Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

A deep, thunderous roar erupted from the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s massive jaws, like a high-yield nuke tossed into an already chaotic bonfire. Countless visible ripples appeared in the very air for miles around.

As the ripples spread and energies clashed, the surrounding rock formations silently crumbled into dust. Fissures spiderwebbed across the ground above, and the violent tremors extended for dozens of miles.

The Inverted Five Elements Illusion Array bore the brunt of the impact. Its triple-layered transformations instantly collapsed, revealing its original form as it nearly shattered on the spot.

The Wind and Thunder Blade Wings trembled violently, letting out a mournful cry as they were flung away.

The Spiritual Light from dozens of Spirit Talismans could not withstand a single sweep of the chaotic Power of the Earth Element and were all snuffed out, their defensive power gone.

BANG!

KRAK...

The already damaged Vajra Ming King Armor put forth its last ounce of strength, holding on for a mere instant against the onslaught before shattering into countless pieces, its Spirituality completely extinguished.

Fortunately, having been weakened multiple times, the Demon Beast’s Divine Technique was no longer at its peak power.

Zhu Ju focused his energy, Holding the Essence and Guarding the One. He braced himself, resisting with every ounce of his True Essence Magical Power and the strength of his physical body.

PTUI!

It felt as though a giant hammer had slammed into him. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes showing a flicker of exhaustion.

On the other side, a layer of Fierce Flame erupted around Pei Jingque.

As the Power of the Earth Element slammed into her, the flames vibrated rapidly, weakening the incoming force layer by layer.

At the same time, her Magical Robe flared with Spiritual Light, and the lining beneath it faintly shimmered with the glow of a Magical Treasure.

BOOM...

The attacking force suddenly intensified.

PTUI!

Pei Jingque coughed up blood, her spirit instantly wilting as her Magical Robe went completely dim.

Her body swayed, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling as though she couldn’t even lift a finger.

ROAR!

In the dim, empty expanse, the badly wounded Rock Armor Demon Crocodile roared again, its eyes locking onto Pei Jingque from across the distance.

It was this woman. This woman had wounded it time and again, and just moments ago, had nearly taken its life.

’Die!’

With a low growl, the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile slammed its limbs into the ground and lunged viciously toward Pei Jingque.

The might of a Tier Three Demon Beast bore down on her. Pei Jingque’s breath caught in her throat, a look of pure despair spreading across her face.

’It’s over!’

’I wonder if Junior Brother survived that last attack? I hope he’s alright.’

In what she thought were the final moments of her life, her thoughts turned to Zhu Ju, and a peculiar light flickered in her beautiful, sorrowful eyes.

But at that very moment...

SHWISH!

A five-colored radiance materialized behind the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile. Like a giant hand, it slammed the beast down onto the ground.

The Five-Colored Divine Light!

”Senior Sister!”

Zhu Ju’s voice called out from the darkness, laced with exhaustion yet firm with resolve.

”I can hold it for ten breaths!”

”This is your chance!”

’Ten breaths?’

’He means he can hold it for ten breaths *now*, not from the very start?’

Pei Jingque’s eyes lit up. A sudden surge of strength filled her as she slammed a hand on the ground and vaulted to her feet.

The effects of the Innate Spiritual Milk were still active.

The True Essence Magical Power she had expended by frantically channeling her Magical Treasure and casting her spells had been fully replenished.

”Hah!”

She rubbed her hands together, and the palm-sized Three-Flame Simurgh Fan suddenly grew enormous, fluttering like a giant banner in an unseen wind.

”HRAAAGH!”

With a guttural cry, Pei Jingque wrapped both arms around the fan’s handle—now as thick as a tree trunk—and with a desperate surge of strength, swung it forward.

Her figure was minuscule before the house-sized Spirit Fan, yet she forced it to move.

WHOOSH...

The resulting gale carried with it a ball of fire—a torrent of Fierce Flame dozens of meters long that surged like a tidal wave, crashing down upon the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile.

”HAAA!”

Pei Jingque roared, and streams of blood burst from her skin, arcing through the air to merge with the Three-Flame Simurgh Fan.

The might of the flames instantly grew stronger.

Clutching the handle, she fanned with wild abandon, sending one fireball after another to bombard the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile.

BOOM!

RUMBLE...

The Fierce Flame surged a hundred meters high, and the solid rock it touched instantly melted into magma.

The world before her became a sea of fire, the ground a molten swamp.

Zhu Ju, who was only using his Mutated Left Hand to suppress the Demon Beast with the Five-Colored Divine Light, wasn’t even the target of the flames, yet he felt as if his entire body was about to ignite. One could only imagine how terrifying the onslaught must be for the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile at its epicenter.

ROAR!

Engulfed in Fierce Flame, the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile roared in fury, yet it could not break free from the shackles of the Five-Colored Divine Light.

Zhu Ju’s left hand was comparable to a Middle Grade Magical Treasure, and the Five-Colored Divine Light was the bane of all the world’s Five Elements.

The Power of the Earth Element was no exception.

It was well within the light’s suppressive domain.

At full power, the Five-Colored Divine Light could indeed temporarily pin down even a heavily injured Tier Three Demon Beast.

However, the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s struggles were transmitted back to Zhu Ju. It felt like an invisible, giant power was ravaging his body, splitting his Skin and Flesh, damaging his Meridians, and shaking his very Divine Soul. He, too, was in agony.

BOOM!

The earth trembled.

Countless sharp stone pillars erupted toward the sky.

One shot up directly beneath Zhu Ju, impaling him through the abdomen and flinging him into the air.

The Five-Colored Divine Light vanished.

THUD!

Three figures collapsed to the ground.

*

*

*

Zhu Ju’s abdomen was pierced and bleeding freely. Fortunately, his Physical Body was incredibly tough, and his regenerative powers were astonishing.

A long saber appeared in his hand as he forced himself to slowly get back on his feet.

Not far away, the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile lay prone on the ground, its body charred black and half-split open, twitching intermittently.

Its aura was incredibly faint, but for a Dao Foundation Cultivator, it was still more than lethal.

Nearby, Pei Jingque lay covered in wounds, her face a deathly, bloodless pale. The Three-Flame Simurgh Fan lay discarded beside her.

Two humans and one demon, all grievously injured.

This battle could only be described as brutal.

”Junior Brother!”

Struggling to prop herself up, Pei Jingque gave Zhu Ju a weak grin and grabbed her Three-Flame Simurgh Fan.

”Let’s end this!”

PTUI!

She spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which merged into the fan. Spiritual Light immediately flared across its surface once more.

A ball of flame slowly drifted out, coalescing into the form of a Vermilion Bird.

SCREEE!

The Vermilion Bird spread its wings and took flight.

Gritting her teeth, Pei Jingque lunged forward and merged with the Vermilion Bird, causing the Fierce Flames to erupt with renewed fury.

Four Symbols Divine Techniques—Vermilion Bird Form!

ZVNNG!

The long saber in Zhu Ju’s hand hummed.

Until now, he had barely attacked directly, relying instead on the Array and the Five-Colored Divine Light to suppress the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile.

But his expenditure of Essence, Qi, and Spirit had been immense. His aura had hit rock bottom, and his power was drastically reduced.

He no longer even had the strength to command his Magical Treasure, the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings.

However, the foundation of his Body Refining Third Realm remained.

His Physical Body could still fight.

The long saber hummed, and Saber Intent erupted. A rich life force burst from his weakened Physical Body as the blade flashed.

Ten Steps One Kill!

Zhu Ju’s figure seemed to vanish, reappearing in an instant at the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s abdomen.

The Body Techniques of Human Immortal Martial Arts naturally couldn’t compete with a Cultivator’s Flying Escape Technique over long distances.

But for short-range blinks, they were in a class of their own.

Ten Directions Killing Dao!

Saber Fury Slash!

Kill!

SHLICK!

SHLICK! SHLICK!

In terms of sharpness, the Cross and Vertical Saber was no less deadly than a Magical Treasure. The furious slash tore a fresh wound in the beast’s flesh.

At the same time, the Vermilion Bird that was Pei Jingque dove amidst a storm of Fierce Flame, aiming straight for the new wound on the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s belly.

ROAR!

The Rock Armor Demon Crocodile let out a low, furious growl. Its body trembled, and the surrounding Power of the Earth Element coalesced into Earth Dragons that swept out in all directions.

SCREEE!

The Vermilion Bird cried out in pain.

BANG!

The light of the saber shattered.

Zhu Ju’s figure flickered, his eyes as dark and cold as a stagnant pool. Only the long saber in his hand continued to move, a relentless blur.

He had survived countless battles, teetering on the brink of life and death time and again. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer he became.

In fact, it was in these moments that he could draw out his true potential.

BOOM!

His Essence Spirit provided an endless supply of Essence, making exhaustion a foreign concept. His Power Spirit boosted his strength far beyond his peers. His Heroic Spirit enhanced his speed until his every movement was a flash of lightning.

And all of this... he poured into the Ten Directions Killing Dao.

”Kill!”

Waves of savage killing intent rolled off him, each stronger than the last, allowing him to somehow hold his ground against the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s assault.

He would have been utterly crushed by a Tier Three Demon Beast at its peak, but this monster no longer possessed even a tenth of its original strength.

Zhu Ju, in turn, was demonstrating a resilience that was far from ordinary.

’Good!’

Seeing Zhu Ju withstand the assault head-on, Pei Jingque’s eyes shone. Her body flipped into the air as the Vermilion Bird let out a piercing shriek and dove down hard.

BOOM!

The Rock Armor Demon Crocodile was slammed onto its back, the impact tearing its wounds open even wider.

An aura of desolation began to emanate from the beast.

’Hm?’

Zhu Ju, immersed in a special kind of Mental Realm from the battle, instantly sensed that something was wrong. In a flash, he appeared beside Pei Jingque.

”Senior Sister, look out!”

Before his words had even faded, the fallen Rock Armor Demon Crocodile opened its massive jaws and spat out a brilliantly glowing object.

He didn’t know what it was, but an unprecedented sense of crisis washed over him.

’Danger!’

’I’m going to die!’

’Even if I flee with all my might and put distance between us, I’ll still die!’

Zhu Ju’s jaw clenched, and he let out a low growl. The Cross and Vertical Saber in his hand shot forward like a meteor, streaking toward the incoming object.

At the same time, he pushed The Investiture of the Gods to its absolute limit.

The damaged Inverted Five Elements Illusion Array contracted inward, completely enveloping the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile.

”Go!”

In a flash, the two of them turned and fled for their lives.

The next instant.

BOOM!

A blinding light erupted from behind them. An endless radiance mixed with a tidal wave of energy rushed toward them.

Zhu Ju had no time to react before he was struck and sent flying.

Pei Jingque’s eyes rolled back in their sockets as she fainted on the spot.

The Inner Core!

A Self-Destructive Core!

At that moment, Zhu Ju finally understood what the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile had spat out. His first reaction was shock, quickly followed by a look of deep regret.

’What a pity!’

The Inner Core of a Tier Three Demon Beast was a top-grade Core Formation Spiritual Object, capable of greatly increasing one’s chances of successfully reaching the Core Formation realm.

Even if not used for that, simply refining and consuming it could grant a hundred years’ worth of Cultivation.

’And it was just destroyed, like that?’

BOOM!

The deafening roar swept over him, and as his vision went black, Zhu Ju lost consciousness.

Perhaps only a few breaths passed.

Or perhaps it was as long as a century.

Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes, feeling pain in every inch of his body. He was covered in wounds from head to toe.

”Senior Sister?”

A thought spurred him into action. He forced his battered body onward, making his way to a nearby spot where he dug through the rubble and carried Pei Jingque out.

’She’s okay... Just unconscious.’

After checking Pei Jingque’s condition, Zhu Ju finally breathed a sigh of relief. He got to his feet and walked toward the place where the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile had been.

It was empty.

Most of the Tier Three Demon Beast’s body had been annihilated in the Demon Core’s self-destruction, with only scattered fragments of flesh and blood remaining.

Zhu Ju glanced at his own equipment, a bitter expression crossing his face.

The Spiritual Light of his Magical Treasure Wind and Thunder Blade Wings was dim. The Inverted Five Elements Illusion Array on The Investiture of the Gods had been completely destroyed. Even his Cross and Vertical Saber had shattered when he used it to intercept the Demon Core.

His Mutated Left Hand, from being pushed to its limit channeling the Five-Colored Divine Light, felt completely ruined and was now numb.

And that was to say nothing of his own injuries.

It was safe to say that in this battle, he had exhausted every trick he had, lost his Magical Treasures and weapons, and had come away with not a single piece of loot to show for it.

Oh!

Well, not completely nothing.

Some scattered pieces of the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s flesh had survived. Perhaps they could be exchanged for a few Spirit Stones.

Shaking his head, Zhu Ju sighed helplessly. He collected the scattered monster parts, retrieved Elder Song’s body, then scooped up Pei Jingque and quickly departed.