Chapter 63: Lion Swarm Encirclement – What Use Is a Wood Attribute Spell?

Chapter 63: Lion Swarm Encirclement – What Use Is a Wood Attribute Spell?

How much benefit one gained from Yan Pond body tempering mainly depended on how much fiery energy a cultivator could endure and how long they could remain submerged in the pond water. The longer one soaked in the water and the shorter their rest periods afterward, the more advantageous it became.

Generally speaking, the closer one got to the inner layer of the pond water, the better the effects, but the fiercer the fiery energy became, allowing for shorter durations. Choosing the optimal balance of efficiency was key to achieving the best results.

But miraculously, Lin Ping An had discovered a hidden corner with a special small lake where the fiery energy was unusually mild. Xiao Chen had also benefited from this unique pool by proxy.

Having previously absorbed the Fire Spirit Crystal, Xiao Chen naturally possessed greater resistance to fiery energy, with most of it unable to penetrate his body. Combined with the fire talisman aiding in absorbing invasive energy and the special properties of this lake, soaking in the water felt almost effortless.

Lin Ping An needed to exit every two quarters of an hour to meditate and recover for three quarters, easing the fiery energy accumulating in his body. When he entered his second recovery phase, Xiao Chen was already focused on channeling fiery energy for body tempering. By his fourth recovery, Xiao Chen was using the energy to cleanse his meridians. By the sixth, he was lounging in the hot spring with half-closed eyes.

A full day passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Ping An had begun curious, then astonished, then stunned, and finally numb with disbelief. Rumors claimed Xiao Chen possessed a wood spirit root, but Lin now seriously doubted that. This guy must have a Fire Spirit Body instead. How is that even fair?

As Lin was questioning the meaning of life, Xiao Chen finally stood up from the lakeside. Lin perked up—had Xiao Chen finally reached his limit?

But Xiao Chen didn’t leave the lake. Instead, he merely adjusted his position, sitting cross-legged in the water with only his head above the surface.

Besides body tempering and healing hidden injuries, Yan Pond also accelerated spiritual energy circulation. Since Xiao Chen had no hidden injuries to mend, he decided to use the time to practice the new technique he’d acquired.

Feeling the disturbance in the surrounding heavenly qi, Lin Ping An went numb all over. Wordlessly, he moved to the far side of the lake to continue meditating.

By the final day, the lakeside was no longer barren. Thorned brambles, emerald green and sharp-tipped, had spread into the lake, coiling behind Xiao Chen like strands of hair.

“Splash!”

Xiao Chen stood, and the brambles surged with him, twisting through the air. As he turned his gaze, the thorny vines lashed out like living creatures, stabbing and slashing in unison. This was the Green Thorn Technique, one of the five elemental spells from the palace.

Lin Ping An had retreated fifty zhang away. “Senior Brother Xiao,” he called, “it’s time we returned.”

Xiao Chen dispersed his mana, and the brambles collapsed, quickly drying under the surrounding fiery energy. He stepped ashore, shook off the moisture, and stretched lazily. “Ah, that was refreshing. Let’s go, Senior Brother Lin.”

Lin corrected him immediately: “Calling you ‘Senior Brother’ is too formal. Cultivation honors those who achieve mastery first—you should call me ‘Junior Brother.’”

The path they took back differed from the one Xiao Chen had used earlier, suggesting multiple routes existed within the forbidden realm.

Along the way, they inevitably encountered several Double-Headed Lions. But the situation had changed.

With a mere flick of Xiao Chen’s finger, thorny vines shot forth, binding the beasts tightly. A casual wave of his hand shredded them into dozens of pieces.

Lin Ping An couldn’t resist asking, “Senior Brother Xiao, did you break through to lian qi stage 9 before coming here?”

“Lian qi stage 9?” Xiao Chen shook his head. “Before entering the forbidden realm, I’d only reached the eighth layer of qi cultivation.”

Lin Ping An glanced at the brambles, his large eyes brimming with doubt. “Senior Brother, you’re really only at the eighth layer?”

Xiao Chen added, “I encountered a Fire Spirit Crystal on another path.”

Lin Ping An fell silent, his heart heavy. Others thought he was always lucky enough to find treasures, but who knew the immense cost he paid for every divination?

Soon, he chuckled, resigned. “They say I’m fortunate, but truly, Senior Brother, you’re the one with Extreme Fortune.”

Xiao Chen humbly replied, “Not at all. Junior Brother Lin, you’ve also inherited a legacy perfectly suited to you. Your future prospects are boundless.”

While the two bantered casually, Ye Fei and the others were locked in a desperate battle.

Unlike ordinary disciples, they had come seeking Fire Crystals to use as spirit stones or gifts. After initial setbacks, they’d tempered their bodies in the innermost Yan Pond waters to adapt to the realm’s harsh environment.

Regrouping, they recruited several juniors eager to enter the inner layer, forming a party of twenty elites. This time, they’d prepared water-attribute spells and artifacts, using concentrated sword formations to defeat the Guardian Spirit Beast at the entrance and advance.

But soon, they found the Fire Crystals near the entrance already plundered. Venturing deeper, they were ambushed by beasts and trapped at a narrow cave mouth—a natural cavern where only two Double-Headed Lions could charge abreast. After losing four adults, the remaining thirty encircled them.

“Can we dig our way out from behind?” Liu Shi Qing asked anxiously.

Jiang Cungang shook his head. “We’ve tried. It’s a mine shaft—only Flying Swords can chip away at it slowly.”

“We’ve only dug ten zhang out in a day. We’ll never make it by the deadline.”

Chen Guangyu panicked. “What do we do? If we’re still trapped when time runs out, we’ll be sealed here for fifty years—sure death!”

Song Zhongwen ordered a halt to the digging and rotated the group for rest. “Yuanpeng, rest too. I’ll guard the entrance.” His voice remained firm: “We’ve no retreat left—we must break through.”

“To keep enough time for escape, we can’t wait until the last moment. In one hour, if the lions haven’t dispersed, we charge.”

Su Yuanpeng asked, “What’s the plan? How do we attack?”

Song Zhongwen strategized: “The left flank has the fewest lions. All sword cultivators focus there—open a breach fast, then flee through it.”

Chen Guangyu protested immediately. His cultivation base was weak; a chaotic retreat would doom him. “No one will guard the rear! The formation will collapse!”

Song Zhongwen stayed silent. Disarray was inevitable—but the only way to survive. Others understood, heads bowed, the mood grim.

When death loomed, luck decided survival.

An hour passed. The lion swarm remained.

Song Zhongwen coughed, producing a stack of talismans. “Fellow disciples, we’re out of time. I have Wooden Vine Talismans and Earth Shield Talismans—two per person. Use them well. May we meet again at the bridge.”

Chen Guangyu scoffed. “Wooden Vine Techniques are useless here! Forbidden realm’s full of fiery energy!”

“What use is a wood attribute spell?”

Song Zhongwen merely glanced at him coldly, handing each person two talismans without reply.

Suddenly, the lion swarm erupted in chaos. Roars shook the air.

Peering out, they saw dozens of emerald-green thorned brambles sweeping the sky. The lions lunged, only to be wrapped into green cocoons. From each cocoon, more brambles erupted outward.

Everyone froze, then slowly turned to stare at Chen Guangyu.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end