Chapter 678 - 672: A Critical Situation

Reshaping the body was a long process. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Shen Haoran’s left arm had completely grown out, its purple-black scales gleaming with a cold luster. His fingers had transformed into sharp claws, and as he clenched his fist, it felt as if he could easily shatter mountains and split rocks. An endless stream of power surged through him, making Shen Haoran let out a satisfied groan.

"Demon Dragon Claw!" As he gazed at the purple-black arm, information about it suddenly surfaced in his mind. ’This must be what happens after awakening the Chaos Divine Body with the Wood Spirit Cyan Profound.’

By now, Shen Haoran had completed the Refinement of three Heaven and Earth Spirits, and his Chaos Divine Body was three-fifths awakened. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian had granted him the Qilin Arm and Vermilion Bird Wings, the Earth Spirit Profound Nether had given him the Black Tortoise Shield, and the Wood Spirit Cyan Profound had bestowed upon him the Demon Dragon Claw. With both his arms and torso now strengthened, Shen Haoran was practically a humanoid Fierce Beast.

Once his left arm finished growing, the remaining purple-black Energy quickly surged into every part of Shen Haoran’s body. A massive amount of this Energy poured into his Primordial Small World like a tidal wave, and immediately after, the aura around Shen Haoran began to skyrocket.

"Tier Four Spirit Aspect, Tier Five Spirit Aspect... Tier Eight Spirit Aspect!" Just moments later, Shen Haoran’s strength shot up from Tier Three Spirit Aspect all the way to Tier Eight Spirit Aspect. This incredible leap in power made his face light up with ecstasy. ’Last time, the Refinement of the Earth Spirit Profound Nether only raised my Level by four tiers. This time, refining the Wood Spirit Cyan Profound let me jump five whole tiers! This leveling speed is just exhilarating!’

Shen Haoran had no reason to worry about the side effects of an unstable foundation from this explosive power surge. The Spiritual Power that had flooded his body was a direct gift from the newly integrated Spirit Seed. Its purity was far beyond that of the ambient Spiritual Power of the outside world. Thus, not only was this power-up harmless to Shen Haoran, but it also elevated his combat strength far beyond others at his current stage.

After a long while, Shen Haoran’s strength finally stabilized at the Tier Eight Spirit Aspect stage. A formidable aura erupted from his body, causing the surrounding trees to tremble under his might. Leaves rained down from their branches.

A moment later, the formidable aura vanished. Shen Haoran slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his body with delighted surprise. He could feel that his physique had made another breakthrough after this third awakening. ’With this body, I could probably take a direct hit from a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse and be fine. And if I use the Black Tortoise Shield, even an expert at the Spirit Emperor Peak wouldn’t be able to touch me... unless they specialize in purely offensive attacks.’

"Congratulations, Brother Haoran! Your strength has soared!" Ji Lingxuan said with a bright smile as she approached him.

"Haha, but I still can’t catch up to you!" Shen Haoran laughed. He was, however, still shocked. ’Even after the third awakening of my Chaos Divine Body and my strength rocketing to the Tier Eight Spirit Aspect stage, I can still feel an oppressive power radiating from her. I have no idea how strong Ji Lingxuan really is.’

"That’s only for now," Ji Lingxuan said with a gentle smile, her eyes filled with hope. "I believe that one day, Brother Haoran will become far, far stronger than I am!"

"Of course I will," Shen Haoran said, clenching his fists, his eyes brimming with confidence. "I have to be your strongest pillar of support!"

"Right, how long have we been down here?" Shen Haoran asked, suddenly remembering something.

"It’s been almost a month. What’s wrong?" Ji Lingxuan replied, mentally calculating the days.

"A month?" Shen Haoran’s face fell. "Damn it, Lady Ya’s injuries..." Without another word of explanation, he swept Ji Lingxuan into his arms, unfurled his Vermilion Bird Wings, and shot toward the surface.

...

Back on the surface, beside the deep well that held the Seal for the Wood Spirit Cyan Profound, Long Aotian was pacing back and forth, staring anxiously into its depths.

A month ago, while heading to the Medicine Hall to claim his reward, Shen Haoran had asked him to go to the Medicine Hall’s outpost in Burning Flame City and bring a woman named Lady Ya to the Cyan Dragon Race’s territory. Judging by Shen Haoran’s expression, Long Aotian knew she was incredibly important to him. Lady Ya’s condition had been stable when he first brought her over, but just a few days ago, her residence had become shrouded in a black, poisonous fog. Any Maid who approached it died instantly, and even Long Aotian himself couldn’t get near the house. He knew at once that something was terribly wrong and had rushed to the Medicine Hall to find Shen Haoran, but he had already been down in this well for a month, and there had been no sign of him since.

’Brother Shen, where are you? Why aren’t you out yet!’ Long Aotian’s brow was furrowed with worry. Lady Ya’s condition was deteriorating. If Shen Haoran didn’t appear soon, she might not be able to hold on.

Just as Long Aotian’s anxiety peaked, a stream of purple-black light erupted from the well. The powerful shockwave blasted him backward, sending him spinning through the air before he could regain his footing.

"Brother Shen!" Long Aotian cried out in delight when he saw the figure that leaped from the well. But his joy quickly turned to shock as he felt the formidable aura radiating from Shen Haoran, and he froze on the spot.

"T-Tier Eight Spirit Aspect!" Long Aotian’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. ’When he left a month ago, Shen Haoran’s Cultivation was only at Tier Three Spirit Aspect. It’s only been a month, and he’s jumped five entire tiers! That’s a heaven-defying level-up!’

"Brother Shen, your Cultivation...?" Long Aotian couldn’t help but ask.

"We can talk about that later," Shen Haoran said, cutting straight to the point. "Are you here because something happened to Lady Ya?"

"Yes," Long Aotian said gravely. "Lady Ya’s house is shrouded in a black poisonous fog. Even I can’t get inside. I have no idea what the situation is like in there now."

Hearing this, Shen Haoran’s face grew grim. Without wasting time on explanations for Long Aotian, his figure flickered and he raced toward the heart of the Cyan Dragon Race’s territory with Ji Lingxuan. He understood from Long Aotian’s words that the Seal he and Elder Yan had jointly placed within Lady Ya’s body had been broken by the Bloodthirsty Godslaying Powder. That meant her situation was critical.

Anxious, Shen Haoran went so far as to use his Heaven-Dominating Tribulation to boost his power, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. Moments later, he arrived back in the Cyan Dragon Race’s domain.

When Shen Haoran saw the house enveloped in the swirling black fog, his heart sank. ’Such a dense poisonous fog... It must have been created when the Bloodthirsty Godslaying Powder consumed the Nine-tailed White Fox Bloodline in Lady Ya’s body. It looks like the situation is even worse than I feared!’

"Bloodthirsty Godslaying Powder... How could it be this?" Ji Lingxuan’s brow furrowed as she stared at the black fog, a flicker of disgust in her eyes. To those who possessed Bloodline Power, a substance like this was utterly detestable.

"I’ll explain later. I’m going in to save her!" Shen Haoran said grimly. Then, before the shocked eyes of the others, he plunged headfirst into the black poisonous fog...