The Foundation Establishment Pill entered his stomach, and the searing potency of the medicine flowed throughout his body.

Far surpassing any elixir he had taken before, the rich medicinal power gradually accumulated in the dantian within his abdomen, like a fierce fire blazing intensely.

Jia Ren had taken three Vein-protecting Pills in advance, so the impact of the medicine's potency on his meridians wouldn't be too significant.

With his mind focused and his intent aligned with heaven, he followed the pathways of the Mysterious Turtle Water Strategy, continually absorbing and transforming the pill's medicinal power.

The ethereal, mist-like spiritual power reached its limit, and upon absorbing the pill's potency, began to transform.

From a misty state, it gradually condensed and thickened, transforming into a liquid form.

A droplet of blue spiritual power slowly took shape in his dantian, replacing the once misty spiritual energy.

This represented a change in the nature of spiritual power and was also one of the biggest differences between the Foundation Establishment Stage and the Qi Refinement Realm.

If a cultivator's spiritual power isn't pure enough, with too many impurities, the transformation into liquid will be extremely difficult.

Even the slightest error in the Gas Gathering to Liquid Transformation could lead to failure.

Jia Ren had a sufficient foundation and pure spiritual power, and with the assistance of the Foundation Establishment Pill, the liquid transformation of his spiritual power proceeded unobstructed, a process that held back seventy percent of loose cultivators.

The complete transformation of his spiritual power within signified that he had successfully accomplished half of the Gathering Yuan Pass.

This was a slow process; he couldn't be the least bit negligent as the Dao foundation was not yet forged.

As time imperceptibly passed, more and more liquid spiritual power accumulated, nearly depleting the mist-like spiritual power.

The highly concentrated liquid spiritual power pressed against the walls of his dantian, sending waves of pain.

What followed was the opening of the Heaven and Earth Bridges.

If the Heaven and Earth Bridges weren't successfully forged, the spiritual power he would later gather during meditation would still be in a misty state, not the liquid form required for true Foundation Establishment.

The potent liquid spiritual power surged relentlessly, breaking through barriers and restrictions as if splitting bamboo. After an indeterminate amount of time, he broke through all constraints.

In an instant, as if an invisible barrier shattered, there were no longer any restrictions between him and the world.

His spiritual power was much more active than before, and now during meditation and spellcasting, he could summon even greater amounts of spiritual power.

The same spells, when cast by a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator compared to someone from the Foundation Establishment Stage, vary immensely in power.

Now, Jia Ren had attained this level.

When the Heaven and Earth Bridges were clear, his spiritual power recovery rate improved, with a continuous flow of spiritual energy from heaven and earth entering through the bridges and spreading throughout his body.

Different from spiritual power gained through elixirs and cultivation, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was much more ferocious.

If the meridian channels weren't stable enough to accept the gifts from heaven and earth, risking even the slightest error could destroy his meridians and body.

The stronger the cultivator, the less likely they were to be unattractive; it's rare to find an ugly Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

A key factor is the transformation due to the shaping powers of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, which affects appearance.

Most cultivators wouldn't use valuable heaven and earth spiritual power for changing their appearance, as this would be an egregious waste.

Only when heaven and earth's spiritual power washes the marrow and rejuvenates the body can the benefits be truly maximized.

The body goes through tearing and reformation, an incredibly painful process.

The advantages of Jia Ren's impressive physical constitution were fully exhibited at this moment.

The spiritual power of heaven and earth only slightly enhanced his body, comparable to a High-Grade Magical Artifact, with minor changes.

After a thorough refinement, not a single impurity was expelled.

The spiritual power of heaven and earth, far from being wasted, began an even more detailed transformation of his body toward something akin to a Dao body.

This was the greatest opportunity that Foundation Establishment offered!

Eventually, the influx of spiritual energy from the Heaven and Earth Bridges began to wane, finally shutting off completely.

As the Flesh Body Pass neared its end, Jia Ren didn't hesitate and decisively swallowed five drops of Pure Spirit Jade Milk.

The yet unlit Ning Shen Xiang burst into flame at this moment.

His head felt a coolness. His consciousness became clear and undisturbed by external distractions.

Jia Ren felt pain throughout his entire body, as if his bones were shattered—the agony was unbearable. He felt as if he were riding in a bumpy carriage before, suddenly, his body was gently set down.

"You can't travel through the Black Demon Forest at night. Find a tree hollow to rest."

The voice was familiar, belonging to the deceased Talisman Master Zhang.

A warm, damp towel wiped his face.

Jia Ren's eyes opened, and what he saw was the swollen, peach-like eyes of Zhang Peng Peng.

"You're awake, that's really great."

Seeing Jia Ren regain consciousness, the worry on her face faded, replaced by a look of both shock and joy.

Jia Ren found himself in a dark and damp tree hollow, the smell of moldy twigs and decaying flesh invading his nostrils.

Beneath him was a white stretcher, completely stained with blood and an unidentified greenish-yellow fluid, presenting an unfamiliar appearance.

Had they left the Black Demon Forest?

In that moment, a flood of memories came back to him.

After entering the Black Demon Forest, he chose to lay low, practicing his cultivation for two months, with the intention of breaking through using a Foundation Establishment Pill.

He had hoped to leave safely with the strength of a new Foundation Establishment cultivator, but the fluctuations of spiritual energy from his breakthrough had attracted an attack from powerful Bizarre Demons.

A large amount of Evil Warding Talismans of Extraordinary Saint Level ensured his survival, but resulted in a failed breakthrough.

Jia Ren tried to move but found his body in intense pain, his fingers unresponsive.

His body was devoid of spiritual power, and he couldn't sense a trace of it in his dantian.

Subconsciously, he tried to execute the Mysterious Turtle Water Strategy, but the technique failed to operate—this was not the real cultivation technique.

He was left with no choice but to practice the Turtle Spirit Technique, slowly absorbing spiritual power.

This should have been a simple act, yet every part of his body cried out in agony. As spiritual power flowed through his damaged meridians, the pain was excruciating.

The biggest concern was clearing the obstructed meridians within his body.

Moreover... the faint spiritual power that entered his dantian rapidly disappeared.

The dantian was like a broken bucket, leaking as much spiritual power as it received, unable to store any.

This was the consequence of failing to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Though the Resurrection Pill saved him in time, it was uncertain whether his dantian and meridians could be fixed.

Jia Ren was no longer the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement master who practiced three cultivations; he was now a motionless invalid and a burden.

Have I truly not left the Black Demon Forest?

I must still be in the midst of breaking through to Foundation Establishment; this has to be false!

If this is false… despite possessing a Thousand Mind-Guarding Talismans and consuming the Pure Spirit Jade Milk that assists in overcoming the Heart Demon, how could I still be unconscious?

The three had not abandoned him. They had built a stretcher to carry Jia Ren along, seeking refuge in a tree hollow.

"I believe you can recover."

"Your talent is unmatched, and in the future, the world must have a place for you."

"A single failure at Foundation Establishment is nothing."

Talisman Master Zhang softly comforted, reviving spirits.

He was about to continue speaking when his body suddenly stiffened, his expression blank.

Ten Evil Warding Talismans he kept close triggered, forming a thick purple halo.

Bizarre Demons!

The purple halo, like paper mache, shattered in an instant.

Talisman Master Zhang plunged to the ground, lifeless.

A scene all too familiar left Jia Ren standing there in a daze.

A living person had just died right before his eyes.

Zhang Pengpeng cried out in a hoarse, desperate scream, also triggering an attack from Bizarre Demons, dying on the spot.

They had unwittingly entered the silent land, and two familiar people died in front of him one after another.

Jia Ren watched these events unfold, utterly helpless.

I was clearly at Foundation Establishment!

This must be fake!!!

The events before his eyes were incredibly real, delivering a strong impact.

Real and false memories intertwined, unclear which were true and which were false.

Perhaps, he wanted to lull himself into a dream.

He regretted attempting Foundation Establishment in the Black Demon Forest, which had led to his failed breakthrough. Only in dreams could he make up for this regret.

If he had just been a bit more careful, none of this would have happened...

The tragedy before him might have been avoided...

Wang Mingyan, startled by the sudden events, fled in fear and trepidation. Shortly after, however, she turned back.

Uncertain if it was because she was alone and unsupported, unable to survive in the Black Demon Forest, or...

'Leave the Black Demon Forest, marry me as a dao companion, and help me take revenge on the Five Elements Sect.'

Wang Mingyan's eyes were firm as she looked at Jia Ren, writing on Talisman Paper.

This was a hard-earned opportunity she couldn't afford to miss.

'If you don't respond, I'll take it as your agreement.'

'We will leave this place. You will still be an Artifact Refining Master, a Rune Dao Grandmaster, with a promising future.'

These words were as much for Jia Ren as they were a pep talk for herself.

Wang Mingyan took over the night watch, hastily collecting the Storage Bags of the Zhang family father and daughter, as well as the bodies.

More than half the night passed unknowingly.

The two of them were sleepless, extremely tense.

Moments later, Wang Mingyan looked outside the tree hollow, her face full of fright.

The silent world of the Black Demon Forest was disrupted, with sounds of running from time to time.

Under the dim sky's weak light, the heads of magical beasts appeared to be severed by an invisible blade, separating from the bodies and flying off into the distance.

The Black Demon Forest seemed to harbor some powerful Bizarre Demon that could decapitate from afar.

The beasts, now headless, showed no sign of blood from their wounds, yet they were still alive...

The headless magical beasts frantically chased their own heads, striving to keep them.

If they could reattach their heads before dawn, they could continue to live.

The beasts dared not make a sound, the scene eerie and chilling.

Wang Mingyan looked in horror at the distance, only to find that the Evil Warding Talismans had burned out without her knowing, and the purple halo had shattered.

Her own perspective rose as her head separated from her body.

The headless body stretched out its hands, trying to hold on to the head, to prevent it from flying away.

The force coming from the head was immense. Despite her best efforts, she could not keep it, and together with her head, she flew high into the sky.

It wasn't just Wang Mingyan's head that was flying away, Jia Ren's was too.

Wang Mingyan could still move her own body, desperately trying to catch her own fleeing head.

Jia Ren, weakened by his Foundation Establishment failure, lay powerless on the ground.

The few remaining Evil Warding Talismans were exhausted in consecutive encounters with Bizarre Demons.

The power of the Mixed Refining Vajra Body's fourth layer vanished, and even reaching out his palm became incredibly difficult, unable to grasp his own rising head.

The head flew out of the concealed tree hollow, mingling with the other escaping heads of the magical beasts.

Heads danced in the sky as headless beasts chased below, creating a chaotic and bizarre scene.

Daybreak brought a faint light that illuminated more areas of the Black Demon Forest.

Jia Ren's view gradually rose higher, making everything around him clearer.

Dozens of miles away, a hideous monster made up of countless magical beast heads called out silently, heads from all directions continually gathering towards it.

The thousand-headed monster replaced its rotting heads with the newly arrived ones.

Countless headless magical beast carcasses surrounded it, all lives that had perished at its hands.

The beasts had tried their hardest but failed to retrieve their missing heads, unable to restore their bodies to wholeness, falling at dawn.

I, too, will end up like these dead beasts, buried here.

Jia Ren's gaze wandered into the distance, where a massive Flesh-Giant Tree dozens of meters high was advancing, carrying a thick stench of death.

Further beyond, an overwhelming tide of black blood surged toward him.

Perhaps sensing the scent of a fleeing little insect, a black blood axe, as large as a water tank, slashed through the air towards him.

Am I going to die?

The dawn's early light shone on his face.

「The breeze was not harsh, and the sunlight was just right.」

The hallucinatory scene tore apart, and before him was not the rising sun, but the light from over seventy Evil Warding Talismans and more than a thousand Mind-Guarding Talismans burning together.

Intertwining purple and white, exceptionally splendid and dazzling.

The Heart Demon Pass has been crossed!

Foundation Establishment is achieved!

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