"You were a bit impulsive just now, the corpse of the Shura Master seems to have been placed under some kind of restriction," Yuan Ming spoke quickly, his concern evident in his tone.

"That was not any restriction, but rather the physical body reaching the later stage of the Tongqiao Body or the early stage of the Wanxiang Body, which is normal. I didn't expect that the Shura Master was also a Body Cultivator," Xi Ying shook her head and said.

"Oh, how can you tell?" Yuan Ming asked.

"It seems you don't know much about Body Cultivation. First of all, a Body Cultivator who has cultivated the Tongqiao Body can stand in the void and fly through the earth, using the close connection between acupoints and nature's spiritual energy to completely overcome the limitation that Body Cultivators can't fly and have insufficient mobility. The self-suspending corpse of the Shura Master and the phenomenon exhibited through the pores of his body are sufficient to prove this point," Xi Ying explained.

"So even if a Body Cultivator at this realm has perished, their physical body can still maintain such characteristics?" Yuan Ming's expression changed as he asked.

"The physical body of a Body Cultivator, upon reaching a certain degree, indeed undergoes some extraordinary changes. You can think of it this way: Magic Practitioners refine external objects into Magic Treasures, whereas Body Cultivators enhance their own physical body into a Magic Treasure. Especially high-level Body Cultivators, even after their demise, their bodies still retain some of the characteristics from when they were alive. Of course, if the body is severely damaged, it may not be able to retain these characteristics," Xi Ying nodded and said.

"Then when you say the Shura Master's Body Cultivation realm had reached the late Tongqiao Body stage or the early Wanxiang Body stage, could it be related to the huge elephant shadow that attacked us?" Yuan Ming asked thoughtfully.

"My understanding of the Wanxiang Body is very limited, after all, throughout the ages, very few from the Human Clan have cultivated such a body. I only know that, when reaching the Wanxiang Body realm, the acupoints will open further and begin to attract the Power of the Sun for body refinement. The strength will reach an astonishing level, and each strike will possess the power of the Wanxiang, hence the name Wanxiang Body. The huge elephant shadow we saw earlier was formidable, but it has not fully demonstrated such a degree yet," Xi Ying said.

"Attracting the Power of the Sun for body refinement!" Yuan Ming exclaimed in surprise.

If one were to say what the most domineering force between heaven and earth is, ninety percent of people would think it's the Power of the Sun. Legends say that in ancient times, there were once nine suns in the sky, which nearly turned the world into scorched earth. Later, a peerless powerhouse shot down eight of them, and the world was able to recover its vitality.

Although there is only one sun today, the Sun Fire is enough to incinerate the void, and no one can resist it. For Body Cultivators to reach such a realm and be able to attract the Power of the Sun for body refinement is quite inconceivable.

"The Qi Blood Power exuded by the Shura Master just now was scorching hot and oppressive. Fortunately, he has already perished, or else, caught off guard, we could have easily been injured," Xi Ying said.

Yuan Ming nodded in agreement, his interest in Body Cultivation greatly increasing.

He remembered that the Shura Master had once mentioned that the Shura Blood Devouring Map contained a set of Body Cultivation Methods and cultivation experience; perhaps it was this method that he had practiced in the past. When he had time, he could well consider studying it.

If that set of Body Cultivation Method is profound enough, Yuan Ming planned to pass it on to Vajra as well.

Vajra had already cultivated an Innate Body, but Yuan Ming's strength had advanced too quickly, and Vajra, the spirit beast, was becoming less and less useful. It had to improve its strength as quickly as possible, preferably cultivating the Tongqiao Body.

As for the Wanxiang Body, he didn't dare to think too much about it. That was a Body Cultivation Realm on par with the Returning to Void Stage, which was too far away from his current self.

Yuan Ming, having thought this, gathered his thoughts and began to control the power of the restrictions, probing into the situation of the underground Stone Chamber.

The Stone Chamber had completely collapsed. On one side of the Stone Chamber underground, there was a straight passage hundreds of feet long, created by the impact of the elephant's leg.

The corpse of the Shura Master and the Void Stone, both containing earth-shattering powers, naturally would not be affected by mere falling rocks and still floated quietly there.

"Let's go back and have another look," Yuan Ming pondered briefly, touched the Shura Stone Tablet, and with a flash of white light, both reappeared in the Stone Chamber.

The collapsed rubble inside the Stone Chamber had disappeared without a trace, naturally moved elsewhere by him.

Xi Ying seemed extremely interested in the corpse of the Shura Master, examining it incessantly.

Yuan Ming, however, after only looking a few times, took out the Shura Blood Devouring Map, tossed it into the air, and struck it with a spell; a streak of black light entered the Blood Devouring Map.

This black light was the forbidden power of the Shura Palace, no less powerful than a strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

With a "boom", a large expanse of Blood Light erupted from the Shura Blood Devouring Map, engulfing the Stone Chamber, and the seals within it were instantly broken.

The Blood-colored Skull and the red-clothed woman flew out from within the map, but the area around the Shura Blood Devouring Map was enveloped by a powerful Space Restriction. Having just flown out, they hit an invisible wall and were confined within a space of several tens of feet around the Blood Devouring Map.

"Keep still and don't move around," Yuan Ming said slowly to the Blood-colored Skull and the red-clothed woman.

"It's you! How did the Shura Blood Devouring Map fall into your hands?" The Blood-colored Skull, which had once sent a Blood Shadow clone to attack Yuan Ming but was killed by him and lost a Blood River Pearl, immediately recognized Yuan Ming and roared angrily.

The red-clothed woman had clashed with Yuan Ming secretly but had not seen his face. Seeing this situation, she did not speak.

"The Six Desires Venerable has been executed. This map has now acknowledged me as its master. If you two don't want to suffer, you'd better obediently follow my orders, or else don't blame me for being impolite," Yuan Ming said.

"Pah! A Core Formation Stage cultivator like you wants to command me? Return that Blood River Pearl to me!" The Blood-colored Skull spat out eight Blood River Pearls, and a long winding river shadow immediately emerged above the Blood Devouring Map.

"Ignorant of death!" Yuan Ming sneered, unleashing the power of the Space Restriction oppressively.

The source of all the spatial power in the Shura Palace was in the Void Stone, and here in this underground Stone Chamber, the power of the Space Restriction was far superior to other places. The eight Blood River Pearls were easily separated into several segments, and the Blood River Formation immediately collapsed.

The Blood-colored Skull was startled and attempted to use other means.

Yuan Ming took out the Thunder God Hammer, and a thick bolt of thunder shot out, vanishing into the void in a flash.

A fluctuation appeared above the head of the Blood-colored Skull, and that silver thunder emerged from nowhere, striking down hard on the skull of the Blood-colored Skull.

Although the silver thunder was not as powerful as the golden thunder talisman that Xi Ying had previously cast, it still had a significant restraining effect on the Blood-colored Skull's skeletal structure.

Silver arcs of electricity raced across the Blood-colored Skull's body, its condensed power disrupted, and it screamed in agony.

"You're courting death!" The blood-colored skull erupted in towering fury, as flickers of blood light started to shimmer on the Shura Blood Devouring Map, seemingly about to employ its space-shifting divine skill.

However, Yuan Ming sneered condescendingly and lightly tapped the Shura Stone Tablet.

The entire stone chamber was enveloped in a layer of white light, solidifying all the space power within.

Having previously clashed with the Six Desires Venerable, Yuan Ming had learned from the Silver Void Tree Demon how to counteract the space-shifting divine skill. As long as the space power could be sealed, the space-shifting divine skill would be rendered unusable.

The Void Stone was right nearby, and with its power, plus the restrictions within the Shura Palace, temporarily sealing the space within the stone chamber was effortless.

The body of the blood-colored skull wobbled but returned to normal, failing to shift its position, and it was utterly shocked.

Yuan Ming's expression remained impassive as he once again began to activate the Thunder God Hammer.

Another even thicker bolt of silvery thunder shot out, striking the blood-colored skull.

The blood-colored skull let out a wretched scream as it was knocked to the ground.

Yuan Ming continued to pour mana into the Thunder God Hammer, sending waves of thunder crashing down upon the blood-colored skull.

"You little bastard, you dare... Ah!"

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, it's my fault... Ah..."

"Master, please spare me, I'm willing to submit to you!"

Initially stubborn, the blood-colored skull received seven or eight blows from the Thunder God Hammer and eventually gave in, begging for mercy.

Yuan Ming delivered a few more merciless strikes until the blood-colored skull was barely hanging on. Then he stopped and, turning to the red-clothed woman whose face was a mask of shock and uncertainty, he said:

"Would you care to try resisting as well?"

At this moment, he had complete control over all the restrictions within the Shura Palace. Even if the red-clothed woman and the blood-colored skull were to double their strength while inside, they stood no chance against him.

"Fellow Daoist, your strength is superior. I am willing to follow you!" said the red-clothed woman, hastily speaking out.

"Smart choice. Where is the Shura Blood Devouring Map Artifact Spirit? What do you say?" Yuan Ming said indifferently.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Yuan, your divine skills are extraordinary, and you were personally chosen by the Shura Master as his successor. I've always admired you and am honored to serve under your command," said the voice of the Shura Blood Devouring Map Artifact Spirit, ingratiatingly.

If Yuan Ming had not been possessing the red-clothed woman, upon hearing the previous conversation between the Shura Blood Devouring Map and the blood-colored skull, he might have actually been fooled by the Artifact Spirit.

However, Yuan Ming did not call out the Artifact Spirit. With a single finger to his forehead, a beam of blood light shot out, disappearing into the Shura Blood Devouring Map in the blink of an eye as he began to refine the map.

This time, the Artifact Spirit did not resist, and Yuan Ming soon touched upon the four runes at the corners of the Shura Blood Devouring Map, beginning the refinement through casting.

But the Shura Blood Devouring Map was a Spiritual Treasure, with incredibly sturdy runes quite different from ordinary Magic Treasures, making it extremely difficult to refine.

Seeing this, the Artifact Spirit sneered inwardly. Without the correct Sacrificial Refining Method, how could a Spiritual Treasure possibly be easily controlled?

If it were a Nascent Soul cultivator, they could still forcibly refine and control the Shura Blood Devouring Map with their profound mana, but Yuan Ming was only at the Core Formation Stage, and far from capable of such a feat.

This was precisely why he chose to feign submission to Yuan Ming.

As long as Yuan Ming took the Shura Blood Devouring Map out of the Shura Palace, he could escape Yuan Ming's control and gain complete freedom.

After yet another attempt at refinement without progress, Yuan Ming reluctantly ceased his efforts.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, there's no need to be impatient. A Spiritual Treasure is inherently difficult to refine. Even the Shura Master spent a full three years mastering this map using a painstaking method. However, with your powerful Divine Sense, I think it will take you no more than two years," the Artifact Spirit consoled him.

"Is that so?" Yuan Ming said quietly, then resumed the refinement process.

This time, his technique was different from before; it was the Sacrificial Refining Method taught to him by the Shura Master, used to refine the Shura Stone Tablet.

Joy quickly spread across Yuan Ming's face as his mana began to rapidly penetrate the four runes of the Shura Blood Devouring Map, a stark contrast to the previous difficulty he had faced while refining.

"How does Fellow Daoist Yuan know this Sacrificial Refining Secret Technique?" asked the Artifact Spirit in shock.

"It was passed on to me by the Shura Master. Is there a problem with this secret technique?" Yuan Ming asked casually, while continuing to cast.

"No... no issues..." the Artifact Spirit stammered, fuming inside.

This Sacrificial Refining Method was not of the Yunhuang Continent but was passed to the Shura Master by the previous owner of the Shura Blood Devouring Map. The method involved great significance, and that person had made the Shura Master swear not to divulge it. Now that the Shura Master had broken his oath, the Artifact Spirit's plans were completely ruined.

"Damn that old Shura ghost, setting traps for me even in death!" cursed the Artifact Spirit internally.

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