Chapter 1903 — 1903: Black Sky

"What the fuck are you doing, you crazy bastard!"

When Yuan tossed the monster core into his mouth, Elder Sun reacted instinctively. In a flash, her hand shot out, seizing him by the throat with a firm grip. With her other hand, she forced her fingers into his mouth, desperately trying to retrieve the monster core before it could be swallowed.

"?!"

Yuan was taken aback when Elder Sun suddenly shoved her fingers into his mouth, but it was already too late—the monster core had long since melted and been absorbed. All she managed to do was wiggle her slender fingers around awkwardly, accomplishing nothing but an increasingly uncomfortable situation for both of them.

"Damn it! Where's the monster core?! Don't tell me you swallowed it already! Hurry up and spit it back out before you die a violent death!" Elder Sun eventually released Yuan, her fingers soaked in his saliva afterward.

"Please calm down, Elder Sun. I'll be fine," Yuan said after taking a deep breath.

"Fine?! You just swallowed a monster core directly! Nobody can be fine after that!"

Yuan calmly smiled and said, "I have a unique physique that allows me to consume monster cores safely. Take a look at my cultivation again."

When Elder Sun looked at Yuan's cultivation, she was shocked to find that it'd risen by a level.

"What in heaven's name…?" Elder Sun swallowed nervously, having trouble believing her eyes.

Then she recalled his heaven-defying cultivation speed.

"Is this how you've managed to increase your cultivation so quickly? It finally makes sense!"

"Here, let me do it again in case you're still having doubts," Yuan spoke as he tossed another monster core into his mouth.

Elder Sun's heart jumped, despite knowing that he would be fine.

"Okay, I get it. Stop doing it in front of me. It's bad for the heart," she sighed.

After consuming all of the monster cores he'd collected, Yuan entered the peak of Spirit Grandmaster.

"Still don't think I'll be able to hunt Spirit Kings by the end of the month?" Yuan asked her with a cheeky smile.

"..."

Elder Sun was speechless.

Yuan continued hunting magical beasts shortly after.

A few more days later, Yuan reached the 2nd level of Spirit Lord.

"Even though your cultivation is increasing rapidly, it's not good to increase your cultivation too much in a short time, especially when you've not grasped the essence of that level. It will affect your foundation and future advancements. There's a reason why people don't consume too many treasures at once even when they can," Elder Sun lectured him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I know my limit."

Despite saying that, Yuan wondered if his cultivation would still be limited to Spirit King until he upgraded it.

'Since the physique is already limited, there's a good chance I won't even make it to Spirit King. If that's the case, I probably won't be able to upgrade it even if I know the method…' Yuan thought inwardly.

Time continued to pass.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the month, and just as Yuan had declared, he'd started hunting magical beasts at the level of Spirit King.

Once he began hunting Spirit King magical beasts, his cultivation started to increase faster, and just a week later, he'd reached the peak of Spirit Lord.

'I'm just a step away from Spirit King. Let's see if I'll be able to enter Spirit King with this weakened physique…' Yuan wondered as he consumed the monster core in his grasp.

A moment later, his cultivation entered the first level of Spirit King without any issue.

"You really managed to go from Spirit Grandmaster to Spirit King in just a month… Is there even a limit to your physique?" Elder Sun suddenly asked.

"Yes, there are limits to my physique. For example, I can't consume anything that's far beyond my level. I probably won't be able to break through Spirit King until I evolve my physique, either."

Elder Sun looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"How can you tell? You speak as if you've reached the peak of Spirit King before."

"Just a feeling, I guess."

Yuan responded as he looked at the sky.

"Any particular reason as to why you're looking at the sky? You've been doing it constantly recently," Elder Sun asked in a puzzled tone.

"No, but I have a bad feeling something is going to happen soon…"

"What are you? A prophesier?"

Just as Elder Sun finished her sentence, a massive black wall burst forth from the very edge of the continent, rising like a massive tide. It expanded rapidly, stretching across the horizon until it completely engulfed the Desolate Continent, sealing it within an ominous shroud.

"Wh-What the hell?!" Elder Sun looked at the darkened sky with a bewildered look on her face.

'So it's finally here… the Immortal Ensnaring Vault…' Yuan sighed inwardly.

"That's… the Immortal Ensnaring Vault!"

To Yuan's surprise, Elder Sun recognized the barrier that sealed the entire continent.

"Are the Nine Immortal Clans on the Desolate Continent? But why is it being deployed here?" she muttered.

"Immortal Ensnaring Vault? What's that? You know about that black veil covering the sky?" Yuan asked her.

She nodded. "It's a treasure owned by the Immortal Spring Clan. Once activated, it will trap everything inside, even Immortals."

"So we're trapped? For how long?"

"Who knows? It can be kept activated for as long as the Immortal Spring Clan can keep supplying it with spiritual energy, but it won't be cheap. If they poured all of their resources into it, they can probably keep it active for several years."

"What?! So we can be trapped in here for several years?!" Yuan exclaimed, acting like he didn't know it'd be deactivated in half a year.

"Not at all. I'm just saying it's possible. Whatever their reason for activating it is, I doubt the Nine Immortal Clans will need too long to accomplish their goal. Also, I have a way to leave, so you don't have to worry about being trapped for too long," Elder Sun spoke with confidence, leaving Yuan speechless.

'She knows too much about the Nine Immortal Clans to not be affiliated with them… Just what is her background?' Yuan wondered.