Chapter 1090, Why Are You Still Not Dead?
Translator: Silavin & PewPewLaserGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain
Submersed in the Body Tempering Divine Pond, Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yao all shivered and paled. Even if they were masters at the Saint King Realm, they couldnât bear such intense pressure.
Yang Kai was also in great pain and couldnât help feeling as if he was being crushed to death.
But the rapidly condensing Demon God Golden Blood in his body provided him with some relief, causing his condition to actually be the most relaxed of the group.
The other three were all on the verge of collapsing.
âJi Peng, what are you doing?â Gan Ji growled angrily.
Ji Peng just stood high up in the sky and stared down dismissively at them, not saying a word, as if he was looking at a dead man.
Gui Che yelled, âJi Peng, you better pray I donât escape from this otherwise I swear Iâll give you a fate worse than death!â
Ji Peng let out a laugh and confidently replied, âIâve already activated the Sacrificial Altar at the bottom of the Divine Pond, all of you will be its offerings. No matter how strong you are, you wonât be leaving from here.â
âSacrificial Altar?â Gui Cheâs face changed as he roared indignantly, âYou were still hiding things from us!â
Ji Peng sneered, âIf I had told you everything about this place, Iâm afraid Iâd be the one being sacrificed right now! Iâm well aware of your sinister and treacherous nature, Gui Che. Did you think I brought you here out of goodwill? In the face of such great benefits, who wouldnât want to monopolize them? Itâs laughable how you fell for such a simple trick. Iâll tell you now, this Body Tempering Divine Pond contains all kinds of incredible mysteries. It can indeed quench oneâs flesh, but if one wants to thoroughly temper their body, they need to offer it enough sacrifices. After you die, youâll serve the same role as that Thunder Luan, your vitality and cultivation all transforming into pure energy I can absorb to enhance my own strength.â
After hearing what he said, the faces of everyone else present turned even whiter, only now realizing Ji Pengâs true intentions and completely recognizing his sinister nature.
Although Gui Che and Gan Ji werenât the most cunning of people, they werenât fools either, ordinarily, it would have been impossible for them to fall for such a simple and obvious trap. On the way here, they had constantly been on guard against Ji Peng, but having obtained so many great benefits along the way, their vigilance had become lax and once they saw Ji Peng jump so carefreely into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, they had followed without giving it much thought, and it was only after the trap had been sprung did they understand they had been played.
It was too late for regrets though, so all of them went all out to struggle free from the Body Tempering Divine Pondâs grip, but the harder they struggled, the more intense the force holding them down became. All of them were only capable of keeping their heads floating above water while their bodies were forced to accept the potent effects of the Tempering Divine Pond as they waited for death.
âJi Peng, you even plotted against me?â Luo Yao asked in a pitiful voice as she directed a sad look towards Ji Peng.
Ji Pengâs expression slowly became solemn as he glanced over at Luo Yao with some pity, only a long time later letting out a sigh, âAlthough we have only known each other for a few years, I donât want you to die. I like you quite a bit and I planned on sharing the benefits of this Body Tempering Divine Pond with you.â
Luo Yao immediately wore a smile upon her charming face, thinking that Ji Peng was going to spare her.
But in the next moment, Ji Peng slowly shook his head, âUnfortunately itâs too late for such thoughts now. With the Sacrificial Altar already activated, you cannot come out, and I wonât go in. The number of sacrifices is too small as it is. When my ancestor came here originally, there were a dozen people in his group. My ancestorâs aptitude wasnât very high, and when he came here, his cultivation was the same as that little bratâs...â
Saying so, he pointed at Yang Kai, âOnly a Third Order Saint, and the weakest out of his entire team. Anyone else could bully or order him around, and when they discovered the benefits of this Body Tempering Divine Pond, he wasnât even granted a share. The rest of his group occupied the Divine Pond to reap the benefits for themselves, but who could have known that being forcefully excluded actually saved my ancestorâs life. After everyone else died, my ancestor waited until the Divine Pond had calmed down completely and then proceeded to enjoy all the benefits here alone. He recorded in my familyâs ancient records that if not for this Divine Pond, even if he had cultivated desperately, at most he could have become a Second or Third Order Saint King, but do you know what realm he ultimately achieved? Third Order Origin Returning Realm, just one step away from the Origin King Realm!â
Ji Pengâs tone of voice rose higher and higher as he became emotional, his hands waving in an exaggerated manner, âMy aptitude is also not great, but it is still much better than that old manâs, so with the help of this Body Tempering Divine Pond, I will have a chance to reach the Origin King Realm in this lifetime!â
âOrigin King Realm!â Gui Che suddenly let out a peal of wild and dissolute laughter as blood flowed from the corners of his lips, nose, eyes, and ears. Ignoring his own distress, he stared at Ji Peng contemptuously, âWith just the benefits of this place you believe you can reach the Origin King Realm? The Origin King Realm isnât something so cheap.â
Ji Peng didnât show any annoyance though and simply declared, âAfter you all become part of me, you will be able to bear witness to my rise. Luo Yao, although it saddens me to see you die here, I take comfort in knowing you will soon be joined to me forever as a part of me. En, I will also set up a tablet in your memory. Donât worry though, my future is still long, and I believe I will meet another woman who I can fall in love with.â
âInsane, youâre completely insane!â Luo Yaoâs face went pale as he called out hoarsely.
âSay whatever you like,â Ji Peng said as all traces of pity left his expression, leaving behind only a cold glint in his eyes as he overlooked the group below him on the verge of death. Before, he had simply been waxing nostalgically, and now that he was done, there was nothing more to say.
With the exception of Yang Kai, the condition of everyone in the pond was gradually getting worse. Blood began to boil, meridians began to break, and flesh began to tear, causing red blood to flow into the Body Tempering Divine Pond, dying it an even darker shade of crimson.
On the other hand, Yang Kai only felt uncomfortable while his life wasnât currently in danger.
A personâs body had a natural capacity, just like how only a certain amount of Saint Qi could be stored in oneâs dantian, only a certain amount of vital energy could be stored in oneâs body. If this capacity was forcefully exceeded due to some external factor, dire consequences would be incurred and in the worst-case scenario one could even explode.
Yang Kai was an exception to this rule, however. In the past, he could condense Yang Liquid to store in his dantian and currently he could store excess Saint Qi directly in his physique. His physical body was all but bottomless.
The strange force present in the Body Tempering Divine Pond was similar to Saint Qi in the air, both of which could be used to cultivate. Ji Peng activating the Sacrificial Altar at the bottom of the Divine Pond greatly enhanced the effects of this strange force and it was currently hammering Gui Che, Gan Ji, and Luo Yaoâs bodies to death.
However, Yang Kai could transform this strange energy into pure Demon God Golden Blood, essentially allowing him to undergo a limitless amount of tempering. Quickly, he had condensed ten drops of Demon God Golden Blood, each one containing a terrifying amount of energy.
With a tragic sound, Gan Jiâs body suddenly swelled up as a pulse of energy burst from his body, battering his surroundings as blood poured out of his seven orifices, giving him a miserable appearance.
*Peng...*
A muffled noise rang out and a giant splash emerged from the Body Tempering Divine Pond. After the blood-red water fell back to the pond, Gan Ji had disappeared and in his place, on the surface of the pond, was a large amount of minced flesh and broken limbs. Soon after, these remnants sank into the water and dissolved, transforming into a massive amount of pure vital energy.
After Gan Ji died, the Body Tempering Divine Pond boiled up even more and the surge of bubbles coming from its depths increased in intensity. Yang Kai clearly felt a massive amount of the strange force pour into his body from all around, nearly causing him to cry out in pain.
Ji Peng calling them sacrificial offerings wasnât just idle talk but instead a true fact. With Gan Jiâs death, the effects of the Body Tempering Divine Pond became even stronger.
The next moment, Luo Yaoâs scream echoed through the air and the enchanting yet dignified young woman followed in Gan Jiâs footsteps.
Before she died, Luo Yaoâs beautiful eyes sent an unforgettable glare of hatred towards Ji Peng, seemingly wishing to imprint his ugly countenance into her soul.
The two exploded one after the other, with no bones left. The effectiveness of the Body Tempering Divine Pond suddenly increased by one level.
Soon after, even the strongest Gui Che found himself unable to handle the increase pressure and shamelessly called out, âJi Peng, save me and Iâll give you everything inside my Space Ring!â
Ji Peng simply stared at him though and said, âOnce you die, and the Body Tempering Divine Pond calms down, Iâll naturally obtain your Space Ring and everything inside it.â
âYouâll suffer Heavenâs punishment for this!â Gui Che raged angrily.
Ji Peng laughed wildly, âMaybe, but you wonât be around to see it.â
As soon as he spoke those words, Gui Cheâs body burst open and his Space Ring flew up into the air before landing back into the pond, disappearing beneath its surface.
Ji Pengâs eyes flashed with greed, but he didnât rush out to collect it.
After waiting for a while, he suddenly wore a strange expression and muttered, âHow come their Souls didnât come out?â
Ever since Gan Ji died, Ji Peng had been on guard against his former teammateâs Souls escaping. He had been waiting to ruthlessly extinguish them as soon as they appeared.
But to his surprise, when his former companionâs died, no trace of their Souls could be seen, as if they had been destroyed and become sacrifices when their bodies exploded.
After thinking about it for a moment but not coming up with an answer, Ji Peng turned his attention towards Yang Kai, frowned, and asked, âKid, why are you still not dead?â
Yang Kaiâs forehead was filled with veins as sweat poured down his skin, seemingly enduring unimaginable pain and torment as he haltingly spoke, âI donât know. Maybe because my strength is too low and I had to sit at the edge of the pond. Do you want to step inside and check for yourself?â
Ji Peng coldly snorted, âDo you think Iâm an idiot?â
Yang Kai nodded firmly, âYou really must be an idiot, standing there so smugly, not even realizing that someone is sneaking up to attack you from behind.â
Ji Pengâs face changed immediately as he rapidly turned around to see a twin-horned blood-stained man who was concealing his aura while rapidly approaching.
âDi Ji?â Ji Pengâs face paled greatly when he saw who it was.
But after noticing the condition of this Monster Race master, Ji Peng calmed down greatly. He didnât know what danger Di Ji had encountered, but at this moment his body was filled with wounds and he looked quite exhausted. Most importantly, Di Ji was currently all alone, all of his former companions had disappeared.