Martial Ascent to Divinity

Jax and Tu Rong exchanged a glance. They had just joined the team and weren't even aware that Aiden and the Radiance of the Bright Candle had teamed up to kill Zhou Leng.

Tu Rong looked over at Rao Mingxian again; he had heard that Zhou Leng and Rao Mingxian were on good terms.

Jax asked for the reason, chatted for a while, and then parted ways.

He called Tu Rong aside and whispered, "Do you think Gong Futian can kill Zhou Leng?"

Tu Rong said, "We only met Zhou Leng that day. His aura was quite extraordinary. Zhou Leng is a genius and should be able to fight beyond his level. He might not win against Gong Futian, but he can definitely escape."

"I think so too. Gong Futian does have a grandmaster teacher, and he's highly valued by the Demon Worship Sect, being a Blood Shocking Innate with formidable strength. But to kill Zhou Leng, it's almost impossible; Zhou Leng is very strong," Jax said.

Tu Rong said, "I'm just afraid they'll gank him."

"No worries, Zhou Leng has plenty of friends too. This bunch of weaklings won't be able to do anything to him," Jax said.

Tu Rong said, "If Zhou Leng dies, all your investments would be for nothing."

Jax said, "I know you're inclined towards Zhou Leng. If you encounter him, secretly inform him. If you can't find him, there's nothing we can do. We're not even Innate. If we leave alone, we wouldn't survive more than a hundred kilometers."

"Yes, this place is too dangerous." Tu Rong sighed.

Jax said, "Let's go, I'll go find Aiden to get you a bottle of Magic Potion."

Tu Rong said, "Wait a little longer."

"Oh?"

Tu Rong hesitated, "I was once illuminated by the Light of the Ancient Gods and have now acquired an Ancient Tree Fossil. Theoretically, my chance of advancing to Innate through martial arts alone is quite high. If I can't advance, I'll use the Magic Potion."

"Alright. Let's go, continue searching for the Ancient Tree Fossil."

They made some preparations. After walking a few steps, they saw the massive form of the Flesh and Blood War Chariot chatting with Gong Futian.

They were curious because the Flesh and Blood War Chariot, a high-rank demon with a haughty demeanor and an upper general, was chatting with Gong Futian, a middle-Rank Innate.

They approached.

The Flesh and Blood War Chariot said, "You previously spoke with Aiden about killing a human named Zhou Leng?"

"Yes."

"Do you have his picture?"

"I do." Gong Futian said as he took out Zhou Leng's photo.

The Flesh and Blood War Chariot grinned and said, "It's him. By order of the City Lord, the Radiance of the Bright Candle, I've come to join you in finding Zhou Leng. Capture him alive if possible; if not, kill him on the spot."

Gong Futian said, "If you take action, you can surely capture him alive."

The Flesh and Blood War Chariot gave a light snort, "Not so easy. He teamed up with a giant called Mountain and River Origin, and it wounded me slightly. I could've killed them both, but they were rescued by a human Innate."

"You've fought before?" Gong Futian asked, surprised.

The Flesh and Blood War Chariot said, "Of course. This time, I must kill him with my own hands."

Gong Futian said, "Mountain and River Origin is quite formidable, right?"

"A martial arts-practicing giant. If he were at my realm, I wouldn't be able to beat him," the Flesh and Blood War Chariot evaluated fairly.

Gong Futian nodded, guessing that their battle with the Flesh and Blood War Chariot must have relied heavily on Mountain and River Origin. Even if Zhou Leng is one smaller realm higher than Mountain and River Origin, he still doesn't have the confidence to defeat him.

Rao Mingxian glanced at the Flesh and Blood War Chariot, slightly frowning; the conjunction with the Flesh and Blood War Chariot changed everything entirely.

He moved into the shadows, hesitated for a moment, then took out his Demonized Watch, clicked on the long-silent chat box, and sent an offline message.

"I've received news that Aiden and the Radiance of the Bright Candle are teaming up to kill you. Gong Futian and the Flesh and Blood War Chariot are both after you."

As long as they are within about two hundred meters, or encounter a communication station, the message will be delivered.

Over there, Jax and Tu Rong listened to the gist of the matter, puzzled and uncertain.

Jax sought out Aiden to inquire about the events.

Seeing him slowly return, Tu Rong asked, "What's going on?"

Jax recounted the Bright Candle Radiance and Broken Candle City battle and mentioned earlier discoveries of Zhou Leng's activities.

"Adding the Flesh and Blood War Chariot changes the nature of things," Tu Rong watched the Flesh and Blood War Chariot from afar, its massive body and formidable strength weighing on his chest.

"Yes, that's the Flesh and Blood War Chariot, an upper general, with noble bloodline. Now, Zhou Leng is truly in danger."

"If the Radiance of the Bright Candle takes personal action, Zhou Leng will surely die."

"Luckily, the Long Flute Forest is so large. Since he was chased last time, he should have already left."

"Yes, he should have left."

Tu Rong flipped through his phone, clicking on a group photo of Ma Xingkong and Zhou Leng's family.

He remembered when Ma Xingkong saved him; he was about the same age as in the photo.

Unfortunately, he later got caught up in that massive whirlwind that shocked the nation.

Tu Rong thought about that matter, far more complicated than imagined.

Long Flute Forest, underground elf city.

A team of a dozen wild elves was moving through the vast underground tunnel.

"Damn earthquakes have caused multiple tunnel collapses, continuously rerouting us. If this delays the crucial 'Lower Blood Hunt,' the consequences will be severe."

"It's all Silver Lake Moon's fault; if she'd come a few days earlier, we could've set out sooner."

"Let it be; she's had it tough too, using her only Ancient Tree Fossil as payment for a life-saving fee."

"Why bother being stubborn with the Tree-Men? Those filthy, lowly Tree-Men don't deserve your thanks. Saving a white elf is their honor."

Silver Lake Moon remained silent.

Every time she recalled that battle, she felt puzzled.

The Elf clan always looked down on other races, but whether it was the Cyan Flame, Zhou Leng, or the Vigorous Root, their power that day was astonishing.

Especially Zhou Leng, who could kill a lower Innate in at most three moves. Even a middle Innate, which others couldn't defeat, was blown apart by him in a dozen moves.

In the Elf clan, only the legendary bloodline of the Elf King possessed such terrifying power, capable of killing an enemy of the same realm with a single arrow.

Now, the Elf clan no longer had an Elf King.

The reason she paid with Ancient Tree Fossils was mainly because Zhou Leng scared her, afraid he might kill her at the slightest disagreement.

Those Wild Elves chattered for a while then turned the topic back to the Lower Blood Hunt.

"You need to be more careful; due to the demon invasion, this Blood Hunt arena includes demon prisoners along with the insect race. The demons vary in race and power; some are exceptionally strong, so be cautious when you see them."

"Giant insects are troublesome enough, why add demons to the mix?"

"It's said that in recent years, the talents within our race have been dwindling. The elders had no choice but to decide on more brutal trials to select talents."

"I also heard that the rewards for this Lower Blood Hunt seem richer than before."

"So, the rumors are true then; demons and giant insects plan to jointly invade the Tree-man World. This Blood Hunt now includes demons to get us used to it in advance."

"Ugh, with giant insects pushing forward and frequent earthquakes, holding a Blood Hunt at this time is really unsettling."

"How many participants are there in this Blood Hunt?"

"Four Blood Hunt arenas, with about a thousand each."

"Getting fewer and fewer; I remember reading that in its prime, the Elf Empire had millions participating in the Blood Hunt."

"Fewer people is fine as long as the rewards are good. If this Blood Hunt is preparing for war, then the rewards should include 'Ancient Divine Artifacts.'"

"Stellar Treasures? Then we need to work hard."

"As long as we receive the blessing of the Ancient Divine Artifacts, our strength will greatly increase, and we'll surely dominate the Ten Realms."

"By then, let those inferior races kneel outside the Elf King's Hall, paving the roads."

Silver Lake Moon watched the elves boast unabashedly and shook her head slightly. She thought that even combined, these elves couldn't match Zhou Leng and his companions in combat.

Moreover, to receive the blessing of the Ancient Divine Artifacts, one would need at least a hundred Blood Hunters, something none of them could achieve.

In the dense forest.

Clusters and clusters of Lower General demons and giant insects of the same level gathered together.

A Desecration Scholar with a head like a book, dressed in a luxurious robe, surveyed these demons and giant insects.

"Not far beneath our feet is the third hunting ground of the Wild Elves."

"In faraway places, the other three hunting grounds, like this one, also have our demons and giant insects."

"We must admit that the Elven Kings of ancient times possessed unimaginable power, using the earth and the Tree of Life to leave an indestructible foundation for the elves."

"Unless numerous demigod-level demons descend, we can't destroy these hunting grounds."

"Unfortunately, cross-border travel at the demigod level requires a huge cost that far exceeds the benefits."

"Fortunately, we don't need to destroy the hunting grounds, just take advantage of frequent earthquakes to open a rift and send in a large number of warriors."

"Though constrained by the Elf King's power, we can only send you Lower Generals."

"But the numbers will be beyond the elves' imagination."

"Eroding the core of the Tree-man World step by step is the Celestial Calamity Envoy's true plan."

"Be it Ancient Tree Fossils or the Heart of Life, they are all renewable resources, but life itself is the most precious non-renewable resource, something even the dumbest goblin understands."

"Your mission is to enter the third blood hunting ground, kill all the elves, then blood-sacrifice them and taint the elf's Divine Artifact!"

"Exterminate the elves!"

"Exterminate the elves!"

Three days after the second earthquake, Zhou Leng and his friends entered a new underground chamber again.

Constantly consuming newly acquired Ancient Tree Fossils.

Half was used to cultivate the Star Phoenix Rejuvenation Technique, striving to reach the Ten Thousand Feathers Realm.

The other half, in combination with the Embracing Essence Pill, was used to compress True Qi, enhancing the True Liquid Period realm.

Previously, cultivation of the Star Phoenix Rejuvenation Technique delayed the compression of True Qi, so now training needed to be intensified.

The remainder was used for training the Undying Star Body.

The power of Ancient Tree Fossils also accelerates the cultivation of the Undying Star Body.

It's even stronger than the power of hundreds of Star Conches.

After finishing cultivation, Zhou Leng speculated that the Tree of Life could not only absorb Star Power but was probably a Starry Sky Bloodline itself, which is why it could become a Merit Treasure for the Undying Star Body.

Subsequently, he sensed that the training speed for the Undying Star Body was faster than before.

Because the body had gotten stronger.

Previously, during the Vitality Stage, the muscle density was about seven times normal, reaching the density of iron.

After advancing to Innate, the muscle density rose to about eight times.

In recent days, by absorbing the Power of Life from the Tree of Life, giant ant eggs, aphid honey, Radiant Juice, and Ancient Tree Fossils, the growth in muscle density was limited.

It only increased to about nine times, reaching the level of pure copper.

But muscle activity increased more than tenfold, reaching nearly twenty times.