Chapter 105: The Ancient Battlefield!
Feeling the aura within him, Jiang Yun's eyes flickered. Devouring the Saint Demon Flame at full speed, his strength had jumped two stars in just three short months. Truly terrifying!
As expected, if he wanted to rapidly increase his strength, he had to fleece the Saint Demon Flame. This was the first time he had let loose and absorbed and refined the Saint Demon Flame at full speed. This speed was indeed intoxicating.
"You're awake!"
At the side, Zi Yan, seeing Jiang Yun awaken from his cultivation, revealed a flash of delighted surprise in her beautiful eyes and said softly.
Hearing Zi Yan's voice, Jiang Yun saw Zi Yan, resting her chin on her hands, who had for once become quiet, silently watching him. A sweep of his soul power immediately sensed the similarly surging aura within her. He murmured:
"Already reached the late rank six stage, huh?"
"When did you wake up?" Noticing Zi Yan seemed to have been awake for a while, Jiang Yun looked at her gently and asked.
"Just a bit earlier than you!" Zi Yan, upon hearing this, made a playful gesture and said with a light laugh.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun shook his head with a chuckle and looked further into the distance. There, two figures sat cross-legged, their Dou Qi similarly climbing at a rapid pace.
They were precisely Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian. Sensing that Qing Lin had already reached the strength of a five-star Da Dou Shi, Jiang Yun wasn't too surprised. She was already on the verge of breaking through, had the pills he left behind, and was constantly absorbing Dou Qi from the twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor. Such rapid speed was, in fact, quite normal.
As of now, that peak rank four twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake was nearly drained dry, just one step away from falling back to rank three. But it dared not disobey Qing Lin's orders. This was the tyranny of the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes.
However, Xiao Yi Xian's speed made him glance sideways. She had similarly broken through to Da Dou Shi, though a bit behind, only at two stars.
But this also exceeded his expectations. He hadn't imagined that without the Calamity Poison Body, she would still possess such remarkable cultivation speed.
It seemed his judgment back then hadn't been wrong!
However, to keep up with the cultivation speed of the Jade-Green Snake Triple Flower Eyes, the energy crystals beside her were also indispensable.
These were things Jiang Yun was certain he hadn't prepared for her before his own cultivation. And the only person here who could have obtained them was...
"You did this?" Turning his head to look at Zi Yan, Jiang Yun felt a moment of emotion, as if sensing that his family's mischievous child had finally grown up.
"Of course!"
Zi Yan smiled proudly, slightly puffing out her prideful chest. She said excitedly, "Xiao Yi Xian may be quiet and serene, but seeing Qing Lin's strength increase so rapidly, she would feel pressured too. I didn't want her to get stuck in a mental dead end!"
A flash of amusement passed through Jiang Yun's eyes. He wrapped his arm around Zi Yan, rubbed her head, and under her puzzled gaze, sighed with emotion: "Little Zi Yan has grown up!"
Just then, a wave of fluctuation was transmitted. Jiang Yun's expression froze, and then he pulled Zi Yan along toward the distant cliff.
There was plenty of good news today. Qing Ming had just transmitted a message: the teleportation array was repaired, and there was an unexpected gain as well.
"You've come!"
Atop the cliff, seeing Jiang Yun and Zi Yan arrive together, a hint of a smile rose on Qing Ming's face.
Everyone present was one of their own. Zi Yan had already earned Qing Ming's acknowledgment; naturally, he had no need to hide.
(Some Honored Elder forcibly muted again: "…")
"Senior Qing Ming!" Zi Yan was naturally no stranger to Qing Ming and clasped her hands with a beaming smile.
Then, the gazes of the two were once again drawn to that enormous spiritual array. The teleportation spiritual array had now completely changed. Within the array, vast spiritual energy fluctuations rippled outward.
An illusory pillar of light shot up from the ground, seemingly connecting to an unknown location!
"I originally thought this teleportation array connected to the Great Thousand World, and given its current state, it could only be used once more. I didn't expect that after I completed it, there would be an unexpected gain!"
Looking at Jiang Yun, Qing Ming spoke with some emotion.
"What is it?" Jiang Yun asked with some curiosity. Zi Yan at the side was also drawn in. What teleportation array? What Great Thousand World? She didn't understand any of it, but she felt as if she was about to touch upon the secrets in Jiang Yun's heart.
"The other end of the teleportation array connects to an ancient battlefield. Do you remember what I said back then about the events of the Dou Qi Continent?"
"You mean..." The moment Qing Ming's words were spoken, Jiang Yun paused briefly, then quickly reacted, looking at Qing Ming in astonishment.
"Correct. That ancient battlefield should be one of the places where the two realms clashed. It should be a shattered fragment of a continent. However, even so, it is still a rare training ground up there. For the current you, it couldn't be more suitable!"
Qing Ming looked at Jiang Yun, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes. He was satisfied with Jiang Yun; his talent was supreme. It was just that, in his opinion, there was still a shortcoming: on this Dou Qi Continent, Jiang Yun had been 'smurfing' a bit these past few years, never experiencing true life-or-death tempering. This ancient battlefield, in his view, was just right!
Because it was permeated with the pressure exuded by fallen supreme experts of both realms, no existence above the Supreme realm could possibly exist on this battlefield.
Also, because of this, the creatures born within it fundamentally could not develop sentience.
As long as Jiang Yun was a bit careful, Qing Ming believed there would be absolutely no problem. This was an excellent training ground.
"I'll go!" After listening to Qing Ming's introduction, Jiang Yun said resolutely. Although this body presented itself to the outside world through array and pill dao cultivation, that didn't mean Jiang Yun had abandoned the path of slaughter.
On the contrary, what he valued most was precisely the path of slaughter. The pill dao and array dao were merely aids for his ascent to the peak!
"I'm going too!" After Jiang Yun finished, Zi Yan at the side declared resolutely.
"Zi Yan..." Jiang Yun turned his head back to see Zi Yan looking at him with unwavering determination, just like that figure back when they first met, standing in front of him without hesitation.
In the end, he just couldn't voice the words of refusal!
"Very well. With Zi Yan as company, you can look after each other!" Qing Ming, on the other hand, looked at Zi Yan with full approval and finally nodded.
"Alright!" Jiang Yun ultimately compromised. The words of refusal remained unspoken.
"Then next, let's first make arrangements for Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian!"
As he spoke, Jiang Yun's gaze passed beyond the horizon to the countless drifting energy bodies.
Three days later.
Jiang Yun's group gathered beside the teleportation array. Jiang Yun looked at the unwilling Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian and said with a smile: "For the next period, you two must cultivate diligently. I've emptied the Yun Lan Sect's centuries of accumulated foundation, so don't you slack off!"
Now, within the Life-Death Gate's secret realm, all was filled with silence. Those energy bodies that once roamed everywhere had all been transformed into energy crystals, now stored in Xiao Yi Xian's ring.
"Next time, I will definitely be able to help you!" Xiao Yi Xian looked serenely at Jiang Yun, a determination unprecedented shining in her beautiful eyes. At this moment, she had never thirsted so much for strength.
She even regretted choosing to abandon the Calamity Poison Body back then. Otherwise, this time, she should have been able to go with Jiang Yun too, right?
"Good!" Looking at this elegantly serene girl, Jiang Yun smiled and ruffled her hair. He took out a green crystal and placed it in her hand.
"This is a Bodhi seed, left by a Bodhi tree. The Bodhi Ancient Tree is the number one wood-attribute supreme treasure of the Dou Qi Continent. Though this Bodhi seed isn't from the Bodhi Ancient Tree, it is still extremely precious. I give it to you now, hoping it will help you!"
"Mm!" Xiao Yi Xian solemnly put away the Bodhi seed. The instant she held it, she felt a palpitation. This item held a fatal attraction for her.
"Little Qing Lin, cultivate well too!" Finally, Jiang Yun encouraged Qing Lin. She was a player fed by the heavens themselves; she didn't need much worry.
"Brother Jiang Yun, Sister Zi Yan, be careful!" Qing Lin nodded and looked at Jiang Yun and Zi Yan with a face full of worry.
"We're off!"
As his voice fell, Jiang Yun took the lead and walked toward the teleportation array. Zi Yan also nodded to the two and caught up with Jiang Yun. The two walked hand in hand into that enormous teleportation spiritual array.
Light surged, and the two had already vanished!
"Don't worry. With Yun'er and Zi Yan's strength, as long as they're a bit careful, they'll be fine."
Back where they stood, Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian looked at the teleportation array with worried faces. At this moment, Qing Ming looked at the two and comforted them.
Due to the battlefield's restrictions, Qing Ming hadn't followed them in, but remained on the Dou Qi Continent. Moreover, he was also a backup. If the two truly encountered a life-or-death crisis, the marks he had left within their bodies would trigger and bring them back!
"Mm!" The two nodded toward Qing Ming. They now knew Qing Ming's identity, hence treated him with great respect.
"Sister Xiao Yi Xian, we need to work hard on our cultivation!"
"Alright. When Jiang Yun returns, we'll give them a good scare!"
Watching the two girls take their leave to cultivate, Qing Ming nodded with a smile. Though their potential wasn't equal to Zi Yan's, their talent was still extraordinary. And as for the future—who could say for sure?
The light of the teleportation spiritual array filled Jiang Yun's and Zi Yan's vision. Their minds experienced some dizziness due to the teleportation. But fortunately, this dizziness didn't last too long.
They felt the spatial fluctuations gradually stabilize. The dazzling radiance before their eyes also rapidly receded.
They were about to arrive!
Jiang Yun and Zi Yan silently circulated their Dou Qi, ready at any moment to handle unexpected situations!
Buzz!
Atop a mountain peak, space suddenly tore open at that moment. Light blazed, and two tall, slender figures drifted down from within.
"So this is the world outside the Dou Qi Continent?" Zi Yan's somewhat curious voice rang out.
But just as Jiang Yun was about to answer, suddenly, the natural energy originally drifting freely in the space abruptly began boiling violently, madly surging into their bodies.
"What is this?" Feeling the energy madly flooding into her body, while the Dou Qi she had painstakingly cultivated was rapidly dissolving, Zi Yan immediately panicked. This feeling of watching her power drain away helplessly wasn't something everyone could face calmly.
Instinctively, Zi Yan circulated her cultivation method. The Dou Qi within her surged out like a violent storm, ceaselessly resisting the erosion of that unknown energy.
But that strange energy was like a poison that gnawed at the bones. The more she used Dou Qi to resist, the faster her Dou Qi vanished. She even felt as if the Dou Qi inside her was being assimilated by it.
"This is... spiritual energy?"
At this moment, Jiang Yun beside her also sensed the anomaly within his body. He hadn't expected this shattered continent to actually possess spiritual energy.
Without time to think, Jiang Yun grabbed Zi Yan and comforted her softly: "Zi Yan, this is spiritual energy. I'll transmit a technique to you now. Circulate according to it!"
Hearing Jiang Yun's voice, Zi Yan immediately calmed down and began transforming the energy within her according to the method Jiang Yun transmitted!
Watching Zi Yan getting on the right track, Jiang Yun also set his mind at ease. He sat cross-legged, circulated his cultivation method, and assimilated the Dou Qi within himself.
As the Dou Qi within him decreased and the spiritual energy increased, ancient white light patterns on the surface of Jiang Yun's body began to shine brightly one by one.
One, two, three... eight. And this was still not the end. After the eighth light pattern, a streak of black mystical light condensed and gradually transformed into a ninth light pattern...
Nine ancient light patterns appeared on Jiang Yun's body surface. The profound, mysterious lines seemed as if they had been engraved into the deepest part of his physical body from the moment of birth, brimming with the rhythm of heaven and earth.
Had anyone from the Great Thousand World been present, they would certainly have found it inconceivable, for this was precisely the legendary Nine Divine Veins!
Jiang Yun was born with the Nine Divine Veins. But after arriving on the Dou Qi Continent, due to the plane's influence, they had remained in a dormant state. Now, the spiritual energy within him seemed to reactivate them. A stream of inexplicable information transmitted into Jiang Yun's mind.
Jiang Yun's hand seals began to shift instinctively. In an instant, the nine light patterns on his back moved in response. Black and white interwove, ultimately forming a chaotic gauze garment that shrouded the surface of his body.
At this moment, the energy around Jiang Yun weirdly vanished, completely and utterly dissolved.
"So it's like this..." Sensing the divine ability gestated by his Nine Divine Veins, a flash of understanding passed through Jiang Yun's heart. Ultimately, he dispersed the chaotic gauze garment.
Without the chaotic gauze garment blocking, in the next instant, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth madly surged toward Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun dared not be negligent. He circulated his cultivation method, absorbing the spiritual energy, circulating it along his meridians, like a windmill spinning at full speed, distributing it into his limbs and bones.
Stream after stream of milky-white airflow coiled around Jiang Yun. With every inhale and exhale, it surged into his body.
The Saint Demon Flame within him and the Nine Divine Veins operated madly, devouring this spiritual energy, then spitting out strand after strand of refined spiritual power. Relying on this refined spiritual power, Jiang Yun's strength transformed at an astonishing speed.
In a flash, he stepped into the Sensing Realm, then the Spirit Movement Realm, then the Spirit Wheel Realm, the Divine Soul Realm, the Heaven-Fusing Realm, and finally stopping at the Heaven Transformation Realm.
Thanks to Jiang Yun's own foundation, his strength wasn't lowered after the transformation but matched what he had on the Dou Qi Continent. This could also be counted as an unexpected gain!
At this moment, Jiang Yun felt something wondrous, as if heaven and earth were resonating with his soul—something the Dou Huang realm did not possess.
Experiencing the profundity of the Heaven Transformation Realm for a moment, Jiang Yun slowly opened his eyes. His black pupils flickered with a radiance like the blazing sun. After a moment, it gradually faded away.