What flowed through his body now could no longer be called Yuan Qi — it was True Essence!
The two simply weren't on the same level!
In his dantian, there had originally been seventy or eighty drops of Yang Liquid. Now only about twenty remained.
But the energy stored in each drop was equivalent to three or four drops from before! When such Yang Liquid erupted, its destructive power would be far more terrifying than anything he'd unleashed previously.
After advancing to the Zhenyuan Realm, the True Essence within a martial artist's body was also categorized by grade. First grade through ninth — first being the highest, ninth the lowest! While this classification wasn't formally part of the broader martial advancement system, it was universally recognized among practitioners.
Ordinary martial artists who broke through to the Zhenyuan Realm without the aid of rare treasures and extraordinary herbs would typically form ninth-grade True Essence.
Even with the help of some rare resources, they could only elevate it to eighth grade, and even that was cause for immense celebration — enough to make most people beam with joy they couldn't contain.
This grade of True Essence could indeed unleash far greater force than ordinary Yuan Qi in combat, but it was still at the bottom of the spectrum. Against an opponent with higher-grade True Essence, even a slight advantage in realm wouldn't be enough to win.
The grade of True Essence would gradually improve as a martial artist continued to cultivate and grow stronger.
However, even upon reaching the peak of the Shenyou Realm, without some particularly rare opportunity, one's True Essence would only reach the third or fourth grade at best. It was exceedingly rare for anyone to achieve second grade, and first grade was nothing more than legend.
It could be said that when a martial artist advanced to the Zhenyuan Realm, the grade of the True Essence they formed would shape their future potential and development — it was the foundation upon which their entire life would be built.
Those geniuses who broke through to the Zhenyuan Realm typically formed at least seventh-grade True Essence, and some even reached sixth grade. The higher the starting point, the brighter their future prospects.
Yang Kai didn't know what grade his True Essence currently was, but it definitely couldn't be eighth or ninth grade. At minimum, it would be sixth or seventh — possibly even higher.
Liu Yan Liquid, Nine Yin Essence Condensation Dew — both were rare treasures capable of refining Yuan Qi, and both were nearly impossible to find. Yet Yang Kai had used both.
Add to that his diligent efforts to refine his Yuan Qi while in the Separation-Union Realm, and the True Essence he'd formed naturally couldn't be of low grade.
Yang Kai turned to look around and couldn't help but freeze.
"Earth Demon. What's going on?" he asked, confused.
He found that he was no longer in that expanse of white mist, and the stone capable of producing Soul-Washing Dew was nowhere beside him. Instead, he stood on a stretch of desolate, barren earth. Looking into the distance, he could see lush greenery and swaying forests.
"A few days ago, a strange surge of energy suddenly arrived, and then you appeared here, Young Master. But at the time, you were at the critical final stage of breaking through to the Zhenyuan Realm, so this old servant didn't dare disturb you."
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, then suddenly understood.
It seemed he'd been sent out of that other realm.
Ling Taixu had told him before that when training in the other realm, there was no need to search for a way out — it simply couldn't be found. At a certain point, one would naturally be expelled. The duration varied: sometimes two or three years, sometimes just a few months.
This time, it had been roughly a year.
The trial in the other realm was over. It was a pity about the Soul-Washing Dew — one drop would form roughly every ten days, so if he'd stayed longer, he could have collected much more.
Still, Yang Kai was content. He'd already gathered over a dozen drops.
This place should be the Dark Nether Mountain — the only forbidden zone within the Han Dynasty. The last time he'd come here with Ling Taixu, they'd encountered nothing but fifth and sixth-stage demon beasts, in enormous numbers, all fiercely savage.
Getting out now, he'd probably have to rely on himself.
There were no traces of anyone else around. They'd probably left the Dark Nether Mountain long ago.
Those people were all elites from their respective sects with no shortage of strength. They could certainly handle fifth-stage demon beasts, and as for sixth-stage ones — as long as they weren't too powerful, fleeing shouldn't be a problem.
"Young Master, something's strange about this place!"
"What's strange?"
"You should fly up and take a look!" Earth Demon didn't elaborate.
Yang Kai nodded, released his Divine Sense, and in an instant, everything within a radius of over ten li was imprinted in his mind. During this period of closed cultivation to break through to the Zhenyuan Realm, his Divine Sense had inadvertently strengthened considerably.
Detecting no danger or signs of life nearby, Yang Kai spread his Wings of Yang Flame and soared into the air. Looking down, his eyes narrowed.
"Just as I thought..." Earth Demon drew in a sharp breath.
"This place — it looks like someone smashed it flat with a single palm." Yang Kai's brow twitched.
Below him, stretching for dozens of li in every direction, lay a vast expanse of barren wasteland. Not a blade of grass grew, and every tree had been reduced to powder. Looking closely, one could even make out a clear palm print covering the ground across this entire area.
"Yes, it was almost certainly struck by a single palm."
"What kind of person had the strength to do something like this?" Yang Kai was stunned. This kind of feat, this level of power — it was beyond anything he'd ever heard of.
Ling Taixu and Meng Wuya were undoubtedly among the most powerful cultivators in the world today, but Yang Kai estimated that even if they joined forces, they couldn't have produced a palm print like this.
Moreover, the print appeared to be quite old — at least half a year, perhaps even a full year since it was made. Yet even now, not a single blade of grass grew here. That alone spoke volumes about the devastating power it contained.