Cao Yuan sat motionless beneath the massive tree's canopy, his bare chest rising and falling steadily. He had been in this lotus position for over an hour, carefully circulating his remaining energy to consolidate his newfound power while praying that no more enemies would appear. Fortunately, his prayers seemed to have been answered.
Although he knew it was risky to remain here, once he had recovered a small amount of strength, Cao Yuan began gathering the remains of the Silver-Blade Centipedes and Human-Faced Insects scattered across the ground. While meditating earlier, he had already decided to use their bodies to further enhance his cultivation through another devouring ritual with the Shamanic Rune.
He moved around the forest floor, dragging centipede corpses and piling them strategically. Using the large bodies, he formed a sprawling hexagram-shaped formation across the root-filled alcove. Once the outer array was complete, he positioned the remaining insect corpses at key points.
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
With his dagger, he punctured the softer sections of several centipede shells. Thick silver blood flowed freely from the wounds.
Grasping the tail of a particularly large centipede, Cao Yuan walked heavily around the hexagram, using the flowing silver blood to draw connecting lines between the piles of remains. His voice rasped low as he chanted ancient, incomprehensible words from his inherited memories, creating a complex pattern of intersecting silver lines that converged toward the center of the formation.
Most of the Silver-Blade Centipedes he had fought were a level below his current Advanced Silver Bone realm, making it more difficult to absorb their energy efficiently. This was the first time since beginning his cultivation journey that he had to deal with such a large gap. According to his shamanic instincts, he would need roughly ten times more lower-level beasts to achieve the same effect as using ones closer to his own level. The lower the beast's cultivation, the greater the volume of materials required.
Thankfully, the underground nest had provided him with more than enough raw materials.
Instead of handling each corpse individually, Cao Yuan performed a ritual dance around the hexagram. He twisted his body in an eerie rhythm, taking slow, deliberate steps toward the center where the silver blood trails had converged into a glowing circle. The entire formation resembled an ancient occult array, with lines of blood connecting the piles of remains at each vertex.
Sitting cross-legged on a large pile of insect remains at the edge of the array, Dai Yuan continued chanting. The silver blood trails began to glow with a faint red light.
Hummm!
The lines brightened rapidly, reacting to his chant. Within minutes, the piles of centipede corpses at the vertices began to shrivel. Their hard exoskeletons turned to ash as their blood essence was extracted and funneled through the formation.
A massive surge of energy erupted inside him. His bones creaked under the tremendous pressure, feeling as though they might shatter. The energy repeatedly broke down and rebuilt his skeletal structure, making it stronger and more resilient with every cycle. The silver hue within his bones grew sharper and more vibrant.
Finally, the energy wave reached its peak.
Cao Yuan broke through to the Late Silver Bone stage. A brilliant light enveloped his body as his bones took on a richer, more luminous silver color. The power within him surged one final time before settling into perfect stability.
He remained in the lotus position for a while longer, enduring the aftershocks as the excess energy nourished his muscles, meridians, and organs. Several superficial wounds closed completely, and his more serious internal injuries stopped bleeding.
One of the greatest advantages of the shamanic devouring ritual was its ability to consolidate power without leaving behind any hidden flaws or instability. Unlike ordinary martial artists who relied on pills and potions and often needed weeks of meditation to stabilize their breakthroughs, Cao Yuan's energy felt perfectly balanced and pure.
Whoosh!
The powerful energy finally dissipated. Cao Yuan opened his eyes, a sharp silver glow flashing across them before fading. He stood up, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and flexed his fists several times, testing his new strength. A satisfied nod followed.
He could hardly contain his excitement. The sheer power flowing through his body was incredible. In just a single day, he had broken through two minor stages. While much of the progress came from prior accumulation before entering Brightmoon Forest, it was still an astonishing speed. Most cultivators would need at least six months to achieve the same result.
Such rapid advancement would put him on par with the most talented disciples of major sects and powerful cultivation clans.
After thoroughly testing his new power, Cao Yuan took a deep breath and surveyed the carnage around him. The ground was littered with the remains of centipedes and Human-Faced Insects. He had reaped a great harvest, but the cost had been high—he was still heavily wounded.
Looking at the pile of ash where the centipedes had once been and the dozen or so insect corpses nearby, he let out a long breath. The single Shamanic Rune on his chest had gone completely dormant, entering a deep recovery phase.
"Damn…" he muttered.
He realized it would take at least a week before he could perform another large-scale devouring ritual. The thought of refining the higher-quality Human-Faced Insect remains excited him, but seeing the single inactive rune soured his mood.
Should he carve additional runes on his body?
He stood motionless for a moment, contemplating. Using the low-level centipede remains for the next rune felt wasteful, and he was wary of using the Human-Faced Insects in case he ended up with a subpar second rune.
Sigh.
Shaking his head, Cao Yuan dismissed the thought. He needed to leave this dangerous place quickly. The heavy scent of blood would soon attract more beasts.
He quickly gathered several valuable parts—the sharp blade segments and beast cores—from the centipedes and stored them in his bag. As he finished, the forest grew noticeably dimmer as dusk settled over the Brightmoon Forbidden Forest.