Once the Strange Fire came out, the Evil Demon Trees instantly backed away one after another, revealing an intense fear.
“Haha, never thought that my chance would come so quickly! Don’t run, leave your tree hearts!” Ling Han initiated an attack.
Chapter 239
Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu
Evil Demon Trees were special creatures, something between a plant and a beast. They could form an inner core like beasts that was similar to a martial artist’s Dantian; this was their source of power, known as tree heart.
Since they counted as half-plants, Evil Demon Tree’s tree heart was like spirit grasses, very easy to refine and thus even more precious.
Ling Han pursued them relentlessly, beating the Evil Demon Tree army into disarray. At last, seven Evil Demon Trees had their tree hearts dug out while the rest took the chance and escaped, disappearing without a trace. However, due to their quality of being half-plant, even if their tree hearts were gone, they wouldn’t die. The tree heart would still slowly grow back after a thousand years.
Seven tree hearts should help him break through to the second layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, right?
Ling Han was very curious—when he reached the peak of the first layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, would he form a second spring eye, or continue to expand the first spring eye?
He wasn’t in a rush to refine these tree hearts; he continued to march on. Every time the mystery realm opened, it could only remain open for about two months’ time—he’d already used up about half that time, so he had to speed up his pace.
Fortunately, he had a predecessor’s logbook, so he avoided several dangerous restrictions on the way, faced with threats but no real danger.
The deeper it was, the flatter the landform was. Before, there were undulating mountains, but here there was only a spread of flatland seemingly without end.
In the distance, a black light shot directly into the sky, connecting to the firmament like a heaven-reaching pillar. At the top, a pitch-black layer of clouds circled around it. A small dot could be seen faintly there, though what it was exactly was a mystery because it was simply too far to recognize.
The location of the black light should be the mystery realm’s core; what secrets exactly were hidden there?
Zi!
Ling Han hadn’t set out yet, but already heard a strange sound and saw three bronze caskets slide from afar. That strange sound was issued by the caskets grating against the ground. The caskets stopped ten meters in front of Ling Han.
Peng , the casket’s cover flew open, and out jumped a youngster; it was Rong Huan Xuan.
“You’re quite strange, kid, I’m surprised you were able to come here!” Rong Huan Xuan said with a puzzled yet impressed expression.
“You too! You too!” Ling Han smiled as he said. If Rong Huan Xuan didn’t use the Silver-Armored Corpse, then he would be able put up a fight.
“You had a breakthrough?” Rong Huan Xuan’s gaze inadvertently swept by Ling Han’s body, instantly causing him to open up his mouth wide enough to fit a chicken egg inside. “You were only in the first layer of the Element Gathering Tier earlier, how did you suddenly become someone at first layer of the Gushing Spring Tier?”
This was truly inconceivable; whose cultivation could jump like that?
“Right, you should’ve eaten some spirit fruit, that’s why your cultivation made a leap.” He immediately nodded, answering his own question. It was the only reasonable explanation.
Ling Han naturally wouldn’t explain. He said, “You can come here because of the three caskets, right?” Rong Huan Xuan rode the casket over earlier; this was the Thousand Corpse Sect’s most precious treasure, perhaps even a Tenth Tier Spirit Tool since it was able to fend against the restriction.
Rong Huan Xuan smiled proudly and said, “Correct!” Then, he asked, “So, how did you come over?”
“Luck.” Ling Han smiled.
“Then your luck is truly bad!” Rong Huan Xuan revealed a sliver of killing intent.
“Why?”
“Because you’re going to die by my hands now!” Rong Huan Xuan attacked, forming a fist with his right hand. A spread of filthy air was discharged from his body, turning the ground thirty meters around him into dead land. Corpse Qi kept rising and turning into skulls, charging towards Ling Han.
“Hmph, evil triumphs not over the virtuous!” Ling Han snorted, and with a thought, flames emerged from his body, fending against the corpse land.
His spirit base was complete with five elements. Origin Power could transform into any element, and releasing flames was naturally a mere trifle—flames had a strong restraining power against evil Qi.
This confrontation was a direct contest between Origin Power.
Rong Huan Xuan was in the fifth layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, but his power surprisingly surpassed Ling Han’s!
The fifth layer’s power was stronger than the first layer’s, so it should be a very normal thing. However, Ling Han’s spirit base was complete with the five elements, and on top of the process of nine nuclei fusing into one, his power actually surpassed that of a normal fifth layer.
This showed that Rong Huan Xuan wasn’t an average Joe, boasting power surpassing his cultivation.
Ling Han couldn’t help but shake his head. He was surely a genius, but were other geniuses not allowed to exist? Despite Thousand Corpse Sect being chased like rats, it couldn’t be denied that it once had its years of glory. Its roots were naturally extremely deep, so would they not have been able to produce one or two exceptional geniuses?
He was a bit surprised, but Rong Huan Xuan was even more shocked. Rong Huan Xuan knew clearly that although he was at the fifth layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, his true power was on par with the seventh layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, and his battle prowess rocketed to nine stars.
Yet, in a pure Origin Power stand off, he actually barely surpassed Ling Han?
Truly inconceivable!
“You’re very strange. You may become a great rival in the future, so you must die!” Rong Huan Xuan said in a justified manner.
Ling Han laughed, and said, “Hearing this, should I feel honored or scared?”
“Honored and scared!” Rong Huan Xuan said threateningly. “You seem to understand quite a bit about the Thousand Corpse Sect. You were probably thinking that I could run wild only by relying on these Corpse Soldiers, but you didn’t know that my actual strength is also extremely strong!”
“Then I shall experience it,” Ling Han said indifferently.
“You will regret it!” Rong Huan Xuan attacked; his fist turned into a large skull, smashing towards Ling Han whilst he chanted, “Corpse Qi opens the skies, my lord is heaven and earth!”
“This chant is quite conceited, but this strength, well…” Ling Han shook his head, and his eyes turned cold. With his right hand already striking out with his sword, he said, “On a clear bright day, demons and devils scatter at once!”
Sword light dispersed like the sun in midday.
“Not bad, you have some strength.” Rong Huan Xuan sneered, still throwing punch after punch enveloped in Corpse Qi, unafraid of clashing head-on with a sharp sword.
The main reason for that was that this sword was still a normal tool. If it were a Third Tier Spirit Tool, then it’d guarantee that Rong Huan Xuan wouldn’t be so arrogant.
He had the power advantage after all, and it was an absolute advantage at that. Additionally, his skills were also out of the ordinary, very quickly letting him take the initiative, becoming more overbearing with each punch.
“I knew I didn’t misjudge it. Your battle power is extremely strong, at least equivalent to eight stars. Unfortunately, you met me!” He laughed boisterously with a arrogant and domineering spirit.
This guy was certainly a genius, and he received the Thousand Corpse Sect’s inheritance; it was impossible for him not to be strong.
Ling Han let out a loud cry and took out the Fire E
yed Bull’s horns, holding one in each hand. With the surge of Origin Power, the patterns on the horns immediately lit up one after another, each bursting with flames.
“Watch how I’m going to slice you!” Ling Han used the horns as a handle and flames as a blade, attacking at Rong Huan Xuan as though with a sword.
This effect was unusually good.
Rong Huan Xuan cultivated a most yin and evil art, and what he feared and hated the most were fire-type arts which naturally dominated over his. When flames swirled, they instantly diminished his force greatly, and the two became equally matched.
“You shall not live!” Rong Huan Xuan’s killing intent was blazing now.
Chapter 240
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Rong Huan Xuan was definitely a conceited person.
He was a genius of martial arts; there was no doubt about that. Additionally, he had also managed to obtain the core inheritance of the Thousand Corpse Sect, so he should have been invincible against any opponent in the same age range as he. But Ling Han was even younger than him, yet was poweful enough to oppose him. This caused killing intent to boil within him.
“Die!” He used a secret technique and punched out, actually producing a light shadow of a black skull that was draping over a similarly black-colored battle armor. A gigantic black blade rose and shot towards Ling Han in a slash.
Ling Han’s expression was a bit cautious. He took a deep breath, raised the bull’s horns and launched his own slash.
Mysterious Three Thousand!
Shua, shua, shua . It was in a single instant when the skull warrior produced by the technique suffered multiple slashes, and was immediately shattered into pieces by the barrage.
Ling Han was a bit out of breath. If it was not for the fact that the space within his Dantian had been expanded a hundredfold, he would have been completely exhausted after managing to launch ten-plus attacks of Mysterious Three Thousand at most. This Sword Style was indeed very powerful, but it also expended an unusual colossal amount of energy.
Moreover, the bull’s horns were still not a sword at the end of the day, so there was a great loss of destructive power. But it was also because the bull’s horns could produce a Level Three flame, which was very effective in dispersing the Corpse Qi, that he could achieve his goal with this one attack.
Rong Huan Xuan was in utter disbelief. That move just now had been a secret technique of the Thousand Corpse Sect, and was at the level of a Black Grade high level technique. It was also something that could only be used by a disciple of the Thousand Corpse Sect, because it required the user to possess Corpse Qi.
This move was a combination of Origin Power and Corpse Qi, and had a terrifying corrosive ability. A martial artist needed only touch a little bit of it, and he would definitely melt completely. But Ling Han unexpectedly managed to unravel this attack in a single slash.
If he knew that this was the invincible sword technique that allowed the Sword Emperor to move unhindered in the world, he might feel a bit honored. That was because the Sword Emperor was too powerful a person—he had started to become known from when he was merely in the Gushing Spring Tier, until he finally reached the Heaven Tier. He had defeated all opponents who were in the same cultivation level as he, and stood invincible at the top of the field of the martial arts.
Facing such a slash, he managed to avoid either death or defeat. This was already very much a miracle!
However, Rong Huan Xuan did not know. Thus, he felt very displeased, and his killing intent became even stronger. “You are indeed a strong foe. I have no choice but to eliminate you!”
Ling Han sighed, and smiled as he said, “We have no enmity between us, so why don’t we simply drink some wine or have some tea?”
“It would be better for you to go to hell and have your drink there!” Rong Huan Xuan released a loud yell, and a black-colored Qi appeared all over his body. A weird scene appeared—the black-colored Qi actually solidified and formed sharp blades all over his body.
At the first glance, it seemed as if he had become some kind of monster.
Ling Han’s expression became even more cautious, and said, “You made Corpse Qi cover your body and forcibly increased your own power?”
“You indeed have a very deep understanding of the Thousand Corpse Sect!” Rong Huan Xuan smirked, and said, “Since that is the case, do you still intend to resist?”
Ling Han smiled calmly, and said, “You have your trump card, but so do I. Firstly, I had not wanted to reveal it, and secondly, I did not want to waste it on you.”
“Oh, then I would really like to get a look at it.” Rong Huan Xuan moved. With the Corpse Qi enveloping him, his battle prowess had indeed increased drastically, and he was once again able to get the upper hand.
Ling Han humphed and put on the Purple Star Handguard. He had already grasped fully the way to use this Spirit Tool. With instilling his Origin Power into it, the designs on it immediately shone and provided him with a continuous supply of energy.
“Yi?” Rong Huan Xuan exclaimed in surprise. His battle prowess had increased slightly, and Ling Han was also able to similarly increase his own battle prowess, so both sides were back to the same starting line.
It looked like this brat had also encountered a colossal fated opportunity of his own.
However, Rong Huan Xuan had no fear. His greatest trump card were the three copper coffins. This was a secret treasure of the Thousand Corpse Sect. Though he was still unable to fully activate them, as long as he took shelter within them, it might not be possible for even a powerful elite of the Flower Blossoming Tier to lift the lid of the coffin and drag him out. Thus, he was filled with confidence.
“Heng, Ah Da, come out!” he mumbled under his breath, and peng , yet another coffin opened and a Silver-Armored Corpse leaped out.
“Hey, hey, hey. Didn’t we agree on a one-on-one battle? How can you bring out a helper?” Ling Han said with a smile.
“Since you know so many secrets of the Thousand Corpse Sect, then you should also definitely know that the greatest technique of my sect is to control corpses. Corpse Soldiers can be considered my sword or saber, so how could it be considered as taking the advantage of numbers to bully the few?” Rong Huan Xuan smiled as well, but did not hesitate at all in issuing his order for the Silver-Armored Corpse to launch its attack at Ling Han.
Spiritual Ocean Tier, what more when it was the peak of the Spiritual Ocean Tier, was not a league that Ling Han was capable of opposing at this moment. Even if he had the Black Tower to transmit power to him and forcibly raised his cultivation to the next tier, it was still not a definite thing that he would be able to resist such a terrifying guy.
After all, the gap between the first and the ninth layer was a bit too big. Moreover, the body of the Silver-Armored Corpse was comparable to the ingredients used to forge a Tier Four weapon. Even it stood there unmoving, it would still require a bit of effort from him to break through its defenses.
Peng!
Right about when Ling Han was thinking of fleeing, a black shadow suddenly dropped down from above and crashed heavily near them, producing a gigantic depression in the ground, causing the latter to shake with a powerful tremor.
Ling Han and Rong Huan Xuan immediately ceased their battle. They indeed wanted very much to kill each other, but would definitely not give up their own life to achieve this purpose.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
More and more black shadows dropped down from above, and like rain, they fell around Ling Han and Rong Huan Xuan.
Ling Han grew cautious and alert. If he was forced into desperate enough straits, then he could only enter the Black Tower right in front of everyone. If worse came to worst, he could use the chance when the Black Tower would transmit power into him and kill them to prevent them from revealing his secret.
His gaze swept over the surroudings and he could not help but look shocked.
A hand actually stretched out of the lar
ge depression created in the ground, and a person came crawling out of it.
This was an old man who was dressed in embroidered robes. He looked like a wealthy man, but there was no sign of life circulating in any part of his body at all.
There was no heartbeat, and no breath. Ling Han was absolutely sure that the blood in this man’s veins was definitely not flowing.
This should be a completely dead man.
But he actually climbed out of the deep pit, and his face was vivid and lively. No matter how one looked at it, he looked like he had just fallen asleep. This was instead even more terrifying.
Not just him. From each and every hole, a corpse came crawling out. It was obvious that there was no sign of life from them at all, yet they were still able to move. They looked a bit like Corpse Soldiers, but they had obviously not been refined at all.
What was even more inconceivable was the fact that these corpses had dropped down from the sky!
Yet Rong Huan Xuan’s eyes immediately lit up and he looked practically like he was about to break out into a dance. “There are actually so many good quality corpses! No wonder the Three Live Corpse Coffins insisted on bringing me here. So it seems that there is a great fated opportunity for me here!
This person had been in Spiritual Pedestal Tier when he was alive! This one was in Flower Blossoming Tier! And here’s another in Spiritual Pedestal Tier!
Hahahaha, I need only refine a few corpses, and it would be enough to do as I like in the North!”
Rong Huan Xuan looked incomparably delighted. He pointed at one of the corpses with his right hand, and said, “When I refine you, you must obey my commands!” He began muttering under his breath, and a black-colored Qi actually spread out from his right hand, wafting towards that corpse.
The corpse seemed like it had not felt anything at all, and merely continued to stare at the sky blankly.
Ling Han too looked at the sky, and could not help but come up with a daring idea: could it be that these corpses were that little black dot in the sky, and it was previously impossible to tell there was more than one because of the distance?
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 135