Jiang Chen persisted in trailing behind Ye Fan.
It could be that Ye Fan had exhausted his stock of black pills, or perhaps his endurance was wavering; he at last ceased his flight and descended to earth.
The location he selected for his respite was a swamp, pervaded by an assortment of repugnant and rotting odors.
Upon alighting.
Ye Fan plunged straight into the swamp, a morass teeming with muck, and his silhouette rapidly faded from view.
As was widely accepted.
The reach of one's divine sense had its boundaries.
In a convoluted milieu such as a swamp, the challenge of penetrating with divine sense was hardly less daunting than that posed by solid earth.
Furthermore.
Submerging into the swamp left no conspicuous signs, and the process was swift.
Otherwise, why would one not consider excavating a cavity in an open area?
Consequently.
Ye Fan selected the swamp as his sanctuary.
His intent was to exploit the surroundings, combined with his concealment technique, to determine if he could shake off Jiang Chen's relentless chase.
Nonetheless.
What Ye Fan failed to fathom was that his every move had been under the vigilant scrutiny of Jiang Chen!
This included his descent into the swamp.
'Impressive.'
'Plunging into a swamp swarming with putrid muck, he's indeed resolute.'
Jiang Chen halted at a safe distance and then employed his divine sense to investigate the swamp.
Ye Fan submerged into the swamp, a place beyond the grasp of his sight.
Employing divine sense also proved to be somewhat troublesome.
Gradually.
Jiang Chen's divine sense ventured dozens, even hundreds of meters into the swamp, yet it failed to discern Ye Fan's whereabouts.
'Spirit Condensation Bianstone Jade!'
With a spark of thought, Jiang Chen withdrew his divine sense. Then, utilizing the Spirit Condensation Bianstone Jade, he dispatched his divine sense once more to probe the depths.
This time.
Building upon his previous effort, his divine sense then delved an additional several hundred meters into the swamp.
At last, he located Ye Fan.
This individual, after plummeting to the swamp's depths, had astonishingly maneuvered several hundred meters before coming to a halt. Truly, he was the epitome of prudence.
Nevertheless, his careful movements were still detected by the ever-ready Jiang Chen.
Subsequently.
Jiang Chen maintained his surveillance over Ye Fan.
Ye Fan was observed to be enshrouded in a slim luminescent barrier, effectively keeping the mire at bay.
In his left hand, he clasped the Wordless Heavenly Jade, which was already tethered to his palm via sanguine threads.
In his right hand, he retrieved a handful of medicinal pills from his storage ring and ingested them.
Ye Fan possessed a considerable stock of healing pills.
Particularly after acquiring the assets of the son of the Heavenly Blade School's leader, his inventory had swelled even further.
'Has the healing commenced?'
'Once his injuries mend, his temporarily diminished Heavenly Fate Value will rebound to its peak.'
'Let's ascertain the current Heavenly Fate Value this individual possesses.'
'Villain's Eye, activate!'
Jiang Chen contemplated in his mind, then promptly initiated Ye Fan's information panel.
[Name: Ye Fan
Realm: Middle-stage Spiritual Awakening
Status: Protagonist
Heavenly Fate Value: 4568/4768]
As was evident.
Ye Fan's present upper limit of Heavenly Fate Value had plummeted to a mere 4768!
A further decline of more than 4000 would place him on the brink of elimination!
'This is splendid.'
'Next, while Ye Fan is recuperating, I'll seize the opportunity to enhance my own power!'
Jiang Chen exhibited a grin, and then procured several storage artifacts.
These were all spoils from his prior looting spree.
He hadn't even explored their contents yet!
"It's akin to unlocking a surprise treasure chest."
Jiang Chen grasped a storage ring, and his divine sense immediately commenced its exploration within.
Abruptly.
A myriad of items materialized before his gaze.
There was an abundance of spiritual plants, a considerable quantity of pills, some natural treasures, jade slips containing cultivation methods, a change of clothes, and various other implements.
Jiang Chen adeptly extracted the fortifying spiritual plants and immediately popped them into his mouth.
Regarding the pills, he sorted them into distinct classifications and housed them in his Moondust Ring.
At present, the assortment of pills he possessed was proliferating!
Regrettably, the intake of too many low-quality pills could lead to an accumulation of impurities, thereby undermining his cultivation foundation.
Only pills of upper-grade and top-grade quality were worth ingesting.
Among these spoils, the majority were average-quality pills, the count of upper-grade pills was sparse, and there wasn't a single top-grade pill.
This held true even when considering that the original owners of these storage artifacts were all prodigies hailing from various prestigious sects.
Typical Spiritual Awakening realm cultivators would fare even more poorly in comparison.
Time gradually unfolded.
One by one, Jiang Chen unlocked all the storage rings, bracelets, thumb rings, earrings, and so forth!
Subsequently, he proceeded to empty all the treasures they contained!
Personal items of no value were all disposed of!
Throughout this procedure.
Jiang Chen's mouth was ceaselessly at work, perpetually consuming spiritual plants.
Even after the task of organizing the storage artifacts was completed, he had yet to finish devouring the spiritual plants.
'Incredible!'
'Such a plethora of spiritual plants!'
'Once I've consumed them all, a breakthrough is certain!'
'I just wonder if achieving a breakthrough here might have any adverse consequences?'
'After all... this place prohibits the entry of Heavenly Origin realm powerhouses.'
'Well, the priority is to eat. When my cultivation base is sufficient, I'll subdue the bottleneck and seek an opportune moment to achieve a breakthrough!'
'...'
With these thoughts running through his mind, Jiang Chen resumed his consumption of the spiritual plants.
A vast quantity of spiritual plants was devoured.
Among these, numerous were of the Heavenly Origin rank.
Once all the spiritual plants had been wholly consumed.
Jiang Chen had an instinctive feeling; the Burning World Red Lotus was on the brink of restoration to the Inquiring Journey realm!
'Once the Burning World Red Lotus is restored to the Inquiring Journey realm,'
'My cultivation base will experience a significant boost, and my aptitude will be elevated to an even higher level!'
'However, as of now, the impact of ordinary spiritual plants has dwindled to insignificance, and even the effects of the Heavenly Origin rank spiritual plants are remarkably faint.'
'Thus, it's imperative for me to procure Inquiring Journey rank spiritual plants.'
'System! Initiate the exchange for the Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng!'
Having reached a decision, Jiang Chen promptly commanded the exchange of spiritual plants!
The last time he exchanged for the Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng, Jiang Chen had a remainder of 1,700 Villain Value points.
In the subsequent encounters with Ye Fan, he accrued an additional 3,900 Villain Value points, bringing his total to a staggering 5,600 points!
[Ding! You have expended 2,600 Villain Value points and successfully procured a Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng *1!]
A Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng materialized in Jiang Chen's grasp.
Without a moment's hesitation, he directly popped it into his mouth!
As the spiritual plant descended into his belly, its boundless medicinal power coursed towards his dantian, where it was wholly absorbed by the Burning World Red Lotus!
Once all the medicinal potency had been absorbed.
Buzz buzz buzz!
The Burning World Red Lotus began to vibrate subtly.
Its wilted petals remarkably started to exhibit patterns pulsating with vitality.
While it still appeared somewhat withered overall, it was undeniably different from its former state.
The evidence was indisputable.
The Burning World Red Lotus had indeed advanced to the Inquiring Journey rank!
Simultaneously.
A formidable, enigmatic energy radiated from the Burning World Red Lotus, immediately suffusing throughout Jiang Chen's body and soul.
In a fleeting moment.
Jiang Chen felt his entire body swell, as if every single cell yearned for an ascension, a metamorphosis into a higher state of existence!
This was the unmistakable harbinger of a looming breakthrough!
'I can't risk a breakthrough here!'
'Starry Abyss Heavenly Scripture, engage the seal!'
Jiang Chen circulated his Yuan Power, temporarily fortifying his cultivation base at the Half-step Heavenly Origin realm.
Should he desire a breakthrough, with the potency of the Ten-Turn Harmonious Spirit Pill, it could be achieved almost instantaneously!
A note from AlphaWIA:
Get early access to more chapters by joining my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/AlphaWIA]
Jiang Chen persisted in trailing behind Ye Fan.
It could be that Ye Fan had exhausted his stock of black pills, or perhaps his endurance was wavering; he at last ceased his flight and descended to earth.
The location he selected for his respite was a swamp, pervaded by an assortment of repugnant and rotting odors.
Upon alighting.
Ye Fan plunged straight into the swamp, a morass teeming with muck, and his silhouette rapidly faded from view.
As was widely accepted.
The reach of one's divine sense had its boundaries.
In a convoluted milieu such as a swamp, the challenge of penetrating with divine sense was hardly less daunting than that posed by solid earth.
Furthermore.
Submerging into the swamp left no conspicuous signs, and the process was swift.
Otherwise, why would one not consider excavating a cavity in an open area?
Consequently.
Ye Fan selected the swamp as his sanctuary.
His intent was to exploit the surroundings, combined with his concealment technique, to determine if he could shake off Jiang Chen's relentless chase.
Nonetheless.
What Ye Fan failed to fathom was that his every move had been under the vigilant scrutiny of Jiang Chen!
This included his descent into the swamp.
'Impressive.'
'Plunging into a swamp swarming with putrid muck, he's indeed resolute.'
Jiang Chen halted at a safe distance and then employed his divine sense to investigate the swamp.
Ye Fan submerged into the swamp, a place beyond the grasp of his sight.
Employing divine sense also proved to be somewhat troublesome.
Gradually.
Jiang Chen's divine sense ventured dozens, even hundreds of meters into the swamp, yet it failed to discern Ye Fan's whereabouts.
'Spirit Condensation Bianstone Jade!'
With a spark of thought, Jiang Chen withdrew his divine sense. Then, utilizing the Spirit Condensation Bianstone Jade, he dispatched his divine sense once more to probe the depths.
This time.
Building upon his previous effort, his divine sense then delved an additional several hundred meters into the swamp.
At last, he located Ye Fan.
This individual, after plummeting to the swamp's depths, had astonishingly maneuvered several hundred meters before coming to a halt. Truly, he was the epitome of prudence.
Nevertheless, his careful movements were still detected by the ever-ready Jiang Chen.
Subsequently.
Jiang Chen maintained his surveillance over Ye Fan.
Ye Fan was observed to be enshrouded in a slim luminescent barrier, effectively keeping the mire at bay.
In his left hand, he clasped the Wordless Heavenly Jade, which was already tethered to his palm via sanguine threads.
In his right hand, he retrieved a handful of medicinal pills from his storage ring and ingested them.
Ye Fan possessed a considerable stock of healing pills.
Particularly after acquiring the assets of the son of the Heavenly Blade School's leader, his inventory had swelled even further.
'Has the healing commenced?'
'Once his injuries mend, his temporarily diminished Heavenly Fate Value will rebound to its peak.'
'Let's ascertain the current Heavenly Fate Value this individual possesses.'
'Villain's Eye, activate!'
Jiang Chen contemplated in his mind, then promptly initiated Ye Fan's information panel.
[Name: Ye Fan
Realm: Middle-stage Spiritual Awakening
Status: Protagonist
Heavenly Fate Value: 4568/4768]
As was evident.
Ye Fan's present upper limit of Heavenly Fate Value had plummeted to a mere 4768!
A further decline of more than 4000 would place him on the brink of elimination!
'This is splendid.'
'Next, while Ye Fan is recuperating, I'll seize the opportunity to enhance my own power!'
Jiang Chen exhibited a grin, and then procured several storage artifacts.
These were all spoils from his prior looting spree.
He hadn't even explored their contents yet!
"It's akin to unlocking a surprise treasure chest."
Jiang Chen grasped a storage ring, and his divine sense immediately commenced its exploration within.
Abruptly.
A myriad of items materialized before his gaze.
There was an abundance of spiritual plants, a considerable quantity of pills, some natural treasures, jade slips containing cultivation methods, a change of clothes, and various other implements.
Jiang Chen adeptly extracted the fortifying spiritual plants and immediately popped them into his mouth.
Regarding the pills, he sorted them into distinct classifications and housed them in his Moondust Ring.
At present, the assortment of pills he possessed was proliferating!
Regrettably, the intake of too many low-quality pills could lead to an accumulation of impurities, thereby undermining his cultivation foundation.
Only pills of upper-grade and top-grade quality were worth ingesting.
Among these spoils, the majority were average-quality pills, the count of upper-grade pills was sparse, and there wasn't a single top-grade pill.
This held true even when considering that the original owners of these storage artifacts were all prodigies hailing from various prestigious sects.
Typical Spiritual Awakening realm cultivators would fare even more poorly in comparison.
Time gradually unfolded.
One by one, Jiang Chen unlocked all the storage rings, bracelets, thumb rings, earrings, and so forth!
Subsequently, he proceeded to empty all the treasures they contained!
Personal items of no value were all disposed of!
Throughout this procedure.
Jiang Chen's mouth was ceaselessly at work, perpetually consuming spiritual plants.
Even after the task of organizing the storage artifacts was completed, he had yet to finish devouring the spiritual plants.
'Incredible!'
'Such a plethora of spiritual plants!'
'Once I've consumed them all, a breakthrough is certain!'
'I just wonder if achieving a breakthrough here might have any adverse consequences?'
'After all... this place prohibits the entry of Heavenly Origin realm powerhouses.'
'Well, the priority is to eat. When my cultivation base is sufficient, I'll subdue the bottleneck and seek an opportune moment to achieve a breakthrough!'
'...'
With these thoughts running through his mind, Jiang Chen resumed his consumption of the spiritual plants.
A vast quantity of spiritual plants was devoured.
Among these, numerous were of the Heavenly Origin rank.
Once all the spiritual plants had been wholly consumed.
Jiang Chen had an instinctive feeling; the Burning World Red Lotus was on the brink of restoration to the Inquiring Journey realm!
'Once the Burning World Red Lotus is restored to the Inquiring Journey realm,'
'My cultivation base will experience a significant boost, and my aptitude will be elevated to an even higher level!'
'However, as of now, the impact of ordinary spiritual plants has dwindled to insignificance, and even the effects of the Heavenly Origin rank spiritual plants are remarkably faint.'
'Thus, it's imperative for me to procure Inquiring Journey rank spiritual plants.'
'System! Initiate the exchange for the Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng!'
Having reached a decision, Jiang Chen promptly commanded the exchange of spiritual plants!
The last time he exchanged for the Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng, Jiang Chen had a remainder of 1,700 Villain Value points.
In the subsequent encounters with Ye Fan, he accrued an additional 3,900 Villain Value points, bringing his total to a staggering 5,600 points!
[Ding! You have expended 2,600 Villain Value points and successfully procured a Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng *1!]
A Heavenly Star Crossing Calamity Precious Ginseng materialized in Jiang Chen's grasp.
Without a moment's hesitation, he directly popped it into his mouth!
As the spiritual plant descended into his belly, its boundless medicinal power coursed towards his dantian, where it was wholly absorbed by the Burning World Red Lotus!
Once all the medicinal potency had been absorbed.
Buzz buzz buzz!
The Burning World Red Lotus began to vibrate subtly.
Its wilted petals remarkably started to exhibit patterns pulsating with vitality.
While it still appeared somewhat withered overall, it was undeniably different from its former state.
The evidence was indisputable.
The Burning World Red Lotus had indeed advanced to the Inquiring Journey rank!
Simultaneously.
A formidable, enigmatic energy radiated from the Burning World Red Lotus, immediately suffusing throughout Jiang Chen's body and soul.
In a fleeting moment.
Jiang Chen felt his entire body swell, as if every single cell yearned for an ascension, a metamorphosis into a higher state of existence!
This was the unmistakable harbinger of a looming breakthrough!
'I can't risk a breakthrough here!'
'Starry Abyss Heavenly Scripture, engage the seal!'
Jiang Chen circulated his Yuan Power, temporarily fortifying his cultivation base at the Half-step Heavenly Origin realm.
Should he desire a breakthrough, with the potency of the Ten-Turn Harmonious Spirit Pill, it could be achieved almost instantaneously!
A note from AlphaWIA:
Get early access to more chapters by joining my Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/AlphaWIA]
