## AST 540 - Half A Year, Qing Shui’s Defense Of 10 Countries, Turning Point

The attack of a Heavenly Fire-Armored Rock Bear before it fully matured was weak. However, once it reached full maturity, it gains a powerful fire attack. It will get an exceptionally strong body and attack.

This sort of demonic beast originated from the fiery regions in the north east, so Qing Shui could not understand why the bear was here. He could sense that its spiritual intellect still had not developed.

Qing Shui started to approach the Heavenly Fire-Armored Rock Bear.

The little creature opened its clear eyes and looked at Qing Shui. Then, it shut them and remained motionless on the ground.

Qing Shui went into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and retrieved a piece of cooked wild boar back leg. It was steamed with the herbs from the realm. A lovely aroma filled the air once Qing Shui took it out. The smell was so good that some of the surrounding Supreme Elders started swallowing their saliva.

The little creature opened its eyes again. It eyed Qing Shui but it did not beg.

“It’s quite cautious! It's in its nature to resist.”

Qing Shui placed the meat closer. He did not expect that not only did it not budge, it did not even salivate.

Looking at that slightly lethargic bear, Qing Shui guessed that it must not have eaten for a long time due to its distrust towards humans.

After that, Qing Shui tried all sorts of methods. It did not open its eyes, let alone eat the meat in Qing Shui’s hand. Not long after, Elder Yan came back with five silver medallions.

These were Interspatial Beast Medallions which functioned like the Interspatial Silk Sachet, just that they were used to store demonic beasts and not items. Most people, especially cultivators, who could afford these medallions will use them on cubs of powerful demonic beasts if they had the chance. They can later sell what they had captured. A demonic beast within a medallion will remain in its original state for a very long time. The length of time that a medallion could store a creature depended on its quality and its materials. Very good ones could even store beasts for up to ten thousand years.

During the time in the medallion, a demonic beast could not evolve nor level up. However, a legend said that there exists an Interspatial Beast Medallion that can spur the growth of demonic beasts, but this legend was unverifiable.

One’s stats must surpass that of the demonic beast when using the Interspatial Beast Medallion.

Qing Shui held an Interspatial Beast Medallion and channeled his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique into it. The Fire-Armored Rock Bear started snarling at him.

Capture!

Huh?

Qing Shui realized that he did not manage to store it in!

Emperor’s Qi！

“Little brat, I'll reduce your stats by 20 %!” Qing Shui could not actually capture the creature with his base stats. After thinking, he realized that he was actually slightly weaker than the demonic beast.

His strong point was the huge set of support skills he possessed!

Nature Energy!

Diamond Qi!

……

Capture!

The Fire-Armored Rock Bear disappeared into the Interspatial Beast Medallion. Qing Shui wanted to take control of the beast but he did not have anymore Divine Marionette pellets.

“Divine Marionette?”

Qing Shui thought about his relationship with his Diamond Gigantic Elephant that was established through the Divine Marionette. Every time his Diamond Gigantic Elephant had a breakthrough, he gained 20 % of its stats increments.

Because Qing Shui had been having troubles improving his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, he had not taken notice of his dantian for quite awhile. Now that he checked, he noticed that beside his Emperor’s Qi, there was also a significant ball of Qi being gathered.

Qing Shui was very excited. The Diamond Gigantic Elephant’s strength had increased by four times, and its base strength rose from two to eight countries. Under the effects of Diamond Qi, it is 16 countries. When using the insane technique, Ferocious Diamond Attack, it could reach the attack of 32 countries.

Its defense rose from four countries to 16 countries. Under the effects of Diamond Protection, it could reach the perverse level of 32 countries of defense.

Qing Shui thought about how he had already accumulated 20 % of this increment, that is the strength of one country and 2 million jin...

The defense is about two countries and 4 million jin...

His base stats had increased by that amount...

Qing Shui felt a sudden fervor. He wished that he could go immediately into his realm of the Violet Jade Immortal to process the gathering of Qi. Thinking that he would get stronger soon, he felt a drive. There were so many things he wanted to achieve and being stronger would make it a little easier to reach success.

Looking at the Interspatial Beast Medallion, Qing Shui thought about Luan Luan. She was such a pitiful little lass but maybe her life was a little better now.

Perhaps with her Heart of Seven Orifices, she might be able to tame the Fire-Armored Rock Bear. This was the first ‘real’ present that he planned to give her.

Qing Shui left some people at Sword Tower to search for treasures as he expected that they could not have moved away all the treasures so fast. However, it was equally possible that his people might not find any, so he did not expect much.

How much treasure they could find in Sword Tower was pretty much up to fate!

Leaving the others to finish these tasks, Qing Shui left on his Fire Bird. Anyways, the others will bring the items to him. With this, he left for the Heavenly Palace so that he could inform Cang Wuji and the two ladies that he was safe.

Qing Shui rushed back to find the others waiting anxiously for him. He saw Di Chen and Di Qing, then Canghai Mingyue and Huoyun Liu-Li, and lastly Cang Wuya who was the most composed. He felt a warmth envelop him.

……

Both the Sword Tower and the Demonic Beast Sect were destroyed!

In just a short time, this information spread like wildfire through the entire Greencloud Continent. Huge Sects are like large trees with many branches and leaves, they had connections with many people. Once they are destroyed, there is bound to be turbulent changes. Take for example, a small sect in one of the small countries, just because they were a branch of the Demonic Beast Sect, they could flaunt their power and cause trouble...

But when the news about the destruction of the Demonic Beast Sect was verified, the small sect could not even survive for half a day...

Originally, Greencloud Continent only had six strong sects; now two of them were destroyed in a single day. This boosted Heavenly Palace’s reputation immensely. There was even a rumor that the young patriarch of the Heavenly Palace had already reached the Martial Saint Realm.

“Are you okay?”

When Huoyun Liu-Li noticed Qing Shui’s bloodstained clothes, she quickly ran over and hugged one of his arms. She looked at him with concern, her usually alluring eyes were able to show such sincere care in such times.

“ I'm okay. I'm completely fine.” Qing Shui reached over to touch her face!

Canghai Mingyue did not say a word. She just looked at Qing Shui with great concern. She always hid her emotions deep in her heart. When she heard that Qing Shui was alright, she smiled a little.

“Hey sis, he doesn't care about you…”

“Nonsense!” Di Chen berated Di Qing softly.

Qing Shui looked at Di Chen and Di Qing, appreciating their beauty. Di Chen averted her eyes while Di Qing blinked her eyes playfully at Qing Shui. An elegant and transcendent absolute beauty, who had a mature charm without a flaw. These sisters were really incomparable.

Qing Shui grimaced. He had no relation with Di Qing, with the exception that they fought a few times…

Qing Shui hugged Huoyun Liu-Li. He also hugged Canghai Mingyue because their relationship had already crossed that boundary!

Di Chen and Di Qing also ate dinner at Cang Wuji’s place. All the ladies had quite a good relationship as Di Chen had saved Qing Shui a couple of times.

After dinner, Qing Shui quickly excused himself from the group and went upstairs.

He locked his room. He could not wait to enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Without doing anything else, Qing Shui just channeled one cycle of his Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique and directly dissipated the gathering of Qi in his dantian.

With a huge gush of energy, his dantian was totally filled. The energy was still increasing, and he could feel a swelling pain. His entire dantian, meridians, and internal organs were all undergoing a miraculous change.

Pain!

But this was nothing to Qing Shui!

Actually, Qing Shui’s dantian was already at its maximum capacity. It was not possible that it could contain any more energy without the next breakthrough, but the Divine Marionette was truly miraculous.

It actually started to increase the tenacity and capacity of his dantian and meridians.

Not only did his dantian hurt, but he felt pain across his entire body. It was akin to the pain of being torn apart alive!

Gradually, the pain stabilized!

Then, it slowly faded!

……

As the huge energy flowed through his body, he felt comfortable, just like being in a wash of sunlight in winter. His physical comfort could not surpass the joy in his heart of knowing that he became stronger.

His strength had increased from five countries and 3 million jin to the huge strength of six and a half countries.

His defense had increased from seven and a half countries to nine countries and 9 million jin.

His speed increased by 20 %. His base speed matched his Diamond Gigantic Elephant now. Under the effect of Diamond Crossing Rivers and Instantaneous Diamond Evasion, his elephant had now surpassed him.

Nevertheless, he was happy because it was his demonic beast.

His defense was approaching 10 countries. Qing Shui recalled that once his abilities reach 10 countries, he should be able to become a Martial Saint. Was this also the key for him to reach the 6th layer?

Qing Shui had the nagging feeling that they were all interrelated in an abstract manner. If he just had some enlightenment, he felt that he could reach his next series of breakthroughs.

There was no problem with his defense but for his strength to reach 10 countries, he needed more time and more luck. If his Diamond Gigantic Elephant could reach the Martial Saint level, he should not have trouble getting his attack strength to 10 countries.

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he felt. His decision to use the Divine Marionette on his Diamond Gigantic Elephant was truly too worthwhile!

Time passed quickly and in a blink of an eye another half year passed.

The situation in Heavenly Palace had stabilized, it had become the strongest sect in the Greencloud Continent. That half year was peaceful and uneventful. Even though Qing Shui made good use of this time, it was also very boring for him.

In the daytime, he spent time in the back mountains in deep thought, almost like meditating.

At night, he trained hard in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

His life was just like a practicing monk.

In half a year, he had some success in training his body. His defense was now 10 countries, and while increasing his defense, his strength also increased unexpectedly by 4 million jin.

He reached seven countries in strength!

His speed increased significantly too. He had a stronger belief that reaching the stats of 10 countries was not the only the juncture to become a Martial Saint. The key should be reaching the 6th layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique.

Strength at seven countries, defense at ten countries, speed at seven countries. Only his perverse recovery stats was over 10 countries!