An hour later, Asher found changes happening to his Dantian, where a new layer of membrane formed that covered his original one like an outer coat.
It was black in color with tiny dark red dots that formed a complex pattern, which made it look like a giant snake that coiled around his dantian, giving it an eerie feeling.
Soon, the insides of this membrane began to change as well. It began to grow and expand the inner area of Asher's Dantian, making it several times bigger than it used to be earlier.
As time passed, Asher noticed that this membrane began to grow thicker and more solid, while the dots that covered it became darker. The whole thing made him feel as if he were staring into a bottomless pit filled with black mist.
On the other hand, the previous layer of his Dantian became much weaker and translucent as compared to its new outer coating, which gave him the feeling that it would soon dissipate into thin air.
And soon enough, this happened, as Asher's previous outer layer of his Dantian dissolved into nothingness, leaving the new membrane to replace it.
With that done, Asher's cultivation level advanced to the Initial-Stage of the Core Formation Realm.
However, Asher could sense that it was just the beginning. With his advancement to the next realm, the Abyssal Whirlpool at the center of his new Dantian continued to absorb more and more spirit essence threads, making it grow bigger and bigger.
The rate at which Asher could absorb and store darkness element spirit essence also increased by a noticeable amount, and he could tell that he had reached the next level of the Abyssal Spirit Essence Devouring Art.
When he looked at his Titanoboa Spirit, Asher noticed that its size had increased, making it seem even bigger than before. The spirit seemed to be floating in the Abyssal Whirlpool as if this were its natural habitat, while absorbing large amounts of darkness element spirit essence from within it.
As Asher observed all these changes taking place inside him, he couldn't help but feel excited and happy at his current progress.
He knew he was close to a breakthrough before this but didn't expect it to happen so soon.
With his current cultivation level, Asher could sense that he possessed much more strength than before. It felt like he could easily defeat any Core Formation Realm practitioner below the High-Stage with a single blow.
The sudden sound startled Asher as he turned around in surprise to see a tall young woman standing there with a cold smirk on her face.
She wore a dark purple dress that hugged her figure tightly, showing off her curves and highlighting her voluptuous breasts and slender waistline. Her long purple hair fell over her shoulders, framing her beautiful face and revealing a pair of deep purple eyes that seemed to pierce right through his soul.
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Her gaze was sharp and intense, yet mesmerizing at the same time, drawing people in with their mysterious allure even when they knew they should be wary of this woman's presence.
This woman's aura reminded Asher of a poisonous spider lurking in the shadows, waiting patiently for its prey to walk into its web before striking without warning.
She gave off a dangerous vibe that made him feel uneasy, but he didn't let himself get intimidated by her presence.
"Are you afraid of me, little brother?" The woman spoke again in a soft voice that carried a hint of danger in it.
Her words echoed in Asher's mind as he felt her eyes studying his body from head to toe, looking for any sign of weakness or fear within him. It was like she could see right through him and into his deepest thoughts and secrets.
A strange feeling grew inside his chest as he continued to stare into those mesmerizing eyes. They seemed to have a hypnotic effect on him, making him unable to look away from them. But he managed to shake off the dazed state as he refocused his mind and calmed himself down.
"Of course not. Why would I be afraid of you?"
As soon as those words left his lips, Asher noticed that the atmosphere around him had changed once again. It had become so heavy and oppressive that he felt like he was being pressed down by an invisible weight upon his shoulders.
It was suffocating to the point where he could barely breathe anymore, and he felt himself growing weaker with every passing second.
The woman before him looked at Asher with a raised eyebrow as she spoke again. "Oh? Is that so? But you should be. After all, you have been doing so many things while I've been away. Things that you shouldn't have been doing."
Asher wanted to say something to defend himself, but he couldn't even open his mouth anymore as his vision turned dark, and the last thing he heard was the woman's cold voice ringing in his ears. "Now, little brother, time for your punishment..."