Chapter 358: The Peculiarities of the Spirit Fish
"Done. The spiritual array engraved into Mister Xiao's flesh has broken through to the level of a Grandmaster of Arrays."
In the ancient secret realm, atop Sacred Spirit Peak and within the Sacred Spirit Pool, Ling'er's gaze fixed on the intricate, ancient patterns glowing on Xiao Tiance's body. As a bona fide Grandmaster of Arrays herself, she immediately recognized that the array etched into his flesh had advanced to the Grandmaster level.
Although this was merely the entry level of a Grandmaster tier array, the continuous absorption of the Sacred Spirit Pool's immense spiritual energy caused the array to steadily grow stronger.
At this moment, Xiao Tiance's physical strength alone was enough to withstand a strike from a divine weapon without sustaining any injuries. Even some holy artifacts, unless at the level of Supreme Holy Artifacts, would find it difficult to damage him significantly if he activated the array for protection.
If this array advanced to the peak of the Grandmaster level, even the full force attack of a Saint Heaven Supreme might fail to harm him.
Ling'er was overjoyed by this progress. The stronger Xiao Tiance became, the sooner they could recover the missing fragments of the Primordial Source scattered across the Great Thousand World. Once fully assembled, Ling'er's power would also grow significantly.
"What seemed like a reckless decision to carve an array into his flesh has now become a vital method for fending off powerful enemies," Ling'er thought, her heart filled with admiration.
She turned her attention back to the Spirit Fish King trapped in the array.
The Spirit Fish King's Struggle
"Roar!"
The Spirit Fish King's body was riddled with wounds, but its ferocity as a creature imbued with true dragon blood had not diminished. Despite the injuries, it managed to tear through the Four Sacred Beasts, one after the other, at the cost of its own suffering.
Yet, the beasts reconstituted themselves moments later. As long as the array's core remained intact, the Four Sacred Beasts would regenerate endlessly, rendering the Spirit Fish King's efforts futile.
When Ling'er had set up the array, she had strategically placed the core far outside its reach. The only way for the Spirit Fish King to escape was to break the entire formation by brute force an impossible task without advancing to the Heaven Supreme level.
For now, the King was doomed to be trapped, its struggle merely prolonging the inevitable.
"Roar!"
Undeterred, the Spirit Fish King swung its massive tail, smashing the Sacred Beasts aside. It let out a deafening roar, a ripple of sound that spread through the Sacred Spirit Pool. In response, dark shadows began darting through the water the Spirit Fish King was summoning its kin.
Seeing this, Ling'er acted swiftly. She deployed a smaller array around Xiao Tiance to ensure the approaching Spirit Fish swarm wouldn't disturb his breakthrough.
Turning her gaze back to the King, she smirked.
"Smart little thing. It realized attacking the Sacred Beasts is futile and now plans to target the array's core. For a beast, it's impressively cunning, though hopelessly overconfident. Even with its minions, it can't possibly break through the Grandmaster tier array."
The Swarm's Futile Assault
One of the larger Spirit Fish, measuring nearly eighty meters in length and with the aura of a Fifth Grade Sovereign, charged directly at the array's core.
"Bang!"
The fish collided with the barrier surrounding the core, only to be repelled violently. A moment later, glowing array patterns lit up, revealing a secondary defensive formation of Master tier strength.
Had the Spirit Fish King attacked personally, it might have succeeded in breaking through. With its sturdy, dragon blood enhanced scales, the King's power was far superior.
But the Fifth Grade Sovereign Spirit Fish? It had no such luck.
"Zap!"
A beam of energy shot from the array, piercing the attacking fish's head. Its massive body fell limp, splashing into the Sacred Spirit Pool and creating a cascade of waves.
Ling'er wasted no time. She moved quickly to collect the fallen fish's corpse, storing it in her spatial ring. Though Xiao Tiance remained focused on his breakthrough, she remembered what the treasure spirit, Fatty Wa, had mentioned earlier: the flesh of these Spirit Fish could significantly enhance one's physical strength.
When she inadvertently touched a drop of the golden blood, Ling'er's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Wow! This golden blood is incredible. No wonder Fatty Wa said the Spirit Fish could help Mister Xiao. Even a single drop is packed with gentle, pure energy, surpassing the effects of an eighth grade elixir. And there's no trace of volatility or violent energy this is practically a panacea."
Delighted, Ling'er carefully stored the fish's blood and resolved to collect as much as possible.
A Clever Plan
After securing the blood, Ling'er communicated with Xiao Tiance through her spiritual link.
"Mister Xiao, I've discovered that the blood of these Spirit Fish has extraordinary properties. It's gentle and easily absorbed. I'll gather all the scattered golden blood in the Sacred Spirit Pool and pour it over your body to aid in your breakthrough."
Xiao Tiance, immersed in his cultivation, acknowledged her suggestion without hesitation.
With the Spirit Fish King contained by the array and its swarm unable to breach the core, Ling'er began her meticulous collection of golden blood from the pool. Her actions ensured that every drop would be used to bolster Xiao Tiance's strength, paving the way for his ascension to the Heaven Supreme level.
As the Sacred Spirit Pool churned with energy, the final stages of Xiao Tiance's breakthrough drew near.
As Ling'er moved her delicate hands, the faint golden blood scattered throughout the Sacred Spirit Pool began to gather under her control. With a wave, she concentrated all the golden blood into a single mass and directed it to pour over Xiao Tiance's body.
"Buzz!"
The moment the golden blood touched his skin, Xiao Tiance felt a surge of incomparably pure energy entering his body far more potent than the energy in the Sacred Spirit Pool itself.
"Hiss!"
Xiao Tiance inhaled sharply, marveling at the experience.
"So this is it. No wonder Fatty Wa emphasized its importance. This golden blood not only holds immense spiritual energy but also directly enhances physical strength," he thought, excitement surging within him.
Realizing its potential, Xiao Tiance transmitted a message to Ling'er:
"Ling'er, kill all the Spirit Fish outside the array and collect their blood for me. Don't worry about excessive slaughter. This space is on the verge of collapse, and once it disintegrates, all the creatures within it will be annihilated by the void anyway."
Ling'er nodded in agreement. With a determined expression, she began weaving a complex set of spiritual seals. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of intricate seals materialized in moments a feat achievable only by a Grandmaster of Arrays.
Her mastery was such that her thoughts alone could manifest a powerful array capable of scorching seas or reshaping mountains. Even Heaven Supreme experts would find it a daunting challenge to contend with her.
With her array complete, Ling'er slammed her hands onto the surface of the Sacred Spirit Pool.
"Arise!"
"Splash!"
The entire pool began to boil violently, and an ancient, mysterious array of symbols spread across its surface. Suddenly, a powerful force expelled every Spirit Fish from the water, launching them into the air.
"Oh, so many Spirit Fish!"
Ling'er's eyes widened in astonishment. She had sensed their presence before, but the number now revealed far exceeded her expectations. Some of the fish exuded auras nearing the level of a Lower Earth Supreme, while Sovereign level Spirit Fish were too numerous to count.
"With this many Spirit Fish, their blood should be more than enough to elevate Mister Xiao's physical strength to terrifying heights," Ling'er thought with excitement.
Just as she prepared to act, something unexpected occurred.
The Spirit Fish, which had been suspended midair and immobilized by the array, suddenly began thrashing their tails. In an instant, they dove back into the water, disappearing almost immediately. Their speed was so astonishing that they seemed to vanish into thin air, as if capable of teleportation.
"How can this be? A Grandmaster level array can trap even the Spirit Fish King, yet these ordinary Spirit Fish broke free?" Ling'er furrowed her brows, perplexed.
A Familiar Voice
"Hah! Using arrays to capture Spirit Fish? That's a novel approach," a mocking voice rang out. Ling'er turned to see Fatty Wa, who had reappeared after being absent for some time.
"What do you mean by that?" Ling'er asked irritably, displeased with his tone.
As someone who had achieved the rare rank of Grandmaster of Arrays, Ling'er couldn't fathom how her formation, capable of trapping even the Spirit Fish King, had failed against weaker fish.
Fatty Wa chuckled, eyeing Ling'er with amusement.
"I sensed a secondary life form within Xiao Tiance earlier. I see now that it's you. You're puzzled, aren't you? Your array worked on the Spirit Fish King, but it's useless against the others. Let me explain."
Though irked, Ling'er nodded, eager for answers.
"It's because Spirit Fish are unique creatures," Fatty Wa explained with a sly grin.
"They possess an innate bloodline talent that grants them immunity to all arrays, regardless of their rank. Unless your attack is powerful enough to kill them in one blow, no array can trap them. Moreover, once they return to the water, their speed becomes extraordinary so fast that even a top tier Earth Supreme would struggle to catch them. That's why, despite their relatively weak strength, Spirit Fish are notoriously difficult to hunt."
Ling'er was taken aback but quickly countered, "Then how did I trap the Spirit Fish King? By your logic, it should have been immune to my array as well."
Fatty Wa smirked knowingly.
"The Spirit Fish King is a special case. Its true dragon bloodline is immensely powerful, but it comes at a cost it suppresses its original Spirit Fish bloodline. In essence, the King is no longer a Spirit Fish but an immature true dragon. And since it lacks the Spirit Fish's innate immunity to arrays, your formation was able to trap it."
Ling'er finally understood. Though she was a sentient being tied to the Dou Qi Continent, her knowledge of the Great Thousand World was limited. Without Fatty Wa's explanation, she might never have deduced the difference between the Spirit Fish King and its kin.
Turning to Xiao Tiance, she suddenly had an idea.
"You mentioned earlier that Spirit Fish can't be caught unless it's a one hit kill. Is that correct?"
(To Be Continued...)
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