Chapter 1271: Chaotic Qi
The Water Spirit Sacred Qi circulated through the body for one full cycle, automatically transforming into his own sacred qi. It then surged into the Qi Sea, colliding with the four sacred sources. [Read this at .]
"Boom."
The sacred qi within the Qi Sea became completely turbulent.
The vortex formed by the Purifying Divine Flame and the four sacred sources spun faster and faster, spreading outward, extending beyond the body, and enveloping the jade island.
The influx of Water Spirit Sacred Qi into Zhang Ruochen's body accelerated, each sacred qi mist bridge resembling a river, flowing torrentially.
The sacred qi within Zhang Ruochen's body accumulated thicker and thicker, gradually reaching a critical point.
"Let's add more fuel to the fire."
Zhang Ruochen took out the dragon pearl he had obtained from killing the Winged Dragon Young Lord and swallowed it.
Once the dragon pearl entered his abdomen, it was violently impacted by dozens of streams of sacred qi. Moments later, it burst apart, transforming into countless dragon qi.
Within Zhang Ruochen's body, ten thousand dragons roared. Illusory flood dragon shadows, some burrowed into the Qi Sea, some sank into his blood, and others rushed into all one hundred and forty-four acupoints, making them shine even brighter.
After a quarter of an hour, the four sacred sources in the Qi Sea trembled violently, emitting a strange sound. The four sounds quickly formed a resonance.
"Boom!"
A powerful surge of energy erupted from Zhang Ruochen's body, violently shaking the Water Spirit Sacred Liquid in the lake, sending waves dozens of feet high into the air.
The next moment, a powerful suction force formed within Zhang Ruochen's body, frantically absorbing the Water Spirit Sacred Qi from heaven and earth.
The Devouring Demon Flower retreated to a distance. The beautiful woman standing at the center of the flower revealed a surprised expression and murmured to herself, "Such a fast absorption rate, faster than mine. It seems Master has broken through to the Mid-level Saint realm."
Zhang Ruochen's frenzied absorption continued for three full hours before gradually slowing down and finally stopping completely.
The beautiful figure at the center of the flower flew to the jade island and said with a seductive smile, "Congratulations, Master. Congratulations, Master."
Zhang Ruochen had indeed stepped into the Mid-level Saint realm. The sacred dao rules within his body became denser, and his physical strength had also greatly increased. Even without deliberately hoarding sacred qi, the amount of sacred qi in his Qi Sea had increased sixfold compared to before.
A sixfold increase in sacred qi did not mean a sixfold increase in combat power. Even though the gap between each realm within the Saint realm was significant, it was not as exaggerated as six times.
Within the Qi Sea, the Purifying Divine Flame had grown several times, now the size of a human head. Besides the quantity, the temperature of the flame seemed to have increased somewhat as well.
Zhang Ruochen was still quite satisfied with the changes in his strength after the breakthrough. A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the Devouring Demon Flower and asked, "Your strength has also grown considerably. What stage have you reached?"
"It's hard to say exactly what stage. But if I were to encounter someone like the Barbarian Dragon Young Lord from the Ancestral Dragon Mountain, I should be able to turn him into nutrients," the Devouring Demon Flower said with a smile.
The green vines surged back into Zhang Ruochen's back, merging with his body.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to leave, suddenly, a powerful surge of energy fluctuation came from his Qi Sea, shaking the four sacred sources and the Purifying Divine Flame.
"Could it be that I advanced too quickly and something went wrong with my cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. He quickly mobilized his spiritual power for internal inspection, tracking the source of that energy fluctuation.
"The Cosmic Divine Wood Map."
That powerful surge of energy had come from the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
A crack had appeared on the surface of the scroll, and wisps of five-colored qi were seeping out from it, releasing into the Qi Sea.
"Is the Qiankun Realm about to manifest?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart was both excited and worried.
Witnessing the birth of a great world within one's body—how could that not be an exciting thing?
As for the worry, it was because Xiao Hei had not yet found a physical body. Once the Cosmic Divine Wood Map shattered, Xiao Hei would also be annihilated.
The Cosmic Divine Wood Map only split open a single crack, without further breaking.
"That five-colored qi... could it be the legendary Chaotic Qi? At the beginning of heaven and earth, Chaotic Qi is born. Absorbing Chaotic Qi will definitely be of great benefit to my Five Elements Chaos Body, making my physical body even stronger." Zhang Ruochen chuckled softly.
Whether it was refining divine blood or absorbing divine dew, both were used to enhance physical strength.
But absorbing Chaotic Qi was even more beneficial to the body than divine blood and divine dew.
The five-colored Chaotic Qi seeping from the crack in the scroll automatically flowed through the meridians and sacred veins toward the one hundred and forty-four acupoints on Zhang Ruochen's body.
Those one hundred and forty-four acupoints were like one hundred and forty-four lakes on the earth. As more and more water poured in, the water would seep out of the lakes, nourishing the entire land.
At every moment, Zhang Ruochen could feel his physical strength increasing, as if it were assimilating him into a primordial chaotic being.
"Even outside the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, I can gain such tremendous benefits. The Devouring Rabbit, the Demon Ape, Princess Bai Li, Blood Moon Ghost King, and those cultivators from the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm—they've been inside the Scroll World all along. They must have absorbed even more Chaotic Qi. Will they all become chaotic beings?"
Wasn't the reason the physiques of ancient relics were so powerful precisely because they had absorbed Chaotic Qi?
Zhang Ruochen's heart could not calm down for a long time. It was hard to imagine the scene of the world's creation unfolding inside the Scroll World. Once the Qiankun Realm fully evolved, who knew how many prodigies with heaven-defying physiques it would produce.
"I must find Xiao Hei as soon as possible."
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath, forcing himself to calm down, and walked out of the Water Star Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei had been through too much together. A special bond had long since formed between them. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Xiao Hei was his best friend.
Since he was his best friend, how could he just stand by and watch him die?
No matter how dangerous it was, Zhang Ruochen would do his utmost to help him retrieve his physical body.
...
Just as the Cosmic Divine Wood Map cracked, on an ice field deep within the Abandoned Deep Sea, Xiao Hei's body trembled violently. With a thud, he collapsed onto the ice, hard as iron.
"Stop playing dead, cat. Get up and keep leading the way."
Qing Mo walked over, intending to grab Xiao Hei's tail and lift him up.
However, she grabbed nothing but air. With a sharp cry, she quickly retreated backward.
Huang Yanchen and Ao Xinyan also noticed that something was very wrong with Xiao Hei. They stopped and looked over at him.
Ao Xinyan was shocked to find that Xiao Hei's body had turned into a mass of soul shadow, lacking any physical substance. She quickly asked, "How is it that only a mass of sacred soul remains? Where is your physical body?"
"There never was a physical body."
Xiao Hei slowly crawled up from the ground and sighed, "The Cosmic Divine Wood Map has a serious problem. The Qiankun Realm is about to descend."
At this moment, Xiao Hei's physical state was extremely strange. Sometimes he had a solid form, and sometimes he turned back into a mass of soul shadow.
"Condense." Xiao Hei let out a low roar.
The heaven and earth spiritual qi above the ice field rapidly surged toward him. Gradually, his body stabilized and regained its solid form.
On the top of the nearest iceberg, a circular, semi-transparent mirror surface appeared.
"Swoosh—"
The graceful figure of the Undying Divine Maiden, Yinghuo, stepped out from the mirror surface. Her pair of snow-white jade feet landed on the cold ice, the skin on the top of her feet even more crystal clear and white than the ice itself.
Yinghuo had four pairs of beautiful blood wings. Her long hair was jet black and glossy, and her eyes were as bright as stars. Staring at Huang Yanchen and the others on the ice field, she revealed a charming smile: "I've searched high and low, and finally found them."
The Demon Heaven Prince's massive body broke through the ice, carrying the Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword. Molten-like flames flowed all over his body. He said, "Zhang Ruochen doesn't seem to be here."
"His fiancée is here. Are you afraid he won't show up?"
Yinghuo gently licked her red lips, her gaze seductive, possessing a soul-stealing charm. Any man in the world who saw her like this would surely be consumed by lust.
The Demon Heaven Prince stood not far from her, not even looking at her—or rather, not daring to look at her.
As long as he didn't look, he wouldn't be seduced.
Not long ago, the Demon Heaven Prince had found an ancient treasure in the Abandoned Deep Sea. Using the power of that treasure and absorbing a large amount of sacred blood from ancient corpses, he had forcibly pushed his cultivation to the Mid-level Saint realm.
Clearly, the Demon Heaven Prince was also blessed with great fortune.
"Why hasn't Qi Sheng arrived yet?" the Demon Heaven Prince asked.
Yinghuo stared at the three women and one cat on the distant ice field. Her five snow-white, onion-like fingers gently stroked her hair as she said softly, "Our Undying Blood Clan has suffered heavy losses in the Abandoned Deep Sea this time. It's already very difficult to hunt down Zhang Ruochen. So, Qi Sheng plans to join forces with the Ancestral Dragon Mountain and the Nine Li Palace. The three major powers will join hands to first kill Zhang Ruochen, then go search for that legendary supreme treasure. He should be back soon, I suppose."
"Swoosh—"
A red figure flickered in the void and then disappeared.
Almost at the same time, the red figure landed on the top of the iceberg, solidifying into a towering figure. It was Qi Sheng.
"I've already negotiated the price with the Bai Li Prince and the Hei Li Prince. They are willing to make a move. However, they have one condition: no matter how badly Zhang Ruochen is beaten, they want him left with a breath of life. Because Princess Bai Li is still in his hands."
Qi Sheng carried the Demon-Slaying Cross Shield on his back. His eyes were like two blood orbs, emitting a sinister power.
The sacred qi on his body was completely merged with the cross shield, forming a cycle. The six wings on his back released six different powers: wind, rain, fire, lightning, light, and darkness. With the blessing of these six powers, although he was only one person, he could unleash the strength of six peerless experts.
He had never used this power before. It was one of his greatest trump cards.
The Demon Heaven Prince had originally thought that with his current strength, he could contend with Qi Sheng. But now that Qi Sheng was standing before him, he felt considerable pressure, as if there was still a gap between them.
"What about the Devouring Demon Dragon?" the Demon Heaven Prince asked.
Qi Sheng laughed. "Does the Devouring Demon Dragon need to negotiate terms? When it comes to killing Zhang Ruochen, it charges faster than anyone else."
"What a lovely dragon. Hehe!"
Yinghuo let out a pleasant laugh, blending into the cold wind, intertwining with it like a celestial melody descending from the nine heavens.
(Chapter End)