679 Three Options! (2/2)

Wang Baole remembered distinctly reading about this in the Dark Sect's records. It was a lost mystic art that had originated from an extinct, ancient cultivation civilization. Only records of the Nascent Soul realm level of this mystic art survived. Anything beyond that had been lost. That was why it had been labeled as incomplete despite its incredible power.

Let's not think about that first… Wang Baole took a deep breath and set those thoughts aside. He focused on absorbing the spirit liquid in the pool. No matter which path he chose in the end, what mattered now was the absorption of the Spirit Qi in the pool and his reaching the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. This would allow him to establish a sturdy foundation for whichever path he chose next.

With that thought in mind, the devouring seed inside Wang Baole increased its suction force. The tiny, fat Nascent Soul above his head pressed its tiny, fat hands together. They moved swiftly, a blur of movements as they formed a series of hand seals. He started sucking in vast quantities of spirit liquid like a gigantic whale. The spirit liquid continued its series of explosive eruptions inside his body, transforming into Spirit Qi that pushed his level of cultivation higher.

Within ten minutes, Wang Baole's body started emitting sounds of cracking again. It was a sign that he had swallowed more than his body could bear. The Spirit Qi housed inside him had exceeded the limits of what an early-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator could bear as well. He was now holding as much Spirit Qi as a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator.

His Nascent Soul was no longer a tiny fatty. It was a chubby, fleshy sphere. One could hardly tell that it was a Nascent Soul…

Wang Baole felt himself reach both his physical and spiritual limits. He couldn't catch his breath. However, he wasn't willing to just stop there.

It took me so much effort to get in here. I can't just leave with that bit of Spirit Qi! Wang Baole opened his eyes and stared at the pool before him. The bit that he had absorbed wasn't even one-thousandth of the pool's total volume. Determination flashed in his eyes. He wasn't going to go easy on himself now.

Who cares if I get fat. I'm going to keep on draining the thing! He shouted inwardly then took a deep breath. The devouring seed inside his body unleashed its full force again. An alarming volume of Spirit Qi surged into him once again, rushing through his body like a tsunami.

With his Nascent Soul and physical body at their limits, Wang Baole resorted to a familiar technique… he converted the Spirit Qi into spirit fat and stored the latter in his body.

This might prove to be problematic for others, but it was a simple enough feat for Wang Baole, who had his devouring seed. He could continue absorbing Spirit Qi until his body exploded.

Wang Baole's body ballooned. The waves of spirit energy emanating from his body grew increasingly powerful. Other Nascent Soul realm cultivators would have found it a shocking sight. The aura that he was exuding now would terrorize any ordinary Nascent Soul realm cultivator.

Half an hour passed. Even breathing became increasingly difficult. He now looked almost like his Nascent Soul, a chubby, fleshy sphere, except bigger. His handsome face was nowhere in sight. People who knew him well wouldn't be able to recognize him at first sight. His will was willing, but his flesh weak. He had no choice but to stop.

I have to stop now. If I keep this up, I won't even be able to get into the air… Wang Baole opened his eyes with difficulty. He stared at his tummy, then at the pool. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a bit more Spirit Qi. Then, he finally forced himself to stop. He pulled out the puppets inside his storage bag.

I might be done, but I still have my puppets! Determination flashed in his eyes. With a series of hand seals, he got the puppets into the pool and activated their Spirit Kernels. They became receptacles of the spirit liquid in the pool.

He pulled out numerous bottles next, both big and small, and began filling them with spirit liquid. Even after doing that, there was still too much spirit liquid left untouched. Wang Baole was faced with a dilemma and sank into deep thought. In the distance, on the lotus leaf, a corpse's eyelids suddenly twitched. It was the same corpse whose eyelashes had fluttered earlier. Its eyes opened narrowly, revealing faint white light within.

Wang Baole suddenly smacked his tummy then.

How could I have forgotten the Thearch Armor! Wang Baole perked up instantly and hurriedly formed a series of hand seals. Streams of crimson meridians immediately emerged from his body and snaked around him, transforming into a red armor. Wang Baole immediately unleashed the Flame Snatch!

The Flame Snatch was a technique that relied on devouring, while the Thearch Armor was an external vessel. They made a perfect match now, in the third palace, as they unleashed their combined powers. Vast quantities of spirit liquid rushed into the armor, transforming it drastically. More red meridians began to form and intertwine with one another in a thick blanket of meridians. The armor grew larger and taller. It was a gruesome sight to behold.

The Spirit Qi brought the armor back from its former damaged state into a fully restored one. Its second stage of evolution, a skeletal structure, reappeared. Streaks of white could be seen amidst the mesh of red. They grew greater in number, exceeding its original number during Wang Baole and Daoist You Ran's battle, growing thicker and finally transforming into bone!