Chapter 357: A Difficult Choice, Ling'er's Intervention, and Becoming a Grandmaster of Arrays
"Hmm? The smell of blood?"
In the Sacred Spirit Pool at Sacred Spirit Peak, Xiao Tiance frowned. Even amidst the dense spiritual energy, the faint scent of blood reached his senses.
He didn't know what had happened, but he was at a critical juncture in absorbing spiritual energy. If he stopped now, the half month of effort he had spent would be wasted, and he'd have to start all over again. That risked losing his chance to break through to the Heaven Supreme level, especially with the space around him on the verge of collapse.
But if he didn't stop, he would leave himself vulnerable to an ambush. Using his peak level Emperor grade soul power, Xiao Tiance couldn't even pinpoint the location of the potential threat a concerning realization.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar echoed through the pool, accompanied by an intense feeling of danger.
Xiao Tiance opened his eyes. What he saw made his expression darken a massive creature over a hundred meters long, resembling both a dragon and a fish, was charging toward him. Its blood red eyes glowed with madness, and the water surrounding it had turned crimson with blood. Scattered nearby were the corpses of numerous Spirit Fish, many of which had reached the Sovereign Realm.
"The Spirit Fish King?"
His gaze grew solemn. This creature exuded an overwhelming aura, its strength at the peak of the Earth Supreme level just a step away from breaking through to the Heaven Supreme Realm.
"Damn it, why now?"
Frustrated, Xiao Tiance cursed inwardly. At any other time, this Spirit Fish King wouldn't have been worth worrying about. But at this critical moment, he was faced with a dilemma:
Stop cultivating and eliminate the Spirit Fish King, forfeiting his chance to break through.
Continue cultivating, risking a potentially fatal ambush.
Neither option was ideal.
"Roar!"
The Spirit Fish King roared again, its body brimming with power. Xiao Tiance could see that it was ready to strike.
Suddenly, the massive creature shot forward like an arrow, its sharp fangs glinting ominously.
"Damn it. Do I really have to give up now?" Xiao Tiance's mind raced. Without achieving the Heaven Supreme level, he knew he would stand little chance against the Western Battle Emperor, an Immortal Heaven Supreme powerhouse, after leaving this realm.
Though he could likely match the Western Battle Emperor in a fight using his Earth Supreme level strength and his Grandmaster level array skills, victory was far from certain. And Xiao Tiance wasn't one to run from a challenge.
The Spirit Fish King closed in, its eyes filled with frenzied greed. It sensed that devouring Xiao Tiance could elevate it to the Heaven Supreme level and possibly awaken its dormant dragon bloodline.
Having already eliminated all rival Spirit Fish in the pool, the King had ruled the Sacred Spirit Pool for millennia. Now, it was on the brink of achieving its ultimate evolution.
"Fish leaping over the dragon's gate today is the day!"
As the Spirit Fish King approached, Xiao Tiance made his decision. He couldn't ignore the immediate threat any longer. If he killed the Spirit Fish King quickly, he might still have time to finish his breakthrough before the space collapsed.
"Fine. I'll gamble."
Just as he was about to halt his cultivation and prepare to fight, a soft, cheerful voice interrupted him.
"Hehe, Mister Xiao, you can continue absorbing spiritual energy. Leave this little one to Ling'er."
The voice came from his shoulder it was Ling'er.
The tension in Xiao Tiance's heart instantly eased. If Ling'er was awake, it meant she had completed her research on the array techniques and had ascended to the level of a Grandmaster of Arrays.
"Alright, Ling'er. I'll leave it to you."
With a relieved smile, Xiao Tiance closed his eyes again and resumed absorbing the boundless spiritual energy. He shot a quick glance at the oncoming Spirit Fish King and smirked coldly before focusing entirely on his cultivation.
"Buzz!"
Two simultaneous sounds echoed: the first from the whirlpool of spiritual energy forming around Xiao Tiance, and the second from Ling'er waving her hand.
A radiant array barrier materialized in front of the Spirit Fish King. Moving too fast to stop, the creature slammed into it with a deafening crash.
"Boom!"
The Spirit Fish King's massive body was flung backward, splashing heavily into the pool and creating towering waves.
"Roar!"
Enraged, the King bellowed, the crimson in its eyes intensifying. It knew it had been thwarted by a trick and was now utterly furious.
Yet Ling'er remained unperturbed. Hovering in the air, her tiny, palm sized figure looked delicate and unassuming compared to the colossal Spirit Fish King. Despite this, she exuded a playful confidence, her demeanor more like that of a mischievous pixie than a combatant.
The Spirit Fish King spotted her and momentarily hesitated, its eyes filled with confusion. Then, with renewed ferocity, it charged toward her.
As it closed the distance, it unleashed a barrage of water arrows from its mouth.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
The water arrows flew at lightning speed, each carrying enough force to severely injure a peak Sovereign Realm cultivator.
Ling'er giggled, unfazed by the attack.
"Cute little fishy. Let's see how you like this!"
With a flick of her wrist, another array appeared a spinning vortex that caught and neutralized the water arrows before sending them hurtling back toward the Spirit Fish King.
"Splash! Splash!"
The redirected projectiles struck the King's body, forcing it to slow down. It roared in frustration, its pride wounded by the tiny opponent.
Unconcerned, Ling'er waved her hand again. The array surrounding the Spirit Fish King began to shrink, tightening around its massive form.
"Alright, Mister Xiao. This fish won't bother you anymore. You can focus on breaking through," Ling'er called out with a smile, her voice brimming with confidence.
For the first time in a long while, Xiao Tiance allowed himself to relax fully. With Ling'er handling the threat, he could finally concentrate on achieving his long awaited breakthrough to the Heaven Supreme level.
Faced with the Spirit Fish King's overwhelming barrage of water arrows and its menacing charge, Ling'er merely smiled and spoke playfully:
"What a feisty little one. You're quite pretty too. I'd hate to hurt you, but to make sure you stay quiet and don't disturb Mister Xiao's breakthrough, I'm afraid I'll have to restrain you."
"Four Sacred Beasts Formation, activate!"
At her command, a massive spiritual array enveloped the Sacred Spirit Pool. From the east, a mighty Azure Dragon roared; from the south, a fiery Vermilion Bird soared. To the west, a White Tiger exuded an aura of lethal intent, while in the north, a Black Tortoise stood motionless, emanating stability. Beneath the Tortoise's feet, the pool water began freezing rapidly.
The incoming water arrows were swept away effortlessly by the Azure Dragon's tail, crashing harmlessly into the pool below.
Realizing its attack had been neutralized, the Spirit Fish King abruptly halted mid charge, its glowing eyes narrowing as it took in the four divine beasts glaring at it with predatory intent.
Outside the array, Ling'er floated with a cheerful smile. Her bright eyes glimmered with satisfaction as she observed the unfolding scene.
"Finally, I can be of use to Mister Xiao. He once said that a Grandmaster of Arrays could face even Heaven Supremes without fear, marking them among the most elite in the Great Thousand World.
Hehe, once Mister Xiao breaks through to the Heaven Supreme level, I'll teach him the arrays I've mastered. He'll become even more formidable!"
Inside the array, the four Sacred Beasts engaged the Spirit Fish King. In mere moments, its once imposing figure was covered in wounds, its pale gold blood staining the surrounding waters red.
Despite its injuries, the Spirit Fish King put up a fierce fight. It managed to bite the White Tiger, tearing away half of its body, which dissolved into radiant spiritual light.
But before the King could savor its small victory, a new light shone in the west of the array. Another White Tiger materialized with an earth shaking roar, leaping into battle once more.
"Roar!"
"Howl!"
The beasts and the Spirit Fish King clashed fiercely. The White Tiger's sharp claws struck the King's head, sending it tumbling backward. Ice from the Black Tortoise crept up its body, freezing the surrounding waters and trapping the King.
The Spirit Fish King thrashed and roared in fury, but its body remained immobilized, encased in an icy prison.
Ling'er beamed with satisfaction as she watched the scene.
"That should keep you still for a while. If this little fish wasn't caught in the array, it wouldn't be so helpless. But inside the array, it has no chance.
With the dense spiritual energy here, the Sacred Beasts will regenerate as fast as they're destroyed. There's no way it can escape."
However, the Spirit Fish King wasn't so easily subdued. Its true dragon bloodline suddenly ignited, and golden light began to radiate from within the ice.
"Crack… crack…"
The ice encasing the King splintered and shattered. Freed from its frozen state, the King's body glowed with a faint golden sheen, its injuries healing rapidly.
Ling'er's eyes widened in astonishment.
"So that's the power of a true dragon bloodline… Even the Sacred Beasts are afraid of it."
The King's transformation was dramatic. Its body began to elongate, scales thickening and gleaming with golden light. Before long, it had fully taken on the form of a dragon, its appearance rivaling that of the Azure Dragon within the array.
"It's fully dragonized… The true dragon bloodline is incredible. If this little guy encountered a pureblood dragon, who knows how much more it could evolve?" Ling'er marveled.
Although its aura had not yet reached the Heaven Supreme level, its combat strength had drastically increased. The newly dragonized Spirit Fish King dominated the battlefield.
It struck the White Tiger with its tail, sending the Sacred Beast flying. Moments later, it lunged forward, biting down and tearing away half of the Tiger's body once more.
Outside the array, Ling'er watched with awe.
"Amazing. The White Tiger was holding its own before, but now it's completely outmatched."
Despite her amazement, Ling'er remained calm.
"A one on one fight isn't favorable, but when the Sacred Beasts work together, even a Heaven Supreme wouldn't stand a chance."
As if on cue, a fiery blaze erupted and engulfed the Spirit Fish King. It roared in pain and turned to see the Vermilion Bird, its body cloaked in flames, hovering nearby.
The Azure Dragon circled the bird, its scales shimmering with an unyielding brilliance. Meanwhile, the White Tiger reappeared, charging toward the King with renewed vigor. The Black Tortoise unleashed another wave of ice, freezing the pool once more.
Surrounded by the combined might of the Sacred Beasts, the Spirit Fish King found itself overwhelmed.
Ling'er's attention shifted to Xiao Tiance. He was a sight to behold a seemingly bottomless vortex of spiritual energy surrounded him, devouring all the energy in the Sacred Spirit Pool.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, Xiao Tiance's body trembled, and the intricate spiritual arrays etched into his skin began to glow. The ancient, mystical patterns resembled tattoos, their radiance growing ever more brilliant.
Ling'er's face lit up with excitement.
"He's done it! The spiritual array engraved within Mister Xiao's flesh has reached the level of a Grandmaster of Arrays!"
Xiao Tiance remained motionless, fully immersed in his cultivation, while Ling'er and the Sacred Beasts ensured that nothing interrupted his breakthrough.
The battle raged on, the Spirit Fish King's dragon form struggling against the relentless assault of the array's Sacred Beasts. Though it was powerful, the array's regenerative energy ensured that its efforts would ultimately be in vain.
For Xiao Tiance, the moment of ascension was close at hand.
(To Be Continued...)
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