Chapter 156

Old Yuan's mouth hung open, his pipe falling onto the deck without him noticing, as he stared at the blue‑clad figure in the void outside, as if he'd seen a ghost. He knew Ling Xiao might be strong, but he hadn't imagined he could be this strong! That's the main force of the notorious Blood Slaughter star pirate gang! And that pesky raider! Just… like swatting a few flies, he was wiped out with a casual flick?

Although Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu had confidence in their master's strength, seeing such swift, crushing slaughter firsthand still left them utterly shocked, and their reverence for Ling Xiao deepened further.

Ling Xiao waved his hand to collect the star pirates' leftover storage treasures and that blood‑colored giant blade (though it was holed, the material was still usable), flashed his figure, and returned inside the Star Raft, his breath steady, as if he'd merely gone out for a stroll.

"Keep moving forward." He said to the still‑dazed Old Yuan.

Old Yuan jerked back to his senses, his gaze toward Ling Xiao filled with awe and even a hint of fear, his tone becoming extremely respectful: "Yes… yes! Senior! We'll set off now! We'll set off now!"

He no longer dared to be the slightest bit negligent, carefully piloting the Star Raft around the massive raider's corpse and continuing toward the direction of the Azure Wood Ancestral Land.

After this little incident, the subsequent voyage became unusually smooth. Perhaps because the aura of Ling Xiao's terrifying power had not yet fully dissipated, no impudent sea monsters or star pirates came to harass them along the way.

After sailing another two days, the surrounding scenery began to change subtly. The huge star‑remnant fragments gradually dwindled, the chaotic energy flow seemed to ease a bit, and a trace of extremely faint, almost imperceptible vitality began to appear in the air.

"Senior, we're about to enter the influence zone of the Azure Wood Ancestral Land." Old Yuan reported respectfully, "The space here is relatively stable, but also more strange. The Azure Wood Ancestral Land itself is like a mirage—sometimes visible, sometimes completely gone."

"Actually, we of the Far Cloud Edge believe he is a self‑contained other world, but the outside obviously doesn't see it that way, only calling us a subordinate small city—whether that's true or false, we're not entirely sure either! The only thing we know is that the Azure Wood Ancestral Land's position drifts unpredictably. I can only bring you this far; any deeper and my Star Raft couldn't withstand the ancient seals and spatial wrinkles left there."

Ling Xiao nodded, sensing that the seemingly tranquil area ahead harbored deeper danger, yet was suffused with an indescribably ancient and majestic earth‑attribute spiritual energy.

Ling Xiao paid the agreed‑upon remaining spirit stones and even gave an extra sack, as thanks for Old Yuan's guidance and their previous side‑by‑side effort

…although they hadn't really fought side by side.

Old Yuan thanked them profusely, left a simple jade slip sea map marking nearby relatively safe landing spots and a few known danger zones, then piloted the Star Raft away quickly. He didn't want to linger a moment longer in this strange sea.

Ling Xiao and his four companions hovered in the chaotic void, gazing ahead at the strange region suffused with a pale green glow, resembling countless gigantic ancient plant phantoms.

That was their destination—the Azure Wood Ancestral Land. The key to curing Shi Ran, or perhaps the clue to the next Five Elements Immortal Treasure, might be hidden within.

"Let's go." Ling Xiao swept his sleeves, turned himself and his three disciples into a blue streak of light, and cautiously flew into that ancient relic‑filled land where vitality and danger coexisted.

Upon entering the influence zone of the Azure Wood Ancestral Land, it felt as if they had crossed an invisible membrane. The outside chaos, deathly stillness, and energy turbulence were greatly weakened, replaced by a stagnant‑like silence and an omnipresent ancient pressure.

The sight before them was bizarre and wondrous. Giant, mountain‑range‑like ancient tree phantoms took root in the void, their branches lush and endless, yet they were not solid—rather, they were phantoms woven from pure wood‑attribute energy and fractured laws, sometimes solid as reality, sometimes wispy and about to dissipate.

Between these ancient tree phantoms floated shattered palace ruins, dried‑up riverbeds, and some gigantic statues long bereft of luster and covered in moss; their style was archaic, bearing an indescribable sense of vicissitude, speaking of the place's former glory and calamity.

The air was saturated with a thick, almost tangible earth‑spirit qi, yet mixed within it were decay, decline, and a deep‑seated resentment; inhaling it gave a sense of deep stability, but also a faint sting in the meridians, as if it resisted all outsiders. Though the space appeared stable, it was actually riddled with invisible folds and traps—an occasional misstep could send one to a dead end or directly into the energy turbulence.

"Stay close to my steps; do not casually touch anything, even those seemingly harmless plant phantoms." Ling Xiao's expression was solemn as he repeated the warning. His divine sense here was also heavily suppressed, able only to probe like feelers within a few dozen zhang ahead.

Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu followed closely, fully focused, not daring to lose concentration for a moment. Wei Yuzhu even firmly held Shi Ran's hand, shielding her with a carefully maintained spiritual barrier.

The four advanced slowly through this vast mausoleum‑like labyrinth. Underfoot was a soft, fertile "soil" that, upon closer look, proved to be condensed from countless years of star dust and spiritual energy, making each step soundless. The surroundings were terrifyingly silent, save for their faint breathing and heartbeat, and the occasional eerie sound from afar—whether wind or the sigh of some unknown presence.

After advancing about an hour, a relatively intact ruin appeared ahead—a half‑collapsed massive archway built of a warm, lustrous azure jade; despite being riddled with cracks, it still emitted a faint glow.

Beyond the arch lay an open plaza; at its center stood a hundred‑zhang‑tall statue with a human head and serpent body, though damaged and its face blurred, one could still sense its former majesty overlooking all beings. The statue held a stone lamp in its hand, the lamp long extinguished and buried in dust.

"Master, there seems to be an inscription here." Luo Changfeng's sharp eyes pointed to the surviving stele on one side of the arch.

The inscription was written in an extremely ancient seal script, mottled and fragmented. Ling Xiao stepped forward and examined it carefully.

"Azure Emperor's Imperial Garden, all spirits pay homage. Trespassers provoke the earth spirit and fall eternally into reincarnation." Wei Yuzhu whispered, her voice trembling, "Azure Emperor… could this place once have been the abode of the Ancient Azure Emperor?"

Ling Xiao's gaze grew grave: "Even if it isn't his dwelling, it must be an extremely important holy site. The Ancient Azure Emperor governed the eastern wood and earth, the ancestor of sacred wood and source of vitality. His fallen place became this ancestral land; the lingering laws and power, after endless ages of evolution, could well produce such a marvel. 'Trespassers provoke the earth spirit and fall eternally into reincarnation'… it seems the greatest danger here is not spatial rifts, but possibly lingering aggressive wood‑earth spiritual laws… or… a guardian spirit."

No sooner had he spoken than, as if to confirm his words, the ancient tree phantoms around the plaza that had been utterly still began to sway faintly! A rustling sound like a tide surged from all directions, starting subtle and quickly becoming clearly audible.

The thick spiritual energy in the air began to churn, boiling like water. The ground trembled slightly; at the plaza's edge, the seemingly harmless phantom vines and ferns started to solidify at visible speed, then, like living things, writhed and grew, spreading toward the four.

"On guard!" Ling Xiao barked low.

Luo Changfeng's longsword was already drawn, its blade humming and emitting sharp sword qi. Wei Yuzhu gently set Shi Ran down in a relatively safe corner beneath the statue's base, then unleashed a Jade Ruyi treasure, releasing a soft halo that shielded both herself and Shi Ran.

Shi Ran, though weak, had a clear mind: "Just leave me here; Master and the others need your help!"

Wei Yuzhu hesitated a bit, only able to comfort Shi Ran: "Don't worry; if they can't hold out, I'll definitely go lend them a hand!"

Shi Ran couldn't muster the strength to say more for the moment, but her tightly furrowed brows did not relax.

On the other side of the battlefield, the first to attack were the vines. Like green poisonous snakes, they shot out from the ground and the void with astonishing speed, emitting sharp tearing‑through‑air cries as they thrust straight at the four. The vines flickered with strange runes; wherever they passed, even space rippled faintly, indicating they possessed powerful binding and corrosive force.

Ling Xiao pointed and drew a line; a crescent‑shaped sword qi spread out, cleanly cutting all the incoming vines. The severed vines fell to the ground, turning into pure spiritual energy that dissipated, but more vines surged forward in wave after wave, as if endless.

Luo Changfeng's sword light flashed like lightning, shredding the nearby vines, yet his sword qi striking the vines felt a tenacious resistance far beyond ordinary plants. Wei Yuzhu's Jade Ruyi halo was also beaten by the vines into rippling waves, turning her face pale—evidently she was struggling to sustain it.

"These are not physical entities, but are condensed from lingering wood spirit principles; ordinary attacks have limited effect, they need to be broken with purer spiritual power or mutually restraining force!" Lingxiao, while waving his hand to clear large patches of vines, pointed and said, "Changfeng, your sword intent needs to be more condensed, slash its core spiritual runes! Yuzhu, try using fire-attribute talismans or spells!"

Upon hearing this, Luochangfeng took a deep breath, his sword momentum suddenly changed; he no longer pursued area, but condensed his sword qi into a point, like a needle tip piercing the vines. Indeed, when the sword qi precisely struck a flashing rune node on a vine, the entire vine instantly collapsed and dissipated, greatly increasing efficiency.

Weiyuzhu also hurriedly took out several crimson talismans from her storage bag; under the activation of spiritual power, they turned into several scorching fireballs that bombarded the vine cluster. The fireballs exploded, and the flames indeed had a restraining effect on the wood spirit energy, instantly burning a patch of vines into nothingness, temporarily relieving the pressure.

However, the attack was far from over. The statue with a human head and snake body in the center of the plaza suddenly had two clusters of eerie green light flare up in its hollow eye sockets! The arm holding the stone lamp actually began to move slowly; the stone lamp tilted, and the dust accumulated over myriad ages in the lamp bowl slid down, revealing a faint yet heart-pounding azure spark!

Hum——!

An immense, overwhelming pressure suddenly descended, as if the entire heaven and earth were pressing down! Luochangfeng and Weiyuzhu let out a muffled groan, barely able to stand, and the circulation of their spiritual power became sluggish.

"The guardian stone spirit has awakened!" Lingxiao's eyes narrowed; he could feel that the stone spirit contained power of an extremely high level, although worn down by time, far from its peak, yet still comparable to a cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage.

The stone spirit's massive tail swept violently, carrying the power to crush mountains, and came sweeping horizontally toward the four! Though its speed seemed slow, it contained some kind of spatial binding force, making it difficult to dodge.

"Fall back!" Lingxiao shouted low, his stature suddenly rising; facing the sweeping stone tail, he advanced instead of retreating, pointing his fingers like a sword, and brilliant light burst from his fingertips.

"Break!"

A sword aura condensed to the extreme, seeming able to cleave the void, a thousand-zhang blade of energy appeared out of thin air and fiercely slashed at the stone tail!

Boom——!!!

The sword aura and the stone tail collided violently, producing a earth-shaking roar! The violent energy shockwave spread outward, lifting the stone slabs of the plaza layer by layer, and the surging illusory vines were instantly cleared over a large area.

The stone tail was blocked dead-on by this sword, even cracking open several deep fissures, stone chips flying. However, the stone spirit's power exceeded expectations, and the sword aura also dissipated. The azure green flame in its eye sockets flickered once, as if angered. Its other empty hand rose, fingers spread, and it grasped at Lingxiao in the void!

In an instant, the air around Lingxiao seemed to solidify into a substantial azure earth prison; countless thick law chains protruded from the void, seeking to completely bind and crush him! At the same time, the azure spark in the stone lamp gave a light jump, a thread as fine as a hair yet containing ultimate destructive vitality shot silently toward Lingxiao's brow!

This azure fire thread is not ordinary fire, but the "Heart-Burning Flame"; it appears full of vitality, yet it specifically burns the soul and nascent infant, utterly vicious!

"Master, be careful!" Shiran watched, heart pounding, let out a startled cry, and then coughed nonstop.

Faced with this double killing move, Lingxiao's expression remained unchanged. His cultivation technique circulated rapidly, a vast as the sea, deep as an abyss aura surged skyward, instantly breaking the surrounding law seals! He pointed his fingers like a brush, drawing in the air before him, and an ancient, mysterious rune instantly formed.

"Seal!"

The rune flew out, expanding in the wind, turning into a huge light shield that blocked the azure fire thread. With a sizzling sound, the azure fire thread scorched the light shield, yet for a moment could not penetrate it.

At the same time, Lingxiao flicked their sleeve, and a golden light shot out—revealing an antiquated coin-shaped magic artifact, the Falling Treasure Gold Coin! The coin spun round and round, emitting a strange fluctuation; when the winding law chains touched this fluctuation, they unexpectedly dimmed their spiritual light and grew sluggish, as if encountering their nemesis.

Shatter Star!

Lingxiao seized the opportunity and thrust out with joined fingers again! This time, the sword qi was no longer a blazing sun, but became dark and profound, as if containing the power of shattered stars, and it silently struck the arm joint of the Stone Spirit Lamp Bearer.

Crack!