Chapter 930: Chapter 650: Gao Liu the Great Saint
Buzz!
Lu Chenzhou used telekinesis to envelop a realm, quickly finding a jet-black old willow tree at the Earth Core of the Yuan Cang world, its roots spanning a hundred thousand miles, with demon energy soaring to the sky, a rich Wood Dao Essence naturally diffusing.
He said:
"Speaking of size, this old willow tree is the largest demon ghost I’ve encountered so far, towering a thousand miles high, with roots intertwining almost completely connected to the Earth Core of Yuan Cang. If it’s allowed to grow unchecked, it won’t be long before the Yuan Cang world is surrounded by roots, becoming a flowerpot for the old willow tree."
Ming Daozi worriedly said:
"I initially thought this was an ordinary Eighth Realm Demon Saint. But to save my homeland world, I investigated its identity, searched through historical records, and discovered it was once a general under a demigod from ancient times, called the ’Great Sage Gao Liu,’ with its true form being a special plant-type demon ghost known as ’Meat Ghost Willow,’ inherently mastering the Wood Dao. Though it grows slowly, the demon ghost has a nearly divine lifespan."
In ancient times, the Great Sage Gao Liu was slain by a great power, but the Meat Ghost Willow itself has a near-undying body; as long as there’s a branch not destroyed, it can find a world with Wood Element power to inhabit, absorb World Origin power, root and sprout, live another life, nearing immortality."
Lu Chenzhou heard and calmly said:
"Indeed, quite fascinating."
He originally thought this sealed demon monster was the kind of old demon heavily injured and barely alive.
But now, from the current state, it felt more like a new lifeform, and even if using the ’Scythe of Death,’ it might not guarantee a one-shot kill.
After all, this move is meant for finishing off nearly dead targets, with success not guaranteed; the higher the mastery in Death Dao, the more deteriorated the enemy’s blood, the higher the kill chance, somewhat relying on luck.
Lu Chenzhou asked:
"Are there any people left in Yuan Cang world now?"
Ming Daozi shook his head:
"No, I have transferred everyone into my Birth Treasure ’Jiangshan Bright Moon Map’, but my cultivation isn’t high, the Birth Treasure created by Paint Dao can only temporarily accommodate life, the beings of my homeland world can’t cultivate inside, and if Yuan Cang can’t be preserved, I’ll move them to Mystic Sky."
A gold nest and a silver nest aren’t as good as one’s own dog nest.
Homeland world is the root of a realm’s life; even breaking through emptiness and transcending beyond the world, the homeland world’s luck will protect voyaging wanderers safely back, so unless absolutely necessary, no one wants their homeland world destroyed.
Lu Chenzhou understood this.
If the Xia Realm were gone, Da Xia Martial Arts would lose the summer realm’s luck protection, and things would be even worse.
"Then it’s fine, I have a move that might kill Great Sage Gao Liu without harming Yuan Cang world, but you must know, Great Sage Gao Liu survived a great power’s attack, and I might also fail." Lu Chenzhou reminded.
Ming Daozi nodded:
"With the Hierarch’s help, at least there is hope, as I had already fallen into total despair."
"I will first try using the Great Dream Dao, see if I can kill it in a dream... but such plant-type life is naturally very resistant to dreams, it’s very difficult to kill in a dream." Lu Chenzhou recalled a Blood Demon Grandmother, also a tree-type life; he continued, "If the Great Dream Dao fails, then you act as bait, try to lure Great Sage Gao Liu out of Yuan Cang world, and I’ll forcefully kill this beast."
Lu Chenzhou quickly formulated a plan.
Ming Daozi resolutely said:
"I’ll go try."
Facing the Second Step with Quasi-Eighth Realm cultivation, even with Lu Chenzhou’s secret help, it might still be too late for rescue from instant death, yet he didn’t hesitate.
Because this is his homeland!
"Great Dream Three Thousand Worlds."
"One Feather Proves True."
Lu Chenzhou hid within Ruins Sea, a wave of Sixth Rank Peak Great Dream Dao Essence invisibly swept across Yuan Cang world, eventually descending upon Earth Core.
...
"Hmm?"
Great Sage Gao Liu opened his eyes, before him was a blue wilderness, the world silent, him alone.
"Where is this?"
He twitched his branches, spreading toward the heavens.
Endless, without seeing the edge.
Numerous seemingly harmless blue butterflies fluttered like snowflakes, landing and igniting on the branches.
"Sss, it hurts."
"Where is this?"
Great Sage Gao Liu looked around, he had slept since ancient times, oblivious to the outside world.
"Not good, this is an illusion."
Once a Third Step strong, Great Sage Gao Liu probed and sensed something amiss.
"Haha, this level of illusion trying to deal with me, dream on." The large willow tree frenziedly danced its branches, tearing the dream world apart.
Before him, stood a middle-aged scholar.
"Demon monster, meet your death!"
Ming Daozi splashed ink with his brush, painting scrolls solidifying in the void, on which dragons, tigers, phoenixes, pavilions, towers, and green hills and waters all came alive, turning into various attacks upon Great Sage Gao Liu.
But for his enormous body, Ming Daozi’s attacks were like mere tickles.
Countless branches swayed, emerging from the surface, soaring into the sky, materializing a giant face stretching across thousands of miles.
"Tut, wasn’t expecting to wake up and encounter such a nourishing Quasi-Eighth Realm cultivator so soon."
In the firmament, branches descended, reaching for Ming Daozi, who surrounded by scrolls resisted the assault, quickly fleeing beyond the boundary.
"You can’t escape."
With a cold snort from Great Sage Gao Liu, countless branches materialized into a towering willow giant exuding First Step aura, shattered the void, and chased off.
His true body, however, remained.
Ming Daozi’s face darkened.
"Damn it, can it be like this? If the true body can’t be lured out, only killing the clone is useless."
Secretly.
Lu Chenzhou’s thoughts raced rapidly.
"Dream killing this Second Step tree demon is too difficult, if it were Seventh Rank Dao it might be possible. Gao Liu doesn’t know me, now the plan is to feign weakness and personally see if I can lure out the true body."
He boldly emerged.
A towering figure stood before Ming Daozi.
"Comrade, you should retreat."
Lu Chenzhou shouted, exuding First Step aura, his face flushed red, going bare-chested, battling the willow giant in Ruins Sea, surrounded by Mystic Sky Shield.
Post-Eighth Realm, his divine skills also correspondingly improved by one level, their power reaching new heights.
In a bout of entanglement, he appeared evenly matched with the willow giant; his defense strong, standing undefeated, but his attack weak while the giant had super strong undying body, seemingly unable to overcome each other.
"I thought, how could a mere Seventh Realm Peak dare to harass me, turns out there’s a First Step cultivator backing, but you chose the wrong opponent; trying to slay demons without assessing your own capabilities." Great Sage Gao Liu scoffed.
The earth suddenly split open, and another giant woven from willow branches charged out of the boundary, sending Lu Chenzhou flying with a punch.
His true form was still unwilling to leave.
Such clones, he had two of them.
"Senior! I’ll help you!"
Seeing this, Daoist of Light hurriedly rushed back.
"Quickly leave, don’t worry about me!"
Lu Chenzhou roared.
He was surrounded by two giants and was clearly at a disadvantage, with death seeming just a matter of time.
"Indeed, merely devouring the power of the World Origin is too slow. Your flesh and blood contain enough energy to let me awaken early. Quite literally like a pillow delivered to a sleeping person." The willow tree laughed.
"Demon Monster, I’ll fight you to the end!"
Lu Chenzhou was drenched in blood, his aura advancing as if powered by a burst seed, gradually recovering to nearly his Second Step level.
Boom, boom!
He plunged his palms into the chest of the giant made of willow branches, surrounding it with Thunder Fire from his palms, turning it to ashes and completely killing one of the giants.
Another round of bitter fighting.
The other giant made of willow was also "killed with all effort," turning to ashes with Thunder Fire as well.
"Cough, cough..."
Lu Chenzhou’s aura began to waver, showing symptoms of life-burning side effects as he half-knelt on the ground, trying to drag his severely injured body away.
"Heh, trying to leave?"
Seeing the enemy’s tricks exhausted, the cautious Great Saint Gao Liu finally couldn’t sit still, stood up with a roar, and billions of branches withdrew from the World Core, as a giant willow like the world itself flew out of the Primal Azure and descended into the Ruins Sea.
"Humans, dying by my hands is your honor, for I am Gao Liu, Black Wood Demigod General!"
Great Saint Gao Liu laughed loudly, countless willow branches transformed into eight octopus-like tentacles, ensnaring the fleeing Lu Chenzhou from thousands of miles away.
"Become my nourishment."
"You finally decided to come out."
Lu Chenzhou’s power surged to its peak with Devouring Heaven and Earth, far surpassing the Second Step, nearing the Third Step.
He revealed three heads and six arms, with sturdy arms grabbing the eight incoming branches in reverse.
"Fire Crane!"
He utilized a Dao Divine Power he’d seized from the Red Feather Divine Race, countering wood with fire, setting the branches ablaze.
"Third Step?"
Great Saint Gao Liu’s spirit was thrown into a frenzy.
How could he not understand?
He fell into a trap!
This person deliberately held back,
just to lure his true self out of the Primal Azure Realm.
"Divine Power·Willow Realm!"
The willow branches grew crazily, instantly forming a star woven from willow branches, with a diameter of ten thousand miles, like a collapsing sun, coiling around to strangle Lu Chenzhou.
"Break!"
Suddenly, dazzling twelve-colored light shone deep in the Willow Realm, annihilating the willow branches to nothingness, breaking open the Willow Realm, and blooming in the sky a giant lotus made of eighteen Divine Lotus petals, thirty thousand miles in diameter.
The giant lotus enveloped Great Saint Gao Liu, dissolving the bark like metal and the trunk rivaling an Eighth Rank Spiritual Weapon, turning them into flying ash.
"Ahhhh..."
Heart-wrenching screams echoed.
The sound subsided, and in the blink of an eye, only a section of azure tree core remained where the Divine Lotus bloomed, about ten thousand feet long and shimmering with natural Wood Dao patterns.
Lu Chenzhou collected the tree core, shrinking it into a natural sixteen-foot-long wooden staff, as heavy as Kunlun Mountain, its powerful aura distorting the surrounding void.
"Such a good thing, it can serve as a Natural Stick Technique Divine Weapon, and with a spearhead, it can be reforged into a Tiger Soul Divine Spear, capable of withstanding the power of eighteen Divine Lotus, more than enough to duel at the Third Step, and with other top-level materials, it’s even hopeful to forge a quasi-Supreme Treasure."
Lu Chenzhou was overjoyed.
Just this staff alone made the trip worthwhile!
It was a priceless treasure.
Truly worthy of being a Great Saint’s relic.
"But still not dead?"
He looked toward the Primal Azure Realm, vaguely seeing an ancient withered willow root hiding within the World Core.
"No matter who you are, if you dare to step into this world even half a step, I’ll destroy it."
Great Saint Gao Liu wasn’t stupid; the newcomer had such formidable strength yet went to such lengths to lure him out to kill him, obviously fearing that the battle would destroy the world.
As long as he didn’t go out,
the enemy couldn’t kill him!
He indeed had an undying body.
"Truly shameless!"
Daoist of Light couldn’t help but curse.
They were so close to success.
Unexpectedly, the old demon still had one hand hiding.
Lu Chenzhou ignored it.
He raised his hand and waved it lightly.
Making a motion as if slitting his throat.
Great Saint Gao Liu was somewhat fearful.
"Dare you act?"
Are you truly not afraid of perishing together with this realm?
Buzz!
An eerie light flashed and disappeared.
Great Saint Gao Liu lost consciousness, completely dead, his roots withering, along with the willow branches he hid in the Ruins Sea and other parts of the Primal Azure Realm all withered simultaneously.