Chapter 21: The Eighth Spirit Pearl

But how could he allow himself to be exposed now?

“Lu Jin!”

“Do you really think that by ambushing me, you’ve become my equal? I will show you the insurmountable gap that exists between us!”

Yang Dianfeng gritted his teeth. As his voice fell, a burst of white spiritual Qi erupted from his body, enveloping him in an instant. In the next breath, that white Qi turned blood-red and sinister: it radiated an ominous aura that immediately shielded both him and Liu Ruyan. Simultaneously, he sent out a transmission talisman.

Are they hiding?

Lu Jin’s gaze darkened. Yang Dianfeng was not launching an attack: instead, he had activated a powerful defensive artifact to protect himself.

“Hmph!” Yang Dianfeng gave a cold snort. “Lu Jin, this is the superior defensive treasure: the Black Tortoise Blood Armor. Even my Shifu, Elder Chi Yu, cannot break through it! I want to see just what you can do to me!”

Once the Black Tortoise Blood Armor was manifested, Yang Dianfeng became completely fearless. He even sat down cross-legged and began to heal his injuries without the slightest concern.

“Senior Brother, this…”

Liu Ruyan watched Yang Dianfeng’s actions with a heart full of anxiety.

“Do not worry. A defense that even my Shifu cannot break is something he will never shatter even if he tries until the day he dies!”

Liu Ruyan nodded upon hearing this. “I believe you, Senior Brother!” After saying that, she also sat down to begin her own recovery.

The injuries they sustained from Lu Jin’s ambush were not light; they were in desperate need of treatment. Yang Dianfeng’s composure came from more than just his defense: he had already messaged his Senior Sister. That woman was also a powerhouse from the Blood Moon Holy Land with a cultivation at the sixth grade of the Jindan Realm. They had come here specifically because she needed to hunt demonic beasts and use their monster cores to break through her current bottleneck. She was not far from this location.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Lu Jin felt the fluctuations radiating from the Black Tortoise Blood Armor and was inwardly startled. This defensive power was indeed formidable. Even without striking it, he knew that his current realm was likely insufficient to break it through conventional means. However, he suddenly wanted to test the capabilities of the Heaven Burial Coffin. Empress Qinglian had told him that he would need to discover the coffin’s hidden divine abilities on his own.

“Yang Dianfeng, Liu Ruyan… you are celebrating far too early!”

Buzz!

As Lu Jin spoke, a powerful suction force erupted from the Heaven Burial Coffin, latching onto the Black Tortoise Blood Armor.

Boom!

In that instant, blood-colored light exploded from the armor. The defensive power vibrated violently: it attempted to shake off the encroaching force.

“This defensive power is indeed overbearing!”

Lu Jin was momentarily stunned. He could see clearly that even with a divine object of heaven and earth like the Heaven Burial Coffin, his own low cultivation meant he could not yet unleash even one or two percent of its true power. The defense Yang Dianfeng had manifested was stronger than anything he had encountered: due to his own bottlenecks, the coffin’s devouring force was not yet strong enough to consume it instantly.

However:

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The suction from the Heaven Burial Coffin remained constant. The power within the Black Tortoise Blood Armor surged and roiled in response. The two forces became entangled in a fierce struggle; the sound of their collision was a never-ending hum. During this process, the coffin actually began to slowly eat away at that defensive barrier.

Wait… what is happening?

Yang Dianfeng had been filled with confidence, but as he felt his defense being steadily eroded by that suction, his expression turned into one of pure shock. He could clearly perceive the armor’s protection being consumed! Although the speed was not fast, it was steady and relentless. No matter how he tried to pull back or resist, that devouring force did not weaken in the slightest. It was an unstoppable force: though it seemed small, he was utterly powerless against it.

“Just what kind of methods does this brat have to be able to slowly eat through my Black Tortoise Blood Armor!”

Yang Dianfeng was nearly driven to a frenzy. Liu Ruyan’s face also grew increasingly tense. Ever since Lu Jin’s return, every method he used had been impossible for her to decipher. Now that he could even consume such a powerful defense, her heart was filled with unease.

“Senior Brother, what should we do? If he breaks the defense, we won’t be his match in our current state. This guy is ruthless; I fear we are in grave danger…”

“Stay calm. My Senior Sister will be here soon. We must work together and hold on!” Yang Dianfeng shouted. He stopped his healing and began to funnel his spiritual Qi into the armor alongside Liu Ruyan. Because they were already heavily injured, this effort was agonizing; Liu Ruyan even spat out another mouthful of blood, her condition becoming extremely withered.

“Let’s see how long you can hold out,” Lu Jin sneered.

The Heaven Burial Coffin devoured and refined the energy simultaneously. As the pure spiritual power entered his Dantian, the energy within his seventh Spirit Pearl began to accumulate at a rapid pace. His aura rose steadily. Consuming the Black Tortoise Blood Armor was, in itself, a form of cultivation.

Huh?

During this process, Lu Jin felt another force pulling against his suction. It was another devouring power.

Liu Ruyan? This is the power generated by a specialized martial art: and the grade of this technique seems to be quite high.

Lu Jin was surprised. His gaze landed on Liu Ruyan. This force was indeed radiating from her body. At this moment, she was performing a series of hand seals; the surrounding spiritual Qi danced according to her movements, clashing directly with Lu Jin’s power.

The humming sound continued for the time it took to burn an incense stick. Suddenly, another slight fluctuation erupted within Lu Jin’s body. Simultaneously, a cluster of thunderclouds began to gather in the sky above.

The eighth Spirit Pearl was beginning to manifest!

Kacha!

When the first bolt of heavenly lightning descended, the Black Tortoise Blood Armor was instantly shattered into nothingness by the strike!

Yang Dianfeng and Liu Ruyan spat out blood violently. Over the past hour, they had been pushed to their absolute limits; their spiritual Qi was depleted, and they were in a pathetic state.

“The eighth Spirit Pearl has formed!”

Lu Jin narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected that by devouring the opponent’s armor, he would manage to condense another pearl so quickly. This also proved the high grade of Yang Dianfeng’s defensive treasure.

However, he did not plan to complete his breakthrough here. Yang Dianfeng had mentioned that his Senior Sister would arrive soon. If Lu Jin chose to undergo his tribulation here, he would likely be interrupted, which would be extremely dangerous.

Swish!

Just as he was thinking this, a figure descended with lightning speed. A woman dressed in red, her aura billowing with power, appeared in his line of sight.

A sixth-grade Jindan? I am not her match yet. It is time to go!

Lu Jin instantly retracted every bit of his aura and vanished into the shadows of the distance.

“Senior Sister Wang! Save us!”

Yang Dianfeng vomited blood as he let out a wretched, howling cry. Liu Ruyan’s aura was even more withered: she had nearly lost half of her life!