Chapter 701

Chapter 701: Before the Opening

"I wonder where my current limits lie." A faint green glow shimmered in Ye Yun’s palm as he summoned the soul power. His consciousness exploded outward like a roaring tidal wave, withering everything it touched into lifeless husks within moments.

"So-called treasures of life are forged from countless accumulated lives. Doesn’t this soul power that devours the vitality of ancient trees qualify as one?" His mental reach now spanned ten thousand feet, effortlessly channeling the trees’ life energy through true qi into the soul power’s voracious embrace.

"What wonders might unfold if I tapped into my soul’s origin?" The fleeting madness in his eyes dissipated as he stored the pulsating soul power. Before him stretched a desolate landscape of skeletal trees.

"Without spiritual power, become ash." Cold indifference colored his words. Flames coalesced in his palm – a fiery dragon poised to plunge into the ocean. With casual disdain, Ye Yun hurled the inferno skyward, the blazing serpent reducing the dead forest to smoldering ruins. Nascent Soul stage cultivators nearby shuddered at the unleashed power but dared not protest, their feeble dignity trampled beneath silent compliance.

"Magnificent spectacle!" The Ancestor of the Sword Path crowed through Ye Yun’s eyes, reveling in the swirling fire spirit qi.

"Now begins the true test." At Ye Yun’s mental command, the flames writhed and fused into a thousand-foot fire dragon that lunged upward, its maw gaping toward its creator.

Ye Yun hovered motionless as the molten beast struck. Scorching flames licked his skin until he shrugged – a simple gesture scattering the firestorm into darkness. Surveying the charred earth, he whispered: "Withered wood greets spring."

Vitality erupted across the wasteland. Where his consciousness touched, saplings burst through ash. Closing his eyes, he unleashed true qi surpassing Nascent Soul limitations, painting life across the scorched canvas.

"Rebirth through life’s law." Ye Yun observed the rejuvenated forest below, soul power gleaming in his palm. "Progress smooths the path. This power grows familiar."

"Why waste effort here?" The Ancestor grumbled. "You’ll need every drop of soul power in the Xumi Treasure. What value in parlor tricks?"

"Merely testing the Fire Dragon Whip’s fire spirit qi," Ye Yun countered. "Shouldn’t a supreme Immortal artifact prove its worth?"

As the Ancestor grudgingly admired the phoenix-reborn trees, Ye Yun contemplated new possibilities: "With this soul power and mental energy, perhaps I could master alchemy."

"Alchemists?" The Ancestor sneered. "True warriors seize pills from their cold hands!"

"Spoken like legend incarnate," Ye Yun chuckled.

"Mockery drips from your tongue!"

"Never. I marvel at your boldness."

"Enough chatter." White light engulfed Ye Yun as he vanished, dragon egg memories revealing spatial gates’ treacherous nature. Though teleportation offered instant travel, flawed coordinates might deposit him in volcanic depths – risks outweighing benefits for now.

Returning to Medicine King Valley, Ye Yun found Yao Hongchen’s disciples lining his path. "Brother Hongchen, explain this pageantry."

"My juniors begged to witness the Heavenly Immortal’s splendor," the woman smiled, crimson eyes glinting beneath lowered lashes.

"Flattery ill suits you." Ye Yun dismissed the crowd with a wave.

"Rest well," Yao Hongchen called after him. "Tomorrow’s battle approaches."

"What fool would challenge your alliance?" Ye Yun’s retort floated back as he retired.

"Another piece secured," Yao Hongchen whispered to the night. Ye Yun’s might dwarfed even her combined strength with Zhang Yanhua – better to wield this blade than oppose it.

Her mind turned to Moon Goddess Palace’s peculiar request for Infant-Breaking Pills. No matter – with Ye Yun as her vanguard, the World Tree’s treasures would be hers. Once Qianshou Ding merged with first layer’s Spatial Dragon Soul to become Wan Shou Ding, even this unstoppable ally might fall. That power would brush against Earth Immortal realm’s threshold, propelling her beyond mortal constraints.

Anticipation burned through her veins.

Meanwhile, Ye Yun focused on bodily ascension to Nascent Soul stage. His Sun and Moon Dual Souls stirred sluggishly – a process demanding patience. The soul power had dimmed after the forest’s rebirth, while the Mysterious Crescent Blade now thrummed with stolen Moon Goddess power. Though its hilt shimmered with immortal essence nearing supreme Immortal artifact’s peak, unreliable potency made it unfit for battle.

As with the Fire Dragon Whip’s mastered Fire Flame Triad – whose fury rivaled his Born as a Sword technique – proper tools required proper handling. Let the crescent blade steep in moonlight until needed.

Ye Yun’s gaze turned toward the horizon where the World Tree slept, awaiting dawn’s awakening.