Chapter 971: Startling Phenomenon
Han Qiu led Zhang Ruochen forward, continuing until they reached an extremely frigid area before stopping again.
For dozens of miles around, it was completely dark, stretching from the ground all the way to the sky.
About ten zhang above the ground, a nine-foot-long crystal coffin floated suspended in the air.
The dark, icy power emanated from within that crystal coffin.
The crescent-shaped mark on the front of the crystal coffin and the sun mark on its bottom simultaneously absorbed the wood-type spiritual energy emitted by the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, forming two bridges of spiritual energy like flowing streams.
This Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin had been brought by Zhang Ruochen from the Underworld and had been left in the Scroll World, rarely tended to. He never expected it to manifest such a startling phenomenon.
Han Qiu said, "About a year ago, I was cultivating, comprehending the Sacred Dao rules. A strange consciousness appeared in my mind, and as if guided by some force, I came to stand beneath the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin."
"Strangely, when I cultivated beneath the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin, my speed in comprehending Sacred Dao rules was more than a hundred times faster than elsewhere."
"It felt as if a Great Saint were inside my mind, constantly expounding the Dao to me. It was there that I comprehended the Dark Rules."
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin, a contemplative expression on his face.
Even with his knowledge, he couldn't fully fathom what Han Qiu had experienced.
Inside the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin lay a female corpse, its silhouette visible even through the coffin walls.
The body had not decayed and was preserved perfectly, as if it hadn't been left behind from before the Middle Ages.
Deeply puzzled, Zhang Ruochen murmured to himself, "Could it be her?"
Han Qiu's eyes grew unusually solemn. "I always feel that the female corpse hasn't truly died and will one day come back to life."
Han Qiu wasn't the only one with this feeling; Zhang Ruochen shared the same intuition, and that day seemed to be approaching quickly.
"Whether it's a blessing or a curse remains to be seen," Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei had always boasted about being all-powerful in the Scroll World, but later it was proven that many of his claims were mere self-aggrandizement, far from reality.
If the female corpse truly came back to life, Xiao Hei would likely be unable to suppress her, and she might even tear apart the entire Scroll World.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to move the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin out of the Scroll World to avoid major trouble, but he found he could no longer approach the coffin.
Still ten zhang away from the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin, parts of Zhang Ruochen's body had already frozen solid. Moving forward would likely result in being completely encased in ice.
"Such powerful cold—even with my cultivation, I can't withstand it."
Zhang Ruochen shattered the ice on his body and retreated.
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen took out a piece of jade, channeled his Saint Qi, and exerted force with his fingers.
The jade turned into a streak of white light, flying toward the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin.
When it was still a hundred zhang away from the coffin, ice condensed in the air, completely freezing the jade, preventing it from advancing further.
Strangely, the jade and the ice remained suspended in midair, not falling.
"The area centered on the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin has become a dead zone; I can no longer approach it." Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
Han Qiu said, "Actually, the female corpse in the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin might not necessarily be an evil entity. I always feel that my ability to comprehend the Dark Rules came from her imparting the Dao to me."
"In that case, you should continue cultivating here. For now, the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin poses no major threat," Zhang Ruochen said.
Then, Zhang Ruochen took out the bottle of Daohua Pills, divided them, and gave five to Han Qiu.
"Are these Daohua Pills?" Han Qiu was quite surprised.
"That's right."
"It's said that a first-step Half-Saint who takes one can go directly from the initial stage of first-step Half-Saint to the peak," Han Qiu said.
Such precious pills, and Zhang Ruochen was giving her five at once.
Zhang Ruochen said, "For a first-step Half-Saint, Daohua Pills can indeed rapidly boost cultivation. For a second-step Half-Saint, the effect is much weaker. For a third-step Half-Saint, the medicinal power is quite low—even taking ten won't yield much improvement."
"Five Daohua Pills are enough to support my cultivation up to the peak of second-step Half-Saint." Han Qiu's lips curved into a slight smile.
She remembered that when Zhang Ruochen had taken her away from the Liangyi Sect, he had personally promised to provide her with a steady stream of cultivation resources.
So Han Qiu didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Ruochen and immediately put away the five Daohua Pills.
"It's a pity that only forces with Middle Age heritage can refine Shengyuan Pills. Without Shengyuan Pills, you'll inevitably hit a bottleneck at the peak of first-step Half-Saint, making it difficult to break through to second-step Half-Saint," Zhang Ruochen said.
Han Qiu, at her current level, could already rival the several Realm Sons at the same cultivation stage, and her future potential was limitless.
If she continued cultivating until her Dark Body was perfected, she might not only devour light but also space and everything in the world.
Such a talent would surely become a top-tier figure in the Ming Sect in the future, so Zhang Ruochen naturally intended to invest heavily in her.
Then, Zhang Ruochen handed the remaining twenty-five Daohua Pills to Han Qiu, asking her to distribute them among the Ming Sect disciples.
Any disciple who broke through to the Fish-Dragon Realm would receive one Daohua Pill.
"Refining Divine Blood is even more effective than taking Daohua Pills—it not only boosts cultivation but also strengthens the physical body." With that thought, Zhang Ruochen took out Divine Blood and began to refine it.
Ji Shui believed that before the Divine Son competition, Zhang Ruochen could at most reach the middle stage of third-step Half-Saint. However, Zhang Ruochen's goal was the peak of third-step Half-Saint.
Three days later, Zhang Ruochen emerged from the Scroll World.
By then, his cultivation had reached the middle stage of third-step Half-Saint.
Zhang Ruochen opened the formation of his cave dwelling and walked out, spotting Ji Shui sitting cross-legged in a cloud of blood mist.
Zhang Ruochen approached her and smiled. "Has Uncle-Master been guarding outside my cave dwelling for three days? If outsiders saw this, they'd think I disrespect my elders. Why not come into the cave and cultivate with me?"
Ji Shui snorted coldly, stopped cultivating, and stood up. "Have you gained control over the Seven Kills Fist Gloves' artifact spirit?"
"For me, refining a mere Seven Kills Fist Gloves is a trivial matter."
Zhang Ruochen raised his arm, placing the Seven Kills Fist Gloves before Ji Shui, and gave a light wave. "Would Uncle-Master like to test the power of the Seven Kills Fist Gloves?"
Seeing Gu Linfeng's arrogant demeanor, Ji Shui felt displeased. "With your cultivation, you dare to challenge me? Huh... your cultivation has increased significantly—you've reached the middle stage of third-step Half-Saint?"
"That's right," Zhang Ruochen said.
This time, Ji Shui was genuinely surprised.
It had been less than ten days since Gu Linfeng broke through to third-step Half-Saint. How had he already reached the middle stage?
Such a cultivation speed was truly heaven-defying.
"Gu Linfeng's talent is indeed remarkable, but his temperament is too poor. Otherwise, he might have become a true dragon among men in the future."
Ji Shui was only slightly startled before quickly regaining her composure.
"Your mastery of palm techniques is already very high—even I can't teach you much. However, there are other areas where you still need improvement. For example, the cultivation technique you practice," Ji Shui said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The meridians and Saint Meridians in my body are already fixed, so I can't switch to another technique. Even if I study a King-level Sacred Scripture, I doubt I'd gain much."
Just then, Bai Yu emerged from Dingdong's cave dwelling and, upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, let out a laugh. "That's right. The technique you practice is only the Ghost-level top-grade 'Blood Dragon Scripture.' Even if you study a Sacred Scripture, it won't help much."
Zhang Ruochen glanced in Bai Yu's direction. "Is this a place for you to interrupt when I'm conversing with my master?"
Bai Yu clenched his fists, mobilizing his Saint Qi, but quickly suppressed his anger. "If it weren't for the banquet that the Saintess is hosting at the Linlang Cave Dwelling, I'd teach you a lesson."
With that, Bai Yu, dressed in a pristine white fitted robe, headed toward the Linlang Cave Dwelling.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, not taking Bai Yu seriously at all.
"Earlier, the Saintess also sent you an invitation. Are you going to the banquet at the Linlang Cave Dwelling?" Ji Shui took out the invitation and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen didn't take it. "What's the point of attending a banquet? I need to focus on cultivation and strive to reach a higher level."
This surprised Ji Shui. He was refusing a banquet personally hosted by the Saintess?
She wondered whether Gu Linfeng was being sincere or not.
Zhang Ruochen smiled at Ji Shui. "If I could cultivate together with Uncle-Master, that would be even better."
"Is that so?"
Ji Shui's tone was icy. "Since you want to cultivate, I'll take you to a place. If your talent is truly exceptional, you might be able to compensate for the flaws in your technique."
"Is there such a place?" Zhang Ruochen grew curious.
"The founding patriarch of the Blood God Sect once left behind a 'Blood God Diagram,' carved atop Qianyuan Mountain. If you can comprehend something from the Blood God Diagram, it would be far more valuable than studying an ordinary King-level Sacred Scripture."
Of course, Ji Shui didn't tell him the rest.
In the past thousand years, only one person in the Blood God Sect had managed to grasp a trace of true meaning from the Blood God Diagram, thereby altering their fate.
Everyone else had come away empty-handed.
Ji Shui was taking Zhang Ruochen to study the Blood God Diagram precisely to temper his arrogance, lest he remain so conceited in the future.
(Requesting monthly votes, requesting recommendation votes.) (To be continued.)