Chapter 408: From Transmuting Spirit Chicken to Beast-Taming Immortal Cultivation Chapter 407: Borrowing a Knife to Kill

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Protagonist:

Yu Changsheng

A gentle breeze brushed past, blowing away the dust and mist to reveal an earth scarred and ravaged, soil and rock collapsed, the heavenly pit yawning deep; when the storm finally scattered, Yu Changsheng's figure was revealed within, and for a long while he remained silent, sunk in thought.

"Changsheng, how is it? Is that brat Huangpu Dongming dead?"

Only then did Li Minghan draw near, observing the surrounding scenery, and heaved a deep breath of turbid Qi, asking Yu Changsheng.

"No," Yu Changsheng shook his head, his complexion calm, and said lightly, "What died was merely one of his Dharma Bodies, not his True Body."

"Ah?"

Li Minghan was shocked, and then his gaze sharpened, his complexion turning somewhat uncertain.

"A single Dharma Body possesses such strength?" Li Minghan murmured, a trace of bitterness appearing on his face, and he silently clenched his fist.

He had originally thought that now that he had advanced to Golden Core, his strength surely counted as outstanding, yet as it turned out he couldn't even defeat a single Dharma Body of this Huangpu Dongming...

This was somewhat disheartening.

Li Minghan lowered his brows, looking rather dejected.

"It's fine," seeing Li Minghan's state, Yu Changsheng could roughly guess what was on his mind, so he patted his shoulder and comforted him, saying:

"This Dharma Body of his is special, not an ordinary thing; its strength probably doesn't differ much from his True Body, so for you to hold out this long already counts as pretty good."

"Besides, the other party is the Third Prince of the Qingzhou Royal Family, so his strength is naturally beyond doubt; we don't need to compare ourselves to him on these things."

Yu Changsheng offered comfort, his complexion also carrying a hint of sighing emotion, a faint light flickering in his eyes.

"Is that so?"

Li Minghan shook his head, his spirits reviving, then smiled at Yu Changsheng and said: "Changsheng, you're right, no need to dwell on this; that guy, his strength is so-so, but his talk is very pretentious."

"Still, you're the impressive one — a few punches and you exterminated him; by the way, did you get the Luoya Token?"

Yu Changsheng likewise gave a light laugh, chuckling, nodded at Li Minghan, and said: "Alright, enough flattery; the matter is settled, we won't delay, let's hurry back."

"Good," Li Minghan smiled faintly, but then his complexion showed some hesitation and conflict, his mouth corners twitching, and after a long while he said: "However there's still one matter — since only a Dharma Body of Huangpu Dongming was exterminated, our actions now have likely thoroughly provoked him; I'm afraid he won't let it rest so easily, and perhaps before long he'll come knocking."

Li Minghan was somewhat worried, but Yu Changsheng merely blanked for a moment, waved his hand, not caring in the least, and said lightly: "Why worry about that? If he comes knocking then he comes knocking, so what?"

"Just..." Li Minghan hesitated, but ultimately meeting Yu Changsheng's indifferent gaze, he swallowed the words back, and after a long pause shook his head with a laugh.

"That's true too; even if he comes over it's just courting death, indeed no need for extra worry."

As for Yu Changsheng's strength, he now found it somewhat unfathomable, especially since merely a trip into the White Bone Land — how long has it been? — gave him the feeling that Yu Changsheng's strength seemed to have advanced further.

"Could it be he's truly a monster?"

Such a thought flashed through Li Minghan's mind in an instant.

………

At the same time, somewhere in the depths of the Abyss, inside a certain spacious stone cave, Huangpu Dongming, who was digging and searching for something, suddenly shuddered, his eyes falling into a trance, and he let out a muffled groan as a streak of fresh blood silently slid from the corner of his mouth.

"Cough cough cough..."

In that instant his complexion turned incomparably pale, his breathing weak; as he exhaled deeply, his chest heaving violently, a layer of shock and anger quickly spread across his iron-blue face.

"Damn it, my Origin Dharma Body is gone..."

Such an abnormal state naturally could not escape the eyes of the servants nearby; at once a servant looked at Huangpu Dongming with a respectful yet worried expression, his face changing greatly, and asked softly:

"Young Master, what happened?! How did injuries suddenly appear, could it be..."

"It's nothing..." After a long while, Huangpu Dongming, breathing heavily, waved his hand, and when he opened his eyes again, calm had already returned.

"Merely one Origin Dharma Body destroyed."

"What?" The servant blanked, then his face showed astonishment, mixed with shock, anger, and disbelief.

In his eyes, his own Young Master not only possessed noble status, but his personal strength was also top-tier; looking across Qingzhou, aside from the Crown Prince, among the various princes he ranked among the foremost.

The matter of someone forcibly exterminating his Dharma Body — he didn't even dare imagine it — so he hurriedly asked in an angry voice:

"Who dares exterminate the Young Master's Origin Dharma Body, could it be the Crown Prince's people?"

"Not him; although this Abyss is isolated from the Outside, the Crown Prince, though stupid, isn't a fool — he knows my cultivation method; exterminating one of my Dharma Bodies holds no meaning for him, and would only arouse my vigilance and wrath instead; the one who exterminated my Dharma Body is someone else!"

Huangpu Dongming exhaled deeply, sharp light flashing in his eyes, cleverly concealing the trace of astonishment that flickered beneath his pale complexion.

"Who is it? Could it be someone from Wuzhou? But Wuzhou is a bunch of local yobs — who among them could possess such strength to forcibly exterminate the Young Master's Dharma Body!"

The servant was shocked and suspicious, his face resentful, and he said in a cold voice.

"Forget it, it's actually my love rival; that Yu Changsheng being rumored so miraculously, he naturally does have some real ability."

Huangpu Dongming waved his hand, suppressing the surging Qi and blood within his body, swallowed a Pill, and only then did his complexion recover a trace of color; he lightly exhaled a breath and spoke calmly: "But this is also an opportunity to probe Yu Changsheng's true depth; it's just a pity, a piece of Xuantian White Jade, thus destroyed."

The Xuantian White Jade was the Dao-carrying Object that bore that Dharma Body of his; with the Dharma Body's destruction, it was naturally destroyed as well.

Mentioning this, even with Huangpu Dongming's status, his eyes involuntarily revealed a trace of heartache, his heart bleeding.

"Yu Changsheng?" The servant blanked, then lowered his brows, his face turning gloomy, and bowed kneeling to Huangpu Dongming, head lowered, saying:

"Regardless of who it is, since they've provoked the Young Master, they naturally must pay the price; do you need us to pursue and kill him at once, and surely bring his head to present?"

"No need." A faint light flashed in Huangpu Dongming's eyes; after pondering a while, he let out a long breath of turbid Qi and said lightly: "Although the Dharma Body is destroyed, that Yu Changsheng was also heavily injured by me, on the verge of death, and certainly faring no better. For the moment it's not worth continuing to hound him."

When saying these words, a trace of unnaturalness flashed through Huangpu Dongming's eyes, vanishing in an instant, yet his face remained perfectly calm, utterly composed.

"Yu Changsheng may be hateful, but he's not worth me expending too much mental energy to continue entangling with."

The servant blanked, then said resentfully: "Then does that mean we just let him go? The loss of the Young Master's Dharma Body — how can it be brushed aside so lightly?"

"Who said that?" Huangpu Dongming heard this, a blue vein on his face twitched silently, yet he still suppressed it, a strange smile surfacing on his face, and he laughed lightly: "If we speak of hatred, there is naturally someone who hates Yu Changsheng even more than us; based on the previous Dharma Body, I also roughly figured out Yu Changsheng's location; you go spread the word, say that Yu Changsheng was beaten by me to the point of heavy injury and near death, his strength not one in ten remaining."

"Judging by the direction, he should currently be near the Cangmang Ancient Forest; also, if I didn't see wrong, he should also have a Luoya Token on him; with such temptation, I don't believe the Second Prince won't take the bait."

Huangpu Dongming finished speaking, and the corner of his mouth hooked a faint, barely-there smile, which together with his heavily made-up face gave off a ruthless feeling.

"You mean..."

The servant's expression froze for a moment; after brief contemplation, he understood the implication, then cupped his fists toward Huangpu Dongming and bowed, speaking in a low, respectful yet admiring tone: "Young Master is wise. The siege of Wanxiang Sect last time was proposed by this Second Prince. Had it succeeded, Wuzhou might truly have fallen into chaos, and his prestige would have soared — a glorious military achievement. But unexpectedly, a single Yu Changsheng ruined the entire plan. Naturally, he harbors deep hatred for Changsheng, wishing to dismember him."

"So upon entering the Abyss he spoke arrogantly, saying if he encountered him, he would ensure he never returned, that he would tear his tendons and strip his bones to vent his hatred. Now hearing such news, he surely cannot sit still; when the two clash, Young Master can profit from between them."

"Spoken correctly. That is exactly the principle." Huangpu Dongming nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing; his heaving chest gradually calmed, only the occasional flash of resentment in the tent betraying his inner emotions.

"That Yu Changsheng is no simple figure; let them fight it out. Whatever the outcome, there is no disadvantage for me."

Within the royal family, tranquility is naturally impossible; fratricide is merely commonplace. As for the Third Prince, on one hand he is wary of Yu Changsheng, and on the other he naturally will not let Changsheng go, seeking to maximize his own benefit.

If he had the ability, he would simply kill or capture Yu Changsheng himself — no need for such an inferior scheme; he would surely use thunderous means to slay him and not waste other thoughts.

However, the previous battle also let him see clearly the reality of Changsheng; therefore, regarding Yu Changsheng here, Huangpu Dongming no longer has that much confidence.

"Although what I dispatched was merely a Dharma Body, differing from my true combat power, this Dharma Body was forged with Xuantian White Jade as its core, consuming countless heavenly treasures and earthly treasures; its might is astonishing, not something ordinary people can easily slay."

"Yet this Yu Changsheng, relying solely on fleshly power, completely suppressed it. Apart from the Crown Prince, even that good-for-nothing Second Prince encountering him would not be certain to escape loss. You want to kill Yu Changsheng? Here is your chance — let's see if you take the bait."

Huangpu Dongming coldly laughed in his heart. Thinking thus, he slowly closed his eyes. The damage of merely one Dharma Body, to him, was not as easy as it appeared on the surface; within, the backlash — if not adjusted in time — might well end his journey in this Abyss.

He knew clearly in his heart that even if his True Body deployed, he might not be Yu Changsheng's opponent. He held back, but the other party — did he not also refrain from going all-out?

He knew well that Yu Changsheng's greatest specialties, beast taming and Sword Path, had not been revealed in the slightest; yet even so, he nearly left him without any power to resist. Under full eruption, his own chances of victory were likely minuscule.

"If I can borrow your hand to clear away some troublesome insects, that would not be bad either."

"Terrifying combat power — so what? Your opponent... is not necessarily me..."

Huangpu Dongming murmured in his heart; amid breathing, he suppressed his thoughts, while streams of information about Yu Changsheng spread rapidly... stirring ripple after ripple within the Deep Abyss.

After leaving the White Bone Land, without lingering long, Li Minghan and Yu Changsheng flew at full speed; before long they arrived before the gathering point. "Back? This trip went smoothly enough?"

Seeing Yu Changsheng and Li Minghan return safe and sound, Shen Xingchen and Zhang Tianwen and the others immediately stepped forward, their eyes flickering as they looked at the two with concern.

"Everything went smoothly enough; though there were twists, it's fine — the objective has been achieved. How about you? Nothing unexpected happened while I was gone?"

Yu Changsheng smiled faintly, glanced at the fortuitous encounter, and everyone nodded secretly.

"Nothing. Everything well."

Shen Xingchen smiled; with a meaningful look at Yu Changsheng: "You brat, only this long apart, why do I feel you've become even more different? Looks like you had some opportunity."

"There are some." Yu Changsheng waved his hand, shrugged, unconcerned, then smiled: "Since so, let's prepare and enter Cangmang Ancient Forest. We've been in the Abyss nearly a week; we can continue deeper."

"Fine." Zhang Tianwen nodded. Li Minghan, however, was somewhat excited; he nudged Shen Xingchen with his eyebrows, saying enthusiastically: "Do you know who we ran into on the way? The Third Prince of Qingzhou Royal Family, Huangpu Dongming!"

Speaking, Li Minghan paused, then with animated gestures and embellishment vividly depicted the battle between Yu Changsheng and Huangpu Dongming, the details told captivatingly.

Shen Xingchen and Zhang Tianwen and the others listened in repeated astonishment; their gazes at Yu Changsheng held varied emotions.

At this, Yu Changsheng merely shook his head with a wry smile, letting him be.

"Didn't expect such a thing; but seeing Changsheng you're fine, that's best."

Zhang Tianwen patted Yu Changsheng's back, sighing with a smile.

"Trivial matter; only destroyed the other's one Dharma Body — not as miraculous as Li Minghan makes it sound."

Yu Changsheng laughed helplessly, explaining a sentence.

"But still, a mere Dharma Body possessing such power — these Qingzhou Crown Prince sons truly aren't easy to provoke; not one of these princes is simple."

Shen Xingchen interjected, his gaze imperceptibly dimming for an instant.

"Qingzhou differs from our Wuzhou; it comes from royal centralization. Under such circumstances, resources are extremely concentrated. As princes cultivated by a dynasty, they are naturally more elite than our sect-style cultivation."

Yu Changsheng thought a moment and said. (Chapter End)