Chapter 375 - 372: Golden Flame Sacred Lotus
Chapter 375: Chapter 372: Golden Flame Sacred Lotus
Before dawn the next day, Fang Han had already left camp.
A veil of morning mist shrouded the vast mountain forest.
His form, ethereal as smoke, weaved between ancient trees and jagged rocks. He pushed his Spirit Smelling Technique to its limits, and the auras of everything for several miles around flooded his senses.
The demons were more numerous today than they had been yesterday.
And a few of the auras felt even more powerful than the strongest demon he had encountered the day before.
Although judging strength by aura alone wasn’t always accurate, it was enough to tell him that these demons were undoubtedly powerful.
SWOOSH!
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed, but he showed no fear.
He suppressed his aura and sped toward the most powerful one he could sense.
It was a hidden valley, where a demon resembling a giant lizard had made its lair.
It was nearly twice the size of the one he had fought yesterday, its body covered in dark red scales. From time to time, it exhaled a scorching breath.
Fang Han attacked without hesitation, launching a deadly assault on the demon.
After fighting it for over thirty moves, Fang Han used every technique he had besides his 100,000 pounds of physical strength, finally killing it with a sword to its eye socket.
"Deposit."
[Wealth: 65,020,000 silver → 65,670,000 silver]
His wealth had increased by a full 650,000 silver. This proved the demon was stronger than those he had faced yesterday—or at least, its body parts were more valuable.
Without pausing, he set off again, darting toward the next target.
One, two, three...
Fang Han was a tireless hunter, weaving through the mountain forest. With every pause, another demon fell to his Cloud Splitting Sword.
In half a day, he had slain twelve demons of the Middle Three Grades.
[Wealth: 70,000,000 silver]
’Seventy million.’
Fang Han stood on a mountain ridge, panting slightly.
His wealth had increased by 5,000,000 silver to a total of 70,000,000. He was now just 30,000,000 silver away from his goal of one hundred million.
He might just be able to gather the full one hundred million silver before this demon hunting trip was over and activate a Level 8 Talent Amplification.
He was eager to continue hunting.
’No, I can’t be hasty. The most important thing now is to restore my depleted Inner Qi.’
He had already used up nearly seventy percent of his Inner Qi.
Fang Han scanned his surroundings. After confirming it was safe, he found a hidden cave, sat down cross-legged, and consumed two True Spirit Pills.
The elixirs dissolved in his stomach, transforming into a gentle Medicinal Power that flowed through his meridians. He closed his eyes and focused, slowly circulating the Profound Wind Technique to guide the Medicinal Power and convert it into Inner Qi.
About an hour later, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.
His Inner Qi was restored.
’Time to continue.’
He stood up and darted out of the cave.
...
The afternoon sun filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled light and shadows in the forest.
As Fang Han moved through the trees, he suddenly paused.
Several hundred yards ahead, a bright light shone through the trees.
He followed the light, passed through a dense thicket of bushes, and the view before him suddenly opened up.
It was a pool in the forest.
The pool was over thirty yards square, its surface as calm as a mirror, reflecting the lush ancient trees and the patch of blue sky overhead.
His gaze fell on the center of the pool.
There, a lotus flower bloomed quietly.
The stem was a solid, vibrant green, about as thick as a thumb. It rose from the sandy bottom, piercing the water’s surface in a perfectly straight line.
Only two perfectly circular leaves floated on the water. Their veins were clearly visible, and a faint golden light seemed to flow through them.
But what drew the eye most was the flower itself, in full bloom.
Its petals were arranged in nine overlapping layers. Each petal was pure gold, shimmering in the sunlight as if forged from the finest bullion.
A fine pattern traced the edge of each petal, resembling flickering flames or flowing runes, and it faintly radiated a scorching heat that made the heart pound.
At its heart lay a single, plump, golden-yellow seed. It looked like a miniature sun, containing a vast and pure energy.
’Golden Flame Sacred Lotus...’
Fang Han’s pupils contracted slightly as records from the Sect’s archives flashed through his mind.
This was one of Heaven and Earth’s Wondrous Treasures, an object of extreme rarity. It required three hundred years to take root, another three hundred to sprout leaves, and a final three hundred to blossom.
It bloomed with nine petals, each like a flame, giving it the name Golden Flame Sacred Lotus.
Its purpose was to enhance one’s Body Hardening Talent. To a Martial Artist who practiced a Body Hardening Technique, it was a peerless sacred treasure.
The only reason he recognized it was because after he began his own Cultivation of a Body Hardening Technique, he’d had the idea to use Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to augment his Body Hardening Talent and had specifically researched the topic.
He’d originally thought that even with Lan Yuexin’s help, it would take a great deal of time just to learn of the lotus’s whereabouts.
He never imagined it would simply appear before him like this.
’Calm down!’
Fang Han took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as his gaze grew wary.
’A Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure of this caliber must be guarded by a demon.’
He pushed his Spirit Smelling Technique to its limit, carefully sensing for any auras around the pool.
And yet, strangely, there was no trace of a demon’s aura within a radius of several hundred yards of the pool.
Fang Han frowned.
’This is too strange.’
’Could this Golden Flame Sacred Lotus really be unguarded?’
He pondered for a moment, then slowly approached the pool.
His steps were light and silent. He circulated his Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill at full power, suppressing his aura to the absolute minimum.
One step, two steps, three steps...
He reached the edge of the pool, his gaze still vigilantly scanning the water’s surface.
The water’s surface was calm as a mirror, reflecting his figure.
The very instant he prepared to use a Body Technique to walk on water and snatch the Golden Flame Sacred Lotus—
—disaster struck!
A massive black shadow erupted from the depths!
Its speed was staggering, almost too fast for the eye to follow.
The surface of the pool exploded. Water sprayed everywhere as a black form as thick as a barrel shot toward Fang Han, bringing with it a foul stench and immense power.
Every hair on Fang Han’s body stood on end.
On pure instinct, he instantly activated Wind and Cloud Escape at maximum power. His body became a wisp of smoke, drifting back several yards.
BOOM—!
The black shadow missed its target, slamming viciously into the spot where Fang Han had just stood.
The ground trembled and sent shattered rock flying, leaving a deep crater in its wake.
Fang Han stabilized himself, his gaze falling on the black shadow.
It was a giant serpent.
The serpent’s body was as thick as a water barrel and over a hundred feet long. It was covered in pitch-black scales, each the size of a man’s palm, all glinting with a cold, dark light.
Its head was triangular, and its vertical pupils were a strange, dark gold. They reflected Fang Han’s figure, filled with undisguised brutality and malice.
But most startling was its aura—cold, violent, and radiating a suffocating pressure that made the heart race.
It felt even more dangerous than the Shadow Leopard he had faced, a beast that had been on the verge of the Upper Three Grades.
’I almost fell for that ambush!’
A chill went down Fang Han’s spine.
The serpent had been hidden at the bottom of the pool. The water itself, with its currents, had completely masked the creature’s aura.
If not for that, with his perception at the Great Success stage of the Spirit Smelling Technique, he would have undoubtedly discovered it.
HISS—!
The giant serpent flicked its tongue and let out a sharp hiss. Its massive body coiled for a moment before lunging again like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The speed was astonishing.
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed. Pushing his Wind and Cloud Escape to its limit, his body became a wisp of smoke, drifting sideways by a hair’s breadth.
At the same instant, his Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath. A condensed, cyan Sword Qi tore through the air, slashing at the serpent’s midsection.
CLANG—!
The Sword Qi struck the serpent’s body, but it produced a loud clang, as if metal had struck metal.
Its pitch-black scales were unbelievably tough. The Sword Qi only left a shallow white mark, failing to even break the skin.
The giant serpent, pained, let out a furious hiss as its long, thick tail whipped toward him like a steel lash.
Fang Han tapped his toes on the ground, launching himself several yards into the air to evade the strike.
BOOM—!
The serpent’s tail slammed into several ancient trees so thick it would take a person’s full embrace to circle them. They snapped on impact, sending splinters flying as they crashed to the ground.
Fang Han changed direction in mid-air and slashed again with his Cloud Splitting Sword.
This time, he infused the attack with the Sword Momentum from his Great Success stage Nine Swords of Sky Splitting.
The sword light condensed into a single cyan thread that tore through the air with a piercing shriek before viciously striking the serpent.
SQUELCH—!
This time, the blade broke through the scales and sliced into flesh.
Fresh blood splattered.
The giant serpent let out a piercing shriek. Its massive body writhed violently, its tail thrashing wildly and destroying everything in its path.
If his Wind and Cloud Escape hadn’t already reached the Mastery stage, and if he hadn’t dodged in time, he likely would have been struck by the serpent’s massive tail.
Given the serpent’s destructive power, he would have likely been injured, even with the formidable physique granted by his Entry Level Xuanwu True Skill.
’It’s even more terrifying than the Shadow Leopard!’
Fang Han landed several yards away, panting slightly.
The serpent was even stronger than he had anticipated.
He also had to be careful not to let their battle damage the Golden Flame Sacred Lotus. If the lotus were destroyed, killing the serpent would be a pointless victory.
On top of that, he was not adept at fighting in water.
The serpent’s attacks were already this ferocious with him just standing on the shore. The fight would be even more difficult in the water.
’I have to lure it away from the pool.’
With a plan formed in an instant, Fang Han’s figure flickered and he began to retreat.
As he moved, he sent a casual Sword Qi flying, leaving another white gash on the serpent’s body.
Thoroughly enraged, the giant serpent shot forward, chasing Fang Han away from the pool.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE—
Once they were a safe distance from the pool, Fang Han stopped running and turned to face the serpent.
Man and serpent began a fierce life-or-death struggle far from the water’s edge.
The giant serpent’s strength was astounding, its scales were tough, and its speed was breathtaking.
It attacked like a raging storm, sometimes ramming with its head, sometimes lashing with its tail, and sometimes trying to coil its massive body around him.
Fang Han pushed his Wind and Cloud Escape to the absolute limit, his figure flickering unpredictably as he weaved through the barrage of attacks.
Each slash of his Cloud Splitting Sword added another wound to the serpent’s body.
Thirty moves.
Fifty moves.
Eighty moves.
One hundred moves.
After more than a hundred exchanges, the giant serpent was covered in wounds, its dark scales slick with blood.
But as a demon, its vitality was far greater than a human’s, and it refused to die.
Fang Han prepared to continue the battle of attrition and slowly grind the giant serpent down.
Just then, the powerful senses of his Great Success stage Spirit Smelling Technique detected a strong aura rapidly approaching.