Exactly how many treasures did this brat possess?
Elder Nine Clouds’ greed blazed. He knew that Ling Han could enter the Black Tower, and so had been trying to find a chance to attack at a time when Ling Han was unguarded the most to kill him instantly. Otherwise, if he once again allowed Ling Han to duck into the Black Tower, then he could only return without achieving anything.
“Young man, you have already drawn the attention of our sect. Even if I cannot do anything to you, there will be even more even stronger people appearing next time to take your life and snatch away your good fortune. They are also going to refine you into a Corpse Soldier!” he forced out through clenched teeth. He had never imagined that a junior in the Spiritual Ocean Tier would be so hard to deal with.
Ling Han gave an ‘oh’, and asked curiously, “How strong are they?”
“Hehe, do you want to probe me? You are really too naïve; do you think that I’m a three-year-old kid?” Elder Nine Clouds sneered.
Ling Han drew out a stalk of ginseng and said, “Be good. Tell me, and I’ll give you a stalk of ginseng.”
F***!
Elder Nine Clouds was driven to fuming rage. Did this brat really think of him as a dog that he would tempt him in this way!? His eyes looked like they were about to spit fire. He declared, “Junior, if I do not refine you into a skinned Corpse Soldier, I swear that I will no longer be human!”
“You speak as if you are still human,” Ling Han mocked.
“Die!” Elder Nine Clouds shouted harshly.
“The only one who will die is you!” A booming voice resounded and a sturdy figure emanating an oppressive aura shot out.
“Fist Emperor!” Elder Nine Clouds’ aged eyes tensed, and he showed signs of wariness.
Though the other had not broken through to the Flower Blossom Tier for very long, he had managed to form Fist Ray already, and had even managed to battle the Golden Blood Demonic Ape to a standstill. One could not help but tremble in the face of such battle prowess. Moreover, the Thousand Corpse Sect depended on the Corpse Soldiers they controlled, their personal battle prowess was not too impressive.
Furthermore, though the other had suffered injuries after battling the Golden Blood Demonic Ape, noy only had he recovered from his injuries after so many days, his ability had also advanced further as he had broken through to the second layer of the Flower Blossom Tier. One could not help but gasp at the fact that he could still advance so fast even after he had broken through to the Flower Blossom Tier.
The Rain Emperor was a dominating figure. When his eyes turned upon Elder Nine Clouds, an endless killing intent appeared in them. “Monster from the Thousand Corpse Sect, kill!” He curled his hand into a fist and delivered a punch. The Fist Ray appeared in bright brilliance. This was a deadly weapon that had exceeded Qi. One could say that even if Ling Han managed to form thirty flashes of Sword Qi, they would still be unable to stand against the weakest Fist Ray. This was a one-sided domination due to the difference in quality.
Of course, if Ling Han managed to condense the thirty flashes of Sword Qi into Sword Ray, then that naturally would give him a dominating advantage against a Fist Ray that had been condensed from ten flashes of Qi.
Although Elder Nine Clouds was in the fifth layer of the Flower Blossom Tier, he was completely incapable of standing against the Rain Emperor, who had already formed Fist Ray. Within a few moves, he was already wailing. He exclaimed harshly, “Fist Emperor, I do not want to become your enemy, but if you continue to be overbearing, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
“So what if I am? Any person that I want to kill has never managed to survive!” The Rain Emperor used the Son of Heaven Fist Technique; the Fist Ray moved with a brilliance, possessing terrifying might behind it.
Elder Nine Clouds gave a sharp whistle, and a strange noise was immediately heard from some distance away. Very soon, an iron coffin slid over. Peng , the coffin lid shot open and a Corpse Soldier jumped out. It was completely silver in color, as if it was forged from silver.
“Level Three Silver Armored Corpse,” Ling Han said. This Corpse Soldier had reached the limit for a Silver Armored Corpse.
“Kaka, that’s right. This is a Level Three Silver Armored Corpse. After my various methods of tempering and refining, its ability is now close to the ninth layer of the Flower Blossom Tier!” Elder Nine Clouds haughtily declared. “Fist Emperor, it’s still possible for you to leave now— ***** F****!”
He didn’t finish and cursed—that was because one of the fists of the Rain Emperor had already shot forward grandly.
Chapter 420
Chapter 420: Battering Away
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
The Rain Emperor was still the Rain Emperor—dominating, unwavering like an Emperor, and with a firm resolve.
Elder Nine Clouds quickly manipulated the Corpse Soldier to receive the oncoming barrage of attacks. Pu, pu, pu, pu . Endless muffled noises were heard. The Rain Emperor’s punches battered the Corpse Soldier, but only left behind multiple very light wounds.
It was indeed a Level Three Silver Armored Corpse; this defense was comparable to the best kind of Level Six forging materials. Even Fist Ray practically left no damage.
However, the Rain Emperor paid it no mind. He had the dominating character of an emperor. His punches continued to rain down, determined to batter the Corpse Soldier into dust.
Elder Nine Clouds smirked. If they were only talking about defense, this Corpse Soldier was even stronger than the Demonic Ape, and only lacked power and destructive ability. But there was no need for him to kill the Rain Emperor. It was enough to contain him.
“Young man, are you still going to flee now?” He smirked. The fact that he possessed a Spirit Tool that could contain living creatures was an unbelieavably shocking secret; he did not believe that Ling Han would dare to use it in front of the Fist Emperor.
In this manner, he had gained a chance.
Ling Han smiled and said, “No!”
“Haha, so you are prepared to die?” Elder Nine Clouds’ killing intent intensified.
“No, I still have a helper!” Ling Han looked towards the northwest and called out, “Brother Ao, please lend me a hand.”
“What!?” Elder Nine Clouds followed Ling Han’s lead and looked towards the direction he was looking at, but did not detect any movement. He scoffed, “Brat, don’t make this unnecessarily complicated.”
“Hoho, a grand cultivator of the Flower Blossom Tier, and yet the sensory abilities are beneath Spiritual Ocean Tier one’s? Does the Thousand Corpse Sect all consist of such trash?” Laughter resounded, and a person walked forth in midair. It was Ao Feng.
Elder Nine Clouds instantly frowned. Why was there another cultivator of the Flower Blossom Tier? Though this man, too, had just broken through to the Flower Blossom Tier recently, who knew how many Battle Stars he possessed? Most importantly, for members of the Thousand Corpse Sect, their personal battle prowess was really not that remarkable.
Otherwise, one who was in the fifth layer should have absolute confidence in his victory against an opponent in the first layer.
“Grandmaster Ling is indeed an extraordinary genius!” Ao Feng complimented. He, too, had witnessed Ling Han run into the midst of the Demonic Qi but did not suffer the slightest bit from its effects, which was something that left him shocked. Furthermore, he had been standing so far away to observe the battle just now, but Ling Han had still discovered his presence. This kind of divine sense was really terrifying.
…One had to understand that Ling Han had been in the Heaven Tier in his last life, and even if only a sliver of the divine sense of the Heaven Tier was left behind, if one were talking about sensory abilities, not even someone in the Spiritual Infant Tier could catch up to him.
“Thank you for your praise, Brother Ao.” Ling Han smiled, then began to fervently egg him on, “Brother Ao, this is one of the dregs of the Thousand Corpse Sect. Please help to eliminat
e him and remove this poisonous tumor for the world’s peace.”
“Of course!” Ao Feng nodded, seeming to be very righteous. However, internally, he was extremely displeased.
His original intention was to allow the Rain Emperor and Elder Nine Clouds to battle to the point that they were both severely wounded—he would then step out to calmly deal with the situation. He had never thought that Ling Han would call him out ahead of time. After all, he had only just broken through to the Flower Blossom Tier, and unlike the Rain Emperor who had formed Fist Ray and was a real ruler, his battle prowess was only slightly above two or three Battle Stars.
Against Elder Nine Clouds, it would really be difficult to decide the victor.
However, the Thousand Corpse Sect actually dared to set up a branch right beneath the nose of the Winter Moon Sect, obviously with devious plans in mind; as an elder of the Winter Moon Sect—since he had broken through to the Flower Blossom Tier, he was naturally promoted from Attendant to Elder—now that Ao Feng had seen a member of the Thousand Corpse Sect, what logic was there in simply standing by and watching?
His right hand shook and a plain-looking sword appeared, covered with an obscure pattern.
Ling Han’s eyes lit up. This was a Level Six Spirit Tool; he surmised that it had to be a family heirloom of the Ao Clan. Most importantly, the forging materials to create a Level Six Spirit Tool were really too rare, so such a Spirit Tool could only be passed down the generations. One could not simply forge a new one as one liked.
Elder Nine Clouds’ expression became serious. His arms spread out and moved. A grayish Corpse Qi came to being, which slowly twined around his figure.
Corpse Qi and Demonic Qi were different methods that could achieve the same result. Demonic Qi could cause one to go mad, whereas Corpse Qi was poisonous. Even if one in the Flower Blossom Tier inhaled it for too long or was exposed to it for too long, his whole body would similarly rot, or even transform into a Corpse Soldier.
Ao Feng waved his sword and advanced, not daring to keep any of his power in reserve. Eight flashes of Sword Qi danced, fully displaying the might of a ruler.
Ling Han nodded. If he were being honest, Ao Feng was indeed a genius, and though Ling Dong Xing was not an idiot, either, the latter did not have as much talent as the former. If the two of them battled on the same cultivation level, Ling Dong Xing would definitely lose.
Therefore, it was necessary to have a dominating advantage in terms of cultivation level in order to allow Ling Dong Xing to emerge victorious against Ao Feng. For anyone else, this might be a very difficult thing to do, but for Ling Han, it was practically a piece of cake.
The Spirit Herbs in the Black Tower were becoming more abundant, and he had absolute confidence that he could help Ling Dong Xing soar to the peak period of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier in three years’ time, and break through to the Spiritual Infant Tier in twenty years’ time. However, above that, his advance would slow down to the speed of a tortoise’s crawl.
After all, after the breakthrough of one’s cultivation to the Spiritual Infant and the Deity Transformation Tier, alchemical pills would only be effective in helping to accumulate Origin Power. Without enough comprehension of the cultivation level, no matter how many alchemical pills you were given, it would be a waste.
Only genuine natural treasures had the amazing effect of assisting one in comprehending the great Dao; this was a blessing from nature.
The matter of vengeance could be advanced slowly. Rescuing his mother from prison had to be the priority now. If he had to wait until Ling Dong Xing possessed enough power, then his mother would have experienced too much suffering.
Ling Han thought. The battle happening in front of him now was very exciting, but as someone who had once been in the Heaven Tier in his last life, it was not to the level that would interest him. He would not be inspired or draw inspiration from watching.
Ao Feng had the help of a Spirit Tool and obviously had the upper hand. But the Rain Emperor was gradually falling into a disadvantage. The defense of a Level Three Silver Armored Corpse were practically invincible, so how was he to continue playing this game? If the Rain Emperor was in the late period of the Flower Blossom Tier, then he would still have a chance to win, but currently, he was too far from that.
The situation was very delicate. If the Corpse Soldier could kill or force the Rain Emperor to retreat and then join forces with Elder Nine Clouds, then they would definitely be able to subdue Ao Feng easily. However, on the other hand, if Ao Feng managed to kill Elder Nine Clouds first, then the result would similarly be decided.
So would it be the Rain Emperor who would first fail to hold on, or Elder Nine Clouds?
Without a doubt, it was Elder Nine Clouds who would first beat the drums of retreat! What a joke, for someone as dominating and forceful as the Rain Emperor, the stronger the opponent, the more his battle spirit would blaze. He was the standard type that would use battle to cultivate his own battle spirit, and make use of a bloody battle to break through his own limits; how could he possibly give up on such a good opponent like a Level Three Silver Armored Corpse?
Elder Nine Clouds fled, and the Rain Emperor and Ao Feng were hot on his heels. However, after a while, the two of them returned. Naturally, they had lost track of him.
After all, Elder Nine Clouds had too much of an advantage in terms of cultivation level. Running away only depended on one’s speed, and the ability to battle an opponent stronger than oneself was not of much use here.
Ao Feng exchanged some pleasantries with Ling Han, and also invited him to visit the Winter Moon Sect as a guest. Then, he conversed with the Rain Emperor too before begging his leave and departing. It was unknown whether he was heading back to the Winter Moon Sect, or continuing on his quest to find “Han Lin”.
“Grandmaster Ling, we have not seen each other for several months, and you have indeed once again made me see you in a new light.” The Rain Emperor smiled. His voice was filled with ruefulness.
He was certain that Ling Han would definitely become an Earth Grade alchemist, but he had not foreseen that it would happen so quickly.
A young man that was still over a month away from reaching eighteen years old was shockingly already an Earth Grade alchemist; who would dare to believe such a thing?
“Congratulations to you for breaking through to the Flower Blossom Tier and casting off your mortal shell, Rain Emperor,” Ling Han smiled in return.
(TL/N: Decided to change ‘Your Majesty’ address to ‘Rain Emperor’ because I think it fits the MC’s character better. He doesn’t seem like the type to use a reverent address for anyone, unless someone he truly respected…. Plus the both of them are already out of Rain Country, so would be reasonable if MC addressed the Rain Emperor respectfully only in the bounds of Rain Country since MC was still living there, but now that the both of them had left, they should be at a more equal level.)
Chapter 421
Chapter 421: Thrashing a Dog
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Though there was quite a gap between Ling Han and the Rain Emperor in terms of cultivation, Ling Han’s status as an Earth Grade alchemist was enough to let the two of them stand on equal footing. Strictly speaking, an Earth Grade low level alchemist even had slightly higher status than a Flower Blossom Tier cultivator.
The two of them conversed for a while. When he found out that Ling Han was going to collect the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass, the Rain Emperor indicated that he would like to go with Ling Han and give him a helping hand.
Ling Han gladly accepted. After so many days, who knows how many people were already aiming for that Spiritual Herb? Though he believed that no one below Spiritual Infant Tier could obtain it successfully, there might be cultivators in the Flower Blossom Tier standing guard by the side. Who would seize it from him when they saw that he had succeeded? What was he going to do then?
The secret of the Black Tower was already known to some people, a
nd Ling Han did not want to allow it to spread even wider. Thankfully, whether it was Rong Huan Xuan, Asura Demon Emperor, or Elder Nine Clouds, they all only thought that he had a Spirit Tool that could contain living things and did not know that it was the Black Tower, which was not as ordinary as merely being able to contain living creatures.
“It’s now even more difficult to see through this little girl!” The Rain Emperor turned to look at Hu Niu. In the past, he could still somehow manage to sense that the little girl had the cultivation of the Gushing Spring Tier, but now it was as if Hu Niu had turned into mist and looked very hazy to his eyes.
Hu Niu giggled in response. Since Ling Han treated the Rain Emperor politely, she would give him face as well. Otherwise, who would bother?
The three of them journeyed towards the location of the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass. It was located in the core area in the first place, so after only less than half a day, the three of them had arrived at their destination. However, they were not the only ones. Three other people were already here.
Yao Hui Yue, Tong Zhi Ming, as well as… Zhu Xuan’er!
These three obviously wanted to obtain the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass as well, yet were unable to do so. Though Zhu Xuan’er’s face could not be seen, it had to be filled with anxiety.
Sensing the approach of Ling Han and the others, Yao Hui Yue’s eyes swept over them and immediately lit up brilliantly, as if his gaze had transformed into uncountable sharp blades that shone with luster. An endless battle spirit gushed out from him. He stared fixatedly at the Rain Emperor. Weng, weng, weng . The long sword at his waist actually released humming sounds, as if it wanted to exit its sheath on its own.
The Rain Emperor was the same. A mighty aura spread out from him with multiple flashes of divine light surging around him, which transformed into multiple solid fists.
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