Chapter 322: Envision

Half an hour later.

Yue Ying and Ri Chi, who had been waiting anxiously outside, noticed that no sound had come from within for over ten minutes. With careful steps, they entered the passage, eager to understand what had happened.

Yet, as soon as they caught sight of the vast hall at the corridor's end and witnessed the scene unfolding within, their eyes widened in shock, their faces filled with uncontrollable horror.

There were Ghouls everywhere! Tons and tons of Ghouls!

It would be one thing if they were ordinary Ghouls, but judging by their massive builds and the iron-like darkness of their skin, these were Ghoul Kings!

They also saw dozens of corpses belonging to Ghoul Kings scattered around

.

These were creatures as powerful as Top-Tier Astral Cultivators, yet their bodies littered the ground!

The sheer impact of this scene left Yue Ying and Ri Chi's minds blank, utterly unable to process what they were witnessing.

"How... is this possible..."

Yue Ying's voice was hoarse, strained from the tension that gripped his entire being. His laryngeal extrinsic muscles were severely contracted, causing his vocal cords to tighten and stiffen, reducing the amplitude of vibrations as air passed through, resulting in a distorted sound.

Ri Chi's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no sound came out, as if he had lost the ability to speak entirely.

Despite having witnessed Li Pin effortlessly slaughter Ghouls multiple times before, and knowing he was likely more powerful than they had imagined, neither of them could comprehend that he had reached this level of strength.

These were Ghoul Kings! Dozens of Ghoul Kings!

In just half an hour—no! It was only ten or so minutes! Within such a short timeframe, Li Pin had single-handedly wiped out dozens of Ghoul Kings!

What kind of terrifying power is this?! Top-Tier Astral Cultivator? Even a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator couldn't achieve something like this! This was the strength of a Master Astral Cultivator!

At the very least, in terms of slaughtering ferocious beasts and demonic creatures, Li Pin had already reached the level of a Master Astral Cultivator.

"My god..."

Yue Ying and Ri Chi couldn't help but tremble.

On one hand, they, mere Martial Saints, had the fortune of following someone on par with a Master Astral Cultivator. That alone was the greatest honor of their lives.

On the other hand... they were utterly shaken by the future of the Martial God path.

There had long been rumors that Li Pin, the founder of the Martial God path, once dragged down a Legendary Mage from the Great Shang with him. However, no matter how incredible the stories were, none could compare to the overwhelming shock of seeing it with their own eyes.

It was like describing an experience to someone. No matter how vividly told, it would never evoke the same emotional response as experiencing it firsthand.

Li Pin had just slain dozens of Ghoul Kings, showcasing a power that rivaled that of a Master Astral Cultivator. The rumors had come to life, vividly unfolding before their eyes.

This made it clear to them that the Martial God path could indeed match that of a Master Astral Cultivator and even reach Legendary heights. How could they not tremble with joy and excitement at this realization?

At that moment, a voice came from the side.

"You're here."

It was Li Pin, leaning against the wall, covered in blood.

Though he appeared not at his best, this did nothing to shatter Yue Ying and Ri Chi's admiration. Instead, it made the scene feel all the more real!

Having fought against dozens of Ghoul Kings, a few injuries were nothing to worry about! Even if he were to collapse unconscious, as long as he was alive, it would be a monumental victory.

But, forget losing consciousness, Li Pin could still speak!

"Martial God Li... we-we're here...."

Yue Ying and Ri Chi gazed at him, eyes filled with reverence, as if they were looking at a god.

"Go gather the spoils," Li Pin instructed.

These thirty-two Ghoul Kings had really pushed him to his limit. Any more and he wouldn't be sitting here right now. He would've fled elsewhere at the first chance.

Fortunately, he won in the end.

Li Pin closed his eyes and pushed his recovery ability to its limit. He began to heal rapidly.

Fully recovering his strength would take a bit of time, but taking out a few more Ghouls shouldn't be a problem. Additionally, there was no longer any need to worry about being trapped in this hall.

Actually, even if he found himself stuck here, it wouldn't matter. With his recovery talent, a result of his self-healing ability having merged with the primordial qi trait, a three-to-five-day rest would be enough for him to recover.

Half an hour later, Yue Ying and Ri Chi returned with a pile of items and presented them before Li Pin.

"Martial God Li, we've scoured the place. Here are the spoils from the thirty-two Ghoul Kings."

Li Pin's first inspection was of the thirty-two crystals, and a smile crept across his face. "Not bad."

The thirty-two crystals varied in size. The smaller ones were less than half the size of the one he had previously obtained, while the larger ones exceeded that first stone by a third.

In terms of transparency, they were superior to the first crystals he had gotten his hands on as well. Although he didn't yet understand the significance of these differences, the thirty-two crystals alone represented a substantial haul.

In addition to the 32 transparent crystals, the most valuable find was undoubtedly the 36 Astral Crystals.

Not 32 Astral Crystals, but 36. Some Ghoul Kings possessed more than one Astral Crystal within their bodies.

With these 36 Astral Crystals, he wouldn't have to worry about consuming resources for cultivation for quite some time.

Beyond the transparent and High-Grade Astral Crystals, the rest included various miscellaneous items: chains, broken war blades, spears, heavy swords, armor, and more.

Li Pin was somewhat surprised to find that most of them lacked any spiritual fluctuation, with only two exceptions.

The rest, likely influenced by the Astral Energy from the Ghoul Kings, could be considered materials for crafting astral equipment. Their value, however, fell far short of the 36 Astral Crystals.

Li Pin made a quick calculation in his head. He concluded, "At least, I won't run out of Primordial Electric Crystals for half a year."

He had to admit, this Black Gold Mine was a real treasure trove.

At that moment, he noticed that Yue Ying's expression looked a little unnatural, as if he had something to say. "Anything else?"

Yue Ying nodded. "We didn't find any astral equipment."

"Astral equipment?" Li Pin glanced around the grand hall. "You're saying this hall is where the Astral Cultivators of the Great Moon era made their last stand? So, their astral equipment should have been left behind here?"

"Yes," Yue Ying replied. "but those astral equipment..."

Li Pin's gaze shifted to the broken chains, war blades, spears, heavy swords, and armor.

Seeing this, Yue Ying seemed to realize something and also looked at those items.

"Could these... be the astral equipment?"

"Most likely," Li Pin answered. "I've heard that ferocious beasts and demonic creatures attack humans because the astral energy we refine is purer than the energy they gain through mutation. By attacking and devouring humans with this purer energy, they can evolve. Astral equipment... might work the same way."

"But isn't the main material for astral equipment Astral Crystals? And Astral Crystals come from those beasts and creatures. Humans craft them into astral equipment to avoid mutation during refinement... Why would those beasts and creatures—"

Yue Ying paused, momentarily confused.

"When humans are starving to the extreme, they'll eat anything. Perhaps the same goes for the Ghouls and demonic creatures," Li Pin speculated.

He glanced around. "The main exit of this hall was sealed, and the passage was blocked by the mine's collapse. If not for the constant digging of that Ghoul, this place would never have seen the light of day again. The Ghoul trapped inside probably consumed each other and the astral equipment, eventually evolving into Ghoul Kings."

At this realization, a thought struck him.

If that's the case, doesn't it mean I could create Ghoul Kings in the same way, then kill them to extract those transparent crystals from their bodies?

If things went smoothly, I could turn this hall into a breeding ground for Ghoul Kings, providing a steady supply of Skill Crystals.

However, testing this theory wouldn't be easy. He couldn't personally oversee everything.

If word got out that he was breeding stronger demonic creatures, even if it was only to obtain the Skill Crystals, the backlash he'd receive would be quite severe.

If he didn't handle it himself, he'd need to entrust the task to someone reliable.

Right now, there are too few people I can truly rely on.

Though he could use the people from Dragonfist Sect, they weren't completely trustworthy. The five members of the Moon Fang Squad were far more dependable.

Then there was Wen Xingchen. The Wen family had secrets, so entrusting them with something so crucial was out of the question.

This was a test of human nature. He needed someone truly fit to oversee this experiment.

Li Pin pondered for a moment and a plan quietly formed in his mind.

He looked at Yue Ying and instructed, "This grand hall has housed so many Ghoul Kings... I'll name it the Ghoul King Hall. From now on, it's a forbidden zone. No one is allowed near it."

"Understood."

***

Li Pin had the hall entrance sealed and soon returned to the Dragonfist Sect.

Yue Ying and Ri Chi followed him back as well.

"You two have met the mental spirit standards for Extreme Martial Saints. As for reaching your qi and blood, it has yet to. But there's no need to waste precious resources on Essence-Gathering Pearls.

"Both of you, along with Xing Ying, Xing Hui, and Yue Ya, put aside your current tasks. I'll do my best to guide you toward comprehending the Innate Embryonic Breath and prepare you for forming your Lifeform Force Field."

"Guide us to comprehend the Innate Embryonic Breath!?"

Yue Ying and Ri Chi didn't yet understand the weight of his words, but Xing Ying, who had witnessed Li Pin instructing Wen Xingchen, couldn't hide her excitement.

She knew how extraordinary Li Pin's teaching was.

Their foundations were stronger than Wen Xingchen's. With his help, reaching this level in three months wasn't out of reach.

Without hesitation, Xing Ying knelt. "Master, I, Xing Ying, offer my respects"

Yue Ying and Ri Chi didn't fully grasp the significance of Li Pin's teaching abilities, but they understood how rare it was to receive guidance from a Martial God whose strength could rival a Master Astral Cultivator.

The two immediately followed suit, bowing deeply, "Master, please accept our humble respects."

"I have no intention of taking disciples. Stand up," Li Pin said.

Xing Ying, Yue Ying, and Ri Chi exchanged glances. Though slightly disappointed, they declared firmly, "We understand that we won't have the honor of being your disciples, but receiving your guidance is the greatest fortune of our lives. We will give it our all and not let you down, Martial God Li."

Li Pin nodded slightly. "Work hard."