Chapter 1031: Futile Struggle; The Black Nail (II)
Chapter 1031: Futile Struggle; The Black Nail (II)
Almost the moment the fusion was complete, green light flashed from the shattered Flesh Ganoderma body lying at the center of the cave. Its ruined body was restored in a very short amount of time, as if the damage inflicted by all thirty-six Golden Altar Rebirth Formations had never existed.
At the same time, Luo Chen's expression changed as the same green light began to flash across his body. It was the spores of the Flesh Ganoderma that had attached to him earlier.
"What the fuck are you trying to do?!" Luo Chen shouted angrily.
The Flesh Ganoderma ignored him completely. Its eyes remained shut as it quietly adjusted to its new body. Near the entrance, Devil's Cloud had gone pale. Sensing that something disastrous was about to unfold, he only glanced at the two of them for a brief moment before rushing out without a word and never looking back.
Only after he had left did the Flesh Ganoderma slowly open its eyes, and the greedy gaze that emerged settled squarely upon Luo Chen. "Ding Yi's body has been refined for years, but it's still nowhere near strong enough to contain my soul. As for my main body, I can't merge with it until I've left the Land of Fallen Devils. Your archaic beast physique, on the other hand, is more than sufficient. In fact, it might be the perfect vessel. Fellow Daoist, I'll be taking it."
As it spoke, it extended a finger toward the glowing spores on Luo Chen's body. Before it could make contact, azure flames burst from Luo Chen's skin. The spores instantly ignited beneath the flames like oil meeting fire, and the blaze spread through the cave in an instant. As azure fire flared around him, Luo Chen's crimson robe vanished beneath a layer of black armor.
He rose to his feet and glared at the Flesh Ganoderma coldly. "Did you really think I wouldn't be on guard against you?"
Before the last word had fully fallen, he stepped forward and threw a punch. Wind and lightning roared through the cave as his fist tore through the short distance between them. They stood less than two zhang apart, close enough for Luo Chen to unleash the full power of his physique without restraint.
BOOOOOOMMMM!!
With a single punch, the Flesh Ganoderma was sent flying backward and smashed into the cave wall. Its abdomen had been practically obliterated, and a massive hole decorated its torso instead. Luo Chen slowly drew back his extended hand, revealing a Golden Core resting in his grasp, and casually clenched his fingers.
Crack!
The Golden Core Ding Yi had cultivated for centuries shattered on the spot. Pure mana erupted outward like a storm, sending a violent shockwave through the cave. Any ordinary cultivator would have died instantly. Even a Sage would not have emerged entirely unscathed.
Yet the Flesh Ganoderma merely drifted back to the ground. It glanced at the gaping hole in its torso, then shook its head. "Why struggle? You're only wasting your effort."
Just then, a sharp sword cry rang through the cave. Seven streams of fiend qi shot from the sword case on Luo Chen's back and streaked through the air like meteors.
The Flesh Ganoderma sneered. "You think that weak technique is going to do anything against me?"
The mockery had barely left its mouth when its expression froze. The seven streams of fiend qi crossed and intertwined, forming the framework of a sword formation. Chilling fiend qi flooded the area as sword energy wove through the formation, gathering power without releasing it.
The Flesh Ganoderma's eyes narrowed. No, that's definitely not his technique!
It recognized those enchanted flying swords. Luo Chen had used them more than once before, but their power had always been fairly ordinary. Yet now...
Could this be the work of the other person hidden within him?
The thought had only just surfaced when the Flesh Ganoderma's eyes widened in fury. It had just realized that the sword formation was not targeting Ding Yi at all, but its main body!
"STOOOOPPPPPP!!!!"
With an enraged roar, the Flesh Ganoderma staggered forward in a desperate charge. Yet after advancing only a few zhang, it sensed something was wrong.
Luo Chen's attack was simply too obvious. If its main body were really the target, there would be no reason to telegraph it so blatantly.
Sadly, the realization came a moment too late. The sword formation abruptly wheeled around and plunged toward its bloated body. Flesh and blood exploded apart and exposed the stark white bone beneath.
"I really underestimated you..."
Gritting its teeth, the Flesh Ganoderma pressed its palms together, and a giant green canopy unfurled above its head. It could clearly sense the terrifying power gathering within the sword formation. This attack was in no way inferior to a Sage's. Even its main body would have treated such a strike with caution, let alone this avatar.
Violent wind swept through the cave as the sword formation continued to build up power.
Suddenly, a streak of black light shot through the chaos.
"Hmph!" The Flesh Ganoderma snorted and exhaled a stream of energy. The black streak immediately slowed under the impact and revealed its true form. It was a black nail.
A nail?
The moment the Flesh Ganoderma saw it, its heart lurched. An inexplicable sense of danger welled up within it, as though the seemingly unremarkable object had the power to threaten its very existence.
Before it could make sense of that feeling, Luo Chen burst forward. He paid no attention to the Flesh Ganoderma itself. Instead, he struck the black nail with his palm. Backed by his terrifying physical strength, the nail pierced through the obstructing force and shot forward like a bolt of lightning, burying itself between the Flesh Ganoderma's brows.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The scream that followed was so harsh it nearly ruptured Luo Chen's eardrums. But he did not stop to block his ears or to admire the result of his tactic. The Flesh Ganoderma's soul was far too powerful for a low-grade Soul-Breaking Nail to destroy outright. If it could temporarily restrain it and prevent it from fully controlling Ding Yi's former body, that was good enough.
He immediately retreated. As he passed through the cave, his hand brushed against something cold and soft. Spirit light flashed, and the object vanished into his storage ring. "Fellow Daoist, I'll humbly accept your body. No need to see me off!"
Before the echo of his words vanished, Luo Chen had already shot out of the cave. As he fled, he casually threw a kick behind him; the cave quaked violently, and the ceiling collapsed. Massive boulders crashed down, followed by a torrent of shattered rock that buried the entire cave beneath a mountain of rubble.
BOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!
A few breaths later, dust and debris erupted in every direction as the Flesh Ganoderma forced its way out from beneath the collapsed cave. The black nail lodged in its forehead had almost been pushed out, but its face was so dark with rage that it seemed ready to devour someone whole.
Only now did it fully understand. While it had been coveting Luo Chen's archaic beast physique, the man had been eyeing its ten-thousand-year-old body all along. The moment its soul broke free from confinement, any oath or agreement between them had become meaningless; the Flesh Ganoderma had been banking on that, and as it turned out, Luo Chen had been doing the same. In the end, it had gained nothing and lost everything.
Its face twisted with rage. Slowly, it raised a hand and grasped the black nail lodged in its forehead.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
A long string of agonized cries echoed through the abyss. Only after enduring the pain for some time did it finally wrench the nail free and throw it to the ground.
Clink!
The Flesh Ganoderma stared into the dark abyss, where no sunlight could reach, and let out a low growl. "You can't escape."
Countless green lights flared to life throughout the pitch-black abyss. They were fragments of power it had split off over the centuries and scattered throughout every corner of the Fallen Devil Abyss. Luo Chen might have gotten away for the moment, but he was still inside the abyss. And as long as he remained here, he could not escape its grasp.
***
Somewhere in the abyss, a figure was shooting skyward with a bright smile on his face. After all the planning and patience, the Flesh Ganoderma's main body was finally his.
From the very beginning, the Flesh Ganoderma had coveted his body. What it never realized was that Luo Chen had been eyeing its main body just as long. Throughout their journey, the sprite had repeatedly tested his limits and occasionally overstepped them, yet he had tolerated it all. And every compromise had been made for the sake of this moment.
Although the battle had not unfolded exactly as he had anticipated, the final result had not strayed far beyond his expectations.
He had made an observation during their exploration of Blazing Purgatory—the Flesh Ganoderma seemed extremely uncomfortable in the presence of fire sprites. That observation led him to conclude that even though the Flesh Ganoderma was rather high-tier, his fire could likely affect it. Thus, the original plan had been to wage an all-out battle using his Withering-Flourishing True Fire. However, after studying the Grand Formation of Soul Hooks and Spirit Nails, a different idea had occurred to him, and this idea had the Soul-Breaking Nail at the core!
The treasure had come into his possession years before, following the battle at the Great Snowy Mountains. Grand Elder He Lianyun of the Lianyun Trade Alliance had unleashed the Three Piercing Nails in succession: the Qi-Disrupting Nail, Armor-Breaking Nail, and Soul-Breaking Nail. After He Lianyun's death, Luo Chen naturally acquired them as spoils of war. The Qi-Disrupting Nail and Armor-Breaking Nail had since been destroyed in battle, leaving only the Soul-Breaking Nail behind. Having few opportunities to use it, he had gradually set it aside and nearly forgotten about it altogether.
After studying the grand formation, he was inspired by its underlying principles, which he began adapting and experimenting with through the Soul-Breaking Nail. Eventually, he had managed to strike directly at the Flesh Ganoderma's soul, and the result exceeded even his greatest expectations. Not only did it temporarily restrain the Flesh Ganoderma, but it also bought him the precious window he needed to seize its main body.
Just then, Han Zhan's voice echoed in his ear. "You were lucky. Its power was split apart again and again over the past few centuries, and you also destroyed Ding Yi's Golden Core. Otherwise, a gamble like this would never have worked. Even with my help, the chances of success would've been slim."
Luo Chen laughed heartily. "If it hadn't shown such an obvious weakness, how could I have been tempted? Anyway, since we've already done it, there's no point looking back. Let's get out of here."
His laughter echoed through the darkness while the Moonbreak Wings flapped behind him, carrying him away at ever-increasing speed.
***
After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Luo Chen returned to the depths of the abyss with a gloomy expression. The smile from earlier was long gone. The Concealment Veil Formation was operating at full power as he concealed his presence and moved through the darkness.
Han Zhan smiled bitterly. "Did you really think something like that would be easy to deal with? You should've seen this coming."
Luo Chen remained silent, and azure flames erupted from his body once more.
Hiss!
The mushroom that had just sprouted from his arm was already burned to ash. Ever since he tried to leave the abyss, these things had become an endless nuisance. A gigantic mushroom had even popped out of nowhere and blocked his path. It was powerful, but he had not feared it and quickly destroyed it. Yet after destroying it, tiny mushrooms had begun growing all over his body and constantly drained his mana. Had the Withering-Flourishing True Fire not burnt them away, he would have long since turned into a mushroom man himself. To make matters worse, more and more of these strange mushrooms were appearing throughout the abyss.
By now, Luo Chen had a rough idea of where they came from. Much like the remnant will that had once possessed Ding Yi, these mushrooms were likely fragments the Flesh Ganoderma had split off over countless years in its attempts to escape. Individually, they posed little threat. The real problem was the bizarre power contained within them... could this be the so-called power of Laws? Were fifth-tier sprites able to control that level of power? But from what Luo Chen had seen before, that did not seem to be the case...
Another mushroom sprouted from his head. Luo Chen casually brushed a hand over it, and azure flames immediately engulfed the growth. A strange fragrance drifted through the air as it burned away. Given enough time, the strengthened Withering-Flourishing True Fire would eventually eradicate these mushrooms completely. Unfortunately, time was the one thing he did not have.
"I can't keep fighting these things. No matter how many times I kill them, they just keep coming back. All I'm doing is just wasting mana."
Han Zhan asked, "Then how do you plan to get out of this abyss?"
Luo Chen swept his gaze across his surroundings. Countless mini-mushrooms were gathering atop the cliffs, and if the Flesh Ganoderma's soul took direct control of them, they would become even harder to deal with.
His gaze then drifted toward the bottom of the abyss. The moment he looked, a sense of unease rose in his heart, forcing him to look away. In the end, he settled on the colossal spirit energy vortex piercing the sky.
After a long moment, he gritted his teeth, turned away, and headed in another direction. Yet before even the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, several green lights drifted through the darkness toward him. Faint voices echoed from within them.
"You can't escape."
"There's nowhere for you to run."
"Give it back. Return my body to me!"
Luo Chen's expression grew increasingly grim. Some of these mushrooms possessed strength comparable to Adepts, while others rivaled fourth-tier sprites. Conventionally, he would not have cared. Even if a Sage stood before him now, he would still dare to fight. But those strange mushrooms, which clung to him like maggots on rotting flesh, were draining both his mana and his blood essence; seeking out a larger one was tantamount to courting death.
"Fuck it!" He cursed under his breath and headed straight toward the vortex.
Han Zhan watched silently from within the sea of consciousness and muttered inwardly, Be honest with yourself... Isn't that the choice you wanted to make all along?
***
A few breaths later, the Flesh Ganoderma arrived outside the spirit energy vortex in its plump body. The raging winds buffeted its bloated frame, sending its robes flapping violently and causing the flesh on its face to ripple.
"Damn it, he actually went in!"
The Flesh Ganoderma found itself caught in a dilemma. In the end, it turned toward the ever-growing sea of green lights surrounding it, now numbering in the hundreds.
"If I want to leave this place, the Heaven of Bright Illumination is my only way out. Now that the grand formation is gone, and without my main body, the Monarch's restriction shouldn't activate anymore... Only one way to find out, I guess.
Then, it gritted its teeth and opened its mouth. At once, the sea of green lights surrounding it surged forward. Hundreds of fragments converged upon its body and merged into it one after another. As they poured in, its already bloated frame began to swell even further. The gaping hole Luo Chen had blasted through its chest and abdomen slowly closed as it was filled with flesh once more, while its aura rose steadily higher.
In the blink of an eye, it broke past the limits of the Golden Core Realm and entered the Nascent Soul Realm. Its cultivation climbed from the early stage to the middle stage, then continued rising until it reached the peak of the middle stage. Yet no matter what it did, it could not cross that final threshold.
The Flesh Ganoderma cursed under its breath once more before cautiously stepping into the vortex. The raging currents of spirit energy immediately swallowed its figure. It revolved within the storm for only a few turns before disappearing completely from sight.