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Chapter 289 - Merak Heavenly River

He wanted to do something for Long Chen to prove that he was a good man. That was why he had fought to the end to protect Ling Xi. However, he had found that he could not defeat the dwarf, although the dwarf was an injured Second River Stage cultivator.

After he died, Ling Xi would be taken away by the evil dwarf. After observing them for the past few days, Chen Lei knew that Long Chen and Ling Xi shared a deep bond. If Ling Xi were kidnapped by this animalistic tribe, forget about Long Chen, even he would not accept it.

But ...

Chen Lei sighed internally. He knew that if he died, that outcome would be inevitable.

He could already feel his enemy’s dagger approaching his neck. Death’s shadow loomed over him and his scalp went numb.

Whoosh.

Time seemed to stop. Chen Lei gasped and realized that he was not dead. When he opened his eyes, there was a headless body standing in front of him, and the body was holding a dagger up against his throat. Just a little more and it would have cut through, killing Chen Lei.

Chen Lei spotted the dwarf’s head and stared at its wide eyes. This bastard likely did not know how he had died.

In reality, the dwarf had been very close to getting his hands on Ling Xi and his emotions were running high. That paired with the enraged Long Chen would only lead to the same outcome. Long Chen had chopped off his head with his halberd from behind.

Who killed him?

Chen Lei was puzzled. He noticed there was some commotion behind him and turned around hurriedly. He saw Ling Xi in a young man’s arms. The young man was holding a long, green halberd, and its tip was currently resting on the ground, blood dripping from it.

“Long Chen ...” Chen Lei’s mouth went dry.

Long Chen put his halberd away and patted Ling Xi’s shoulder to comfort her, then he turned to Chen Lei. “Brother Chen Lei, thank you so much. If it wasn’t for you, we would be in huge trouble. I’ve got to say, you’re a true man!”

“A man? Of course.” Chen Lei scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

The dwarf’s body finally fell over.

It was not good to let Ling Xi see such a gory scene.

Everything had been resolved, and Long Chen’s war spoil, the Eight Clawed Fire Chi’s carcass, was still at the center of the island. He picked Ling Xi up, turned to Chen Lei and Chen Feng, and said, “You two are injured; get some rest. Everyone else can deal with the bodies. Also, Xiaolang and I have slain the Eight Clawed Fire Chi. We are now going to collect our spoils.”

Then, with Ling Xi in his arms and Xiaolang by his side, he headed back to the center of the island.

Chen Feng and Chen Lei looked at one another, finding shock in each other’s faces.

To them, Long Chen was like a miracle. If it was not for him, Goldfish Island would definitely have fallen. If the dwarves had not destroyed it first, the Eight Clawed Fire Chi would have.

Long Chen had killed both the Eight Clawed Fire Chi and the dwarves.

That was a Category Three Earth-tier beast, yet it had died in the hands of Long Chen and Xiaolang. How powerful was that teenager to have been able to do such things ...

“Lei’er, I have learned what a true prodigy is. Talent, intellect, attitude, and luck—Long Chen has all of them. He is clearly a true prodigy.”

Chen Feng was genuinely impressed.

***

“Brother Chen, to be honest, I was terrified just now ...” Ling Xi curled up in his arms.

“You’ve gotten a lot more timid ever since you used the Profound Heavenly Jade Lotus,” Long Chen said.

“Yeah. I had some power when I was in my spirit form. Also, no one could touch me when I was in the Ling Xi Sword. But it’s all different now. This powerless feeling makes me feel very insecure ...” Ling Xi explained worriedly.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll be more vigilant next time. I will protect you until we get the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit. I promise to keep you completely safe even if I have to risk my life,” said Long Chen with resolve.

“Why are you so good to me?” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Because you’re my Ling Xi,” he said, grinning mischievously.

Ling Xi, who was being carried like a princess, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Unbeknownst to Long Chen, worry filled her eyes. She was worried about the future.

How much longer will I be able to hug you like this, Brother Chen ... Ling Xi thought, biting her lip.

When they finally arrived at the center of the island, the carcass was still present. Xiaolang was walking back, already holding its demonic core in his mouth. Long Chen saw the red, fist-sized ball with flames on it. Xiaolang swallowed it whole and let out an a-woo towards Long Chen, then he went off to cultivate it.

Due to the delay, more blood had flowed from the Eight Clawed Fire Chi’s carcass. Long Chen’s heart ached at the wastage. The blood of a Category Three Earth-tier beast was a good resource to raise his cultivation level.

Not daring to delay any longer, he put Ling Xi aside and said, “I will cultivate and refine the beast’s blood. I will only be able to protect you by becoming stronger.”

Blood Transmutation was a gory and terrifying technique. Ling Xi could not bear to watch it, so she found a place to sit down.

Long Chen quickly absorbed the beast’s blood and, to his surprise, it was especially nourishing. The blood that had been lost was mostly regular blood; the true essence still remained in its body.

The large quantity of blood sped up the process of condensing the heavenly river in his body, specifically the second star vein. The First River Stage involved condensing the Dubhe Heavenly River, so it was also known as the Dubhe Realm. The Second River Stage was called the Merak Realm, or the Tianxuan Realm. Dongfang Tianxuan was named after this heavenly river.

The massive amount of Blood Qi was converted into Long Chen’s own Qi, aggregating in the Merak Star Vein, though it was not enough Qi to form a heavenly river. He started to use the Star Attraction Method to link himself with the power in the Merak Heavenly River in the sky above.

One part of the Merak Heavenly River appeared during the day and the other at night. Since it was daytime, Long Chen was condensing the Yang heavenly river.

Starlight was faint due to the sunlight, but it poured into Long Chen’s body. The Merak Heavenly River’s power was only the precursor. The true tool that could help him break through to the Second River Stage was the Heavenly River Pills.

Long Chen had no choice but to pay a great price to progress his cultivation. He had more than two thousand pills in total, and he had already used two hundred when condensing the eighteen star veins.

In his opinion, money was meant to be spent. That was why he did not hesitate to take out ten pills. He popped them in his mouth.

Other people would be cautious because they had a limited number of Heavenly River Pills. However, Long Chen had an abundance of them, so he popped them into his mouth like beans. Usually, cultivators would slowly cultivate and improve as the star power within them grew. Long Chen, however, received power directly from the pills.

The Inherited Blood Essence in his body had a property that the common person could not imagine. Long Chen felt as if his body was a bottomless pit, like he had a gigantic stomach that would not be full no matter how much he ate.

Whatever he ate was just way too little for it.

Time passed slowly. Long Chen gradually grew stronger with the assistance of the Blood Qi and the Heavenly River Pills. The Qi in his body slowly condensed along with the new energy, forming a liquid-form Star River Qi. It slowly flowed into his Merak Star Vein, forming the shining Merak Starry River in his body.

One hour later, Long Chen successfully condensed the third star vein. He had one foot in the Second River Stage. As long as he completed the other Merak Star Vein, he would truly enter the Second River Stage.

However, he had already exhausted the Eight Clawed Fire Chi’s Blood Qi and consumed about a hundred Heavenly River Pills. If he wanted to condense the other Merak Starry River, he would need more time.

However, although he had only partially entered the Second River Stage, his strength had grown immensely.

After his success, he saw Xiaolang sitting next to him, radiating a thicker and heavier aura.

“Are you finally a Category Three Earth-tier again?” Long Chen asked, pleasantly surprised.

Xiaolang nodded. He was happy with the feeling of being stronger.

The two brothers had leveled up thanks to Eight Clawed Fire Chi.

“Since we’ve already been here for a while, we might as well stay for a few more days. We’ll leave when I truly hit the Second River Stage. That will also give me some time to study the Divine Fire Clone technique,” Long Chen said.

Xiaolang was very interested in Divine Fire Clone. Due to Ling Xi, he would be able to discuss his thoughts with Long Chen.

The days passed peacefully, and the citizens of Goldfish Island returned to their tranquil lives. Xiao Yu often played with them.

On the tenth night after Long Chen condensed the Yang heavenly river, after consuming many Heavenly River Pills and ten straight days of brutal cultivation, he finally condensed the Merak Heavenly River in his Fourth Star Vein and officially reached the Second River Stage.

The next day, Long Chen and Xiaolang prepared to leave.

They still had to go to the Counter Essence Realm at the Biyang Imperial Capital after all.