Chapter 117
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Chapter 117: Forceful Harvest
Hua Yicheng never imagined Ye Yun’s physical body could be this formidable. A single punch sent him flying, snapping the bones in his right arm.
Clenching his teeth against the pain, Hua Yicheng forced himself upright. He swallowed a pill, its purity flooding his body to rapidly mend his injured arm.
“Who *are* you?” Hua Yicheng rasped. “No ordinary outer disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect could possess such physical strength!” He refused to believe Ye Yun was merely a common disciple from Tian Zhu Peak as claimed.
The foundational rule of cultivation was clear: refine the body first, then calm the heart. A weak body couldn’t absorb spiritual energy from the world. A fragile spirit invited Mental Demons during breakthroughs, risking total collapse of one’s cultivation level.
Most cultivators prioritized Heart Calming—strengthening their willpower to resist inner demons.
But body refinement demanded more. It required heavenly materials and earthly treasures, endless resources. Muscles tore, meridians ruptured, bones shattered during training. Only through agonizing recovery aided by spirit herbs could one repeat the cycle.
As the Hua family’s current patriarch, Hua Yicheng had spent ten years and resources worth hundreds of thousands of top-grade spirit stones to achieve his physique. Rumors said elite disciples of great sects burned over a million top-grade crystals yearly for body refinement.
Yet Ye Yun’s body surpassed his own. Impossible! This youth couldn’t be some outer disciple—he *had* to be the Heavenly Sword Sect’s secretly nurtured elite.
“Enough chatter!” Ye Yun’s fist crashed like thunder.
He pressed the attack without mercy. Hua Yicheng’s temporary shock wouldn’t last. Once the Nine Hells Spirit Settling mirror’s suppression lifted, their difference in cultivation level would make this fight deadly. Ye Yun had to end it now.
Fists pummeled Hua Yicheng like a ragged doll, hurling him repeatedly against the stone wall. Blood sprayed as Ye Yun’s final strike slammed him into unyielding rock.
“Your storage ring. All treasures. Hand them over and live.”
Hua Yicheng staggered up, spitting crimson. “Kill me… and you’ll never leave Hualun Secret Vault! You think escaping Hualun Hall is that simple?”
Ye Yun paused, then grinned. “Even better. Surrender your treasures *and* guide me out. Refuse, and I’ll show you true suffering.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Test me.” Frost glinted in Ye Yun’s eyes.
Hua Yicheng retreated half-step. “Murder me, and we both perish here!”
Silence.
After a tense moment, Hua Yicheng gritted out, “Swear you’ll spare me.”
“Brother Hua!” Ye Yun spread his hands mockingly. “After surviving trials together? Give me your treasures and lead the way. My word binds me.”
The storage ring arced through air. Ye Yun snatched it mid-flight, glancing at the hovering Nine Hells Spirit Settling mirror. Even if Hua Yicheng reclaimed it now, his shattered body posed no threat.
Hua Yicheng’s gaze locked on the mirror—and twisted with fury. Without his rash decision to duel physically, their cultivation gap might’ve given him victory. Now, broken and outmaneuvered…
Bitter regret choked him as he recalled the mirror.
“Careful, Hua.” Ye Yun’s voice dripped mock concern. “That’s *my* mirror now. Look, but don’t touch.”
Hua Yicheng spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering as he nearly collapsed. He tossed the Nine Hells Spirit Settling mirror toward Ye Yun.
Ye Yun caught it, excitement flashing in his eyes. This mirror was truly miraculous—it could seal all spiritual energy from the world within a radius and completely block the true qi and spiritual power within practitioners. For someone like Ye Yun with an exceptionally strong physique, this treasure was beyond valuable.
With his spiritual power restored, Ye Yun beckoned Hua Yicheng over.
“Brother Hua, you’ll need to remove all spiritual imprints from these items. Save me the trouble of breaking them by force—wouldn’t want these treasures damaged.”
Hua Yicheng approached with a grimace, resentment and helplessness warring in his heart. With his life and death under Ye Yun’s control, he had no choice but to obey.
As a mid Qi refining stage practitioner, Hua Yicheng’s storage ring couldn’t be forcibly opened without destroying its contents. But with Hua Yicheng himself erasing the imprints, it took mere moments. A single swipe of his hand dissolved all traces.
Ye Yun grinned and clapped Hua Yicheng’s shoulder before dumping out the storage ring’s contents.
A hundred Spirit Gathering Pills came into view. These pills no longer tempted Ye Yun. Though they boosted one’s chances of breaking through to the Qi refining stage by twenty percent, he’d already obtained one during a sect competition. Their effects of pills only worked once—a second dose was useless.
But the jade bottle holding thirty Spirit Nourishing Pills caught his interest. These could rapidly replenish true qi for Qi refining stage practitioners. Confident he’d soon reach that stage, Ye Yun counted them as a worthwhile gain.
Next came a heap of dozens of unusual flowers and herbs. Unfamiliar with most, Ye Yun shoved them all into his Thunder Sound Metamorphosis ring to examine later.
As Hua family’s leader, Hua Yicheng carried few treasures—mostly common items for Qi refining stage use. Beyond the pills, Ye Yun’s eyes lit up at the ten thousand top-grade spirit stones and several thousand middle-grade ones.
Ye Yun’s cultivation depended on vast spirit stone quantities. The Heart of Immortals and Demons required massive spiritual energy absorption to feed back pure energy for his training—a constant headache.
Hua Yicheng’s stash of top-grade stones thrilled him. With these, his breakthrough to Qi refining stage might take mere weeks of closed-door cultivation after leaving the great tomb.
Reaching Qi refining stage would unlock the true power of both Ice Spirit Soul Lock and Fire Flame Explosive Cloud—two superb medium-grade spiritual weapons. The Thundercloud Lightning Sword’s strength would multiply tenfold under true qi, and combined with Purple Shadow’s might, Ye Yun shivered at imagining his future power.
“Brother Hua, surely the Hua family head has better treasures than this.” Ye Yun idly sifted through the pile before sweeping everything into his Thunder Sound Metamorphosis ring.
“I sold nearly all Hua family assets to prepare for the Secret Vault!” Hua Yicheng’s voice trembled with suppressed rage. “You’ve taken everything!”
“Why so angry?” Ye Yun arched an eyebrow mockingly. “Ah—you’re wearing red soft armor! Must be quality spiritual gear. Take it off.”
Fuming silently, Hua Yicheng stripped off the armor and flung it down.
“Such delicate craftsmanship—clearly meant for women.” Ye Yun snatched it up, fingers brushing the smooth material. “Who knew you had such tastes?”
Hua Yicheng glared mutely. Without this armor, Ye Yun’s earlier assault would’ve destroyed both his body and spirit.
Finding no more loot, Ye Yun surveyed their surroundings.
“You mentioned this is the fifth layer. How many remain above?”
Hua Yicheng gritted out, “Two more in Hualun’s seven realms.”
“Then open the path to sixth level.” Ye Yun flashed behind him, Purple Shadow gleaming like liquid mercury in hand.
Face twitching, Hua Yicheng trudged toward the pillar concealing Purple Shadow.
