The 98th Floor
'Haa...here we go again!' Yan Shun sighed inwardly.
He couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated by the situation.
As he gazed at the eccentric woman before him, he occasionally found himself contemplating whether a swift knockout might be the solution.
However, he knew that such an approach wouldn't be effective, after all, she could easily dodge it.
"I don't belong to anyone," He declared, his eyes growing sharp as he expressed his thoughts.
He took a step forward, fixing a stern gaze on Qiuyue. "Why should I belong to someone? Do you think I'm like an object that can be possessed by anyone?"
His voice grew colder with each word he spoke.
Qiuyue could see that he was genuinely becoming upset with her.
She began to realize that her earlier words implied that she considered him a mere possession.
"I... I'm sorry!" She murmured, lowering her head.
Yan Shun furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed how easily she gave in. He couldn't understand why she surrendered so quickly.
With a small sigh, Yan Shun chose to ignore her for the moment and reclined on his rather uncomfortable bed.
Qiuyue observed him for a moment, and, seemingly without his approval, she suddenly lay down beside him.
And to Yan Shun's surprise...
Poof!
She transformed into a small fox with nine fluffy tails, looking incredibly adorable.
Yan Shun gently brushed her tails and closed his eyes, feeling a sense of calm wash over him.
Now that he didn't have a timer to pass the next catastrophe, he would have enough time to completely fill his dantian with Qi...
He couldn't wait to get out of that devilish place!
—
—
—
BOOM!
BAM!
Yan Shun panted heavily, sweat glistening on his forehead. He was currently engaged in intense training with Qiuyue.
The absence of time constraints meant he could focus on improving his combat experience.
After all, for the past few months, he had been primarily on the defensive because of the catastrophes, but now he wanted to improve his combat experience.
Swoosh!
Out of nowhere, a powerful wave of Qi surged towards him.
Yan Shun quickly tilted his body, slightly avoiding the oncoming Qi wave, and countered with a swift sword swing aimed at Qiuyue's head.
To his surprise, she effortlessly halted his attack with just two fingers, following up with a lightning-fast punch directed at his waist.
Yan Shun reacted by raising his knee, attempting to deflect Qiuyue's arm, but she grabbed it without breaking a sweat.
"Tsk..."
Suddenly, using one of her tails, Qiuyue executed a surprising move, sending Yan Shun hurtling against the cell's wall, leaving a noticeable dent.
"Ah..." He slowly rose to his feet, gritting his teeth.
He charged his sword with Qi and swiftly channeled energy into his legs, propelling himself toward Qiuyue.
She only smiled in response, raising her thumb as Yan Shun prepared to strike.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared right in front of him and flicked her finger at his forehead.
THUD!
Yan Shun was sent crashing into the wall once again.
"Ah... I give up!" He surrendered, raising his hands in the air.
Qiuyue beamed at him and, with an unusual force, levitated Yan Shun onto the bed.
She approached him, offering a knee pillow for his comfort.
"You've grown much stronger than before!" She remarked with a proud smile on her face.
"Your mastery over Normal Qi has improved significantly. It's even better than some geniuses on the Upper Plane. However, when you ascend, don't forget to train your new Qi."
"On the Upper Plane, we have something known as 'Heavenly Qi,' a purer and denser form of the Spiritual Qi. As for your Devil Qi, you can also cultivate my special Blood Moon Qi."
"Frankly, you should consider transforming your Devil Qi into Blood Moon Qi, as it's much more potent. Don't worry, I'll teach you how," she assured him, gently brushing his long black hair and gazing into his beautiful white eyes.
Yan Shun returned her gaze with a faint smile.
Over the past few weeks spent under her guidance, he had made remarkable progress.
Having Qiuyue as his master was an invaluable opportunity.
After all, she's from billions of years ago, so, basically an unparalleled existence!
"Yan Shun, are you ready now?" Qiuyue asked in a gentle tone.
Yan Shun simply nodded his head, brimming with eagerness to confront the 98th floor of the Immortal Prison.
He was one step closer to escaping this nightmarish place.
"Yes!" He rose from his bed.
Qiuyue planted a soft kiss on his lips and wished him luck, saying, "Good luck, Honey~!"
Now, Qiuyue's charm didn't work on Qin Yun so...
He just nodded and entered the room, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.
He knew that the strength required on this floor exceeded that of the previous one.
The 99th floor was even more dangerous, as it was rumored that the Immortal Prison's Goddess herself would launch an attack.
In front of Yan Shun, the ghostly figures from the previous floors reappeared.
This time, however, an unusual sword materialized in their midst. All the entities merged into the sword, and then it swung!
Swung!
Thrum!
The massive sword, with a length of at least 120 meters, came hurtling toward him.
Yan Shun noticed that the original sword had vanished, leaving only the Qi-infused sword in its place.
Flames, lightning, and other elements danced upon the blade.
Yan Shun took a deep breath and decided not to hold anything back.
He sensed the immense power of this sword and knew that he would probably die if he didn't use all of his cards.
Crack!
As the sword struck his Qi barrier, a loud crack echoed.
The sword pressed relentlessly against the barrier, forcing Yan Shun to grit his teeth.
He channeled both his Qi and harnessed the power of the Dark Nirvana Fire, Bone Chilling Fire, and Twin Yin-Yang Flame to reinforce his defenses.
However, the sword remained unscathed.
"Tsk!"
He clicked his tongue in frustration and realized that he needed to change his approach.
If he couldn't defend against the sword, he would absorb it!
His eyes flared up as his Qi barrier dissipated, and the colossal sword descended upon him.
Yan Shun used all his strength, his eyes emitting a faint smoky aura with red wisps.
Two prominent horns emerged on his forehead, and a lotus with a sword atop it manifested.
"Absorb it!" He growled as he slowly began to draw the sword's power into himself.
He could feel his Qi becoming chaotic, but he activated both of his cultivation techniques and unleashed his bloodline's abilities to absorb the energy.
The Yin-Yang Chaotic Body separated the Qi into two distinct energies, with a higher focus on the Yang Energy, while the Exalted Demon Sacred Body transformed the Qi into Yin Energy.
This process continued for several hours, and gradually, a load of notifications began to appear:
[...Ding! You've absorbed the Green Lotus Core Flame!]
[You've absorbed a trace of the Heavenly Lightning!]
[You've absorbed a strand of "Heavenly Qi"!]
[You've absorbed...]
Countless notifications filled the air as his cultivation suddenly advanced to the Late Stage of the Returning Void Realm.
His body crackled with lightning, fire, Devil Qi, Heavenly Qi, and all the energies he had absorbed from the sword.
[...Exalted Demon God Body Tempering Art... ---> Celestial Demon Body Tempering Method!]
"Huh!?" Yan Shun's eyes widened.
[...Congratulations! You've absorbed so much from that sword that you now have enough Qi to cultivate the 1st phase of the Celestial Demon Divine Body!]
"Yeah... Save it for later..." Yan Shun's body collapsed to the ground.
He couldn't believe that he was actually alive!
"...Status."
[Status Window—
Host: Yan Shun (23)
Identity: A Prisoner On The Immortal Prison
Cultivation: Returning Void (Late)
Cultivation Techniques: Primordial Lotus Scripture (Divine Grade), Celestial Demon Body Tempering Method (1st Phase)
Special Physique: Chaotic Yin-Yang Body, Exalted Demon Sacred Body (Gradually changing...), Heavenly Fragrance Charm Body.
Bloodline: Nine Nethers Underworld Phoenix
Attributes: Demon (???), Yin-Yang (Ancient), Heavenly Lighting (Heavenly), Heavenly Qi (Heavenly)
Heavenly Flames: Dark Nirvana Fire, Bone Chilling Fire, Yin-Yang Twin Flame, Green Lotus Core Flame
Heavenly Treasures: Soul Warming Lotus, Flawless Purifying Lotus, Heavenly Lighting
Divine Arts: Three Ancient Swords (???), Devil Amongst Demons (???)
Treasures: Dawn Of The Night (Sword), Sinister Serenade (Zither)
Battle Prowess: 501 Times Stronger Than Average.]
As he looked at his status, he nodded his head in approval.
He was really satisfied with this result...
"The Immortal Prison is indeed the best place to cultivate yourself... as long you survive." He smiled.
He got up and left this "torture room".
And immediately, he was greeted with the sight of Qiuyue in her small fox form, sleeping on his bed.
'Ah... she must have passed the trial without breaking a sweat...' He sighed inwardly.
Compared to him, who almost died, Qiuyue was really an unparalleled genius.
He laid down on the bed and put Qiuyue on top of his chest...
He looked at the roof as he murmured to himself...
"Only more floor and I'm done..."