“The amount of profound energy required for the second layer of marrow cleansing is usually several times that of the first layer. The higher you go, the required profound energy increases geometrically. Once you reach the third layer and above, relying on someone else’s profound energy for cleansing requires dozens or even hundreds of times more, so it’s almost impossible. You can only rely on your own profound energy to perform marrow cleansing and meridian purification.”

Sure enough, the speed of the second layer’s marrow cleansing and meridian purification was much slower than the first, and the pain was indeed several times greater, to the point where William Carter could hardly bear it at all. The burning heat and freezing cold pain made all the veins in his body bulge, his eyeballs bloodshot as if they were about to burst.

“For those whose martial cultivation is weak, their meridians are also fragile, so they simply cannot withstand the pain brought by marrow cleansing and meridian purification. Every time you undergo this process, it’s like passing through the gates of hell, and the danger increases with each layer. Sometimes, failing the cleansing and dropping back a layer is already considered lucky—many people die when their blood vessels burst. So, in the future, you must only attempt marrow cleansing and meridian purification when you are absolutely certain, or else it’s almost certain death.”

Although William Carter could still hear Henry Wallace’s words at this moment, the sound reaching his ears was already very strange, as if he were hearing someone speak underwater. William Carter’s entire bodily functions had already suffered severe temporary damage.

Minute by minute, time passed. Henry Wallace’s profound energy advanced bit by bit, thoroughly cleansing every inch of William Carter’s blood vessels and meridians.

After a full five hours, the second layer of marrow cleansing and meridian purification was complete. William Carter floated in the air, motionless, as if dead. His entire body was covered in a layer of black filth. Inside, a strong current of wind rushed through his meridians, making his whole body feel as if it might float away at any moment.

Chapter 8: Master, I’m Leaving

At this moment, Henry Wallace had aged by at least twenty years. Wrinkles covered his face, his eyes had become cloudy again, and his hair was now completely snow-white. Even the brocade robe he wore had lost its luster, looking like coarse hemp cloth.

“Amazing, truly amazing! Back then, it took me four whole days and nights to complete the second layer of marrow cleansing and meridian purification, but you only took a little over two hours, and the profound energy you used was less than a tenth of what I spent. Incredible!”

“Child, I now face a choice: should I continue cleansing your meridians, or stop here?”

“To continue? My profound energy may already be insufficient. If I run out of energy halfway through, the consequences would be unimaginable, and your body also seems to have reached its limit. But if I stop now, I still have a lot of profound energy left, which would be such a waste. I’m really unwilling! If I could help you reach the third layer, it would save you years of effort, and you could become the sect master of the Yin-Yang Sect much sooner. I really can’t bear to stop!”

“Should I continue? Or stop?”

Of course, William Carter was already completely unable to answer him, as he couldn’t even move a finger, let alone speak, or even show any expression in his eyes.

“Heaven brought you before me to create a miracle. I’ll take the gamble, I’ll give it my all. We’ll continue. Even if, by any chance, I fail and suffer backlash, I…”

Finally, with a tone full of resolve, Henry Wallace began the third round of marrow cleansing and meridian purification for William Carter.

The second time, William Carter’s pain had already reached its limit, and Henry Wallace had aged more than ten years, yet he still proceeded with the third attempt.

The third time, William Carter could no longer feel the existence of his own body at all. This was an extremely dangerous sign—he couldn’t feel his hands or feet, his limbs, or even his face. He had lost sight and hearing, as if only a wisp of consciousness floated between blazing fire and extreme cold.

Henry Wallace was also visibly aging at a speed the naked eye could see. His skin wrinkled layer by layer, his body grew thinner and thinner. Although his hair had already turned white, it still had some luster at first, but now it was drying out rapidly like withered grass.

One hour, two hours, three hours…

Night fell, and then dawn broke again!

More than twenty hours passed, and the third round of marrow cleansing and meridian purification was still ongoing. Looking at Henry Wallace again, he was now as emaciated as a dried corpse, even older and grayer than at the start, completely spent. When William Carter first met him, his hair, though like withered grass, was at least still thick. Now, his gray, withered hair broke and crumbled strand by strand, leaving only a few sparse hairs on his shriveled scalp.

As for the robe on his body, it was now nothing but tatters.

As for William Carter, at first his body still exuded black impurities, but later what seeped out was tinged with blood. In the end, the blood vessels under his skin split open like a web, blood oozing out, leaving William Carter’s entire body a bloody, mangled mess.

At this point, Henry Wallace’s profound energy had already reached the top of William Carter’s head. The third round of marrow cleansing and meridian purification was 99% complete, but William Carter’s life was hanging by a thread, as if just a bit more pressure would cause his blood vessels to burst and kill him instantly.

And most terrifying of all, Henry Wallace’s sea of energy was now completely empty, with not a trace of profound energy left in his body.