Translator: Reverie_ Editor: Kurisu

Evil Demon Trees were special creatures, something between a plant and a beast. They could form an inner core like beasts that was similar to a martial artist’s Dantian; this was their source of power, known as tree heart.

Since they counted as half-plants, Evil Demon Tree’s tree heart was like spirit grasses, very easy to refine and thus even more precious.

Ling Han pursued them relentlessly, beating the Evil Demon Tree army into disarray. At last, seven Evil Demon Trees had their tree hearts dug out while the rest took the chance and escaped, disappearing without a trace. However, due to their quality of being half-plant, even if their tree hearts were gone, they wouldn’t die. The tree heart would still slowly grow back after a thousand years.

Seven tree hearts should help him break through to the second layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, right?

Ling Han was very curious—when he reached the peak of the first layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, would he form a second spring eye, or continue to expand the first spring eye?

He wasn’t in a rush to refine these tree hearts; he continued to march on. Every time the mystery realm opened, it could only remain open for about two months’ time—he’d already used up about half that time, so he had to speed up his pace.

Fortunately, he had a predecessor’s logbook, so he avoided several dangerous restrictions on the way, faced with threats but no real danger.

The deeper it was, the flatter the landform was. Before, there were undulating mountains, but here there was only a spread of flatland seemingly without end.

In the distance, a black light shot directly into the sky, connecting to the firmament like a heaven-reaching pillar. At the top, a pitch-black layer of clouds circled around it. A small dot could be seen faintly there, though what it was exactly was a mystery because it was simply too far to recognize.

The location of the black light should be the mystery realm’s core; what secrets exactly were hidden there?

Zi!

Ling Han hadn’t set out yet, but already heard a strange sound and saw three bronze caskets slide from afar. That strange sound was issued by the caskets grating against the ground. The caskets stopped ten meters in front of Ling Han.

Peng , the casket’s cover flew open, and out jumped a youngster; it was Rong Huan Xuan.

“You’re quite strange, kid, I’m surprised you were able to come here!” Rong Huan Xuan said with a puzzled yet impressed expression.

“You too! You too!” Ling Han smiled as he said. If Rong Huan Xuan didn’t use the Silver-Armored Corpse, then he would be able put up a fight.

“You had a breakthrough?” Rong Huan Xuan’s gaze inadvertently swept by Ling Han’s body, instantly causing him to open up his mouth wide enough to fit a chicken egg inside. “You were only in the first layer of the Element Gathering Tier earlier, how did you suddenly become someone at first layer of the Gushing Spring Tier?”

This was truly inconceivable; whose cultivation could jump like that?

“Right, you should’ve eaten some spirit fruit, that’s why your cultivation made a leap.” He immediately nodded, answering his own question. It was the only reasonable explanation.

Ling Han naturally wouldn’t explain. He said, “You can come here because of the three caskets, right?” Rong Huan Xuan rode the casket over earlier; this was the Thousand Corpse Sect’s most precious treasure, perhaps even a Tenth Tier Spirit Tool since it was able to fend against the restriction.

Rong Huan Xuan smiled proudly and said, “Correct!” Then, he asked, “So, how did you come over?”

“Luck.” Ling Han smiled.

“Then your luck is truly bad!” Rong Huan Xuan revealed a sliver of killing intent.

“Why?”

“Because you’re going to die by my hands now!” Rong Huan Xuan attacked, forming a fist with his right hand. A spread of filthy air was discharged from his body, turning the ground thirty meters around him into dead land. Corpse Qi kept rising and turning into skulls, charging towards Ling Han.

“Hmph, evil triumphs not over the virtuous!” Ling Han snorted, and with a thought, flames emerged from his body, fending against the corpse land.

His spirit base was complete with five elements. Origin Power could transform into any element, and releasing flames was naturally a mere trifle—flames had a strong restraining power against evil Qi.

This confrontation was a direct contest between Origin Power.

Rong Huan Xuan was in the fifth layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, but his power surprisingly surpassed Ling Han’s!

The fifth layer’s power was stronger than the first layer’s, so it should be a very normal thing. However, Ling Han’s spirit base was complete with the five elements, and on top of the process of nine nuclei fusing into one, his power actually surpassed that of a normal fifth layer.

This showed that Rong Huan Xuan wasn’t an average Joe, boasting power surpassing his cultivation.

Ling Han couldn’t help but shake his head. He was surely a genius, but were other geniuses not allowed to exist? Despite Thousand Corpse Sect being chased like rats, it couldn’t be denied that it once had its years of glory. Its roots were naturally extremely deep, so would they not have been able to produce one or two exceptional geniuses?

He was a bit surprised, but Rong Huan Xuan was even more shocked. Rong Huan Xuan knew clearly that although he was at the fifth layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, his true power was on par with the seventh layer of the Gushing Spring Tier, and his battle prowess rocketed to nine stars.

Yet, in a pure Origin Power stand off, he actually barely surpassed Ling Han?

Truly inconceivable!

“You’re very strange. You may become a great rival in the future, so you must die!” Rong Huan Xuan said in a justified manner.

Ling Han laughed, and said, “Hearing this, should I feel honored or scared?”

“Honored and scared!” Rong Huan Xuan said threateningly. “You seem to understand quite a bit about the Thousand Corpse Sect. You were probably thinking that I could run wild only by relying on these Corpse Soldiers, but you didn’t know that my actual strength is also extremely strong!”

“Then I shall experience it,” Ling Han said indifferently.

“You will regret it!” Rong Huan Xuan attacked; his fist turned into a large skull, smashing towards Ling Han whilst he chanted, “Corpse Qi opens the skies, my lord is heaven and earth!”

“This chant is quite conceited, but this strength, well…” Ling Han shook his head, and his eyes turned cold. With his right hand already striking out with his sword, he said, “On a clear bright day, demons and devils scatter at once!”

Sword light dispersed like the sun in midday.

“Not bad, you have some strength.” Rong Huan Xuan sneered, still throwing punch after punch enveloped in Corpse Qi, unafraid of clashing head-on with a sharp sword.

The main reason for that was that this sword was still a normal tool. If it were a Third Tier Spirit Tool, then it’d guarantee that Rong Huan Xuan wouldn’t be so arrogant.

He had the power advantage after all, and it was an absolute advantage at that. Additionally, his skills were also out of the ordinary, very quickly letting him take the initiative, becoming more overbearing with each punch.

“I knew I didn’t misjudge it. Your battle power is extremely strong, at least equivalent to eight stars. Unfortunately, you met me!” He laughed boisterously with a arrogant and domineering spirit.

This guy was certainly a genius, and he received the Thousand Corpse Sect’s inheritance; it was impossible for him not to be strong.

Ling Han let out a loud cry and took out the Fire Eyed Bull’s horns, holding one in each hand. With the surge of Origin Power, the patterns on the horns immediately lit up one after another, each bursting with flames.

“Watch how I’m going to slice you!” Ling Han used the horns as a handle and flames as a blade, attacking at Rong Huan Xuan as though with a sword.

This effect was unusually good.

Rong Huan Xuan cultivated a most yin and evil art, and what he feared and hated the most were fire-type arts which naturally dominated over his. When flames swirled, they instantly diminished his force greatly, and the two became equally matched.

“You shall not live!” Rong Huan Xuan’s killing intent was blazing now.