A few days later, in the vicinity of Zhihao city, Chen Wen sat cross-legged as his body exuded a powerful blue aura; his expression was tense, with closed eyes and sweating profusely
Near him was Zhou Jianhong, looking at him with a serious expression ' A little bit more Wen'er '
*SWOOSH* Chen Wen's aura surged, becoming intensely bright, but Zhou Jianhong didn't seem to be affected by it, and suddenly *BOOM* His aura exploded, the spiritual energy once intense dispersed into the air, while Chen Wen sat cross-legged, then he stood as a faint blue aura surrounded his body
' He did it, he has created his Spiritual Soul, this kid's potential is far more amazing than I imagined, but he needs to survive the tribulation before entering the Infant State ' Zhou Jianhong frowns as he yells " Get ready, Wen'er! The tribulation it's about to begin! "
Chen Wen nods with a serious expression " Yes, master " Then he turns to see the sky
A couple of seconds later, Chen Wen made a confused expression, then he looked at Zhou Jianhong and asked with a confused voice " Master, what is happening? "
Zhou Jianhong looks at the sky with confusion as he whispers " What? The tribulation... It's... not happening "
" Master? " Asked Chen Wen again, but Zhou Jianhong keeps looking at the sky with a pale expression as he whispered " Something bad is happening... Something really, really bad "
Chen Wen looks at Zhou Jianhong with a serious expression " Master, what do I do? This is going to affect my cultivation? "
Zhou Jianhong turns to see him and shakes his head " No, don't worry about that, the tribulation just happens when someone defies the heavenly laws, it's a way to prove your worthiness to the heavens, not to abolish or establish your cultivation "
Chen Wen looks at him in doubt " Then what now, master? "
Zhou Jianhong smiles slightly " First, establish your cultivation, nourish your newly formed Spiritual Soul with your Spiritual Essence. After you are done, we will depart for the Xuexin Empire as quickly as possible "
" Understood, master " Chen Wen said then he sits on the grass cross-legged and begins to meditate while Zhou Jianhong was lost in thought ' The tribulation didn't appeared it shouldn't be because of Wen'er this is something else something evil, if there isn't any more tribulation it means that anything defying the heavens will advance especially beast whose tribulations are usually stronger this could break the balance of the world in cataclysmic proportions, beasts could get stronger and numerous than before '
Zhou Jianhong's face stayed serious as he waited for Chen Wen ' But this could be beneficial to us as well, if we use a rushed cultivation method, the consequences wouldn't be that harsh. I need to investigate this further '
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Meanwhile, in a far location
*BANG* *BANG* *BOOM* Dakon's body flew through a forest like a rag doll, blowing trees and rocks his way until finally crashing on the side of a huge mountain
" Ugh.. " Dakon stood slowly as his head bled, looking in the direction through which he passed
' Here it comes again ' Dakon clenched his fists and teeth *ZZZZT* A blue aura appeared around him as *RUMBLE* *RUMBLE* The ground trembled as he saw, at a distance, trees fall from the incoming beast, huge enough to make the ground tremble with every step
A few minutes ago, Dakon traveled on a dirt path, getting closer to Dongqiu City ' At this speed, I should be able to arrive in a couple of hours ' Dakon ran at full speed until he stopped, looking to his right with a surprised expression
' It's that...?! ' *ZOOM* Dakon entered the forest in a flash, running through it ' I can't believe there is a Raw Knowledge Gem here, it's so close to Dongqiu City again, just like when I found the Galick Gun Gem '
Dakon felt the pulsations of the Raw Knowledge Gem clearly; it was even stronger than before, and it outshone the energies of the people, even from Dongqiu City miles away
Dakon slowed his steps as the pulsations of the Raw Knowledge Gem became more and more powerful
The forest ahead grew unnaturally silent; there weren't any insects or birds, and even the wind seemed very serene
The trees twisted inward, their bark dark and wet, as if they had been soaked in blood. The deeper Dakon went, the heavier the air felt. Suddenly, a putrefied smell filled his nostrils
' Ugh, what is that disgusting stench? ' Dakon didn't cover his nose or mouth; he just made a disgusted expression
Dakon kept walking through the forest until he arrived at a swampy area and finally saw what was causing the putrid smell. There were corpses and bones, a lot of bones, from beasts to humans, as well as decayed corpses
' What the hell? ' Dakon wondered as he felt the pulsations coming from the center of the swamp, where a spiky rock lay covered in mud
Dakon didn't even think about it, and he began to walk towards the pulsation. His boots sank slightly in the mud, and as he grew closer, the spiky rock began to move, making him stop
" ..?! " Dakon raised his guard with clenched fists as he noticed the beast rising above the trees ' This is a damn lair! ' He thought as he was full of doubts, why he didn't feel the damn beast energy, it was because of the gem, or it was something else
The beast was a gigantic crocodile-like monster, its body covered in jagged black scales, most of them covered in mud, and each one etched with faint crimson veins. Its jaw alone was large enough to swallow Dakon whole, rows of uneven fangs dripping with slime and blood, its menacing yellow eyes moved around until they lay on Dakon
' An Earth Dragon! ' Dakon thought in amazement as the beast moved its body to face him. The earth dragon, as its name suggests, was a beast very close to dragons; it couldn't fly or had the intellect of a real dragon, but its strength was something that Dakon couldn't ignore. It was a Golden Beast, the weakest ones, the one star could rival a cultivator Spiritual Soul Formation Infant Stage, and the five stars could even be stronger than a Spiritual Lord in the Superior State
Dakon couldn't feel its strength yet because of the Raw knowledge Gem interference, so the only way he could know was by fighting it, but if the Earth Dragon was above the two stars, he was in serious trouble
*ROAR* The Earth Dragon roared as its long tail came out from the mud, and like a living spear, it rushed toward Dakon at an amazing speed
Dakon's instincts scream, and he jumps back, gaining some distance, then *ZOOM* *ZOOM* He creates two blue ki spheres in each hand and *SWOOSH* He throws them to the Earth Dragon *BOOM* A big explosion occurred, but Dakon didn't stop there " Ha! ha! ha! ha! " He keeps throwing energy blasts towards the Earth Dragon until it is engulfed by a cloud of fire, but suddenly *SWISH**BANG* The Earth Dragon's tail hits his previous position, scattering the mud, bones, and pebbles in every direction by such an amount of force
Dakon jumped again before the tail hit him, but from out of the cloud of dust, the Earth Dragon came out, charging at him faster this time *BOOM* Dakon managed to cross his arms just in time as the beast slammed into him, sending him flying
*BANG* *BANG* *BOOM* Trees exploded as Dakon flew like a rag doll across the forest, until he hit the side of a huge mountain. Blood began to drip from his head as he stood, breathing heavily
The Earth Dragon approached, knocking down every tree on its way, and when it was in sight *ROAR* It roared, opening its jaws as a spiraling mass of red energy formed in its throat
Dakon pulls back his arms, charging his Galick Gun with all of his strength as the Earth Dragon lunges forward with its big jaws open wide " HAA!! " *FWOOSH* Dakon shoots his Galick Gun at the Earth Dragon's open jaws
*ZOOM* *BOOOOM* The condensed ki blast slammed into the beast's mouth, exploding in a burst of purple light, pushing the Earth Dragon back a few meters… then stopped, but something was wrong; it barely received any damage, and its eyes glowed brighter
" …What? " Dakon said in amazement, the Earth Dragon turned out to be a two-star Golden Beast, almost pushing three stars
Then he noticed something else, the monster's scales shone in a purple light just like his Galick Gun's, and like liquid, it was sinking into the crimson veins as its body began to swell slightly
*ROAR* The Earth Dragon roared with pure violence, its aura erupting in a distorted, dark-blue haze as Dakon's eyes widened ' …It's absorbing my ki?! '
The Earth Dragon opens its jaws again, but this time the energy resembles Dakon's Galick Gun, and suddenly *ZOOOM* A corrupted energy beam erupted toward Dakon
" SHIT! " *ZOOM* Dakon barely dodged as the beam carved a trench through the forest, melting rock and even the mountain behind him
After the attack, Dakon looked at the destruction with frustration. He couldn't beat this beast, not right now, not when it seems that the Earth Dragon was absorbing his ki attacks to grew stronger, he needs to escape, but as well he wants to retrive the Raw Knowledge Gem no matter what, he sense that it is in the Eart Dragon's lair, he just needs to shake him off of him but he needs the right timing
Dakon turns to see the Earth Dragon, which had suddenly stopped moving, its body was changing and shining. Its scales hardened, overlapping further. Spines erupted from its back. Its limbs thickened, muscles swelling unnaturally
*CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK* Dakon heard the Earth Dragon's bones and scales cracking and couldn't do anything but watch in disbelief as horns began to sprout from the creature's skull " No way! "
The aura around the Earth Dragon surged violently. Clouds above twisted into a vortex *RUMBLE* *RUMBLE* Wings tore through flesh and scales with a sickening sound, unfurling massive, half-formed draconic wings
*ROOAR* The Earth Dragon roared again, but this time, the sound was no longer bestial; it was like a Divine Beast, slightly inferior to the White Tiger, something that defines the heavens itself, but no tribulation came its way
Dakon clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as the Earth Dragon transformed into a Real Dragon, a five-star Golden Beast ' Why isn't there any tribulation?! It shouldn't have evolved to this level!! '
The newly born Dragon lowered its head, eyes burning with intelligence, now hunger mixed with ambition. The Raw Knowledge Gem pulsed violently behind it as the beast spread its wings
*BOOOOOOM* The ground shattered as it took to the air, casting a massive shadow over Dakon
Dakon looked up, blood dripping from his forehead as his face turned deadly serious ' Goddammit, now what am I going to do? '