Chapter 515: The Only Way Is to Break Through in Battle
"Hooo!"
Jiang Xinghai exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He stepped toward a muddy patch on the ground.
There was a puddle of water in that spot.
With his Divine Sense, he could clearly determine that beneath the mud was a solid metal cover.
It was, naturally, the gateway to an underground world.
Just as he had deduced, the bronze slab under the mud was about ten centimeters thick.
Without delay, Jiang Xinghai enveloped the slab with his True Qi and slowly moved it aside.
A corrosive stench instantly wafted out from the opening.
If an ordinary person were to come into contact with this stench, they would undoubtedly be afflicted by Poisonous Gu.
Jiang Xinghai, being a master of Medical Martial Arts, was naturally fearless. His figure flashed into the opening, and he quickly moved the bronze slab back into place.
Before him were flickering candles, scattered throughout the secret underground chamber.
He could roughly see that the space was over three hundred square meters.
Countless rice vats, covered with black lids, were arranged in neat rows, stretching far into the distance.
A careful count revealed there were exactly one hundred and eight of them—no more, no less.
’The Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits and the Seventy-two Earthly Fiends, forming the configuration of one hundred and eight!’
Jiang Xinghai had studied under Kunlun and was also familiar with the secrets of Daoism.
In Daoism, the number one hundred and eight represents the towering ambition to conquer all under heaven!
’Does the Qiao Family intend to defy the heavens?’
Jiang Xinghai sneered and shook his head. Using the power of Gu Slaves combined with the core beliefs of Daoism—the Qiao Family’s ambition was plain to see.
And in the very center of the rice vats sat an old man with thinning hair, a gaunt face, and dark patterns covering his skin.
’Late Stage of the Celestial Destiny Realm!’
Jiang Xinghai’s Divine Sense merely swept past before he rapidly withdrew it.
The man’s cultivation was a minor realm higher than his; it was highly likely he would discover the intrusion.
He quickly withdrew his Divine Sense and carefully avoided the slumbering Gu Slaves, only to discover that the heartbeats of the Gu Slaves in the vats had suddenly grown abnormally powerful. It was as if their hearts were about to burst from their chests, their auras surging like those of ferocious beasts.
’I’ll only get one fatal strike!’
Jiang Xinghai did not act rashly. Instead, he walked step by step toward Qiao Zhongkui, who was seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the middle of the vats.
Suddenly, the powerful aura of the Late Stage of the Celestial Destiny Realm erupted.
’Not good!’
Jiang Xinghai’s face instantly turned pale.
"Young man, you have trespassed into my territory."
The old man’s voice thundered in Jiang Xinghai’s ears, his eyes glinting with a cunning, cold light, as if he had already seen through Jiang Xinghai’s very nature.
’Late Stage Great Perfection of the Celestial Destiny Realm!’
Jiang Xinghai felt a heart-stopping aura emanating from Qiao Zhongkui.
’This old codger, just one step away from the Human Emperor Realm—the Peak Realm in the mortal world—is truly as powerful as I’d imagined!’
"Middle Stage of the Celestial Destiny Realm? Quite a surprise for this old man... so young..."
"Excellent. Are you willing to kneel and submit to me? This old man can grant you power you could never otherwise obtain."
Qiao Zhongkui had been radiating killing intent, but upon sensing Jiang Xinghai’s supreme talent, he developed the idea of subjugating him for his own use.
BOOM!
A vast wave of evil energy washed over him, startling Jiang Xinghai. His steps suddenly felt as heavy as lead.
He knew he had underestimated his opponent’s strength and had fallen into a dangerous situation.
Now, his only choice was to achieve a breakthrough during the battle.
Only by reaching the Late Stage of the Celestial Destiny Realm would he be able to contend with this old man.
After all, his opponent was a Gu Raiser, inherently stronger than ordinary people and infinitely close to the Human Emperor Realm!
This was a formidable opponent!
This was the first time Jiang Xinghai had ever encountered such a troublesome enemy.
He could no longer hold anything back; he had to go all out to even have a chance of defeating him.
And that was assuming his opponent didn’t even release his Gu Slaves!
"Young man, do you intend to resist?"
Qiao Zhongkui watched Jiang Xinghai coldly, a frigid light glinting in his eyes.
He could sense the threat this young man posed. He had to either subjugate him or kill him to be at ease.
Otherwise, he would become a major obstacle on his path of Raising Gu.
"Old fool, since I entered the world, I have never once taken a step back. As for you, you’ll just take a little more of my time, but you are nothing to be feared!" Jiang Xinghai said with a nonchalant smile.
Immediately after, the True Qi in his body began to churn like a boiling river.
At the same time, his footwork suddenly became exceedingly strange, his figure flickering like smoke.
"Such a peculiar Body Skill... GAGAGA, this old man wants it!"
Upon seeing Jiang Xinghai’s miraculous footwork, Qiao Zhongkui became determined to capture him alive and obtain the secret of the Body Skill.
Jiang Xinghai just sneered. His opponent had no idea that he was secretly refining the half of the Primordial Yin Power within his body.
Qiao Zhongkui saw that Jiang Xinghai was only moving around nearby and not attacking him, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.
Constrained by the fact that he was still controlling the Gu Slaves, he couldn’t easily leave the center of the Array and could only remain seated cross-legged as usual.
However, with a wave of his hand, a dark-gold Poisonous Insect shot toward Jiang Xinghai like a shooting star.
"YIIINNNGG!!!"
The dark-gold Poisonous Insect was only the size of a fingernail.
Yet it emitted a scalp-numbing screech, and its speed was absurdly fast.