The fierce attack obliterated all the spiritual defenses on Wu Tong's body, sending him flying backward like a broken kite.
A blood-red wound pierced through his chest, spraying blood wildly as his body traced a long path in the air before crashing into a massive pillar.
The pillar cracked and seemed ready to collapse. Wu Tong's corpse lay blood-soaked beneath the pillar, his flesh and blood scorched into oblivion in an instant by the terrifying flames. Stones buried his body, and his presence dissipated within the room.
The rumbling noises gradually ceased within the alchemy room. Energy surges dissipated, plunging the room into immediate silence.
Even the few teams that had been fighting the alchemical beasts looked at Jiang Yun with shock and uncertainty. Their eyes were filled with deep astonishment.
Taking a glance at Wu Tong's body buried under the stones, who could have imagined that the formidable spiritual expert just moments ago had ended up in such a state.
Zhong Shan and others looked at Jiang Yun with mixed emotions. Jiang Yun had actually defeated a spiritual expert, and he was merely at the mid-stage of the Heavenly Realm. This world indeed had prodigies capable of fighting above their levels. Initially, they hadn't believed in such people, but now it seemed real. These individuals were indeed the geniuses among geniuses, defying common logic.
Jiang Yun was likely one of them!
Now, should they consider themselves lucky or unlucky to have encountered such a genius while randomly exploring a secret realm?
Zhong Shan hesitated, having previously put Jiang Yun in a difficult position and even thinking of finding a chance to kill him for the alchemy pill he held. But now, he'd be grateful if Jiang Yun didn't turn his attention to them.
Facing the numerous gazes, Jiang Yun didn't mind. He felt the emptiness of the spiritual power within and couldn't help but cover his mouth, coughing. That final innate technique, though profound, consumed a tremendous amount of energy. According to Jiang Yun's estimate, even at his peak, it could only be sustained for three to five breaths!
The innate skills of the Nine Divine Veins would likely only become sustainable in battle at the Earth Sovereign stage and evolve into regular methods without concern for depletion at the Heavenly Sovereign stage.
"Xiao Yun, are you okay?" Zi Yan and Medusa approached, concerned about Jiang Yun's pale face.
Medusa held her sword protectively in front of Jiang Yun, glaring warily at the others.
"Nothing serious, just a large consumption of spiritual power. I'll be fine in a while."
Swallowing a recovery pill, Jiang Yun, feeling some spiritual power restored in him, no longer looked as pale. He gave Zi Yan and Medusa a reassuring look.
Indifferently glancing at the cautious crowd, Jiang Yun looked at the trembling three alchemical beasts, his gaze then falling on Wu Tong's corpse. With a wave of his hand, a suction force erupted, bringing a glow from Wu Tong's chest into Jiang Yun's palm—it was his storage ring.
Peeking inside the ring's contents, Jiang Yun turned to Zi Yan and Medusa, saying, "Let's go. There's nothing more worth exploring here!"
"Hmm!" Zi Yan and Medusa nodded in agreement. They had already gained significant benefits; competing with others for the last three pills seemed unwise. Judging by the wary eyes around, it was best to leave things as they were.
The three swiftly left the alchemy room, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Once they were gone, the crowd breathed a sigh of relief. Unknowingly, after witnessing Jiang Yun kill a spiritual expert, a deep-seated fear lingered in their hearts. The previous battle had shocked them greatly. Who would have thought that a mid-stage Heavenly Realm Jiang Yun could defeat and kill a seemingly invincible spiritual expert?
With Jiang Yun and his companions gone, the room remained silent for a moment. Then, the crowd, understanding the stakes, picked up their weapons, and the sound of fighting resumed.
Inside a secluded hall, Jiang Yun quietly sat cross-legged, holding a dragon-eye-sized pill. Sensing the two women guarding outside, he murmured, "Time is tight; I must hurry."
He then placed the pill into his mouth.
Boom!
The pill entered his mouth, and Jiang Yun's face immediately flushed red. He felt an exceptionally immense medicinal power explosively surge within him.
The terrifying medicinal energy assaulted his entire body, producing spasms and a faint creaking sound from his meridians.
This was a Heavenly Pill, capable of enhancing a level within the Heavenly Realm when ingested, according to the descriptions they found. Jiang Yun, having already stabilized his mid-stage Heavenly Realm through consecutive battles, was ready to break through!
Zi Yan and Medusa, on the other hand, had their situations; Zi Yan recently experienced a major leap, lacking significant fortuitous encounters for a while, whereas Medusa had some distance to cover before reaching the next difficult stage in physical cultivation.
Hissing sounds emerged as black and white flames rapidly surged from Jiang Yun's body. He activated the Saint Heavenly Demonic Flame, swiftly refining the medicinal power within.
Booming tides of medicinal energy coursed through Jiang Yun's body like a torrent, creating a burning sensation that spread like steam within him.
As the Saint Heavenly Demonic Flame swiftly refined the medicinal power inside, pure spiritual energy droplets emerged, eventually settling into Jiang Yun's dantian.
Jiang Yun's aura began to rise steadily—late-stage Heavenly Realm was just within reach!
A muffled sound marked the appearance of a majestic aura in the hall, which then faded back to normalcy.
"Success!"
Zi Yan, seeing Jiang Yun open his eyes, entered with delight sparkling in her own.
"Smooth breakthrough!" Jiang Yun smiled at Zi Yan, then looked at Medusa leaning by the door, nodding with a smile.
"Shall we continue exploring the city?" Zi Yan asked Jiang Yun, considering the time and the benefits they had already reaped.
Medusa also nodded inquiringly. They had gained much and delayed quite a bit—most items in the city might already be taken by others. It seemed prudent to go deeper and possibly find the heritage they mentioned.
"No rush. This might have the answer," Jiang Yun replied, retrieving something.
Under the puzzled looks of the two women, Jiang Yun took out a map. The map exuded an ancient aura and was covered with intricate inscriptions, glowing faintly and appearing mysterious.
Jiang Yun channeled his spiritual power into it. The inscriptions on the map seemed to activate, radiating brilliant light.
"Buzz—"
A mysterious light burst out, spreading a vast image across the hall.
It depicted ancient scenes with magnificent, ancient hall clusters. Each hall was far larger than the one they currently occupied and constructed from special materials, exuding an imposing presence and incredible sturdiness.
These were incredibly ancient and grand relics.
Jiang Yun recognized this as the full form of the battlefield's hall clusters when intact. Sweeping his soul power through it, he saw the part of the ruins they inhabited.
Further into the city, Jiang Yun saw a vast mountain range with a grand hall at its base, its summit shrouded in mist.
The hall gleamed with various dazzling lights, indicating numerous earthly treasures within, pulsing with spiritual energy.
This must be a treasure mountain, though most were likely destroyed in the past great battles!
Nevertheless, whatever remained was still worth exploring. The map suggested it was the main site for fortunes in this battlefield.
If this place didn't hold what they sought, finding other treasures would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Jiang Yun and his companions might reconsider their time investment in here.
After viewing the map, the three exchanged eager looks, sharing the same thought.
With a chuckle, they swiftly flew away as beams of light.
In the void, a black flame burned, an opening appearing in a battlefield corner. Figures emerged from the spatial rift, resembling humans but with burning hair of eerie black flames.
"A weak world, with such thin demonic energy; it's making me uncomfortable!"
"Endure it. This is but a battlefield relic, with the demonic energy likely from that great being."
"Heh— I hear many from the Great Thousand World have come. Let me see their quality!"
"Shut up!"
A burly man leading the group shouted harshly, silencing the laughter. The man's features bore dark flame marks, his hair ablaze with black flames too.
"Our priority is finding the 'great being's' remains. If anyone's whimsy jeopardizes this, I'll personally take your heads and your souls shall endure the Ten Thousand Flames Soul Devouring Pain!"
"Understood!" The group of flame demons responded in unison, trembling at the thought of the horrifying punishment, despite their inherent mastery of flames.
Meanwhile, numerous individuals exuding terrifying auras also made their way towards Jiang Yun's destination.
The closer to the battlefield's center, the denser the darkness, almost engulfing the entire sky.
Occasional dim light would penetrate, only to be swiftly swallowed by the darkness. From afar, violent roars echoed endlessly.
Three streaks of light flew cautiously over the land, their senses on high alert, surrounded by auras of immense power.
Along the way, they encountered necromantic creatures and saw other treasure seekers. Here, transcendent beings in their peak were common; flesh and spiritual challenges were no longer rare.
However, the people here were cautious and didn't provoke the trio.
Eventually, they reached their destination, a grand, ancient structure standing tall, overseeing the land. In ancient times, it was a central hub of the battlefield, managing various affairs.
Many figures had already arrived, although fewer than the previous city, yet of extremely high calibers.
Swiveling eyes saw that flesh-challenging entities were no longer impressive; only spiritual challenges reigned here. Though no divine beings appeared yet, Jiang Yun surmised more would emerge with time.
Their arrival drew little attention now, as the two women had donned black robes and veils, hiding their stunning appearances.
Despite the occasional surprise at their compelling aura and figures, the focus remained on more pressing matters. A mere three in the Heavenly Realm seemed trivial.
Unconcerned by the oversight, Jiang Yun took Zi Yan and Medusa to a corner, listening to the surrounding discussions.
"Assemble the people and let's break the spatial barrier now that we're almost complete. Is everyone agreeable?" After a while, a young man in white attire suggested loudly.
With casual long hair flowing in the breeze, his white robe and black hair fluttered, imparting a graceful look. His handsome face bore a bright smile, exuding friendliness.
With his voice, murmurs arose, "That's Wu Ming, the fourteenth son of the Martial Family from the Western Region's Yangyan Continent. Unexpected he came himself!"