Chapter 59: Refining the Bones Once More

It had actually escaped. In the battle with Ling Chi, the headless general’s body was battered and riddled with holes, leaking ghostly energy everywhere like a broken sprinkler. Ling Chi dared not pursue; gritting his teeth, he pressed the bone spurs protruding from his flesh back into place one by one. Only when they were restored did the sweat drip from his face in large beads, vanishing into the earth below.

He found the torn strips of his brocade robe and wrapped his forearm tightly. Ling Chi had never imagined he would have his forearm broken by sheer force—especially while employing the Immortal Body of Sun Thunder. One must know, the bones of the forearm are second only to the thighbone in hardness.

His chest heaved like a battered bellows, gasping violently. This was the most grueling fight he had ever experienced—the headless general was just too formidable.

Swallowing several healing pills purchased from the Four Seas Trading Guild, Ling Chi caught his breath and swiftly tidied up the battlefield, hoisting the tiger’s massive body as he hurried away from the wrecked clearing.

Carrying several hundred kilograms of tiger flesh, his muscles ached all over. He clenched his teeth and retraced his steps at speed.

By now, night had fallen completely. When he found the great black horse, it was lying bored on the ground, its big tail swishing as it waited for Ling Chi.

Perhaps it had caught his scent; the horse jumped up and whinnied loudly. When it saw Ling Chi approaching with the tiger carcass over his shoulder, standing beside it, it trembled—tiger, king of beasts, made its legs weak.

“Useless thing,” Ling Chi muttered, disappointed.

He went ahead with the tiger corpse, the black horse hanging its head in dejection and following behind.

As they passed through Great Yellow Village, the village chief Huang Jin, with Huang Feihu, Huang Feibao, and some able-bodied young men, were waiting by the roadside with torches. When they saw Ling Chi coming down the mountain path, they hurried forward.

“Huh? Chief Huang, what are you all doing out here?” Ling Chi asked.

Huang Jin and his group were startled as he drew near, seeing Ling Chi bare-chested, his powerful torso marred with deep wounds, carrying an enormous tiger.

“Master Ling, Feihu went to invite you into the mountain this morning. You never came out all day, and we worried for your safety. From afternoon on, we kept hearing thunder in the mountains, so we guessed you were fighting monsters. I brought everyone to wait here to see if we could help,” Huang Jin explained hurriedly.

“That’s perfect. Old Huang, help me find a cart, preferably drawn by two oxen, to haul this evil tiger back to town,” Ling Chi said, tossing the tiger corpse onto the roadside. The crash as it hit the ground made the villagers realize just how heavy it truly was.

Huang Jin hurried off with a few men, leaving Feihu and Feibao to listen as Ling Chi recounted the events on the mountain.

“You’ll probably find it hard to hunt in the mountains for a while. I fought that abomination from afternoon until nightfall; I suspect the wild beasts in a radius of dozens of miles have all fled. It’ll be some time before they dare return.”

Regretfully, he said, “It’s a pity I couldn’t kill it; it got away.”

“But the filth around here, I’ve cleared it all out. You’ll have peaceful days ahead.”

Feihu and Feibao listened to Ling Chi, looking at the tiger carcass and the snakeskin on the horse’s back. Only now did they feel the danger—only a warrior like Master Ling would dare charge straight into such peril.

Huang Jin returned with an ox cart. Ling Chi threw the tiger onto it and said, “Let Feihu and Feibao come with me. It’s too late for them to return tonight—let them stay in the Security Bureau and head home in the morning.”

Ling Chi drew his short knife and cut off a ten-jin chunk of tiger meat for Huang Jin.

“Old Huang, you can only eat a few ounces at a time. This stuff is too potent; I’m afraid you can’t handle it. Best to wait until Feihu and Feibao come back, then stew some for the whole family to share.”

Feihu and Feibao thanked him profusely, fully aware of its value—the meat of a third-tier tiger demon, worth at least ten gold coins.

Ling Chi didn’t let them refuse, beckoning them to set off with the cart while he rode beside them.

The cart moved slowly. By the time they reached Willow Town, it was nearly midnight. Ling Chi arranged for the Security Bureau’s junior flag officer to settle the two for rest, then went home himself to roast tiger meat.

He took the tiger carcass home—it had to be skinned that very night. Setting up a frame, he hung the evil tiger, sliced its ankle, and peeled the hide downward, occasionally using his short knife to cut through the tendons.

“Master, where did you hunt such a colossal demon tiger?” Before long, Pei Shinan arrived with a crowd—some brought wine, some brought food, others just their mouths.

A group of men eyed the body of a Qi Sea-level tiger, their eyes shining—this was a rare tonic! Past thirty, their vital energy was depleted, yet their wives remained fierce and relentless. They often set up battle lines at home. Tonight, after eating Qi Sea-level tiger meat, they’d finally have a chance to compete with their wives!

“Old Pei, come in! I got this evil tiger from Great Yellow Village today—you’re in for a treat,” Ling Chi said, welcoming his colleagues with delight.

Those quick on their feet were already helping roast the meat. The five-hundred-kilogram tiger, after deboning, still had half its meat left.

How much could a dozen or so body tempering and vein opening cultivators eat?

Ling Chi waved his hand, and the scene instantly grew lively. Even Blackwa, drawn by the aroma, ran out to eat two pieces, only to be caught by his father, nose bleeding.

After a night of feasting, about two hundred jin of tiger meat remained. Ling Chi arranged for some to be sent to his brothers and master, along with some tiger bones.

At dawn, the training ground echoed with rolling thunder. After a night’s rest, Ling Chi’s wounds had already grown new membranes. With every movement, his wounds opened and closed, appearing somewhat terrifying.

The pain was nothing to him; compared to enduring thunder forging, this was trivial.

He wielded the hundred-jin horse-chopping blade, its flashes slicing through the air. Ling Chi specifically instructed Blackwa to practice stance-training inside, lest he be hurt by stray blades.

The battle with the headless general had shaken his confidence in his physical body. He had to train harder.

Purple-gold thunder pulp filled every corner of the training ground. Thunder rumbled for dozens of miles around. Small monsters and ghosts moved out overnight—the place was too terrifying.

Clouds pressed low over the town, arcs of lightning flickering through them, converging and flashing their terrible light, then gathering and descending upon the training ground.

At its center, Ling Chi sat cross-legged, his long hair stirring in the absence of wind. His rugged body, carved as if by axe and blade, brimmed with immense power.

Ling Chi ran the Immortal Body of Sun Thunder at full speed, purple-gold thunder pulp spreading everywhere, seeping into his skin. The thunder pearl in his body released a special purple lightning.

This special lightning carried a sense of celestial majesty, helping him complete his transformation.

For more than ten days, Ling Chi neither slept nor ate nor drank, tormenting himself relentlessly. His broken arm and other wounds had healed.

He discovered that his newly mended bones were even tougher than before. A wild plan grew in his mind—a madness necessary for greatness.

He began to deliberately shatter his bones, then refine them with special lightning. Compared to the bone forging of the body tempering phase, this shattered-and-reforged method was on a whole different level—a gulf as wide as heaven and earth.

He nourished the fractured bones with spiritual energy; tiny arcs of lightning danced in the broken limb. He could only endure, relying on his extraordinary willpower to guide the lightning deep into his bones, penetrating the marrow.

When pain reached its utmost, it was no longer merely physical but a sensation from the soul itself.

Every pain nerve transmitted agony to the depths of his mind; as the lightning increased, the pain intensified, until at last he became utterly numb.

This ultimate self-forging brought forth a profound change in all his bones, now transformed into purple-gold. The bone membranes grew more resilient.

Even his flesh became crystal clear, and his skin tougher than ever.