Chapter 1764: The Wonderful Uses of the Lotus
Walking through the dojo, Zhang Ruochen finally sensed something amiss. He immediately stopped in his tracks.
"What is this…"
The plants within the dojo had all withered, the ground covered in dry branches and yellow leaves. Even the massive island where the Xumi Dojo was located felt lifeless and desolate, as if all vitality had been drained away by something.
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on the enormous Buddha statue, observing the withered vines entwined around it. A look of sudden realization dawned on his face, and he smiled, saying, "So that's it."
Immediately, he performed a Great Space Teleportation and vanished from the spot.
Moments later, he reappeared hundreds of miles away.
Before him lay a lush, verdant mountain forest, thick with the sacred energy of heaven and earth. Spiritual herbs several hundred years old could be seen everywhere. Of course, to Saints and Saint Kings, these herbs were no different from weeds.
Zhang Ruochen took out the lotus and inserted it into the ground.
"Whoosh!"
The lotus trembled slightly, then sprouted a dense network of white, root-like tendrils that burrowed into the earth and spread outwards. These roots were gaseous in form.
An astonishing event occurred. The life force contained in the surrounding vegetation, the essence of the underground minerals, and the sacred energy of heaven and earth all surged towards the lotus.
A soft glow appeared on the lotus petals.
The light grew brighter and brighter.
Zhang Ruochen released a Spiritual Power clone, which leaped into the lotus and began to cultivate.
About a quarter of an hour later, all the vegetation within a twenty-mile radius had withered, the mineral essence in the ground was completely depleted, and the sacred energy of heaven and earth was absorbed clean. The area had turned into a barren wasteland!
The Spiritual Power clone flew out of the lotus and landed beside Zhang Ruochen. Its Spiritual Power intensity had reached the late stage of the fiftieth rank.
It was worth noting that before entering the lotus, the clone's Spiritual Power intensity was only at the early stage of the fiftieth rank.
Although, for Zhang Ruochen, whose Spiritual Power intensity was at the peak of the fifty-seventh rank, such growth wasn't particularly remarkable, it was extremely terrifying for a Spiritual Power Saint or a Spiritual Power Half-Saint.
Zhang Ruochen absorbed the Spiritual Power clone into his Sacred Heart, and his true body leaped into the lotus, activating his technique to absorb the residual power within.
An hour later.
Zhang Ruochen flew out of the lotus. His cultivation base, physical body, and Sacred Soul had all increased by a small margin.
Of course, while an hour had passed in the outside world, Zhang Ruochen had actually been cultivating inside the lotus for a full day and night.
"With this lotus, my cultivation speed will increase more than tenfold. I believe I'll soon reach the Six-Step Saint King realm." Zhang Ruochen revealed a satisfied smile.
After the previous test, Zhang Ruochen discovered a problem. The lotus's absorption of life force and mineral essence was limited to a radius of about twenty miles.
Zhang Ruochen speculated that earlier in the Xumi Dojo, when the lotus had absorbed life force and mineral essence from hundreds of miles around, it was likely stimulated by the green lotus seed. Now that the green lotus seed had turned to dust, with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, controlling the lotus to absorb life force and mineral essence within a twenty-mile radius was his limit.
The exhilaration of his cultivation base and Spiritual Power increasing significantly made Zhang Ruochen exceptionally excited.
So, he performed a Great Space Teleportation, appearing dozens of miles away, and inserted the lotus into the ground again.
But this time, the lotus had no reaction.
Over the next while, Zhang Ruochen tried more than a dozen different locations, all with the same result.
Fiddling with the lotus in his hand, a wry smile appeared on his face. "It seems even the best treasures can't be used indefinitely. It needs a cooldown period. I'll try again tomorrow."
…
…
Shengyu Dojo.
The Saint Kings of the Paradise Realm in the Truth Heaven Domain had all gathered, standing beneath a divine statue. Some had white wings, some had bodies like small mountains, some had silver hair and pointed ears… The number was vast, reaching several thousand.
A burst of sacred might erupted, seemingly capable of piercing the sky.
Only when the divine statue emitted divine light did they restrain their sacred might, bow respectfully, and say in unison, "We pay homage to the Blazing God."
The divine light radiating from the statue grew stronger, and a tricolored light appeared in its eyes. Instantly, an incredibly terrifying pressure descended upon all the Saint Kings present, forcing them to straighten their backs with difficulty as sweat poured down their faces.
The statue spoke with a majestic, sacred voice: "Shang Zi, step forward."
Shang Zi remained calm, walking forward under the suppression of the divine might. He reached the front, clasped his hands, and said, "Disciple is here."
"Boom!"
Two flames shot out from the statue's pupils, striking Shang Zi simultaneously, sending him flying dozens of miles away. He crashed through a stone mountain and slammed heavily into the ground.
Shang Zi's body was broken and mangled, flesh and blood separated, with only white bones connecting his body. His appearance was indescribably miserable.
However, his gaze was exceptionally firm. He didn't even furrow his brow, nor did he let out a groan of pain. He just propped up his shattered body, slowly stood up, and said while coughing up blood, "This… this is… what I deserve…"
"The mistake you made wouldn't be enough to kill you even ten times over."
The Blazing God's voice was like heavenly thunder, making the eardrums of all the Saint Kings present ache. Every Saint King who had participated in the battle at the Xumi Dojo was filled with fear and unease.
In the presence of a god, no one dared to plead for Shang Zi.
After all, this time, Shang Zi had indeed committed a heinous mistake, causing the fall of hundreds of Paradise Realm Saint Kings. Each of them had boundless potential and a slight chance of cultivating to become a Great Saint.
The loss was too great, the impact far-reaching.
Shang Zi said, "I… I am willing to accept… any punishment… However, Xun Ya, Wang Xu, and the others… are still in Zhang Ruochen's hands. I implore Master… to rescue them."
"Rescue? Is it that simple? This is the Truth Heaven Domain. Even a god cannot interfere with matters here." The Blazing God's anger was palpable.
Shang Zi knelt on one knee, raised his head, and said, "Give me another chance. I will definitely conquer the Xumi Dojo, slay Zhang Ruochen, and rescue the imprisoned kings."
The Blazing God said, "The Truth Divine Temple is already aware of this matter. Do you think there will be a second chance?"
"Leave this matter alone. My true body has already arrived in the Truth Heaven Domain. I will do my utmost to negotiate with the Truth Divine Temple. Wang Xu's mother goddess and the Hall Master of the Blood War Divine Temple will also pressure the Truth Divine Temple."
"At any other time, it might still be impossible to save them. But with the Heavenly Court and Hell on the verge of a large-scale bloody war in the Kunlun Realm, and with the need for personnel, the Truth Divine Temple should handle it with discretion."
Shang Zi breathed a sigh of relief. "That puts my mind at ease."
The Blazing God let out a deep snort. "This time, you have greatly disappointed me. I don't know how much effort I had to expend to save you. Of course, since you made a mistake, you must be punished. Return to the Paradise Realm immediately and undergo the Purgatory Punishment. If you can endure nine days of fire refinement and nine days of cold quenching in the Life-and-Death Purgatory Furnace, and when the great war in the Kunlun Realm begins, you will naturally be given a chance to redeem yourself."
Upon hearing the "Purgatory Punishment," all the Saint Kings present trembled. They all felt that Shang Zi would likely face a one-in-a-million chance of survival this time.
There were too many rumors about the "Purgatory Punishment" and the "Life-and-Death Purgatory Furnace." It was said that very few Saint Kings could last even a single day inside the furnace.
Even a Great Saint might be refined to death after spending nine days in the Life-and-Death Purgatory Furnace.
But the punishment Shang Zi was to receive was the even more terrifying "nine days of fire refinement, nine days of cold quenching." For a Saint King, this was a death sentence.
Shang Zi's face turned a few shades paler, but his gaze remained resolute. "Alright, I accept the Purgatory Punishment."
The Blazing God's voice echoed throughout the Shengyu Dojo: "All saints of the Paradise Realm, hear my command. Your training in the Truth Heaven Domain is temporarily over. Return to the Paradise Realm to prepare for battle. The battle for the Kunlun Realm is of utmost importance; there must be no further failures."
…
…
The night was deep and quiet, the moonlight bright.
By the shore of a lake not far from the Xumi Dojo, a young girl in a clean white martial robe held a Sacred Sword and thrust it forward.
The sword speed was astonishingly fast, like a fleeting shadow.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen blocked with his horizontal sword. A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out, followed by a burst of sword energy spreading outwards.
"Not bad. In just a few days, you've mastered the first sword of the Time Sword Art, 'Momentary Trace.' Your comprehension exceeds my expectations. Try activating the power of the Swallow Token to unleash your ultimate speed while simultaneously executing the Time Sword Art. Your sword speed should improve by another level."
"I'll try."
"Bang, bang."
Chi Kongle attacked, Zhang Ruochen defended.
One was learning, the other was teaching.
No one knew how much time passed. Chi Kongle's sacred energy was almost completely depleted, and her Spiritual Power was greatly drained from constantly capturing Time Imprints. Yet, she continued to swing her sword swiftly, diligently learning and honing her skills, as if she knew no fatigue.
At just eleven years old, she possessed such powerful cultivation precisely because she had been training relentlessly since childhood, barely having a childhood. This drive was something other children simply didn't have.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sheathed his Abyssal Ancient Sword. "That's enough for tonight. Come with me."
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed one of Chi Kongle's small hands. Like a roc spreading its wings, he soared into the air, executing his movement technique and turning into a streak of light, flying into the distance.
Chi Kongle secretly glanced at Zhang Ruochen, gently biting her lip.
Learning swordsmanship with her father, Chi Kongle discovered that cultivation could be such a wonderful and joyful thing.
Before, by the Empress's side, she trained every day to the point of exhaustion, pushing her will and physical strength to the limit without ever stopping.
Zhang Ruochen looked at her delicate face and smiled. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing!"
Chi Kongle shook her head, saying nothing, just revealing a blissful smile.
No one knew how far they flew. Zhang Ruochen brought Chi Kongle down to the ground, then took out the lotus and inserted it into the earth.
"Whoosh!"
Immediately, the life force and essence of heaven and earth converged towards it.
"Go ahead!" Zhang Ruochen said.
This wasn't the first time Chi Kongle had entered the lotus to cultivate. Her body leaped up, shrinking to the size of a fly or mosquito, and fell into the lotus.
After several days of testing and research, Zhang Ruochen discovered that the lotus could only be used twice a day.
One of those precious uses was naturally reserved for Chi Kongle, allowing her cultivation base, Spiritual Power, and Sacred Soul to rapidly ascend to a new height. Her strength had already pulled significantly ahead of Chi Kunlun's.
Chi Kongle flew out of the lotus and saw Zhang Ruochen's back in the distance. A mischievous smile curled at the corner of her mouth. Carefully and quietly, she crept up behind him, intending to give him a scare.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the bright moon above and spoke softly.
Chi Kongle froze on the spot, as if turned to stone. All the smiles vanished from her face.