Chapter 502 279: Butterfly Into Cocoon (Part 2)

BOOOOOM!

In the distance, Lü Zhong watched the deserted island, now shrouded in smoke and dust. He couldn't help but reflect on how useful his Incarnation truly was. 'Even though refining one costs nearly a million Spirit Stones, if it can shield me from a catastrophe and, in the process, draw out the Spiritual Beast's hidden master, then the expense is entirely worth it.'

A moment later, a battered figure shot out from the smoke.

'So it's Li Wuzhen.'

He hadn't expected this.

But it didn't matter.

'Since he's so intent on courting death, I might as well oblige him.'

Lü Zhong immediately stopped his Concealed Breath. The full might of his Late-stage Core Formation cultivation erupted as he transformed into a blood-red meteor, hurtling toward the still-reeling Li Wuzhen.

Before the sound of thunder could arrive, a streak of cyan Sword Light was already upon him.

A ruthless look crossed Li Wuzhen's face. He made no move to dodge, instead producing a dark Small Flag. It was a gift from Elder Yun Yan for becoming his disciple—a Magical Treasure forged to imitate a Spirit Treasure.

It was called the Blood Banner of Ten Thousand Transformations, and it could release a sanguine radiance that was exceptionally good at corrupting the Spiritual Light of Magical Treasures.

It had originally belonged to a Core Formation Demon Cultivator, but now it was Li Wuzhen's ace in the hole.

He formed a Finger Mantra.

The Blood Banner of Ten Thousand Transformations was enveloped in a hazy, sanguine glow. The moment the Sword Light transformed from the Cyan Glaze Sword plunged inside, it immediately unleashed a massive burst of cyan Spiritual Light—not as a show of divine might, but in a desperate, instinctual act of self-preservation.

Unfortunately, it had already been damaged by poison blood earlier.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the treasure's Spiritual Light rapidly dissolved. The body of the Magical Treasure itself then began to sustain damage, and in the blink of an eye, it crumbled into a pile of dust and fell from the sky.

Lü Zhong witnessed the entire scene unfold.

He appeared outwardly calm, but internally, his mind was in turmoil. His steady breathing quickened, losing its usual rhythm.

'That corrosive blood light is incredibly powerful!'

'I absolutely cannot use my Magical Treasures against that.'

'Otherwise, it wouldn't matter how many I had; I'd lose them all.'

With that thought, Lü Zhong scrapped the battle plan he had decided on earlier.

As a precaution against any other surprises, he decided against using his last Combat Incarnation, preparing instead to fall back on his roots as a Magic Cultivator.

They were currently in the Bihai region.

This place was outside the Daoist Sects' sphere of influence, so Lü Zhong could employ a war of attrition. Relying on his own reserves of Magical Power—several times that of an ordinary cultivator—he could simply use Magic Skills to execute Li Wuzhen, who was so determined to die.

Flying Star Qi Introduction Skill, Star Gathering Skill, Rising Star Seal!

After a moment of consideration, he activated the Star Burning Technique.

This technique burned Magical Power to amplify his strength.

To put it simply, by consuming additional Magical Power, the technique allowed one's Magic Skills to achieve far greater might. This meant a Late-stage Core Formation cultivator could unleash Magic Skills with the power of the Fake Infant Realm. For a cultivator like Lü Zhong, whose True Essence was as vast as the ocean, this Secret Technique made him all the more formidable.

The battle erupted in an instant!

Li Wuzhen rapidly executed his Body Technique, carving a series of impossible arcs through the air to evade the cascading Mirror Light. 'This is absurd!' he cursed inwardly. He had only been grazed by a single ray of that light moments ago, yet it had been enough to make his Protective Gang Qi ripple. The true power of the attack was terrifying to imagine.

In the next instant, the hairs on his arms stood on end!

Innumerable bolts of lightning suddenly materialized in the Void around him. A cracking sound echoed from his person as a life-saving Spiritual Object he carried activated, shielding him from the terrifying lightning summoned by the Thunder Skill.

Li Wuzhen was stunned.

'What a terrifying Thunder Skill!'

'Even the primary lineage of Daoist Skills from Huayi Temple would likely pale in comparison.'

In a panic, he produced a Golden Talisman. It was a Golden Armor Warrior Talisman, a type of Daoist Sect Talisman meant to be sent out to attack enemies. However, when used on oneself, it could also offer a degree of protection.

TING! His long fingernail tapped the face of the Talisman.

Instantly, a brilliant golden light enveloped Li Wuzhen. From a distance, it took the form of a Golden Armored Giant, which blocked all the lightning damage and effortlessly neutralized Lü Zhong's calculated strike.

'Truly worthy of a True Inheritance disciple of a Daoist Sect!'

Lü Zhong was inwardly impressed. 'Any ordinary Core Formation cultivator would have been dead by now.'

But respect was one thing; his attacks didn't falter for a moment.

With a flick of his hands, he hurled two Thunderous Spears.

The Thunder Spears shot through the air in a flash. Whether they hit their mark or not, they were designed to detonate near Li Wuzhen, blossoming into a massive Thunder Ball in mid-air.

The force of their battle was shearing away layers of the deserted island, which was now on the verge of sinking into the sea. The surface of the water was littered with the corpses of fish. Some had been scorched by lightning from the sky, while others had been killed by the venom seeping from the Poisonous Flood Dragon's carcass.

In less than fifteen minutes, the surrounding landscape had changed dramatically.

The two traded blows, but it was a calculated exchange. Normally, Lü Zhong would have already finished Li Wuzhen. However, since his opponent possessed an Exotic Treasure, he could only play it safe and steadily wear him down.

Li Wuzhen realized this, and anxiety began to gnaw at him.

His ambush had failed, a gambit that had backfired spectacularly, and he had already spent a great deal of his Magical Power. Even after taking a Replenishing Qi Pill, it only provided temporary relief. In this fierce combat, his Magical Power was draining away like water through a sieve. The small amount the pill restored wasn't even enough to cast a single complete Magic Skill.

'One last gamble... '

Suppressing his anxiety, Li Wuzhen retrieved a red Pill from within his robes.

This Pill was called the Blood Jade Pill.

Its name sounded unremarkable, but it was actually a Secret Medicine from Huayi Temple, one they never spoke of publicly. It burned one's Life Essence Qi—in other words, one's very lifespan—in exchange for immense power.

Without a moment's hesitation, he swallowed the Blood Jade Pill.

BANG!

A layer of cyan flame, as pure and brilliant as jade, ignited around Li Wuzhen's body. His power skyrocketed, surging from his Late-stage Core Formation Cultivation all the way to the Fake Infant Realm. To any uninformed observer, it would simply appear as though he had used some kind of explosive Secret Technique from Huayi Temple.

This was Li Wuzhen's final gambit.

If he succeeded, his Dao heart would be reforged. A true metamorphosis would no longer be just a dream.

'And if I fail... No. I will not fail!'

'What a stable aura!'

Lü Zhong marveled once again.

The surge in power felt just like a genuine, on-the-spot breakthrough. If Li Wuzhen's aura hadn't started to recede the instant it peaked, Lü Zhong might have actually believed it was real.

'But so what if you've had a burst of power?'

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and fled, transforming back into a blood-red meteor.

It was a shameless move.

But an undeniably effective secret technique for victory!

Li Wuzhen never saw it coming. He froze for a second, and when he realized what had happened, he flew into a rage, cursing Lü Zhong's shamelessness.

But as if Lü Zhong would pay him any mind.

Fifteen minutes later, the victor was decided.

No matter what method is used to achieve a burst of power, it is always followed by a period of weakness. The moment the cyan flames around Li Wuzhen were extinguished, he plummeted into the sea, his Magical Power completely depleted. Lü Zhong didn't even have to lift a finger.

Without his Protective Gang Qi, the fall from hundreds of feet up would leave him either dead or crippled.

After finishing him off with a single sword strike, Lü Zhong began to sweep the battlefield.

He only found a single Storage Bag on Li Wuzhen's body, filled with nothing but ordinary Talismans and Pills. Apparently, the man had come with a do-or-die attitude and hadn't brought anything extraneous, dashing Lü Zhong's hopes for a major windfall.

Fortunately, Lü Zhong found another Storage Bag on a mutilated corpse nearby.

The contents of this Storage Bag were much more rewarding. The items inside were worth a considerable amount of Spirit Stones; selling them all would net at least three to four hundred thousand. Anything he couldn't sell could be used to stock the Bihai Sect's Treasure Vault. This was common practice for the upper echelons of the Major Sects, and Lü Zhong was no exception.

'And the Poisonous Flood Dragon...' Lü Zhong mused.

The greatest prize from this entire venture would likely be the Flood Dragon Essence.

He searched for a while but only found the tattered remains of the Poisonous Flood Dragon, likely torn to shreds when the Incarnation had self-destructed earlier.

Just as a chill of disappointment washed over him, he caught a flash of green light out of the corner of his eye.

The Flood Dragon Essence!

Overjoyed, Lü Zhong reached out and drew it toward him with his power.

He quickly inspected the Poisonous Flood Dragon Essence in his hand. Although it had been caught in the blast, it wasn't badly damaged. 'When I refine this into a Flood Dragon Spirit Banner,' he mused, 'its power shouldn't be diminished at all.'

He didn't forget to clean up the scene before finally setting off on his return journey.