Sword Sovereign of the Celestial Emperor

Chu Ming first took out a Blood Pearl of the Five-tailed Black Cat Demon, held it in his hand, and silently recited the fifth layer incantation of the Primordial Body Refining Technique. Instantly, the Blood Qi within the Blood Pearl turned into a rolling heatwave, entering Chu Ming's body and nourishing his flesh and blood.

One by one, stars lit up on the surface of Chu Ming's body, and one by one, particles of flesh quivered with excitement. Chu Ming's strength slowly increased.

Fifty-one thousand Tiger Power!

Fifty-two thousand Tiger Power!

.....

With Chu Ming's current physical strength, even increasing by a dozen Tiger Power was a rare and valuable thing. After completely refining a Blood Pearl of the Five-tailed Black Cat Demon, Chu Ming's strength reached fifty-five thousand Tiger Power, an increase of five thousand over before.

Without stopping, Chu Ming discarded the useless Blood Pearl in his hand and took out a new Blood Pearl to continue refining. His strength continued to rise.

When seven Blood Pearls of the Five-tailed Black Cat Demon were refined, Chu Ming's strength barely reached eighty thousand Tiger Power. At this moment, the Primordial Body Refining Technique entered the middle stage of the fifth layer, and the speed of refining Blood Pearls became more intense. However, correspondingly, the effects of the Blood Pearls also continued to decrease.

A Blood Pearl of the Five-tailed Black Cat Demon could only increase Chu Ming's strength by three thousand Tiger Power.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, there was a thread of light on the horizon. The Mist Mountain Range, shrouded in mist, appeared more sinister.

At this moment, Chu Ming's Primordial Body Refining Technique had reached the peak of the middle stage of the fifth layer, just a step away from the late stage.

Boom!

Blood and Qi surged inside, and Chu Ming's strength began to grow frantically. In just a few breaths, it reached one hundred and twenty thousand Tiger Power, Blood Qi shifting mountains, Dragon strides and Tiger steps.

Hoo!

Chu Ming exhaled a breath of white gas, which transformed into the form of a dragon and tiger in the air, incredibly magical.

"Finally broke through to the late stage of the fifth layer, and my strength reached twelve Dragon Power."

Feeling the immense power within his body, Chu Ming murmured.

Dragon Power is ten thousand times the power of a tiger, one thousand Tiger Power equals one Dragon Power. At this moment, Chu Ming possessed one hundred and twenty thousand Tiger Power, which is twelve Dragon Power.

However, when Chu Ming glanced at the Blood Pearls in his Storage Ring, a bitter smile flashed across his face. After a night of cultivation, the original thirty-six Blood Pearls of the Five-tailed Black Cat Demon now had only three left, while the Blood Pearls of the Four-tailed Black Cat Demon were not consumed.

Swoosh!

With a flash, Chu Ming turned into a gust of wind and flew towards the Saint Tribe.

The Saint Tribe was tranquil and peaceful, but every day, slaughter occurred. The Holy Alliance controlled the entire tribe, and for Martial Artists to survive, they had to submit a Blood Pearl of the Three-tailed Black Cat Demon to the Holy Alliance each month. For most people, this was not a problem, but for individual Martial Artists, it was a matter of life and death.

The Mist Mountain Range was full of too many unknowns, and the main mystical beast there was the Black Cat Demon. The Five-tailed Black Cat Demon, elusive and ghostly, could easily cost the lives of ordinary Martial Artists.

"Xiaodie, why bother? If you follow me, you won't need to do these exhausting chores; you can enjoy your days at home."

Before Chu Ming entered the house, he heard an uproar. A few Martial Artists gathered in front of Gu Xiaodie's house, pointing and whispering. Chu Ming, familiar with the neighbors from frequently visiting Hu Xiaodie's home, quickly made way for him when they saw him return.

"Chu Ming, you're back!"

Gu Xiaodie, struggling to break free from Luo Xiong's pestering, lit up at the sight of Chu Ming. She ran all the way to him and gestured for Chu Ming to look behind her.

"Kid, who are you?"

The earlier voice sounded again as a burly young man stepped out of the house, his face flushed, his forehead broad, and the muscles on his arms twining like red dragons. At this moment, he stared coldly at Chu Ming.

"Chu Ming!"

Chu Ming responded indifferently, feeling a bit amused. Gu Xiaodie was just a girl of fourteen or fifteen, while the burly young man in front of him was at least twenty-four or twenty-five. Not that the age gap mattered—in Martial Artists' eyes, age was irrelevant, as one's lifespan extended with the improvement of cultivation.

What amused him the most was that Gu Xiaodie looked so young and immature. Chu Ming had expected she might attract suitors in a few years, not imagining it would happen now, with this burly young man before him clearly being one of them.

"I advise you to stay away from Xiaodie, or you'll suffer the consequences."

Luo Xiong coldly threatened, his Blood Qi surging, exuding a remarkable presence.

"My business is none of your concern!"

Chu Ming's expression remained unchanged as he tried to step around Luo Xiong into the house, showing no fear in the face of Luo Xiong.

"Damn!"

Chu Ming's disregard infuriated Luo Xiong. As Chu Ming stepped around him, Luo Xiong's right hand suddenly bent into a claw, a terrifying burst of Powerful Qi shooting from his hand toward Chu Ming's arm, trying to teach him a lesson.

Chu Ming's expression remained indifferent. Behind him, it was as if Luo Xiong's attack didn't exist. Gu Xiaodie's face changed, wanting to warn Chu Ming, but it was too late. Luo Xiong's powerful punch was right behind Chu Ming in an instant.

Luo Xiong's face twisted into a sinister smile, already envisioning the scene of Chu Ming being severely injured by his strike.

Swoosh!

At that moment, Chu Ming moved, turning abruptly and throwing a light punch, seemingly without any force, as if a gust of wind could topple it.

Boom!

The two fists collided, with red and yellow lights intertwining and sparkling intensely in the air. Luo Xiong's sinister smile froze, then his pupils contracted and his expression drastically changed,

"Pff....."

With one punch from Chu Ming, Luo Xiong's body flew backward rapidly, spitting blood repeatedly in the air, looking at Chu Ming as if he had seen a ghost.

At this moment, Gu Xiaodie was also stunned. She knew Chu Ming was strong, as he had killed a Four-tailed Black Cat Demon when they first met. But she had not expected Chu Ming to be this powerful, defeating Luo Xiong in a single move.

However, her face suddenly turned serious as if she had thought of something.

"You actually hurt me?"

Luo Xiong staggered up from the ground, seemingly in disbelief, muttering to himself. However, his doubt soon gave way to rage at losing face in front of everyone, especially Gu Xiaodie.

"Watch your back. If I don't kill you today, I swear I'm not human!"

Leaving a fierce threat, Luo Xiong had no face to stay in front of Gu Xiaodie any longer and left under everyone's disdainful gaze.

After Luo Xiong left, Gu Xiaodie walked to Chu Ming with an apologetic look, and softly said, "I'm sorry for involving you. You should leave the Saint Tribe quickly. If Luo Xiong comes back, you might not be able to escape."

"Is Luo Xiong powerful?"

Chu Ming asked.