Chapter 33: Evil Energy?
"This is... evil energy?" Jiang Yun carefully examined the wisp of jet-black gas in his hand. The very moment he made contact with it, two opposing sensations arose within his body—one of familiarity, the other of rejection.
The familiarity came from the fact that he could absorb and use it for his own cultivation. The rejection was the instinctive response of the Dou Qi nurtured by the Dou Qi Continent.
"Members of the Evil Race have been here before!" Astonishment surged in Jiang Yun's heart. He never expected that just moments after Qing Ming had sensed a familiar aura, he would stumble upon it himself.
This being the case, the Dou Qi Continent truly had once suffered an invasion from the Extraterrestrial Evil Race. Or rather, a great battle had once erupted here. He had heard that in the Dou Qi Continent, Dou Di once emerged one after another in an endless stream. Yet, in the distant, ancient past, they had all mysteriously vanished at the same time.
A clear, distinct thread of logic now formed in Jiang Yun's mind. Perhaps... they had not ascended to the Great Thousand World at all. Perhaps... they had died in battle?
"There is still something of great value within this place. What I sensed earlier as extraordinary—it wasn't this." Just then, Qing Ming's voice resounded within Jiang Yun's mind.
"It wasn't?" Jiang Yun was slightly puzzled. Could there be some treasure left behind here?
"Little Yun—"
Just at that moment, Zi Yan's anxious voice cried out. Jiang Yun's eyes sharpened like lightning. His feet stepped upon profound, mysterious footwork and rapidly retreated backward. At the same time, white flame surfaced in his palm. An exceptionally lifelike small white tiger rapidly condensed into form.
"Boom—" A colossal boom thundered out. Where Jiang Yun had just been standing now lay an enormous, deep crater. A terrifying force had swept outward and blasted open, directly sundering the ground into a fissure.
And beneath that fissure—a pitch-black, ferocious, monstrous demonic creature, covered all over in sharp, piercing black spikes, revealed its bloodthirsty, enormous pupils.
"Courting death!"
A sharp, coquettish shout rang out. A silhouette, moving like a ghost or phantom, had already appeared before Jiang Yun. Immediately, her fist shot forth, and a blast of invisible force erupted explosively outward.
"Bang—"
The great earth directly collapsed and caved in beneath this single punch from Zi Yan. At the bottom of that pit, the monstrous creature already lay there, utterly motionless.
Seeing that Zi Yan had already dealt with the opponent, Jiang Yun slowly dispersed the white tiger in his palm. Just as he was about to thank her, he saw Zi Yan already launching into a torrent of furious scolding, straight to his face.
"Little Yun! What's wrong with you?! Just before we came in, you told me to be careful, careful, and careful again! How could you let yourself get distracted?! If I hadn't warned you, you'd have been injured!"
Jiang Yun looked gently at Zi Yan. Even without her warning, he would not have been hurt. But hearing the anxiety and urgency in her voice, he did not defend himself. Instead, he repeatedly assured her there would be no next time.
"Sigh— honestly. It's always like this. If it weren't for me, just see what you'd do!"
In the end, Zi Yan sighed with a somewhat helpless air, shaking her head.
"Alright, enough dawdling. Let's hurry. Otherwise, all the good stuff really will be snatched away by others!"
Jiang Yun and the other set off once more. Not far ahead lay a small mountain range. Within the range grew many towering trees Jiang Yun had never seen before.
Faintly, at the very center of the mountain range stood the highest peak. There, a pillar of light, identical to the one outside, towered erect.
That was likely the very center of these ruins. Judging by the powerful auras radiating from that direction, all those Dou Wangs and Dou Huangs had rushed there.
And indeed—all along the journey here, Jiang Yun had largely confirmed that this place was an ancient battlefield. Everywhere was saturated with demonic energy. For a heavenly treasure or earthly rarity to be nurtured here would be an absolute miracle, improbable in the extreme.
Thus, their only option now was to try their luck at the very center of these ruins.
"Little Yun, there seems to be some commotion up ahead!" In mid-flight, Zi Yan's large eyes suddenly gazed into the distance with a hint of curiosity.
"Mm."
Jiang Yun nodded. He had sensed it at the same time. In the far, distant front, several powerful auras were tangled and intertwined. Among them, a unique, peculiar fluctuation seemed to ripple outward. Within that fluctuation, there also faintly, indistinctly carried a thriving, vigorous vitality.
"Be a little more careful."
Jiang Yun turned his head and reminded Zi Yan. At the same time, his soul power stealthily extended outward, enveloping the two of them and lowering their auras.
Shua—
The two silhouettes transformed into streaks of rainbow light and swept across the sky. In a short while, their darting figures slowly came to a halt. Their gazes, however, were now tinged with a measure of shock and bewilderment as they gazed at the scene before them.
It was an enormous mountain peak. The mountain, like a giant, sprawled across this stretch of heaven and earth. Most importantly, upon the mountain stood six enormous, gigantic corpses, standing there in silent, eternal stillness.
Their forms were somewhat strange. After pondering briefly, Jiang Yun realized that these six figures had taken these forms after a brutal, vicious mutual slaughter—perishing together.
And at this very moment, at the very center of their corpses, grew an enormous, pitch-black giant tree. Upon the tree hung six emerald-green fruits. Ring after ring of green light rippled outward from the fruits. That thick, dense life-force aura signaled the extraordinary nature of these fruits.
"Bang! Bang! Bang—"
Ear-splitting, earth-shaking explosions of colliding force resounded and echoed. Three silhouettes were locked in fierce, intense aerial combat. They were none other than Su Mei, Yuan Yi, and Fan Lao. As for their subordinates—there was no trace of them whatsoever.
"Little Yun, what kind of fruit is that?" Zi Yan secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She shifted closer to Jiang Yun's ear and whispered her question.
"That is the Life-Death Profound Fruit. Only in places thick with deathly, cadaveric energy does it have a one-in-a-thousand chance of taking root and growing. It can be used to refine the tier 6 Life Force Pill and the tier 7 Life-Returning Pill." Jiang Yun quietly explained. Inwardly, he secretly calculated how to fish in troubled waters and get his hands on those few fruits.
Mm... those several corpses could not be missed either. Corpses capable of giving birth to the Life-Death Profound Fruit—in life, they were at the very least Dou Zuns. And what's more—if Jiang Yun hadn't sensed wrong—one of those corpses should belong to a member of the Evil Race.
"Little Yun!" By the end, Zi Yan was practically unable to hold back her drool. She looked at Jiang Yun—what she wanted to express needed no words.
"In a moment, I'll hold them off. You go take the Life-Death Profound Fruits and those several corpses," Jiang Yun quietly instructed Zi Yan.
"No way! You're just a Dou Ling—your strength is too weak! Let me be the one to hold them off!" Zi Yan immediately rejected Jiang Yun's plan. Jiang Yun, a Dou Ling, running interference on Dou Huangs—how could that possibly work?!
"Trust me!" Jiang Yun didn't say much more. He only uttered a single, resolute phrase. Trust me!
"Fine!" Zi Yan knew now was not the time to hesitate. She nodded with great difficulty. "But—if I see you're starting to falter, I will absolutely come to save you. And when that time comes, neither of us will escape. So, Little Yun—for the sake of both of us—don't lie to me, alright?"
A confident smile hung on Jiang Yun's face. Having come to this world and cultivated for several years, it was about time to test the limits of his own ability.
Suddenly, Zi Yan noticed that the aura around Jiang Yun had shifted. Jiang Yun seemed to have become a part of heaven and earth itself. If one relied solely on perception, one could not detect Jiang Yun's presence at all—even if he were standing right before you.
And in fact, this was precisely the case. At this very moment, in Jiang Yun's eyes, the external world seemed to have been stripped away and isolated from him. No movement or disturbance could startle or disturb him. His mind held only those trajectories, outlining one obscure, complex array diagram after another.
That's right. This was precisely the Spiritual Array Path of the Great Thousand World. Back in the Xie Ling Clan, Jiang Yun had also dabbled in the path of arrays and formations. Due to his cultivation level back then, he had not had the chance to experiment.
Only after arriving on the Dou Qi Continent did he gradually begin to study and research it. Fortunately, his talent was exceptional. By now, he could already set up tier 4 spiritual arrays and had even touched upon the state of the Heart Array. This was his hidden ace, the basis of his confidence in dealing with Dou Huangs.
Under the empowerment of the Heart Array state, very quickly, Jiang Yun's entire body was surrounded by shimmering, glowing spiritual seals. Their number—a full hundred!
And at this very moment, the three locked in combat still remained utterly oblivious to all of this!
"Bang—"
Fan Lao clawed and forced Yuan Yi back with a single swipe. Turning his head to evade Su Mei's sneak attack, fury immediately surged from his heart. He spoke coldly, "Su Mei! Yuan Yi! At this rate, the three of us won't reach any conclusion for a good while. By then, the fortunes within—the Dou Zun's legacy—will have absolutely nothing to do with us!"
At these words, Su Mei and Yuan Yi immediately began silently pondering to themselves. Ultimately, the temptation of the Dou Zun's legacy proved far greater. The two nodded in agreement.
"Fan Lao, you speak with reason. There are plenty of excellent treasures inside. We cannot afford to waste time here."
"It just so happens there are six Life-Death Profound Fruits here. Two for each of the three of us."
"Mm!"
"Agreed!"
The three temporarily reached an accord. Small impatience spoils great plans. Seeing that they could not monopolize the treasure, the best outcome was to split it evenly first, then make further calculations later.
"I fear the three of you may not get your wish, after all!" Just then, a calm, flat voice drifted over. And along with the arrival of this voice, the hundred spiritual seals that had been coalescing around Jiang Yun earlier had now silently, stealthily arrived in the surrounding space around the three!
"Not good—"
The three immediately paled. Although they didn't know what these things were, that intense, thick sense of threat absolutely could not be faked. Without another word, they deployed their movement techniques and explosively darted toward Jiang Yun.
"You little bastard! You actually dare to ambush this old man?!" Mid-dash, Fan Lao's expression was dark and venomous. The killing intent in his eyes had practically condensed into tangible substance.
"Arrogant, reckless fool! A mere Dou Ling—you actually dare to ambush three Dou Huangs?!" Yuan Yi also sneered coldly. In his palm, the energy of heaven and earth coalesced. A giant, three-headed hound slowly took shape.
"Ge ge ge... little brother, doing this... big sister is very unhappy!" Su Mei giggled in her coquettish, seductive voice. Yet her movements were anything but slow. In just a few flickers, she had already closed the distance between them.
"That the three of you are only reacting now—don't you think it's a bit too late?" Facing the sudden assault of three great Dou Huangs, Jiang Yun remained as calm and placid as still water. With a raise of his hand, the final spiritual seal fell into place.
"This array is the Four Symbols Grand Array—one I initially created, inspired by the Four Symbols Seal. I invite the three of you to appraise it!"
"Four Symbols Grand Array! White Tiger Slaughter Array!"
"Weng—"
The very instant that final syllable fell, in the space behind Jiang Yun, a violent, intense white light abruptly erupted. The white light stretched and contracted. Then, under the stupefied, shocked gazes of the three, it transformed into an incomparably complex, intricate white array diagram.
"Roar—"
An aura of metal-forged slaughter and martial bloodshed pervaded the air. Faintly, indistinctly, an enormous white tiger slowly strode toward the three. A terrifying, dreadful murderous, baleful aura radiated from its body, making one shudder uncontrollably, chilled to the bone.
The very moment the white tiger appeared, several slashes of golden light shot forth, perfectly intercepting the three's attacks.
"Rumble—"
In the sky above, berserk, violent Dou Qi churned and fluctuated madly. Yet, when the energy storm dissipated and faded, the pupils of all three constricted sharply. For the giant white tiger protecting Jiang Yun... had suffered not the slightest damage whatsoever.
Jiang Yun, however, was steadying the great array with a faint, barely perceptible tremor running through his palm. This single, subtle gesture was enough to indicate that his body was far from at ease.
A tier 4 spiritual array could indeed exert the power of a Dou Huang. Under pre-prepared conditions, it could even trap and kill a Dou Huang. Yet here, after all, were three Dou Huangs. And what's more, his own strength was still far too weak.
The drain this placed on Jiang Yun was immense. Had it not been for the Crimson Fire Treasure Tome pulling its weight, he would have been wrung utterly dry by now.
And just at that very moment—a faint, pale purple silhouette silently, soundlessly plucked away a single Life-Death Profound Fruit.
"Heh— though I don't know where you dug up this array—a Dou Ling's body trapping Dou Huangs... the drain and consumption... it's not small, is it?" Fan Lao's expression was dark and nasty as he stared at the enormous white tiger overhead. Looking at Jiang Yun, he smiled a sinister, cold smile.
"Brat, I must admit your guts are considerable. An unknown array, and you dare to come ambush three Dou Huangs! Now, let me show you—a Dou Huang is not something that can be stopped by these crooked, heretical tricks."
"Blood Soul Great Hand Seal!"
Fan Lao roared furiously. A fierce, powerful surge of dark, crimson Dou Qi violently erupted outward. In his palm, bone-chilling, icy blood-colored Dou Qi rapidly condensed.
"Tch!"
A sky-blanketing, heaven-covering wave of blood swept forth. As it descended, it coalesced into a hundred-zhang giant, blood-colored hand.
"White Tiger Annihilation Kill!"
Facing a Dou Huang's full-force strike, Jiang Yun's hands rapidly formed seals. Instantly, white flame began blazing and burning across the white tiger's body. To counter Fan Lao's blood-attribute, sinister, chilling Dou Qi, a Heavenly Flame of supreme yang and ultimate rigidity was the perfect choice, with no alternatives.
"Roar—"
The enormous, flaming white tiger brought up a heaven-shaking blaze of white radiance. At an exceptionally shocking, astonishing speed, it tore through the sky and barreled straight toward Fan Lao.
Within the white tiger's maw, light and flame spiraled and rotated. The entire stretch of heaven and earth seemed to be gradually darkening and dimming in this very moment. The Dou Qi between heaven and earth came blotting out the sky, covering the heavens, surging and converging toward that white tiger.
"Boom—"
The very sky seemed to shudder for an instant at this moment. Two colossal forces collided against each other. A pillar of white light. A blood-red hand seal. They entwined. They obliterated each other.
"You damned bastard! Do you take us for nothing?!" Yuan Yi roared in fury. His hands formed seals, and an enormous attack shot hurtling toward the white tiger.
"Heh heh... little brother, big sister is truly angry this time!" Su Mei smiled a cold, gorgeous smile. A long whip lashed out. Instantly, a sky-full of whip shadows danced and fluttered, crashing against his array until it teetered and tottered on the verge of shattering.
Watching his great array begin to show signs of fracturing under the three's onslaught, a flash of lightning streaked through Jiang Yun's eyes. His hand seals shifted and transformed. Suddenly, the energy between heaven and earth began to seethe and roil.
"Not good—"
"Detonate—" Along with Jiang Yun's light shout, the grand array abruptly ruptured and shattered. The terrifying energy shockwave even blasted apart the enormous mountain peak below!
"You little bastard! Where do you think you're going?!" A furious, raging roar erupted. Three battered, disheveled figures shot out of the energy vortex and darted explosively toward Jiang Yun. Every single pair of eyes looking at Jiang Yun was brimming with a murderous, bloodthirsty intent fit to devour someone alive!
"You three—until we meet again!"
Jiang Yun chuckled lightly. The space behind him was violently torn open into a spatial rift. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped inside with a single stride. In the blink of an eye, he had already vanished from this place. And that spatial rift simply hovered there silently before the three's eyes, awaiting the natural, automatic healing of heaven and earth.
"Spatial teleportation!!!"
(End of Chapter)