Chapter 96 : Clash of Divine Flames and Lotus

"A formidable divine ability [a supernatural power cultivated through esoteric arts]."

While Eldrin Chen parried with his Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword, Tea Rose Su seized the moment to unleash her Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to its user's life force], the 'Verdant Wood Divine Flame Shroud'.

This Verdant Wood Divine Flame Shroud was Tea Rose Su's signature magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]. As the saying goes, wood fuels the fire's might, and fire in turn relies on wood's substance. At her command, torrents of Supple Wood Divine Flame [a divine flame imbued with the essence of supple wood] cascaded downward.

This fire-attribute magical treasure was supremely effective against the Supple Wood Spirit [a spirit entity born from ancient supple wood]. Yet, the creature reacted swiftly, summoning a pale Azure Lotus Throne which unfurled a radiant barrier, holding back the onslaught of the Supple Wood Divine Flame.

"It's the Positive Water Verdant Lotus [a spiritual lotus plant possessing the dual attributes of positive water and verdant wood]."

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the treasure's origin.

The Positive Water Verdant Lotus was a Third Rank spiritual plant. Its lotus pod, in the hands of a master artificer, was material sufficient to forge a Third Rank Magical Artifact.

The Supple Wood Demon Race [a race of demons associated with supple wood] possessed crude artifice techniques. Despite having this superior material, they had only managed to craft it into a Second Rank High-Grade treasure lotus.

However, its innate quality was Extraordinary. By deploying the Positive Water Verdant Lotus, the Supple Wood Spirit actually countered their fire-attribute magical treasure, momentarily putting both cultivators on the defensive.

The Supple Wood Spirit was not one to endure attacks without retaliation. It summoned two magical treasure of its own: one was a flying sword forged from thousand-year-old Lightning-Struck Wood [wood imbued with the power of heavenly lightning], the other a Supple Wood treasure pearl. Both were Second Rank High-Grade Magical Treasure. Your portal to cultivation novels: http://www . audio-novel.com.

As the magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] came hurtling towards her, Tea Rose Su summoned a Second Rank High-Grade alchemical furnace, a magical treasure in its own right, to intercept the Supple Wood [a divine ability related to the Wood element] Treasure Pearl.

The Lightning-Struck Sword [a sword imbued with lightning power] shot forth wreathed in crackling electricity. Not only was it incredibly swift, it also seemed impervious to Heavenly Flame [a powerful spiritual flame] and thunder. It successively knocked aside several of Tea Rose Su's magical treasures, aiming straight for her head.

At the critical moment, Eldrin Chen activated the Violet Light Mirror. The treasure released a beam of mirror-light that enveloped the Lightning-Struck Sword. Unfortunately, Eldrin Chen could only unleash seventy percent of the mirror's power, and thus failed to completely subdue the flying sword.

Fortunately, the Lightning-Struck Sword, being countered by the Violet Light Mirror, had its radiance dimmed by seventy to eighty percent. For a short time, it would be unable to pose any significant threat.

Seeing its Lightning-Struck Sword damaged, the Supple Wood Spirit [a spirit entity of the Wood element] hastily recalled it, forced to rely solely on spellcraft to face its foes.

Having neutralized the Lightning-Struck Sword, Eldrin Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He then summoned the Purple Sun Furnace. This Second Rank High-Grade Magical Treasure, obtained from the Lin Clan, possessed truly Extraordinary might. It erupted with vast quantities of Purple Sun True Flame [a true flame of the purple sun], which surged forth to engulf the Supple Wood Spirit.

If the Purple Sun Furnace and the Verdant Wood Divine Flame Shroud were to burn the spirit simultaneously, even with its Positive Water Verdant Lotus [a spiritual lotus embodying positive water and verdant wood energies], the Supple Wood Spirit would likely find it impossible to withstand.

At this crucial juncture, the Supple Wood Spirit revealed another trump card. Eldrin Chen heard a deafening Thunderclap [a thunderous sound], and a bolt of azure lightning, serpentine and draconic in form, shot towards the Purple Sun Furnace, illuminating the entire sky.

"Supple Wood Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique of the Wood element]," Eldrin Chen murmured, his pupils contracting slightly. He had not anticipated this Supple Wood Spirit would have awakened a second innate divine ability.

The might of this Supple Wood Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique harnessing the power of supple wood] was truly Extraordinary. If it struck the Purple Sun Furnace [a magical furnace forged with the essence of the purple sun] after being propelled by the demon's True Essence [the refined, foundational energy of a cultivator], the treasure would likely suffer severe damage, requiring years of careful nurturing to restore its function.

"*Clang—*"

At the critical moment, Eldrin Chen unleashed his clan's hereditary divine ability, the Blazing Heaven Sword [a sword technique of searing celestial fire].

A golden sword radiance soared into the sky, its dazzling brilliance illuminating a hundred Zhang-lengths [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] of empty space. It collided head-on with the Supple Wood Divine Thunder, and the resulting explosion of flames swept across nearly a hundred Zhang-lengths of void.

Although the power of this Supple Wood Divine Thunder was Extraordinary, it ranked among the weakest within the Five Elements Divine Thunder [divine thunder techniques based on the five fundamental elements]. It could not compare to the sheer Slaughter [overwhelming destructive power] of the Blazing Heaven Sword. Therefore, even though the Supple Wood Demon Race [a demonic race attuned to the supple wood element] possessed exceptionally profound True Essence, the thunder lost most of its potency after breaking through the sword radiance.

Seizing this opportunity, Eldrin Chen summoned the Ninefold Resonance Bell [a bell whose chimes resonate in nine layers] to block, finally managing to withstand this formidable divine ability.

Having failed with its first strike, the Supple Wood Spirit [a spirit beast of the supple wood element] suddenly paled, but it was already too late to react.

The Purple Sun Furnace and the Verdant Wood Divine Flame Shroud [a protective shroud woven from verdant wood and divine flame] released torrents of True Flame [a pure, potent flame born of spiritual energy]. These flames clashed with the curtain of light cascading from the Positive Water Verdant Lotus [a lotus of pure yang water and verdant vitality], causing billows of white steam to erupt into the air.

Simultaneously, Tea Rose Su made her move once more. This time, she unleashed a divine ability—it was also the Supple Wood Divine Thunder.

"*Boom—*"

With a resounding crack, the Positive Water Verdant Lotus [a defensive lotus formed from pure water and wood energies] could hold no longer. A massive breach was torn open by the Supple Wood Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique imbued with the essence of supple wood]. The Purple Sun True Flame [a purifying flame born from the essence of the purple sun] and the divine fire of Verdant Wood surged in like a tide, engulfing it and drawing forth a shriek of agony.

The Supple Wood Spirit [a spirit entity born from ancient supple wood, possessing great vitality] proved worthy of its status as a demon half a step into the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a violet palace within the dantian]. At this critical juncture between life and death, it forcefully expanded a shield of spiritual power, managing a desperate escape.

Yet, having been invaded by the True Flame [a pure, high-grade spiritual flame], the Supple Wood Spirit was forced to devote its full strength to suppressing the inferno raging within its body. Consequently, its control over its divine abilities inevitably slackened.

Seizing this golden opportunity, Eldrin Chen's eyes snapped open. The Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword [a spiritual sword forged from solar fire and abyssal essence] blazed with renewed radiance, shattering the restraints of the verdant divine light. With a resonant *clang*, it cleaved through the air towards the Supple Wood Spirit.

At this life-or-death moment, the Supple Wood Spirit sought to muster its power for a counterattack. Alas, the True Flame seethed within its meridians, the scorching pain causing a sharp, debilitating sting. It found itself unable to gather its True Essence [the refined spiritual energy at the core of a cultivator's power] in that crucial instant.

And in that fleeting moment, the sword energy manifested by the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword swept across like a blazing comet, cleanly severing the head of the Supple Wood Spirit from its body.

"What a swift Immortal Sword [a sword of legendary sharpness and power, often wielded by immortal beings]," someone murmured. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel.com.

Witnessing this, Tea Rose Su's pupils contracted slightly. The sheer speed and lethal intent of that final sword stroke had sent a ripple of danger down her own spine.

Having slain the Supple Wood Spirit, Eldrin Chen swiftly retrieved the damaged Positive Water Verdant Lotus, finally allowing himself a breath of relief.

However, the successive activations of his magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] had drained more than half of his True Essence. Feeling his reserves running perilously low, he gritted his teeth and swallowed a Restoration Pill [a pill that rapidly restores spiritual energy] to replenish his strength.

With the powerful Supple Wood Spirit slain, Eldrin Chen and Tea Rose Su were freed to assist others, finally tilting the scales of the battle. The Human Race Foundation Establishment Cultivators gained the upper hand.

Ordinary Supple Wood Demon Race creatures, lacking magical treasures or formidable divine abilities [supernatural powers cultivated by immortals], could no longer pose a lethal threat to the group.

After another quarter of an hour [a conventional short duration, roughly fifteen minutes], the battle atop the mountain peak finally concluded. Exquisite Jiang broke the stalemate, her sword flashing to behead the Supple Wood Demon King.

The death of the Supple Wood Demon King sealed the battle's fate. Once Exquisite Jiang joined the fray elsewhere, all remaining suspense evaporated.

Exquisite Jiang took action personally. In barely a dozen exchanges, she dispatched Elara Lin's opponent. The remaining Second Rank Supple Wood Demon Race creatures, facing such a ferocious Human Race Patriarch, were soon routed and scattered in flight.

The group spent half a day purging the three-hundred-Li-length Earth Vein of Supple Wood Spirits, then began plundering the resources within the Supple Wood Earth Vein.

After three days of thorough scavenging across one Mu-area of the Earth Vein, they returned to the core mountain peak laden with treasures, including a great quantity of Spirit Herbs.

"To think this is actually a Second Rank Mid-Grade Supple Wood Earth Vein!"

Standing within the Supple Wood Spirit Pool deep inside the Supple Wood Earth Vein, Elara Lin could not contain her delighted exclamation.

As a Second Rank Mid-Grade Supple Wood Earth Vein, this Spirit Pool gathered the Supple Wood Creation power [the fundamental life-giving and generative force of the universe]. Every sixty years, it would condense a single Supple Wood Crystal—an exceedingly rare and precious treasure of heaven and earth.

Exquisite Jiang also nodded, a trace of a smile gracing her lips as she said, "Although we did not obtain the Purple Sun Jade [a rare jade imbued with the essence of the purple sun, highly valuable for cultivation] this time, we have acquired two Supple Wood Crystal [crystalline spiritual materials imbued with the essence of supple, vital wood energy, prized for aiding cultivation breakthroughs]. It seems Tea Rose Su's hope of breaking through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a core of spiritual power within their body] is now within reach."

At that very moment, Tea Rose Su entered from outside, carrying a ledger in her hands.

After stepping inside, she presented the ledger to Exquisite Jiang and said with evident delight, "Master, these are the spoils from this endeavor." This novel is serialized on audio-novel . com. Visit for updates.