Abyss Sovereign Chapter 505

Seated cross-legged on the array platform, Lin Xiao steadied his breathing and nodded solemnly. “I’m ready!”

His face burned with determination. Having dared to refine three spirit energies, he wouldn’t shrink from the danger of Martial Emperor blood.

The path of a martial cultivator was fraught with peril—whether facing enemies or breaking through. A single misstep could reduce all efforts to dust.

Yet, the greater the risk, the stronger the potential. Thus, countless cultivators chased danger eagerly.

The Vice Dean exchanged glances with the others, nodding.

“Heh, Martial Emperor blood isn’t easy, kid. Be careful!” the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion Master chuckled. “We’re just here to watch and prevent interference. It’s all on you!”

He produced a special black jade vial, tossing it above Lin Xiao’s head. With a flick of his finger, a beam of light shot out, popping the vial’s lid.

A single drop of blood fell.

“Chi!”

An overwhelming aura burst from the drop, its terrifying pressure enveloping the area, trembling the heavens. The surrounding forest roared as if battered by a gale.

Under this crushing force, Lin Xiao felt his body buckling, the oppressive aura nearly suffocating him.

“Martial Emperor’s aura!” Lin Xiao gasped. The drop contained a trace of a Martial Emperor’s presence. Before it even landed, his sturdy body teetered on collapse. If it entered him, would it shatter him?

How could he refine it?

Lin Xiao cursed inwardly. This single drop was monstrous—how could it hold such terrifying pressure?

Even the Vice Dean and others were affected, their robes fluttering under the aura, their expressions grave.

In that instant, the Vice Dean pointed, a beam striking the platform. The array flared, a powerful light barrier enveloping Lin Xiao.

The barrier seemed to isolate external forces, dispelling the crushing aura and pressure.

“Chi!”

The blood drop landed on the barrier, seeping through. A heavy pressure descended on Lin Xiao again.

Thankfully, it was less intense. Though weighty as a mountain, it didn’t threaten to crush him.

“Chi!”

When it touched his shoulder, the blood pierced his skin like a blade, sinking into his flesh.

The moment it entered, it dissolved into torrents of blood energy, flooding every fiber of his body.

Lin Xiao felt as if his body were engulfed in flames, scorching heat radiating black smoke, his flesh nearly melting. Every muscle boiled, the searing pain nearly knocking him out.

It was countless times worse than tempering in the five-thousand-zhang thunderstorm.

“Roar!” A guttural growl escaped Lin Xiao’s throat. Gritting his teeth, he summoned his inner strength to endure, clinging to consciousness.

“Chi! Chi!”

A subtle yet terrifying force spread through his flesh, washing over every particle. The pain intensified exponentially.

“Ah!”

Lin Xiao roared, his back faintly manifesting a blood dragon apparition.

This was inhuman torment.

In that moment, he nearly fainted. Fortunately, a gentle force from the array eased the pain and the gnawing infiltration, allowing him to catch his breath.

Though softened, the blood energy continued tempering his flesh, the burning pain persisting but bearable compared to before.

Unbeknownst to Lin Xiao, his flesh was subtly strengthening under the tempering.

He lost track of time. The excruciating pain surged again, worse than before, forcing more roars from him.

As he neared collapse, the array’s gentle force intervened, dulling the agony.

This cycle repeated endlessly, Lin Xiao battling constant pain and intermittent bouts of unbearable torment, losing all sense of time.

“It’s been a month, and this kid’s still holding on!” Baili He marveled outside the array.

The Vice Dean nodded, explaining, “The diluted Martial Emperor power and blood transformation imprint intensify with each cycle, stopping at the brink of the refiner’s limit via the array.”

“Until the pain becomes unbearable, the array halts the blood’s power and imprint completely.”

“Then, it lifts the cultivation suppression, allowing a breakthrough, expelling the remaining blood energy.”

“Long Tutian lasted a month and six days, refining sixty percent of the blood. This kid might surpass him!” the Vice Dean said, impressed.

“He’s tougher than a dragon bloodline. This way, the blood won’t be wasted,” the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion Master sighed.

“He’s exceeding Long Tutian by more than a bit,” the Eight Directions Tower Master added.

“Vice Dean, Senior Brothers, could Lin Xiao refine a full drop?” Baili He asked hopefully.

Twenty years ago, during the last use of Martial Emperor blood, he wasn’t a Martial Monarch and wasn’t present, so his knowledge was limited.

“A complete drop?” The Vice Dean shook his head. “Too difficult. No one at this realm has ever fully refined a drop. If Lin Xiao reaches eighty percent, that’s already impressive.”

“Indeed, eighty percent is the best-case scenario. Beyond that is impossible,” the Eight Directions Tower Master agreed.

The Martial Emperor blood, diluted extensively, still carried the Emperor’s residual imprint and power. Even a trace was overwhelming, requiring the array’s aid.

Fully refining a drop’s imprint was near impossible.

Baili He nodded but held a flicker of hope that Lin Xiao might defy expectations, surpassing eighty percent, perhaps reaching ninety or more—a monumental feat.

Long Tutian, at sixty percent, had forged a robust Martial Emperor foundation. If Lin Xiao went further, his future would be boundless.