The jagged terrain of Death Mountain stretched endlessly ahead of Lu Tianran, its oppressive mists curling through the ancient trees like the breath of some slumbering beast. Every step he took felt heavier than the last, his body battered and bruised, but his determination burned bright.

The earlier encounter with the demonic beasts had left him weary, his energy depleted, but the fight was far from over. Death Mountain wasn't merely a place—it was a crucible, testing every fiber of his being.

Suddenly, the forest around him fell silent. The ever-present rustling of leaves and faint cries of distant creatures stopped, replaced by a suffocating stillness.

Tianran stopped in his tracks, his senses sharp despite his exhaustion. His fingers instinctively tightened around the crude dagger he carried.

A low growl rumbled through the air, vibrating the ground beneath his feet. From the shadows, a hulking demonic bear emerged, its massive frame dwarfing the twisted trees around it. Its fur shimmered with dark Qi, and its eyes glowed a sickly green, burning with malice and hunger.

"Of course," Tianran muttered, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "The mountain wouldn't make this easy."

The bear roared, the sound echoing through the forest like thunder. Without hesitation, it charged, its massive paws tearing through the earth as it barreled toward Tianran.

Tianran dodged to the side, his weakened body protesting the sudden movement. The bear's claws missed him by a hair's breadth, carving deep gouges into the ground where he had been standing.

Too slow, he thought, gritting his teeth. This body is still too weak.

He moved with calculated precision, keeping just out of the beast's reach. The demonic bear swiped at him repeatedly, each blow carrying enough force to shatter stone. Tianran used the terrain to his advantage, weaving between the trees and forcing the bear to overextend its attacks.

But his endurance was failing. Every movement drained the last reserves of his strength, and his breaths came in ragged gasps.

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The bear lunged, its jaws snapping dangerously close to his arm. Tianran pivoted, driving his dagger into its side. The blade barely penetrated its thick hide, but it was enough to draw blood—a dark, viscous liquid that hissed as it hit the ground.

The bear roared in pain, its movements growing more erratic. Tianran pressed his advantage, dodging another swipe and delivering a sharp kick to its hind leg. The beast stumbled, giving him the opening he needed.

Summoning the last of his strength, Tianran climbed onto the bear's back, gripping its fur tightly. He raised his dagger high and drove it into the base of the creature's skull with all the force he could muster.

The bear let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing to the ground, its massive body twitching once before going still.

Tianran rolled off the bear's corpse, his chest heaving as he lay on the cold ground. His entire body ached, his muscles trembling with exhaustion. Blood dripped from the shallow cuts on his arms and legs, and his vision blurred from the strain.

But the fight wasn't truly over.

His gaze shifted to the bear's lifeless form, its blood pooling beneath it. The dark Qi that infused the creature's body still lingered, radiating a twisted, chaotic energy.

For most cultivators, consuming that blood would mean certain death. The corruption would invade their meridians, driving them to madness or destroying their bodies from the inside out.

But Lu Tianran was no ordinary cultivator.

"This is my chance," he murmured, forcing himself to sit upright. "If this mountain wants to test me, I'll take everything it has to offer."

He pressed his trembling hands to the bear's chest, his fingers slick with its blood. Closing his eyes, he began chanting the incantation for a forbidden technique—the Blood Purification Art.

The air around him grew heavy as the blood within the bear's body began to stir. Streams of crimson light rose from the corpse, swirling into a dense sphere above his palms. The energy within the blood was volatile, thrumming with a chaotic power that threatened to lash out at any moment.

Tianran's voice grew louder, his incantation resonating with the dark Qi. Slowly, the corruption within the blood began to dissipate, leaving behind pure life force and energy.

When the purification was complete, Tianran opened his eyes, his gaze cold and resolute. Without hesitation, he brought the sphere of blood to his lips and swallowed it in one fluid motion.

The effect was immediate.

The blood coursed through his veins like liquid fire, burning its way through his body and flooding his dantian with raw power. Pain erupted in every corner of his being, his meridians straining under the sudden influx of energy.

Tianran gritted his teeth, his body convulsing as he fought to maintain control. For anyone else, the energy would have been too much to handle, but he was the Demon Sovereign. His mind was an unbreakable fortress, and his will bent the chaotic energy to his command.

"Submit," he growled through clenched teeth. "You are mine now."

The energy stabilized, flowing through his meridians and strengthening them. His wounds began to close, the life force from the blood knitting his torn muscles and fractured bones back together. His dantian pulsed with newfound vitality, the faint spark of energy within it growing into a steady flame.

When the process was complete, Tianran collapsed onto the ground, his chest heaving. His body was still weak, but the improvement was undeniable. His energy reserves had been replenished, and his meridians felt stronger, more resilient.

He pushed himself to his feet, his movements slow but steady. The bear's corpse was now little more than a husk, its essence completely drained.

"Even in death, you served your purpose," Tianran muttered, his voice low.

Reaching down, he retrieved the demonic core from the bear's chest. The orb pulsed faintly with residual energy, a valuable resource for future cultivation. He tucked it into his robes, his sharp gaze turning back to the mountain's towering peaks.

End of Chapter