Chapter 194: The Tenth Divine Source

Chapter 194: The Tenth Divine Source

Ning Xiaochuan’s earlier roar wasn’t an actual use of the Northern Abyss Divine Art—it was merely a bluff to intimidate Lin Gang.

After forcing Lin Gang to retreat, Ning Xiaochuan unfurled his Wings of Rage and swiftly pursued. With a sweep of his arm, he unleashed a surge of electricity, transforming it into seven bolts of lightning as thick as bowls, all striking the mystic beast beneath Lin Gang simultaneously.

The beast’s head, tail, and Dual Wings were all struck, its scales pierced as black smoke billowed out.

"Roar—!"

The Fourth-Grade Mystic Beast let out a pained howl, black smoke spewing from its mouth, its teeth stained with blood.

Severely wounded, it plummeted toward the ground.

Lin Gang, seated atop the beast’s back and gripping its chains, paled. At this moment, he was nearly 100 meters in the air—if he fell with the beast, even with his martial prowess, he’d be severely injured or even killed.

"Thud!"

His cultivation was formidable, after all. He stomped hard on the beast’s back, propelling himself upward and landing on Meng Xinhun’s mount.

"Damn it! Fighting him in the air is too much of a disadvantage."

Lin Gang’s heart ached for his own mystic beast mount—a Sparrow Beast he had painstakingly tamed with immense effort. Now, it had likely crashed into the mountain ravine, reduced to a pulp.

Before even capturing Ning Xiaochuan, he had already lost a Fourth-Grade Mystic Beast.

"He won’t stay smug for long."

Meng Xinhun drew out an extremely thin Golden Bone Thread, handing one end to Lin Gang while gripping the other himself before leaping directly from the mystic beast’s back.

This thread had been extracted from the body of a seventh-grade mystic beast, qualifying as a Mystic Artifact. Its resilience was extraordinary—it wouldn’t snap even if suspending 5,000 kg of Black Iron.

Clutching the Golden Bone Thread, Meng Xinhun brandished a three-meter-long broad-backed Short Sword and slashed toward Ning Xiaochuan, unleashing a crescent-shaped blade light.

Meng Xinhun’s movements were incredibly agile, and with the aid of the Golden Bone Thread, his body swung like a spirit monkey suspended from the heavens, forcing Ning Xiaochuan into a desperate struggle.

"Northern Abyss Divine Art!" Ning Xiaochuan roared again, his voice thundering like Heavenly Thunder, shaking the clouds above.

"You think you can scare us a second time?"

Meng Xinhun’s gaze turned icy. His Short Sword’s momentum didn’t falter as a dazzling golden light erupted from his body, making him resemble a golden-armored war god. "Golden Light Slash!"

"Boom!"

This time, Ning Xiaochuan wasn’t bluffing. He truly mobilized the power of the Demonic Sword, channeling the surging Sword Qi within his body into his palm before slamming it against the blade’s edge.

Using his bare hand to block a Mystic Artifact blade!

Seeing this, Meng Xinhun grinned viciously. "Seeking death."

The gleaming blade cleaved directly into Ning Xiaochuan’s palm, splitting flesh and striking bone.

Ning Xiaochuan’s bones, fused with his Martial Arts Divine Abilities, were as hard as divine metal, preventing the Mystic Artifact blade from shattering them.

Blood poured from his palm, but Ning Xiaochuan felt no pain.

A vortex of energy erupted from his palm, unleashing a terrifying devouring force.

Meng Xinhun naturally sensed something was wrong and tried to retreat, but to his horror, he found his body stuck as if glued in place, completely immobilized. The blood in his veins surged violently, bursting through his meridians and skin, flowing along the Short Sword into Ning Xiaochuan’s palm.

Meng Xinhun’s face twisted in terror as he screamed, “Blood Devouring… Blood Devouring Demon Art… No… No, this is the Northern Abyss Divine Art!”

Ning Xiaochuan’s gaze remained resolute. No matter how Meng Xinhun struggled, it was futile. The power of the Demonic Sword pinned him firmly in place, leaving him helpless as his Blood Qi and Profound Qi drained into Ning Xiaochuan’s body.

“Ning Xiaochuan, give me your life!”

Lin Gang also realized something was amiss and immediately urged his mystic beast forward, charging toward Ning Xiaochuan.

But he was a step too late.

Meng Xinhun’s body had already been reduced to a desiccated corpse, collapsing with a “bang” into a pile of ashes.

“Whoosh!”

Ning Xiaochuan unfurled his Wings of Rage, gliding away without engaging Lin Gang head-on.

After all, his opponent was a Transcendent Realm expert. A direct confrontation would surely put him at a disadvantage.

At this moment, Ning Xiaochuan’s body underwent a dramatic transformation. His bones gleamed, his skin shimmered with Profound Qi, and his blood turned a vivid crimson.

Thunderous roars echoed within his blood, as if every drop contained a world of lightning and storms.

He had finally grasped the true essence of the Transcendent Realm—his body had begun transcending!

Elation surged through Ning Xiaochuan as he felt his power skyrocket. His battle spirit soared, and the nine Martial Arts Divine Abilities within him radiated brilliant light.

“Fight!”

Ning Xiaochuan charged toward Lin Gang, intending to use him as a whetstone to break through his bottleneck and fully ascend to the Transcendent Realm.

With his current foundation, once he stepped into the Transcendent Realm, it would be like a dragon emerging from the sea or an eagle spreading its wings—no peril in the world would be beyond his reach.

“Perfect timing!”

Lin Gang stood tall atop his mystic beast, gripping a 100-meter-long Golden Bone Thread as fine as a strand of hair yet sharp as a blade’s edge.

He channeled Profound Qi into the Golden Bone Thread, controlling it remotely as it slashed toward Ning Xiaochuan.

“Swish! Swish!”

The Golden Bone Thread was lethally sharp, its trajectory unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, dozens of cuts appeared on Ning Xiaochuan’s body.

Blood gushed from the wounds, staining his robes crimson, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

“Cloud and Sunset Returning Qi!”

Ning Xiaochuan summoned a Profound Qi Shield, reinforcing it with his Martial Arts Divine Abilities. A violet glow enveloped him as he deflected the Golden Bone Thread and charged straight at Lin Gang.

With a fierce palm strike, his attack shot forth from the Profound Qi Shield, clashing with Lin Gang’s.

“Boom! Boom!”

Hanging inverted in the sky, Ning Xiaochuan unleashed sixteen consecutive palm strikes, giving Lin Gang no chance to catch his breath.

Ning Xiaochuan landed squarely on the mystic beast’s back, channeling Profound Qi into its body and severing three of its meridians. The beast let out a piercing shriek before plummeting toward the ground.

The sensation was like falling off a cliff—even a Transcendent Realm Martial Artist would struggle to survive such a drop.

“Ning Xiaochuan, let’s perish together!”

Lin Gang seemed to have gone berserk, his hair standing on end as he condensed a massive fireball between his hands, measuring three meters in diameter. Within the fireball, strands of lightning crackled, containing the power to annihilate heaven and earth.

This was a Martial Arts Divine Ability he had unleashed by channeling all his strength, capable of leveling a small mountain.

"Mutual destruction? No, your death will help me break through to the Transcendent Realm."

Ning Xiaochuan once again summoned the power of the Demonic Sword, directly absorbing the energy within the fireball into his body.

Under Lin Gang’s horrified gaze, Ning Xiaochuan seized him by the neck. His hand was like an iron claw, lifting Lin Gang into the air.

The two plummeted downward.

Boom!

Ning Xiaochuan’s physique was formidable, his bones as unyielding as divine steel, making him impervious to the fall. As he landed, his feet cratered the ground, yet he still held Lin Gang aloft, draining him completely before tossing the desiccated corpse aside.

Drenched in blood, his hair disheveled, Ning Xiaochuan emerged from the crater like a bloodthirsty demon god, gripping the Mystic Artifact Short Sword left behind by the deceased Meng Xinhun.

Having absorbed the Blood Qi and Profound Qi of two Transcendent Realm Martial Artists, Ning Xiaochuan’s body was flooded with chaotic energy, threatening to shatter his meridians. Yet, in this state, he felt his latent potential being unleashed, as if he were on the verge of another breakthrough.

"Fight!"

Radiating murderous intent like a demon king, Ning Xiaochuan charged toward the three remaining Branch Leaders in the Taoist temple.

Meng Xinhun and Lin Gang had both been Branch Leaders—dominant figures who commanded fear across entire regions. Yet now, they had perished without a trace, sending chills down the spines of the remaining three.

"The Northern Abyss Divine Art is utterly terrifying!"

"Ning Xiaochuan wants to devour our cultivation to aid his breakthrough!"

"If he’s already this powerful now, what will happen if he reaches the Transcendent Realm?"

"We should retreat! Ning Xiaochuan’s killing intent is at its peak, and his combat prowess is surely greater than usual. Let’s report this to the Grand Branch Leader and the Saintess—they’ll deal with him."

Tie Minggong, Luo Kai, and Ye Baiyin immediately sought to flee, but their escape was blocked by Ji Hanxing.

Clad in crimson armor and wielding the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear, Ji Hanxing exuded an intimidating aura as she coldly stared them down. "You think you can come and go as you please? Do you believe this is your home?"

The three Branch Leaders exchanged glances before simultaneously attacking, attempting to force Ji Hanxing back.

"Annihilation Sword Wave!"

Ning Xiaochuan surged from behind, his hair wild, face smeared with blood, and expression bordering on madness. A Sword Wave shot from his fingertip, hurtling toward Tie Minggong’s back.

The Sword Wave, as thick as a bowl’s mouth, sent ripples through the air.

Sensing the lethal force behind him, Tie Minggong had no choice but to abandon his assault on Ji Hanxing, abruptly dropping to the ground.

Boom!

The Annihilation Sword Wave narrowly missed his head, soaring past with enough force to have shattered his skull.

Absorbing the Blood Qi of two Transcendent Realm experts, Ning Xiaochuan's body felt as if it were completely filled to the brim, his meridians on the verge of bursting. Only through continuous battle did the overwhelming sensation ease slightly.

But just as Ning Xiaochuan was enduring unbearable pain, the Blood Qi and Profound Qi within him surged wildly toward the Demonic Sword, condensing and compressing until they formed a second strand of Annihilation Qi.

This was the second strand of Annihilation Qi born within Ning Xiaochuan.

Only when his killing intent soared to the brink of demonic transformation would Annihilation Qi emerge.

The blood-red Demonic Sword hovered in his heart, now entwined with two strands of Annihilation Qi, making it even more mysterious and formidable.

With the birth of the second strand, Ning Xiaochuan sensed the Demonic Sword's power growing stronger.

Moreover, he felt the sword channeling a mysterious energy into his blood, merging with it.

Every time the Demonic Sword absorbed the Blood Qi of another Martial Artist, it would release this enigmatic force into Ning Xiaochuan's bloodstream.

Previously, he had dismissed it as insignificant, but now, the energy had grown so immense that his blood began to boil.

"What’s happening? Why do I feel like I haven’t yet reached the pinnacle of the Divine Ability Realm, yet another breakthrough seems imminent?"

"I’m already at the peak of the Ninth Level of the Divine Body Realm. If I break through again… could it be the Tenth Level?"

As this thought crossed his mind, a tenth Divine Source truly began to form within him.