Zhang Ruochen croaked and laughed, saying, “That’s good to hear. Brother Masheng, hurry up and open the holy array.”
Master Masheng glanced at “Longze” in the distance and hesitated. He had a bad feeling and said, “Palace Master ordered us not to open the holy array before he comes back. I’m afraid that you need to wait outside for a few more days…”
Zhang Ruochen’s mood changed, and he emitted a current of icing air. He pretended to be angry and snorted, saying, “Brother Masheng, You dare question me? Do you really think that I can only rely on the Evil Wooden Palace? In this case, I’ll leave and seek refuge with the Temple of Holy Water Hall.”
“Brother Longze, wait a minute.”
Master Masheng frowned and hesitated. He said to himself, “I can’t let him go. He and the monster ape will be a great help to our palace.”
“I’m only being suspicious because we recently lost so many masters.”
After giving it some more thought, Mater Masheng eventually ordered, “Open up the Holy Array. Welcome Mater Masheng into the Evil Wood Palace with our best hospitality.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen who was covered under the black hood showed a satisfied smile.
Master Masheng had no chioce, so he had to make this decision since two masters in the Evil Wood Palace had died.
Both Longze and the monster ape were top powerhouses. If they could join the Evil Wood Palace, they could make up for the vacancy left by Master Qingmu and Master Zuxin.
“Rumble!”
The holy array began to shut down, and the Darksplitting Mountain shook violently.
After a long while, the mountains gradually became calm again.
“Welcome Master Longze.”
All the masters expect Master Masheng got down on one knee. They all held a crystal wand with one hand while pressing the left chest with the other hand to salute Zhang Ruochen.
The monster ape walked into the gate of Evil Wooden Palace with its sturdy legs.
“Brother Longze, we welcome you to join us as a member of the Evil Wooden Palace.” Master Masheng said with a smile.
“Hoho!”
Zhang Ruochen smiled evilly.
Suddenly, Zhang Rouchen’s hood was lifted by a gust of cold wind and his young face was showed.
When he saw that face, Monster Masheng was stunned for a moment.
In that moment, the Violet Thunder Sword flew out from the Storage Ring on Zhang Ruochen’s finger with a swish. It pierced through Master Masheng’s chest with a lightning tail.
“Hiss!”
A bowl-sized hole appeared on Master Masheng’s chest, and the internal organs were crushed by sword breath. He opened his eyes widely and uttered his last words, “Who … are… you…”
Afterward, he fell flat backward with a thump.
And a king of masters died.
The Violet Thunder Sword drew a beautiful arc in midair and flew back to his hands.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Array Eye, took the combat sword in his hand, and leaped towards the sky. He mobilized his Genuine Qi across his body and injected it into the blade. The inscription in the sword emerged and turned into dozens of thick purple lightning like lightning dragons flying around the Violet Thunder Sword.
“Break!”
Zhang Ruochen waved his sword with all his energy to hit the array eye.
“Bang!”
Several long cracks were cut into the ground by sword breath, and the most important inscriptions of the holy array were cut off.
Meanwhile, a strong counter force broke out from the holy array, and an inscription flew from the underground. By condensing the Spiritual Qi in heaven and earth, the inscription turned into a green long spear and shot Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen immediately mobilized the power of the Dragon Pearl and formed a golden barrer around himsefl himself.
“Pow!”
In an instant, the long cyan spear pierced through Zhang Ruochen’s Celestial Bodyshield and hit the defensive light screen of Dragon Pearl.
The golden light screen kept shaking as if it could not block off the long cyan spear.
“It’s so strong. This should be the residual force left by the Half-Saint who set up the array.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression changed. He knew that he could not bear the force, so he immediately displayed the Space Moving and teleported thirty meters away.
As the Space Moving was displayed, the long cyan spear pierce through the defensive light screen of Dragon Pearl, but only to hit Zhang Ruochen’s shadow and flew away.
The spear struck a huge palace in the distance. With its powerful force, the palace collapsed into ruins and a pit appeared on the ground.
Its destructive power was so strong that it left lingering fear in the people around.
“Fortunately, I’ve mastered the power of space. Otherwise, even if I destroy the Holy Guard, I can’t escape death.” Zhang Ruochen exhaled a long breath.
Obviously, the Patriarch of the Evil Wood Palace had set up traps when he arranged the Holy Array. Anyone destroyed the holy array would be killed by that inscription.
Since the holy array had been broken, Zhang Rouchen could now send the signal to attack the Evil Wooden Palace.
“Swoosh!”
Zhang Ruochen condensed Genuine Qi and pointed his finger to the sky.
In a flash, a green light column flew out from his fingertips and went straight into the sky.
At the foot of the mountain, Si Xingkong saw the green light column rising towards the sky. His face lit up with joy and raised his arm in a call for action. “Zhang Ruochen has broken the holy array. It’s time to attack the Evil Wooden Palace and kill those filthy indigens.”
More than forty students displayed their bodily movement at the same time. Their speed had approached the extreme. In a flash, they reached the gate of the Evil Wooden Palace and fought against the masters of the Evil Wooden Palace.
After giving the signal, Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed to the top of the mountain. With a Skyeye in glabella, he began to look for the Purple Cloud-patterned eaglewood.
“The Purple Cloud-patterned eaglewoods are the greatest treasure of the Evil Wood palace. Even Master Shenhai, the Palace Master of the Evil Wood Palace, would not bring them along with him. They must have been stored somewhere in the Evil Wooden Palace.”
With a Skyeye, he could see mineral veins about three hundred meters deep in the bottom. It was easy for him to find Purple Cloud-patterned eaglewood.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen discovered an underground palace in the Evil Wood Palace. And then, he found the entrance, broke the array, and approached the gate of the underground palace.
“It should be here!” Zhang Ruochen walked to the stone gate. He stood there and held his sword in front of him.
“Awoo!”
A savage beast’s howling sounded.
A green Double Winged Python lied on the outside of the underground palace woke up. It had a huge scaly body and a lion-like head above its body. An icy and bloody aura emitted from its body.
Lion-liked Python from Hell was a savage beast in the lower grade of the fifth level. Its power was equivalent to a powerhouse of the Second Change in the Fish-dragon Realm. It was the Mythical Beast of Mountain Guardian of the Evil Wood Palace.
It showed its fangs in his mouth and exhaled a puff of poisonious fog to attack Zhang Ruochen.
A foul wind came and drove him away from the ground. However, his cultivation was profound, so he still looked very relaxed. He displayed one movement of the Space Moving and escaped the attack.
The beast launched an attack again.
“Roar!”
The monster ape rushed in from the outside and punched its head. It flew out and hit against the stone gate of the underground palace.
The entire underground palace shook.
The monster ape had reached the peak of the First Change in the Fish-dragon Realm, and it was only a step away from the Second Change of the fish-dragon. Moreover, it had also practiced the Treasured Body of Water Spirit. Thus, in terms of strength, the monster ape was stronger than the Lion-liked Python from Hell.
During the battle between the monster ape and the Lion-liked Python from Hell, Zhang Ruochen opened a “Space Crack” to break the guardian array and stone gate of the underground palace at the same time.
Below the stone gate appeared a crack of three meters high and one meter wide, as if it was a small door.
Zhang Ruochen moved his body, passed through the crack, and rushed into the underground palace.
As soon as he entered the palace, he was greeted with a tsunami of the intense scent of spiritual Qi of wood nature running over him. His pores breathed greedily as if he had reached the Innate Embryonic Breath of the First Change in the Fish-dragon Realm.
Of course, it was just an illusion. Based on his current realm, there was still a long way to achieve the Innate Embryonic Breath.
However, he had previously refined a large number of Black Glazed Spinels, so his physical quality was closed to that of the Treasured Body of Water Spirit.
In five elements, water and wood complement each other.
Therefore, the Spiritual Qi of wood nature would automatically flow into his body as if he had realized the “Innate Embryonic Breath”.
On the stone walls of the palace, there were more than one hundred wooden plaids. Some of the plaids contained precious crystal wands, some of which contained Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewoods.
He opened all the plaids and found that fourty five of them were filled with Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewoods, some of which were larger and weighed about five kilogram; some were smaller and only a hunderd grams.
All Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewoods together weighed up to about a hundred and twenty kilogram.
“The Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewood can not only be used to practice the Treasured Body of Wood Spirit, but also can be used to refine the pill and forge weapons. Even half a kilogram of Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewood can be sold at an extremely high price in the Kunlun’s Field.”
Zhang Ruochen was overjoyed and put all forty five plaids in the Storage Ring with no doubt.
As for the crystal wands, he had no interest for them and so did not even bat an eye.
When Zhang Ruochen walked out of the underground palace, the monster ape had already blown off the two-winged Lion Python’s head. The monster ape swallowed the python and began to refine.
The monster ape stood motionless.
Black magic light emerged from its body and formed a group of cloud and mist. As time went on, its aura grew stronger and stronger.
“Eh! Does it want to refine the two-winged Lion Python to break through into the Second Change in the Fish-dragon Realm?”
The monster ape had already been infinitely closed to the Second Change in the Fish-dragon Realm. If the monster ape refined the two-winged Lion Python and absorbed its essence and spiritual blood, it would be highly likely for the monster ape break through the realm with one stroke.
Originally, he intended to leave the Evil Wood Palace as soon as he obtain the Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewood and avoid confrontation with Master Shenhai.
After all, he was still inferior to Master Shenhai in strength.
But if the monster ape could break through to the Second Change in the Fish-dragon Realm, its strength would surely be increased, and it might be able to contend with Master Shenhai.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes revealed a look of contemplation. He said under the breath, “In that case, it’ll only just break through the realm. But it will still not be able to contend with those masters who posseses profound supernatural power.”
“But… if I give some Purple Cloud-patterned Eaglewoods to the monster ape for refining, its strength will surely be enhanced rapidly. Even if it can’t practice the Treasured Bodies of Double Spirits, it can definitely put up a good fight with Master Shenhai.”
Zhang Ruochen slightly nodded as the idea came to mind.