Chapter 144 - 141: Encounter in the Back Mountain

Chapter 144: Chapter 141: Encounter in the Back MountainThe competition that shook the Heavenly Martial Hall continued to cause aftershocks even after it ended. The disciples who had witnessed the exciting battle firsthand were still enthralled, while those who missed it felt a tremendous sense of regret, knowing without a doubt that the battle was an extremely rare and fierce one. What everyone thought was merely a contest between True Disciples suddenly saw Ye Xuan and Wan Luo stepping into the fray. After Ye Xuan defeated Wan Luo, everyone believed the fight had concluded. However, Ye Xuan sparked even greater waves by defeating Ruan Jingtian and Xiang Fanchen together. Such a luxurious lineup, capable of sweeping through all the Inner Hall Disciples, still fell under Ye Xuan’s sword. This series of unexpected twists caught everyone off guard and, at the same time, filled them with excitement. The brutal scene of Ye Xuan fighting two at once not only made people’s scalp tingle but also got their blood boiling uncontrollably. That battle would undoubtedly become a classic among the contests of this generation of disciples. As for Ye Xuan himself, he was just a new disciple who had joined less than two months ago. His brilliant achievements undoubtedly served as a great inspiration for the many new disciples with lesser cultivation. After this battle, Ye Xuan’s reputation was firmly established within the Heavenly Martial Hall. His brilliance rivaled the four great True Disciples, and his prestige grew daily. Similar contests between disciples were a daily occurrence in the Heavenly Martial Hall, but a splendid battle like that day was likely hard to come by again. Even three days later, many disciples were still talking about Ye Xuan, the fervor of their discussions showing no signs of abating anytime soon. In those three days, Ye Xuan had taken some time to recuperate before starting to focus his cultivation on his Cultivation, using the fifteen hundred Xuanyuan Pills with the goal of making an early breakthrough to the Martial Sect level. During these three days of Ye Xuan’s recuperation, the Yang Hall remained in an extremely fiery state. Many disciples seemed prouder than ever, walking with their chests puffed up and their eyes no longer shying away when looking at disciples from the other three halls. After all, the leading disciples of the other three halls had already been defeated by Ye Xuan, so it was only logical they felt this newfound confidence. At present, only the four great True Disciples could overshadow Ye Xuan, and the disciples of Yang Hall believed that with Ye Xuan’s talent, making a breakthrough and becoming a True Disciple wouldn’t be too far-fetched. In the back mountains of Yang Hall, a quiet peak, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged on a piece of bluestone, eyes tightly closed. Around him, nature’s spiritual energy fluctuated slightly before finally seeping into his body. Now that he had become a well-known figure within the Heavenly Martial Hall, his usual place of residence had seen frequent visitors in the past few days, which could have disturbed his cultivation. Therefore, he had no choice but to relocate his practice sessions to the back mountain, where few people ventured, allowing him much more tranquility. The Heavenly Martial Mountain Range stretched nearly ten thousand miles and was vast in area. The Heavenly Martial Hall occupied less than one-tenth of this region. This back mountain area of the Heavenly Martial Hall was filled with endless forest seas and exotic peaks, with occasional roars of Demon Beasts echoing. For Ye Xuan, this vast back mountain was initially a surprise; the place was indeed much larger than he anticipated. What secrets this grand mountain range held was likely unknown to anyone. Seated on the boulder, Ye Xuan would swallow a Xuanyuan Pill at intervals to maintain his state of cultivation. Time swiftly passed by in this slow-paced cultivation... Ten days later. During these ten days, Ye Xuan had stayed in this back area for cultivation. When he arrived, he had prepared plenty of dry food and water. Martial Artists didn’t require much food due to the supplement of nature’s spiritual energy and pills. Upon reaching the Martial Sect Master Realm, it was entirely possible to go without food for as long as ten days without any issues. Over these ten days, Ye Xuan had nearly consumed all of the fifteen hundred Xuanyuan Pills as if they were mere candy. As for his cultivation, although he had reached the peak of the Seventh Grade Martial Master, he was still a bit shy of breaking through the True Qi and consolidating the Void Core. "It seems I am still lacking some momentum," Ye Xuan opened his eyes, displaying a hint of helplessness on his face. Because his cultivation technique was of Divine Grade, the solidity of his True Qi was not something ordinary people could compare with. Thus, the difficulty of breaking through the True Qi and forming the Void Core was also much greater than for ordinary people. For most people, fifteen hundred Xuanyuan Pills were a significant amount, but for Ye Xuan, they were still insufficient. Just then, Ye Xuan felt a disturbance from the Beast Soul Token at his waist. He took it out and lightly touched it. A tremendous fluctuation suddenly released from the token. Blinding light transformed into the shape of a Flood Dragon, bursting forth from the Beast Soul Token and materializing into a hundred-foot-tall, imposing Flood Dragon in front of Ye Xuan. The Flood Dragon opened its mouth wide and took several deep breaths, seemingly enjoying the sensation. With no one around, Ye Xuan also didn’t worry about anyone discovering the presence of the Flood Dragon. It seemed that after staying inside the Beast Soul Token for a long time, it needed some air. "It’s been a long time since I stretched myself. Kid, when are you leaving this godforsaken place?" The Flood Dragon spoke human language, clearly cautious within the Heavenly Martial Hall, and had to stay quietly Inside the Beast Soul Token—there were too many experts in the Heavenly Martial Hall. Once it showed itself, trouble would inevitably arise. "I’ll leave once I make a breakthrough to Martial Sect. You better pray I break through soon." Ye Xuan had no immediate plans to leave the Heavenly Martial Hall, but after breaking through to the Martial Sect and becoming a True Disciple, there would be little point in remaining. By that time, there wouldn’t be any disciples who could contend with him even within the Heavenly Martial Hall. "Breaking into the Martial Sect isn’t going to be easy..." The Flood Dragon wore a contemplative expression, but a thought crossed its mind. Given Ye Xuan’s speed of improvement, it estimated that it would take no more than two or three years, not too long in the grand scheme. "You can move around a bit, just don’t wander too far." After admonishing the Flood Dragon, Ye Xuan intended to find a place to rest when suddenly a deafening roar, like thunder, burst forth from the distant mountains. "What a powerful roar, just listening to that sound, could it be a Third Rank Demon King?" Ye Xuan was also stunned by the sudden roar and quickly lifted his head to look towards the distant mountains, exclaiming in surprise. A Third Rank Demon Beast—that was akin to a Demon Beast King, possessing the basic qualifications for transformation. Among humans, it would be comparable to a Martial Sect Master. "It must be right, based on that sound, this Third Rank Demon Beast seems quite excited. Interesting, let’s go take a look." The Flood Dragon itself was also a Third Rank Demon Beast, but its cultivation was profound, having consumed Transformation Grass, thus naturally much stronger than an ordinary Third Rank Demon Beast. "Okay!" Ye Xuan also wanted to take a look, and immediately, he leaped onto the back of the Flood Dragon. Then, the Flood Dragon’s large body started to move rapidly, soaring into the sky and shooting towards the direction of the roaring sound. The speed of the Flood Dragon was much faster than the Gale Eagle Ye Xuan had previously ridden, and in just a moment, they had traversed several miles. Within less than ten minutes, they were close to the source of the roaring sound. What came into view was a stream in the mountains, overgrown with weeds, and below in that mountain stream, a mountain-sized black ape came into sight. This black ape had a belly covered with golden-yellow scale armor. Although it belonged to the ape family, its body was somewhat slender, and its tail somewhat resembled a dragon’s. It emitted a very formidable pressure. "So it is a Deep Abyss Dragon Ape, a demon beast with a slight trace of the Dragon Clan bloodline turning into a Third Rank Demon Beast. It seems it’s had some fortuitous encounters." Hidden within a clump of clouds, the Flood Dragon looked down at the Deep Abyss Dragon Ape, a hint of bloodthirst flickering in its eyes. "What do you plan to do?" Ye Xuan noticed the unusual expression on the Flood Dragon’s face. "Of course, kill it, devour the Dragon Clan bloodline within its body." The murderous intent was palpable on the Flood Dragon, for the killing and competition among demon beasts were often much more brutal but simpler than among humans. Although the Flood Dragon was a side branch of the Dragon Clan, the Dragon Clan bloodline within it was not strong. Devouring the bloodline of this Deep Abyss Dragon Ape would definitely benefit it immensely. "Then you better make it quick, this is the back mountain of the Heavenly Martial Hall; causing too much noise might alert the Martial Sect Masters of the Heavenly Martial Hall." The Flood Dragon was ready to act, and Ye Xuan did not object, but it had to act fast, otherwise, the trouble it might attract would not be minor. "Don’t worry, just a beast that has just advanced, I’ll settle the battle within ten minutes." Licking its huge draconic jaws with its tongue, a warlike glint flashed through the Flood Dragon’s eyes—it had been a long time since it had stretched its muscles. Moreover, the presence of the Dragon Clan bloodline it needed made it extremely excited. "Then let’s go!" Ye Xuan’s eyes slightly hardened, and as his words fell, the Flood Dragon’s body charged with power and suddenly swept down from the clouds like a bolt of lightning directly towards the stream. Roar! Just as the Flood Dragon made its move, the Deep Abyss Dragon Ape sensed it. Instantly, it let out an angry roar, stomped the ground with its foot, and like a cannonball, its massive body launched a fierce claw strike towards the Flood Dragon, the sharp sound of cutting wind ringing harshly at the mouth of the valley. "Seeking death!" A cold voice emitted from the mouth of the Flood Dragon, and in an instant, a bright cyan glow intensified around its body. A huge tail enveloped in dense cyan light fell from the sky, avoiding the sharp claw and smashing heavily onto the body of the Deep Abyss Dragon Ape. The tremendous force immediately erupted, blasting the latter away. Boom! In the midst of the loud noise, the hard mountain wall behind the Deep Abyss Dragon Ape caved in substantially, and the exploding rocks sent cracks spreading like a spider web from its back, eventually covering nearly half of the mountain wall as if it were about to collapse. By this time, Ye Xuan had landed on a nearby rock, nimbly avoiding the aftershocks of the battle between the two Third Rank giant demon beasts, a trace of shock appearing in his eyes. Such a level of demon beast battle was indeed much more ferocious than those of humans and caused astonishing destruction.