Chapter Eighty-Six: Transformation

By the side of the Square-Inch Pool, Chu Yichen’s eyes suddenly widened, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

The force of a single palm strike had killed instantly.

The other disciples of the North Marsh Sect wore the same look of disbelief. They stared blankly at the corpse collapsing limply to the ground, too stunned to speak.

That was Senior Brother Liu, after all—the greatest prodigy of the North Marsh, the only son of a Golden Core elder, a man of noble status. And yet he had been slapped to death just like that?

Everyone was shaken, but even more than that, they were at a loss. When their eyes followed the retreating figure of the young man, none of them quite dared meet him head-on.

“A madman. This man is a madman!” someone thought, already losing the will to stay. The way they looked at Wang Ran was filled with fear. Anyone who dared kill a disciple of the North Marsh Sect in the land of North Marsh itself was surely insane.

None of them had heard the exchange between Wang Ran and Liu Junhou before the latter died, and so they did not know Wang Ran’s identity. To them, he was simply a butcher with blood on his hands, acting without the slightest restraint.

At that thought, they wanted only to flee this place at once, terrified that Wang Ran might decide to wipe them out as well.

Wang Ran paid no attention to these ordinary disciples. He walked to his junior sister’s side, swept out a sleeve, lifted her into his arms, and rose into the sky on his flying sword.

Both he and his junior sister needed a quiet place to refine the power of the heavenly treasures within their bodies. If they continued wasting time here, they would only throw away this hard-won chance.

Once they saw Wang Ran depart, the people of the North Marsh Sect all let out a long breath of relief. Then they looked at one another, the shock still impossible to hide from their eyes.

“This man’s strength is truly terrifying. With only the cultivation of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, he killed Senior Brother Liu, who stood half a step into the Golden Core realm. Who exactly is he?”

“No matter who he is, the North Marsh Sect will never let him go. Before long, he’ll pay the price for what he did today.”

“Exactly. Even if the Sect Master chooses not to pursue the matter, Elder Liu certainly won’t let it rest. The one who died was his own son.”

“We should worry first about how we’re going to explain this to the sect when we return.”

With sighs and mutters, they collected Liu Junhou’s corpse and left the Square-Inch Pool as well.

Not far away, Chu Yichen’s gaze held a trace of mockery. If the North Marsh Sect truly wished to avenge this, it would likely do nothing but push itself into an abyss beyond redemption. A disciple of the Only Self Sect was not so easily bullied.

What was more, behind Wang Ran stood Chen Wangran, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator of immense reach and influence. Even the Chu family did not dare provoke him. What strength did the North Marsh Sect possess to stand against that?

Still, if the North Marsh Sect ended up offending both the Only Self Sect and Chen Wangran because of this, it would not be a bad thing for the Chu family. Perhaps from this day on, North Marsh would belong to them.

Chu Yichen let his mocking gaze sweep over the North Marsh Sect disciples and sneered inwardly again and again.

Meanwhile, deep within the North Marsh Mountains—

Wang Ran stood upon his flying sword, his eyes sweeping swiftly over the ground below in search of a safe place.

Unfortunately, the forest teemed with demonic beasts, and monstrous aura surged to the heavens. Finding a suitable place for a short period of secluded cultivation was no easy matter.

His thoughts turned, and suddenly he hit upon an idea. He closed his eyes, spiritual energy surging wildly as he sensed the surroundings.

A few breaths later, he looked toward a certain direction, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He stamped lightly on the flying sword, and it shot away like a streak of light, crossing the sky in the blink of an eye.

The world of demonic beasts likewise revered strength above all, and their sense of territory was even stronger. Just like the six-winged water lizard, the lair of a high-ranking demonic beast was not a place where any other beast nearby would dare linger.

So Wang Ran’s plan was simple: find the dwelling of a high-level beast, then seize the nest and make it his own.

When he appeared again, he was beside a mountain cave. Demonic aura billowed from within, and the pressure it gave off was astonishing. There was not a single beast anywhere nearby, and even the low-level beasts on the outskirts trembled in fear.

Sensing the presence of a human, something inside the cave let out a roar. Soon a green-furred demonic beast burst forth, baring its fangs and claws at the sky.

“Tch, another beast at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment.” Smacking his lips, Wang Ran set his junior sister down. With a thought, the Void Flame Heaven-Burning Armor appeared once more, transforming into heavenly fire as it rushed toward the beast.

“Wretched creature, take this!”

A few muffled impacts sounded, followed by the beast’s mournful cry. The mighty monster that had dominated this region was easily slain by Wang Ran.

He brought his junior sister into the cave, and the two of them immediately sat cross-legged and began refining the power of the heavenly treasures inside their bodies.

His junior sister, after all, had not cultivated the Eternal Indestructible Divine Art, and so she could not manage it as easily as Wang Ran. Even with his power flowing into her to assist, she still clenched her teeth tightly, her rosy little face covered in beads of sweat.

Yet within her body, earthshaking changes were taking place. Every bit of marrow, every meridian, was transforming.

The same was true of Wang Ran. He had eaten far more of the Square-Inch Grass—of that whole stalk, he had consumed nearly two-thirds. Such an immense amount would have caused an ordinary person to explode and die long ago.

Only Wang Ran, relying on his heaven-defying cultivation method, had been able to forcibly suppress that violent power. The Eternal Indestructible Divine Art revolved madly, absorbing and converting all the energy of the Square-Inch Grass.

In truth, his method drew out the grass’s value to an even greater degree. Compared with the secret technique Liu Junhou had boasted of, this direct and primal form of conversion was far more capable of perfectly absorbing the power of heavenly treasures.

So time passed slowly.

An hour later, Wang Ran was the first to open his eyes, exhaling a turbid breath.

He lifted his hands. They were now more crystal-clear than before, like flawless works of art. He had grown a little taller, his limbs more slender, his eyes bright as stars and full of spirit.

The Square-Inch Grass had the effect of cleansing the meridians and remolding the marrow. Wang Ran’s natural gifts had already been rare; after this transformation, he became even more formidable. Though he still could not compare to Ye Cang’s millennial holy body, he was several times stronger than before.

And after absorbing the Square-Inch Grass, his cultivation had also changed. He had already been stuck at the peak of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, and now he broke straight through to the sixth. Though only at the initial stage, his strength had advanced greatly.

He stretched his body, and a crackling series of pops rang out. With only the slightest circulation of power, spiritual energy surged wildly. In that moment, he felt as though his hands held enough force to overturn mountains and seas; if a Golden Core cultivator stood before him now, he could punch them to pieces.

Though it was only the illusion that came with such a complete rebirth, it still filled him with fighting spirit, so much so that he longed to head straight to Myriad Burial Valley and battle the Heavenly Demon Bee Queen at once.

“I wonder how Little White and Xu Ke are doing. Have they found the way to Myriad Burial Valley yet...?” Wang Ran looked thoughtfully toward the sky outside the cave, still worried about the other two groups.

Just then, as if sensing something, he took out a talisman from his sleeve. Its light flared brilliantly, and in the center of the charm was written the character of Xu.

“It’s Xu Ke. He’s found Myriad Burial Valley!” Wang Ran’s eyes lit up. That meant the route Xu Ke had taken was safe, and there was no longer any need to worry about the other disciples on that path.

“Senior Brother, let’s go. We should meet up with the big fellow.”

A clear voice, bright as an oriole, suddenly sounded from behind him. His junior sister had also finished her cultivation. Her figure was graceful and slender, even more enchanting than before.

Her eyes shone with spirit, and her cultivation had improved considerably. Wang Ran smiled, pleased at heart and genuinely happy for her growth.

He had always treated this somewhat muddle-headed, somewhat adorably innocent junior sister as though she were his own little sister. The cultivation world was savage beyond measure, and the struggle for the Great Dao was merciless. The more her strength increased, the more reassured he felt.

The two of them drew out their flying swords, stepped straight into the air, and sped off swiftly in the direction indicated by the talisman.

The forest was far too vast. Before, they could only follow the branching paths on foot. If they had tried to travel by flying sword, then even high in the air they might have lost all sense of direction and become hopelessly trapped in the forest.

But now, with the talisman’s guidance, they no longer had such worries. The speed of a flying sword was naturally far greater than traveling on foot. They cut straight through the wilderness, and after roughly half an hour, they could already make out the distant figures of Xu Ke and the others.

Before them lay a vast valley, abruptly opening wide, immense and boundless.

Wang Ran’s expression tightened, for he could feel within that valley a startling demonic aura slowly emanating outward.

Myriad Burial Valley.

The Heavenly Demon Bee Queen.