Chapter 489: Accumulating Military Merit
“Team Leader, I want to go too.” Ao Xinyan said.
Zhang Ruochen gave her a serious look and advised again, “The Black Wood Plain is very dangerous. Even with my cultivation, I might die inside. Are you sure you still want to go?”
Ao Xinyan widened her beautiful eyes, her gaze firm as she said, “I want to help you.”
Since she insisted on following, even if Zhang Ruochen drove her away now, she would definitely sneak behind him and chase into the Black Wood Plain.
If that happened, it would be even more dangerous.
Zhang Ruochen nodded lightly and said, “Alright! I can take you, but once we enter the Black Wood Plain, you must obey all my orders.”
“Okay!”
Ao Xinyan was extremely delighted and agreed very readily.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, then took out a piece of black water liuli crystal the size of a washbasin and handed it to her, saying, “You are currently at the Heavenly Extreme Stage Great Extreme Position in martial arts cultivation. Refining this water-attributed spiritual treasure should allow you to break through to the Heavenly Extreme Stage Great Perfection.”
Taking the black water liuli crystal from Zhang Ruochen, Ao Xinyan immediately felt the rich water-attributed spiritual energy inside. It was cold to the touch yet emitted a faint watery vapor.
With her half-dragon body, refining a water-attributed spiritual treasure was like a fish in water, definitely able to greatly enhance her physique and strengthen her cultivation.
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
Ao Xinyan clutched the black water liuli crystal tightly, thinking to herself, The team leader is willing to give me such a precious treasure, which shows he still cares about me. It must be so.
Zhang Ruochen walked to the edge of the Black Wood Plain and stopped, releasing his powerful spiritual power to probe into the dark forest.
When spiritual power reaches the forty-first rank, one can sense the dangers and blessings in the unseen, fully able to predict disasters and seek good fortune while avoiding harm.
“How is it?” Xiao Hei asked.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression was grave as he said, “I can sense that within the Black Wood Plain, there is a great killing intent. Once we enter, it will be a matter of life and death.”
“It should be the primordial qi of the Wood Essence Ruins Realm, using some means to try and eliminate you.” Xiao Hei said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, showing no fear, and said, “Let’s go! I want to see what kind of killing intent lies within the Black Wood Plain.”
Zhang Ruochen pressed two fingers to his temples, activating his Heavenly Eye. With a whoosh, a light pattern split open at his brow, forming a vertical eye, revealing a Heavenly Eye pupil like a fireball.
Using the Heavenly Eye, he could observe the every move of all tree men within a thousand-mile radius.
“There are so many tree men living in the Black Wood Plain. Within a thousand-mile radius, there are thirty-nine millennium tree men, each comparable to a Fish-Dragon Realm expert. The most powerful one is a hundred and thirty-two zhang tall, with strength equivalent to a cultivator at the Fish-Dragon Third Change.”
A Heavenly Extreme Stage martial artist, without a Heavenly Eye, who rashly charged in would almost certainly die.
However, with Zhang Ruochen’s current strength and his Heavenly Eye, he could indeed venture in.
“I left my blood on the Heavenly Ranking. As long as I kill a native being at the Fish-Dragon First Change in the Ruins Realm battlefield, I get a thousand military merit points.”
“Killing a native being at the Fish-Dragon Second Change earns ten thousand military merit points.”
“Killing a native being at the Fish-Dragon Third Change earns a hundred thousand military merit points.”
“This is a perfect opportunity to kill tree men, improve my combat experience, and earn military merit points.”
Thinking this, Zhang Ruochen felt a surge of battle intent.
Don’t think that killing a native at the Fish-Dragon Third Change earns a hundred thousand military merit points easily. Among Heavenly Extreme Stage martial artists, only those ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking can match a native at the Fish-Dragon Third Change.
Of course, even with their strength, they can at most fight to a draw with a Fish-Dragon Third Change native or barely defeat one.
But Fish-Dragon Third Change natives aren’t fools. If they find they can’t beat you, they’ll immediately flee.
In the Ruins Realm battlefield, it’s the natives’ territory. As an outsider, if you dare to chase a Fish-Dragon Third Change native, you might fall into a trap they set, and die without knowing how.
Every year, a large number of Heavenly Ranking martial artists greedy for military merit points die in the Ruins Realm battlefield. Among them are even top experts ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking.
So, accumulating thirty million military merit points to reach the Supreme Extreme Realm is an extremely difficult task. It’s rare to see one in a hundred years.
Zhang Ruochen, Xiao Hei, Ao Xinyan, and Orange Moon Star Envoy finally entered the Black Wood Plain, beginning to clear out the tree men on the outskirts.
Half an hour later, Zhang Ruochen and his group silently arrived at the forest area closest to that millennium tree man.
This forest area was densely wooded, with heavy moisture and treacherous terrain. Walking through the forest, you couldn’t see the sky.
Besides that millennium tree man, there were also many powerful century tree men growing in the forest.
At the edge of the forest area, Zhang Ruochen stopped and glanced at Ao Xinyan and Xiao Hei, saying, “I’ll handle that millennium tree man. You two take care of the other tree men. Remember, don’t let any tree man escape, or our whereabouts will be exposed. If we’re surrounded by tree men, even if our strength is ten times greater, we’ll only end up dead.”
Ao Xinyan said, “Team Leader, rest assured. Those century tree men are at most at the Heavenly Extreme Stage. Xiao Hei doesn’t even need to act; with my strength alone, I can take care of them all.”
Having gone through several recent deadly ordeals, Ao Xinyan had grown a lot.
At the same time, she understood a truth: in the Ruins Realm battlefield, it’s either you die or I die.
She had never killed anyone before.
Now, she would start by killing tree men to hone herself.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, then used his movement technique, turning into a blurry shadow as he rushed into the forest first.
At the center of this forest area grew a giant tree ninety zhang tall, with a trunk so thick that only seven adults holding hands could encircle it.
The bark was entwined with vines and marked with patterns, very hard, like a shell forged from black gold.
In reality, the bark, trunk, and roots of a millennium tree man were all treasures, usable for forging armor or refining pills.
“Swish!”
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen rushed over from afar, passing through vines and thorns, then stopped, standing at the base of the giant tree.
Zhang Ruochen looked up and clearly saw that this giant tree was breathing.
When the giant tree inhaled, the world’s spiritual energy flowed like a small stream, forming patterns as it gathered toward it endlessly.
When the giant tree exhaled, a rustling wind sounded through the forest, blowing all the leaves into the air with fierce force.
It had grown for a thousand three hundred years, enduring countless storms, yet still stood here, its trunk containing terrifying power.
The moment Zhang Ruochen appeared beneath the millennium tree man, the tree man sensed him. Two slits split open on its trunk, forming two huge eyes.
When it saw the human standing below, its trunk shook violently, and it exclaimed in shock, “Outer Realm Death God, you’ve finally appeared!”
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back and asked curiously, “Why do you call me the Outer Realm Death God?”
“Because you’re a demon who has come to destroy our tree man clan. Hmph! The Tree God has issued a divine decree, commanding us to kill you at all costs.”
With that, the millennium tree man controlled seven thick branches, like seven iron walls, attacking Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen activated his protective Heavenly Gang, forming a green true qi sphere that blocked the millennium tree man’s attack.
“Dragon-Elephant Returns to the Field.”
Zhang Ruochen leaped up, and through the void, struck out with a palm. Thick true qi condensed into a huge palm print, slamming fiercely into the trunk.
This millennium tree man had cultivated for a thousand three hundred years, roughly equivalent to the Fish-Dragon First Change.
And Zhang Ruochen’s palm strike was enough to kill a cultivator at the peak of the Fish-Dragon First Change.
“Bang!”
The palm print struck the trunk, leaving a deep dent from which drops of fresh blood oozed.
The millennium tree man let out a muffled groan.
Knowing it was no match for the Outer Realm Death God, its roots emerged from the soil, turning into long black tentacles that writhed rapidly as it rushed toward the center of the Black Wood Plain.
It had to inform the Tree Ancestor of the Outer Realm Death God’s arrival. Once the Tree Ancestor acted, it would surely kill the Outer Realm Death God.
“As expected of a tree man, with such strong defense. Taking my full-power palm, it wasn’t seriously injured.”
Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t give the millennium tree man a chance to escape. He immediately summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword, injecting true qi into the blade to activate the Sacred Sword’s power.
A three-zhang-long black light shot up from the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
“Whoosh!”
Zhang Ruochen swung the sword, dragging a long sword light. Dozens of sword qi surged out simultaneously, cutting the millennium tree man’s trunk in half.
“Damn it… Outer Realm Death God… you… you’ll die a miserable death… ooh!”
As it died, the millennium tree man let out a loud cry, trying to alert other tree men that the Outer Realm Death God had arrived!
But Zhang Ruochen had already deployed his Space Domain, so the millennium tree man’s death cry didn’t spread.
The trunk creaked and crashed down, leaving only a blood-soaked stump.
On the stump were over a thousand three hundred annual rings, each ring oozing blood.
Strangely, the blood from the millennium tree man had no bloody smell but instead emitted a faint, fragrant scent.
“Another thousand military merit points.”
On the Heavenly Battle Platform, Zhang Ruochen had defeated Orange Moon Star Envoy, ranked six hundred and forty-third on the Heavenly Ranking, thus replacing her rank and military merit points.
Adding this thousand points, Zhang Ruochen’s total military merit points had reached five hundred and fourteen thousand.
He still needed to keep accumulating.