Chapter 314: Chapter 37: Bright Pearl in the Casket, Hides Its Luster and Endures Humiliation
Two raging torrents, one of blood and Qi, the other of True Qi.
Under the ginseng fruit tree, a great tide arose, rolling waves grinding the surrounding ground leaving visible marks.
This land, far harder than metal, now bore the imprints of these energy waves.
The branches and leaves of the fruit tree danced wildly, the child-like fruits swaying with the wind, as if joyously flitting about, with torrents of Qi washing over everything, affecting everyone, Jiang Li, the Fourth Prince, and the rest.
"Bang bang bang bang bang—"
The other Taoists had no power to resist, each one tossed about like a rag doll, caught in the raging storm, their bodies emitting continuous cracking sounds, being randomly rounded and flattened, clearly beyond saving.
"Nine Insect Technique, Blood Swallowing."
The Fourth Prince clapped his hands together, his body enveloped in countless tiny strands of black Qi. When the dual torrents hit him, one of them rapidly dispersed, leaving only one to collide with him.
"Seamless."
Bu Yusheng’s sleeves danced through the air, his Seamless Heavenly Clothes shimmering with golden light, his sleeves dispersing waves like water clouds.
In terms of deflecting and controlling force, Bu Yusheng was the best among those present.
On the other side, just as Jiang Li was about to fly up to the branches, he too was struck by a wave of Qi. Without hesitation, he employed Inner Movement, his body covered in Star Dust, truly a case of "Life in Desolate Places, Unbeatable."
"Boom!"
His body moved through the empty space, blunting the sharpness and dissipating the momentum, then immediately gathering the strength back into his body.
This, however, caused Jiang Li to be pushed towards the fruit tree.
Seeing this, the Fourth Prince moved to take advantage of the situation to get closer to the fruit tree.
He was the strongest of those present, and although the Three Corpses God Dao Fruit focused more on the mind and spirit, the Fourth Prince had perfectly compensated with his own Cultivation Technique. The current torrent was strong, but not enough to stop him.
However, before the Fourth Prince could act, a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of him, his right hand firm, striking with a unique Fist Seal.
The Iron Pillar Temple’s Cultivation Technique emphasized Dual Cultivation of Life and Spirit. As the ancient Patriarch of Iron Pillar Temple, Ji Jiji naturally excelled in this path. His punch, full of Qi and blood, displayed the extreme strength of his body.
"Nine Insect Technique, Qi and Blood Stasis."
Seeing this figure blocking his way, the controlled malice in the Fourth Prince’s eyes completely took over, moving incessantly around his sclera and pupils, like countless insects crawling.
He boldly met the punch with his palm, a burst of black Qi exploding out like rain, infiltrating the Fist Power and moving towards the fist.
Under the resistance of the Qi Force, the black Qi finally revealed its true form—countless elongated runes, moving and squirming like insects, corrupting both blood and True Qi, seeping into the physical body.
"Boom!"
As the fist and palm met, the rune insects infiltrated everywhere, showing their ferocious nature.
The Fourth Prince smirked, twisting his palm to stir the rune insects, "Die!"
He cared not whether the person before him was a kinsman, an ancestor, or the original master of this place—if one blocked the path, they could only be killed.
As the insects crawled, aiming to corrupt flesh and blood, however, an unexpected change occurred.
To the Fourth Prince’s perception, Ji Ji Ji’s physical body seemed empty, as if entirely intangible; the rune insects roamed freely, yet they could not inflict any damage.
Simultaneously, a new torrent erupted from Ji Jiji’s physical body, the force sweeping out, not as mighty as before, but fine as threads, venomously piercing into the Fourth Prince’s palm, bringing immediate piercing pain to his arm.
My Nine Insect Technique...
Despite the entirely different nature of his True Qi, devoid of the viciousness that corrupted flesh and bones, it manifested in a manner indistinguishable from his own technique.
The Fourth Prince’s arm spasmed, his flesh and bones seeming twisted into a knot, followed by a robust force blasting forth, propelling him backward.
Overpowering and bizarre, most crucially, his body had no soul, and the Three Corpses God Dao Fruit could not exert its effects.
Surely it couldn’t prompt a corpse to develop thoughts of greed, anger, and delusion?
Having repelled the Fourth Prince with one strike, Ji Jiji, whose face bore only a pair of eyes, suddenly turned his head, twisting it backwards, surveying like a wolf, once again focusing on Jiang Li.
His body vanished like a phantom, instantaneously appearing in midair, not far from Jiang Li.
His eyes, as if containing the ultimate truth of all things, fixed directly on Jiang Li, and Ji Jiji threw another punch.
"Boom!"
Blood and Qi vibrated out from within him, originating from Ji Jiji’s body and Jiang Li’s.
He felt as if his heart was grasped by an invisible hand, abruptly contracting and then releasing, expanding, pumping blood and Qi, stirring his Divine Soul.
From the inside out, the Three Elements stirred, from the outside in, the punch struck directly.
With all five of his Qi Seas shaking, had it not been for the significant depletion of his True Qi during his previous Break Formation, Jiang Li didn’t know if he could withstand this overwhelming force.
So mighty yet bizarre, it was no wonder those two Taoists had perished entirely.
"Three Flowers Gathering at the Top."
Jiang Li immediately used his Dao Fruit Ability to stabilize the Three Elements, the Three Flowers bloomed atop his Heavenly Spirit, holding one within, integrating the Three Elements through the "Golden Core Technique," solidifying Essence, Qi, and Spirit, forcibly suppressing his body.
"Thud!"
Essence Element and blood energy surged violently within the body, sounding like waves crashing against the shore. The Divine Soul, already in the form of a nascent Primordial Spirit, forcefully stabilized itself. A stream of Sword Qi shot into the right arm, and as the fingers rose, sharpness emerged.
Jiang Li’s right hand displayed Red Patterned Dragon Scales, transforming into a Dragon Claw, but inside his palm flowed the Great Circle Sword Qi.
He brought his fingers together, sharp as a sword, and in the instant of a lightning flash, he stabbed the incoming Fist Power.
Under these circumstances, Jiang Li naturally didn’t dare to hold back his strength any longer. He used the Great Circle Sword, concealing the Sword Qi within his arm, not exposing it outside.
At the same time, "Qi Tomb" operated, guiding auspicious Qi to surge forth. Rolling Spiritual Energy transformed into hundreds of rays of light, entering his body from behind, augmenting the power of the Great Circle Sword.
"Ding!"
This clash of Sword Qi and Fist Power met head-on. However, at the moment of impact, it was like a needle against wheat awn, emitting a sound of metal clashing against metal.
Jiang Li’s body shook violently; he felt the Sword Qi leaving his fingers, colliding with a force equally intense. However, behind that force was a vast expanse akin to the void, unreachable.
This sensation caused Jiang Li’s sword momentum to lose its lock, as if...
’One of the escapees.’
The thought flashed rapidly in his mind, and that force already vibrated from his fingertips into his body, causing severe shaking in the Three Elements. Although the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top managed to block the sharpness, it couldn’t withstand the shaking from within.
"Absorb!"
The thought flashed urgently in Jiang Li’s mind, suddenly shifting from attack to absorbing. Innate Qi touched the force, absorbing and recycling it, enduring the disturbance of the Three Elements. His body curved like a great bow, and the force was expelled again.
"Boom!"
This time he finally struck something solid, force sharp as a sword, stabbing atop the Fist Power, causing Ji Jiji’s robes to ripple like ripples, and in that moment, Jiang Li trembled again, unable to prevent blood from spilling from the corner of his mouth.
The forces collided, and both individuals were flung backwards. Jiang Li invoked the surrounding Qi in a thought, stirring up a great wind while simultaneously attempting to evolve the Thunder Technique.
Just then, Tianxuan suddenly spoke, saying, "Sense your blood energy and True Qi."
Jiang Li: "?"
The blood energy and True Qi were still raging inside him, thundering through his meridians and surging back through his limbs and bones, making every move Jiang Li made extremely arduous.
In such a situation, being distracted was undoubtedly a very bad thing, but Jiang Li believed Tianxuan wouldn’t aim without cause.
Karma Collection quickly turned pages, recording the changes within the body. Jiang Li quickly scanned through ten lines at a glance, suddenly showing a look of astonishment.
’The turbulence has a pattern...’
Blood energy and True Qi were in turmoil, conveying a sound only he could hear, and that sound linked together...
Jiang Li said softly, "The Pearl is in the chest, bearing light and enduring humiliation."
Ji Jiji’s figure appeared again, just as he retreated from being flung back, and at that moment, Jiang Li precisely recited that string of sounds.
"Swish!"
That figure paused in mid-air, suddenly moved backward, and seemed to crash into the void and disappear.
Then, under the ginseng fruit tree, at the intertwined roots, Ji Jiji’s figure appeared again, quietly sitting cross-legged.
’The Pearl is in the chest, and the chest refers to a box or cabinet. Does that mean I need to find a certain box and retrieve the Pearl inside?’
Ji Jiji could either not speak in riddles or spout incomprehensible riddles, leaving Jiang Li clueless.
Just to say the Pearl is in the box, but where is the box?
The Daoist Temple is so vast, who knows where the box is hidden? Who knows whether the box is hidden within or outside the Cave Heaven Blessed Land?
Without any further clues, searching for this box is like looking for a needle in the ocean.
Countless thoughts flashed through Jiang Li’s mind. He reversely placed a palm in the void, and a sudden gust of wind carried him straight up to the tree, landing on a branch.
This message could only be considered an accidental gain. The most pressing matter now was actually the ginseng fruit tree.
The branch of the thousand-foot tree, already no less than the trunk of an ordinary tree, Jiang Li stood on it, his figure darting around. Taking advantage of Ji Jiji’s momentary retreat and before the Fourth Prince and others could approach, he quickly reached a ginseng fruit.
’Ginseng fruit fears the Five Elements: encountering metal, it falls; touching wood, it withers; meeting water, it dissolves; confronting fire, it chars; facing earth, it enters...’
Jiang Li didn’t know if this was a real ginseng fruit, but since he encountered it, he might as well try.
He activated the Innate Golden Qi, and with a sword finger, he made a cut at the root. The child-like fruit fell from the air.
Jiang Li reached out to catch the fruit, feeling it as light as a feather, unlike a fruit, more like a piece of feather, or even a puff of air.
An extreme craving emerged in his body, True Qi agitated within, and his biological instincts informed Jiang Li of the immense benefits of the object before him.
He raised his hand, about to put the fruit into his mouth.
"How dare you?!"
An evil aura swept through the air; the Fourth Prince roared furiously.
"What should I fear?" Jiang Li smiled lightly, touching the fruit to his lips.
The moment his lips touched the fruit, it transformed into a clear liquid like water, entering his mouth, flowing down his throat, releasing bursts of turbid qi from various acupoints around Jiang Li’s body, colorful like clouds of mists.