Chapter 497: Dual Spirit Treasure Body
Huang Shenyi flicked the dust off his robe, swept his gaze across Luo Shuihan and Duanmu Xingling opposite him, and said coldly, "You two managed to withstand one of my palm strikes—that's something. But if you think you can fight me, you're far from it."
Duanmu Xingling chuckled, "Is that so? Whether we're truly far off, we'll only know after we fight."
"Swish!"
Duanmu Xingling transformed into a ghostly shadow, darting forward, leaving seven afterimages on the ground.
When the seventh shadow halted, she was suspended half a meter above the ground. She brought her five fingers together into a blade-like hand, carrying a chilling force, and struck toward Huang Shenyi's neck.
Duanmu Xingling's speed seemed to have reached its peak, yet Huang Shenyi moved even faster.
No one could clearly see how he launched his attack—only a "bang" was heard, and Duanmu Xingling was sent flying.
Landing on the ground, she stumbled back over a dozen steps, her face twisted in pain. Her left hand pressed against her lower abdomen, a trace of blood at the corner of her lips, her complexion pale as paper.
"Interesting—you survived one of my moves."
Huang Shenyi's pupils contracted into pinpoints.
Then, he lunged forward, extending a palm. As the palm force shot out, dozens of wind blades flew from his palm center.
Each wind blade transformed into a two-meter-tall white bone skeleton, carrying a gust of eerie wind, wielding a long blade, and emitting wails like ghostly cries.
From a distance, Huang Shenyi's palm force seemed to form an army of specters.
A ghost-grade lower-rank martial technique: Nine Nether Yin Wind Palm.
It could be said that only now was Huang Shenyi truly getting serious.
"What a formidable Huang Shenyi. No wonder he claimed he could defeat the second-ranked Hua Li on the Heavenly Ranking within three moves. With my current strength, there's no way I can block this palm."
Earlier, Duanmu Xingling had already been severely injured by Huang Shenyi. Facing the incoming Nine Nether Yin Wind Palm, she dared not meet it head-on and could only retreat continuously.
Frustration burned in her heart. As the Holy Maiden of the Moon-Worshipping Cult, being forced to retreat by a Star Envoy from the Black Market First Class Hall—if word got out, wouldn't her reputation be ruined?
Luo Shuihan and Huang Yanchen immediately rushed over, standing in a line with Duanmu Xingling.
"Nine Turns of Luo River, One Turn of Flowing Wine."
Luo Shuihan stepped forward, taking the frontmost position. Every inch of her skin shimmered with golden light. Her slender arms traced a mysterious trajectory, forming the shape of Luo River's nine turns, creating a river of true qi suspended in midair.
Duanmu Xingling and Huang Yanchen also unleashed their martial techniques to counter Huang Shenyi's palm force.
"Boom!"
Clashing palms once more, Huang Shenyi still held absolute dominance, forcing Luo Shuihan, Duanmu Xingling, and Huang Yanchen to retreat.
Huang Shenyi didn't press the attack. He fixed his gaze on Luo Shuihan and said, "You must be the sacred body of the Luo Holy Clan, Luo Shuihan?"
Luo Shuihan replied, "That's right."
Huang Shenyi nodded. "No wonder you could block my palm—so you're the Golden Light Sacred Body among the six kings of the Eastern Region's new generation. Fine. Out of respect for Senior Luo Xu, I'll spare her life today."
Then, his gaze shifted to Huang Yanchen, and he said coldly, "Princess Yanchen, I'll let you off today, but don't forget our duel. If you don't show up at the Heavenly Battle Platform within half a month, you'll be looking down on me. Once I break through to the Fish-Dragon Realm, I'll have no choice but to go to Qian Water Commandery and challenge the Qian Water Commandery King. Heh."
With that, Huang Shenyi let out a sinister laugh and walked away.
"What an arrogant bastard." Duanmu Xingling pouted and snorted.
Luo Shuihan said, "He is indeed arrogant, but his strength is terrifyingly high. They say he's also a formidable array master, with his spiritual power already breaking through to the fortieth rank. With array support, his power would be even more fearsome. In our fight earlier, he probably used no more than thirty percent of his strength."
"That strong?" Huang Yanchen frowned.
Even the power Huang Shenyi had just displayed made Huang Yanchen feel like she was looking up at a towering mountain—as if he could crush her with just a finger.
Yet Luo Shuihan claimed he had only used less than thirty percent of his power.
If he went all out, just how strong would he be?
Duanmu Xingling felt a bit unconvinced and muttered under her breath, "If I break through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection, I'm sure I can fight him."
"Xingling, what did you say?" Huang Yanchen asked.
Duanmu Xingling immediately flashed a sweet smile, hugged Huang Yanchen's arm, and said, "I was saying, Sister Chen, since Huang Shenyi is so strong, don't go fight him. Once you step onto the Heavenly Battle Platform, you might die under his palm before you even have a chance to surrender."
Luo Shuihan added, "Xingling is right. With your current strength, fighting Huang Shenyi would be like walking to your death."
Huang Yanchen's expression turned serious. She shook her head and said, "Huang Shenyi is vicious and ruthless. If I refuse to fight him, he'll definitely go to Qian Water Commandery to target my father and the royal clan. He's forcing me—I have no choice but to accept the duel."
Given Huang Shenyi's cultivation, even if he broke through to the Fish-Dragon Realm, he would never be a match for the Qian Water Commandery King. But a powerhouse like Huang Shenyi, with his identity as the Seven Evil Star Envoy of the Black Market First Class Hall, could cause unimaginable destruction.
Duanmu Xingling said, "He's not forcing you to fight him—he's forcing Zhang Ruochen to show himself. The one he truly wants to kill has always been Zhang Ruochen. For now, we can only hope Zhang Ruochen returns soon from the Wood Essence Ruins Realm. Maybe only he can match Huang Shenyi."
Luo Shuihan looked worried. "Huang Shenyi is a once-in-a-century prodigy who has spent years consolidating at the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection. Even if Zhang Ruochen comes back, he might not be his match."
"There's no other way. This battle has to be faced by him—after all, he's your fiancé, Sister Chen." Duanmu Xingling tapped her chin with her finger, her eyes gleaming. "Looks like I'll have to go to the Wood Essence Ruins Realm and tell him the news in advance."
...
Wood Essence Ruins Realm, Black Wood Plain.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged atop a mountain peak, his hands resting on his abdomen. Between his palms floated a fist-sized piece of Purple Cloud Sinking Incense Wood.
Threads of true qi surged from his palms, colliding with each other, refining the wood into fine powder.
The pores on his palms created a suction force, drawing the powder into his body.
"Back then, to cultivate the Water Spirit Treasure Body, I refined nine jin and nine liang of Black Water Liuli Crystal. To succeed in the Wood Spirit Treasure Body, I'll probably need to refine nine jin and nine liang of Purple Cloud Sinking Incense Wood too."
Through recent training, Zhang Ruochen had already refined nine jin and six liang of the wood, inching closer to completing the Wood Spirit Treasure Body.
But the closer he got to success, the harder it became to absorb the wood. Drawing a single grain of powder into his body released an energy explosion like a thunderclap, causing massive damage to his body.
His flesh was constantly destroyed and then healed.
As Zhang Ruochen refined the wood, he also swallowed Wood Spirit Red Sap, enduring pain beyond ordinary comprehension. Blood beads seeped from his pores, and cracks split his skin.
In a single day, he managed to refine only one liang of the wood. Yet his clothes were completely soaked in blood.
After recovering overnight, the next day, Zhang Ruochen resumed the process.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen drenched in blood, Ao Xinyan bit her lip hard, unable to bear it. She wanted to rush over and urge him not to rush—to wait until he broke through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection before cultivating the Wood Spirit Treasure Body.
But Xiao Hei stopped her. "Right now, Zhang Ruochen is cultivating the 'Dual Spirit Treasure Body' of Wood and Water—several times harder than just the Water Spirit Treasure Body. Later, he'll need to merge five types of Wu Xing spirit treasures to cultivate the Five Elements Chaos Body. Without immense perseverance, he can't succeed. He's not just training the Dual Spirit Treasure Body—he's tempering his will. If you persuade him now, you'd be harming him."
"I see."
Ao Xinyan sat back down, gazing at Zhang Ruochen from afar. She thought to herself, No wonder he's achieved such high cultivation at such a young age—it's not just talent. I can't be lazy either, or I'll only fall further behind.
With that, she took out some Purple Cloud Sinking Incense Wood that Zhang Ruochen had given her earlier and began refining it.
She, too, would cultivate the Dual Spirit Treasure Body.
With the Dual Spirit Treasure Body and her half-dragon constitution, her strength would surely soar.
After five consecutive days, Zhang Ruochen finally refined nine jin and nine liang of Purple Cloud Sinking Incense Wood, successfully cultivating the Water and Wood "Dual Spirit Treasure Body."
"Finally succeeded."
Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt immense joy.
He stood up, walked to the cliff's edge, and began to communicate with the wood-attributed spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
Then, he pointed a finger outward. The true qi at his fingertip connected with the wood-attributed spiritual energy, forming root-like patterns of true qi.
Gradually, the patterns grew more solid, transforming into actual wooden roots that burrowed into the soil and rock, deep into the cliff face.
"Hiss, hiss."
Cracks in the cliff immediately sprouted tiny shoots, growing rapidly at a visible pace—sprouting leaves, budding flowers, and finally blooming into a riot of colorful blossoms.
The entire cliff, even the whole mountain peak, turned into a sea of flowers. The air was thick with a rich floral fragrance.
Seeing this, Ao Xinyan and Orange Moon Star Envoy were both stunned, as if witnessing a legendary sacred miracle.
Wasn't this the kind of mystical power only saints possessed?
"So beautiful—such fragrant flowers." Ao Xinyan took a deep breath, looking enchanted. Excitedly, she said, "Leader, does cultivating the Wood Spirit Treasure Body allow you to revive withered wood, graft branches, and instantly create a vibrant sea of flowers, forests, and grasslands?"