Mythical Cultivation

It turns out that this mysterious little tower, which had accompanied Huang Hao for so long, was called the Netherworld Tower. It was once a magical weapon that gave birth to spiritual energy, but unfortunately it was damaged in a war long ago and its rank was downgraded. By chance, the remnant soul of Elder Ding entered it and has been sleeping there ever since. It was later obtained by Huang Hao. After waking up, Elder Ding left the Netherworld Tower, making it Huang Hao's magical weapon.

Although its power is comparable to that of a top-grade magic weapon, it was severely damaged in the war that year and can no longer exert its full strength. It can only be regarded as half a magic weapon, and it will be damaged every time it is used. Therefore, Huang Hao has never dared to use it easily, for fear of destroying it completely.

If the situation hadn't been dire, he wouldn't have risked using it. Furthermore, the endless years without nourishment and repair had weakened its material, and so the Netherworld Tower was now increasingly damaged. If it wasn't repaired, it would eventually become completely useless.

That's why Old Ding didn't pursue the victory, but started to defend. He kept making hand gestures and muttering something. Rays of bright red light flew out from his hands and merged into the bodies of the three firebirds, making their flames more vigorous.

Although the three firebirds were no match for the towering trees, they did slow down the trees' advance. Every collision produced a deafening roar, and the entire battlefield was filled with smoke and dust, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

However, another point that others hadn't noticed was that the flames from the three firebirds had destabilized the giant tree's vital energy structure. You know, although the giant tree was composed of the vital energy of heaven and earth, it also followed the principles of the Five Elements, with fire overcoming wood. That's why Elder Ding summoned the firebirds instead of using other magic.

Although the principles of the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements are not profound, few cultivators in the Qi Refining realm pay attention to them. After all, they have been practicing for too short a time and have not yet been exposed to such in-depth theoretical knowledge.

During the collision between the firebird and the giant tree, new changes occurred on Zhang Tianming's side.

As Zhang Tianming was continuously performing the Qingyun sword technique, countless sword energies were directed towards the giant ape. Although most of them were smashed by the giant ape's palms, some of the sword energies still pierced the giant ape, and the giant ape's body gradually became illusory and flickering.

All this shows that Zhang Tianming's attack has begun to cause damage to the giant ape, and this damage will become greater and greater as time goes by.

Fortunately, the giant ape had already reached Zhang Tianming, and with both palms, it launched a devastating blow towards him. Zhang Tianming's flying sword met the palms, and though he managed to block them for a few breaths, he was ultimately unable to stop them. Then, the giant ape's palms struck Zhang Tianming's defensive magical weapon, which barely withstood the blow.

But before Zhang Tianming could rejoice, he saw the giant ape suddenly expand, followed by a loud explosion. Fortunately, his heart gave him a sharp warning, allowing him to quickly retreat a distance at this critical moment, thus saving him from disaster. His defensive magic weapon was shattered into pieces, and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. He retreated, otherwise he could not guarantee that he would survive the explosion.

This was the first time he was injured in this battle, and it was not a minor injury, but one that almost endangered his life, which made his anger rise sharply.

Initially, he hadn't taken Wu Ming and the others seriously. Although their cultivation was decent, to him, a cultivator at the pinnacle of Qi Refining, the difference was like that between an adult and a child. So, at first, he had been quite casual. Although he repeatedly reminded himself not to underestimate anyone, the huge difference in cultivation kept him from taking them seriously.

However, later in the battle he realized that these people were not ordinary people. Whether it was their own cultivation or the magic weapons and spiritual objects on their bodies, they were not what ordinary cultivators in the late Qi Refining period could possess. So he began to take them seriously.

But he never expected that even if he took the two of them seriously, they could still hurt him. This made him recall his past experiences.

Once, he was seriously injured due to his arrogant character, which eventually led to the failure of building his foundation. After that, he kept reminding himself to be cautious and not underestimate any cultivator, but today he was careless after all.

At this moment, he was no longer thinking about how to complete the mission and receive the reward from Inner Sect Senior Brother Liu, but rather how to preserve himself in this battle. After all, he knew full well that he wasn't a favored one. One failure had already put him behind the others. If another accident occurred, he feared he would lose the opportunity to build his foundation forever. For a genius with such a proud personality and exceptional talent, this was undoubtedly an unacceptable outcome. If that happened, he would rather die.

At the moment of the explosion, Wu Ming and Huang Hao also paid close attention to see what happened to the enemy and what they should do next, whether to continue fighting or clean up the battlefield.

As time passed, the dust in the air gradually dissipated, and Wu Ming and Huang Hao finally got a clear look at the enemy standing several feet away from the center of the explosion. Although he was covered in blood and his clothes were tattered, his spirit was remarkably strong, showing no signs of defeat.

Wu Ming looked at the enemy before him, a wave of worry welling up in his heart. Such a powerful explosion hadn't seriously injured or even killed him, which made Wu Ming doubt whether he and Huang Hao could defeat such a formidable foe. If he were in the same situation, he would definitely not be able to withstand such an attack. Therefore, Wu Ming couldn't help but ask himself: Can we really defeat this enemy?

Meanwhile, Elder Ding observed the enemy's condition. Though he didn't show it outwardly, a hint of admiration flickered in his eyes. He mentally said to Huang Hao, "Little Hao, look at him! He remained unharmed amidst such a violent explosion. He's truly a child of destiny! I never imagined your Qingyun Sect would have such a formidable figure. If he can maintain this momentum and avoid future misfortunes, he'll undoubtedly become a formidable figure."

Elder Ding's words were filled with emotion, reminding Huang Hao that this was the true nature of a prodigy, not simply being gifted. To become a strong person, talent only meant less suffering and fewer detours; only a strong heart could take one further. He also reminded Huang Hao to cherish this opportunity to face a powerful foe and learn from it.