Divine Root Bone

In the pitch-black streets and alleys, the two streams of spiritual energy, one black and one white, clashed violently!

Zhang Yang stood in the middle of the street, his liquid spiritual energy at the second level of Foundation Establishment boiling and flowing, and layers of pale golden Dao patterns lit up on his body.

Those are the innate Dao patterns that are born only when one completely transcends the mortal realm and enters the Foundation Establishment realm. Every ray of golden light is pure and righteous, capable of overcoming yin and evil, and naturally suppressing all yin and evil spirits in the world.

Even though he was only at the second level of Foundation Establishment, and his cultivation was three minor realms lower than his opponent's, his Dao foundation was extremely refined, his innate talent was heaven-defying, and his origin was far more profound than others of the same level. In addition, the ancient and pure origin that the black jade on his clothes continuously emitted allowed him to withstand the crushing pressure of the incomplete spiritual energy field of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment!

Boom—

A murky, grayish-white deathly aura erupted wildly, centered on Xiao Jingchen.

Stones flew through the streets and alleys, dirt rolled down, the earthen walls of the houses on both sides trembled slightly, and patches of withered grass fell from the rooftops.

Xiao Jingchen's body trembled violently, and he was in extreme, tearing pain.

Half of his soul is the rock-solid Dao heart he forged through decades of arduous cultivation, and the clear and bright consciousness of Qingyun's personally taught disciple.

Half of the soul is controlled by the life-eating spirits that have grown in the centuries-old cemetery and the deathly silence woven from billions of dark threads.

One righteous and one evil, one light and one dark, one alive and one dead, two forces are fighting and pulling each other wildly in his meridians, sea of ​​consciousness, and bones!

"You... hurry... leave quickly... there's no way out here..."

Xiao Jingchen struggled to utter broken, hoarse words, his eyes flashing with intense light as he tried to use his remaining sanity to warn the younger generation.

Having been trapped here for so long, he knew better than anyone the terror of the ghosts in Shou'an Village—

It does not kill, does not engage in magical battles, and does not reveal its true form.

It only keeps animals in captivity, devours them, extracts their souls, and steals their lifespan.

After a century of settling, the evil spirits have long been rooted in the earth's veins throughout the valley. They are formless, intangible, and indestructible, making them impossible to completely eradicate.

But only for a moment!

From beneath the cemetery on the back mountain, an even more vast and chilling gray mist suddenly surged forth, rushing out along the earth's veins and instantly enveloping Xiao Jingchen's entire body!

Hoo—!

Xiao Jingchen let out a muffled roar, his eyes instantly turning mostly lifeless, with only a faint glimmer of light remaining in his pupils as he struggled to breathe.

He was once again forcibly suppressed by the evil spirits!

"Foreign Foundation Establishment cultivator... pure lifespan... excellent nourishment..."

A cold, hollow, and eerie murmur, devoid of any human quality, came from Xiao Jingchen's mouth.

The next moment, his stiff body suddenly moved!

The profound spiritual power of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, mixed with the deathly aura, condensed into a huge, hazy gray palm print, carrying an overwhelming and powerful force, and pressed down on Zhang Yang!

This strike possessed the true power of the third stage of Foundation Establishment.

If an ordinary Foundation Establishment Level 2 cultivator were to directly withstand this attack, their Dao foundation would be shattered, their dantian would be broken, and their entire life's cultivation would be ruined!

Zhang Yang's expression was cold and he did not retreat a single step.

Instead of retreating, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. He was currently only at the second level of Foundation Establishment.

Since solidifying his Dao foundation, he has been continuously nourished by the Black Jade Origin and has never had an opponent of the same level. He has always had a question in his heart - just how much of a realm gap can his solid Dao foundation, which is far beyond that of ordinary cultivators, overcome in battle?

The cultivation world has long established an ironclad rule: the difference between the first three Foundation Establishment stages is slight, and it is still possible for a genius cultivator to fight across one or two stages; however, a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment stage 2 faces a cultivator in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment stage 5, which spans three minor realms and one major level. Looking at the younger generation of the Cangxuan Continent, almost no one dares to confront them head-on, let alone engage in a pure physical-spiritual-power clash.

"Senior Brother Xiao, today I will use my second-level Foundation Establishment cultivation to withstand your full-force attack from your fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation!"

Zhang Yang let out a deep shout, abandoning all clever tricks and intending to rely solely on the thickness of his Dao foundation to directly confront the opponent and measure the true difference between them. The pale golden Dao patterns flowing around his body were completely drawn into his body, and the liquid spiritual power in his dantian was completely boiled and compressed. All the power of his transcendent physical body and the pure source of the black jade that kept flowing out were gathered without reservation on his fists, and golden light faintly burst out from between his fingers.

Boom! The first clash erupted with a deafening roar.

Driven by the Yin Spirit, Xiao Jingchen unleashed his powerful spiritual energy, a fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, along with a complete three-level spiritual energy field, crushing down upon him. The murky death energy intertwined with the Foundation Establishment spiritual pressure, causing the air in the streets and alleys to explode repeatedly, and the soil beneath his feet to crumble in patches. Under the rules of cultivation realms, this small spiritual energy field naturally formed a barrier, and any cultivator below the fourth level of Foundation Establishment would have their spiritual energy impacts significantly reduced, minimizing the damage.

Zhang Yang met the attack head-on with both fists, unleashing the full power of his refined second-level Dao Foundation, his pale golden spiritual energy flowing through his arms, without the slightest hesitation.

BOOM!

Two powerful forces collided with a deafening roar, and a gale swept through the entire ancient village streets. The countless entangled yin threads of longevity were shattered in large pieces by the impact of the air currents, and gravel and dust flew everywhere.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, a scene unfolded before my eyes that overturned all common sense about cultivation.

Zhang Yang's feet sank only half an inch, his arms were slightly numb, and his blood and qi in his body only churned slightly. His Dao patterns remained stable without any collapse. On the other hand, Xiao Jingchen's stiff body was shaken back two steps. The middle three spiritual energy field surrounding his body shook violently, and the death energy wrapped around his body was shaken away.

In the first strike, the two were evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand!

Zhang Yang's eyes suddenly lit up as he instantly grasped his own advantages. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Level 2 cultivators have weak foundations, thin spiritual energy, and severely damaged roots. If they faced a Foundation Establishment Level 5 cultivator, the opponent's spiritual energy alone would instantly shatter their dantian. However, after undergoing the dual tempering of the mysterious space and the black jade, his foundation's solidification, spiritual energy purity, and physical strength far surpassed those of his peers, effectively bridging the fundamental gap caused by three minor realms. What appeared to be a draw was actually only because Xiao Jingchen relied on the damage reduction and layered suppression of his Foundation Establishment Level 3 exclusive spiritual energy field to barely maintain his balance. An ordinary Foundation Establishment Level 2 cultivator would have already been severely injured and collapsed.

For the first time, a ripple appeared in the empty eyes of the puppet girl by the window. In the past hundred years, she had seen countless foreign cultivators, but she had never seen an anomaly who could directly contend with a Foundation Establishment Stage 5 cultivator at the second level. Xiao Jingchen's remaining clarity of mind trembled violently. He had cultivated diligently for decades, firmly establishing himself at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, possessing the cultivation of a legitimate sect, yet he had been directly matched by a junior at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. His heart was filled with disbelief.

The spirits of the underground cemetery were enraged, and billions of Yin threads frantically poured into Xiao Jingchen's meridians, forcibly urging his spiritual power to surge.

The second punch came right away!

Xiao Jingchen spread out a small spiritual energy field around his body, releasing the unique level suppression of the middle three levels. He forcibly plundered the spiritual energy of the entire street and alley. His fist was like a mountain pressing down, and every strand of spiritual power carried the natural pressure of restraining the first three levels of Foundation Establishment.

Zhang Yang did not retreat. The pale golden Dao patterns on his body lit up again, and his liquid spiritual power surged endlessly. His fists clashed upwards once more.

Boom! The second collision exploded.

This time, Zhang Yang's feet sank an inch deeper into the mud, the numbness in his arms intensified, his blood and qi surged slightly, and a tightness rose in his chest; he was no longer completely unharmed. Yet, his feet remained firmly planted on the ground, not retreating an inch, and he remained locked in a stalemate with Xiao Jingchen.

At this moment, Zhang Yang clearly sensed that the spiritual energy barrier belonging to the third level of Foundation Establishment was continuously taking effect. With each collision, the opponent's spiritual energy field would stagnate the flow of his own spiritual power, constantly eroding the pale golden Dao patterns on his body. His attacks would be mostly neutralized by the spiritual energy field when they landed on Xiao Jingchen, but every strike from Xiao Jingchen carried a layer of suppression that eroded him. It seemed like a draw, but in reality, he was relying on his heaven-defying foundation to forcibly bridge the gap in their cultivation levels.

With his third punch, Yin Ling fully unleashed Xiao Jingchen's cultivation, unleashing the full power of his fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation. His spiritual aura was so thick and substantial that it sealed off the surrounding space.

A deafening roar!

The moment the two forces collided, Zhang Yang's body swayed violently, and he took three steps back. A faint metallic taste filled his throat, and the pale golden Dao patterns on his body flashed intensely. The circulation of liquid spiritual energy within his body was briefly slowed down.

With his third strike, Zhang Yang was at a disadvantage for the first time!

The suppressive force brought about by the difference in cultivation realms was fully revealed. No matter how solid his Dao foundation was, he was ultimately only at the first three levels of Foundation Establishment. Xiao Jingchen's small spiritual energy field's restraining power against low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators continued to amplify during the ongoing head-on clash. The multiple differences in spiritual power reserves, dantian volume, and spiritual energy field level backfired layer by layer, and his foundation alone could no longer completely overcome them.

The fourth punch followed immediately, Xiao Jingchen's punches becoming increasingly domineering, his spiritual energy field locking down the space around Zhang Yang, and the oppressive force falling layer upon layer.

Bang!

Zhang Yang was thrown backward half a foot by the impact, his arms aching and throbbing, and the liquid spiritual energy in his dantian was being consumed at an alarming rate. He gritted his teeth and steadied himself, already accepting the reality:

Within the first three stages of Foundation Establishment, those at the first, second, and third stages fight each other, and their talent and foundation are enough to bridge the gap. However, once one crosses the three minor realms and faces cultivators at the middle three stages directly from the first three stages, the ironclad rule of cultivation realm becomes difficult to reverse. The fact that one can achieve an even match in the first two attacks is already extremely defying the heavens. If the battle continues for a long time, one's own Dao foundation will sooner or later be continuously suppressed and severely damaged by the opponent's spiritual energy field.

The puppet girl stood by the window, a sinister smile slowly widening at the corner of her mouth. She raised a hand, and countless life-eating Yin threads from beneath the entire village surged and boiled once more, engulfing the two in the arena. She intended to use Xiao Jingchen's fifth-level Foundation Establishment power to completely obliterate Zhang Yang, this anomaly who had disrupted the balance. Deep within the cemetery behind the mountain, an endless, deathly silence slowly crept in. Within the main tomb underground, the very essence of the life-eating Yin spirits had been thoroughly disturbed by this cross-dimensional battle.