# Chapter 639: Powerful War Beasts
Obviously, Mu Lingxi also did not want her emotions to affect Zhang Ruochen. Hearing his question, she immediately smiled, her crystal-clear red lips curving into a charming arc. "Right! Since someone has invited me to attend the Sword Discussion Assembly, why wouldn't I go? Besides, I'll get to see you there, so I definitely want to go."
Hearing Mu Lingxi say this, Zhang Ruochen could roughly guess the situation.
Mu Lingxi had most likely also received an invitation from Shengshu Cainü. Otherwise, attending the Liangyi Sect as a Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect would have been quite a risky endeavor.
Shengshu Cainü had invited both the Black Market's young master and the Demon Sect's Holy Maiden. It was likely that the heirs of various Saintly clans had also received her invitations.
What exactly was she plotting?
Could the rumors be true—that Shengshu Cainü was one of Empress Chi Yao's people?
Since Shengshu Cainü had personally issued a decree, widely inviting talented individuals from across the realm, it seemed that the Sword Discussion Assembly on the ninth day of the ninth month would indeed be a grand gathering of dragons and tigers.
Would this Sword Discussion Assembly produce another figure as brilliant and unparalleled as the Sword Emperor?
Would it become a symbol of prosperity, marking the rise of outstanding talents and saints since the establishment of the First Central Empire?
Although he had never met Shengshu Cainü, Zhang Ruochen began to feel a sense of caution in his heart. He suspected that she represented the imperial court and might very well be one of Chi Yao's people.
"Before you leave, could you hold me for a moment?"
Mu Lingxi's eyes, like two spirit-filled gems, gazed at Zhang Ruochen with tender affection. A faint blush appeared on her snow-white cheeks.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Mu Lingxi's pitiful expression. After hesitating for a moment, he finally walked over, extended his strong arms, and gently pulled her soft, delicate body into his embrace.
Mu Lingxi rested her cheek against Zhang Ruochen's chest, a sweet smile spreading across her face. The entire world seemed to fall silent.
No one knew how much time passed before the two finally separated. Zhang Ruochen then escorted her out of the Scroll World.
...
...
During the half year that Zhang Ruochen had been in seclusion, Xiao Hei, Guo Guo, and the Demon Ape had not been idle. They had completely devoured the flesh and blood of the Black Scaled Flood Dragon King.
It was worth noting that the Black Scaled Flood Dragon King was a sixth-rank savage beast with an enormous body, comparable to a Half-Saint.
Its flesh and blood contained abundant Saint Qi, far more precious than any spiritual pill or miraculous medicine.
Even more importantly, Guo Guo and the Demon Ape spent most of their time in the Scroll World, where their cultivation time was ten times faster than the outside world.
As a result, their cultivation speed was astonishingly fast.
Among them, the Demon Ape's cultivation had already reached the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. Moreover, it had refined a Five Elements Spiritual Treasure and cultivated a Dual Spiritual Treasure Body, and was now working toward a Triple Spiritual Treasure Body.
Additionally, the Demon Ape possessed the bloodline of the "Ancient Giant Spirit Demon Ape," making its physique exceptionally powerful.
Thus, at the same cultivation level, the Demon Ape's strength could rival that of a Saintly Body.
At this moment, the Demon Ape stood before Zhang Ruochen. Its body was like a small mountain, radiating black demonic light. With just a single roar, it unleashed astonishing demonic might.
"Whoosh!"
A gale-force wind surged from its mouth.
Zhang Ruochen stood beneath the Demon Ape, his hair and the corners of his robes blown upward by the wind, his body flying backward three zhang. He looked up and felt an immense pressure. "The Demon Ape's cultivation has already reached the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm."
Even with Zhang Ruochen's own cultivation having broken through to the fourth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, he might not necessarily gain the upper hand in a fight against the Demon Ape.
Xiao Hei lay on the table, rolling his eyes at Zhang Ruochen. "The massive amount of cultivation resources you left in the Scroll World—like Mu Ling Hong Tan, Flood Dragon Blood, Flood Dragon Pearls, savage beast flesh and blood...—were almost completely devoured by it and the rabbit. And what's the result? It only managed to cultivate the 'Great Demon Ten Heavens' to the third heaven, without even awakening its ancient bloodline. What a waste."
An eighth-transformation Fish-Dragon Realm ancient relic could be considered terrifyingly powerful, enough to serve as a Half-Saint's mount or a guardian war beast for a major clan.
But Xiao Hei was quite dissatisfied with the Demon Ape's performance.
After all, the Demon Ape had devoured a vast amount of resources, practiced top-tier techniques, and received Xiao Hei's careful guidance. Its current performance was only passable, far from impressive.
The Demon Ape did not dare to argue. Instead, it lowered its head, appearing quite humble.
Zhang Ruochen then turned his gaze to the Devouring Elephant Rabbit. He noticed that its cultivation had already broken through to the seventh transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, transforming into a formidable war beast.
Unlike the Demon Ape, the Devouring Elephant Rabbit did not possess an ancient bloodline. However, it had devoured Di Yi's demon heart and cultivated a Demonic Yuan Inner Core within its body.
Relying solely on that Demonic Yuan Inner Core, the Devouring Elephant Rabbit's strength at the same cultivation level could rival that of a Saintly Body.
Moreover, the Devouring Elephant Rabbit had also refined a Five Elements Spiritual Treasure, cultivating a "Water Spiritual Treasure Body." As a result, its strength was even slightly superior to that of an ordinary Saintly Body.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Their cultivation speed is already quite fast. Once they fully consume the Flood Dragon King's flesh and blood, they should be able to break through to the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm within five years."
Although the Devouring Elephant Rabbit and the Demon Ape had completely devoured the Flood Dragon King's flesh and blood, they had only digested a portion of its energy. A large amount of energy remained hidden within their bodies.
Once they fully absorbed the Flood Dragon King's flesh and blood, their cultivation would undoubtedly advance further.
Zhang Ruochen changed the subject. "However, even though their cultivation is strong, it is still far from enough to contend with human cultivators. You must teach them some martial techniques so they can more skillfully unleash their power. Relying solely on brute force will make it easy for human warriors to defeat them."
The Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit were indeed incredibly powerful, capable of rivaling a Saintly Body.
But if they were to actually fight a Saintly Body, their opponent might defeat them with just a single move.
A Saintly Body was not only powerful in strength but, more importantly, skilled in the application of that strength. Even a simple martial technique could be executed with divine precision, easily confusing the Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit.
Of course, if the Saintly Body's cultivation was one or two realms lower than theirs, they could still defeat it.
After all, cultivation level was also an advantage. If the gap in cultivation was too great, even the most exquisite martial techniques could not overturn the outcome of a battle.
Xiao Hei chuckled. "The techniques they are practicing—'Great Demon Ten Heavens' and 'Devouring Heaven Art'—are not just cultivation methods. They also contain several powerful secret arts. As long as they can master them, they will naturally unleash tremendous power."
"If we can also forge a set of Saintly Armor for them and equip them with a Sacred Artifact, they will be able to contend with a human Saintly Body even at the same cultivation level."
Zhang Ruochen nodded lightly. "Forging Saintly Armor is not difficult. With my current cultivation, I should be able to cut through the Xuanwu's shell. Once their cultivation breaks through to the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, I will cut two pieces of Xuanwu shell and forge two sets of Xuanwu Armor for them."
"As for Sacred Artifacts, I also have two."
Zhang Ruochen took out the Blazing Flame War Hammer and the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal from his Space Ring and placed them on the ground.
"Thud! Thud!"
Both Sacred Artifacts were extremely heavy. As they landed, they pressed two deep pits into the ground.
The Blazing Flame War Hammer was a Sacred Artifact belonging to the Green Robe Star Envoy. However, it was slightly damaged and would need to be repaired before it could be used.
The Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal was Di Yi's Sacred Artifact. Its power was far greater than that of the Blazing Flame War Hammer, making it a top-tier Hundred-Pattern Sacred Artifact.
Unless a Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact appeared, the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal could dominate the battlefield.
Seeing the two Sacred Artifacts, the Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit's eyes lit up, radiating scorching heat. They immediately pounced forward, trying to snatch the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal.
They could tell that the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal was far more powerful.
"That red seal belongs to me! Don't anyone fight me for it!"
The Devouring Elephant Rabbit stretched its mouth wide, making it even larger than its own body, and tried to swallow the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal in one gulp, claiming it for itself.
Just as the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal was about to fall into the Devouring Elephant Rabbit's mouth—
"Roar!"
The Demon Ape charged out from the left, letting out a thunderous roar. It threw a punch, passing through the Devouring Elephant Rabbit's mouth and sending the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal flying away.
The Devouring Elephant Rabbit immediately became frantic. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and a powerful demonic aura erupted from within its body. A series of "crackling" sounds echoed as its body rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive, crimson-red rabbit.
The Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit immediately began to fight, colliding with each other in a fierce struggle.
"What are you fighting over?"
Xiao Hei snorted coldly. He extended a claw and waved it forward, simultaneously taking away both the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal and the Blazing Flame War Hammer.
The Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit, who had been locked in combat, were stunned. They retracted their demonic aura, stepped back from each other, and stopped fighting. They did not dare to contend with Xiao Hei, but they stared at him with wide eyes, their expressions full of confusion.
Hadn't Master Chen already given them the two Sacred Artifacts? Why had Black Master taken them back?
Xiao Hei glanced at the Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit. "The Blazing Flame War Hammer and the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal are both Sacred Artifacts of the Black Market. I will reforge them, slightly altering their aura and form, before handing them over to you. Otherwise, if you casually take these two Sacred Artifacts out to use, they will easily be recognized."
The Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Hei added another sentence. "Whoever breaks through to the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm first will get the Red Copper Brahma Heaven Seal."
"It will definitely be me."
The Demon Ape slammed its fist against its chest, producing a loud "bang," like the collision of iron blocks, causing the ground to tremble.
"My cultivation speed is faster. I will definitely reach the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm before you," the Devouring Elephant Rabbit said, unwilling to back down.
The two savage beasts radiated surging demonic aura from their entire bodies, condensing into two patches of demonic clouds, as if they were about to start fighting again.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a wry smile. "Both of you, retreat and continue your cultivation. Once you break through to the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, I have important matters to assign to you."
The Demon Ape and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit did not dare to disobey Zhang Ruochen's words. They glared at each other, let out a simultaneous snort, and retreated in opposite directions.