Chapter 546: Killing a Ninth-Rank Beast
Chapter 546: Killing a Ninth-Rank Beast
【Primordial Path: Nurturing Path】
【Experience: 2814 points】
After absorbing the insights of the Nurturing Path, Chen Mu glanced at his system panel and saw that his Nurturing Path experience had reached over two thousand seven hundred points, leaving him just a tiny step away from attaining enlightenment in the Nurturing Dao.
"It's almost here."
Chen Mu took a deep breath, and a faint light flickered in his eyes.
The gains from this trip to the Source Continent far exceeded his initial expectations. He had hoped to obtain a Nurturing Path artifact that would aid him in comprehending the Nurturing Dao within ten years.
However, not only did he acquire more than one Nurturing Path artifact, but he also gathered an abundance of various materials. Even his progress in the Nurturing Dao itself had advanced by leaps and bounds, and he was now close to attaining enlightenment.
With the Nurturing Dao enlightenment within reach, Chen Mu naturally wouldn't waste any time.
Whoosh!
His figure flickered, and he once again merged into the void, dashing towards a distant location.
As he passed through the air, his senses were fully extended, and the void fluctuations within a radius of several thousand zhang appeared in his mind. Whenever he sensed a beast, he immediately changed direction. He could effortlessly annihilate seventh-rank beasts with a snap of his fingers, and even eighth-rank beasts were no match for him, except for those of the Nurturing lineage, whose vitality was too vigorous, requiring him to exert some effort.
After venturing deep into the interior of the Source Continent for several thousand li, Chen Mu finally encountered a formidable opponent.
A ninth-rank Nurturing Beast!
"Roar!"
The beast's roar shook the heavens and the earth, and in the dimness, a massive beast with a golden-black body, measuring over ten zhang in size, appeared in mid-air. Its sharp claws tore through the sky, and with a ferocious strike, it smashed towards Chen Mu.
Facing this attack, Chen Mu's expression remained largely unchanged. He stood in place with his hands behind his back, and with a slight thought, his entire being quietly merged into the formless void before the giant claw descended.
Boom!!!
The beast's claw struck nothing but air, but the immense force of this strike still slammed into the void, covering an area of several hundred zhang. Finally, the entire earth shook with a loud rumble.
"Interesting."
This claw strike caused a silent, muffled hum to echo from within the void, and then, several dozen zhang away, the formless void twisted, revealing a human face that looked towards the Nurturing Beast. A faint light flashed in its eyes.
This ninth-rank Nurturing Beast was indeed formidable, and its power was overwhelming. With his body merged into the void, Chen Mu used the void to disperse and bear the brunt of the attack, leaving only a tiny fraction to pass through and land on his body. Even then, it still retained some of its power, causing his vitality to weaken by about one-thousandth.
In other words,
The Ethereal State alone was not enough to completely ignore the attacks of this beast.
The main issue, however, was that Chen Mu had not yet truly stepped into the Divine Realm and cultivated the Divine Body of Immortality. Although the so-called 'Immortality' was relative to the Primordial Path and the means below the Divine Realm, it was still formidable.
For example, in the Great Xuan World, those who cultivated the Divine Body of Immortality could not have their skin damaged by any attacks from cultivators, no matter how many joined forces. Even if they managed to inflict minor injuries, their recovery speed would far surpass the damage.
However, this Immortal Body was not truly 'Immortal' when faced with the power of the Primordial Dao.
The strike from the Nurturing Beast instantly erased nearly one-thousandth of Chen Mu's vitality. This was a fundamental annihilation, a power that controlled 'Life and Death.' This annihilation even left a trace of the 'Death' principle on his body, preventing him from quickly recovering his vitality. He first had to eliminate this power of death.
Fortunately, Chen Mu now also possessed the power of the Nurturing Path, and erasing this power of death was not difficult. He withstood the beast's attack in the Ethereal State to gauge its strength.
"Roar!"
The Nurturing Beast let out a low roar, and its enormous crimson eyes suddenly turned towards Chen Mu's direction. Then, it raised its giant claw and struck again!
Although Chen Mu had merged with the void and was in the Ethereal State, making it impossible for normal means to detect his presence or locate his position, this Nurturing Beast could do so because the Nurturing Dao had its unique 'sensing' ability—control over life and death!
It could directly capture Chen Mu's vitality!
However, this time, its attack did not land.
Within the void, a surging force rippled, and the void energy, mixed with the power of Time and Nurturing, transformed into a giant fist that met the beast's attack. The fist and the giant claw collided in the void.
Boom!!
Accompanying this earth-shattering impact,
Two formidable forces clashed, and after a brief stalemate, the Creation Beast roared, its massive claws vibrating before it finally flipped backward, its colossal body staggering two steps back, repelled by Chen Mu's frontal assault!
"A Creation Beast, indeed worthy of a kill."
Chen Mu's figure emerged from the void, gazing at the beast before him, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes.
This was the second Ninth-Rank Creation Beast he had encountered. The first was a Void Beast, and while their combat prowess and destructive capabilities were comparable, being of the same rank, the Void Beast was undoubtedly more challenging to deal with.
Chen Mu himself cultivated the Void Path, so he was well aware of its intricacies. The ability to merge with the void alone allowed him to face three to five Ninth-Rank beasts with ease.
On the other hand, the Creation Beast, despite possessing offensive abilities directly related to the mysteries of life and death, lacked the ability to merge with the void and other chaotic techniques. It relied solely on brute force, which made it easier for Chen Mu to handle.
Moreover, he was in need of nurturing his Creation Path. Slaying a Ninth-Rank Creation Beast would yield valuable Creation experience, filling the gaps in his cultivation and elevating his Creation Path to the level of enlightenment!
Previously, he had shown no interest in the Ninth-Rank Void Beast due to the low payoff.
Swish!
Chen Mu casually drew his Void Severing Sword, brandishing it in mid-air. In an instant, countless sword beams rained down like a storm upon the Creation Beast.
Each beam carried the power of the void, time, and creation, making them incredibly swift. In a flash, they tore through the void, striking the beast's body!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each strike, a buzzing sound reverberated, leaving behind pitted marks on the beast's body, shattering its scaly armor.
"Roarrrr!"
The beast roared in pain under Chen Mu's assault. It had tried to dodge at the first sign of Chen Mu's attack, but as a Creation Beast, its speed was no match for the power of the void and time.
After enduring Chen Mu's full onslaught, the beast roared and retaliated, slashing the sky horizontally with its claws, unleashing streaks of pitch-black thunder.
This was indeed thunder power, but it was not pure; it was mixed with a hint of annihilation.
Chen Mu, having experienced this before, didn't attempt to resist. A glimmer flashed in his eyes, and a seven-colored aura enveloped him, accelerating his movements. He deftly dodged through the gaps in the thunder.
Swish!
Chen Mu's figure flickered, appearing beside the beast. His Void Severing Sword thrust forward, infused with void energy, piercing the beast's scales and penetrating its body.
Chen Mu's body transformed into a beam of light, skimming along the beast's outer scales, leaving behind a gaping tear nearly ten zhang long!
However, the seemingly severe wound quickly healed. No blood oozed from the tear; instead, the entire body was filled with a thick, black, viscous substance.
"Roarrrr..."
The beast roared in anger and lashed out with its claws again.
Chen Mu, empowered by the void and time, effortlessly dodged the attack. He struck again with his sword, tearing the beast's scales once more and forcing a burst of annihilation energy into its body.
In a book, a number, a word, a glance, and a mistake are all distinct.
Buzz!
The annihilation energy exploded within the beast, eradicating some of the viscous black substance, but the wound swiftly closed.
The Ninth-Rank Creation Beast's vitality was incredibly robust, almost unimaginable. Despite Chen Mu's repeated strikes, even the direct infusion of annihilation energy into its body, the beast's aura remained unwavering.
However, Chen Mu had also cultivated the Nurturing Path, granting him a subtle perception of life force. He sensed that after enduring his attacks, the Creation Beast's overall vitality had weakened slightly, by about one-thousandth, and it continued to diminish over time as the beast drew healing power from its surroundings.
"When the Primordial Path reaches a certain level, each has its own unique challenges."
Chen Mu wasn't surprised by this. These beasts lacked divine armaments, and their Ninth-Rank strength was purely derived from the Primordial Path, often manifesting as embodiments of primordial force.
This Transformation Beast was indeed a formidable opponent, possessing an incredibly resilient life force. After a series of tests, Chen Mu was certain he could slay this beast.
Before he cultivated the Nurturing Path, killing this beast would have been nearly impossible.
His 'Annihilation' technique was the only move capable of inflicting significant damage, and prior to mastering the Nurturing Path, he could only activate it by simultaneously entering the Void and Ethereal States, which placed immense strain on his body, allowing for only three to five strikes at most. This was clearly insufficient to defeat the beast.
But now, having cultivated the Nurturing Path, he could effortlessly unleash 'Annihilation', and with a bit of focus, he could even reach the peak of Below Divine Ninth Rank in power. This strength was more than enough to significantly impact the beast.
As time passed, the beast continuously absorbed the Origin Site's energy to heal itself, but Chen Mu's offensive capabilities were still superior, and its recovery couldn't keep up with the damage inflicted.
Once Chen Mu confirmed this, he calmed his mind and engaged the beast in a prolonged battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground shook with each thunderous boom, cracking and sending dust flying. Chen Mu's shadow danced and shifted, battling a massive golden-black beast.
The fight dragged on, marking Chen Mu's longest battle since entering the Origin Site, lasting a full two days.
The commotion attracted the attention of alien beings, who approached but quickly retreated upon witnessing the battle, their faces paling. They knew that someone was hunting a Nurturing Ninth Rank beast, and only a Below Divine Ninth Rank being would dare observe such a fight.
After two days of intense combat, the beast's vitality had significantly weakened, its life force reduced to a mere three-tenths of its initial strength.
"Roar!"
With a final low growl, the beast lost its will to fight and attempted to flee.
However, after two days of battle, Chen Mu wasn't about to let it escape, especially since it was a Nurturing Path beast with an incredibly resilient life force. Escaping from Chen Mu, who possessed both Void and Time powers, was impossible.
Boom!
As the beast attempted to flee, Chen Mu pursued, striking it with each catch, leaving wounds on its back.
After nearly an hour of this chase, the beast's life force finally dropped below a certain threshold, causing its strength to rapidly deteriorate. It could no longer withstand Chen Mu's attacks.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Chen Mu unleashed hundreds of sword beams, enveloping the beast. The relentless bombardment eventually created a massive pit in the ground, and a void-piercing sword beam took the beast's final breath.
At the bottom of the pit, the beast's body, now a mere husk, froze for a moment before exploding into a formless cloud of Nurturing Energy, leaving behind a two-finger-sized Origin Shard and a massive Nurturing Insight.
"Huff..."
Chen Mu slowly sheathed his Voidbreaker Sword and exhaled.
The two-day-long battle had been non-stop, and while his Void and Time powers, fueled by the Primordial Dao, were inexhaustible, the process had taken a toll on his mental energy.
Fortunately, combining the Nurturing Path with Void and Time powers minimized the strain on his mind, and his Soul Spirit Realm had long since reached the Indestructible Realm, allowing for swift recovery.
In the end, the beast was just a beast, a product of the Creation Dao with extremely limited intelligence, even less than the Heavenly Demons of the Great Xuan World. Had it been smarter, it might have fled upon realizing its defeat, making it extremely difficult to wear down and kill a beast with such a robust life force.
Swish.
Chen Mu sheathed his sword and stepped into the pit.
The Origin Shard left behind by the Nurturing Ninth Rank beast was larger than he had anticipated, equivalent to the remnants of over a dozen Eighth Rank beasts.
(End of Chapter)
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