Chapter 1332: The Birth of the Qiankun Realm
The larger the body of a Devouring Spirit Insect, the stronger its cultivation and the more terrifying its attack power.
Previously, the Devouring Spirit Insects that Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Martial Saint had encountered were almost all the size of a fingernail, yet even Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifacts could not pierce their bodies.
Now, the number of Devouring Spirit Insects on the tree trunk was vast, and some had grown as large as a washbasin.
Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Martial Saint quickly restrained their auras, held their breath, and stood still, afraid to awaken the Devouring Spirit Insects on the trunk.
About half an hour later, the blue firelight on the trunk gradually dimmed, and all the Devouring Spirit Insects fell into deep slumber.
The two breathed a sigh of relief and immediately retreated cautiously to a safer area before stopping.
"How terrifying. If we had startled them just now, even a Saint King would likely have perished, let alone us."
Canglan Martial Saint's beautiful eyes turned to Zhang Ruochen, and she smiled with bright eyes and white teeth: "Thank you for earlier!"
"I only stopped you because I was afraid you'd get me killed too."
Zhang Ruochen's attention was fixed on the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree in the distance, a contemplative look in his eyes.
"What? Are you unwilling to give up? Still want to take the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree?"
Canglan Martial Saint understood Zhang Ruochen's thoughts and added, "Just those Devouring Spirit Insects alone could kill us hundreds of times over. I suspect there are even more powerful creatures deeper in the trunk. After all, the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree has been here for a hundred thousand years. It wouldn't be surprising if it has nurtured something terrifying."
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then sat down cross-legged. His one hundred and forty-four apertures blazed brightly, frantically absorbing the Divine Wood Qi emanating from the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
"What a wooden man. He doesn't even look at me or acknowledge me."
Canglan Martial Saint had never met a man like Zhang Ruochen, who treated her like air. Was there nothing about her—her beauty, her figure, her status, her cultivation—that could spark even a hint of his interest?
Seeing Zhang Ruochen absorbed in cultivation, Canglan Martial Saint also calmed down.
"This is indeed an excellent place for cultivation. As long as I absorb enough Divine Wood Qi, combined with the Chaos Qi I got from Zhang Ruochen earlier, it should be enough to break through my realm."
After a series of intense battles recently, Canglan Martial Saint had gained new insights into martial arts. With these two encounters here, she had enough confidence to break through to the Tongtian Realm.
Thinking this, she wasted no time and moved to another spot to begin absorbing Divine Wood Qi.
What Canglan Martial Saint didn't know was that a series of monumental changes were occurring inside Zhang Ruochen.
The Cosmic Divine Wood Map absorbed Divine Wood Qi at an accelerated rate, and more and more cracks appeared on its surface. Not only Chaos Qi but also a vast life force surged out, rapidly integrating into Zhang Ruochen's flesh and blood.
After absorbing this life force, Zhang Ruochen's lifespan greatly increased. Even if he maintained his current cultivation, he could easily live to a thousand years old.
Apart from him, no human at the Saint realm could possess such a long life.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that the birth of the Qiankun Realm was drawing near, so he absorbed Divine Wood Qi even more fervently.
"Boom."
After an unknown amount of time, a massive explosion sounded in his Qi Sea.
The Cosmic Divine Wood Map shattered into pieces, turning into powder. Vast Chaos Qi surged outward, filling Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea.
Additionally, Zhang Ruochen felt his entire body grow heavy. He hunched over, unable to straighten up, as if his flesh had become as heavy as an entire world, making even breathing difficult.
It wasn't that his body had actually become heavier, but an invisible pressure created this illusion.
Of course, it wasn't entirely an illusion, because a world had indeed been born inside him, suspended at the center of his Qi Sea.
"Is this the Qiankun Realm?"
The Qiankun Realm didn't appear very large, like a small continent wrapped in a mass of five-colored Chaos Qi, looking quite mysterious.
Zhang Ruochen condensed a Sacred Soul avatar and entered the atmosphere of the Qiankun Realm.
In an instant, he seemed to step into another space. The land beneath him expanded infinitely, becoming vast and boundless, with no end in sight.
It was a very strange feeling, hard to comprehend.
"The Qiankun Realm is clearly in my Qi Sea, in the same space as me. Why does it look so small from the outside but become so enormous once I enter?"
Zhang Ruochen thought deeply. After a moment, a smile appeared on his face: "I almost fell into a mental trap. It's actually quite simple. The Qiankun Realm is essentially a giant Space Ring."
The carrier of a Space Ring is the ring.
The carrier of the Qiankun Realm is Zhang Ruochen's body. He could be called the "World Son of the Qiankun Realm" or simply the "Qiankun Realm" itself.
Because Zhang Ruochen had merged with the Qiankun Realm, he felt the illusion of his body becoming extremely heavy.
"Master, where is this place?"
The voice of the Devouring Saint Flower sounded from within Zhang Ruochen's body.
Earlier, when the life force from the Qiankun Realm surged into Zhang Ruochen's body, it had also healed the Devouring Saint Flower's injuries, awakening it.
"The Qiankun Realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Boom."
"Boom, boom."
...
The earth trembled violently. On the horizon, a black demonic aura surged like a tidal wave, covering the sky. Within the demonic clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, accompanied by earth-shaking roars.
A demonic ape, towering one thousand three hundred zhang tall, burst out from the demonic clouds, exuding a primal, fierce aura. It smashed through mountains thousands of meters high and leaped across vast swamps and deep valleys in a single stride.
Soon, the demonic ape charged to Zhang Ruochen's front, knelt on one knee, and slammed its fist into the ground with a thunderous boom.
"Greetings, Master."
The demonic ape's voice was extremely deep, like thunder shaking the heavens.
Zhang Ruochen was secretly astonished as he examined the ape. "One thousand three hundred zhang... Have you already mastered the seventh layer of the 'Great Demon Ten Heavens' and transformed into a Giant Spirit Demon Ape?"
The "Great Demon Ten Heavens" was a technique Xiao Hei had taught the ape, claiming it was a secret scroll passed down by the ancient Giant Spirit Demon Ape clan. Once the seventh layer was mastered, one could cultivate the Giant Spirit Demon Ape body, capable of overturning rivers and seas, omnipotent, and able to go anywhere in heaven and earth.
At the time, Zhang Ruochen hadn't taken it seriously, thinking Xiao Hei was just trying to trick the ape into becoming his disciple.
Seeing the ape's astonishing transformation, Zhang Ruochen finally believed it.
On the horizon, another mass of demonic clouds surged over, within which a massive dragon shadow could faintly be seen.
A familiar voice came from the clouds: "It has indeed mastered the seventh layer of the 'Great Demon Ten Heavens,' but it's still no match for me."
A dragon over twenty miles long coiled in the sky, exuding an overwhelming dragon might and demonic aura, causing the entire world to tremble.
Then, the dragon dove down. When it landed, it transformed into a chubby rabbit, clutching a golden, radiant ginseng. With a crunch, it took a big bite.
With Zhang Ruochen's eyesight, he could tell that the golden ginseng was extraordinary—not an ordinary spiritual herb but a Sacred Medicine.
Eating a Sacred Medicine like a carrot.
Even Zhang Ruochen himself wasn't so extravagant. Seeing this, his heart ached and twitched.
It wasn't that he was stingy, but even a Great Saint-level figure would tremble with rage at the sight of a rabbit wasting a Sacred Medicine like this.
"You dare say I'm no match for you? I can flatten you with one fist."
The demonic ape's eyes turned crimson. It stood up, roared to the heavens, and the sky changed color, the earth shook. Then, it punched at Guo Guo.
Guo Guo was unyielding, transforming back into a dragon shrouded in demonic aura, and clashed with the ape.
Both beasts had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to before, hardly different from ancient primordial beasts.
"This rabbit can already transform into a dragon. It seems the 'Devouring Heaven Technique' Xiao Hei taught it isn't a fake technique."
The "Devouring Heaven Technique" was the supreme technique of the Devouring Demon Dragon clan. Creatures of other races who cultivated it could also transform into a Devouring Demon Dragon upon reaching a certain level.
After undergoing the baptism of the world's creation, how did Guo Guo compare to that Devouring Demon Dragon from the Ancestral Dragon Mountain?
"You find it incredible that it can transform into a Devouring Demon Dragon? If you go check how many Sacred Medicines are left in your Divine Soil Medicine Garden, you won't be so surprised."
A pleasant female voice reached Zhang Ruochen's ears.
Zhang Ruochen caught a faint, subtle fragrance. Turning around, he saw Bai Li Princess standing not far behind him, dressed in white, her jet-black hair swaying in the wind. Her snow-white skin emitted specks of light, making her look like a breathtaking immortal body.
"The Sacred Medicines in the Divine Soil Medicine Garden have been ravaged by it?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Not just that."
Bai Li Princess smiled slightly, her charming eyes blinking at Zhang Ruochen.
Seeing that look, Zhang Ruochen's heart sank. "Did it also steal and eat the Divine Medicine?"
In the Qiankun Realm, a Seven Star Divine Ling had been planted.
That was a true Divine Medicine, far more precious than the Thousand Leaf Saint Core Grass by an unknown margin, and something Zhang Ruochen valued greatly.
The Seven Star Divine Ling had seven leaves. Just one phoenix-shaped leaf, given to Xuanji Sword Saint, had brought him back from the dead.
This showed that the power of a Divine Medicine could truly defy fate.
Zhang Ruochen's figure moved, disappearing from the spot. Soon, he arrived at the Divine Soil Medicine Garden.
The once-rich medicine garden had been filled with many Sacred Medicines. After the baptism of the world's creation, even more Sacred Medicines should have grown. Yet now, the garden was filled only with low-grade spiritual herbs, with just a few scattered Sacred Medicines.
What made Zhang Ruochen want to vomit blood even more was that only two leaves remained of the Seven Star Divine Ling.
One phoenix leaf had been given to Xuanji Sword Saint, and one qilin leaf to Hanxue. There should have been five leaves left. The azure dragon leaf, white tiger leaf, and black tortoise leaf had all been stolen and eaten.
(Chapter End)