Huge increase in power level

As the demon crystal entered Su Han's belly, it rapidly began to dissolve. Under normal circumstances, dragon veins, blood and spirits would absorb such a crystal nucleus at a sluggish pace. Yet with Su Han's dragon vein emperor technique in action, the nucleus liquefied like a globe of water in an instant!

This rapid melting unleashed an immense amount of potent spiritual power which flowed to various parts of Su Han's body under his guidance. "Cultivating this way is so much faster than merely absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth..." he mused.

"Are these unintelligent monsters truly intent on hunting me down?" The corner of Su Han's mouth lifted, knowing that staying here was not without good reason. It was unthinkable that the majestic monster ancient dragon emperor would be pursued by such weak first and second-order creatures.

In his previous life, Su Han could obliterate hundreds of millions of these monsters with a mere thought. Suddenly, "whoosh!" His dagger flew through the air once more; its powerful penetration driving straight into the head of a tusk porcupine. Swiftly removing a demon crystal, he returned his weapon just as quick.

Devoid of its crystalline heart, the tusk porcupine's aura rapidly faded only to be swallowed by the encroaching horde of monsters. "Another one," Su Han muttered as he ingested the demon crystal, swiftly refining his dragon vein emperor technique further.

With thirteen meridians opened, Su Han sought to open a fourteenth. Yet the spiritual power contained within these demon crystals was far from adequate. However upon reminiscing his progress, he mused: "But I suppose quantity can compensate for quality. With this many monsters before me, I wonder how many meridians I can open today? I can hardly wait!"

It was a rare event indeed to encounter such numbers of beasts within the monster mountain range; another crucial factor in Su Han's decision to stay. "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The sound of black shadows flickered in and out, as demon crystals were collected consistently from the defeated creatures.

Su Han deftly shifted locations after each acquisition, always remaining elusive. Although the monsters were fast, Su Han's paths remained unpredictable, making it near impossible for them to catch him. Within a mere ten minutes, time seemed to slow down for some while others reveled in the thrill.

For Pang Qing, those ten minutes seemed to drag on for an eternity. But to Su Han, it was a rush of indulgence in his newfound power.

Su Han observed the shimmer on his body, a sly grin appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Despite unlocking sixteen dragon veins and experiencing a massive power boost, he only revealed eight of them.

For him, dealing with first-tier monsters using only eight dragon veins was sufficient.

In just ten minutes, Su Han annihilated more than two hundred first-tier monsters, the majority being tusked porcupines followed by one-eyed monitor lizards, fiery red horses, and others.

He consumed over half of the demon crystals and stored the rest in parcels.

"That should do it," Su Han thought as he suddenly retraced his steps along the original route.

"Squeak!"

Spotting Su Han's return, a three-tailed demonic monkey among the beasts appeared especially infuriated, sensing that Su Han was taunting it.

The monkey charged forth, leaped off a flaming horse's back, and swiftly grabbed onto branches with its hands and tail as it sped towards Su Han.

"Huh?" Su Han noticed something and smirked.

"A three-tailed demon monkey? I'd be scared if there were hundreds of you – but just one? You're no match for me!"

Su Han's dagger flew out as his words echoed.

"Bang!"

Having kept an eye on Su Han's dagger throughout their battle – seeing it emerge again – the demon monkey scoffed. With a casual swipe of its paw, it slapped the weapon away with a loud crack.

"Your skills are quite impressive for a second-tier monster," Su Han acknowledged.

Though his dagger had failed to inflict damage for the first time, he remained unfazed.

"Eight dragon veins aren't sufficient for a second-order monster. Well then, let's see how you fare against ten!"

As his words resounded through the air, his body trembled and two more beams of light emerged!

With this additional power came rapid increases in speed, strength, and attack – Su Han was a force to be reckoned with.

"Whoosh!"

The dagger burst forth once more, but now at a significantly higher velocity, creating a whirlwind in its wake. The icy gleam from the blade made the demonic monkey's hairs bristle as it screeched its fear.

Rather than risks its chances with a direct hit from the dagger, the three-tailed demon monkey evaded this time around.

"Feeling frightened?" Su Han looked at the creature, shaking his head slightly. "Too bad – there's no escape!"

In the wake of Su Han's maneuver, the dagger whipped around with tremendous speed, materializing directly in front of the elusive three-tailed monster monkey.

Caught off guard, the demonic monkey halted abruptly and tried to retreat.

However, an approaching golden streak dashed any hope of escape. The rapid movement left no time for the creature to react.

"Thwack!"

The streak sliced through the demon monkey's head as blood sprayed into the air. Its lifeless body tumbled from its perch.

"How pitiable. Merely a beast with feeble intelligence." Su Han sighed, gazing at the demon crystal in his hand.

Despite their raw power, monsters lacked the wit worthy of a true challenge. A human opponent wouldn't have succumbed so quickly to Su Han's attack.

"This is the first second-level demon crystal I've obtained - and that too, from a top-tier three-tailed monster monkey. I wonder if its spiritual energy is sufficient for me to unlock my seventeenth dragon vein?"

Wasting no time, Su Han swallowed the demon crystal whole.

"Boom!"

A violent burst of spiritual power erupted within him as the demon crystal dissolved. His Dragon Vein Emperor Technique's operation quickened under this influx.

"Ha! Just as I anticipated - a Tier 2 Demon Crystal indeed!" Su Han roared with laughter as potent spiritual force expelled impurities from his latest meridian point.

Moments later, Su Han's aura swelled and his seventeenth meridian opened triumphantly!

"What could have become of Pang Qing? Surely, he must be dead by now?"

With renewed vigor, Su Han rushed towards his previous escape route.

"What's this?"

Upon arriving, he discovered only the destruction wrought by rampaging monsters - no sign of Pang Qing anywhere.

"Has he truly perished?" Su Han contemplated, troubled by doubt.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, a figure burst forth from the distant brush, pursued by a horde of monstrous creatures nipping at his heels.