In the western region, amidst the mountains.
At the entrance of a canyon, an old farmer stood between the mountain forests, his gaze turning grim.
From his sharp and cold eyes, it was evident that he was in no good mood.
"Damn it, I've been here for two months, and still no sign of Ye Cangtian and Long Xuefeng?"
Could their real destination not be here, but somewhere else?
Impossible!
With Ye Cangtian's quasi-Heavenly realm strength, and a cripple like Long Xuefeng, the two of them combined wouldn't be enough to traverse the western region!
So, where could they have gone?
The old farmer's mood grew worse. He knew the destination of Ye Cangtian and the other, and also the location of Medicine King Valley, which was why he had specifically come to wait.
But waiting for two months made him anxious.
If Ye Cangtian and the other had a different purpose, wouldn't he be made a fool of and led around in circles?
Not only that, but he had also wasted two months of his time for nothing.
"Damn it, I'll wait for you here. I don't believe you won't come!"
The old farmer gritted his teeth and made a decision.
No matter what, Long Xuefeng was a cripple, so no matter what Ye Cangtian and Long Xuefeng were doing at the moment, Medicine King Valley was a path they had to take.
Therefore, all he had to do was wait here like a hunter for his prey.
...
Within the Blood Pool Secret Realm.
Elder Long sat in meditation by the blood pool.
Time passed quickly, and two months had flown by. Ye Cangtian stood motionless beside him.
If he couldn't sense a faint trace of his presence, Elder Long would have thought Ye Cangtian was already dead.
After two months of tempering, Ye Cangtian's body was covered in a thick layer of dust, like a mud shell encasing him entirely.
Crack, crack, crack...
At that moment, the mud shell on his body began to crack. Elder Long's gaze immediately shifted over.
As a result, amidst a cloud of dust, a figure slowly emerged. It was none other than Ye Cangtian.
His skin, which had turned dark red, had already recovered. His entire aura had also climbed a notch, directly reaching the eighth level of the quasi-Heavenly realm.
He was now only a step away from the ninth level.
When Blood Pool Venerable had unleashed his blood explosion, he had infused all his cultivation into his blood. And more than ninety percent of this blood had seeped into Ye Cangtian's body.
Undoubtedly, Blood Pool Venerable had intended to perish together with Ye Cangtian.
However, under the circulation of the Zhou Tian cultivation technique, Ye Cangtian not only remained unharmed but also improved the Zhou Tian cultivation technique, allowing him to absorb this blood and use it for himself.
This was how Ye Cangtian managed to break through.
On the other hand, seeing that Ye Cangtian was not only safe but even had his cultivation advanced, Elder Long's eyes lit up with excitement.
He quickly walked forward, patted Ye Cangtian on the shoulder, and chuckled, "You kid are truly a monstrous talent! That terrifying blood explosion ultimately became your stepping stone..."
"Heh, sorry Elder Long, for making you worry."
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian quickly cupped his hands in greeting to Elder Long and continued, "Elder Long, thank you for guarding me during this time."
Although Ye Cangtian had been unable to move and was focused on improving his cultivation, he was aware of everything happening outside.
He not only knew that Elder Long had guarded him but also knew about the departure of Du Yuxing, Hou Yin, and the others.
Now that he had regained his mobility, he naturally had to express his gratitude immediately.
"Hmph! You really scared the life out of me, but now that you're safe, I can finally relax."
As he spoke, Elder Long glanced at Ye Cangtian and said, "Kid, tell me, how did you resolve the blood explosion? Did the pills I gave you take effect?"
Elder Long was genuinely curious about this.
He had given Ye Cangtian some detoxification pills, but the grade of those detoxification pills was too low. He truly didn't believe they could neutralize the toxins in the blood explosion.
"Uh, your pills didn't really have any effect."
"In fact, it was my cultivation technique that had a certain ability to absorb..."
Ye Cangtian briefly introduced his cultivation technique, but to avoid worrying the other party, he did not reveal that he had improved it.
In fact, if he hadn't improved the Zhou Tian technique, he might not have been able to resolve the blood explosion by now!
It was precisely because he had improved his cultivation technique, further enhancing its absorption capabilities, that he was able to absorb the blood explosion in such a short period and advance himself.
"Truly gifted!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's explanation, Elder Long sighed. Then he spoke, "Alright, since you've woken up, let's leave quickly!
Two months have passed, and I imagine that traitor is getting impatient!"
Two months?
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's eyes widened, and he then let out a wry smile.
In his opinion, it had only been a few days at most. How had two months slipped by so quickly?
Thinking of this, Ye Cangtian glanced at Elder Long and said, "Elder Long, I'm afraid we can't leave just yet."
Huh?
Hearing this, Elder Long was instantly confused and cast his gaze over.
Was there something else important here?
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, pointed to the blood pool in front of him, and said, "Elder Long, don't you remember? I just told you that my cultivation technique has a certain absorption ability. If we leave like this, wouldn't it be a waste?"
With that statement, and looking at the blood pool not far away, Elder Long instantly understood everything.
After the Blood Pool Ancestor was heavily injured, he desperately tried to crawl towards the blood pool, which proved that the blood pool must contain terrifying energy.
Ye Cangtian was clearly targeting this energy. If he could harness it, his cultivation might even improve further.
Thinking of this, Elder Long's expression turned serious. "Kid, are you sure? Absorbing the energy from the blood pool might bring you danger!"
"I'm sure."
Ye Cangtian nodded firmly and continued, "Elder Long, don't worry. I can even absorb the blood explosion, so this blood pool is nothing in front of me. It will at most take some time. So please, Elder Long, continue to guard me."
"Alright, be careful with everything. I'll handle the guarding."
Seeing Ye Cangtian's insistence, Elder Long no longer tried to stop him.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded, took a few steps forward, and leaped into the blood pool.
As he had imagined, the blood pool contained surging spiritual energy. Although it was still poisonous, it had no effect on Ye Cangtian whatsoever.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian was immersed in absorption.
This time, it took a long while. When Ye Cangtian opened his eyes again, four months had passed.
The originally bloody pool water around him had become crystal clear due to his absorption. And Ye Cangtian discovered a red Qiankun bag at the bottom of the pool.
Taking it out, Ye Cangtian found that the Qiankun bag contained two Nine Revolutions Golden Pills, as well as some precious materials.
On the other side, after a separation of four months, Elder Long rushed forward to meet Ye Cangtian.
Sensing Ye Cangtian's aura, he immediately smiled. "You kid truly have great fortune! You merely helped some people out of kindness, and your cultivation has directly broken through from the seventh level to the peak of the ninth level."
Elder Long was truly envious of Ye Cangtian's experience.
He knew that it had taken him over ten years of wandering in ruins to go from the seventh level to the peak of the ninth level.
Yet, Ye Cangtian had achieved so much in just half a year. Compared to him, he truly felt like crying without tears.
"Alas! Just a little bit more. This last thin membrane is truly difficult to break!"
Ye Cangtian smiled wryly upon hearing this.
He had wanted to use the vast energy in the blood pool to break through to the Heavenly realm in one go.
However, the final barrier had stubbornly blocked him. After several failed attempts to break through, he had no choice but to give up.
"Pfft!"
With that remark, Elder Long almost felt like spitting blood.
To have such a significant breakthrough in half a year, and the other party was still not satisfied. It was truly unbearable for him to even watch.
The next moment, Elder Long heavily tapped Ye Cangtian's head and said exasperatedly, "Do you know that this last thin membrane is the most difficult one!
It not only requires comprehension of the martial path and sufficient accumulation but also a certain opportunity. To reach this state is already very good!"
"Opportunity? What kind of opportunity?"
Ye Cangtian rubbed his head and continued to press for details.