Chapter 115: Chapter 112: Golden Body at Great Success, Innate Realm
Upon entering the magma, the first thing he felt was the scorching heat.
A terrifying temperature capable of melting steel assaulted every inch of Ning Jiang’s body. Instantly, every fiber of his flesh was wracked with a pain so excruciating it could drive a person mad.
The deeper one went into this pool of magma, the higher the temperature became.
’There’s definitely something down there.’
Ning Jiang’s gaze pierced downwards. The crimson magma was quite viscous, and all he could see was a gloomy, dark red hue.
Before he left last time, he had already detected a strange aura beneath the magma.
Now that he was personally submerged in the magma, this aura was even more distinct.
After some deliberation, he decided not to descend rashly.
’I’ll first cultivate the Great Sun Glazed Golden Body to the Great Success stage, then I’ll make a plan.’
Ning Jiang calmed his mind, ignoring the torment wracking his body.
’Devour!’
He activated the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, and a suction force erupted from every pore on his body. He began to directly absorb the power of the magma, swallowing the terrifying heat into himself.
The last time he had refined his body with Molten Rock Jade, the temperature of the fire poison within the jade was nowhere near that of real magma.
The Great Sun Glazed Golden Body—the words "Great Sun" in its name refer to "Flame." Its primary principle was to temper the body with fire.
As the terrifying heat flooded into his body with reckless abandon, Ning Jiang’s flesh and blood were instantly assaulted by a pain akin to being gnawed and torn apart by millions of insects. A tidal wave of agony, tumultuous and overwhelming, crashed down upon him.
His internal organs felt as if they were being stabbed by ten thousand searing-hot blades.
Such agony would have driven anyone else to madness.
But Ning Jiang’s expression remained unchanged, like that of an ancient, imperturbable monk.
BOOM!
As the suction force surged, the quiet pool of magma began to boil. He was like a bottomless pit, frantically absorbing the magma’s power. The searing lava formed torrents that continuously drilled into his body.
He completely lost track of time.
Meanwhile, above the magma pool, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lotus was relentlessly devouring the vast Primordial Qi from the Primordial Stones.
One day.
Two days.
Five days.
Ten days.
One month.
After a full month, there was still no sign of Ning Jiang emerging from his seclusion.
He seemed to have entered a state of nirvana, sitting cross-legged in the magma, his eyes not having opened for a month.
Two months.
Three months.
Time flew by. This was the longest period of seclusion he had undertaken since his rebirth.
Back in Baiquan Town, it was the second of February. He was then unconscious for a month, bringing it to the second of March. Adding the three months he had just spent in seclusion, it was now June.
Ning Jiang, who had been silent for three whole months, finally showed signs of activity.
His eyes snapped open, a flash of lightning seeming to pass through them.
Three months of arduous cultivation had reduced his body to skin and bones. He resembled a desiccated corpse, with skin stretched taut over his frame—a gaunt and horrifying sight.
’Just one final step left!’
Ning Jiang’s eyes gleamed. The next step would sound somewhat terrifying.
This step was called "Rebirth and Bone-Swapping."
What was Rebirth and Bone-Swapping?
It meant replacing every bit of flesh, blood, and bone in one’s body—a complete physical renewal.
Of course, to advance the Great Sun Glazed Golden Body from Minor Achievement to Great Success, only "Rebirth" was necessary.
In other words, he only had to replace his flesh and blood.
The pain he would have to endure during this process would be more than ten times greater than before.
’Pain is the foundation upon which willpower is forged.’
With no hesitation in his eyes, Ning Jiang’s bones began to crackle and collide, emitting a deafening, thunderous vibration.
BANG.
Instantly, Ning Jiang’s finger exploded, its flesh and blood turning to dust. Only a segment of golden finger bone remained, looking as if it were cast from gold—pure and immaculate.
Ning Jiang’s expression remained unchanged as his bones thundered and rumbled.
BANG, BANG.
Both of his palms exploded, all their flesh and blood disintegrating.
Then, in one go, Ning Jiang continued the process, starting from his palms and working his way up until both of his arms were nothing but bone.
The golden bones radiated a dazzling golden light, exuding a sense of sacredness.
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG...
After that, every inch of flesh on his body began to explode—his feet, his calves, his thighs, his shoulders, his chest, his back...
This pain was enough to make one wish for death.
But Ning Jiang’s willpower was like a reef at the bottom of the sea: no matter how furiously the waves crashed, he remained unmoving.
Even as his body disintegrated, his will could not be shaken.
Finally, Ning Jiang’s entire head exploded like a watermelon with a single "BANG." In that instant, he was reduced to a mere skeleton.
The golden skeleton was like the Immortal Golden Body left behind by an ancient Buddha after its passing, capable of suppressing all celestial demons and remaining inviolable.
Within his skull was a ball of golden flame, the size of an egg.
This was Ning Jiang’s soul.
An ordinary Martial Artist’s soul was fragile. If their head exploded, they would undoubtedly die, because their willpower was too weak.
But Ning Jiang’s willpower was immense, so his soul was also incredibly tough and indestructible.
The soul was an incomparably important thing. If a Martial Artist were to break through to the Spirit Realm and reach the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, their soul would transform into a Primordial Spirit. A Primordial Spirit could leave the body, roam for thousands of miles, and even attack others.
However, starting from the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, Martial Artists had to face Celestial Tribulations.
The Four Tribulations—each one was different.
As a mere skeleton, Ning Jiang, relying on his indomitable willpower, had completed half of the "Rebirth" process.
Next, he had to regenerate his flesh and blood.
RUSH...!
The sound of flowing blood began to emanate from within Ning Jiang’s bones.
After three full months of Body Refining, he had actually concentrated all of his body’s energy into his skeleton, which was why he had looked like a desiccated corpse earlier.
And what was the purpose of the skeleton?
The bones had the function of producing blood!
’Condense!’
As the thought crossed Ning Jiang’s mind, droplets of golden blood began to emerge from within his golden bones.
This golden blood was like brilliant, flawless golden beads, shimmering with light and emitting a rich fragrance.
The blood, as dense as true lead, continuously poured out from his bones, enveloping his entire body.
Each drop of blood contained immense life force. Next, meridians, blood vessels, and internal organs began to form.
There was blood, and then there was flesh.
First blood, then flesh.
First came the internal organs, followed by the meridians and blood vessels, then muscle by muscle, and finally, the skin and pores that covered his entire body.
This "Rebirth" process lasted for a full month!
The month changed from June to July.
At this moment, all the flesh and blood on Ning Jiang’s body had been completely restored. Moreover, compared to before, every inch was more resilient, and his physique was now utterly flawless.
He was like a man carved from golden jade, without a single flaw.
’It’s done!’
In the magma, Ning Jiang opened his eyes. The Great Sun Glazed Golden Body had finally reached Great Success.
SWOOSH.
He leaped out of the magma and examined his body.
Now, both his bones and his blood had turned golden. Even the depths of his dark pupils seemed to flow with a golden radiance.
RUMBLE!
When he circulated his Blood Qi, the blood in his body surged violently, letting out a roar. Anyone who heard it would be shocked, for the sound was like someone beating a war drum—heavy and powerful.
In the past, the sound of his Blood Qi was like great waves crashing on a shore, a far cry from the current sound of a beating war drum.
At the same time, he released the golden Blood Qi from his entire body. It shot up like a rainbow, reaching a height of ten feet.
A ten-foot Blood Qi indicated the rank of a Body Refining Grandmaster.
There were no more than ten Body Refining Grandmasters in all of Cyan Cloud Country.
And even among those with a ten-foot Blood Qi, there were differences in quality. Ning Jiang’s golden Blood Qi, for example, had nearly solidified. As he stood there, he looked like a Taiyang God Child—noble, extraordinary, and impervious to all techniques.
BANG!
Ning Jiang clenched his five fingers into a fist and punched. An earth-shattering boom followed, as if two massive pieces of iron had collided at meteoric speed.
In that instant, the nearby wall exploded, a massive crater several yards wide blown into it by the force of the punch.
And that was just from the shockwave, not from the fist itself making contact.
’Right now, with my physical body alone, without even using my cultivation, I’m strong enough to kill an Innate Limit Strong Person.’
This "Rebirth"-like Body Refining session had caused Ning Jiang’s strength to advance by leaps and bounds, instantly giving him the qualifications to contend with the top experts of Cyan Cloud Country.
’Let’s try out the Great Sun Dharma Body.’
The Great Sun Dharma Body was a Martial Technique acquired after the Great Sun Glazed Golden Body reached Great Success. Each stage of the Great Sun Glazed Golden Body came with its own innate Martial Technique.
"Dharma Body Manifestation!"
The blood in Ning Jiang’s body surged. His golden Blood Qi suddenly solidified, finally condensing around him into a ten-foot-tall golden Dharma Body!
This golden Dharma Body seemed to be formed from vajra, as if forged from gold. It shone with a brilliant golden light, and on its chest was the tattoo of a great sun, giving it an unimaginably solid feel.
Ning Jiang felt his current power and was confident that no matter how many Innate Limit Strong People came, he could crush them all with this Dharma Body.
’First, I’ll raise my cultivation, then I’ll go down and investigate,’ Ning Jiang thought, retracting the Dharma Body.
Over the past four months, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lotus at his side had produced numerous black Lotus Seeds.
The Lotus Seeds exuded a rich fragrance.
Ning Jiang plucked the Lotus Seeds, activated his Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill, and began to devour them.
The Lotus Seeds contained pure energy that could directly increase his cultivation, with no need to spend time refining it.
As the Lotus Seeds were continuously devoured, Ning Jiang’s aura gradually climbed, reaching a peak after just one day.
’Breakthrough.’
As his Postnatal Gang Qi surged violently, the three water vortexes inside Ning Jiang’s body began to undergo a massive transformation.
The black water vortexes condensed and compressed, gradually turning from liquid to solid, and finally became round, black spheres.
This was the Primordial Mansion!
A Qi Cultivation Realm Martial Artist had a Qi Vortex in their body; a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist had water vortexes; and an Innate Realm Martial Artist had a Primordial Mansion.
The Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill he cultivated was unique; he had a full three Primordial Mansions.
Within the Primordial Mansions, all of his Postnatal Gang Qi was converted into Innate Gang Qi, which was superior in both quality and quantity.
At this moment, Ning Jiang was now an Innate Early Stage Martial Artist!
But he wasn’t satisfied with this. He pushed his Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill to its limits and continued to devour the remaining Lotus Seeds.
