Chapter 1511: Inheritance
“This is what I lost to you... cough, cough...”
The Nine Nether Sword Saint took out a purple stone and tossed it to Zhang Ruochen.
With just a slight exertion, the Nine Nether Sword Saint was wracked with excruciating pain all over his body, coughing violently, his face contorted in agony. He had no choice but to sit cross-legged, swallow healing pills, circulate his technique, and tend to his injuries.
Zhang Ruochen caught the purple stone. He saw that the stone’s surface was covered in a layer of Sacred Light, tightly wrapping it.
The aura emanating from that layer of Sacred Light belonged to the Nine Nether Sword Saint, seemingly used to suppress some kind of power within the purple stone.
“Bang.”
Zhang Ruochen released Sacred Power from his five fingers, shattering the Sacred Light that the Nine Nether Sword Saint had arranged on the stone’s surface.
As the Sacred Light shattered, lines began to emerge on the surface of the purple stone. It seemed to come alive, trembling violently, no longer under Zhang Ruochen’s control, trying to fly away.
“Refine it for me.”
Purifying Divine Flame surged from Zhang Ruochen’s palm, burning the purple stone.
Soon, the lines on the surface of the purple stone, along with the Sacred Power and Sacred Thoughts that Lingquan Shaojun had left on the stone, were all refined away.
The purple stone gradually calmed down, and from within the stone, a cold power emanated.
“What exactly is this thing? A naturally formed stone, or a treasure forged later?”
Zhang Ruochen pinched the purple stone between two fingers, bringing it close to his eyes for a closer look.
The purple stone was not so crystal clear; instead, it was filled with impurities inside, appearing chaotic and murky. Moreover, it was filled with dense, fine lines, arranged in a web-like pattern, resembling the blood vessels within a human body.
Back then, when Lingquan Shaojun wielded this purple stone, he had unleashed combat power that surpassed his own cultivation level. Moreover, after activating it into a purple divine mountain, it could even suppress space.
Based on these two points alone, this purple stone could be considered a priceless treasure.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the Sacred Qi within his body and infused it into the purple stone. After a moment, the purple light emitted by the stone grew increasingly intense, enveloping Zhang Ruochen’s hand.
Zhang Ruochen observed the purple stone again.
The lines inside the stone hadn’t changed much, but between those lines, specks of purple light appeared.
Zhang Ruochen clenched his five fingers, gripping the purple stone tightly, then threw a punch.
“Boom.”
The next moment, a purple fist imprint struck a patch of Rainbow Vine in the distance, unleashing a powerful energy fluctuation.
However, the Rainbow Vine was covered in formation inscriptions, and even after taking this punch, it did not break.
“It really is a good treasure. Indeed, my fist power has increased significantly.”
Zhang Ruochen was quite satisfied, a smile appearing on his face.
The purple stone was not only capable of amplifying the wielder’s power; the purple light emanating from within it contained an aura similar to Divine Origin.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the Sacred Qi within his body and infused it into the purple stone.
Gradually, the lines within the purple stone grew brighter, and the light radiating from the stone grew stronger. That power could no longer be contained in his hand.
The purple stone rose from Zhang Ruochen’s palm, growing larger and larger, until it finally transformed into a purple divine mountain.
Indeed, the already extremely stable surrounding space became even more solid, to the point where even Zhang Ruochen could not tear it apart.
After testing the various states of the purple stone, Zhang Ruochen put it away again.
“Congratulations, Master, on acquiring a supreme treasure,” Mo Yin said, cupping her hands.
“It is indeed a very good treasure. It should be capable of more than just amplifying power and suppressing space. I’ll study it slowly once I return to the Heavenly Court Realm.”
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back and walked towards the Yin-Yang Lake.
Those Mystic Maidens dared not block Zhang Ruochen and stepped aside one after another. In their eyes, a deep wariness appeared, as if the person standing before them was a demon lord.
The Nine Nether Sword Saint was a top figure among the veteran Saints of the Kunlun Realm, with a great reputation. Zhang Ruochen’s defeat of the Nine Nether Sword Saint established his authority with a single battle.
With such strength, who would not fear him?
In the Kunlun Realm, Saint Kings were pitifully few, and each one was a hegemon who dominated a region.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen now possessed that level of power as well.
Mu Lingxi stood in the Century Nether Winter Water, her entire body drenched, outlining a peerlessly beautiful figure.
On her back, a pair of Phoenix wings radiated brilliant light. As her technique circulated, the Century Nether Winter Water in the lake continuously surged into her delicate body.
Both Mu Lingxi and Canglan Martial Saint had their bodies emitting “crackling” sounds, undergoing a process of intense tempering.
This kind of tempering was an extremely painful process. Every instant felt like enduring a life-and-death ordeal. Anyone with insufficient willpower could not withstand it.
From within their bodies, impurities continuously emerged, merging into the Yin-Yang Lake.
“To withstand the inheritance of the Ice Fire Phoenix, their bodies must first be tempered. If their bodies are too fragile, the moment the inheritance is bestowed upon them, they will explode and die from the force,” Shengshu Cainü said.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “To what level can they be tempered?”
“Sub-Perfect Physique,” Shengshu Cainü said.
Supreme Perfect Physique, Perfect Physique, and Sub-Perfect Physique were three different levels.
Shengshu Cainü continued, “Only those who have reached the Supreme Realm Great Saint can, at a certain cost, help cultivators temper their bodies and cultivate a Sub-Perfect Physique. The Ice Fire Phoenix was at the Supreme Realm. The Yin-Yang Lake shore has gathered all its power. If, with this power, they cannot cultivate a Sub-Perfect Physique, that would be strange.”
“Of course, whether they can cultivate a Sub-Perfect Physique ultimately depends on the cultivator’s talent and will. Otherwise, even if a Supreme Realm Great Saint is willing to pay the price, they would not be able to cultivate it; instead, they might die in the process.”
“Back then, Empress Chi Yao paid a tremendous price to help the Nine Realm Sons cultivate Sub-Perfect Physiques.”
At the same cultivation level, the strength of the Nine Realm Sons was not much weaker than that of Dongliu Sword Venerable or Wu Hao. Especially Lidi Monk and Xue Wuye—if they also possessed that level of cultivation, a real fight might not necessarily end in their defeat.
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. “You said so much, but that last sentence was what you really wanted to say, wasn’t it?”
Shengshu Cainü carefully considered how to tell Zhang Ruochen some things she shouldn’t say in a certain way. “Zhang Ruochen, Empress Chi Yao may have been somewhat unfair to you, and she may have gone too far in some ways, but she is by no means a bad person. She has sacrificed a great deal for the Kunlun Realm. Moreover, your relationship may have become even more complicated...”
“Enough! Don’t mention her in front of me again.” Zhang Ruochen cut off Shengshu Cainü’s words.
Shengshu Cainü knew that Empress Chi Yao was a thorn in Zhang Ruochen’s heart, and touching it would cause him unbearable pain. So, she said no more, only letting out a soft sigh.
The two women in the Yin-Yang Lake grew stronger in physique, so they walked forward, entering the area of the Millennium Nether Winter Water and the Purifying Divine Flame.
As they neared the Sub-Perfect Physique, from within the palm-sized Phoenix at the center of the lake, strands of Sacred Dao Rules flew out, automatically rushing out of the crystal, and surged into the Phoenix wings on the backs of Mu Lingxi and Canglan Martial Saint.
Clearly, the pressure and pain they endured became even more intense. Their delicate bodies began to tremble, blood beads oozed from their skin, and the flesh where the Phoenix wings connected to their backs was torn open, becoming bloody.
“Hmm... ah...”
Both Mu Lingxi and Canglan Martial Saint found it hard to bear, letting out cries of pain.
“You must hold on; you’re almost there.”
Zhang Ruochen stared at the crystal at the lake’s center and noticed that the crystal and the Phoenix inside it were rapidly shrinking. All the Sacred Power and Sacred Dao Rules were surging towards Mu Lingxi and Canglan Martial Saint.
“Whoosh——”
When the energy reached its peak, the Yin-Yang Lake spun violently, seeming to transform into a Taiji Diagram.
The power emanating from the Taiji Diagram was incredibly strong. Even Zhang Ruochen and the others had to step back to avoid being drawn in.
“Boom.”
It lasted for about a quarter of an hour. The Taiji Diagram shattered, and from within, two dazzling beams of light shot out. Faintly, two Phoenix cries could be heard.
“Success! Sister Canglan succeeded!”
“Sister Canglan has obtained the Ice Fire Phoenix’s inheritance; her cultivation will surely advance by leaps and bounds.”
The eight Mystic Maidens were overjoyed, not only because they had a deep bond with Canglan Martial Saint, but also because they could merge with her.
Canglan Martial Saint obtaining the Ice Fire Phoenix’s inheritance was equivalent to the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden obtaining it.
Mu Lingxi and Canglan Martial Saint each flapped a pair of resplendent and beautiful wings, flying out and landing slowly on the ground.
The wings on Canglan Martial Saint’s back emitted a green Purifying Divine Flame. Just standing there, she was like a furnace, seemingly capable of burning everything in the world.
The wings on Mu Lingxi’s back, on the other hand, radiated Nether Ice power, causing the ground to freeze into a thick layer of ice. Moreover, her cultivation had already increased to the peak of the Supreme Saint realm.
The vast majority of the Ice Fire Phoenix’s inheritance power was concentrated within their Phoenix wings, with less than one ten-thousandth of the power integrating into their bodies.
Without a hundred years, they would not be able to fully absorb the Ice Fire Phoenix’s inheritance.
However, Mu Lingxi and Canglan Martial Saint could not yet control the surging power within their bodies at will. The Purifying Divine Flame and Nether Ice power continuously surged outward, making it impossible for others to approach them.
Zhang Ruochen walked over to Mu Lingxi and said, “You should first enter the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal to stabilize your realm and study the power of the Ice Fire Phoenix. Only when you can control it freely should you come out to train.”
“Mm.”
Mu Lingxi agreed and then entered the Time-Space Crystal.
“Let’s go.”
Zhang Ruochen waved at Mo Yin, preparing to leave.
“Zhang Ruochen, do you think you can just leave without leaving behind the Merit Record Wall?”
Canglan Martial Saint shouted sharply. The Phoenix wings on her back emitted Purifying Divine Flame, and a formidable aura surged from within her, making her stand there like a violent Fire Phoenix.
Zhang Ruochen glanced back over his shoulder and said coldly, “It wasn’t easy to obtain the Ice Fire Phoenix’s inheritance. Don’t court death.”
“You...”
Canglan Martial Saint had always had a fiery temper. Hearing this, she became even more furious. Her pupils turned into two flames. She grabbed the Blazing Heaven Sword and thrust it at Zhang Ruochen.
The Purifying Divine Flame from her Phoenix wings surged out, merging with the Blazing Heaven Sword, greatly amplifying the power unleashed by the sword.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the purple stone, spun around swiftly, and threw a punch.
“Boom.”
The purple fist collided with the tip of the Blazing Heaven Sword, unleashing a world-destroying force. Canglan Martial Saint was sent flying backward like a fallen leaf, crashing heavily to the ground.
The Blazing Heaven Sword flew out of her hand. Her entire arm was covered in blood. After hitting the ground, she spat out a mouthful of blood and could not get up.
“Don’t be too self-righteous. You still have a long way to go. Spend more time studying the Ice Fire Phoenix’s Sacred Dao—that’s the real priority.”
Zhang Ruochen and Mo Yin left the place with the Merit Record Wall, and no one dared to stop them.
...
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