Chapter 419: Encounter in the Wilderness, A Towering Figure Like a Saint

Chapter 419: Encounter in the Wilderness, A Towering Figure Like a Saint

Jiang Buling was startled. His senior martial brother was extremely far away from him, yet he seemed to hear the same howling wind and even saw a green flame?

"Senior martial brother, be careful and don't go near the flame," Jiang Buling hastily reminded him.

"I have no intention of getting close, but this strange fire is approaching me. Never mind, let me take a look and see if there's anything peculiar about this flame," came the reply from his senior martial brother.

Jiang Buling was perplexed by his senior martial brother's message. He had never come across any records of the situation his senior martial brother was facing.

"The howling is getting louder, and two huge eyes have appeared in the darkness. This is most peculiar," came another message, this time from his second senior martial brother.

Jiang Buling was astonished. Could it be that these unusual occurrences were happening all across the wilderness—the howling wind and these strange phenomena?

"The big eyes are coming closer. I'll take a look and see what's going on," his second senior martial brother's message read.

As Jiang Buling read the message, he felt a tightening in his heart, and he quickly became alert, scanning his surroundings.

Both his senior and second senior martial brothers had encountered these unusual phenomena, but why hadn't he come across anything out of the ordinary?

In the pitch-black wilderness, the howling wind sounded, yet there was not a hint of a breeze. Suddenly, Jiang Buling noticed a white, mist-like substance drifting towards him in the darkness.

"That is..." Jiang Buling's expression turned solemn as he sensed an unfamiliar sinister aura emanating from the white mist—an aura that felt evil.

"Remnant souls!" Jiang Buling, a practitioner of the Extreme Soul Martial Arts, was particularly sensitive to souls and spirits. In an instant, he realized that the white mist was actually an unknown remnant soul.

The drifting remnant soul covered a wide area, filling the air with an eerie aura so thick it seemed to evoke a sense of dread.

"What has happened in this wilderness?" Jiang Buling frowned, deep in thought.

He did not attempt to dodge or evade the remnant soul but instead waited quietly as it drifted towards him. As a practitioner of the Extreme Soul Martial arts, how could he be threatened by mere remnant souls?

"If there are any malicious intentions, I shall refine these remnant souls," Jiang Buling thought coldly.

Whoosh!

The remnant soul drifted over, enveloping him. Suddenly, the drifting remnant soul paused and began to condense towards his location.

Surrounded by the remnant soul, the sinister and evil aura became even more pronounced. An ordinary True King Heavenly Venerate would likely be terrified and might even go insane if they couldn't find a way to escape.

At that moment, Jiang Buling understood why some True King Heavenly Venerates went mad while crossing the wilderness. They must have encountered something similar to this mist of remnant souls.

"This is unusual. True King Heavenly Venerates and below are unable to disperse these remnant soul mists and may even get lost within them. How strong was the cultivator who left behind these remnant souls in life?" Jiang Buling was shocked as he thought of some of the rumors he had heard about the wilderness.

"However, encountering me is your bad luck. I shall refine the power of these remnant soul mists and improve my Extreme Soul Martial Arts," Jiang Buling thought, feeling no hesitation since the remnant soul mist had shown malicious intent.

Boom!

Jiang Buling raised his palm, and a black vortex appeared in his palm.

It was a divine ability of the Extreme Soul Martial Arts—Devouring Abyss!

Boom!

With a single palm strike, a dark abyss appeared within the remnant soul mist, devouring it.

Vaguely, Jiang Buling thought he heard an eerie and strange sound, like evil laughter, emanating from within the remnant soul mist.

"Hmph, do you think you can influence my soul and will? How naive," Jiang Buling shook his head.

He sent messages to his senior and second senior martial brothers but received no reply, which caused him to furrow his brows. However, he wasn't overly worried. Both his senior martial brothers possessed extraordinary martial arts skills. While these unusual phenomena could threaten True King Heavenly Venerates and even Immortal Heavenly Venerates, his senior martial brothers were more than capable of handling the situation.

As the remnant soul mist disappeared, the wilderness returned to its lonely silence.

Jiang Buling rearranged his formation and entered a state of cultivation, refining the power of the remnant soul mist.

...

The green flame danced, resembling a distorted face, and an eerie aura permeated the surroundings.

The flame grew larger, its coverage expanding, like a giant silk cloth enveloping the darkness within it.

Xu Yan was within the green flame, and the Unyielding Yin-Yang Sword pulsed with an unending vitality. The Non-Annihilation Sword Intent surrounded him, and a faint dragon might also emerged.

Suddenly, the green flame appeared, moving at an incredible speed and engulfing him.

The flame resembled a human face, sometimes appearing like a kind and honest man, and at other times, it looked sinister and evil.

It was as if two people were entangled in a fierce struggle.

"What is this?" Xu Yan frowned, perplexed. He couldn't sense any dangerous aura from the green flame, but he remained vigilant. The green flame was undeniably bizarre.

The flickering green flame erupted with intensity, emitting a loud rumble and the sounds of battle. A furious roar and deep, sinister laughter echoed as well.

Boom!

The green flame transformed, and the surroundings seemed to distort, no longer the pitch-black wilderness.

Xu Yan's heart tightened as he remained vigilant, sensing the situation around him. A golden dragon appeared faintly within his body, and the unyielding sword intent transformed into a gentle breeze that encircled him.

"What is this?"

Suddenly, Xu Yan's expression turned to one of shock.

It was as if he had entered a realm of chaos, infinite and boundless, misty and hazy, with unyielding qi floating endlessly. And within this unyielding qi were strands of violent spiritual energy.

Seeing this spiritual energy, Xu Yan felt as though he had returned to the Borderland. The spiritual energy there was violent due to its disconnection from the heavenly essence.

But the spiritual energy here was even more violent, a hundred times more intense than that of the Borderland.

If the spiritual energy within the heavenly essence was like gentle water, and that of the Borderland was like scalding water, then the spiritual energy within this chaotic realm was like molten iron!

"What kind of place is this?"

Xu Yan began to understand. The green flame had come into contact with his unyielding sword intent and sensed the unyielding qi within, thus triggering this transformation.

"Kill!"

A furious roar, seemingly from ancient times, echoed through the chaos. Dozens of incredibly powerful silhouettes emerged, charging towards a certain location within the chaos.

An intense battle erupted, leaving Xu Yan stunned.

In the face of this battle, even a fight between Immortal Heavenly Venerates would seem like an ant's struggle!

Suddenly, a faint glow appeared in the chaos, and a vague figure could be seen.

"What... What kind of powerful being is that?"

At that moment, Xu Yan felt an aura similar to the one his master exuded. This figure gave him a sense of profound mystery, just like his master.

No, it was slightly different from his master's profound and unfathomable aura. His master's aura was mysterious yet ordinary and simple, closer to the concept of 'Dao.'

But this figure exuded an aura that would make warriors want to worship and revere, as if it were a towering saint.

"A saint?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xu Yan's mind—the Saint Sword Realm! The Great Saint of the Sword, before which no sword would dare to disobey or oppose, and no sword could dare to challenge.

He had always wondered what the Saint Sword Realm truly was.

How does one cultivate and reach the Saint Sword Realm?

At this moment, seeing this vague figure, he felt a sudden enlightenment. He seemed to understand, at least in part, the greatness of a saint and what it meant for all swords to submit.

"Saint Sword Realm!"

Xu Yan murmured, his mind flashing with insight. He felt he was just a thin layer away from fully comprehending how to cultivate the Saint Sword Realm.

"What realm does this figure belong to?"

Xu Yan was shaken to his core. This towering figure, whose face he couldn't see, was incredibly powerful, capable of commanding the reverence of warriors.

"I am not a warrior of Great Desolation. If one from Great Desolation were to see this, wouldn't they lose all fighting spirit?"

Xu Yan's heart trembled with awe.

"I have only achieved a small success in the Wisdom Sword Realm, so this figure doesn't affect me. For a warrior of Great Desolation, the influence would also be limited."

In the realm of chaos, the vague figure took a step forward, and with a wave of its hand, the chaos parted, revealing a radiant light as it charged towards the depths of the chaos.

Suddenly, Xu Yan heard an angry roar.

"Dark Shaman!"

The scene before him shifted, and floating within the chaos, he saw a radiant... world!

"Is this a world?"

Xu Yan was shocked once again.

The scene rapidly zoomed in, and the source of the angry roar descended upon this world.

As it drew closer, the contours of the world became clearer, and its vastness became more apparent.

With a thunderous boom in his mind, Xu Yan recalled the martial arts of the Heaven and Earth Realm.

To become one with the heavens and the earth!

His sword techniques also surfaced in his mind—the myriad phenomena of mountains and rivers, and the mountains and rivers within the Divine Sword.

Enlightenment blossomed in his heart.

It was as if, in the next moment, he would fully comprehend the martial arts of the Heaven and Earth Realm.

Boom!

A fierce battle erupted, shaking the world and causing a brutal slaughter.

The green light withered the world, corroding all life, while another powerful force continuously shattered the green light.

Suddenly, with a loud rumble, a ball of light exploded, and the battle gradually subsided.

"A mutual destruction?"

Xu Yan muttered to himself.

At that moment, he realized that the green flame, with its changing faces, was formed due to the entanglement of the wills of two extremely powerful beings who had perished together.

The scenes he witnessed were some of the things these two powerful beings had seen in the past.

The two who had perished together were incredibly powerful, to the point where an Immortal Heavenly Venerate would seem like an insignificant ant in comparison.

And that towering figure... his strength was terrifying beyond belief.

Such formidable beings would undoubtedly have their rivals.

"I'm still too weak. The powerhouses in this world surpass my imagination."

Xu Yan's heart was filled with awe.

However, he quickly shook off his astonishment and resolved to become just as powerful one day.

As the haze and visions faded, all that remained was the flickering green flame.

Xu Yan's mind was filled with the scenes he had just witnessed, and he felt a sense of enlightenment. He was just a hair's breadth away from fully comprehending the Heaven and Earth Realm.

He also gained some insight into the cultivation of the Saint Sword Realm.

"The Seven Wonders Divine Flower should be able to help me achieve complete enlightenment."

Xu Yan's excitement grew.

"Since I've encountered this opportunity, I must not let it slip by. Merge into my Mountain and River Phenomenon!"

Looking at the green flame, which was formed by the intertwining remnants of two supremely powerful beings, Xu Yan's will manifested, and the Mountain and River Phenomenon emerged, enveloping the flame.

He intended to refine the green flame and incorporate the scenes within it into his Mountain and River Phenomenon, turning them into a depiction of a great battle.

"One of them was called Dark Shaman. What about the other?"

Xu Yan remembered the name of one of the formidable beings and decided to ask his master about the other.

Within the Mountain and River Phenomenon, a gentle breeze blew upon the green flame, and the Unyielding Sword Intent rippled within it. Once again, the scenes from the flame were projected.

As the darkness dissipated, the sky lightened, and the green flame vanished.

Xu Yan smiled. With a single thought, a grand battle scene appeared within his Mountain and River Phenomenon.

The battle depicted within was so powerful that even an Immortal Heavenly Venerate would be intimidated.

"My Mountain and River Phenomenon has become stronger, especially with this battle scene. Even an Immortal Heavenly Venerate would be shaken!"

Xu Yan was thrilled as his strength increased once more.

The vast wilderness was now illuminated by the morning light, and silence reigned. The desolate aura of the heavens and earth permeated the land.

Xu Yan took out a communication token and sent a reply to Jiang Buling. Then, he proceeded to send a message to his master, inquiring about the formidable being named Dark Shaman.

"Should I head to the Long Cloud Realm now? Once I arrive, I'll find a place to seclude myself and consume the Seven Wonders Divine Flower."

Xu Yan continued on his journey.

In another part of the wilderness, Meng Chong opened his eyes, revealing a joyful expression.

With a single thought, two stars appeared within his orifices. These stars seemed to contain the essence of the abyss, capable of entrapping an enemy's physical body.

These were the two gigantic eyes he had encountered, which he had subdued using the power of the Unyielding Starry Sky. Now, he had refined them and integrated them into his orifices.

The power contained within those eyes had transformed into two stars, and their energy seemed to emanate from a deep and sinister abyss, capable of ensnaring one's physical body.

"With these two Physical Body Stars, once I use them, very few warriors of the same realm will be able to resist their effects.

Those with inferior strength will have their physical bodies entrapped, hindering their movements and causing fatigue, resulting in a significant decrease in their combat prowess."

Meng Chong was delighted by this unexpected gain, considering it a fortunate opportunity.

"Dark Shaman? What kind of powerful being was this, that even the residual power left after the destruction of his eyes is so useful?"

Meng Chong was intrigued. He took out a communication token and decided to ask his master about this mysterious being.

During the process of refining the two giant eyes, he had caught glimpses of scenes and could confirm that this Dark Shaman was an extraordinarily formidable being.

"I'll pass through the Long Cloud Realm, treating it as a brief stop on my journey to the Great Flame Realm..."

Meng Chong continued on his path.

He had no intention of entering the Long Cloud Realm's Sky Cave for training.

Qinghua Realm.

Li Xuan couldn't help but marvel at his disciples' achievements. They had even defeated Immortal Heavenly Venerates, shocking the entire Nine Mountains Realm, right?

"Your disciple has defeated an Immortal Heavenly Venerate. You've obtained the Reverse Massacre!"

Reverse Massacre was a technique that allowed one to turn the tables and achieve a decisive victory, even against an enemy up to three times their strength.

"With this, your strength and confidence have increased!"

Li Xuan was overjoyed.

Now that they had communication tokens that could transmit messages across vast distances, Li Xuan could easily keep in touch with his three disciples. The brothers frequently exchanged messages, and Li Xuan was privy to all their communications.

"Are they crossing the wilderness?"

"This wilderness has some unique phenomena, but it doesn't seem dangerous. None of the jade tokens I gave them have been triggered, so I assume they're safe."

Just then, Xu Yan sent him a message.

"Wow, those were beings beyond the bounds of the world? There must have been an incredible battle in the past, perhaps related to the Great Desolation of the Tai Cang. That towering figure was ridiculously strong."

As Li Xuan read Xu Yan's message, describing what he had seen and heard, he couldn't help but be amazed.

"Dark Shaman? I don't bother remembering the names of insignificant beings!"

Li Xuan replied nonchalantly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end