Chapter 329: Blood Asura Body

Chapter 329: The Blood Asura Body

Huangfu Qing never expected that she only knew he needed the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng to temper his body, but had no idea this damned physique would be so ferocious.

She had merely imagined a beautiful scene of the two kissing to exchange breath, cultivating together—how did it suddenly turn into a bear mauling wildly, nearly snapping the corncob in half?

They said he was at the Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier... As a Vermilion Bird who had seen much, she had never encountered such a Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier.

Those explosive muscles, that surging vitality, that oppressive and aggressive force like a mountain crushing down...

Huangfu Qing had secretly used power beyond the ordinary Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier to resist, yet he grabbed both her delicate wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head.

With the same strength at the Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier, it was like an adult pinning down a child, leaving her utterly powerless and weak.

You call this the Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier?

Huangfu Qing realized that if she insisted on maintaining the persona of "Yihuo Snake" and didn't use the power of the Vermilion Bird, she would never match his strength.

Luckily, this wasn't a real fight—could he really be trying to force himself on her?

All she had to do was stare at Zhao Changhe with a resentful gaze, and he awkwardly recoiled: "Uh, that... I didn't mean to. This medicine is too strong; my strength is a bit out of control right now..."

Huangfu Qing's face was expressionless: "Let go. My wrists hurt."

Zhao Changhe sheepishly released her.

Huangfu Qing slapped his hand: "Where's your other hand touching?"

Zhao Changhe reluctantly refused to pull it out.

"I really can't do anything with you." Huangfu Qing knew his state wasn't intentional—the medicine's effects were indeed too fierce, and objective problems had to be dealt with...

She pursed her lips, instinctively glanced left and right—it was pitch black all around, not even the Heart Flame remained... and there was certainly no Xia Chichi.

In the dark chamber, hearts pounded wildly, and a sense of reckless abandon crept in unbidden.

He was suffering so much...

Huangfu Qing lowered her voice like a thief: "How about... using my hand?"

Zhao Changhe dared not say no, and obediently let himself be pushed aside. Huangfu Qing leaned over, gently kissing his cheek, her delicate hand moving downward: "Don't move, be good. Big sister will take care of you."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

The Heart Flame was gone, and the secret realm was shrouded in darkness. In the night vision, he could see the young lady's cheeks flushed, her eyes misty.

Those hands meant for killing were now tenderly soothing his fire. And his hand remained inside her clothes, yet she didn't pull away.

Just this psychological experience alone was unparalleled—there was no need to demand too much.

Nor could he demand it. It was already hard enough for Huangfu Qing to do this; just a few hours ago, she had insisted there was no such relationship between them.

Was she now... fully facing her feelings?

But unfortunately, there was still a long distance between confirming emotions and going all the way. For a modern girl, from agreeing to be your girlfriend to coaxing her into bed might take months of patient effort, let alone an ancient noble lady, a superior, who might also have troubles within her sect.

How could she easily let go of everything and yield completely?

Even now, she still maintained the mindset of a big sister in control...

"What are you thinking about?" Huangfu Qing looked up into his eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Are you thinking how comfortable big sister is making you feel, or are you scheming how to get this tactless woman into bed?"

Zhao Changhe was no longer the clueless straight man of the past; he had learned how to handle such situations.

He said nothing, simply gently embraced her and kissed her forehead.

The affection and encouragement conveyed were more effective than any words.

Huangfu Qing pouted slightly. She had been getting tired of this repetitive, monotonous task, but now she felt delighted again and continued her work.

"I must be bewitched..." she whispered softly in Zhao Changhe's ear: "Anyway, it's all the fault of this Heart Flame's evil fire. You mustn't tell anyone when we leave."

Zhao Changhe twitched the corner of his mouth. Who could he tell?

"Have you..." Huangfu Qing bit her lower lip, murmuring in his ear: "Have you ever been with Tang Wanzhuang?"

Knew it... Zhao Changhe said awkwardly: "No... no."

"Not even like this?"

"Really not..."

"She's aloof and proud, so she's something special, while I'm just someone to casually hug and kiss, right?" Huangfu Qing tightened her grip.

Zhao Changhe arched his back: "No... it's not like that..."

Huangfu Qing's eyes rolled slyly: "How about I help you get her?"

Now she finally looked like the enchantress she was supposed to be, but every word was a trap.

Zhao Changhe wasn't stupid; he said righteously: "Don't even mention that there's no such relationship between her and me. With you by my side, how could I think of other women?"

"Is that so?" Huangfu Qing knew he was lying through his teeth, but the answer was acceptable. Then she giggled and nibbled his ear: "Then... what about our Saintess? Have you gotten your hands on her?"

Zhao Changhe: "No... that fierce woman watches her too closely. One day, I'll—ow~"

Huangfu Qing gritted her teeth in anger but couldn't show it, so she forced a seductive tone: "Still cursing the Venerable? Didn't she send me to your side?"

Hearing this, Zhao Changhe had to concede that point, even if he still had complaints about the Vermilion Bird. He could only say: "Unless she truly acknowledges it, I suspect she'll stir up trouble again once we're out."

"She won't." Huangfu Qing smiled faintly: "Yihuo Snake and Shihuo Pig becoming dao companions—the sect would be delighted... and it might even give the Saintess a reason to give up hope..."

She had found a good excuse for herself to take a man. Originally, the general understanding was that sending Yihuo Snake to Zhao Changhe implied this, which had sparked the ambiguous atmosphere between them. Now, she just had to follow that foundation...

She wasn't the Vermilion Bird; why couldn't Yihuo Snake be with Shihuo Pig? It could even block the Saintess's heart.

But Zhao Changhe heard this, opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Damn. This was like flaunting in front of Chichi. Would he end up dying horribly when they got out?

Then again, Chichi didn't dare to throw a tantrum at the Vermilion Bird, but what about giving Yihuo Snake a hard time? How could she not be afraid at all...

At this moment, Huangfu Qing really hadn't thought that far. In her habitual mindset, how could she ever fear Chichi? Seeing Zhao Changhe's dazed look, she felt a pang of jealousy and said angrily: "Why is it taking so long? My hand is getting sore. Hurry up and look inward—is there something wrong with this broken body of yours?"

"..." Believe me, you'll wish it lasted longer in the future.

But Zhao Changhe was also a bit worried that this drug-forged body might have issues, and he felt he should examine it clearly. So he stopped dwelling on these topics and immersed his mind in inward observation.

Under observation, he could first confirm that there was no problem. The Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng was perfectly suited to his cultivation, and the path suggested by the Heavenly Book was indeed correct.

He could also confirm that what he had previously thought—that this special physique transformation and normal cultivation belonged to different systems—was actually a misconception. They were part of the same lineage, an extension of conventional cultivation.

External cultivation itself was a form of training for muscles and bones, aimed at maximizing the body's value. When one reached the Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier, they had theoretically reached the peak in this aspect. The next step in cultivation moved toward more profound connections with heaven and earth and the understanding of laws—did that mean physical training would stagnate?

At least for most people on the Human Ranking, it truly had stagnated.

Chi Li, Yue Hongling, Hu Lie, and even Vulture and Liewen—none of them gave Zhao Changhe the feeling of having transcendent power. At most, breakthroughs in secret realms expanded the upper limit of their physical training, but it was just an increase in quantity, not a qualitative change. That was why this half-baked Blood Asura Body could unleash enough power for Zhao Changhe to withstand a blow from Vulture and Liewen without dying.

Thus, these lost special physiques were likely the different qualitative developments one could achieve after laying the foundation at the Ninth Pass of the Mystic Barrier, based on one's cultivation characteristics.

His own Blood Fiend Art ultimately corresponded to this Blood Asura Body. Xia Longyuan had seen it at a glance and sent the "Coagulation Blood Vermilion Fruit" needed to forge the Blood Asura Body. "Coagulation" didn't mean solidifying blood; rather, when the "Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng" caused qi and blood to surge and boil, the Coagulation Blood Vermilion Fruit suppressed it, stabilizing the qi and blood—this was the principle of sovereign, minister, assistant, and guide.

Without the foundation laid by the Coagulation Blood Vermilion Fruit, consuming the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng might have caused his body to explode... Now, the only side effect was an excess of vitality in that area, which a single young lady could resolve. If she hadn't been there, his right hand would have sufficed...

With this, the basic foundation of the Blood Asura Body was formed. He could clearly sense the direction of this physique: it was the classic "immense strength," the so-called "Dragon-Elephant Power" or "Asura Divine Strength." It barely improved agility and slightly enhanced endurance against blows.

Of course, there was one crucial aspect that had improved significantly...

What is a Dragon-Elephant? Leaning back.

Seriously, Zhao Changhe suspected that with his "Ninefold Mystic Gate," if it were purely a contest of palm strength, he could crush Tian Lingzi, who had broken through the Secret Treasury... but his movement techniques and martial skills couldn't keep up, so in actual combat he might lose—that was another matter.

Foundation was ultimately just foundation. The reason it was called "Blood Asura Body" rather than "Mighty Divine Body" was that, of course, there would be countless evolutions in the direction of blood fiend later on. We'll see what the Heavenly Book says then. For now, this chapter was closed. If he didn't intend to seek the Heavenly Book on his trip to Kunlun, then his cultivation was already complete.

It could be said that the fruit given by Xia Longyuan, seemingly unremarkable, was actually more important than the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng.

Realizing this, Zhao Changhe felt a complex mix of emotions.

He did not approve of Xia Longyuan's actions, but objectively, the man had indeed helped him... He didn't care about Zhao's opposition, nor did he seem to need his gratitude. He simply did what he found interesting.

Was it a max-level account casually helping a newbie, or giving a leg up to a son-in-law? Or did he have some other motive?

Uh... thinking of Xia Longyuan, he then looked at the imperial consort in his arms, who was helping him release...

Zhao Changhe shuddered, and finally the dam broke.

At least it proved that his body was fine.