Chapter 48 Harvesting the Magic Core
As the tip of the sword penetrated deeper, the huge body of the Fiery Blood Tiger fell to the ground with a loud bang, leaving only its unwilling breathing and gradually dissipating vitality.
Shangguan Jiannan stood quietly aside, his eyes deep and firm, as if what he had just experienced was not a life-and-death struggle, but just a simple practice.
The destructive sword energy was like the collapse of heaven and earth, mercilessly wrapping around the huge body of the Fiery Blood Tiger, as if it wanted to devour all living things into endless darkness.
As Shangguan Jiannan shook his wrist, the sharp sword energy was like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, suddenly piercing through the indestructible head of the Fiery Blood Tiger.
In an instant, a stream of hot and bright red blood gushed out like a volcanic eruption, dyeing the surrounding air red. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood and anxiety.
The Fiery Blood Tiger, once the fourth-tier demon beast overlord, was now like a body with its soul ripped out of it, no longer able to maintain its terrifying majesty. The light in its eyes had disappeared, leaving only endless fear and despair, and its body was shaking violently, whimpering in waves, the sound was weak and desolate, forming a sharp contrast with its previous might.
The shadowy Xuanyin sword energy surged wildly inside the flaming blood tiger's head, shuttling back and forth like a ghost, extinguishing its life fire bit by bit.
The whimpering sound of the flaming blood tiger had disappeared, and its huge body collapsed to the ground, its breath gone.
Shangguan Jiannan was still gasping for breath, his face was covered in blood and sweat, and he was still in shock. He collapsed to the ground, and after a long time, he slowly moved his stiff body.
Gazing at the giant beast lying motionless with a pool of blood beneath it, Shangguan Jiannan couldn't help but feel a little scared.
However, this fear did not last long, and Shangguan Jiannan's gaze quickly focused on the corpse of the flaming blood tiger.
This was a fourth-level monster, and its value was insignificant. He knew that even a second-level monster could produce a magic core, not to mention a fourth-level Fiery Blood Tiger, whose magic core must be a priceless treasure.
Thinking of this, Shangguan Jiannan no longer hesitated, and rushed towards the flaming blood tiger. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind - to seize the precious magic core.
After all, the value of the Flame Blood Tiger's magic core is self-evident. Lu Feichen also mentioned before entering the Broken Cloud Mountains that the magic cores of monsters are mostly hidden in their heads. So, Shangguan Jiannan put his two fingers together, turned them into sword fingers, and stabbed at the head of the Flame Blood Tiger without hesitation.
The once majestic monster was now dead, without any resistance. With a "crack", the bones broke, and Shangguan Jiannan's fingers touched a trace of warmth.
It was a blurry mass mixed with white brain matter. Although it looked disgusting, it could not hide the joy on his face.
"Demon core!" Shangguan Jiannan exclaimed, a glimmer of joy in his eyes. He quickly discarded the rubble in his hand, reached into the broken head, and carefully felt around, ignoring the warmth and stickiness of the brain.
A moment later, a smile appeared on his face again, because in the sticky stuff, he touched a hard round object - it was the magic core he had been dreaming of.
At this moment, Shangguan Jiannan was ecstatic, as if all his fatigue and fear had disappeared with the appearance of this magic core.
Once his hand clenched, he quickly pulled it away. What came into view was a dark red round bead, about the size of a quail egg, with mottled traces of brain matter on the surface. However, Shangguan Jiannan didn't care about it at all. He quickly wiped off the filth on the surface, and the magic core still emitted a faint residual heat.
He did not dare to slack off and carefully stored the precious magic core. His eyes wandered over the huge body of the Fiery Blood Tiger, but he could not find any more valuable items.
The rest were cumbersome and time-consuming to clean up, so he had to give up. After a moment of hesitation, Shangguan Jiannan no longer hesitated, hid the magic core close to his body, and began to search the surrounding environment carefully.
At this moment, Shangguan Jiannan's mental state had recovered somewhat, and his previous fatigue was swept away. When his eyes swept across the ground, he suddenly found that Wang Bo and his five men had disappeared.
"How dare these guys pretend to be dead and escape!" He cursed in a low voice, his face full of anger. These people had caused him and his companions great harm, but now they took advantage of the chaos to escape. The flame of revenge ignited in his heart, and he vowed to find them one by one and show no mercy.
However, despite his anger, Shangguan Jiannan knew that his top priority was to settle Lu Feichen and Liu Ruyan. The two were seriously injured in the fierce battle with the Fiery Blood Tiger and eventually died.
Looking at them lying there quietly, Shangguan Jiannan felt an indescribable sadness and emotion in his heart. He gently placed the two together and held a simple funeral for them.
After completing all this, Shangguan Jiannan took a deep breath and felt the fresh air beside the cold pond. Then, his figure gradually went away and finally disappeared in the vast mountains and forests.
Shangguan Jiannan sat in front of the Fiery Blood Tiger Demon Core. In the lake of his heart, the whisper of the shadow spirit rippled like ripples: "The time has come. Can you absorb the shadow spirit energy in this demon core? Although it is difficult and dangerous, it is your chance to transform."
He nodded in response, his eyes flashing with unquestionable determination: "No matter how bumpy the road ahead is, I will move forward bravely and fearlessly."
He gently stroked the magic core with both hands, and a warmth spread from his palms to his whole body, as if life was beating in it.
As the magic core slowly released the shadow aura it contained, the surrounding air seemed to be ignited, and the spiritual power fluctuations surged like a tide.
Shangguan Jiannan closed his eyes and concentrated, guiding his own spiritual power to resonate with it, and a feast of spiritual power quietly began.
However, this influx of power was not without cost. Shangguan Jiannan felt the spiritual power in his body boiling, like a candle in a strong wind, swaying and about to go out.
Sweat soaked his clothes, and every breath was accompanied by a heavy gasp.
"Shadow Spirit, this power is too strong. I am almost swallowed by it."
"This is the only way to transform. The power of shadow aura is the key to breaking through the bottleneck. Don't let it control you, but control it with your will. Remember, the truly strong grow in adversity."
Hearing this, Shangguan Jiannan felt an unyielding fighting spirit in his heart. He took a deep breath, put all distracting thoughts behind him, and concentrated on guiding this violent spiritual power.
The pain and suffering were intertwined, but it also made him feel unprecedented growth and transformation. With each impact of spiritual power, his cultivation level rose like bamboo shoots after a spring.
"Shadow Spirit, I feel like I have reached my limit. My body seems to be torn apart by this force."
“Don’t forget your original intention, and don’t give up. Real breakthroughs are often born on the edge of despair and hope. You must find the source of your own strength in this pain.”
A flame was ignited in Shangguan Jiannan's heart, a desire for power and a determination for victory. He mobilized all his willpower and engaged in a silent battle with the shadow spirit.
Gradually, he felt the changes in the spiritual power in his body - they began to become docile and orderly, as if they had found a new home.
Under the careful guidance of Shadow Spirit, Shangguan Jiannan finally tamed this violent shadow aura under his own will.
They flowed and gathered in his meridians, and finally condensed into a new and more powerful force. At this moment, he seemed to be reborn and became a brand new person.