Chapter 55 55: Celestial Core

Xu Shan's breathing became faster and faster as his temperature rose.

As he struggled under the weight of the overwhelming energy coursing through him, it felt like his very being was engulfed in scorching molten lava.

At the same time, his strength also kept rising. He was already a peak Celestial General before killing the Shadow General, but his strength only increased more!

First Grade Earth Celestial...

Second Grade Earth Celestial...

Third Grade Earth Celestial...

Fourth Grade Earth Celestial...

The more his strength rose under the immense Celestial Energy of a Sky Celestial, the more burden his body was placed under.

He was in so much pain, that he wanted to yell at the top of his lungs. However since he didn't want to alert everyone, he clenched his teeth, preventing himself from yelling in pain.

His lips bled, being bitten tightly by him to distract himself. Unfortunately, it wasn't as effective as he thought.

His eyes were bloodshot while his face became paler with each passing second. It was as if he was on the verge of death. The strength of a Sky Celestial was too violent.

Fifth Grade Earth Celestial...

Sixth Grade Earth Celestial...

Seventh Grade Earth Celestial...

"No more!" Xu Shan felt that his body was at its limit. A little more, and he could actually  die. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop either. He was stuck in a situation where he could neither advance, nor retreat!

He slightly regretted his decision of being hasty. However, it was too late to regret.

Eighth Grade Earth Celestial...

"Stop!" He clenched his teeth, punching the ground with his left hand, again and again.

His fists had started feeding because of constant punches but the violent energy still hadn't calmed down.

Xu Shan's entire body was brimming with energy, a little too much for his own comfort. Cracks started developing on his skin, as if his body had started breaking apart.

His mind was slowly getting clouded. The feeling of pain was overwhelming. Even his vision became somewhat blurry as his eyes were completely blood red. It was as if the entire world was painted red for him.

Ninth Grade Earth Celestial...

While Xu Shan struggled to come to terms with the violent energy inside his body, more kept coming.

The burden had exceeded what he expected initially. It was as if his entire body was slowly breaking apart as cracks on his skin kept developing even more, covering his entire face.

In the end, he couldn't take it anymore. Even if it was at the cost of a backlash, he decided to forcefully cut the connection.

Unfortunately, he soon found out that he couldn't even do that. His right hand just refused to move! In such pain, he couldn't even feel his right hand, let alone use it!

His left hand's punches on the ground intensified, to the extent that some of his bones in his fist were visible, tainted in blood red color.

To survive a Sky Celestial, only to die like this... Xu Shan couldn't help but feel that it was a really pitiful way to die!

Since he couldn't do anything anymore, he only closed his eyes. Even if it meant certain death, he was going to die fighting! He was going to take all the energy, even if he died!

"Enough..." A childish voice fell in Xu Shan's ears. The Star Mark in his left eye became even clearer and more visible. In fact, the Star Mark was now shining slightly, so much so that even when someone stood fifty feet away from him, they could still see his Star Mark.

What was even stranger was that the voice of his Celestial Spirit... It appeared to be a little older now!

If previously his Celestial Spirit sounded like a two or three year old child who only knew how to speak when it was hungry, then now it sounded like a six or seven year old boy.

As soon as Xu Shan heard that voice, all the pain that he was feeling disappeared in an instant, as if it was never there!

A dark aura enveloped his body, shielding and safeguarding it. Instantly, his skin began to repair the cracks that had once marred it.

The Celestial Energy absorption didn't stop! However, that Celestial Energy didn't nourish Xu Shan's body! Instead, it gathered in a small core near his heart.

That way, even though his strength stopped growing from this energy; but in that way, his body was also protected from the eminent destruction!

The energy gathered into the small core near his heart, condensing and becoming smaller and smaller.

Xu Shan didn't understand what that core was. It wasn't his strength, but it wasn't much different either. He felt some connection with that core.

After ten minutes, the energy absorption finally ended! The core also became more powerful!

The Celestial Core near his heart was even denser now. Even though it didn't have the strength of a Peak Earth Celestial as Xu Shan had already absorbed lots of it, it still had the strength comparable to the reserves of an Initial Stage Sky Celestial!

It was Xu Shan's first time feeling that core inside him. He didn't know what that thing was. Fortunately, he wasn't helpless in this situation!

He had something that could answer him!

He took off his hands from the body of the Shadow Guard, finally sighing in relief. He had survived once again from this scary situation! Just as he expected, tonight was really long.

He touched his cheeks that felt normal now. However, he could still remember what it felt like to have those cracks in his skin. It was a pain that was a part of him now, one that he could never forget.

If possible, he just wanted to stop here and rest. Unfortunately, he didn't have time.

He kept the body of the Shadow Guard in his storage ring, before taking off his clothes.

At the same time, he didn't forget to ask the Book of Truth about the Small Core near his Demonic Heart.

A screen opened up before him. While Xu Shan wiped the blood off his skin, he went through the information.