Chapter 207 - 202: Formidably Strong i
If he waited until the branches of the Ancient Banyan Tree completely pressed down, his death was certain.
Yet, cultivating until this critical moment, to give up was truly unbearable for him.
He now found himself in a dilemma of difficult choices.
“I can’t just give up so easily, I have to fight.”
His thoughts flashed like lightning as he finally made a decision.
Recalling the path he had taken, every step was filled with hardship and danger.
Termite, Queen Bee, they were willing to risk their lives for the promotion to the next level, fighting desperately to the death.
Being the most spiritually endowed beings, humans, could they really be inferior to their own pets?
That made no sense.
He gritted his teeth again, desperately striking at the new realm.
The bell of life and death tolled above his head. The feeling of hanging by a thread made his heart even more serene and focused.
While cultivating, Qin Niu suddenly felt the energy pouring into his body doubled.
Could it be the residual power of the Boundary-breaking Elixir?
No, this energy was flowing into his body from the outside world.
The way the Boundary-breaking Elixir enhanced one’s Cultivation Technique was very special; it added power directly from within the body. Purely consuming the energy of the elixir, transforming it into cultivation strength.
If it wasn’t the effect of the Boundary-breaking Elixir, then there was only one possibility left.
The experience level of his Everlasting Spring Technique broke through at this dangerous moment.
This was truly rain in a drought.
At the moment he needed help the most, his Cultivation Technique’s experience level had made a breakthrough.
Sometimes, at such a critical moment, even a slight increase in support could significantly boost the chances of success. Directly doubling the efficiency with which he absorbed external energy, this assistance was immense.
Qin Niu felt as though even heaven was helping him.
Heaven rewards the diligent, indeed.
As vast amounts of external energy transformed into cultivation strength, he sensed a slight easing of the bottleneck of his realm.
Finally, he saw the hope of successfully breaking through the realm.
Only the branches of the Banyan Tree above were already pressing down very low.
The falling cold energy had also changed from a fine drizzle to a moderate rain. After falling on him, it made him feel drowsy, his body stiff and cold, and his blood circulation slowing down more and more.
The risk of death was rapidly increasing.
At this critical moment, the Golden Toad leaped up and lay on top of his head like a hat.
It blocked the cold energy falling from the branches of the Ancient Banyan Tree for him.
With this precious moment of time, Qin Niu drummed up energy to strike at the new realm once again.
“Break!”
Although the bottleneck had loosened even more, he still failed.
“Again!”
Qin Niu, undaunted by repeated failures, once again gathered strength to assault the new realm.
The result was another failure.
But with each failure, he grew stronger and his resolve more steadfast.
“With true sincerity, even metal and stone will be pierced; break for me!”
Qin Niu took on the posture of someone risking his life, with only one belief in his heart: to be successful or to die with honor.
Even if he were to die here today, he would fight to the end.
Boom! A mighty and peerless aura surged from his body, shooting into the sky, and the Golden Toad on his head was sent flying.
The invisible energy rising into the sky even forced the falling cold energy above to halt temporarily.
He himself underwent a shocking transformation.
A layer of faint green luminescence flowed endlessly on the surface of his skin.
Though weak, it helped him barely resist the invasion of the cold energy.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you out.”
Qin Niu picked up the Golden Toad, shouldered the basket, not even wanting the Banyan Tree Blood any longer.
It was extremely dangerous, and there simply wasn’t time for him to collect those few jars of Banyan Tree Blood.
The termites, under the assault of the chilling energy, had become rigid, struggling to move.
Fourth happened to be the most favored one.
Qin Niu had allowed it to hide on his body, and now it was protected by that layer of cyan light, faring relatively well.
Guided by it, Qin Niu stepped out.
He covered three to four meters in a single step, light as a swallow, with surging strength. As he moved forward, he was like a shifting mountain, or a rushing tidal wave. The invisible aura he exuded sent shivers down one’s spine, and those who were weaker would simply find their knees buckling, bringing them to the ground.
In addition, his body was like it had been cast from steel, powerful and vigorous, his movements swift.
He escaped the Ancient Banyan Tree’s maze in the blink of an eye.
Because the branches had lowered considerably, Qin Niu dared not let them touch the top of his head.
All the way, he swung his sword to strike.
The Sweeping Martial Technique was used frequently, with each slash sending out radiant Blade Qi four to five inches long, much more substantial than before.
Wherever the Blade Qi swept across, it was like divine powers that cut down gods and slayed Buddhas.
“Phew!”
Having escaped, he let out a long, muddled breath.
Two faint wisps of light were exhaling and inhaling before his nostrils, almost startling him.
“Finally escaped, finally made a breakthrough. It really is true that fortune favors the bold.”
Qin Niu reminisced about the many obstacles he faced when breaking through his limits and the life-or-death decisions he made at critical moments, filled with emotion.
Mortals vie for power, leaving a trail of countless bones upon one general’s success.
Cultivators defy the heavens, where a single thought could mean life or death.
This attempt to surge into a new realm, one wrong step could have resulted in both death and the annihilation of one’s path.
Having overcome it, he earned the right to be considered above ordinary men.
He was no longer a mere mortal.
Instead, he now possessed the qualifications to step into the Immortal Gate and truly begin seeking the path for eternal life.
It was like having the basic conditions for a ticket to admission.
“Wart Toad, for your merits in protecting your master today, I’ll remember it. Given the chance, I will surely reward you well.”
Qin Niu used to call it Golden Toad, but now he referred to it as Wart Toad.
Although the name sounded unpleasant, it was more endearing. It also signified the added trust and affection he felt for the Golden Toad. The bond between master and servant had grown stronger as well.
“Croak!”
The Golden Toad voiced its protest.
“Haha, you silly thing, aren’t you pleased? It’s only when I’m happy that I would call you such. I’ll call you Wart Toad every day from now on.”
Qin Niu patted its head.
However, having just broken through to a new realm and still unfamiliar with controlling his strength,
he caused the Golden Toad great pain as it croaked in distress, giving him pitiful and innocent looks.
Despite its merits, it was left out when elixirs were distributed and ended up on the receiving end of a few smacks.
“Haha, sorry, sorry, I’ve just broken through to a completely new realm. I meant to be gentle, but I didn’t expect it to cause you pain.”
Qin Niu chuckled, this time gently stroking its head instead.
Strands of the Everlasting Spring Technique’s power seeped from his fingertips into the Golden Toad’s body.
He was using his own Cultivation Technique to help it dispel the chilling energy within its body.
The Ancient Banyan Tree was truly formidable.
Even if Qin Niu was now more than a hundred times stronger than before, he still had little resistance within its maze.
At best, he might struggle a bit more, merely dying slower.
Now that he had finally made a breakthrough, in a few days, once the number of Grade Three termites increased, he could consider going for the Green Demon treasure.
He mused to himself.
He was somewhat fixated on the Green Demon Bee.
The Corpse Bee was incredibly powerful, yet its ultimate goal of evolution was simply to surpass the Green Demon Bee.
With the resources at Qin Niu’s command, if he could acquire a Green Demon Bee, the potential was unimaginable.
The Green Demon is mentioned in the Green Demon Bee Breeding Manual, claiming that with just another fifty years to raise the next generation, even Cultivators from the Immortal Sect would dare to challenge it.