Chapter 148: Blow It Sky High

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Blow It Sky High

The moment the red button on the remote detonator was pressed, the massive cache of bombs buried by the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree instantly exploded.

In an instant—

"BOOOOOM!"

A heaven-shaking roar erupted as a scorching wave of heat blasted out from around the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, surging in all directions. Rubble flew everywhere, and thick smoke billowed into the sky like an all-encompassing sandstorm. Crimson flames bloomed with a sinister beauty, like clusters of enchanting spider lilies vying for splendor.

"AH!" "It’s the Tang Sect’s Fire Thunder!"

"Why is the Tang Sect’s Fire Thunder here?!"

"AH!" "AHHH!"

The piercing screams were abruptly cut short. The power of the bombs was immense; humans were only flesh and blood. No matter how advanced their Martial Arts were, they were bound to suffer heavy casualties in such a bombardment.

’That should have killed a good number of them. Don’t blame me, though. If you dared to come and snatch the Thunder Heart Spring Wood, you should have been prepared to die. Whether you’re killed in battle or by a bomb, dead is dead. I wonder how many Ninth Realm Martial Artists died, especially those four experts from the Wind and Cloud List. Oh well... just to be safe, I’ll add a couple of Flash Grenades.’ With a glint in his eye, Ye Xing pulled the pins on two Flash Grenades and lobbed them directly toward the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.

Instantly, a brilliant white light flared up, engulfing the entire Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree area. The light was so intense it was blinding, plunging anyone who saw it into temporary darkness.

"Gale, let’s go! Charge in!" Wearing a pair of state-of-the-art American anti-glare sunglasses, Ye Xing rode his Gale Leopard and charged toward the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.

The wind howled as the Gale Leopard moved with incredible speed. In less than two breaths, it had charged into the blast zone around the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree.

Waves of heat rolled through the blast zone. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, mixed with the heavy stench of blood, making it unbearably stuffy.

The agonized screams of Martial Artists echoed from all around. Clearly, the bombs had only killed some of them; others were merely injured to varying degrees. On top of that, the lingering effect of the Flash Grenades made it impossible to open one’s eyes. Even the survivors were temporarily incapacitated.

A green light flickered from the half-destroyed stump of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. Ye Xing rode his Gale Leopard up to it, swiftly drew the Cyan Blade Sword from his waist, and hacked off the section of the stump containing the Thunder Heart Spring Wood, storing it in his Qiankun Bag.

Next, he took a replica of the Thunder Heart Spring Wood from his Qiankun Bag and tossed it on the ground beside the stump. The Thunder Heart Spring Wood was a Wood-Attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure that faintly glowed with a green light full of life force. The factory-made replica also emitted a green light, and it looked astonishingly similar to the real thing. However, one was a true Spiritual Treasure Light, while the other was just a lighting effect. The replica contained a small green lightbulb, which Ye Xing had specially commissioned from a craft factory. The bulb ran on a battery, consumed very little power, was highly efficient, and would have no problem lasting for several days.

Moreover, Ye Xing didn’t just toss out one replica—he tossed out two. This was, of course, meant to create confusion and send others chasing after the wrong prize.

’Heh heh, mission accomplished!’

Once he was done, Ye Xing patted his Gale Leopard. The beast turned into a cyan blur and sped away from the scene, galloping toward the Ye Mansion.

After returning to the Training Room in the Ye Mansion, Ye Xing couldn’t help but glance at the monitor screen.

Back at the blast zone by the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, the effects of the Flash Grenades had faded, revealing the scene. Many dead branches and fallen leaves were burning amidst billowing smoke. The area was a complete mess.

Corpses and severed limbs littered the ground. While some Martial Artists had died, others had been lucky enough to survive with only minor injuries. Without exception, however, they were all covered in soot and grime, with either their clothes burnt to tatters or their hair singed.

Some of the survivors quickly sat down cross-legged, took out Healing Pills, and began circulating their energy to treat their wounds. Those with less severe injuries immediately began searching for the Thunder Heart Spring Wood.

Soon, a Martial Artist found a "Thunder Heart Spring Wood" near the stump of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. Before long, both pieces of "Thunder Heart Spring Wood" had been found. The scene instantly descended back into a chaotic free-for-all. Many Martial Artists, their eyes red with greed despite their unhealed injuries, jumped into the fray, terrified the Thunder Heart Spring Wood would be snatched by someone else if they were too slow.

’A bunch of morons. Take your time fighting over it! The real Thunder Heart Spring Wood is right here with me!’ A disdainful sneer curved Ye Xing’s lips.

He then opened his Qiankun Cloth Bag and took out the section of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree stump.

In the very center of the banyan stump was a thumb-sized piece of heartwood emitting a soft, green glow. It was, without a doubt, the Thunder Heart Spring Wood.

Ye Xing quickly dug the Thunder Heart Spring Wood out from the piece of stump. The item was a brilliant, uniform green and radiated an aura of life. The very air in the room seemed to be purified by its presence, becoming crisp and clear.

There are two levels to refining a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure: preliminary refinement and complete refinement. To achieve complete refinement, one needs at least an Innate Realm Cultivation and must use Innate True Essence. Only after it has been completely refined can a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure unleash its greatest power.

Ye Xing’s Cultivation was currently only at the Martial Arts Third Realm, so complete refinement was impossible. Therefore, he could only choose the preliminary method: Blood Recognition.

The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword was incredibly sharp. He made a light cut on his finger, and a drop of crimson blood welled up. He let it fall onto the Thunder Heart Spring Wood.

The Thunder Heart Spring Wood quickly absorbed the blood, and a brilliant green light instantly filled the room. The pale green radiance washed over his body, feeling as comfortable as a gentle spring breeze.

A moment later, the green light receded. With a mere Intention, the Thunder Heart Spring Wood sank from his palm into his body, concealing itself within the Qi Sea Acupoint in his lower abdomen.

Ye Xing could feel that he had currently refined about one percent of the Thunder Heart Spring Wood. He expected this percentage to increase over time as his Cultivation grew.

’Legend says the Recovery Power of the Thunder Heart Spring Wood is astonishing. Let me see just how effective it is!’ With a flash in his eyes, Ye Xing took the Cyan Blade Treasure Sword and made a light cut across his arm.

"Hiss... Damn, that actually hurts!"

Instantly, crimson blood began to flow from the wound on his arm.

Ye Xing quickly circulated his True Qi to activate the Thunder Heart Spring Wood within his body. In an instant, specks of green light covered the wound. The gash on his arm began to slowly close, healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

’Holy shit, this is incredible! No wonder those Martial Artists were fighting to the death for it! The Thunder Heart Spring Wood truly lives up to its name as a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure,’ Ye Xing rejoiced inwardly.

Suddenly, his eyes shifted to one of the many monitor screens in the Training Room. It was displaying a feed from a forest next to a mountain path on White Cloud Mountain.

"Huh, those two are actually at each other’s throats! Gale, let’s go! We’ll go take a look—maybe we can scavenge something good!" With a glint in his eye, Ye Xing mounted his Gale Leopard, left the Ye Mansion, and hurried toward the forest by the mountain path.

(Just one Chapter today, I need to sort out the plot. I’ll release three Chapters tomorrow!)