Chapter Thirty-Four: Acupoints as Numerous as the Stars

The Three-Kill Sword is a battle technique rooted in slaughter; the more one kills, the stronger the mastery of the Three-Kill Sword becomes. As the God of Slaughter in the Dark Skull Regiment, his hands had taken thousands of lives, yet even so, the murderous aura he bore allowed him to cultivate only to the level of the Human-Kill Sword. Nevertheless, when he unleashed the first move of this superior battle technique, his power surged threefold, enough to slay ordinary ninth-tier warriors.

Kill!

Without hesitation, the God of Slaughter pressed his advantage, striking as soon as the Three-Kill Sword wounded Yi Tian. Injured, Yi Tian's strength had diminished by at least thirty percent, making him even less of a match for the God of Slaughter. In the next instant, Yi Tian dashed away, covering dozens of yards with each stride, swiftly distancing himself from his pursuer, who could not keep pace.

"Retreat!"

Yi Tian shouted his command to Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and other members of the Reincarnation Squad as he fled. Yi Feng, Yi Shan, Yi Li, Yi Kuang, Yi Hong, and the others heard the order and immediately sprinted, their legs flying across the earth. In the blink of an eye, they opened a gap of dozens of yards between themselves and the Dark Skull Regiment, a distance that widened rapidly. All the Dark Skull Regiment could do was watch helplessly as Yi Tian and his companions vanished before their eyes.

Even the God of Slaughter, with his ninth-tier cultivation, did not pursue. Yi Tian and his team's speed was simply too great; even the others outpaced his fastest efforts. After Yi Tian and his companions escaped the battlefield, only a little over a hundred members of the Dark Skull Regiment remained, having lost nearly half their strength yet failing to capture a single one of Yi Tian's group. This was among the worst setbacks the Dark Skull Regiment had ever faced.

Several miles away, Yi Tian and his comrades finally stopped their flight. Each bore significant wounds, blood seeped from their bodies, and a baleful aura gathered around them. Their resolve, tempered by ordeal, had become much more resilient.

"This time, I was a bit too arrogant," Yi Tian said, looking at his injuries with a bitter smile. He had thought that, after cultivating the Pure Yang Art of the Earth rank and strengthening his body, along with mastering the Feather Flight Technique, he could hold his own against ninth-tier warriors. Yet he had not anticipated that the Dark Skull Regiment's expert would unleash such a terrifying strike, making him truly grasp the power of battle techniques.

Yi Tian also reflected on deficiencies exposed during the fight. Yet, had he faced the God of Slaughter again, the outcome would have remained uncertain. His most formidable archery skills had not been employed; had he used the Divine Arrow Technique, he could have fought the God of Slaughter to a standstill.

Unfortunately, after taking that move head-on, Yi Tian was wounded and could not bring forth his true archery, for doing so would only worsen his injuries. He and his companions quickly dressed their wounds and hurried back to the tribe.

Upon their return, their injuries caused much concern for his mother, Su Yue'e, and for Yi Xiaolong and Yi Xiaoting. The families of Yi Feng and the others were also startled. Fortunately, in the tribe, injuries were common, and soon their surprise faded, replaced by admonitions to be more careful in the future.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Wu family in Black Dragon City, the family head's face darkened upon hearing of the failed mission. Not only had he relayed information about Yi Tian's movements to the Dark Skull Regiment, urging them to target Yi Tian and his companions, but he had also sent a family elite to track them—and would have intervened himself if possible.

But the news brought back stunned him: that boy Yi Tian had actually fought one of the Dark Skull Regiment's Death Gods, the God of Slaughter, and walked away unharmed. This was nothing short of astonishing, almost unbelievable.

Once again, his efforts had ended in failure! The Wu family head began to suspect that Yi Tian was his nemesis. His apprehension toward Yi Tian grew. Should the opportunity arise, he would stop at nothing to eliminate Yi Tian, this potential threat. Otherwise, if Yi Tian were allowed to grow, the Wu family could face annihilation.

As the head of the family, Wu Shigong possessed sharp insight and foresight. To see Yi Tian, still so young, already possessing strength to contend with the God of Slaughter, was alarming—his future power might be even more terrifying. For now, he could only suppress his murderous intent and wait for another opportunity.

Back in the Yi tribe, Yi Ke and the others had returned. At the Black Dragon Auction, they had acquired a wealth of rare resources, stirring excitement among the chief and elders. These resources were enough to elevate the tribe's strength to a higher level.

Yi Tian spent the next few days healing. His wounds were treated with salves made from ancient herbs, refined through secret arts. Though not as effective as healing pills, they worked admirably.

Moreover, his body was robust, his vitality abundant; after cultivating the Pure Yang Art, his life-force was continuous and his wounds healed at several times the rate of ordinary people. Five days later, his injuries were nearly fully recovered.

During these days, Yi Tian did not cultivate Pure Yang Art, but instead studied the initial chapter of the Heaven-ranked battle technique, Sword of the Firmament, which he had won at auction. The initial chapter was short, just over a hundred words, and somewhat abstruse. It took him several days to fully comprehend its meaning.

Within the chapter was a secret method for condensing the Sword Qi of the Firmament, a special way of circulating true energy. That night, Yi Tian's consciousness descended into his Star Mud transformation avatar. As he operated the method to condense the Sword Qi of the Firmament, every acupoint in his body suddenly throbbed with pain, as though suffering a thousand cuts.

At that moment, the Pure Yang True Energy in his dantian seemed to vanish, rapidly dwindling. Soon after, the acupoints in his avatar's body felt as if torn open, streams of energy erupted from each, weaving and merging in the dantian, evolving into a new power.

This new power radiated with a fierce, boundless sharpness, vast as the heavens. As before, the new force suddenly exploded within the dantian, its surging energy nearly shattering the avatar's dantian space.

Yi Tian watched the entire failed process. The route and trajectory for condensing the Sword Qi of the Firmament were vividly etched in his avatar's mind. Each acupoint vibrated during the process, affecting at least three hundred acupoints—more mysterious than his deductions for Pure Yang Art.

At present, his Pure Yang True Energy was insufficient to condense the Sword Qi of the Firmament. Though disappointed, Yi Tian did not give up; with his remarkable avatar, his understanding of the Sword of the Firmament progressed rapidly.

He also analyzed and contemplated Pure Yang Art, Sword of the Firmament, and Bull Splitting Mountain Technique, discovering that their essence lay in unlocking the hidden treasures of the human body. Within the body, each acupoint was akin to a star on a boundless star map, encompassing the universe.

On this star map, one could trace simple or complex trajectories and routes, forming intricate patterns and textures, imbued with various profound powers of heaven and earth. This was the essence of cultivation methods, the source of strength.