After washing his body, Yang Kai picked up the bottle of blood-clotting and bruise-removing ointment, held it to his nose, and took a light sniff. He found that the medicine indeed had a fragrant aroma, which made him feel refreshed and he began to nod his head.
Unscrewing the cap, he scooped out some of the ointment and was about to apply it to his injuries when his movements paused. He hurriedly fetched a bowl of water and placed the ointment in it, stirring it carefully until it was well diluted. Only then did he begin to treat his wounds with the diluted solution.
Although the blood-clotting and bruise-removing ointment was effective for external injuries, its efficacy would be greatly reduced after being diluted. However, Yang Kai only had this one bottle of ointment, so he naturally had to use it sparingly.
After using up the bowl of medicine water, Yang Kai finally finished treating his injuries. However, what puzzled him was that the smell of the ointment was different from what he had initially smelled. It was not fragrant but rather had a spicy scent.
After dressing, he picked up a black, charred sweet potato from the stove and swallowed it whole, then fell onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
The light from a few holes in the roof made the small house appear somewhat bright. The furnishings inside were extremely simple, with only a bed, no table or chairs, and even the bed had only a deer skin blanket the size of a tabletop and a square black stone pillow. This was all of Yang Kai's possessions.
The deer skin blanket was made from a deer he had hunted and skinned, which, though not thick, was just right for keeping warm. The black stone pillow was something he had picked up while hunting in the Black Wind Mountains behind the Lingxiao Pavilion.
The black stone was square, a foot long, and three fingers thick. It looked like a stone, but when touched, it did not feel like stone and was not as heavy as a stone. Yang Kai did not know what it was, but it made a good pillow, so he did not worry about it.
Yang Kai had been using this black stone pillow for over a year, and he was not sure if it was just his imagination, but he always fell asleep easily with it.
In his dream, Yang Kai relived the battle of the day, being repeatedly thrown to the ground by Zhou Dingjun, and each time he stood up, the indomitable spirit and determination in his heart fermented, causing a surge of hot blood in his chest.
As the dream continued, the surge of hot blood in his chest grew stronger. In his sleep, Yang Kai's face was filled with pain, but his expression was incredibly resolute. He had a deep-seated determination, unafraid even of walking through a mountain of knives or a sea of fire.
In the dream, Yang Kai continued the morning's encounter, being thrown to the ground by Zhou Dingjun time and time again. When he stood up for the thousandth time, the indomitable spirit and determination in his heart erupted, and he charged forward, fiercely knocking Zhou Dingjun to the ground. As Zhou Dingjun fell, his appearance became blurry and transformed into Yang Kai's own.
At this moment, Yang Kai's emotions calmed. It was not because he had defeated his opponent in the dream, but because he had overcome his own fear and submission.
A faint feeling arose, as if nothing in the world could make him submit.
In reality, the black stone pillow under Yang Kai's head suddenly emitted a deep, dark light. The light swirled out of the black stone, hovered in the air for a moment, and then entered Yang Kai's head through the Baihui point, instantly disappearing.
At the same time, a vast and ancient aura descended, like the tide of the sea and the power of collapsing snow. Anyone in the presence of this aura felt insignificant.
Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, drenched in sweat, with a lingering sense of fear.
He had been awakened by that aura.
After calming down, Yang Kai chuckled dryly. It was absurd that he had been scared by his own dream. He rubbed his face and judged the time by the light from the roof, feeling somewhat annoyed that he had slept for two hours and it was almost evening.
He hurriedly got up, unfolded the deer skin blanket, and carefully folded it. He then adjusted the position of the black stone pillow. Just as he was about to get out of bed, Yang Kai frowned and turned to look at the black stone pillow in a daze.
It felt... different.
Puzzled, Yang Kai picked up the black stone pillow again. Upon weighing it, he found that it was indeed much lighter.
Strange, how could a stone suddenly become lighter? Yang Kai tossed it casually, and this toss revealed a problem.
It was as if a thick book had been thrown into the air, and the pages fluttered open. Stunned, Yang Kai forgot to catch it.
With a thud, the black stone pillow fell to the ground. Yang Kai still could not believe his eyes when he saw that the black stone pillow had indeed opened like a book.
Isn't this a stone? How did it suddenly turn into a book?
Yang Kai had used the black stone pillow for over a year and knew exactly what it looked like. He had never noticed that it was a book before. How could it suddenly change like this?
After a long while, Yang Kai bent down to pick up the black book. The moment he touched it, he felt a sense of kinship.
He carefully examined it and had to admit that the black stone pillow was indeed a book, with a thick cover and thick pages. However, the book was completely blank, and the pages were of a material that Yang Kai could not identify. He tried to tear a page, but it would not rip.
This was truly interesting. He had used it for over a year and only now discovered its true nature.
But what use was a blank black book? Yang Kai examined it from all angles but found nothing.
On a whim, Yang Kai flipped to the first page, glared at the blank page with determination, and stared hard.
After a moment, Yang Kai noticed a change on the page. As he focused, the ancient aura from his dream reappeared, and a line of golden characters gradually appeared before his eyes.
"Use blood as the medium, the golden body descends, the divine art is incomplete, the golden body does not perish!"
The aura struck his heart, and Yang Kai quickly closed the black book, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably. He took several deep breaths to calm himself.
He did not know what secrets the black book held, but he knew that the thing he had picked up in the Black Wind Mountains must have a significant origin.
After a long silence, Yang Kai opened the black book again. This time, he immediately saw the golden characters on the first page.
So... it wasn't a dream.
Gradually, a few more lines of characters appeared.
"Proud golden body, the tyrant's barrier, the indomitable soul, can subdue it!"
Eight lines of thirty-two characters filled the entire page, giving a sense of supreme authority, as if the characters themselves exuded a fierce and domineering aura.