts, from weapons to hand-to-hand combat, reaching the pinnacle of strength. However, he was still unsatisfied and further refined his skills, combining his ten supreme techniques—fist, palm, leg, finger, claw, sword, spear, halberd, staff—into a martial art known as the Xuanwu True Power.

This person was the strongest of the Ten Supreme Martial Artists, Wu Wudi, from three hundred years ago.

Before he disappeared, he integrated all his knowledge, the Xuanwu True Power and the Ten Supreme Martial Arts, into this Kirin mural, leaving it for future generations to uncover its secrets and pass on the martial arts.

However, the mural was only a few feet in size, and it could not fully record the intricate techniques of the ten martial arts. Instead, it preserved the fundamental intentions of the Ten Supreme Martial Arts.

This meant that if the observer had high insight and broad knowledge, they could gain more understanding. Conversely, if their insight was limited and their knowledge shallow, they would only be able to gaze at the mural in vain.

Originally, Jiang Chen's insight might not have been enough to comprehend the Ten Supreme Martial Arts, but since he already knew the true meaning of the mural and his body resonated with the Kirin blood, the Xuanwu True Power was revealed to him without any concealment:

The Mountain and Sea Fist Manual, five forms; the Xuanwu Divine Palm, six forms; the Ten Supreme Leg Techniques, three forms; the Dragon Claw of the Oracle Bones, nine forms; the Perfect Golden Finger, three forms; the Unparalleled Sword Technique, six forms; the Heaven-Questioning Spear Technique, four forms; the Heaven's Will Sword Path, seven forms; the Heaven-Battling Halberd Technique, eight forms; the Tiger Roar Staff Collection, one form......

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