Ironwood Zhan and his Bi'an Tiger drew near at high speed, quickly arriving by the side of the pool.
"It really is beautiful." Ironwood Zhan couldn't help but sigh in amazement as he stared at the reflecting light of the setting sun, which shone down upon those two blooming, enormous lotus petals. But the more he looked at them, the more nervous he became. He was, after all, a late stage Xiantian expert. Although he hadn't reached the 'one with the world' level, he could already dimly sense how extraordinary those two layers of petals were.
"Master." The Bi'an Tiger looked at Zhan as well. "What should we do now?"
"Don't be impatient. He is in front of us and won't be able to escape. Let's give him a test, first!" Zhan instructed mentally. With a wave of his hand, he released his Xiantian force, which directly dragged a rock into his hand. And then, with a powerful throw, he infused this rock with his Xiantian energy, transforming it into a ray of light which shot straight towards Ji Ning, still seated in the lotus-position.
Although he just threw a rock, a Ninefang Warrior would definitely be killed.
"Hua!"
When the stone reached the area of ten meters of Ning and intersected with those two layers of lotus petals, it instantly became frozen! That invisible killing energy, with a hiss, transformed the rock into dust.
The Bi'An Tiger and Ironwood Zhan both felt their hearts tighten. They exchanged glances. Clearly, they were somewhat puzzled by those two mysterious lotus layers.
"I refuse to believe it." Zhan sneered coldly, and the Blackwood Vinewhip appeared in his hands out of nowhere.
"Hu!"
Ironwood Zhan lashed out with his long whip. The Blackwood Vinewhip elongated, coiling around a thick nearby tree. With a massive pull! Honglong…the entire tree was ripped out by the roots, carrying with it a large amount of dirt, swinging about along with Zhan's whip.
Boom…this tens of thousands of pounds heavy tree smashed directly towards Ning, seated in the lotus position. When the massive tree trunk slammed against those two layers of translucent, enormous lotus leaves, it instantly shattered apart. However, the terrifying power of the collision contained within the massive tree caused the two layers of lotus leaves to tremble.
Ning, who had been meditating in the lotus position, shook slightly. His eyes opened up.
As his eyes opened, he saw that the two enormous lotus leaves surrounding his body were dissipating as an enormous tree trunk smashed down upon him. In the distance, Ironwood Zhan and that black-clothed man were sneering coldly at him.
"You ruined my good fortune!" Watching the two layers of enormous lotus petals dissipate, Ning instantly realized what he had gained this night, and also realized how priceless these insights had been. If nobody had disturbed him, he probably would have been able to gain insights for even longer. But unexpectedly, Zhan had ruined it for him. It must be understood that these moments of enlightenment were something which could only be hoped for and not asked for. It might be decades, if not centuries, until the next time something like this would occur.
"Damn you!"
Ning swept out with a palm, and with a booming sound, smashed that massive tree trunk into two halves. One half landed into the middle of the pond, crushing many of the lotus flowers. The other half fell down against several other nearby trees, sending dust everywhere.
"Little child of the Ji clan!" Ironwood Zhan laughed ferociously. "You fled a thousand kilometers into the forest, but I still caught you in the end! Today is the day you die!"
Ning glanced at him coldly, and then immediately summoned forth the Lunar energy and the Solar energy in his body. Over the course of the previous night's meditation, he had gained just a hint of insight into the true nature of the Dao, but that hint of insight was enough to allow him to understand, without question, what the method was for breaking through to the next level of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]. Nothing in the world was truly opposite of anything else! It was much like how night and day were seemingly opposites, but in reality, were just two different aspects of the sky.
It was much like the two layers of fire and water lotus petals that had surrounded him. Not only did they not cancel each other out, they had even increased each other's power. Why?
A lotus flower had a stalk, which was what allowed the lotus petals to swivel!
The 'stalk' of the two layers of fire and water lotus petals was Ning himself!
Solar energy, Lunar energy…how to fuse them?
By finding that 'stalk' which connected the Solar energy and the Lunar energy!
"Come!"
Ning's eyes were filled with absolutely certainty.
His body had already completely brought forth all of his Solar and Lunar energy, which instantly filled every part of his body. Be it his hair or his skin or his organs or his very cells…it filled every part of him! Every single thread of Lunar energy and Solar energy began to swirl around each other, but their natures caused them to be unwilling to fuse.
"Huahuahua…" All of the Lunar energy and Solar energy were swiveling, like the lotus flowers that had been blown upon by the wind.
They were also like the two 'fish' of the yin-yang Taiji diagram, forever chasing each other.
The Sun. The Moon.
They constantly chased after each other…and as they did, they contained that hint of the Dao which Ning had understood.
Slowly, in the center of the circling Solar energy and Lunar energy, a new force arose!
Instantly…
In that deep, boundless void, separated from this place by incomprehensibly many worlds, there lay the two Supreme Stars; the Solar Star [Sun] and the Lunar Star [Moon]. Each of them emitted a hint of their power; the Solar Truefire and the Lunar Truewater appeared on each side around Ning, and also activated the power of fire and water of the surrounding world.
"Bang!""Bang!"
The surrounding world instantly became filled with a sea of flame as well as an abyss of water.
Though this took time to describe, in truth, as soon as Ning had shattered that tree, he had immediately activated the energy in his body and began to break through. Ironwood Zhan and his Bi'an Tiger saw with their own eyes the boundless flames and water appear out of nowhere, causing even them to feel fear. Wherever the water passed through, everything was frozen into ice sculptures, while wherever the fire passed through, everything was consumed by the flames.
At the same time, within the surging water, the faint outline of the Jade Rabbit could be seen.
Deep within the boundless flames, there was also the shadow of a three-legged Golden Crow.
Between the Jade Rabbit and the Golden Crow, there was Ning!
"This…this…" Zhan was so shocked, his face changed dramatically. "Can this be the legendary…the legendary [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]?"
The Golden Crow and the Jade Rabbit had both appeared!
Without question, this was the legendary [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens], the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique. In the entire Swallow Mountain area, in at least the past thousand years, there hadn't been a single person who was known to have relied on this technique to become a Xiantian lifeform. Although Zhan had read this technique and knew what the breakthrough looked like, this was his first time personally witnessing the amazing spectacle of a breakthrough.
"Hrmph." Ironwood Zhan's hands summoned a formation flag out of nowhere. He immediately flew backwards, then began running around Ning, surrounded by boundless water and fire, in a circular pattern, while constantly throwing out one flag after another, all of which stabbed deep into the mud.
In but a few seconds, eight formation flags had all been planted, covering an area of a square kilometer.
Ironwood Zhan now simply stood from afar and watched.
"Master, kill him." The Bi'an Tiger said hurriedly. "Right now, he is breaking through. This is his weakest moment."
"No!" Zhan hurriedly shouted. "He trains in the number one Fiendgod Body Refining, and is currently surrounded by the power of the Supreme Stars, the Solar Star and the Lunar Star! When breaking through to the Xiantian lifeform level, these two Supreme Stars will send down a hint of their Solar Truefire and Lunar Truewater, breaking through countless barriers to allow him to evolve and be reborn into the body of a true Xiantian-level Fiendgod."
"Then it becomes all the more important for us to stop him." The Bi'an Tiger said frantically.
"Don't you understand?" Ironwood Zhan's face was ashen as he stared at the distant Ning, wrapped by the endless flames and water. "Right now, he is surrounded by boundless icy water and cocooned in flames. At the heart of the boundless icy water is a hint of the Lunar Truewater! At the heart of the endless flames is a hint of the Solar Truefire! Even if a Zifu Disciple were to touch it, he would instantly be frozen and shatter or be burnt to ashes, much less you and me! Not even his soul would be left. He wouldn't even have the chance to go to the Netherworld Kingdom to be reborn!"
"As fearsome as that?" The Bi'an Tiger was shocked.
"Of course it is!" Ironwood Zhan's face was solemn. "This is power which comes from the two Supreme Stars! Solar Truefire and Lunar Truewater. Who dares to touch them?"
"Then, then are we just going to watch?" The Bi'an Tiger said frantically. "Just watch as this child of the Ji clan becomes even more powerful?"
"Don't worry!" Zhan growled. "Right now, the two Supreme Stars have bequeathed their power to him, and he is beginning to transcend his mortal coil and be reborn into a true Xiantian Fiendgod. After he breaks through, that hint of Solar Truefire and Lunar Truewater will disappear. After all, the power of the Solar Truefire and the Lunar Truewater doesn't belong to this little child of the Ji clan himself.
Ironwood Zhan sneered coldly, "I've already set down the Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation. After this little child of the Ji clan breaks through, he'll no longer have the protective power of the Supreme Stars. I will immediately activate the formation! No matter what, he'll only be an early Xiantian lifeform without a single magic treasure. I, on the other hand, am a late Xiantian lifeform with the assistance of the formation!"
"Right." The Bi'an Tiger nodded as well.
"But this child of the Ji clan really is amazing!" Ironwood Zhan couldn't help but sigh in praise. "[Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]. This is the legendary, most powerful Fiendgod Body Refining technique. Virtually all tribes of a certain size are in possession of it! But in a thousand years, in the entire Swallow Mountain area, there hasn't been a single person who has reached Xiantian through it. If he is permitted to grow, he will definitely become the number one person of the Five Prefectures of the Ji clan, and perhaps even the entire Swallow Mountain! But no matter how powerful he will be, right now, he will only have reached the Xiantian level. Haha…I feel wonderful when I think about how I'm about to kill such a monstrous genius."
----------------------
What did Xiantian mean?
It meant to be born from the heavens and from nature. Only that was a true Xiantian lifeform.
Generally speaking, most Ki Refiners only had the inner ki energy in their bodies transform into Xiantian Afterwards, the energy would wash through their entire body, allowing them to reach a quick and agile state! But actually, this was the weakest type of Xiantian body. A casual sword thrust through the heart would cause them to die.
But for Fiendgod Body Refiners…their entire body would be reborn into the body like a Fiendgod's. Fiendgods could have their bodies chopped into eighteen parts, but as long as their head wasn't destroyed, they would not die! Generally speaking, most Fiendgod Body Refining techniques were low-grade, to the point of even relying on tattooing the divine patterns onto their bodies.
But the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] relied on the power of the two Supreme Stars to naturally generate those two major divine tattoos.
When breaking through to the Xiantian level, the Solar Truefire and Lunar Truewater of the two Supreme Stars would descend…fire and water would coincide, giving birth to a Fiendgod's body! This sort of Fiendgod body wasn't one bit inferior to those trueborn Fiendgods of the ancient Fiendgod Era. Thus, this was reputed to be the number one technique in the world!
"Pipa!" Ning could sense every single cell in his body explode. And then, the divine power of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] caused the Solar Truefire and the Lunar Truewater to begin to reforge every single cell anew. The hint of Solar Truefire and Lunar Truewater which the two Supreme Stars had sent down, in turn, were being utterly consumed in the process of forging this new Xiantian Fiendgod.
The mortal vessel fell away!
The Fiendgod body formed!
Hua…The Solar Truefire and the Lunar Truewater were consumed, and the countless amounts of fire and water which surrounded them dispersed as well, revealing the fur-clad Ji Ning. Although he had leapt into the Xiantian level, the furs hadn't been damaged by the fire and water at all. Only, Ning's skin was now emitting an enchanting radiance, as though he were a gem formed by the heavens.
Ning opened his eyes and stared at the distant Ironwood Zhan and the Bi'an Tiger. He said only two words. "Now, die!"
The Divine Solar Tattoo and Divine Lunar Tattoo on his back instantly activated.
Boom! Boom!
An enormous flaming dragon and an enormous water dragon appeared out of nowhere, formed from the fire and water summoned by the Divine Solar Tattoo and Divine Lunar Tattoo. Containing terrifying destructive power, it charged straight towards the distant Ironwood Zhan and Bi'an Tiger! This was the proof of the Xiantian level of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]; the ability to control fire and water!
Ironwood Zhan and the Bi'an Tiger were both astonished. Zhan hurriedly activated his Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation, while shouting loudly, "Be careful, he can control fire and water. The ability of Xiantian Fiendgods of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] to control water and fire is extraordinary. Once water and fire come out simultaneously, even most ordinary Xiantian lifeforms can be killed!"
The reason he shouted so loudly was because as soon as the Bi'an Tiger had seen the fire and water, it had already transformed into its real body and begun to retreat. Once the distance between the two increased, they were no longer capable of spiritual communication. But how could the speed of the Bi'an Tiger compare to that of the water and fire?
"Boom…" An enormous water dragon instantly coiled around the Bi'an Tiger, causing a layer of frost to appear on it. At the same time, the other fire dragon also wrapped itself around the Bi'an Tiger. The water dragon and fire dragon simultaneously coiled around it, the water dragon filled with boundless cold, while the fire dragon was filled with endless heat…
Hot and cold.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The Bi'an Tiger's fur began to crack, and his red flesh and muscles began to be revealed, then quickly char.
"Grooooooooowl." The Bi'an Tiger roared.
"Still not dead!" Ji Ning's gaze grew colder.
The water dragon that had been coiling around the Bi'an Tiger suddenly loosened, then quickly began to transform, changing into an enormous flowing lotus petal. At the same time, the fire dragon also quickly transformed into a blazing lotus petal.
The water lotus petal was below.
The fire lotus petal was above.
The Bi'an Tiger was in the middle. Despite how it tried to struggle and flee, it was useless. The two lotus petals followed it wherever it went.
"Waterflame Lotus, smelt!" With a thought from Ning, instantly the two lotus petals began to slowly revolve. It was like two terrifying millstones slowly crushing down while revolving. Earlier, Ning had just been unconsciously activated the energy of the world to form those two protective lotus petals through his slight understanding of the Dao, and yet the power had already been so tremendous. But now, Ning was himself a Xiantian lifeform, capable of controlling both fire and water. Adding onto that basic power the hint of the Dao he had understood…the power became hundreds of times greater than before.
The petals of the Waterflame Lotus revolved. The Bi'an Tiger caught between them only felt a surge of heat and cold, and it felt far more miserable than before! Its entire body seemed to have lost all feeling! At the same time, as the water and fire intersected, a wind arose out of nowhere, and that wind filled with a powerful killing force descended directly upon the Bi'an Tiger.
"Ka…" The Bi'an Tiger's charred body was like a porcelain doll. It shattered into many little pieces, its eyes filled with incomprehension as they grew dim.
The Bi'an Tiger had died!
"It is actually this powerful." Ning's heart was filled with surprise and delight as well. "With the water and fire I control as the base, and then formed into the protective Waterflame Lotus which I developed, I was able to execute a middle Xiantian level Diremonster, without even giving it a chance to fight back."
Although the above took time to describe, a battle between experts was incredibly fast.
From the moment when Ning created the Waterflame Lotus to the moment when the Bi'an Tiger died, only a heartbeat's worth of time had occurred.
"Boom…" The Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation which had surrounded this square kilometer fully released its power as well, and lines of black energy and white energy criss-crossed towards Ning.
Ironwood Zhan was shocked by how easily his Bi'an Tiger had been executed as well. And then, with a savage expression, he howled, "Within my Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation, even if you are a monstrous talent which Swallow Mountain sees once in a millennium, you will still surely die! Die!"
Lines of viper-like black and white energy instantly pounced towards Ning.
"Hrmph."
With but a thought, instantly fire and water appeared out of nowhere next to his body. The fire and water transformed into lotus petals, with two layers of enormous petals of the Waterflame Lotus hovering about him, waiting for those black and white energy streams to attack. When they did…with a thought from Ning, the Waterflame Lotus suddenly fused!
Like a budding flower, those upward-pointing lotus petals formed into a massive lotus flower bud that was over ten meters high, instantly ensconcing Ning within them.
"Pengpengpeng…" The black and white energy waves came crashing down.
The Waterflame Lotus, although having fused into a flower bud, was still slowly swiveling. The inner layer was made of fire lotus petals, while the outer layer was made from water lotus petals. They continued to slowly swivel in opposite directions. No matter how the black and white energy struck against it time and time again, sometimes just barely breaking through the outer layer of the water lotus petals, the water lotus petals would once more reform into their normal appearance.
After all, fire and water could always part and reform; they weren't solid substances to begin with. Even if they were occasionally broken through, with but a thought, Ning could reform them!
"What?" Ironwood Zhan was shocked. "How is this possible? My Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation…this is an extremely powerful formation. Given my power when using it, even if I were to meet with an opponent who was a peak Xiantian lifeform, I wouldn't be afraid. How could it be that it can't even break through the protective lotus of this child of the Ji clan? What is that protective lotus? How is it that I've never even heard of it?"
But how could Ironwood Zhan know that Ning had previously already reached the 'one with the world' level. The greatest benefit of his previous night's worth of enlightenment was…this protective lotus, which already had a hint of the true meaning of the Dao within it.
A Xiantian lifeform created by the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] was incomparably powerful to begin with, and the fire and water it controlled was far stronger than that of the fire and water which most Diremonsters could create. When infusing that with the hint of the true Dao through the Waterflame Lotus, blocking a mere formation naturally was nothing at all.
"Ironwood Zhan, you've chased for such a long time. Let me repay you now, and send you on the next leg of your journey!"
Within the lotus bud, Ning stared through the flowing water lotus petals and the blazing fire lotus petals, seeing the distant, unclear figure. In addition, his mind had reached the 'one with the world' level…naturally, he could sense the auras of all nearby creatures, and could clearly sense the location of Zhan.
"Die."
With but a thought from Ning.
In the area where Ironwood Zhan was standing, yet another fiery lotus petal and watery lotus petal appeared. One above him, one below him, crushing down upon Zhan like millstones.
"Formation, aid me!" Ironwood Zhan, seeing the situation, was terrified. This was how his servant, the Bi'an Tiger, had died just now. He hurriedly controlled the black and white energy streams, wildly wrapping them around himself to block the grinding, crushing force of this Waterflame Lotus. By doing so, he was just barely able to block it. Although occasionally, some fire and water would break through, his Xiantian ki was able to block it.
"How can he simultaneously create two lotus flowers?" Zhan was filled with shock and dread. "Such a powerful attack should take up almost all of his concentration."
But how could he know…
When he was four years old, Ning's soul was already almost on par with a Zifu Disciple. Right now, his soul was already far above that of a Zifu Disciple. Dividing his mind to execute two separate Waterflame Lotus techniques was simplicity itself.
"You actually haven't died!" Protected within the lotus bud, Ning quickly charged towards Ironwood Zhan.
"Retreat." Ironwood was so frightened that his face changed. He ground his teeth.
Flee!
This decision was made quite decisively. He was, after all, born into the Ironwood clan. He knew very well that once someone trained to the Xiantian lifeform level in the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens], the power of the practitioner would be hundreds of times that of ordinary Fiendgod Body Refiners. Although right now, Ning was only an early Xiantian lifeform, he was capable of matching other late-stage Xiantian Fiendgod Body Refiners!
He, Ironwood Zhan, was nothing more than a late-stage Xiantian Ki Refiner. Engage in close combat with a Fiendgod Body Refiner of this level? That was just suicide!
Before this, he had been relying on the fact that Ning didn't have any magic treasures, but if even the Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation couldn't do anything to Ning, if he were to continue to fight with Ning, would that be suicide?
"An early Xiantian whose battle power is equivalent to a peak Xiantian. What a monster. The Ji clan actually produced such a monster. I definitely have to inform the Ancestor and have him be exterminated as soon as possible. Otherwise, in the future, he will be a calamity to the Ironwood clan!" Ironwood Zhan was utterly terrified, especially by those Waterflame Lotuses. They were simply too powerful.
Formations had to be prepared in advance, but Ning's Fire Water Lotus could be created with but a thought, and it was even more powerful than his formation. This was too…
"He must be eliminated." Ironwood Zhan's only thought was to go back and report this to his clan's Ancestor."
Both the Ironwood clan and the Ji clan…as two of the six hegemons of the Swallow Mountain area, had Zifu Disciples standing guard over them. That was why they had the ability to be acknowledged by the Grand Xia Dynasty to become ministers of the Grand Xia Dynasty.
"Divine Movement Seal!" With a flip of Zhan's hand, a black, leaf-like paper seal suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The paper seal was covered with what looked like veins of blood, and was covered with an ancient, strange character which faintly emanated a mysterious, rippling aura. Ironwood Zhan sent a surge of his Xiantian ki into this seal.
Hua!
The seal instantly transformed into a shadowy word which fused into Ironwood Zhan's body.
"Flee!" Ironwood Zhan immediately transformed into a ray of light, quickly fleeing afar, not even bothering to collect his Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation flags.
This was because Ironwood Zhan knew very well that right now, he was still relying on the Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation to protect him against that Waterflame Lotus. In addition, collecting those eight formation flags would also take up time. It would give that terrifying youth of the Ji clan a chance to catch up to him, at which point, he wouldn't just lose the eight formation flags. He would lose his life.
"He ran?" Ji Ning hurriedly chased afterwards. His Xiantian Fiendgod body, matched with his 'one with the world' footwork, caused his speed to become even more rapid. He transformed into a ray of light as well, chasing after Zhan.
"Just slightly slower than me?" Ironwood Zhan was greatly shocked. "Before, when he hadn't yet broken through to the Xiantian level yet, I was faster than him. But now, even after using a precious Divine Movement Seal, we're roughly on par." Ironwood Zhan couldn't help but feel his heart ache with the cost, but grinding his teeth, he took out yet another Dao seal, covered with that same ancient network of veins atop it. He filled his Xiantian ki into that Dao seal.
Yet another illusory word appeared, then entered his body.
Light Body Seal!
"Swoosh!" Ironwood Zhan transformed into a blue blaze as he retreated even faster.
"Won't be able to catch him." Ning's eyes had a hint of unwillingness to accept this outcome in them. As an Fiendgod Body Refiner expert, his speed was already incredible. But Ironwood Zhan had utilized two Dao seals in succession; a Light Body Seal, and a Divine Movement Seal…although these seals weren't nearly as valuable as the 'Traceless Talisman', they were still able to allow Ironwood Zhan's speed to explosively increase.
Ning didn't have any Dao seals right now. In addition, even if he had them, he wouldn't be able to use them, because Dao seals and magic treasures all required one to have Xiantian ki in order to use them.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Ironwood Zhan fled out of the area of the Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation, pulling ahead of Ning, causing Ning to be unable to utilize his Waterflame Lotus against him. This was because the Waterflame Lotus was formed through his ability to control fire and water, but there was a limit to how far a Xiantian Fiendgod could maintain the control. At too great a distance, control would no longer be possible.
"Hahaha…" Ironwood Zhan let out a sigh of relief. Without the threat from the Waterflame Lotus, and having pulled away from Ning, he finally relaxed. But then, he was filled with hate. Hatred for this Ji Ning. After all, he had lost his Yin Yang Twin Energy Formation.
"Boy of the Ji clan, feel happy for now. I will definitely report this to the Ancestor, and also to Snowdragon Mountain! The Ji clan is the mortal foe of both my Ironwood clan as well Snowdragon Mountain. A monster like you is someone which both Snowdragon Mountain and my Ironwood clan will eradicate as soon as possible." Ironwood Zhan's heart was filled with hatred.
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