15: Chapter 15 Five Elements Body Refinement

Deep in the Wood Spirit Plain, battle suddenly erupted.

Lin Wan's five elements sword wheel spun like a millstone, cutting and grinding through the layers of Zhou Yiming's defensive Talisman light barriers, producing a harsh, grating sound.

Zhou Yiming's expression was grim; he retreated rapidly, his hands moving like butterflies threading through flowers as he continuously threw out Formation Flags and Formation Plates, attempting to set up a Formation again.

However, Lin Wan's offensive was like a tidal wave, and his Sword Qi followed like a shadow, giving him no chance to catch his breath or set up a Formation.

"Five Elements Return to Origin, Slash!"

Lin Wan shouted in a low voice. The five elements sword wheel suddenly contracted, transforming into a condensed sword beam containing the changes of the Five Elements mutual generation and Restriction. With lightning speed, it slashed toward the core Formation Flag of the "Thick Earth Barrier Formation" that Zhou Yiming had just formed.

"Clang!"

A deafening loud noise rang out. The Formation Flag shook violently, its light flickering, and a crack actually appeared on it.

Zhou Yiming, connected to it by heart and mind, suffered from the backlash. His face turned even paler, and a trace of shock finally appeared in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Lin Wan's Sword Qi to be so overbearing, or his attacks on the Formation nodes to be so precise, as if he could see through the reality and illusion of his Formation.

"You... how can you see through my Formation?!" Zhou Yiming asked through gritted teeth. His footwork was mysterious, and he widened the distance again while throwing out several "Earth Sinking Talismans" and "Quicksand Talismans" to interfere with Lin Wan's pursuit.

"Guess?" Lin Wan sneered, unmoved. Executing "Floating Light Sweeping Shadow," his figure turned into trails of afterimages, moving freely through the quicksand and sinking earth, while his five elements sword remained locked onto Zhou Yiming.

He knew that when dealing with a Formation Master, one must never allow them to set up a Formation calmly; one must engage in close-quarters combat and use speed to overcome slowness.

On the other side, the battle between Han Lingtian and the two Spirit Beast Mountain Disciples was even more violent and bloody.

Having broken free, Han Lingtian was like a tiger released from its cage, his blood-colored Sword Qi rampaging everywhere.

Although the fire-red squirrel on the shoulder of the Disciple surnamed Sun was fast and poisonous, it dared not approach easily in the face of Han Lingtian's tangible killing intent and violent Sword Qi, only able to spit poison mist from the periphery to harass him.

The silver-white pangolin of the Disciple surnamed Li had astonishing defense and could burrow underground for surprise attacks, but Han Lingtian's combat experience was incredibly rich. His heavy sword was powerful, and every strike carried the might to split mountains and cleave rocks, shaking the pangolin's scales until they shattered and it wailed repeatedly.

"Blood Killing Cross Slash!"

A flash of blood light appeared in Han Lingtian's eyes. He slashed with his heavy sword in a cross pattern, and two thick blood-colored Sword Qi beams whistled out in a cross shape, instantly shattering the Disciple surnamed Sun's protective spiritual light and several defensive Magical Artifacts. The momentum undiminished, it slashed fiercely into his chest!

"Pfft!"

The Disciple surnamed Sun let out a miserable scream. Two cross-shaped wounds, deep enough to see bone, were slashed into his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, breaking several large trees, his breath fading away.

The fire-red squirrel on his shoulder wailed and turned into a red light, trying to flee, but Han Lingtian backhanded his sword. The Sword Qi was like a rainbow, exploding it in mid-air and turning it into a cloud of blood mist.

Seeing this, the Disciple surnamed Li was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Daring not to fight anymore, he slapped his waist's Spirit Beast Pouch, releasing two First-Grade High Grade "Iron Feather Eagles," while he himself jumped onto the pangolin's back, intending to burrow underground and escape.

"Want to leave?" Han Lingtian grinned savagely, thrusting his heavy sword into the ground and growling, "Earth Crack!"

Boom! With him as the center, the ground rolled and cracked like waves. Powerful Earth-element Spiritual Qi erupted, forcibly shaking out the pangolin that had just burrowed halfway underground. The two Iron Feather Eagles had just swooped down when they were shredded into pieces by Han Lingtian's casual two slashes of blood-colored Sword Qi.

The Disciple surnamed Li looked ashen and wanted to beg for mercy, but Han Lingtian had already swept over like a demon god, his heavy sword chopping down overhead!

"Senior Brother Han, spare him!" Lin Wan's voice came.

Han Lingtian's sword momentum paused, stopping three inches above the Disciple surnamed Li's head. The Disciple was already paralyzed on the ground, his crotch wet.

"Junior Brother, why stop me?" Han Lingtian frowned, the killing intent in his eyes not yet extinguished.

"This person might still be useful; we can ask for some intelligence." Lin Wan said while continuing to entangle Zhou Yiming. He had already seen that Zhou Yiming's movement techniques were mysterious and he had many life-saving methods, making him difficult to take down in a short time. If they could capture one person, perhaps they could find out information about the mastermind and their tracking methods.

Han Lingtian pondered for a moment and felt it made sense, so he put away his heavy sword, kicked the Disciple surnamed Li unconscious, sealed his cultivation with a Restriction, and threw him aside. Then he raised his sword and turned to look at the battle between Lin Wan and Zhou Yiming, his Battle Intent rising again.

Seeing one companion dead and one captured, Zhou Yiming felt a chill in his heart. He knew that the situation today was hopeless, and if he continued to fight, he would surely die once Han Lingtian was free.

A flash of resentment and unwillingness crossed his eyes. He bit his tongue hard, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and sprinkled it onto the several Formation Flags in front of him.

"Blood Escape: Earth Spirit Substitute!"

The Formation Flags burst with blood light, instantly turning into three earth-yellow figures identical to Zhou Yiming, indistinguishable in aura, and shot out in three different directions!

As for Zhou Yiming's true body, taking advantage of the instant burst of essence blood, his aura was completely retracted, as if he had merged with the earth, and he slipped away silently in another direction.

"Want to run?!" Lin Wan had been observing with his Void Tempering eyes. The moment Zhou Yiming cast the secret technique, he saw through the reality and illusion. The three blood shadow Clones had intense fluctuations of Spiritual Qi but empty cores; the true body had restrained Spiritual Qi and was almost integrated with the earth's aura, but in his eyes, the faint trajectory of Spiritual Qi and life aura were still clear.

He didn't chase the three blood shadow Clones. His figure flickered, driving "Floating Light Sweeping Shadow" to the limit, while his left hand formed a Seal, shouting in a low voice: "Kuei Water, Ice Seal!"

A pale blue stream of Water-element Spiritual Qi shot out like a silk ribbon, instantly catching up to the blurry figure that was almost integrated with the earth, turning into a layer of thick mysterious ice and sealing it!

Although Zhou Yiming's body flashed with earth-yellow spiritual light and shattered the mysterious ice, his figure was delayed because of it.

In the time of this delay, Lin Wan had already arrived in front of him. His five elements sword, carrying five-colored radiance, pointed toward his Dantian Qi Sea! At the same time, his right hand's five fingers hooked like claws, carrying faint Gold-element Sword Qi, and grabbed toward his shoulder blade.

Zhou Yiming's expression changed drastically; he hadn't expected Lin Wan to be able to see through his substitute and escape technique so accurately. In his haste, he had no choice but to sacrifice a palm-sized, pitch-black tortoise shell shield to block in front of him. The shield's spiritual light flickered, obviously a High Grade defensive Magical Artifact.

"Clang!"

The five elements sword struck the tortoise shell shield, and the five-colored Sword Qi erupted. The shield's spiritual light shook violently, but it ultimately blocked this sword. However, Lin Wan's right hand had already passed through the sword light and grabbed his shoulder. The Gold-element Sword Qi penetrated his body, instantly sealing several of his major acupoints.

Zhou Yiming groaned, feeling his body go numb and his Spiritual Qi circulation stall. A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and ignoring everything, he suddenly slapped his own crown! He was actually going to shatter his own crown and destroy his Divine Soul to prevent being soul-searched!

"Hmph!" Lin Wan had been prepared. His left hand was like lightning, taking the lead to tap his chest's Shanzhong acupoint. A gentle Wood-element Spiritual Qi, mixed with the Divine Soul power of the "Mind Splitting Technique," penetrated inside, instantly disrupting the Spiritual Qi in his body and scattering his thoughts of self-destruction. At the same time, his right hand increased its force, and the Gold-element Sword Qi completely sealed the Meridians of his whole body.

Zhou Yiming's body stiffened, the light in his eyes rapidly dimming and becoming hollow, and he fell softly, having been completely subdued.

"Decisive indeed, but unfortunately, a step too slow." Lin Wan snorted coldly, removed his Storage Pouch, and checked his body for any hidden weapons, poisons, or self-destruction Restrictions before he felt relieved.

"Junior Brother has good methods." Han Lingtian walked over, looking at the subdued Zhou Yiming and the Disciple surnamed Li, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes. "The five elements sword is unpredictable and can actually see through this guy's escape technique and substitute. It seems what you obtained in the Sword Tomb is no small matter."

"Senior Brother is too kind, just luck." Lin Wan said humbly, then looked at the two captives. "Senior Brother, how should we deal with them?"

Killing intent flashed in Han Lingtian's eyes: "These two colluded with Spirit Beast Mountain to ambush me; they deserve to die. Let's soul-search them directly and then kill them, clean and simple."

"Soul-searching might trigger Restrictions, and the information obtained might be incomplete. It's better to question them first, then combine it with soul-searching; perhaps we can get more complete intelligence." Lin Wan suggested. He was very interested in the collusion between the Yin Kui Sect, Spirit Beast Mountain, and Heavenly Array Peak, as well as the methods used to track him.

"That works too." Han Lingtian nodded. Although he was decisive in killing, he knew the priorities.

Lin Wan first woke up the Disciple surnamed Li. This person had already been scared out of his wits. Under the pressure of Han Lingtian's blood-colored killing intent and Lin Wan's interrogation, he quickly spilled everything he knew like beans from a pod.

It turned out that Elder Sun of Spirit Beast Mountain had always been colluding with Heavenly Array Peak and the Spiritual Plant Department (Elder Li), with close interests. This time, during the trip to the Secret Realm, they had long planned to eliminate the most potential direct Disciples of Tianjian Peak, especially Lin Wan, who had Foundation Establishment with Five Elements, and the powerful Han Lingtian.

To this end, they not only left "Hidden Tracking Dust" on Lin Wan and others using special methods at the entrance of the Secret Realm in advance, but also made a deal with the Yin Kui Sect, exchanging for three Foundation Establishment Puppets and tracking secret techniques to use for intercepting and killing in the Secret Realm.

Zhou Yiming was one of the people in charge of this operation, responsible for using Formations to trap and kill Han Lingtian and others. Spirit Beast Mountain provided Spirit Beasts for assistance and was responsible for peripheral vigilance and passing messages.

"Yin Kui Sect... why do they want to help you?" Lin Wan asked.

"I, I don't know... it seems... it seems Elder Sun promised them clues to an ancient ruin, deep in the Secret Realm..." the Disciple surnamed Li said tremblingly.

"Deep in the Secret Realm? Where?"

"I don't know specifically... I only heard Elder Sun mention it once, it seems to be the core of the 'Five Elements Intersection,' where there is a sealed ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave, possibly related to the ancient Five Elements Sect..."

Five Elements Intersection! Ancient Five Elements Sect! Lin Wan was shocked. This faintly echoed the "Great Five Elements Sword Art" Legacy he had obtained from the Sword Tomb. Could it be that there really were relics of the Five Elements Sect deep in this Secret Realm?

"How do you communicate? Where are Elder Sun and the people from the Yin Kui Sect now?" Han Lingtian asked coldly.

"Communication... use, use this." The Disciple surnamed Li took out a palm-sized, conch-shaped pale blue Magical Artifact from his bosom. "This is a 'Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Conch,' which can transmit sound to each other within a certain range. Elder Sun and the 'Ghost Hand' Senior from the Yin Kui Sect should... should be near 'Fire Spirit Mountain.' It is said that there is something they need there..."

"Ghost Hand? Ghost Hand Daoist, the Golden Core Elder of the Yin Kui Sect?" Han Lingtian frowned, his expression becoming serious. Ghost Hand Daoist was a famous Mid-stage Golden Core demonic Cultivator of the Yin Kui Sect, skilled in refining Puppets and poison techniques, and was ruthless.

"Ye, yes..."

After the questioning, Han Lingtian didn't hesitate; he slapped the Disciple surnamed Li unconscious with one palm, then looked at Lin Wan: "Junior Brother, what do you think?"

"The situation is more complicated than we imagined." Lin Wan said in a deep voice, "Not only is there an internal traitor colluding, but there is also a Golden Core demonic Cultivator sneaking in. Their goal is obviously not just to eliminate us, but to go for the Five Elements Sect ruins deep in the Secret Realm. Elder Sun, Elder Li, Zhao Yuan, Zhou Yiming, and that Ghost Hand Daoist... their plans are not small."

"Hmph, no matter what they are planning, if they dare to attack my Tianjian Peak, they must pay the price." Killing intent was cold in Han Lingtian's eyes. "These two are useless; kill them."

Having said that, without waiting for Lin Wan to answer, he waved his heavy sword, and two blood-colored Sword Qi flashed. The heads of Zhou Yiming and the Disciple surnamed Li flew up, and their Divine Souls were also stirred to pieces by the Sword Qi, dead beyond death.

Seeing this, Lin Wan didn't say much. The world of immortality is a place where the weak are prey to the strong; being kind to the enemy is being cruel to oneself. He stepped forward to take the Storage Pouches of the two and the Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Conch, and then cleaned up the battlefield, destroying the bodies and traces.

"Junior Brother, what are your plans next?" Han Lingtian asked, "Continue looking for spiritual objects, or go to meet up with Xu Feng and Third Senior Brother Lei Meng? Or... go to that Five Elements Intersection and investigate?"

Lin Wan pondered for a moment. The Five Elements Intersection very likely had "Five Elements Spirit Marrow," which was crucial for him to consolidate his Dao Foundation. Moreover, if there really were Five Elements Sect ruins, there might be even greater Opportunities. But that place would also inevitably be the center of the storm, and Elder Sun, Ghost Hand Daoist, and the others would very likely be there.

"I want to go to the Five Elements Intersection first to see." Lin Wan finally decided, "However, before going, it is best to meet up with Senior Brother Xu and Third Senior Brother Lei Meng. Our manpower is still too small, and facing a Golden Core demonic Cultivator is too dangerous."

"The rendezvous point was set at 'Three Lives Ancient Tree,' but this place is not close, and it is difficult to send messages in the Secret Realm." Han Lingtian said, "When I entered the Secret Realm with Xu Feng and Third Senior Brother Lei Meng, we agreed that if we were separated, we would leave a mark at 'Three Color Cliff,' the junction of 'Gold Spirit Valley,' 'Wood Spirit Plain,' and 'Water Spirit Lake,' and meet within three days. Now two days have passed, we can go to Three Color Cliff first to take a look."

"Good." Lin Wan nodded. Having Han Lingtian as a powerful fighter accompanying him greatly increased the safety factor. Moreover, he was more familiar with the Secret Realm.

The two no longer delayed. Han Lingtian identified the direction and took Lin Wan, galloping toward the Three Color Cliff.

On the way, Lin Wan checked the Storage Pouches he got from Zhou Yiming and the Disciple surnamed Li. In Zhou Yiming's Storage Pouch, besides a large number of Formation Materials, Formation Flags, Formation Plates, and a few Jade Slips (recording Formation experience), there were also quite a few Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and three egg-sized crystals of different colors — exactly the "Geng Metal Essence," "Kuei Water Spirit," and "Li Fire Crystal"! It seemed that this guy had indeed gained a lot in the Secret Realm and had snatched Han Lingtian's Geng Metal Essence.

Han Lingtian snorted when he saw the Geng Metal Essence and, without being polite, took it directly. Lin Wan put away the Kuei Water Spirit and Li Fire Crystal. Adding the previous heart of wood, he had already obtained four of the Five Elements spiritual objects, only missing the last "wu earth marrow."

The Disciple surnamed Li's Storage Pouch was much poorer, mainly containing items related to Spirit Beasts and ordinary resources. However, that Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Conch made Lin Wan quite concerned. He tried to input Spiritual Qi, and vague noise and intermittent fragments of conversation came from the conch. It seemed to be Spirit Beast Mountain Disciples contacting each other, but the distance was too far to hear clearly.

"This thing might be useful; it can be used to monitor the enemy's movements or pass false information." Lin Wan put away the sound transmission conch.

The two traveled quickly, collecting Spiritual Plants and Ores as they encountered them, and killing Yao Beasts that were blind enough to block their way. With Han Lingtian, a killing god, present, ordinary Yao Beasts dared not approach at all. Lin Wan was happy to be relaxed, traveling while silently digesting what he had gained from the previous battle, consolidating his cultivation, and trying to absorb the pure Spiritual Qi in the heart of wood, Kuei Water Spirit, and Li Fire Crystal.

The Five Elements Dao Foundation was mysterious and could absorb and refine Five Elements Spiritual Qi on its own. The pure Origin power contained in these three spiritual objects was a great supplement for Lin Wan. He traveled while multitasking, guiding the Spiritual Qi to circulate and refine in the Five Elements cycle. The vitality of the heart of wood nourished the Wood-element Spiritual Qi and his physical Meridians; the gentle moisture of the Kuei Water Spirit made the Water-element Spiritual Qi even more pure and agile; the explosive heat of the Li Fire Crystal continuously tempered and strengthened the relatively weaker Fire-element Spiritual Qi.

He could feel that his Five Elements Dao Foundation was becoming more solid and stable at a speed visible to the naked eye, the speed of the Five Elements Spiritual Qi cycle had accelerated by a trace, and his control over the Five Elements Spiritual Qi was becoming more handy. Especially the Fire-element Spiritual Qi, the progress was most obvious, and the feeling of stagnation when condensing the "Li Fire Golden Pupils" before seemed to have eased a lot.

"If I can obtain the wu earth marrow, the Five Elements will be gathered, and the Dao Foundation should be able to reach Minor Achievement. Then I might be able to try to impact the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment." Lin Wan looked forward to it in his heart.

After more than half a day, the two arrived at Three Color Cliff.

Three Color Cliff was located at the junction of a peculiar landscape. On one side was the remnant of the crimson Fire Spirit Mountain, with jagged rocks and steaming heat; on one side was a tributary of the dark blue Water Spirit Lake, with misty water vapor and biting cold; on the other side was the edge of the lush Wood Spirit Plain, full of vitality. At the junction of the three colors, it formed a strange cliff that was a hundred feet high, with a cross-section showing distinct layers of red, blue, and green, hence the name.

The two searched under the cliff for a moment, and soon, on a concealed red rock wall, they discovered a shallow mark emitting a faint Sword Qi of the Metal Element; it was the agreed-upon signal for the Disciples of Tianjian Peak.

The mark was very fresh, clearly left within the last two days.

"It seems they have already been here, perhaps they are waiting nearby." Han Lingtian said, channeling his Spiritual Qi to leave a blood-colored Sword Qi mark beside the original one as a response.

The two then found a relatively concealed corner under the cliff, set up a simple warning Restriction, and waited while adjusting their breathing.

This wait lasted for half a day.

Just as the sun was setting and the sky was growing dark, two figures flew over from the direction of the Wood Spirit Plain.

One was tall and sturdy, carrying a pair of hammers on his shoulder; it was Third Senior Brother Lei Meng.

The other was of medium build with a scholarly appearance, Xu Feng.

"Second Senior Brother! Junior Brother! You really are here!" Lei Meng shouted from afar with his booming voice, his tone filled with joy.

The four gathered and looked each other over; seeing that everyone was unharmed, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Junior Brother, I heard you were ambushed by a Puppet from the Yin Kui Sect? Are you alright?" Xu Feng asked with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Senior Brother, it has been resolved." Lin Wan briefly recounted the ambush and the subsequent counter-kill of Zhou Yiming alongside Han Lingtian, omitting details like the Void Tempering Eye, simply claiming he was lucky and saw through the opponent's escape technique.

"That scoundrel Zhou Yiming deserved to die!" Lei Meng clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"That kid relied on his formidable Formation skills to cause trouble for our Tianjian Peak more than once.

And that bunch of trash from Spirit Beast Mountain, daring to collude with the Demonic Path to ambush us; once we leave the Secret Realm, I will definitely settle the score with Old Ghost Sun!"

Xu Feng frowned.

"Elder Sun, Elder Li, Zhao Yuan, and the Golden Core Demonic Cultivator Ghost Hand Daoist... Their alliance must be plotting something massive.

The Five Elements Intersection... the ruins of the ancient Five Elements Sect... This matter is no small affair.

With the strength of the four of us, I fear we cannot handle it.

Should we withdraw from the Secret Realm first and report to our Revered Master and the Sect?"

"Reporting is a given, but the entrance to the Secret Realm won't open for another month; we can't leave now." Han Lingtian said coldly.

"Furthermore, since they dared to collude with the Demonic Path and act within the Secret Realm, they have likely made arrangements outside as well.

If we rashly leave, we might just fall into a trap."

"Second Senior Brother is right." Lin Wan nodded.

"Within the Secret Realm, we still have room to maneuver.

Moreover, the Five Elements Intersection might have the 'Five Elements Spirit Marrow' and the wu earth marrow I need; I cannot miss this Opportunity."

"Junior Brother needs wu earth marrow? I actually know a place where it might be." Lei Meng suddenly said.

"Oh? Please tell me, Third Senior Brother."

"After I entered, I was teleported to a place near the Earth Spirit Abyss.

It is a massive rift valley, bottomless, with Spiritual Qi of the Earth Element so dense it cannot be dispersed.

While exploring the edge, I once saw from afar, deep in the valley, a strong earthy-yellow spiritual light rising, with a vaguely dragon-shaped phantom circling; it looked very much like the appearance of 'wu earth marrow' or 'Earth Vein Dragon Qi'.

However, a large group of 'Thick Earth Lizards' is entrenched there, including many Second Stage ones, and the numbers were too high, so I didn't dare to venture deep." Lei Meng said.

wu earth marrow! Earth Vein Dragon Qi! Lin Wan's eyes lit up.

Whichever it was, both were supreme treasures of the Earth Element, and crucial to him.

"Earth Spirit Abyss... that is right on our way.

The Five Elements Intersection is roughly in the center of the Secret Realm, requiring us to pass through the intersection of the Earth Spirit Abyss, Water Spirit Lake, Fire Spirit Mountain, and Gold Spirit Valley.

We can go to the Earth Spirit Abyss first to find the wu earth marrow for Junior Brother, then head to the Five Elements Intersection to investigate.

Along the way, we can also collect other spiritual items to improve our strength." Xu Feng analyzed.

Han Lingtian nodded: "Agreed.

However, we must speed up.

Old Ghost Sun and that Ghost Hand Daoist likely have the Five Elements Intersection as their target as well.

We must arrive before them, or at least not fall too far behind."

With the plan decided, the four did not delay any further.

After a brief rest, they followed Lei Meng's lead and set off towards the Earth Spirit Abyss.

The Earth Spirit Abyss was located in the western part of the Secret Realm, thousands of miles away from the Three-Colored Cliff.

The four traveled rapidly, crossing mountains and wading through waters, avoiding large beast herds and dangerous areas, occasionally stopping to collect spiritual items that caught their eye.

With the two powerful Senior Brothers, Han Lingtian and Lei Meng, clearing the way, Lin Wan and Xu Feng had their pressure greatly reduced, allowing them to focus on traveling and recovering.

Three days later, the four arrived at the edge of the Earth Spirit Abyss.

The scene before them was shocking.

The earth seemed to have been split by a giant axe, forming a massive rift valley dozens of miles wide and bottomless.

The rock walls on both sides of the rift were steep, a deep brownish-yellow, covered in signs of weathering and huge cracks.

In the valley, the earthy-yellow Spiritual Qi, so dense it had almost turned into substance, rolled and rose like clouds and mist, forming tornadoes of Spiritual Qi that connected heaven and earth, emitting a low rumble.

Standing at the edge, one could feel that heavy, dense, Earth Element pressure that seemed capable of crushing everything.

"Such dense Earth Element Spiritual Qi!" Lin Wan took a deep breath, feeling his internal Earth Element Spiritual Power becoming unusually active, and the Earth Element droplets within his Five Elements Dao Foundation faintly hummed with joy.

"That wu earth marrow or Earth Vein Dragon Qi should be deep in the valley, where the Spiritual Qi is thickest." Lei Meng pointed to the middle of the valley, where the earthy-yellow spiritual light was most intense and a low dragon roar could be faintly heard.

"But that is also the lair of the Thick Earth Lizards.

Everyone be careful; those beasts have thick skin and flesh, infinite strength, are skilled in burrowing and Earth-type Spells, and are extremely vengeful."

"Thick Earth Lizards usually live in groups; Second Stage ones are equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and First Stage ones are equivalent to the Qi Refinement Stage.

Looking at the Spiritual Qi concentration and the dragon roar, I fear there is a Thick Earth Lizard King at the late or even Peak Second Stage present." Xu Feng looked solemn.

"We will face whatever comes." Han Lingtian's eyes flared with Battle Intent.

"Junior Brother needs the wu earth marrow, so we must go down.

The four of us combined, as long as we don't get trapped in a sea of beasts, we can fight.

Lei Meng, you take the vanguard; I and Junior Brother will be the main attackers, and Xu Feng will be responsible for support and defense."

"Alright!" Lei Meng grinned, leaping into the valley first, his twin hammers protecting his front as he fell like a meteorite.

Han Lingtian and Lin Wan followed closely, while Xu Feng summoned a cyan "Yi Wood Spirit Shield," which floated above everyone's heads, casting down rays of cyan light to form a layer of protection.

Once they entered the valley, the Earth Element pressure became even stronger, as if countless mountains were pressing on their shoulders, making their movements sluggish.

The surrounding earthy-yellow Spiritual Qi was as thick as water, and their Divine Sense was severely suppressed, able to extend only a dozen or so feet.

"Roar—!" Just as they landed on the valley floor, an angry roar came from the dense fog ahead.

Immediately after, the ground shook, and a Thick Earth Lizard, three zhang long, covered in thick earthy-yellow scales, shaped like a giant lizard but with a single horn on its head and an aura reaching the early Second Stage, rushed out from a crack in the rock wall.

It opened its mouth filled with sharp teeth and bit towards Lei Meng, who was in the lead!

At the same time, its thick tail swept, kicking up countless rocks that pelted the group like cannonballs.

"Good!" Lei Meng did not dodge or evade, roaring angrily as he swung his twin hammers in a full arc, carrying violent lightning, and smashed them fiercely towards the Thick Earth Lizard's head!

"Boom—!" The hammers collided with the lizard's head, emitting a muffled, thunderous sound.

The Thick Earth Lizard roared in pain, its head smashed to one side, scales cracked and bleeding, but it was not crushed; it merely shook its head and pounced forward even more ferociously.

Its defensive strength was staggering.

At the same time, seven or eight more Thick Earth Lizards darted out from the cracks in the surrounding rock walls.

Although they were all First Stage, they were massive, thick-skinned, and swarmed forward fearlessly.

"Kill!" Han Lingtian swung his heavy sword, blood-colored Sword Qi like a rainbow instantly slicing two First Stage Thick Earth Lizards in half.

Lin Wan also struck, his Flowing Light Sword transforming into a five-colored sword wheel, spinning and cutting, forcing several Thick Earth Lizards back.

The Sword Qi grazed their scales, leaving deep white marks, but failed to break their defense.

"These beasts have too strong a defense! Ordinary Sword Qi can hardly hurt them!" Lin Wan frowned.

Thick Earth Lizards were already known for their defense, and with the dense Earth Element Spiritual Qi here to bolster them, they were even more troublesome.

"Let me!" Xu Feng shouted in a low voice, forming hand Seals with both hands.

The Yi Wood Spirit Shield shone brilliantly, dividing into dozens of cyan vines that coiled towards the Thick Earth Lizards like spirit snakes.

Wood overcomes Earth!

The cyan vines wrapped around the Thick Earth Lizards, immediately beginning to absorb their Earth Element Spiritual Power while constantly tightening, restricting their movements.

Although they were quickly broken free by the Thick Earth Lizards, it at least slowed their offensive.

"Attack their vital points: eyes, mouth, abdomen!" Han Lingtian was experienced; his heavy sword focused on the relatively fragile eyes and the joint of the lower jaw of the Thick Earth Lizards, with significant effect.

Lin Wan also changed his strategy, no longer pursuing area-of-effect attacks, but instead focusing his five elements sword Qi into a single point, specifically attacking the weak points like the eyes and mouth of the Thick Earth Lizards.

The sharpness of the Metal Element Sword Qi and the explosiveness of the Fire Element Sword Qi had miraculous effects in breaking their defenses.

Soon, several more Thick Earth Lizards were severely injured or killed.

However, the commotion here had clearly alerted more Thick Earth Lizards.

From the distant dense fog, more angry roars and heavy footsteps could be heard, and the ground vibration intensified; clearly, a large number of Thick Earth Lizards were rushing over.

"We cannot get entangled! Charge in!" Han Lingtian shouted sternly, taking the lead, his blood-colored Sword Qi clearing the path and hacking the blocking Thick Earth Lizards away.

Lei Meng swung his twin hammers, like a humanoid Vicious Beast, following closely behind.

Lin Wan and Xu Feng protected the flanks, fighting as they advanced.

The four were like a sharp knife, forcefully carving a path of blood through the swarm of Thick Earth Lizards, pressing towards the deepest part of the valley where the earthy-yellow spiritual light was brightest.

The further in they went, the stronger the Thick Earth Lizards became, and the greater their numbers.

Eventually, there even appeared three or four Second Stage Early Stage Thick Earth Lizard commanders, leading large groups of First Stage Thick Earth Lizards in the siege.

The pressure on the four increased significantly, and their Spiritual Power consumption accelerated rapidly.

"Roar—!!!" Just as the four were less than a hundred feet from the source of the spiritual light, a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering dragon roar came from deep within the light!

Accompanying the dragon roar, a terrifying pressure far exceeding the Second Stage swept over them like a tsunami!

Within the spiritual light, a massive creature over ten zhang long, covered entirely in golden dragon scales, with two horns on its head, four claws on its abdomen, and an aura that had reached the Peak of the Second Stage, half a foot into the Third Stage (Golden Core), slowly lifted its hideous head, its cold vertical pupils locked firmly onto the intruders.

The Thick Earth Lizard King!

And, it was a Thick Earth Lizard King that contained a trace of Earth Vein Dragon Qi and was on the verge of transforming into a Flood Dragon!

"Not good! It's a Peak Second Stage Lizard King!" Xu Feng's expression changed drastically.

Han Lingtian and Lei Meng also looked grim.

A Peak Second Stage Yao Beast had strength comparable to a Cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the Yao Beast's Physical Body was formidable; with the local terrain advantage, it was extremely difficult to deal with.

The Lizard King's cold vertical pupils swept over the four, finally landing on Lin Wan, seemingly unusually sensitive to the Five Elements Spiritual Qi on him, a flash of greed and rage flickering in its eyes.

It opened its bloody maw, let out an even more terrifying roar, and a thick, solid-like earthy-yellow beam of light, carrying an aura of destruction, shot towards the four with a boom!

Wherever it passed, space trembled, and rocks and earth were annihilated!

"Defend together!" Han Lingtian roared wildly, stabbing his heavy sword into the ground.

Blood-colored Sword Qi soared into the sky, transforming into a massive blood-colored shield.

Lei Meng clashed his twin hammers, lightning exploding to form a lightning shield.

Xu Feng pushed the Yi Wood Spirit Shield to its limit.

Lin Wan also fully operated his Five Elements Dao Foundation, five-colored spiritual light weaving into a five elements sword Wheel before him.

"Boom—!!!!!" The earthy-yellow beam of light slammed fiercely into the group's defense!

The earth-shaking explosion, with violent Earth Element Spiritual Power rampaging, leveled everything within dozens of feet!

Countless Thick Earth Lizards were killed or injured by the shockwave.

The defense set up by the four shook violently under the impact of the beam; Lei Meng's lightning shield shattered first, he groaned, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Xu Feng's Yi Wood Spirit Shield also dimmed, showing cracks.

Han Lingtian's blood-colored giant shield and the five elements sword Wheel were the most resilient, but they were also teetering on the brink of collapse.

The power of a single blow was truly terrifying!

"Don't take it head-on! Scatter! Fight on the move!" Han Lingtian barked; the four instantly scattered, attacking the Lizard King from different directions.

However, the Lizard King's attacks were not only terrifying, but its defense was also astonishing.

Han Lingtian's blood-colored Sword Qi slashed onto its golden scales, leaving only faint white marks.

Lei Meng's twin hammers struck, but his arms were left numb from the recoil.

Lin Wan's five elements sword Qi also struggled to break its defense.

Only by attacking its relatively fragile eyes, reverse scales, and other such spots could they cause some damage, but the Lizard King was heavily guarded and extremely difficult to hit.

What was even more troublesome was that there were countless Thick Earth Lizards around, fearlessly harassing them, making it impossible for the four to focus on dealing with the Lizard King.

The battle instantly fell into a stalemate, and it was disadvantageous to the four.

"We can't go on like this! We can't afford the Spiritual Power consumption!" Xu Feng said urgently while fending off the Thick Earth Lizard siege.

Lin Wan was also anxious.

This Lizard King's strength far exceeded their estimates, and with the terrain advantage and the beast swarm helping it, they would surely lose if the battle dragged on.

He had to find a way to break the deadlock.

His gaze swept towards the area behind the Lizard King, where the earthy-yellow spiritual light was thickest.

There, it seemed there was a small cavern, and the spiritual light was erupting from within it.

Vaguely visible, inside the cavern, there seemed to be a pool of thick, paste-like earthy-yellow liquid, exuding a heavy dragon might, slowly flowing.

wu earth marrow!

And, it was of extremely high quality, seemingly tainted with a trace of Earth Vein Dragon Qi!

"I must get it!" A flash of determination appeared in Lin Wan's eyes.

With this item, his Earth Element Spiritual Power would surge, his Five Elements Dao Foundation could approach Perfection, his strength would greatly increase, and perhaps he would be able to contest with this Lizard King.

His thoughts raced, and he instantly came up with a risky plan.

"Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother! Hold back the Lizard King and the beast swarm for a moment! I'm going to retrieve the wu earth marrow!" Lin Wan shouted via telepathic transmission, while simultaneously retreating rapidly, breaking away from the battle, and rushing towards the cavern.

"Be careful, Junior Brother!" Although the three did not understand why, seeing Lin Wan's resolute expression, they knew he must have a plan and immediately burst forth, binding the Lizard King and the swarm of beasts tightly.

Seeing Lin Wan dare to rush straight for the treasure it was guarding, the Lizard King was instantly enraged, abandoning the three of them, and turned to pounce towards Lin Wan, its speed as fast as lightning, its giant mouth opening wide, intending to swallow Lin Wan in one gulp!

However, Lin Wan seemed to have anticipated this.

The moment the Lizard King pounced, his figure swayed strangely, pushing the "Floating Light Sweeping Shadow" to its limit, leaving trails of afterimages in the air.

His true body had already slipped past the Lizard King's side like a fish.

At the same time, he raised his right hand and threw the "Five Elements Maze Formation" plate, which he had long been holding, towards the top of the Lizard King's head!

"Five Elements Maze, rise!"

The Formation Plate shone brilliantly, instantly unfolding into a patch of five-colored mist that shrouded the Lizard King's massive head!

Within the mist, the Five Elements were in chaos, directions were lost, and the Lizard King's vision blurred; it had actually lost track of Lin Wan, and it swung its head and tail in fury, attacking blindly within the Formation.

Taking this Opportunity, Lin Wan had already darted like lightning to the edge of the cavern, reaching out his hand to grab that pool of wu earth marrow!

However, the moment his fingers were about to touch the wu earth marrow, a new twist occurred!

Inside the cavern, the wu earth marrow suddenly boiled, and an earthy-yellow light shadow, condensed to the extreme and exuding terrifying dragon might, rose into the sky from the marrow fluid like a hidden dragon emerging from an abyss, pouncing towards Lin Wan's face!

It was actually a "Wu Earth Dragon Spirit" formed from the essence of Earth Vein Dragon Qi!

Although this dragon spirit had no physical form, the Wu Earth Origin and dragon might it contained were enough to easily tear apart the Physical Body and Divine Soul of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

Life and death hung by a thread!