Chương 104: A Monster's Luck

Zhang Huaijin stood motionless, his expression calm. The two faced each other, eyes locked. Boom! The Pine Fish erupted from the water, its jaws gaping wide. A forearm-thick jet of emerald green water materialized, twisting into a spiral that warped the very air around it, even scraping out sparks of flame from the sheer friction. Raw, devastating power poured forth, the full, unrestrained might of a seventh level cultivator. The jet screamed directly toward Zhang Huaijin's head.

But his face remained perfectly calm. The diamond he had obtained earlier had long since been smelted into his Green Ape Seal. Now, the seal has become a Tier 2, mid grade spirit artifact. Boom! The Green Ape Seal shot into the air, and a phantom image of an ape materialized above it, letting out a thunderous roar. The square seal, now the size of a ten feet across crashed down with cataclysmic force. BOOM! CRASH!

The two attacks collided, and a shockwave of pure force blasted outward in all directions, churning the air like a violent sea. That surge of energy immediately roused the Purple Spirit Tiger, Haihu and the Blazing Sun Chicken. It also disturbed Zhang Rende and the other four, who had been meditating in seclusion. Zhang Rende shot to his feet, ready to charge outside, when a voice spoke directly into his ear.

"Cultivate in peace. This has nothing to do with you." Only then did Zhang Rende relax. The other four, having also received Zhang Huaijin's telepathic message, let out small sighs of relief. The defenses on Purple Cloud Peak were even stronger than those on Green Bamboo Mountain. What could possibly fight their way here?

"Heavenly Fire Sword!"

"Darkfire Storm!"

"Azure Flame Slash!" Sword techniques flowed relentlessly from Zhang Huaijin's hands. Amplified by his mastery of the 'Sword Shadows' realm, his combat power surged to even greater heights. And now, his body cultivation began to circulate in full force. Various spirit beast bloodline abilities blasted forth as immense, vigorous waves of blood qi radiated from his form.

"Vajra Seal!"

"Blood Bear Palm!"

"Heavenly Eagle Claw!" Over a dozen bloodline abilities detonated from Zhang Huaijin's hands in rapid succession. Torrents of blood qi shot into the sky. At this moment, Zhang Huaijin resembled a humanoid primordial beast, locked in a brutal, reckless exchange of blows with the seventh level Pine Fish. Fifteen minutes later, the Pine Fish began to show signs of exhaustion. Its aura wavered and started to collapse. A flicker of disbelief flashed through its azure eyes.

'This... this madman is cultivating three paths simultaneously?' it thought, stunned.

'A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, walking the path of qi, body, and soul all at once? Is he trying to get himself killed?' The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The realm barrier alone should have trapped him forever. No wonder his combat power was so ridiculous...

"Spirit Ruin Burial Extinction!" Clang! In Zhang Huaijin's palm, the Blood Dragon Sword materialized with a resonant dragon's cry that echoed across the peak. A vast, azure sword light swept forth, carrying within it the phantom shape of a sword coffin. It was like a river from the heavens turning on its side. His 'Sword Shadows' realm once again amplified the technique's power, doubling its lethality. The very space around them seemed to tremble.

Normally, only Purple Mansion Realm cultivators could disturb the fabric of space. But the combat power Zhang Huaijin was displaying now was simply too terrifying. True horror flickered across the Pine Fish's eyes. This man's foundation is unbelievably deep. It suspected that even a ninth level Foundation Establishment Realm spirit beast might not necessarily be his match. A wave of bitter frustration washed over the Pine Fish. Swish, swish, swish!

Water vapor gathered around it, and in the blink of an eye, eighteen azure water lances materialized, each spinning with vortex-like force, and shot toward Huaijin. BOOM! RUMBLE! Violent energy exploded outward in all directions. The nine meter wide crater on the ground widened explosively. Mud and debris flew everywhere, as if the very earth had turned over. Dark, jagged cracks spread in every direction. The rainwater Zhang Huaijin had stored earlier absorbed directly into the churned ground. Clang!

Within the chaotic storm of energy, the azure sword coffin suddenly swung open. The sword energy sealed inside, its power almost doubled, shot forth like a serpent striking. Even a Perfection stage cultivator would have felt their scalp tingle in terror. Fwoosh! The sword energy flashed, vanishing and reappearing in an instant, slashing across the Pine Fish's back. Sparks flew with a sharp metallic clang. The next moment, scales scattered like shattered jade, and blood sprayed from the deep wound.

The Pine Fish, roughly the size of a human head, was wounded and sent tumbling to the ground, rolling through the black mud in utter disgrace.

"Blood Dragon Claw!" Zhang Huaijin strode forward like a dragon and thrust out his right hand. His blood qi condensed violently with a sharp crack. A nine meter sized, blood red dragon claw materialized in the air. It was ferocious beyond measure, its shape resembling a dragon's head opening its jaws to roar at the heavens. Crack! Crack! Crack! The blood qi was immense, a thick murderous aura saturating the air. Before the Pine Fish could even bounce back up, its body was enveloped by the Blood Dragon Claw.

A look of incomprehension flashed in the Pine Fish's eyes.

'His body cultivation... is this strong?' it wondered.

'And why does his body contain a trace of draconic might?' Crunch! The Pine Fish's body was pierced clean through. The dragon claw gripped mercilessly, tearing at its scales, pinning its body in place like a butterfly on a board. The Blood Dragon Claw was one of the Foundation Establishment Realm techniques recorded in the Blood Demon Bone Tempering Art. It was devastatingly powerful, condensing one's own blood qi into a dragon claw that possessed formidable armor breaking properties.

The Blood Dragon Sword that Zhang Huaijin had condensed already contained a wisp of draconic might. And that very sword had been silently tempering his body all along. Thus, his Blood Dragon Claw now carried that same trace of draconic might. For spirit beasts with dragon bloodlines, it was especially and brutally effective. The Pine Fish's body went rigid, pinned and helpless. A single thought echoed through its mind, "It's over." Zhang Huaijin's expression remained indifferent.

The spiritual power in his sea of consciousness surged violently. A chain of black and white shot forth, diving straight into the Pine Fish's mind. But what he found there made his very soul tremble with fear. Deep within the Pine Fish's consciousness, an immense, terrifying aura was surging forward to meet him. His spiritual sense plunged into darkness, a darkness tinged with a patch of crimson red. The shape before him was no longer the Pine Fish.

Above the Pine Fish's own spirit floated a hazy, indistinct soul shadow. It was utterly terrifying. Zhang Huaijin felt as if a million tons of pressure were crushing down on his very existence. If not for the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram holding firm within his mind, his own soul would have already been shattered into nothing. BOOM! The Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram, awakened and provoked, erupted with power.

The force of the Chaos Yin-Yang Mill surged outward, following Zhang Huaijin's will and charging directly into the Pine Fish's mind. And at that moment, that terrifying soul shadow, as if startled by something it recognized, retracted its aura and vanished without a trace. Swish, swish, swish! The power of the black and white chains exploded outward. The twisting, grinding force of Primordial Tai Chi wrapped around the Pine Fish's spirit like a vise.

A Soul Imprint was deeply, permanently etched into the very core of the Pine Fish's soul. The seventh level Pine Fish became Zhang Huaijin's contracted beast, its will bound to his command. Zhang Huaijin withdrew his spiritual sense, his face pale. The Blood Dragon Claw slowly dissipated. The Pine Fish's body trembled, five gruesome, bloody holes left gaping on its flesh. The two looked at each other, their expressions impossibly complex.

Zhang Huaijin had never expected to find such a terrifying soul hiding within the Pine Fish's mind. If he hadn't possessed the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram to protect him, his soul would have been utterly destroyed. The Pine Fish's own emotions were even more tangled. Its origins... had reached the end of the line in this world. But this human cultivator had an even deeper foundation, a more extraordinary background than its own.

'This is just my luck,' it thought bitterly.

'To run into a monster like this…'