I Am Overlord c1-962
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Learning from the experience he gained when absorbing lightning energy, he immediately pulled out a portion of the white tiger soul's power and redirected that portion to the astral cosmos sea and the Overlord Skyslaying Saber.
The astral cosmos sea was capable of absorbing all sorts of energy. So long as the energy was of a reasonable amount, the astral cosmos sea would be able to expand its storage space using the supplied energy.
As for the Overlord Skyslaying Saber, it already contained the power of dragon and tiger. Thus, the white tiger soul's power was compatible with it and served nicely to replenish the saber's lost power, causing it to once again shine with a bright luster. With the split of the white tiger soul's power, Xiang Shaoyun felt much better.
The second star slowly grew larger, and the energy contained within grew bountiful. The excess energy leaking out of the star coursed through his body like a river of stars, flooding his meridians and enlarging his acupoints.
Xiang Shaoyun had just broken through not long ago, but the energy within him reached saturation once again. Mid eighth-stage, late eighth-stage, peak eighth-stage...one bottleneck after another was broken through until finally, he reached the ninth stage. Even so, his cultivation still continued to grow.
...
Outside the Golden River Valley, the King Realm experts of both humans and gold serpentine crocodiles were in a massive battle. The reason for the battle? The humans wanted to occupy the Golden River Valley while the gold serpentine crocodiles naturally disagreed.
Thus, a battle had erupted.
Although many gold serpentine crocodile kings had been killed by the disastrous sound wave, they had after all occupied the valley for many years. Years of growth here had given birth to a ninth-stage Demon King among their ranks.
The moment this Demon King appeared, two humans were killed while He Luo, Mo Chage, Young Lightning King, and the others were forced to retreat from the Golden River Valley. No matter what, the gold serpentine crocodiles viewed the Golden River Valley as their territory. Thus, they would not tolerate humans occupying the valley.
Fortunately for the humans, the ninth-stage Demon King stayed in the valley. Otherwise, many more humans would have been killed.
"Back then, we allowed the gold serpentine crocodiles free reign over this place. Nobody had ever expected that they would actually grow this powerful," sighed He Luo, who was looking quite sorry right now.
The ninth-stage Demon King had hit him earlier and destroyed the king armor he was wearing. Fortunately, he was quick on his feet. Otherwise, he would have died in the valley.
"That might be related to the secret of the Golden River Valley as well. The secret can't be kept hidden any longer. It is time we exterminate the gold serpentine crocodiles," said Young Lightning King as he licked his lips.
"I wonder who from the pavilion will come this time. If the vice pavilion master, the Lightning King, can come personally, we will no longer have anything to fear," said someone flatteringly.
The Lightning King was the master and adoptive father of Young Lightning King. He was a peak King Realm expert, and was only half a step from the next realm.
"I doubt my godfather will come for something like this. He is busy breaking through," Young Lightning King said, a worshiping gaze in his eyes. He did not admire many people, and his godfather was one of the few people he actually admired.
"That is great news! The vice pavilion master will most certainly succeed in breaking through!" said the flatterer.
Even He Luo smiled and said, "The vice pavilion master is a peak expert who can hardly find a match. He is also so talented even the old pavilion master admired him. It is very likely that his breakthrough will be a success. Poli, with an Emperor Realm expert backing you, nobody would dare provoke you in the future."
Mo Chage disliked the Young Lightning King's arrogance, but facing the adopted son of an Emperor Realm expert, he was also forced to lower his head. "Congratulations. Our Cloud Margin Pavilion will thus gain another peak expert."
Meanwhile, many gold serpentine crocodile kings had gathered near the newly formed hole. The ninth-stage Demon King gold serpentine crocodile transformed into a tall and slender human. He had a pair of triangle eyes, a head of snake-like hair, and was dressed in a set of crocodile skin armor. His entire person emanated a thick demonic aura.
A large number of Demon Kings stood around him, all of them had also assumed human shape. Looking at the gold serpentine crocodile corpses around them, their faces were filled with fear.
"Clan leader, that tiger roar came from here. It feels like there is a tiger emperor down there," said a Demon King with an anxious expression.
The gold serpentine crocodile clan leader remained silent. He grabbed at the empty air, causing a gold serpentine crocodile corpse to fly into his hand. He then tossed the corpse into the hole. The instant the corpse entered, the vicious gold aura within sliced it to shreds.
The gold serpentine crocodile clan leader's pupils shrunk at the sight. With a hoarse voice, he said, "The gold serpentine crocodile clan has only become strong after having our physique altered by the nourishment of the vicious gold aura. Without the vicious gold aura, there wouldn't be any gold serpentine crocodile clan of today. Revered tiger emperor, if you can hear me, please accept us as your followers."
He then knelt down before the hole.
Chapter 132: Second-Stage Transformation Realm
Three days later, human reinforcements finally arrived.
Several chariots could be seen gliding across the sky. The first chariot was pulled by five blackwind eagles. With only two people on this chariot, it was the chariot with the fewest number of people on it among the newly arrived chariots. The second chariot was pulled by four blood wolves. Five people were seated on the second chariot. As for the other chariots, they were also pulled by various Demon Kings, and each chariot carried more than 10 humans.
This time, the Cloud Margin Pavilion had deployed 37 King Realm cultivators. The leader of the group was the Cloud Margin Pavilion's second elder, the Black Eagle King. He was the middle-aged old man seated on the first chariot.
Beside him was a delicate young man dressed in black. This young man was similar in age with the Young Lightning King. He stood there with his hands clasped behind his back. With his hair whipping around in the wind, he had a free and unrestrained demeanour.
He was Zhang Xiaoyu, one of Cloud Margin Pavilion's genius disciples. He was as famous as Young Lightning King and was the sole disciple of the Black Eagle King. He was also known as the Young Eagle King. Perched on his shoulder was a demonic eagle. The eagle's sharp eyes and aloof expression made it clear it was no ordinary eagle.
On the chariot pulled by the four blood wolves, there was an elder called Long Xiaolang. He was the seventh elder of the Cloud Margin Pavilion, and in this group, his strength was second only to the Black Eagle King.
These three were the most well-known members of the group. When they arrived, He Luo, Mo Chage, Young Lightning King, and the others stepped forth to offer their greetings.
"How is the current situation? Elder He Luo, explain," said the Black Eagle King who remained seated on the chariot. When he scanned the ground, none of them dared to meet his gaze. He Luo gave him a summary of all that had happened.
"Ninth-stage Demon King!" When the Black Eagle King heard that there was such a high-leveled Demon King, there was finally a change in his expression. He was only a peak eighth-stage King Realm cultivator. Granted, he had some trump cards that would enable him to fight a ninth-stage Demon King, but there was a limit to how helpful trump cards could be.
"Yes. We did not think much about them, but such a powerful Demon King appeared out of nowhere. If we hadn’t been quick on our feet, we would have all ended up in the Demon King's belly," said He Luo with a sigh.
"How about the other Demon King gold serpentine crocodiles? How many of them are there?" asked the Black Eagle King.
"The s
ound wave had jolted a large number of them to death, so not many of them survived. With our current numbers, dealing with them won't be a problem," He Luo answered.
"Since that is the case, we will first occupy the Golden River Valley before we consider anything else," decided the Black Eagle King.
Long Xiaolang interjected, "A ninth-stage Demon King won't be easy to handle. Both of us need to work together if we are to stand a chance."
"There's no need for that. This is a good chance for me to further temper myself. Perhaps it will help me make a breakthrough in my cultivation," said the Black Eagle King confidently. Thus, the group of humans charged toward the Golden River Valley.
Swish! Swish!
Before they even reached their destination, the gold serpentine crocodiles started sounding the alarm. Then, the gold serpentine crocodile clan leader and over 20 Demon King gold serpentine crocodiles appeared in front of the valley. With a vicious expression on his face, he said, "Humans, are you here to intrude upon our domain again?"
"Leave and we will allow you safe passage," said the Black Eagle King, who was standing on a blackwind eagle.
"Not possible. This is where we have lived for many years. Nobody can chase us away," rejected the gold serpentine crocodile clan leader. He added, "You humans are the ones invading our territory. Do you think you can bully us as you like?"
At those words, fierce expressions covered the faces of the Demon Kings behind him. They started sticking their serpentine tongues out, seemingly eager to fight.
"Since you are being stubborn, we'll just have to slaughter all of you," said the Black Eagle King as he waved his hand to signal the start of the assault.
Wielding a pair of eagle claws, the Black Eagle King dashed toward the gold serpentine crocodile clan leader. He moved so fast his entire person blurred. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the gold serpentine crocodile clan leader, like an eagle out on a hunt.
Demonic beasts were generally rash and feared nothing. That applied to the gold serpentine crocodiles as well. The many Demon Kings all charged forward fearlessly. The human King Realm cultivators would naturally not stand around idly. They drew their weapons and joined the battlefield as well.
Rumble! Rumble!
Instantly, explosions of numerous colors erupted in the sky like fireworks.
...
Inside the cave. Xiang Shaoyun had finally fully digested the white tiger soul in him. He had directly jumped to second-stage Transformation Realm, breaking through four stages at once. This was his fastest ever advancement since he had started cultivating.
Apart from talent, luck also played a great role in the advancement of a cultivator. Evidently, Xiang Shaoyun was both talented and lucky. He had not been cultivating for long, yet he was already a Transformation Realm cultivator.
After the breakthrough, his demeanor seemed to have become even sharper than before. His body also seemed to be naturally emanating a sort of presence at all times now, giving him a sensation that nothing would be able to plant any sort of fear in him from now on.
"It has taken me...eight months? In eight months, I advanced from third-stage Basic Realm to second-stage Transformation Realm. It took me less than a year." Even Xiang Shaoyun himself was astonished by this speed. Everything felt unreal to him. Other people had to work very hard to reach this level, but here he was, reaching this level so easily. He could only lament that fate was indeed never fair.
Xiang Shaoyun had completely recovered from his injuries while his astral cosmos sea had expanded twofold in size. With a storage space of 30 square meters, he would be able to store even more things. His advancement had indeed contributed to the growth of his astral cosmos sea, but the white tiger soul's power had also contributed greatly to the growth.
The shaft of the Overlord Skyslaying Saber was now gold in color after devouring the white tiger soul's power. As for the broken blade, apart from the original purple inscriptions, some additional golden inscriptions could now be seen there as well. Purple and gold, both were colors of nobility. With them converging on a single blade, the saber looked even more exalted.
Unfortunately, the shape of the saber remained the same. It was still the same badly damaged saber. If not for that, the saber would definitely be an exceptional weapon. Xiang Shaoyun circulated his energy, causing the projections of a purple dragon and a white tiger to hover around him. Now, both of them were equally matched and appeared to be in a state of equilibrium.
"There are three main phases in the Transformation Realm. The first phase is my current state, the outer energy phase that allows me to form an energy barrier to protect myself. The second phase is known as the inner energy phase, where one can form an inner energy barrier to protect one's organs, meridians, and bones from damage. As for the third phase, it is the energy transformation phase. The so-called energy transformation phase is the phase when one obtains the ability to give shape to incorporeal energy, materialize it, and use it to harm someone through thin air. It's an ability approaching what King Realm cultivators can do. Since I can already perfectly create the outer energy barrier, I should focus on reaching the inner energy phase for now," Xiang Shaoyun muttered.
He did not become overjoyed and forget himself due to his rapid advancement. Instead, he remained level-headed, and he was clear on what he should do next. His gaze landed on Little White, who was wrapped in a golden cocoon.
"I would have died without Little White. How am I going to repay him for this?" Xiang Shaoyun sighed. He then shifted his gaze to the massive tiger skeleton, excitement surging into his eyes.
Chapter 133: Various Treasures
It was unknown what cultivation level this white tiger had when alive, but its skeleton was most certainly a top-tier forging material. The body of the Overlord Skyslaying Saber was still damaged, and the white tiger skeleton could be used to repair it.
That was why Xiang Shaoyun was staring at the white tiger skeleton with excitement. He rubbed his hands as he walked toward the white tiger. When he placed his hand on the skeleton, he could feel that apart from being incomparably tough, the skeleton was also very smooth to the touch.
"The white tiger is indeed worthy of being a top-tier demonic beast. After dying for so many years, the skeleton is still in perfect condition. Each piece of bone on this frame of skeleton can be auctioned off at a high price," Xiang Shaoyun lamented.
He knew that this white tiger skeleton was related to Little White. He himself had also benefited from the white tiger soul. He was not supposed to set his sights on this skeleton after all he had benefited.
But Xiang Shaoyun was left with few options. He had to keep growing. At the same time, his weapon had to keep growing as well. Even though the Overlord Skyslaying Saber was an extraordinary weapon, before its full restoration, it would have limited power.
"Well, since Little White is still busy digesting that clump of power, I will just take a piece of bone off the skeleton. That would be enough for now," Xiang Shaoyun mumbled to himself as he circled the skeleton, trying to look for a suitable piece of bone. Ultimately, his gaze landed on the backbone, which was several dozen meters long. It was a perfect backbone, running along the skeleton like a graceful dragon.
But Xiang Shaoyun was also clear that if he took this backbone, the entire frame of the skeleton would collapse. He sank into deep thought. Should he take it? If he took it off, he would be able to repair the Overlord Skyslaying Saber but that might hurt Little White. At the same time, he found it hard to just ignore such a fine backbone.
"Forget it. This backbone might be very important to Little White. I'll decide after Little White wakes up." Xiang Shaoyun ultimately decided to respect Little White and put the matter aside for now.
No longer distracted by the skeleton, he finally had the chance to study his surroundings. A thick layer of vicious gold aura formed the ceiling of this place, acting as a natural barrier preventing anyone else from entering. As for this space itself, apart from t
he skeleton, it was nearly empty. He could see everything here with a single glance.
Not far from the skeleton was a puddle of gold liquid. The puddle emanated pure vicious gold aura, and a stalk of gold herb was growing on the puddle. It looked like a gold lotus, and in the middle of the petals, a clump of white tiger energy hovered. Occasionally, the projection of a white tiger would jump out of the lotus, looking extremely vigorous and lifelike.
Xiang Shaoyun darted forward and stared at the puddle and the herb. He gulped and said, "Is this white tiger blood? And is this the gold lunar liquid? And this a stalk of vicious tiger gold lotus! Am I seeing things?"
White tiger blood was naturally a precious treasure. Each drop of it was invaluable. That was also the case for the gold lunar liquid. It was a liquid with pure gold energy, and like the lightning liquid, it was an extremely rare divine liquid. Other spirit liquids could hardly be compared to the likes of gold lunar liquid and lightning liquid. As for the vicious tiger gold lotus, it was something that only existed in legends. It was a plant that would only grow where a white tiger resided. It was an incredibly rare herb with much stronger medical efficacy than regular spirit medicines or even king medicines. Simply put, it was priceless.
Any one of these treasures was valuable enough to cause a large number of experts to kill each other to get their hands on the treasure. With them all lying quietly here, Xiang Shaoyun's heart started thumping. Fortunately, he was able to maintain reason as he muttered, "Everything here belongs to Little White. I'll wait until he wakes up."
For Xiang Shaoyun, Little White was like a brother. He would never take the belongings of a brother without permission. He was confident that Little White would definitely be willing to share so long as he asked for it anyway. Thus, he continued looking around. His gaze landed on the pile of golden rocks nearby.
"Top-quality goldsteel stone!" Xiang Shaoyun cried out gleefully.