Chapter 241: Nine Dragons Competing for the Pearl
Chapter 241: Nine Dragons Competing for the Pearl
In the next instant, flames erupted beneath Cheng Lingyu’s feet as the supergravity field materialized, trapping the three Heavenly Palace experts.
“Gravity and flames? Not bad. But you forgot we’re Blood Martial Realm experts.”
The trio strode forward casually, aiming to crush him.
“The Blood Refinement Stage—the first tier of the Blood Martial Realm—tempers blood with soul fire to awaken its power. Your petty flames mean nothing.”
Cheng Lingyu remained silent. He cranked the gravity from five hundredfold to fifteen hundredfold and unleashed the Burning Sky Technique, weaving Nine Nether Flame and Black Desire Soul Devouring Flame into a lethal Special Area of amplified gravity and fire.
The Heavenly Palace trio smirked—until their knees buckled under the sudden crushing force.
“Break free!” they bellowed in unison, muscles straining against the invisible weight.
As they struggled, Burning Sky flames lashed their bodies, shredding their defensive barriers. Distracted, they faltered—and the immense pressure slammed them to their knees, blood spattering the ground.
The flames devoured flesh while the soul-searing Black Desire Flame gnawed at their essence. Proud taunts turned to shrieks as their bodies blackened and crumbled to ash.
In raw cultivation, Cheng Lingyu stood beneath them. But they’d underestimated his cunning—honed through countless battles against Blood Martial Realm foes.
Nie Jiaolong and Tian Feng stared, stunned. Three elites, obliterated so effortlessly.
The group pressed onward.
At twilight, Cheng Lingyu sat by a stream in the Secluded Valley, eyes on distant peaks. Behind him, Tian Feng roasted game over a fire.
Nie Jiaolong lingered nearby, quiet yet tender-eyed. She knew this bond would fray once they left the ancient ruin—their worlds too divided.
Cheng Lingyu sensed the land’s pulse. Merged with Ten Immortal Souls, he perceived shifts in energy others missed. These rare moments of stillness felt stolen; time raced as he walked, trained, and evolved ceaselessly.
“What occupies your thoughts?” Nie Jiaolong finally asked after long silence.
He turned. “The Xuan Star Saint’s fate. What consumes a saint’s mind in twilight years?”
“Perhaps memories of glory and roads untraveled. Age breeds nostalgia for youth’s regrets.”
He shook his head. “Saints aren’t mortal. This ruin isn’t some retirement den. He plotted something greater.”
“Why think so?”
“A hunch. Nothing more.”
Cheng Lingyu gazed into the distance. As his words faded, an abnormal ripple surged across the sky. Two dazzling light beams pierced through the clouds, brightening the twilight.
The tremor came from beyond the horizon, yet its divine might was so immense that even Cheng Lingyu staggered from the impact.
Nie Jiaolong jumped in alarm, blurting out, “Powerful experts are fighting!”
Tian Feng stared at the sky and muttered, “Such terrifying energy… Cheng junior apprentice, you must work harder.”
Cheng Lingyu abruptly stood up, eyes locked on the distant commotion.
“That’s one of the Three Saints Palace’s structures – eight thousand miles away. Who’s battling there?”
Thanks to the Source Pearl, Cheng Lingyu knew this ancient ruin held five Special Areas, including both the Three Saints Palace and the star palace inhabited by the male Xuan Star Saint.
Another area remained vaguely defined by the Source Pearl’s guidance, yet Cheng Lingyu pressed onward toward it.
“We camp here tonight. Journey resumes tomorrow.”
Though fiery light briefly flashed in Cheng Lingyu’s eyes, his expression soon cooled into detached silence.
The violent clash drew watchful eyes from every faction. While monitoring the disturbance, Cheng Lingyu suddenly whirled around as if catching an invisible thread.
Instantly, he suppressed all energy fluctuations, vanishing from Nie Jiaolong and Tian Feng’s perceptions like extinguished candlelight.
Miles away, a probing energy pulse abruptly dissolved, its target lost.
“Sharp senses indeed,” hissed a voice. “He noticed us.”
On a windswept great mountain, the beautiful Hu Yuer frowned. Beneath her feet, a snowy white fox spoke: “Why follow him? Shouldn’t we rush to Three Saints Palace?”
“Too late for that now,” Hu Yuer countered. “Tracking him proves wiser. Move out.”
She leaped into the void. The fox transformed into a six-tailed snow fox mid-air, tearing through time and space to create a glowing tunnel that swallowed them both.
Back in the Secluded Valley, Cheng Lingyu’s back suddenly shimmered with mysterious void energy. Nie Jiaolong and Tian Feng gaped at the impossible sight.
The valley’s atmosphere shifted – first Cheng Lingyu’s presence faded, then their own auras vanished completely. After several breathless moments, normality returned.
Post-dinner, Cheng Lingyu resumed cultivation, refining his mastery over the fifth level of soul martial transformation’s shadow techniques. This stage demanded deep comprehension rather than brute force – understanding brought swift advancement.
He activated the technique of origins, cross-referencing the Heavenly Spirit Diagram with Thousand Layers of Snow to synthesize his knowledge. Though arduous, steady progress marked each hour.
At dawn, the trio resumed travel under Cheng Lingyu’s command. To hasten their pace, he summoned the flying spirit artifact Cloud Boat. By noon, they’d covered three thousand miles into mountainous terrain.
Tian Feng frowned at the jagged peaks. “Cheng junior apprentice, why come here?”
From the Cloud Boat’s prow, Cheng Lingyu stared at the undulating mountains, astonishment etching his features.
The nine peaks formed a ring around a towering mountain, creating the natural wonder known as Nine Dragons Competing for the Pearl. Such unique terrain was exceptionally rare.
“I needed to find a suitable cultivation site. Now I have.”
Cheng Lingyu stored his Cloud Boat but didn’t immediately enter the Special Area of Nine Dragons Competing for the Pearl.
Nie Jiaolong asked uncertainly, “You plan to cultivate here? How much time will this take?”
Cheng Lingyu considered before replying, “The exact duration is unclear. Wait here and don’t wander into restricted areas.”
He produced two low-grade spiritual herbs, handing them to Nie Jiaolong and Tian Feng.
“Focus on cultivation. Strength remains our best defense.”
Tian Feng declared solemnly, “We’ll spare no effort.”
Nie Jiaolong gazed at Cheng Lingyu with lingering concern.
“May fortune favor you. We’ll await your return.”
With a slight nod, Cheng Lingyu turned away. Radiant light enveloped him as he traversed the void, flames surging beneath his feet to automatically form a fiery bridge leading to the central mountain.
Having opened the Ten Cave Heavens and merged the Ten Immortal Souls, Cheng Lingyu needed to fully integrate their innate laws and divine abilities to perfect his cultivation at the fifth level of soul martial transformation.
Though simple in concept, execution proved immensely challenging. His recent efforts had yielded limited progress, lacking only the crucial catalyst for breakthrough.
The Nine Dragons Competing for the Pearl topography held profound mysteries. The Source Pearl’s intense reaction placed this site alongside the Three Saints Palace and Xuan Star Saint’s star palace in significance, which showed just how miraculous this place was.
Reaching the mountain summit, Cheng Lingyu discovered an ancient formation interconnected with the nine surrounding peaks.
“Did the Xuan Star Saint create this?”
Circling the formation, his astonishment grew. This structure perfectly suited his needs – an unexpected preparation left by the ancient saint.
Beside the formation stood a stone tablet bearing dire warnings:
“Only those of Ten Cave Heavens may enter. All others perish.”
The dragon-phoenix styled calligraphy radiated pressure containing traces of the Xuan Star Saint’s spiritual imprint. Even after millennia, its intimidating aura remained overwhelming for ordinary cultivators.
Rather than entering immediately, Cheng Lingyu sat cross-legged. Using the technique of origins with his Heavenly Spirit Diagram, he meticulously analyzed his current state and future realm advancement.
Never one for recklessness, Cheng Lingyu maintained strict composure. To achieve perfection, he would forge his own legendary path through extraordinary means.
After twenty-four hours of calculations and resource organization, the final conclusion thrilled him. Seizing this opportunity could not only elevate him to the peak of the Soul Martial Fifth Realm but propel him directly into the Soul Domain stage of the Sixth Realm, reaching unprecedented heights.