Chapter 252: The Miraculous Nature Of The Blood-red Mist
"Too strong!"
"In a direct confrontation, he can kill a ninth-stage Communion devil soldier in just a few breaths?"
The Heavenly Rankers felt themselves doubting their eyes as they watched the events unfold on the light screen.
However, the corpses of the fallen devil soldiers sprawled on the ground were solid evidence that everything they had seen was unquestionably real!
The figure brandished his saber against the backdrop of the night sky, shining with earthy-yellow light. His posture radiated an aura of pure dominance, leaving everyone breathless in awe.
"So strong," Wu Nonghan breathed. "He almost seems as strong as Qiong Sea King. There’s no doubt that he has reached the pinnacle of strength in the Middle Land."
The pinnacle of strength in the Middle Land? As a sixth-stage Qi Sea cultivator, Wu Nonghan's words carried weight. His statement caused numerous Heavenly Rankers to turn to the white-robed youth sitting in the lotus position. At a cursory glance, he appeared rather ordinary.
"The pinnacle of strength in the Middle Land? Wu Yuan is certainly worthy of that status. He could even contend for the rank of top five in the Middle Land," bellowed the Mountain Devil King, shaking his head. “Frankly, I'm uncertain if I could defeat Wu Yuan in a match."
Hearing that, the Heavenly Rankers were stunned.
Mountain Devil King, an eighth-stage Communion expert, was a joint ruler of the South Ocean along with Qiong Sea King and wielded great influence. His words carried immense weight!
Throughout the Middle Land, including the South Ocean, there were barely fifteen late-stage Qi Sea and Communion experts, all of whom were qualified to vie for the title of the world's number one expert. Currently occupying that coveted spot was Fang Xia, whose standing was agreed on by consensus during the clash at Cloudhill.
Below Fang Xia were Qiong Sea King and Imperator Jin Quan. After that came Daoist Wan Xing, Emperor Dong Pan, and Niu Hao. If Deity Huang had not met his unfortunate demise, he too would have belonged to this tier.
The Arctic King, Zhao Xing, Hai Feizhang, Mountain Devil King, Rong Le, Jin Ji, and Bei Li were noticeably inferior to the aforementioned group.
The strength exhibited by Wu Yuan, though not at the level of Daoist Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan, was no weaker than that of Mountain Devil King and Jin Ji.
"Wu Yuan is only 21, right?" Bei Li murmured. "Truly a heaven-blessed prodigy of our Middle Land. I wonder how he cultivates."
These words sent a jolt of revelation through the Heavenly Rankers. Indeed! Becoming a Heavenly Ranker at the age of 21 was already frightening enough. Yet, Wu Yuan's strength far exceeded the average Heavenly Ranker!
"Wu Yuan is immensely talented," Fang Xia said with a smile. "Otherwise, why would Senior Wan Liu take him as a disciple? He will play a significant role in this battle."
"Haha, with Wu Yuan's talent, he is bound to become the strongest in the Middle Land once we overcome this worm devil crisis," Qiong Sea King laughed heartily.
Their words caused all the Heavenly Rankers to nod reflexively. After all, who could deny Wu Yuan's talent after watching him fight?
"Fellow Daoists," Wu Yuan’s avatar in the immortal hall suddenly opened his eyes. "Let's give it our all. The more devil soldiers we kill now, the higher our chances of winning the decisive battle."
...
In a corner of the Conference Hall.
"Daoist Zhao, Daoist Hai." Jin Ji's voice resonated in the minds of Zhao Xing and Hai Feizhang. This was a function accessible to all members of the immortal hall. Of course, Emperor Dong Pan could eavesdrop on them if he wanted to.
Zhao Xing and Hai Feizhang turned towards Jin Ji.
"How can Wu Yuan be this strong?" Jin Ji questioned. "He became a body refiner just recently. No matter how fast his cultivation progressed, he should only be at the second or third stage of the Communion phase. How could he easily kill a ninth-stage Communion devil soldier?"
Wu Yuan's power had startled Jin Ji.
Zhao Xing and Hai Feizhang exchanged glances.
"Jin Ji, you’re not the only one confused about this." Zhao Xing replied. "We are all equally perplexed."
"Power is never baseless," Hai Feizhang chimed in, his voice low and controlled. "From Wu Yuan's burst speed and the power behind his saber techniques, it’s evident that his strength is on par with ours."
"Perhaps he has established a fifth or even fourth-degree immortal root. Alternatively, he may possess a formidable artifact. Or it could be that he has mastered a legendary ether art, granting him a burst of explosive strength for a short period. There could be numerous reasons behind his power, and normally we would definitely attempt to uncover the truth. But as things stand, does the reason for his power truly matter?" Hai Feizhang shook his head.
Jin Ji fell silent, contemplating his words.
"No matter how powerful or talented Wu Yuan is, even if he one day takes over the world, the most he could do is take our lives," Zhao Xing calmly stated. "But the worm devil craves destruction, aiming to eradicate everything!"
"So, there's no need to concern ourselves with the reason behind Wu Yuan's strength. It is of no significance in the present moment. The stronger he is, the better for us! Focus on learning the array controls," Zhao Xing commanded. "Once we eliminate the worm devil, then we can consider the matter of Wu Yuan."
...
"Dong Pan, I am fully prepared to lay down my life in this battle," Daoist Wan Xing began a private conversation with Emperor Dong Pan.
"Each of us has our own destined path. Wu Yuan's strength might not only be due to his relationship with Senior Wan Liu, but it may also have something to do with the mysterious Eldritch Chamber in the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm," Daoist Wan Xing hypothesized.
Emperor Dong Pan nodded.
The news of what transpired within the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm was not a well-guarded secret. Both Daoist Wan Xing and Emperor Dong Pan had carried out covert investigations into Jiexian Mountain on the Chu Continent. Regrettably, their efforts yielded no results.
"The worm devil is the real threat at this moment; the stronger Wu Yuan becomes, the better it is for us. Who cares how he became this powerful?" Daoist Wan Xing sighed. "Moreover, even without Senior Wan Liu's support, he’s part of Fang Xia’s faction. If the two join forces, they need not fear anyone!"
"Fang Xia is very strong," Emperor Dong Pan nodded subconsciously.
Through learning the controls for the Septet Ignis Array, they were beginning to understand just how powerful this array was.
Yet during the battle at Cloudhill, Fang Xia had single-handedly dismantled the array. He was undoubtedly stronger than the two of them.
Every Heavenly Ranker in the immortal hall knew that Wu Yuan's rapid improvement had to be the result of a fortuitous encounter, perhaps even a precious treasure. But so what? With the alliance of Wu Yuan and Fang Xia, along with Qiong Sea King’s support behind the scenes, they could boldly wage war against the entire Middle Land.
This was why Wu Yuan unleashed his power without holding back.
...
In the night sky above the devil zone in the Huang Continent.
After a brief rest, Wu Yuan scanned the area with Soul Force, quickly locating the devil crystals of the four deceased devil soldiers.
Blade rays sliced through the corpses, and several pitch-black devil crystals soared upward, landing in Wu Yuan's palm.
What dense spiritual qi. Much purer than a mid-grade etherstone. Wu Yuan was silently astonished as he examined the devil crystal in his hand. The devil crystal of a Communion devil soldier can likely rival a high-grade etherstone of equal size!
The four devil crystals varied in size. The largest, acquired from two ninth-stage Communion devils, was as large as a human head!
Combined, they weigh more than 1000 catties. 1000 catties of high-grade etherstone? According to the immortal slip, in the Greenridge Macrocosm, one catty of high-grade etherstone was equivalent to 100 catties of mid-grade etherstone and 10,000 catties of low-grade etherstone. These four devil crystals were an incredibly valuable harvest.
Sustenance is only one reason why devil soldiers grow rapidly after cannibalizing each other. The main reason is that they absorb these devil crystals. Removing these devil crystals prevents other devil soldiers from deriving the benefits of devouring these dead ones and also serves as a form of wealth.
Even if other devil soldiers were to secretly devour these fallen devil soldiers, it wouldn’t be of much use to their growth.
Whoosh! A figure dressed in green robes swiftly flew across the night sky and landed before Wu Yuan.
"Daoist Wu Yuan, I am indebted to you for saving my life. Without your intervention, I would surely be dead by now," Meng Cai expressed his gratitude in a humble manner.
Though he surpassed Wu Yuan in terms of seniority and age, such distinctions held little importance on the long and treacherous path to immortality. Superiority was ultimately decided through power.
"We’re all fighting together for the Middle Land, Daoist Meng Cai. There is no need for thanks," Wu Yuan replied with a faint smile.
While the Starcom Consortium and the Cloudstride Sect had their disputes in the past, with Meng Cai previously attempting to suppress the latter, the present circumstances required them to stand united against a common enemy.
"Daoist Meng Cai, time is of the essence. Let’s continue patrolling other areas. We can talk later in the immortal hall."
"Very well," Meng Cai agreed, showing no hesitation despite the recent danger he had faced.
Both individuals transformed into streaks of light, scattering in different directions.
It was indeed risky to have weaker Heavenly Rankers patrol vast regions alone, but the devil zone covered a massive area. If they relied solely on the likes of Wu Yuan, Qiong Sea King, and a handful of top-tier powerhouses, who knew how long it would take for them to finish surveying the entire zone? How many devil soldiers could just a few of them eliminate?
Danger and peril were inescapable in this catastrophe. How could it be otherwise? The majority of Heavenly Rankers had already prepared themselves for the possibility of death.
...
Wu Yuan continued to sprint across the terrain, Soul Force scanning his surroundings. But underneath his calm expression was barely suppressed excitement.
Just as I suspected! As an eldritch warrior, only by vanquishing fellow transcendents will the black pagoda produce blood-red mist.
The reason for Wu Yuan’s momentary lapse after he dispatched the devil soldiers was not that he was elated over killing a ninth-stage Communion devil soldier. Rather, he was astounded by the tremendous surge of blood-red mist that flooded out from the black pagoda in his upper dantian lobe. The quantity was staggering, its concentration far surpassing its previous levels.
The concentration of the blood-red mist produced had multiplied tenfold compared to when he slayed a Grandmaster as a mortal.
If the previous type of blood-red mist produced is level one mist, then the current type is level two mist. It has evolved.
With his powerful soul, Wu Yuan was able to multitask effortlessly, surveying the area with Soul Force, while maintaining his avatar in the immortal hall. Simultaneously, he drew the blood-red mist into his body with Soul Force, watching the tendrils of mist assimilate into his body and eradicate his fatigue.
As for strengthening his physical constitution?
It failed? Wu Yuan’s heart sank.
Despite the significant increase in concentration, it still failed to reinforce his body further.
Is it because my body is already too strong? Wu Yuan pondered silently.
Perhaps. A body forged with second-degree eldritch tattoos is practically invincible among cultivators at the same phase. If the blood-red mist could still enhance my strength, it would be far too ridiculous. Wu Yuan reassured himself, though he couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed.
He had initially hoped that the blood-red mist would greatly bolster his power, increasing his confidence in overcoming the worm devil catastrophe.
Next, I’ll attempt the middle dantian lobe, followed by the soul chamber. Wu Yuan persisted.
With a soft humming sound, the blood-red mist surged into the chaotic middle dantian lobe. Unfortunately, the almost fully nurtured middle dantian lobe remained unchanged.
Without delay, faint traces of the blood-red mist flowed into the soul chamber, the transformed version of his lower dantian lobe. The soul chamber stood vast, an assortment of stored items floating about in the upper half.
At that moment, Wu Yuan's soul phantom was seated in the lotus position at the center of the soul chamber, circulating vital ether without pause.
Adjacent to the phantom lay the Luminous Immortal Soil, which constantly released spiritual qi. This energy was absorbed through the 108 floating channels of the soul chamber.
On the other side, a majestic vital aura emanated from the Teng Snake egg. As the first trace of blood-red mist entered the soul chamber, a resounding explosion occurred. Much like pouring hot oil into water, the boundless vital ether instantly bubbled and boiled, completely consuming the blood-red mist.
Subsequently, the speed at which the soul chamber refined the vital qi within the floating channels skyrocketed. Twice as fast! Thrice!
The Teng Snake egg, which had been gradually absorbing the vital ether to grow, appeared to be stirred, as its absorption rate surged considerably!
Five times!!! By killing devil soldiers and receiving blood-red mist from the black pagoda, I can increase my speed of cultivating vital ether fivefold? This revelation was mind-boggling.
Wu Yuan had previously estimated that reaching the ninth-stage Communion phase would take him decades of cultivation. But now, as long as he had the assistance of the blood-red mist, it could be accomplished in just ten years at the latest.
And it’s not just the refinement of vital ether. Wu Yuan could feel his excitement building as he perceived the Teng Snake egg. Its rate of vital ether absorption has increased by over ten times! In two days at the latest, the Teng Snake will hatch!
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