The so-called Red Powder Skull, no matter how beautiful the face is, it ultimately remains just a shell.

For Xiao Yi’s personality, he doesn’t care much about his own appearance.

In the past, his delicate and handsome face always made people call him a "little thief" repeatedly.

It filled him with resentment.

Now, he thinks, should any new enmities arise, it’s unlikely others will call him a little thief.

Besides, perhaps someday he will find a way to restore this body.

For now, the most important thing is to regain his strength.

Strength, strength, strength!

For Xiao Yi, nothing is more important than strength, as there is much he has to do.

Xiao Yi thought for a moment, and once again introspected himself.

Inside his body, there are currently two small worlds.

One is the Martial Arts Small World, but it is withered, riddled with holes, and nearly impossible to repair.

One is the Poison Realm, formed by potent toxins, containing various toxic martial arts.

His introspection focused on his Martial Arts Small World.

The Martial Arts Small World is severely damaged, almost destroyed.

Everything within it is gone.

Primordial power and complete martial arts have all dissipated.

However, the two martial souls remain intact.

The Ice Phoenix Sword requires no further mention, as Xiao Yi has never seen anything withstand its sharpness or damage it even slightly to this day.

As for the Fire Control Beast, although it has grown a pair of horns, it still looks foolishly dazed.

Seemingly sensing Xiao Yi’s introspection, the Fire Control Beast smacked its lips.

In the past, every time Xiao Yi introspected, it was when the Fire Control Beast had something to "eat," like those powerful flames.

Xiao Yi saw this and smirked before withdrawing from his introspection.

He pondered for a while.

This way, the current consequences are not too severe after all.

It’s just that his normal supreme peak cultivation is gone, his martial arts power is gone, and his physical strength is gone.

Also, he has become neither human nor ghost in appearance.

Other than that, it seems there is no other loss.

Xiao Yi shrugged.

Such an outcome would be absolutely disheartening and utterly despairing for other martial artists.

But to Xiao Yi, he doesn’t care much.

He practices the Ten Thousand Poison Treasure Book, and his strength will eventually return.

In the future, he might find a way to repair his small world and this body.

Xiao Yi gave up his thoughts and concentrated his mind.

Currently, he can no longer use his normal martial arts techniques.

Sword Dao and Fire Control Skill both cannot be used without primordial power.

And to enhance strength, besides practicing the Ten Thousand Poison Treasure Book, there are other ways.

His martial soul is still there.

With a concentration of his mind, in the small world, around the Fire Control Beast, a little fire attribute soul power gradually cultivated.

Perhaps he should consider practicing some Soul Master techniques.

"There are still six months left until the three-year appointment." Xiao Yi squinted, "It’s enough."

Currently, any means to increase his strength will not be spared by him.

A dark power suddenly gathered in Xiao Yi’s hand.

That power is Poison Power.

"Transform." Xiao Yi shouted in a low voice.

Poison Power automatically transformed into primordial power.

Xiao Yi tested it, and the Universe Ring on his hand immediately opened.

By practicing the Ten Thousand Poison Treasure Book, there was no longer any primordial power in his body, only vast Poison Power.

It should be known that for martial artists, primordial power is crucial; it is almost the prerequisite for all martial artist techniques.

Even the simplest action like opening the Universe Ring requires primordial power.

Therefore, this point was also considered by the genius Poison Emperor, albeit only theoretically.

But Xiao Yi succeeded.

Poison Power can transform into primordial power.

However, not much, just a trace.

And this trace is enough for him to use in ordinary martial artist techniques like opening the Universe Ring and other common methods.

Normally, no other power can transform into primordial power.

No matter the path cultivated, martial artists need to consume primordial power in battle.

Primordial power can transform into Sword Qi, flames, water currents, hurricanes, sand, and more.

But the attacks such as Sword Qi, flames, and water currents cannot transform back into primordial power.

This is the most basic knowledge for martial artists.

For example, now on the ground, there remains a large amount of poisonous power.

It is the residue of what remains on the land.

However, Xiao Yi simply cannot directly absorb it for the cultivation of Poison Dao.

Because it is irreversible.

However, this place can be considered a treasure land for cultivating Poison Dao because the poisonous aura here is substantial enough.

At present, within his body, he can transform Poison Power into a small amount of primordial power.

Of course, only a small amount.

Xiao Yi is not quite sure why this is the case.

But this small amount of primordial power is enough for him to use in ordinary ways.

...

On the following day, in the early morning.

Xiao Yi stopped cultivating.

"It’s about time to leave." Xiao Yi muttered to himself.

Although this place is a treasure land for cultivating Poison Dao, it’s still far from enough for Xiao Yi.

He chose to go out for training.

Only through extreme training can one find the fastest way to enhance strength.

Xiao Yi turned around, about to leave.

Just as he was about to walk away, his steps suddenly halted.

"Huh? Where’s my Purple Lightning?" Xiao Yi was stunned.

He finally remembered his sword and realized that ever since he woke up, his Purple Lightning had vanished without a trace.

If the Purple Lightning now hanging in the Asura Main Hall knew how low its presence felt in its master’s heart, it would probably go berserk instantly.

"Was it picked up?" Xiao Yi frowned.

He noticed clearly that the connection between him and the Purple Lightning had already been severed.

"No, what’s happened to my aura?" Xiao Yi was taken aback.

Now that he had regained most of his strength and found a way to further improve it, he steadied himself and began to consider all the oddities in his body.

Right now, he wasn’t wearing the Ghost Mask, yet his aura had disappeared.

A person’s aura is innate.

Once it’s gone, it’s as if one is dead, already recognized by the heavens and earth as having perished and one’s path extinguished.

Xiao Yi’s heart was in shock, and he hurriedly sensed his whole body.

After some sensing, he was greatly alarmed.

All of the aura within his body was gone.

In its place was a thick and dense toxic aura.

Aura is the essence of a martial artist; thus, martial artists identify each other not by appearance but by aura.

But now, could this toxic aura have actually replaced his aura?

Simply put, he had become the poison, and the poison had become him.

Fragments of memory and blurry images floated in Xiao Yi’s mind.

These were images he had seen before his consciousness faded after exploding the Poison Pill and Blood Pill; as well as the blurry scenes seen during the ten days he was half-buried in the soil, not yet thoroughly dead, when some consciousness returned.

He remembered, while in the Poisonous Land, a wisp of blood-colored power suddenly wrapped around his body, barely resisting the continuous corrosion of the poison.

Xiao Yi dared to explode the Poison Pill because he had confidence in his robust physical body.

After all, it was the supreme peak body endowed by cultivating the Asura Battle Body, extremely formidable.

The second assurance was the power of the Blood Pill.

The Blood Pill, after all, was formed by fusing a trace of his essence blood, so it inherently had a slight ability to protect its master.

When the Poison Pill exploded, he didn’t even bother to conjure Beast Hands and Beast Feet because they merely encased his hands and feet; they weren’t truly his limbs.

The explosion of the Poison Pill came from within, and Beast Hands and Beast Feet couldn’t protect against it.

"Hiss." Xiao Yi took a sharp intake of breath.

He finally understood.

No wonder his every complete martial path had completely dissipated.

Logically, even if the Small World crumbled, so long as it still existed, those complete martial paths under a martial artist’s control wouldn’t dissipate but continue existing within the fragmented Small World.

The complete disappearance of martial paths has only one possibility: the martial artist’s aura is completely gone, life force dispersed, and the individual is considered dead.

When a martial artist dies, the martial arts power dissociates into the earth, and subsequently, the Martial Soul transformed by the Heaven and Earth Power also dissipates.

If he wasn’t mistaken, it must have been when he was on the brink of death, just as his aura was about to disperse, that the very last bit of power from the Blood Pill protected his final trace of life force and heart pulse.

The physical strength endowed by cultivating the Asura Battle Body was already incomprehensible by ordinary reasoning.

He recalled that after his consciousness recovered, his body was, in fact, a near-dead body. He was surprised to have survived, almost a miracle.

Simply put, his body, so severely damaged, should have been thoroughly dead.

But strangely, it wasn’t.

Xiao Yi couldn’t help but feel grateful that within the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb, he had used a large amount of Demon Beast Essence Blood to push his body’s limits.

As a result, his physical form even exceeded what the Asura Battle Body bestowed.

This must undoubtedly be the chief reason why his body couldn’t die.

That’s also why, when his aura was completely dispersed, the martial arts power disappeared as well.

But when it was the Martial Soul’s turn to dissipate, it didn’t, as he wasn’t entirely dead. So, the Martial Soul never dissipated.

"Oh my heavens." Xiao Yi was stunned.

"Forget it, no use overthinking," Xiao Yi shook his head.

Thinking of retrieving Purple Lightning, if he guessed right, Purple Lightning was definitely picked up by some inscrutable old monster.

Ordinary martial artists could never hope to touch his Purple Lightning.

Thinking about it, inside Purple Lightning now, his aura must be gone.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost his connection with Purple Lightning.

However, there’s no need to overthink.

Inside Purple Lightning dwells a Sword Spirit; ordinary people cannot gain its recognition.

Moreover, even if he retrieved Purple Lightning now, he couldn’t use it.

One day, when he recovers, and once again wields the sword, it will automatically restore the aura and recognize him as its master.

There’s no rush now.

Now, it’s time to depart. The most important priority is to enhance strength.

"There’s still half a year," Xiao Yi squinted his eyes, "Half a year later, Holy Moon Sect, I will settle this score with you."

With those words, Xiao Yi flashed and left.

He was right. His Purple Lightning is currently hanging in the Asura Main Hall, waiting for its master to wield it once more.

Purple Lightning waits, waiting for its master to return, to wield it once more, to stir up storms and break the heavens!

...

Hengyuan Territory, Black Demon Hall, a certain branch hall.

In a corner of the hall, a staff member gently asked, "Oh? Planning to join our Black Demon Hall? Name?"

"Xiao Xun." A hoarse voice slowly rose.

...

Fourth update. (Boom)

Today’s updates are done.

Tonight’s update was quite late, apologies.

Firstly, it’s getting cold, and my hands are stiff, so my typing speed has dropped quite a bit.

Tomorrow, I’ll start writing earlier to make up for the speed.

Secondly, I really wanted to bring this event to a close, so I finished writing before posting.

Alright, that’s it for now, goodnight everyone.