Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 316 All show and no substance
Under the cover of night, a dragon roared, and a cold light pierced through the formation.

"It's done."

Seeing the array's light barrier wither, Lady Qinghua was overjoyed; all her hard work over the long term had finally paid off.

However, at this moment, Jiang Chen did not show any joy on his face; instead, he frowned.

"retreat!"

The clouds surged and rolled up, enveloping the Blue and White Porcelain Lady, and Jiang Chen retreated.

Almost simultaneously, a sudden change occurred. On Thousand Vine Mountain, the jade bone vines intertwined and transformed into white bone vine spears, trying to pierce through everything. In that instant, from a distance, it seemed as if a forest of white bones had been born on Thousand Vine Mountain.

Seeing this, Lady Qinghua's expression changed slightly. The attack came suddenly and actually managed to deceive her spiritual sense to some extent. If Jiang Chen hadn't pulled her back, she might have been seriously injured in her current state.

"Qingmu Lei has finally made his move? But this aura..."

Once her mind calmed down, Lady Qinghua frowned as she sensed the deep, chilling malice emanating from within Thousand Vine Mountain.

She had previously considered plotting against the Aoki family, so she naturally knew something about Aoki Lei, who was a Dao Foundation cultivator. However, the current situation was different from what she had originally expected.

Previously, these auras were contained by a powerful array, but now that the array has shattered and Qing Mulei has made his move, the hidden malice has been unleashed without restraint. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she was a demon or Qing Mulei was a demon.

Just as Lady Qinghua was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Qing Mulei opened his eyes inside Thousand Vine Mountain. At this moment, his flesh and blood had completely mutated, making him a veritable vegetable. His limbs and body seemed to be woven from vines.

"food···"

With bloodshot eyes filled with madness and greed, Qingmu Lei locked his sights on Qinghua Niangniang and Jiang Chen.

Previously, his consciousness had been in a dazed state. The attack from the Jade Bone Vine was more of a stress response than something he did intentionally. Only now has his consciousness truly recovered.

Although he has recovered, he is still insane at heart. He was tricked by Crocodile Abyss and Qu Shize, which damaged his foundation. Helpless, he had to use the Green Vine Life-Taking Technique again. Originally, he thought he could use this method to stabilize his injuries.

However, once the door to desire is opened, it can never be closed again. There is a reason why the Green Vine Life-Stealing Technique is listed as a forbidden technique by the Green Wood family. This technique has a serious erosion effect on the rationality of cultivators. If they are not careful, they will lose themselves and become monsters that are neither human nor ghost. Green Wood Lei is a true reflection of this situation.

"Eat, eat, eat..."

His sluggish thoughts raced, his expression grew increasingly vivid, and his body transformed into vines as Qingmu Lei burst out of the secret chamber.

At this moment, the vines that covered the sky and the fields moved, and with the Jade Bone Vine as the core, they wove together to form a giant that was tens of feet tall. He stood there like a small mountain, and the spiritual artifact withered vine staff in his hand was like a giant tree. He could make a huge wind howl with a casual swing.

"I'm going to eat you all..."

With a roar, a violent aura burst forth from Qing Mulei's body, sweeping across the surroundings and causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to fluctuate.

Seeing this scene, Lady Qinghua's unease grew stronger.

"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment? Qingmu Lei is so much stronger now than before. How could his cultivation level have improved so quickly?"

Sensing Qingmu Lei's power, Qinghua Niangniang had an urge to turn around and leave, but at that moment, Jiang Chen made his move.

"No wonder the Aoki family has been hiding and not making any moves. It turns out they've all been eaten by you."

"It's ironic that the long-standing Qingmu family was ultimately destroyed by its own ancestor." With a dragon's roar, Jiang Chen extended his dragon claw, empowered by the heavy water pearl.

In that instant, the clouds and black water merged to form a huge phantom of a dragon's claw, which fiercely grabbed down at the wooden giant that Qing Mu Lei had transformed into. This was a combination of the Black Water Handprint and the Cloud Riding Technique. Although the Cloud Riding Technique was mainly for flight, it was not without offensive power.

With a whoosh, a terrifying gravity manifested, and as the phantom of the dragon claw fell, cracks immediately appeared on the ground where Qingmu Lei stood.

Sensing danger, Aoki Lei let out another roar.

With a crackling sound, spiritual energy flowed within his body, vines surged, his right arm expanded, and following his instincts, he met force with force, Qingmu Lei directly unleashing a punch.

With a thud, fists and palms collided, and a muffled thunderclap echoed in the sky, shaking everyone's mind.

However, Jiang Chen's strength was clearly greater than Qing Mulei's. With just one collision, Qing Mulei's punch was crushed by the dragon claw, and his entire right arm shattered inch by inch, turning into broken vines scattered all over the ground.

With a bang, the residual force continued. As the illusory dragon claws truly landed, it felt as if a small mountain was weighing on his body. Unable to resist, Qingmu Lei, who had transformed into a wooden giant, knelt directly on the ground.

"Eat, eat, eat..."

With madness still lingering in his eyes, Qingmu Lei gripped the withered vine staff with his left arm almost instinctively, resisting the dragon's claws. He desperately channeled the power within his body, trying to stand up again.

Under these circumstances, more and more vines converged on him, not only allowing his shattered right arm to regenerate, but also causing his body to swell again.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

Although Qingmu Lei possessed immense power, he didn't care much because his power was stronger than Qingmu Lei's. Moreover, although Qingmu Lei had rapidly increased his cultivation through some method, he had also lost his own intelligence, so he had great power but could not display it.

He was confident he could overpower his opponent in a head-on confrontation, but the opponent's current state surprised him.

"He assimilated with the spiritual plants and truly took root in Thousand Vine Mountain, thus drawing strength from the mountain. As long as he stood on this mountain, he could continuously recover. It was truly extraordinary."

"Can Aoki Lei still be considered human in this state?"

Through a clash of ideas, Jiang Chen gained insight into some of Qingmu Lei's secrets.

At the same time, Qingmu Lei underwent another transformation, strange patterns spread out, and his green hair danced wildly. Under Jiang Chen's constant pressure, Qingmu Lei spontaneously entered a spiritual state, and his aura began to grow again.

Taking in all these changes, Jiang Chen's sense of wonder grew stronger.

"It is indeed a strange change, but I cannot let it go unchecked, or things may really get into trouble."

With a sudden thought, Jiang Chen pushed his divine soul power to its limit.

In the next instant, a third-grade azure lotus floated out from between Jiang Chen's eyebrows. This was the manifestation of his divine soul golden body. Having successively melted the corrosive spirit evil and the azure snake evil, this divine soul golden body became more and more condensed. For a moment, a hazy azure light bloomed, illuminating the surrounding mist.

"Although the spiritual power is strong, the soul is broken and incomplete, and it is ultimately just an empty shell."

Holding a lotus flower in his hand, Jiang Chen gently touched it towards Qingmu Lei.

At that moment, his soul was struck hard, and Qingmu Lei's originally fierce eyes dimmed instantly, his entire body stiffening on the spot.

(End of this chapter)