Chapter 422: The Fall of the Heaven-Human
Chapter 422: The Fall of the Heaven-Human
"Cough, cough..."
Spirit Huan's body was covered in cracks, resembling a shattered porcelain statue, his appearance terrifying. After another clash with Chen Mu, he coughed violently, causing the cracks on his body to deepen further, and blood flowed incessantly.
Below, the Seekwood power he had forcefully stimulated now spread into a vast tree sea, but it gradually withered, unable to hold back the numerous Grandmasters, including Hong Shida, who were breaking through the formation.
At this moment, anyone could see that Spirit Huan, an ancient Spirit Folk, was like a flickering candle in the wind, nearing its end.
Yet, as his life neared its conclusion, Spirit Huan showed no signs of struggle, maintaining his calm demeanor. After countless years, he had long accepted the inevitability of life and death. Gazing at Chen Mu, he suddenly spoke, "In your world beyond the heavens, you might not have defeated me."
"Perhaps," Chen Mu replied nonchalantly.
With Spirit Huan's abilities, reaching the Heaven-Human Realm in the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, he would undoubtedly be a pure Heaven-Human expert if born in the Great Xuan world. Without restrictions, a battle between them would be an unpredictable contest.
Even though Spirit Huan's physique was a weakness, ranking among the lowest in the Blood Replacement Realm, the Heaven-Human Unity greatly amplified his power. However, he was still in the Marrow Washing Realm and had yet to take that crucial step into the Blood Transformation Realm.
What Chen Mu didn't say was that in the Great Xuan world, Spirit Huan might have been an unrestricted Heaven-Human expert, but he would have undoubtedly transcended the Blood Transformation Realm, reaching the pinnacle of Body Tempering Martial Dao! He was destined not to be Chen Mu's match.
However, at this moment, Chen Mu had no intention of humiliating Spirit Huan. After all, he was a Heaven-Human expert and the first one Chen Mu had encountered. As the first to engage in battle, he had used his life to cover the retreat of Spirit Ancestor and the numerous Spirit Folk, earning Chen Mu's respect.
With Spirit Huan's capabilities, escaping alone would have been easy after unleashing such a taboo secret art. He could have likely fled without being stopped. But he chose not to, and by now, escaping was no longer an option. Chen Mu could see that Spirit Huan's body was on the verge of collapse, an irreversible disintegration.
"Let me show you my final move," Spirit Huan said, allowing the cracks on his body to deepen as he fixed his gaze on Chen Mu. Suddenly, he clasped his hands in front of him, and in an instant, the Seekwood below violently trembled. From all directions, an infinite amount of Seekwood tree crowns seemed to surge forward, channeling their power towards his body.
This action accelerated the destruction of his body but also caused his aura to surge uncontrollably.
The vast Seekwood that had entangled Hong Shida and the others now seemed to wither, as if its vitality was being drained. It quickly turned to dust and dissipated, leaving only Spirit Huan, bathed in the radiant light of Seekwood power.
His shattered body bled profusely, but the blood was not a pure crimson hue. Instead, it was tinged with a verdant green, not giving off a demonic vibe but rather a sense of sanctity.
Chen Mu stood tall, his expression unchanged.
Spirit Huan's demise was irreversible, and no matter how taboo his techniques, they couldn't threaten Chen Mu, who was on the same level. This was Spirit Huan's final strike, and Chen Mu was about to witness the ultimate move of a Heaven-Human expert.
Bathed in the radiant Seekwood power, Spirit Huan stared at Chen Mu, then shifted his gaze upwards towards the vast Seekwood tree crowns, resembling an umbrella, shielding the sky from view.
"Returning to the roots," Spirit Huan said.
In that instant, the surging Spirit Energy throughout the entire realm froze and solidified.
The wind ceased, and the swaying Seekwood branches became silent.
The vast Seekwood, as if imbued with intelligence, seemed to emanate a sense of mourning, filling the entire Seekwood Heavenly Realm with a layer of desolation.
In the next moment, Spirit Ancestor's body, which had been bleeding, now stopped. Instead, he rapidly fell, crashing into a wide section of the Seekwood tree.
As he hit the ground, the blood that had been flowing from his body transformed into verdant green fragments, and his entire being gradually turned from emerald to a deep brown, merging with the Seekwood below, becoming one with the tree!
"Oh no," someone exclaimed.
"Go!"
Hong Shida and the other Grandmasters, who were nearby, witnessed this scene and initially froze, but quickly realized the gravity of the situation. Almost everyone's faces changed dramatically as they rushed to escape with all their might.
In the very moment when countless Grandmasters retreated, Spirit Huan, who had merged with Seekwood, transformed his body into a part of the wood, becoming an extended branch. It suddenly grew and spread in all directions, unleashing countless branches.
The sky was filled with branches attacking Hong Shida and other Grandmasters. The thickest branch headed straight for Chen Mu, swiftly spanning the sky and reaching right before him.
"The leaves return to their roots, and so the curtain falls, fitting for the end of a Heaven Person," Spirit Huan said.
Chen Mu faced the approaching thick branch, which was different from Spirit Huan's previous techniques. It had completely merged with the vast Seekwood, like a strike from the wood itself. It was as if the mighty power of the heavens was overwhelming and unstoppable.
However, Chen Mu was not afraid. Having already harnessed the power of the Aura and mastered the Heaven-Earth Martial Dao, he waved his hand, gathering and weaving the Eight Trigrams of Light into a rotating Taiji pattern, which then contracted inward, converging into a single point.
"The heavens and earth unite!"
This was the ultimate technique of the Heaven Earth Wheel Seal. In the past, he had struggled to execute this move, but after reaching the pinnacle of Bone Marrow Washing, with all seven Body Tempering realms at their limit, he had achieved perfection. Finally, he could combine all his power into one.
The Eight Trigrams of Light, which had been rotating and converging due to their mutual generation, now completely overlapped and converged into a single point, condensing into a light that resembled the Heaven-Earth Martial Dao, yet also seemed like the Primordial Chaos. A faint, flickering light descended from above.
This light fell into the extended Seekwood branch.
The entire branch's growth suddenly slowed, as if mired in a swamp, gradually coming to a halt. Eventually, it froze in mid-air, just under two zhang away from Chen Mu.
"A faint light will bloom from the tip of the branch, and then inch by inch, it will spread backward. Wherever it spreads, the Seekwood leaves will quickly vanish, turning to ashes and dust."
The light shone, and the branch extending toward Chen Mu began to wither and fade, crumbling all the way to the ground.
Even the branches that had extended in other directions, attacking Yan Hong and the other Grandmasters, attempting to drag everyone down with them, were affected. Their speed slowed to a crawl, and in the end, only a handful of people were swept up, while the rest managed to escape the approaching Seekwood branches, retreating to a safe distance.
"Ah..."
A sigh seemed to echo from the depths of Spirit Huan's consciousness.
His physical body had long disappeared, completely transformed into a part of the Seekwood branch. Though no longer in human form, as a Heaven Person, his soul had not yet completely vanished, still merging with the heavens and earth.
The faint light from the branch's tip bloomed and spread backward, and wherever it went, the Seekwood leaves withered and turned to dust.
As this was the intent of Spirit Huan's soul, Chen Mu, being the closest, could sense it. It was not spoken words but a pure intent, and so he understood without the need for explanation. However, Spirit Huan's lingering regret, his final thought of 'home,' caused Chen Mu to pause.
Home...
His last remaining glimmer of spirit light conveyed this intent, and then his soul completely faded, dissipating into the heavens and earth.
Chen Mu looked up at the vast Seekwood tree, spanning tens of thousands of miles, and at the tree's core, the Seekwood Heavenly Realm. Spirit Huan had 'returned to his roots,' but his final thought, his lingering regret, was of 'home.'
If this wasn't his home, then where was his home? Chen Mu wondered, but ultimately, he restrained his thoughts and did not delve further.
Perhaps...
Just as he had suspected.
In the vast Seekwood Heavenly Realm, connected to the Great Xuan world, there should also exist an even larger Heavenly Realm, perhaps one as vast as the Great Xuan world itself. And this Seekwood Heavenly Realm might not be solely connected to the Great Xuan world.
However, these were merely his speculations. At least for now, the void remained beyond his reach, and his gaze could not penetrate through it to see what lay beyond. Even if he tore through the dark void, he saw nothing, only feeling the chaotic power of the void like a tide.
Beyond the Void.
This was an unexplored forbidden ground, with no records in the entire Great Xuan world's history. One could say that no one was truly qualified to venture behind the void rift. Even the most elite Heaven Person experts couldn't achieve this feat.
"..."
Chen Mu focused his thoughts, then turned his gaze to the distance, sweeping over the scattered group of Grandmasters.
Fang Yuan, who had accompanied him, never approached the battlefield. He had been the first to retreat, avoiding being caught in the fray. The Grandmaster from the Hehuan Sect, Liu Qingyan, had also noticed the danger and retreated at the first sign of trouble. None of them had been harmed, and most of the others had also escaped unharmed, except for a few three to five Grandmasters who were slightly weaker and slower to react, and had been swept up in Ling Huan's final counterattack, becoming nourishment for the Seekwood giant tree.
After glancing at Yan Hong, Fang Yuan, Liu Qingyan, and the others, Chen Mu didn't approach them for a conversation. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the distance, his eyes flashing with profound depth, before taking a step forward and disappearing into the forest.
In the distance.
Yan Hong and the numerous Grandmasters who had scattered and fled, saw the Seekwood branches that had swept in all directions come to a halt. After a moment of surveying their surroundings, they soon gathered together once more.
"Is he dead?"
Yan Hong looked towards the direction where Ling Huan had last been, taking a deep breath and speaking with a heavy tone.
"He's dead."
Yan Zheng also stared at that direction, and at this moment, he slowly spoke, "The Heaven Person's power is dissipating, and his body has been completely eroded and assimilated by the Seekwood's power. There's no chance of reversing this."
At this very moment.
The entire Seekwood Heavenly Realm was filled with a sorrowful atmosphere.
The fall of a Heaven Person, a tragedy for all! Wei Shuxian's eyes were filled with apprehension as he said, "I never thought this old fellow would still have such a move..."
That last strike was terrifying. If not for Chen Mu bearing the brunt of the attack and forcibly stopping the final blow, the casualties on their side might have been even more severe. Over a hundred Grandmasters, half of them injured or killed, was a very real possibility!
"After all, it's the ultimate move of a Heaven Person, so it's normal for it to have such power." Liu Qingyan shook her head.
For Grandmasters, even the Blood Replacement Realm is already difficult to defend against, let alone the Heaven Person Realm. Ling Huan, who forcefully displayed the power of a Heaven Person using forbidden techniques, was indeed extremely terrifying.
"But at least he's dead, and now we can finally eliminate a major threat."
Jiang Han's voice came from not too far away, as he and several other Grandmasters regrouped.
At this moment, many of the Grandmasters showed expressions of having narrowly escaped death. Ling Huan's final strike was indeed frightening; even top-tier Grandmasters were able to escape, but those slightly weaker were in extreme danger. Now, with the danger resolved, they all felt a sense of relief.
At this moment, everyone's hearts were filled with shock. They never expected Chen Mu's strength to be able to rival even a Heaven Person, and ultimately defeat Ling Huan, causing the fall of the Spirit People's Ancestor!
With Ling Huan's death and Ling Ji's severe injury, the threat from the Spirit People had greatly diminished. Even the most elite Grandmasters wouldn't dare to face a severely injured Ling Ji.
"Where's Chen?"
Jiang Han looked around, but couldn't find Chen Mu's figure.
Some other Grandmasters were also searching for Chen Mu, but to no avail. However, everyone soon realized where Chen Mu had gone; with Ling Huan's death and Ling Ji's injury, there was only one place Chen Mu would be.
The core forbidden ground of Seekwood Heavenly Realm!
"What now?"
The numerous Grandmasters gradually gathered in one place, and Jiang Han turned to Yan Hong, Fang Yuan, and the other Grandmasters, speaking up.
"The core forbidden ground shouldn't be easy to breach, but since Ling Huan is dead, we can't let this opportunity slip by."
A Grandmaster from Tingchao Cliff responded with a deep voice.
After a thousand years and numerous battles, they finally had a chance to conquer the Spirit People's core forbidden ground. Such an opportunity couldn't be easily passed up, as no one knew how many Spirit Objects and resources the core area might hold.
Even with Chen Mu's presence, no one could compete with him for the resources. But even if Chen Mu took the majority, any small amount left behind would still be a significant gain.
"Let's go."
The group quickly reached a consensus and, without further hesitation, set off towards the core forbidden ground of Seekwood Heavenly Realm!
(End of Chapter)
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