"This is so damn defying the heavens!" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon couldn't help but curse, his mind ultimately shattered into profanity.
The Wood Element authority mentioned by this kid is definitely not the Wood Element authority as I understand it; his authority has already surpassed the constraints of the World Law, likely involving the power of Demon God level authority within chaos.
Zhang Chen looked at the sprouting tree in his hand, observing the gradually growing roots, and pondered where to plant this Spirit Root.
"This world is no longer suitable for the growth of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Root. If you want this Spirit Root to survive, it must be planted together with the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu. Only by relying on the Innate Qi from the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu can this Spirit Root continue to thrive," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon pointed out as he noticed Zhang Chen's predicament.
Zhang Chen summoned the Ascension Pool at these words and planted the Spirit Root into it.
Although he didn't know the name of this Spirit Root, it was merely an Acquired Spirit Root. When Zhang Chen cultivates to the Fruit Realm and even higher realms, its role will be infinitely diminished.
The role of the Acquired Spirit Root is ultimately less than that of the Innate Spirit Root; it can only be used for transitional cultivation in the early stages, while only the Innate Spirit Root can be used continuously.
Zhang Chen carefully put away the Ascension Pool, knowing that with the nourishment of Innate Spiritual Qi inside, even without soil to provide nutrients, this Acquired Spirit Root would continue to grow, albeit its growth rate would be slower compared to soil growth.
However, ordinary soil won't do for cultivating Spirit Roots; one must find land containing Spiritual Qi. But where could Zhang Chen find such Spiritual Qi-infused land?
Zhang Chen's eyes swept over the cave, preparing to leave after surveying for a moment, as the treasures inside the cave had been thoroughly looted by him, and staying here served no further purpose. Suddenly, a sound came from afar, with a fluctuation of Divine Power transmitted from the distance.
"Has someone found the underground cave from outside?" Zhang Chen's eyes turned towards the path he had come from, and he then looked at the book wrapped in Earth's Primordial Magnetism. The only thing he couldn't easily take with him was this bundle taken away by the Earth's Primordial Magnetism. Now that someone outside is coming, they will surely discover his bundle, and he cannot leave it here.
Zhang Chen stepped forward, using the Mountain-moving Technique to lift the bundle onto his shoulder. The bundle weighed less than five thousand catties, which was within Zhang Chen's carrying capacity.
But carrying the bundle meant he couldn't use the Escape Technique; he could only find a way to leave from the entrance, but doing so would surely encounter someone from outside.
"I wonder if a Great Cultivator of the Yangshen realm will pass through here." Zhang Chen placed an Invisibility Rune on himself and another on the bundle, unafraid of being discovered unless a Yang God realm cultivator faced him directly.
Even if he were discovered by a Yang God True Man, the river flowing here would provide him enough support to fight.
Zhang Chen carried the bundle as he headed out, seeing five figures surrounded by divine light walking from outside the cave. These five figures failed to notice Zhang Chen as they passed by him, proceeding directly to the ruins within the Five Villages Temple.
Zhang Chen smirked at this and dived into the water, manipulating the water to float up, evolving into an ice ship, and tossed the bundle onto the ice ship before removing the Invisibility Rune, standing at the bow of the ice ship.
The ice ship capable of carrying five thousand catties was not small.
The sudden appearance of an ice ship on the water caught the attention of many figures from the Martial World patrolling the river, especially with the huge bundle wrapped in geomagnetism, whose magnetic attraction pulled at iron objects on passing ships and Martial World figures, causing them to buzz incessantly. A slight slip and the iron objects would fly over, drawing the gaze of many intrigued observers.
Zhang Chen stood on the bow, surveying the boundless expanse of the floodwaters, which appeared as an infinite sea, vast and without edges, obscuring the view of its limits.
"There's the fleet of Prince Pingbian, over there is the fleet of the Inspection and Supervision Department, along with countless small boats from various Martial World figures..." Zhang Chen examined the endless sea of ships, especially noting Prince Pingbian's fleet, which numbered in the tens of thousands and formed an almost imperceptible encirclement, enveloping the fleet from the Inspection and Supervision Department within.
"The Inspection and Supervision Department is facing trouble, and Prince Pingbian's treacherous intent towards them remains undying, aiming to keep the fifty thousand troops of the Inspection and Supervision Department here in the Northern Land." Zhang Chen's mind began to predict the unfolding scenario as he observed the fleets of both sides.
Yet, the Inspection and Supervision Department was not to be underestimated. Prince Pingbian aimed to annihilate the fifty thousand troops of the Inspection and Supervision Department; though holding the geographical advantage of the navy, if he intended to capture the five thousand troops, it would still require significant effort. Currently, both sides were in a standoff, with Prince Pingbian awaiting his demon race allies. Once the Water Demons arrived and breached the Inspection and Supervision Department's large ships, they could effortlessly capture the entire army without bloodshed.
Meanwhile, experts from various families and Divine Spirits, relying on their Superpower and Divine Techniques for protection, were all being driven by Prince Pingbian's Mansion to salvage mysterious creations from the river.
Prince Pingbian's advantage lay in his army, not his underlings; when it came to his subordinates, they were not as practical as the court's army.
"I must find a chance to leave; first, I will retrieve the Colored Realm Fire from the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Now that I possess my own Alchemy Furnace, I can collect some Colored Realm Fire for future alchemy or weapon crafting," Zhang Chen thought to himself.
Just as Zhang Chen was preparing to steer the ice ship away, a luxurious ship passed by, and suddenly there's a buzzing sound. Weapons in the hands of those on the opposite ship flew out, drawn by the Earth's Primordial Magnetism, sticking onto the magnet steel in an instant.
"What a hassle," Zhang Chen muttered, looking at the weapons stuck on the Earth's Primordial Magnetism and frowning. It was the nature of Earth's Primordial Magnetism, something even he couldn't change.
"What a skillful friend we have here, daring to intercept even the Gong Family's ship!"
At this moment, three figures appeared on the opposite ship, their feet hovered on the surface of the river, blocking Zhang Chen's path.
"Wind Control Technique? People from the Gong Family?" Zhang Chen muttered to himself, looking at the three figures blocking his way: "It seems like enemies really do cross paths often."
"This is a misunderstanding. I have no intention of opposing the Gong Family. It's just that my treasure activated its superpower automatically. I hope you gentlemen won't take offense. I am willing to return your weapons." Zhang Chen was vigilant inside, but on the surface, he stayed calm and offered an apology, trying to lull them into a false sense of security.
Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, the leading middle-aged man standing on the river replied, "How dare you offend the Gong Family's dignity! Do you think a mere apology can smooth this over? Leave everything on your ship behind and then jump into the river yourself. Consider it your creation if you don't drown."
The Gong Family members were staring intently at the earth's primordial magnetism iron filled with blades and swords, clearly recognizing it as a treasure.
Zhang Chen sighed lightly, knowing his treasure had been targeted: "So there's no room for negotiation? The Gong Family is indeed domineering and unreasonable."
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, one of them wielded a long knife, crossing the river in a breath, and a wind blade formed entirely by compressed wind power around him, slashing toward Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen couldn't help but admit that he was indeed fated with the Gong Family, as if they were enemies from a previous life.
This wind blade might have reached the fifth tier, and the middle-aged man was quite skilled, but he was no match for Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen's Blood Control Technique had already reached the sixth tier, allowing him to interfere with the blood flow of sixth-tier powerhouses, let alone a mere fifth-tier.
Before the wind blade could strike, the Gong Family expert's pores exploded, his blood was instantly drawn out, and he fell to the water as a dried corpse, his superpower dissipating.
"Gong Ji!!!"
The Gong Family members gasped in unison, their faces changing and letting out cries of anguish.
"Boy, you dare kill a member of the Gong Family? I will never rest until I've avenged him!" The two remaining Gong Family members, upon witnessing Gong Ji's tragic death, instantly formed a dragon of a thousand wind blades around them, attacking Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen focused his mind, activating his Water Control Technique. The river's water compressed to an extreme, forming high-speed water blades that collided with the wind blades, while he simultaneously activated his Blood Control Technique. Another person had his blood drawn out in an instant, dying miserably on the spot as a dried corpse.
"You scoundrel, how dare you!"
Then, a dozen more figures jumped from the large ship, treading the water, and surrounded Zhang Chen.
"Esteemed ancestors, this is the man who killed Gong Bao and our Young Master! He's involved with Zhou Chuan, that traitor. This man is the arch-enemy of our Gong Family; we must not let him escape." Meanwhile, some Gong Family members on the ship recognized Zhang Chen and shouted to their ancestors.
Zhang Chen turned his head, recognizing the man as one who had narrowly escaped from him before.
Hearing the man's words, an eighth-tier qi mechanism shot from the Gong Family's large ship, and a middle-aged man in his forties appeared at Zhang Chen's bow as a clear breeze, glaring at him: "So it's you colluding with Zhou Chuan, killing our Gong Family's direct descendants?"
At this moment, the Gong Family experts surrounded Zhang Chen's ship so tightly that not a drop of water could pass.
Zhang Chen glanced at the eighth-tier Gong Family expert. He wasn't worried about his skills; he was more concerned about attracting the attention of Prince Pingbian's Mansion, which would be even more troublesome.
With the Wind Stabilizing Pearl in hand, Zhang Chen wasn't afraid, even if the Gong Family's twelfth-tier expert showed up.
As the situation was about to explode, a voice rang out from afar: "Stop, everyone. You cannot touch this man."
Everyone turned to the sound, seeing a small boat slicing through the river like an arrow, arriving before them in the blink of an eye.
It was Xie Lingyun!
At this moment, Xie Lingyun, dressed in white, appeared ethereal, like an immortal, extraordinary and independent.
"The Inspection and Supervision Department shields this person. I ask you all to retreat." Xie Lingyun's voice was cold yet domineering.