# Chapter 1246: Tempering the Flesh
Now, the strength of Shi Shenghua was comparable to a saint realm creature at the peak of the Xuanhuang Realm. If Zhang Ruochen did not use the power of time and space, he would be no match for it.
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord was indeed very powerful, but compared to Shi Shenghua, he was somewhat inferior, so naturally he could not block its attack.
Zhang Ruochen nodded with satisfaction, his fingers stroking the leaves of Shi Shenghua, and praised: "The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord's strength is extremely formidable. Even if I go all out, I might not be able to defeat him, yet you were able to send him flying with a single strike. Now, you have truly grown into a major asset for me. Not bad."
From within the flower of Shi Shenghua, a gentle, beautiful laugh came out, flattering: "Even if my strength surpasses the Xuanhuang Realm and reaches the level of the Che Di Realm, I still have to obey my master, don't I? No matter how powerful I become, I am only a part of my master's strength."
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, even if Shi Shenghua's strength reached the level where it could contend with saints of the Che Di Realm or Tong Tian Realm, it could only obediently obey him.
Unless Shi Shenghua's strength entered the level of a True Saint, could it rebel against Zhang Ruochen, break free from his control, and become an independent, ferocious plant.
Of course, when Shi Shenghua possessed strength at the True Saint level, Zhang Ruochen would certainly not be at his current cultivation realm either, and could still suppress it.
"Roar!"
The furious roar sounded again.
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord rushed out from the crimson magma, his muscles bulging all over, filled with explosive power. He swung the cyan giant axe and once again slashed at Zhang Ruochen.
The seventy-two layers of holy light on Zhang Ruochen's body squeezed the scorching magma back to ten zhang away, forming a spherical space.
He stood at the center of the holy light, facing the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord's battle axe, motionless, as stable as Mount Tai.
"Swish."
Shi Shenghua flew out again, like a thick electric dragon, circling around Zhang Ruochen.
Immediately, a piercing whistling sound rang out as Shi Shenghua's vine shot out, striking the side of the giant axe, forming a powerful shockwave of force.
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord felt he could barely control the giant axe, his arm involuntarily shifting to the right.
The blade of the giant axe dragged out an arc-shaped force, cutting past the edge of the seventy-two layers of holy light, slashing toward the magma layer, splitting it in two and opening a gap several hundred meters long.
As the force of the giant axe dissipated, that wide gap also closed again.
"Just a single vine, yet the power it unleashes is so formidable." The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord felt alarmed.
If the first time he was sent flying by the vine could be attributed to underestimating his opponent and being caught off guard, then the second exchange, where the vine still broke through his attack, meant that the vine indeed had the power to contend with him, and might even be slightly stronger.
"No, ordinary plant creatures don't have such powerful attack power. Could it be... Shi Shenghua..."
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord thought of that legendary ferocious plant, which could absorb the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars, use saint corpses as nourishment, had no realm limitations, and could directly reach the Great Saint realm.
It was said that the White Li Princess of the Nine Li Palace had obtained a Shi Shenghua, but in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, it was taken away by the human prodigy Zhang Ruochen.
"Are you the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen?"
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord's tiger-like eyes locked tightly onto Zhang Ruochen.
"That's right."
Zhang Ruochen was very decisive, extending a finger and pointing forward.
At the location where the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord stood, space collapsed inward, revealing pieces of space fragments.
Within that collapsed space, a pitch-black void space manifested, forming a terrifying devouring force, swallowing all matter and energy in the material space.
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord, worthy of being an outstanding new-generation sacred beast nurtured by Zu Long Mountain, immediately changed his position upon recognizing Zhang Ruochen, avoiding that collapsed space.
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord looked at that collapsed space, watching as magma from all directions surged endlessly into it, disappearing into the spatial cracks.
Even with his cultivation, in the face of that suction force, he could barely stabilize his form.
"So this is the legendary power of space? Truly quite terrifying. No wonder even with the Devouring Demon Dragon's formidable strength, he couldn't suppress this brat, and instead ended up disgraced."
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord felt a lingering fear, his heart pounding wildly.
"Whoosh——"
From within the magma, a blooming, gorgeous flower spun out and flew forth.
The flower's petals appeared crystalline and translucent, with lustrous colors, yet circles of light threads extended from the petals, completely covering the area above the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord's head.
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord looked up and saw that at the center of the flower grew sharp, pointed light thorns. If he were swallowed inside, the consequences would be dire.
"With Zhang Ruochen aided by Shi Shenghua, even with my strength, it's difficult to contend against them."
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord was quite decisive, letting out a long roar as he transformed into his true form, becoming a mountain-sized Barbarian Dragon beast, charging toward the bottom of the magma.
As a Young Lord of the Barbarian Dragon Clan, being forced to flee by a lower-realm saint filled him with frustration and shame, so he shouted a harsh threat: "Zhang Ruochen, once I collect a strand of Nuan Ling Dragon Fire and break through to the Xuanhuang Realm, that will be your death day."
The Barbarian Dragon Young Lord was only one step away from the Xuanhuang Realm.
As long as he collected a strand of Nuan Ling Dragon Fire, tempered his flesh and sacred qi, condensed his sacred dao rules, discarded the dross, and retained the essence, he could immediately cultivate Xuanhuang Qi, step into the Xuanhuang Realm, and become a top-tier powerhouse among saint realm creatures.
Once he stepped into the Xuanhuang Realm, even if he encountered a Che Di Realm creature, the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord had confidence he could fight them.
Once he crossed into the Xuanhuang Realm, the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord only needed to casually swing his axe down to simultaneously kill Zhang Ruochen and Shi Shenghua.
Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly, summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and held it in his palm.
The pitch-black sword body spun in his palm.
On the sword body, one inscription after another emerged, causing the force emanating from the sword to grow stronger and stronger, transforming into the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force.
"Swish."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword dragged a black sword light over a hundred meters long, pointing toward the depths of the earth, chasing after the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord.
"Bang."
The sword tip struck the dragon scales on the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord's back, piercing through the scales and releasing annihilating force.
The next moment, a large area of flesh on the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord's back burst open, becoming bloody and mangled, quite miserable.
From deep underground, the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord let out a roar: "Zhang Ruochen, I will surely report your arrival at Yin Yang Sea to the Devouring Demon Dragon. Your death day is not far off!"
Zhang Ruochen did not pursue, standing in his original position, raising his right arm to release a sword intent and recall the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
On the sword body, sacred dragon blood still flowed, each drop releasing powerful sacred force.
"As expected of a saint realm Barbarian Dragon, its defense far surpasses creatures of the same realm. Taking a strike from the Abyssal Ancient Sword head-on only resulted in some external injuries."
Zhang Ruochen extended his finger and dabbed a drop of sacred dragon blood from the sword's edge.
The sacred dragon blood was like a round, lustrous ruby, releasing heat that surpassed the surrounding magma, and even extremely fine sacred dao rules could be seen within it.
"Such pure dragon clan bloodline. If I could slay the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord and seize his dragon pearl, I could surely break through to the Middle Realm Saint in one go." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Including the Devouring Demon Dragon, a total of twelve sacred beasts from Zu Long Mountain had entered Yin Yang Sea.
Even though Xue Zhen Yao Ji and the Xuan Wei Sacred Beast had been slain, there were still ten sacred beasts remaining.
Those ten sacred beasts were surely all deep underground. If Zhang Ruochen recklessly pursued, not only would he fail to kill the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord, but he might also put himself in the dangerous situation of being surrounded and attacked.
"Right now, I'm still somewhat outnumbered and cannot act rashly. I must wait a bit longer. Once the saints from the Imperial Court and the Undying Blood Clan enter the volcano, the three factions will surely descend into chaos. Then, I can take advantage of the confusion to go deep underground and collect the Nuan Ling Dragon Fire."
Zhang Ruochen found a relatively hidden spot in the magma, then retracted Shi Shenghua into his body, and also withdrew the seventy-two layers of holy light and the Ten Saint Blood Armor.
Instantly, his body was completely exposed within the magma.
One must know that even the seawater of Yin Yang Sea, during the day, released heat capable of burning saint realm creatures to death.
Dragon Fire Island represented the Yang Eye of Yin Yang Sea, and the magma here was naturally not ordinary magma, releasing heat ten times more terrifying than the seawater.
Without the protection of the holy light and blood armor, Zhang Ruochen felt flames surging toward him from all directions, scorching his body as if trying to melt him.
"Becoming a saint through the flesh is the ultimate goal for other cultivators, but for me, it is merely a starting point."
Earlier, when competing in brute force with the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord, Zhang Ruochen realized that his strength was not invincible. Compared to true powerhouses, he was still very weak.
His next goal: to become a Great Saint through the flesh.
Since ancient times, all creatures who had cultivated their flesh to the Great Saint level were unparalleled fierce individuals, capable of dominating an era.
Although the goal was very distant, Zhang Ruochen believed that through his own efforts, he could definitely achieve it.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen was enduring immense pain, using the flames in the magma to temper his flesh.
All one hundred and forty-four acupoints on his body opened completely, forming one hundred and forty-four small whirlpools, drawing the flames into his body, surging into his blood vessels, meridians, and sacred veins, flowing throughout his body.
Zhang Ruochen's entire body trembled, the pain within him constantly challenging the limits of his willpower. He felt as if he were about to be burned to ashes, yet he had to persevere.
"I have undergone the baptism of the Purifying Divine Flame and achieved sainthood through the flesh. I refuse to believe I cannot withstand the flames of Yin Yang Sea."
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, striving to forget all the pain in his body. In his mind, two images surfaced: the "Blood God Diagram" and the seventh-layer meridian circulation diagram of the "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture."
Comprehending the former allowed him to cultivate his flesh.
Observing the latter could enhance his cultivation.
Zhang Ruochen divided his mind, simultaneously tempering his flesh and circulating his sacred qi.
The flames in the magma, while tempering his flesh, also tempered the sacred qi and sacred dao rules within Zhang Ruochen's body, making the sacred qi increasingly pure, and the sacred dao rules clearer and thicker.