The booming explosion from the sky echoed throughout the imperial city.
Hun Miesheng raised his hand and withdrew the chains. A palm-sized nine-colored little snake struggled violently in his grasp. Each flick of its tail was astonishingly powerful, as heavy as a mountain.
But to Hun Miesheng, who had fused the Elemental Heavy Water, it was no more than a toy.
Queen Medusa lay on the ground like an empty shell. The soul of the Nine-Colored Swallowing Python was a fusion of both Queen Medusa and the Purple Phantom Flame Snake.
Hun Miesheng forcibly pressed the Nine-Colored Swallowing Python's soul back into Queen Medusa's body. His peak Heavenly Realm soul force surged out, piercing the soul with a stabbing force.
Forced soul fusion!
Using Queen Medusa's soul as the primary core, the fusion was completed. Although this method would definitely harm her, as long as she didn't die, it wasn't an issue for someone who possessed the Chaotic Purple Qi.
The wailing cries of the Nine-Colored Swallowing Python gradually faded as it was completely suppressed and merged into Queen Medusa's body as a subordinate.
"Ugh…"
Queen Medusa let out a soft moan and slowly regained consciousness.
Hun Miesheng watched her with great interest.
Queen Medusa was shocked at first, then her face flushed red. At this moment, she had fully reverted to human form, and her long, fair legs were nearly fully exposed in Hun Miesheng's view.
"Get out!"
Queen Medusa was instantly enraged. With a wave of her hand, she tore a crack into space itself with her Dou Qi. But Hun Miesheng casually dissolved the attack.
"Tsk, just one breakthrough through the Nine Colors and you step into Dou Zun!"
"Truly enviable."
His voice echoed in the room, but Hun Miesheng had already vanished.
Queen Medusa stared at her palm in disbelief.
Dou Zun, four-star!
She had leaped from peak Dou Huang directly to four-star Dou Zun!
The awakening of the Nine-Colored Swallowing Python's bloodline!
Even an average peak Dou Zun wouldn't be her match now.
"Could it be because of him…?"
She exhaled deeply, her face flushing, teeth clenched, her mood an entangled mess.
Up in the sky, Hun Miesheng floated, palms outstretched.
Two flames danced in his palm, wrapped in misty water vapor, struggling to break free.
One was the defective Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
The other, the faint green Core Flame—Green Lotus Heart Flame.
"Still not enough."
Hun Miesheng shook his head.
To break through from peak five-star Dou Sheng to six-star, the energy required was far from sufficient.
But before going to Jia Nan Academy, he had to resolve one more issue.
His eyes flickered with thought as he looked down.
Gate of Life and Death.
Ding. System prompt: Abnormal wood attribute energy detected!
Energy rating: 3.5 stars!
"Interesting."
Hun Miesheng let out a light laugh and struck with a palm!
A black palm mark descended upon a stone cave.
But space itself twisted and absorbed the attack completely!
With a flash, Hun Miesheng vanished into the warped space.
The spatial fluctuation buzzed, and with a snap, he found himself in a dark underground world.
Dou Qi covered his eyes, and everything around came clearly into view.
Massive interwoven vines covered the subterranean space for hundreds of li. Lush green tendrils radiated immense vitality.
"Little one, why have you trespassed upon this old man's territory?"
An ancient, weathered voice echoed throughout the cave.
Hun Miesheng turned his gaze toward the center.
A towering, jade-green ancient tree stood proudly, its branches spreading for hundreds of li, encapsulating the entire underground world like a dome.
Hun Miesheng chuckled.
"Little one?"
"I don't know what kind of freak you are, but with your mere low-tier half-saint power, what gives you the guts to talk to me like that?"
He sneered at the ancient tree, black Void Swallowing Flames spreading around him.
"You are indeed stronger than me," the old tree admitted, "but I've lived for ten thousand years. To me, a Dou Sheng like you is no different than a three-year-old child."
The tree's face took form on the trunk.
"Heh heh. Besides, your little flame can't burn me."
"Really?"
Hun Miesheng sneered. Black Void Swallowing Flames surged and engulfed the tree.
"I'll show you just what this 'little flame' can do."
The ghostly fire blazed, wrapping the tree in moments.
But then, from the branches, a rich green light burst out. The burned vines rapidly regrew, even faster than the flames could consume!
Eventually, the Void Swallowing Flame was actually snuffed out.
Wood restraining fire—this fundamental law had been reversed here!
"Heh heh. I am the companion spirit tree of the Immortal Sage. Your flame is far from enough to harm me!"
Hun Miesheng's expression darkened as he recalled the flames.
"You said you've lived over ten thousand years?"
"At low-tier half-saint, no tree spirit should survive that long unless…"
Hun Miesheng pressed a hand to the trunk and sensed the immense vitality flowing within.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
Wood-elemental Origin Source!
"Kid, your horizons are too narrow."
"Have you heard of the Yunmeng Immortal Marsh?"
The tree's face turned proud, then angry.
"If it weren't for that damned bastard who stole me from the Immortal Marsh…"
"My life span could've easily surpassed ten thousand, thirty thousand, even a hundred thousand years!"
The tree spirit became frantic, thrashing its branches madly, shaking the entire earth.
Clearly, this was a deep-rooted trauma.
"It was Yun Potian who stole you?"
The tree calmed slightly but shook its face. "Yun Potian? No… There was a kid with poor talent who used my life force to reach peak Dou Zun after decades of cultivation, then left in search of a chance to break into Dou Sheng. Never returned."
Hun Miesheng nodded. That timeline matched the era when the source of life on the Dou Qi continent began to dry up.
The tree spirit looked grim. Though its life force seemed endless, Hun Miesheng could clearly see the signs of decay on its core.
But he didn't care about its past.
He only cared about one thing.
"Where is the Yunmeng Immortal Marsh?"
"How do I enter it?"
Hun Miesheng locked eyes with the spirit tree, his soul force surging.
Soul Extraction Technique!
The old tree was caught off guard. Its soul was instantly seized by Hun Miesheng.
"Only the dead can enter…"
"Only the dead can enter…"
PS: It's confirmed—the novel will receive a trial push on Thursday! The recommendation tickets are already showing great results. We're ranked 97 before even getting promoted! If possible, there will be one extra chapter tonight. If not, it will be posted tomorrow. Let's charge ahead!
(End of Chapter)