A wisp of Real Qi started to flow from Shi Mu’s lower abdomen as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. It then turned into a tiny stream, and started to circulate in his entire body through his veins and arteries. Then, it returned to his lower abdomen.

　　Shi Mu continued to absorb Spiritual energy from his surroundings, and integrated it with the tiny stream of his Real Qi. This process eventually strengthened his Real Qi.

　　The flowing speed of his Real Qi continued to gain momentum as the cycle continued to repeat itself. It eventually transformed into a powerful current of Real Qi that surged through the veins and meridians in his entire body.

　　Shi Mu’s entire body was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. His skin appeared moist and red in color. His veins had also protruded all over his body; it looked as if earthworms were trying to crawl out of his body.

　　A hint of unendurable suffering flashed in Shi Mu’s eyes. It seemed as if there were countless air masses of sesame seeds inside his muscles that were trying to bulge out from his skin.

　　The flow of his Real Qi had reached its maximum limit by now.

　　Shi Mu grabbed the jade bottle, and poured the Breakthrough Pill into his mouth.

　　He felt as if a thousand pieces of cold ice were rolling down into his abdomen. Then, an inexhaustible coldness started to spread through his bones and limbs.

　　Shi Mu’s body started to tremble because of the cold feeling. He felt as if his blood had frozen. Then, his face turned pale.

　　Suddenly, the galloping current of his Real Qi came to a standstill. Even the continuous compression of his Real Qi had become denser under the force of the inexplicable coldness.

　　The thin wisp of his Real Qi swelled-up after a while, and turned into a huge stream of Qi; like a mighty river. Then, it exploded and turned into a howling flood.

　　‘Boom!’ There was an explosion within his body.

　　The impact of this explosion rendered a powerful jolt to his heart. Shi Mu felt an indescribable force rushing out of his lower abdomen.

　　Suddenly, he felt as if his skin had received a powerful blow; in the same manner as a piece of thin paper is pricked open. Then, a massive amount of spiritual energy rushed forth into his body from his surroundings. He felt that the air around him was incredibly fresh. The fresh air filled his entire body with a sense of inexplicable comfort and happiness… like a prisoner who hadn’t seen the sky for many years.

　　Then, the layer of mist shrouding his body vanished into thin air. His body seemed to have regained its normal form.

　　Shi Mu tightened his fists in order to examine his strength. He was delighted to discover that his entire body was brimming with overwhelming energy. His strength had tremendously increased; it seemed to have increased by an elephant’s strength.

　　He had finally succeeded in breaking through the fifth stage of the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants.

　　The bottleneck had seemed like a huge wall to Shi Mu before he had consumed the pill. But, it started to feel like a piece of thin paper that he needed to puncture once he had taken the pill. It had been aptly named the ‘Breakthrough Pill’.

　　Shi Mu was overwhelmed with excitement. He stood-up and started to throw his fists and feet into the air.

　　Each of his movements produced a strong gust of wind. ‘Bang! Bang!’ Continuous sounds of Qi- Explosion were heard as he pounded his feet and fists in the air. The strong gusts of wind produced by his Stone-Breaking Fist felt like a real punch.

　　However, these movements couldn’t satisfy his desire. So, he drew out his black blade and began to practice the Thirteen Series of Gale Force Knife Art.

　　He then saw a beam of black light; it was similar to a dazzling bolt of lightning. Suddenly, it started to float in the air around his body. The glint of his blade was divided into two parts with six or seven shadows each. Then, all the thirteen blade-shadows darted towards a common spot in the air in order to launch a converging attack…

　　Shi Mu continued to practice for half-an-hour. He then went back to his bed, and sat down cross-legged. His eyes flickered a few times as he sank into a deep contemplation.

　　He had tried to practice the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape right after he had entered the fourth stage of the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants. But, he hadn’t succeeded since his Real Qi hadn’t been formidable enough to withstand the gigantic force.

　　But, he hadn’t given up. Instead, he had taken a lesson from his failure. He knew that he would have enough Real Qi in his lower abdomen to resist the corroding force of Devil’s Qi once he had ascended to the fifth stage of the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants.

　　*** ***

　　Twelve blood-red moons were suspended in the dark-grey sky.

　　A small puddle could be seen in a brown mountain valley; it was only five feet in diameter. Its blood-red water appeared vibrant in the gloomy surroundings.

　　Several fragments of human skeletons could be seen lying disorderly around the puddle. The bones seemed to belong to around five human skeletons.

　　Three skeletons in bone armors stood around a single skeleton. The three skeletons seemed to have besieged that lone skeleton. The lone skeleton held a bone-blade in one of its hands. It was wearing a shattered-bone armor. It was none other than Yan Luo.

　　Several fractured ribs and numerous fissures could be seen all over its body through its broken armor. A couple of its bones seemed to be missing. The upper part of its body looked as if it was about to crumble.

　　‘Clank!’ a metal clanging sound was heard.

　　Yan Luo waved its bone-blade, and swept away two curved daggers. Those daggers were thrown at Yan Luo from the front. But, its entire body was jolted by the mighty force of the counter-attack.

　　Suddenly, a snow-white bone-spear was thrown at Yan Luo from another side.

　　The upper part of Yan Luo’s body would’ve separated from its lower body if the spear had hit its target. Yan Luo couldn’t have dodged this attack as its body was in a miserable condition.

　　However, the black charm character sealed in its soul flame flashed at the exact moment.

　　Suddenly, the green flame within its eye sockets became brighter. And, Yan Luo became wittier and nimbler all of a sudden.

　　Yan Luo moved its body to one side with a strange movement, and evaded the spear. It then moved a step forward, and wielded its pale-white bone-blade. The blade chopped down the head of the skeleton who wielded that long spear.

　　Suddenly, an air-piercing sound was heard as two daggers launched an attack on Yan Luo.

　　Yan Luo knelt down and dodged the daggers.

　　‘Bang! Bang!’ both the skeletons were cut-off from their waists with two crisp sounds. They fell to the ground, and stopped moving.

　　Another set of crisp sounds were heard as their skulls tumbled to the ground.

　　Yan Luo stood-up. Then, it moved and stomped on the skulls scattered near the puddle. A ball of green light was released as soon as a skull was crushed. Yan Luo sucked-up all the green light balls. This made its soul’s flame a little bigger than before.

　　Then, it started to search through the pile of bones, and found a few solid bones. After that, it replaced its damaged and missing bones with the good ones. It had soon replaced all the damaged parts of its body.

　　Yan Luo smiled as it looked at its body.

　　The green flames in its eyes flickered as it gazed at the small red puddle.

　　It had subconsciously started to look for similar puddles ever since it had immersed itself in one for the first time. A voice kept ringing in its mind – telling it that this kind of a red puddle could make it stronger.

　　Yan Luo then drifted into the pool, and slowly submerged its body into the water.

　　Several bubbles started to emerge from the surface of the water after a while.

　　*** ***

　　Shi Mu followed the mountain road as he advanced towards the Rat’s Nest stronghold that was situated deep into the Xuan Ling Mountains.

　　He had just exchanged his feat points for a bottle of pure Devil’s Qi. He had traded it from the largest stronghold in the Lan City. He had also bought three bottles of an ordinary ape’s essence and blood.

　　Shi Mu was curious to see the body-strengthening effects of the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape. He expected this art to benefit him in a significant manner. He was so restless that he wanted to return to the stronghold as soon as possible in order to start the practice of this art.

　　However, his complexion changed as he turned around a corner. His body froze on the spot.

　　An exceptionally beautiful woman clad in a golden dress stood in front of him. She had a charming smile on her face. She was waiting for him. It seemed that she knew that Shi Mu would come from this way.

　　Who else could she be except for Jin Xiao Chai?

　　“Senior Jin, it’s an honor for your disciple to see you here.” Shi Mu sighed in his heart. He then braced himself, and bowed to her with veneration.

　　“You and I have walked the same path in troubled times. Moreover, we’re old acquaintances. So, you don’t have to be overly courteous. Anyways, how are you doing in the Rat’s Nest?” Jin Xiao Chai giggled and asked. Meanwhile, she started to walk towards Shi Mu. Her glittering pupils were gazing at Shi Mu with great interest. A gentle and passionate smile was gleaming across the corners of her mouth.

　　“This disciple wouldn’t dare to be impolite. This stronghold is much better than the other places… where we have to put our lives on the line every day. Speaking of which… I must express my gratitude to Senior Jin for her gracious recommendation.” Shi Mu moved two steps backwards as he saw Jin Xiao Chai advance towards him. There was a huge turmoil in his heart even though his tone was dripping with respect.

　　He had a bad premonition. A seductive and attractive girl was gazing at him like this. This meant that she had some ulterior motives.

　　“I recommended you so that a genius of our Sect can get an efficient training. It was my duty. You don’t need to thank me. Elder Fang admires you a lot. He told me that you’ve been rewarded with a Breakthrough Pill. You seem to be in a hurry. It seems that you wish to make a progress in a Cultivation Art… that is on the verge of a breakthrough… right?” Jin Xiao Chai pursed her lips and asked with a smile. Then, she moved a step forward as her beautiful eyes gazed at Shi Mu.

　　Shi Mu subconsciously took a few steps backwards under her beautiful and piercing gaze. He then lowered his head and said, “This disciple does have a Cultivation Art… that is stuck in a bottleneck since a long time. So, I wanted to break through the bottleneck by taking advantage of this valuable opportunity.”

　　“I appreciate your efforts. Feel free to consult me if you bump into any problem while practicing your arts.” Jin Xiao Chai saw through Shi Mu’s hesitation since he didn’t dare to look at her. She moved a few steps forward to tease him. A gleam of a ridiculing smile flashed on her charming face.

　　Shi Mu’s heart skipped a beat as a puff of delicate fragrance entered his nose. He quickly took another step backwards. However, he felt a cold object touching his back. It was the cliff. He hadn’t realized that he had reached at the base of the cliff.

　　“Senior Jin has showered me with her graciousness. Please let me know if I can do anything for you.” Shi Mu’s restlessness grew even more intense. Suddenly, a dignified look appeared in his eyes. He then raised his head and spoke courageously while he looked into her eyes.

　　“Why are you so nervous? Don’t tell me that you’re afraid of being devoured by me… You look young and handsome. If I’m not wrong… then you must be single. So, do you want me to introduce a beautiful female disciple to you?” Jin Xiao Chai spoke with an adorable smile. Meanwhile, she continued to move towards him.

　　“Thank you for your kindness, Young Senior Jin. But, this disciple just wants to cultivate and practice the arts. Anything else isn’t my concern right now.” Shi Mu hurriedly waved his hand and turned down her offer.

　　“Hehe… Is there any man who doesn’t like a beautiful woman? You can rest assured. The disciple I’ll introduce to you has the same features and figure as me.” Jin Xiao Chai flashed a charming smile. She had come unreasonably close to him by that time.

　　Shi Mu was alarmed. He tried to step aside. But, Jin Xiao Chai’s right hand stretched-out and flashed past his face like a bolt of lightning. She then rested her hand against the cliff to support herself. Then, she pressed her body against his chest.

　　Shi Mu felt a whiff of sweet fragrance against his face. He started to feel extremely uncomfortable, and his mouth turned dry. Jin Xiao Chai’s face was so close to him that it was almost touching his cheek. She was looking at him with a coquettish look in her eyes.

　　Jin Xiao Chai was blessed with an enchanting beauty. She looked even more lovable as she was extremely close to Shi Mu. She opened her lips and blew a puff of warm breath on Shi Mu’s face. Her plentiful breasts seemed to be bursting from her clothes, and were pushing against Shi Mu’s chest.

　　This inexplicable seductive charm made Shi Mu’s heart beat like a drum.

　　His heart was thrown into a complete disorder; it started to pound uncontrollably. He felt a wisp of hot blood rush to his brain.

　　Jin Xiao Chai had come extremely close to him. Shi Mu had lost his calm after laying his eyes on such an irresistible and mesmerizing beauty. Her pink pouty lips and alluring appearance could make any man want to kiss her.

　　“There’s a pretty female disciple who looks exactly like me. But, you still don’t wish to consider her?” Jin Xiao Chai drew closer to him. She slightly opened her lips, and blew another puff of warm breath on Shi Mu’s face. Then, she asked in a lovable and pleading voice.

　　“This disciple is already interested in someone. Senior Jin, please show some dignity and self-respect.” Shi Mu bit his tongue as he got a grip on himself. A calm and painful look appeared in his vision. He then gnashed his teeth and replied in a relentless manner.