"Essence Energy?"

Liu Yuan had no idea what this was, but Nie Yun’s eyes lit up with excitement the moment he heard the words.

’To think I searched high and low for this to no avail, only to have it fall right into my lap!’

’I was just wondering how I could rapidly increase my physical strength, and I never expected something this good to suddenly appear!’

Although the names Essence Energy and Primordial Essence Spirit Liquid were very similar, they were two completely different things. The latter was a liquid formed from the convergence of nature’s spiritual energy, while the former was Elemental Essence. A single breath of it could increase a person’s lifespan. If he used it to nourish his body, he would come very close to achieving the Third Layer Great Success of the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique, if not reach it outright!

Taking a deep breath, Nie Yun calmed his excitement. His body flickered as he materialized from his hiding spot. Reaching out, he snatched the gourd and held it firmly in his hand.

"Ah?"

"Nie Yun? Y-You... How did you get in here...?"

The moment he appeared, Liu Chengze and his son spotted him and jumped in fright.

"What’s wrong? Thinking of running?" A playful smile crossed Nie Yun’s face as he saw their shocked expressions.

"I... We wouldn’t dare, Lord Yun! You’re a magnanimous man; please don’t hold our offenses against us. Just let us go..."

Liu Chengze knew that since Nie Yun had tracked them here, he must know everything. He didn’t bother with explanations. With a THUD, he dropped to his knees and began to beg for his life.

"Yes, Lord Yun, I was blind to your greatness and offended you! I implore you to be merciful and spare my worthless life..." Liu Yuan also scrambled to his knees, stripped of all his previous arrogance and conceit.

"Spare you? Heh. I never leave loose ends. You should have expected this outcome the moment you decided to try and kill me!"

Nie Yun smiled faintly, ignoring their pleas as he pressed his palm downward.

SPLAT! SPLAT!

The heads of the father and son, Liu Chengze and Liu Yuan, exploded at the same time, turning them into two cold corpses.

’When you cut the weeds, you have to pull out the roots. Their strength was nothing special, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t go after my family, or that they wouldn’t find an even stronger backer to come after me!’

’My family is the one line that cannot be crossed. I will never allow any potential threats to remain!’

After killing the two of them, Nie Yun scanned the room one last time with his Spirit. Finding no other secret chambers, he strode out. He waved a hand over the shelves in the outer room, and several hundred bottles of Elixirs were all absorbed into his Storage Dantian.

As his Cultivation advanced, the capacity of his Storage Dantian constantly increased. Now that he had reached the Ultimate Venerable Level, he could fit far more than just a few hundred bottles of Elixirs—it could hold an entire room or even a large tree!

"Hm? What are these chests?"

After collecting all the Elixirs and Medicinal Materials, his eyes fell upon two enormous chests in the corner of the room.

Both chests were taller than a man, massive in size, and looked incredibly heavy.

He walked over to the chests and casually lifted the lids. One look inside, and Nie Yun broke into a wide grin.

The saying went that Gold has a price, but Elixirs are priceless. Looking at this, he wasn’t so sure. The two enormous chests were filled to the brim with gold, silver, and jewels! There was even a thick stack of silver notes right on top!

Each silver note was worth ten thousand taels. The thick stack had two or three hundred notes, amounting to two or three million taels in total!

Adding the jewels and Gold from the two chests, the total value was likely five or six million taels!

’They were loaded. I’ve really hit the jackpot this time!’

As he swept this fortune into his Storage Dantian, Nie Yun couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

He never expected to gain so much from coming to kill the father and son, Liu Chengze and Liu Yuan. Forget the money, the Essence Energy alone was a priceless treasure that was nearly impossible to find!

’No one knows about this secret room anyway. I’ll just absorb the Essence Energy right here and see what level my Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique can reach!’

The thought spurred him to action. Nie Yun decided to cultivate right there on the spot.

The secret room was so well-hidden that he didn’t need to worry about security. It was the perfect place to temper his physical body and help it reach a new Realm!

Decisive as ever, Nie Yun immediately sat down cross-legged on the floor, took out the gourd, and uncorked it.

HSSS!

The instant the gourd was opened, a stream of golden gas billowed out. Potent Spiritual Qi flooded the room, making the muscles all over Nie Yun’s body tremble involuntarily.

’It really is Essence Energy, and so incredibly dense...’

Just one sniff confirmed to Nie Yun that the golden gas was indeed Essence Energy. He immediately sealed his pores and began to rapidly circulate the Third Layer Technique of the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique.

CREAK! CRACK!

Nourished by the golden Essence Energy, the cells throughout his body shattered and reformed. His muscle fibers realigned themselves, becoming denser and more streamlined. His physical strength was undergoing a qualitative leap!

HUMMM!

As the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique circulated without pause, Nie Yun became completely immersed in a Golden Light, giving him the proud and sacred air of an enlightened immortal or Buddha.

"Haha!"

After an unknown period of Cultivation, Nie Yun shot to his feet. A faint Golden Light shimmered beneath his skin, and his muscles felt as if they had been forged from indestructible steel!

’I didn’t expect this! Even though tempering my muscles with Essence Energy didn’t get me to the Third Layer Great Success, my entire body is now imbued with Primordial Essence. This gives me a huge advantage against the Demon Race. It will repel things like Demon Qi, and I’ll be Immune to Hundred Poisons!’

Demon Spirit possession is one of the Demon Race’s most powerful Secret Techniques. Back when Feng Xiao was possessed, no one could even tell, which just shows how terrifying it is. But now my body is filled with Primordial Essence, making it their bane. Forget an Ultimate Venerable Level Demon Spirit—even a Heaven-Seizing Creation Realm Demon Spirit couldn’t dream of taking over my body now!

Furthermore, now that my body is filled with Primordial Essence and I am Immune to Hundred Poisons, even if I were to carelessly drink poison, it would be no different from drinking an ordinary beverage. It wouldn’t harm me in the slightest!

’My physical body isn’t the only thing that’s stronger. Crucially, my internal organs have been greatly fortified as well!’

Nie Yun nodded to himself in satisfaction.

A powerful physique could defend against an expert’s attacks, but if the internal organs were weak, the shockwaves alone could cause severe injury. It was just like the hemp-clothed man he had fought before. The man’s Defense was decent, but Nie Yun’s Momentum of the Earth was too powerful. A single blow had ruptured the man’s internal organs, leaving him gravely wounded.

But now, nourished by the Essence Energy, his internal organs were fortified. This meant his overall Defense had taken another qualitative leap, leaving his body without a single weak point!

’Now I’ll see if I can open that black orb I got from the Luoo Qu Tomb!’

At that thought, he took the black orb into his palm.

The orb could be opened by meeting any one of three conditions. His True Qi Power had already reached the might of 50 elephants. And while he didn’t know the exact measure of his physical strength, he was sure it couldn’t be far off from 50 elephants either. This was the perfect chance to give it a try!

’Here goes!’

With that thought, he gripped the orb with both hands and began pouring his True Qi and physical strength into it at the same time.

CREAK! CRACK!

Under the impact of such immense power, the orb began to react. It emitted a series of cracking sounds as its light flared brilliantly. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)