Chapter 237: earth core source crystal, Meeting Elder Xuan Again

Ice-blue cold air erupted from all around him, transforming into ice shields before him once more.

But now he only had one arm, and his blood essence was severely depleted; he couldn't exert his full strength at all.

"Azure Lotus Primordial Slash!"

Zhou Chen didn't hesitate to unleash a sword strike.

Rumble!

The surrounding Spiritual Qi was quickly drained, and a phantom of a giant sword condensed in the Void Realm, with the Two Qi of Primordial Beginning as the hilt and the Innate Azure Lotus as the blade.

The terrifying giant sword of Spiritual Qi slashed down. The massive ice wall only blocked it for a moment before it, along with the ice shields, was instantly split in two. The sword light's momentum remained undiminished as it slashed straight toward Ying Wu Dao.

"Damn it!"

Ying Wu Dao tried desperately to dodge, but he was still struck in the shoulder.

Blood gushed out as he was sent flying dozens of yards, crashing into the rock wall and creating a large crater.

"Cough, cough…"

Ying Wu Dao coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his eyes filled with resentment.

As a dignified Emperor Realm powerhouse, he was actually being beaten by a Quasi-Emperor to the point of having no power to fight back!

"No, this kid is no ordinary Quasi-Emperor!"

What kind of Quasi-Emperor comprehended two types of Perfection Sword Intent and possessed such a terrifying Cultivation Technique and Physical Body strength?

Escape!

Ying Wu Dao's mind raced. He wasn't a fool; where there's life, there's hope.

As long as he left this damned Burial God Ridge alive, there would still be a chance for revenge!

"Ice Extreme Cold Escape!"

Ying Wu Dao bit the tip of his tongue again, spitting out another third of his blood essence.

This time, he was truly putting his life on the line.

Ice-blue runes surfaced around him, instantly enveloping him. In the next second, Ying Wu Dao turned into a streak of light once more, flying out at an incredible speed.

"He actually ran?"

Zhou Chen frowned, just about to use the Taiyi Golden Light Step to give chase.

But the speed of that escaping light was simply too fast, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Chen silently estimated that with Ying Wu Dao's escape speed, he could barely keep up, but there were too many variables. If they encountered some anomaly or Yao Beast, things would get complicated.

"Consider yourself lucky."

Zhou Chen shook his head, no longer forcing the issue.

Ying Wu Dao had now burned two-thirds of his blood essence, and his cultivation would surely drop below the Quasi-Emperor level. Even if he didn't kill him, the old man was mostly ruined and wouldn't be able to recover in a short time, nor would he pose a threat.

"A bit of a pity, I didn't get the storage ring."

Zhou Chen thought to himself.

But there was nothing to be done; the Ice Clan's life-saving secret technique was indeed formidable.

Furthermore, Zhou Chen didn't want to stay in Burial God Ridge for long; he always felt this ghostly place was too dangerous.

Three days later, somewhere in Burial God Ridge.

Zhou Chen finally found Elder Xuan.

"Kid, I've finally found you."

Seeing Zhou Chen, Elder Xuan clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you'd been killed by an anomaly."

"I almost was."

Zhou Chen smiled bitterly. "But fortunately, I was lucky enough to survive."

Elder Xuan looked Zhou Chen up and down, and after confirming he hadn't suffered any serious injuries, he nodded. "That's good. I thought I'd have to see a white-haired man bury a black-haired one."

"You old geezer, rest assured, I'll definitely live longer than you."

Zhou Chen retorted speechlessly.

Having spent much time with Zhou Chen, Elder Xuan knew his temperament and would occasionally joke with him.

The two briefly recounted their experiences, though Zhou Chen naturally hid some key details.

After listening, Elder Xuan's eyes flashed with surprise, looking at Zhou Chen as if he were a monster. "Hiss, you're saying… you killed Jiang Tianheng, an Emperor Realm expert?"

"It was just a stroke of luck."

Zhou Chen said modestly. "He was heavily injured at the time and was being invaded by the rules of Burial God Ridge, which gave me the chance. If we'd faced off directly, I certainly wouldn't have been his match."

"Regardless, being able to kill someone at the First Layer of Emperor Realm is already remarkable. Even an Ancient Prodigy is only at this level."

Elder Xuan continued to praise him. "You kid, you always manage to create miracles."

Zhou Chen smiled and changed the subject. "Elder Xuan, there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it? Since when did you become so hesitant, kid!"

Elder Xuan said somewhat impatiently.

"About the matter of breaking through to the Emperor Realm."

Zhou Chen pretended to hesitate, as if organizing his words. "Actually… I have a treasure on me, a World Tree Seed, which I asked you about before."

"What?!"

Elder Xuan's eyes widened, his voice rising an octave. "A World Tree Seed?! How could you have something like that?!"

"I got it by chance."

Zhou Chen continued to fabricate his story. "I accidentally discovered it in some ancient ruins years ago. At the time, I didn't know what it was, so I just kept it. Later, after checking ancient records, I realized it was a World Tree Seed."

"A World Tree Seed…"

Elder Xuan took a deep breath to calm himself and said tremulously, "Kid, do you know what this means?"

Little did he know, what Zhou Chen actually had was the heart of the world tree.

But this matter was too shocking; Zhou Chen wasn't sure what kind of impact it would cause if he revealed it.

To be safe, Zhou Chen wouldn't tell anyone.

"I know a bit."

Zhou Chen nodded. "I've heard that fusing such a treasure containing rules can provide a better chance at reaching the Emperor Realm. But I don't know exactly how to do it, so I wanted to ask you, Elder Xuan."

Elder Xuan pondered for a moment before slowly speaking. "Fusing such treasures can indeed help one reach the Emperor Realm, and the success rate is extremely high. Once you successfully fuse a World Tree Seed, it's equivalent to having an Immortal Ascension Foundation, giving you a certain chance to become an Immortal in the future. It's an incredibly terrifying Opportunity. However, absorbing it also requires a lot of preparation, with other auxiliary materials needed to be absorbed simultaneously."

"What specific auxiliary materials are they?"

"The World Tree Seed belongs to the wood element, so it needs treasures from the other four elements for Five Elements harmony."

Recalling as he spoke, Elder Xuan said slowly, "Specifically, you need earth source strange crystal, Flame Heart Lotus, moon-shaking gold, and Ten Thousand Year Ice Soul."

"These four treasures correspond to the earth, fire, metal, and water elements respectively. Combined with the wood-attribute World Tree Seed, they form a Five Elements cycle."

"When a Quasi-Emperor's Concept reaches Perfection and they are about to Breakthrough, absorbing these four treasures along with the World Tree Seed can lead to the Perfection Realm, increasing the success rate of breaking through to the Emperor Realm to over ninety percent!"

Zhou Chen's heart stirred; he hadn't realized there was so much involved.

Although the heart of the world tree and the seed were only one word apart, their values were worlds apart.

"Then, what if it were the heart of the world tree?"

Zhou Chen asked tentatively.

"The heart of the world tree?!"

Elder Xuan's voice changed, his whole body trembling. "Kid, you couldn't possibly have the heart of the world tree on you, could you?!"

"No, I'm just curious about the difference between the two."

Zhou Chen responded, pretending to know nothing.

Elder Xuan remained silent for a long time, so long that Zhou Chen thought he had fallen into a deep sleep. Fortunately, Zhou Chen was used to his weary state; otherwise, he might not have been able to stand it.

"If it were the heart of the world tree…"

Elder Xuan finally spoke, his voice filled with immense shock. "You would be a guaranteed future Immortal, and one of the top tier who master the Great Dao of rules."