Stalemate! (Revised)

Inside the Saha Treasure Tree.

Under Zhou Hao's mental observation, the broken section of the Chaos Alien's legs, which resembled gray glass, seemed to be missing a piece compared to when he had seen it before.

It was a very small piece of flesh.

For these legs, which are over forty feet long, it is just a tiny, insignificant part.

This was because Zhou Hao had carefully examined it with his spiritual sense when he first took it from the Snow Maiden.

Even though only a little over a cup of tea's time had passed, he still remembered it vividly.

If more time passes, even such a small loss of flesh and blood might go unnoticed.

"Damaged by the Saha Treasure Tree?"

Thinking back to the remains of that golden Arhat who had also been absorbed by the Saha Treasure Tree, Zhou Hao understood somewhat.

Upon closer inspection, the Saha Treasure Tree within the Purple Mansion Origin Sea appears to have undergone some changes.

The tree trunk, resembling transparent crystal, seemed to possess a hint of grayish energy.

However, this amount of energy is too small to detect anything unusual at the moment.

Although the Saha Treasure Tree was refined into a natal magic weapon, it still retained some characteristics of plant life.

Consuming beneficial energy and substances and transforming them into nutrients needed for its own growth and evolution is also one of the instincts of plant life.

"Generally, if the corpse is that of Chaos Alien, and no other magical treasures or rare items are found, the only options are to sell the corpse or use it to refine magical treasures."

"But if it could allow the Saha Treasure Tree to evolve and improve again, that would be far better than selling it for Origin Liquid Pills or acquiring a few more magic treasures."

Zhou Hao thought to himself.

For cultivators, having more magical treasures isn't necessarily better.

Ten ordinary immortal-grade magic treasures are not as powerful as a single, well-suited mid-grade immortal-grade magic treasure, which can fully unleash its full potential and exert greater force.

After all, both Origin Power and Divine Soul have their limits; being distracted while controlling them will only weaken the power of each item.

The Saha Treasure Tree is the second avatar's natal magic weapon, and it can grow as the second avatar's strength increases. There is a chance to evolve it, so of course the Saha Treasure Tree should be upgraded first.

"Devour." With a thought, Zhou Hao actively manipulated the Saha Treasure Tree to absorb the Chaos Alien corpses within its trunk.

Then, strands of gray flesh began to decompose, turning into wisps of gray energy that merged into the Saha Treasure Tree.

"It's so slow."

After sensing for a moment, Zhou Hao clicked his tongue in amazement.

When the Saha Treasure Tree decomposed and absorbed the remains of that golden Arhat of celestial level, it did so in the blink of an eye.

"That's true. To have survived the ancient war of destruction, one must at least be a powerful being at the level of a celestial god. And being Chaos Alien from beyond the Three Realms, how could their divine body be weak?"

Even the Grey-Scaled Snow Maiden spent countless years breaking down and absorbing a small portion of flesh and blood from these legs and feet, so it's quite remarkable that the Saha Treasure Tree could absorb it.

"The only thing we can do is wait and see, let the Saha Treasure Tree slowly decompose and absorb it," Zhou Hao thought to himself.

He focused his attention back on the Weiyang Palace.

Luo Hui and Zhurong Ying were distributing the various treasures they had obtained this time.

"Besides these, there are two more items. But both are useful to me, so I won't share them," Zhou Hao said. "Luo Hui, you take 60% of these, and give me the remaining 40%."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Luo Hui chuckled, not even asking what Zhou Hao had received.

Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, and when it's time to work hard, don't hesitate. That way, you won't offend people.

Furthermore, at the level of an Changsheng, the importance of the Origin Liquid is no longer so significant.

Compared to some Heavenly or Immortal-grade magic treasures, improving his own cultivation level and strength is more crucial.

They had only been able to follow the Immortal of Changsheng to this Earth Ruins Realm for half a year, yet the harvest each soldier received was so abundant that it was equivalent to the entire fortune of an ordinary Earth Immortal or a Loose Immortal.

If the Changsheng ' strength could increase further, they would also reap even more benefits.

"So, are we going to the next Floating Island?" Luo Hui asked.

In his view, the strongest Snow Maiden Clan on this Floating Island had had their lair destroyed, so there was no point in them staying any longer, and they should leave.

"Let's find a base to cultivate in seclusion first." Zhou Hao pondered for a moment. "You've gained quite a bit in the past six months. Once you've converted all your gains into strength, then you can venture out again."

There were still blood-red blades and the remaining bodies of the Chaos Alien at Snow Maiden Peak; he certainly didn't want to leave just like that.

After settling Luo Hui and the other soldiers of the Godslaying Guard, Zhou Hao prepared to go back and check on the situation at Snow Maiden Peak.

Now that they have a basic understanding of the Snow Maiden Clan's strength, they no longer need Luo Hui and the others to help attract attention.

Moreover, Zhou Hao didn't want anyone else to know that it was at least a pure Yang level magic weapon.

"Alright." Luo Hui nodded with a smile. "Those newly acquired Immortal-grade magic treasures still need to be nurtured with Origin Power. This time, it will be enough to equip all our soldiers with Immortal-grade magic treasures."

Even among the Earth Immortal and Loose Immortal of the Godslaying Guard, not everyone possesses a Celestial-Rank Magic Treasure.

As your magical artifacts are upgraded, your strength will naturally increase, allowing you to obtain even more treasures in the future.

This is also a case of sharpening the axe before chopping wood.

In the pool at the base of Snow Maiden Peak.

"Sister Silver Sha King."

A Snow Maiden clad in blue armor entered the pool and reported to the Grey-Scaled Snow Maiden, "The alien races that were chasing the invaders have not returned."

At this moment, outside the corpse shrouded in a hazy, blood-red light, stood six Snow Maiden.

With the addition of the one that just entered, the entire Snow Maiden Clan now only has seven king-level members left.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!" Silver Sha King roared, looking up.

The roar echoed throughout the ruins of Snow Maiden Peak, and the terrifying shockwave turned countless collapsed rocks into dust.

He was just one step away from further enhancing his strength and potentially becoming a higher-level Emperor.

Now, the weaker sisters have been slaughtered by the invaders, their homeland and territory have been destroyed, and even the flesh and blood it relied on to enhance its strength are gone...

"Let's ignore them for now." The Silver Sha King suppressed his anger. "Sisters, come with me and suppress that magical artifact spirit."

"Fine." Silver Dove King and Silver Mist King were also filled with rage.

The last time they managed to pull those severed legs out of the bloody light, it took them countless years to finally succeed.

The original strongest Silver Sha King broke through, and the remaining flesh and blood could further enhance their strength, ultimately allowing them to obtain all the flesh and blood.

But now...

"Do it!"

At the Silver Sha King's command, the seven Snow Maiden each unleashed a wisp of black mist, enveloping the blood-red light.

Wow~~~

Suddenly, the phantom image of a red-clad youth appeared on the surface of the blood-red blade.

"You monsters." The red-clad youth looked at the Snow Maiden with disgust. "Last time you stole the bodies of the alien race I killed. You couldn't even protect them yourselves, so now you want to steal mine?"

Magical artifact spirits can also cultivate, but it is much more difficult for them than for other living beings.

It has been embedded in the body of this alien race for countless years, constantly absorbing the energy within the alien race's divine body to enhance itself.

The Snow Maiden Clan also wanted this flesh and blood, which, in the eyes of the red-clad youth, the spirit of the artifact, was tantamount to competing with him for food.

"Give us half back, or we'll fight to the death," the Silver Sha King said coldly.

"You're dreaming!" the red-clad youth roared, then vanished, but the pervasive blood-red light grew even denser, resisting the invasion of the black mist.

The Silver Sha King was not surprised.

Having fought against the spirit of this magical artifact for so many years, I naturally know how much the other party values these strange flesh and blood.

Let it drag on.

They either succumb to the pressure from their sisters or they take the initiative to back down.

The Silver Sha King had made up his mind that this time, no matter what, he would not leave his post.

Whoosh whoosh!!!

Zhou Hao unleashed his full power of the Phantom Formless Divine Ability to escape at incredible speed. His figure flashed in and out of existence, as if he were teleporting through the void, moving at an astonishing pace.

"Hiss~~~"

The ice crystal bird behind him swooped down with wings like blades, but Zhou Hao narrowly avoided it, only managing to cut through a mountain peak several thousand feet high.

The ice crystal bird then stopped its pursuit and returned directly to its territory, refusing to even glance at Zhou Hao, who was standing tens of thousands of miles away in the void.

"Hateful."

This was Zhou Hao's third attempt to test the waters.

However, each time, only this Snow Maiden, who could transform into an ice crystal bird and was also the Snow Maiden, would come out to drive him away from the Snow Maiden Peak area and then stop chasing him.

The remaining Snow Maiden remained in the pool.

It must be said that while staying put may seem foolish, it is currently the most effective approach.

"This is troublesome." Zhou Hao's expression was grim.

The Snow Maiden women never leave the pool, so even if you wanted to defeat them one by one, you wouldn't have a chance.

Moreover, we can't ask for help, since it's a pure Yang-level magic weapon.

"Let's just wait and see!"

The Saha Treasure Tree is currently absorbing the bodies of the Chaos Alien, and it is only a little short of breaking through to the sixteenth level of the Chiming Nine Heavens Map Void Return Realm.

"Let's see if you can suppress that magic weapon first, obtain its flesh and blood, and then break through to the Emperor level, or if I will break through first."

Brush!

Zhou Hao's figure vanished into thin air.

In the days that followed, Zhou Hao would come to Snow Maiden Peak to test the waters every ten days to half a month, or every three to five months.

Firstly, to see how the Snow Maiden fared in their attack on the Blood Blade magic weapon; secondly, to prevent other powerful beings from the Three Realms from interfering.

As time passed, the legendary Five Village Temple remained undiscovered, and most of the top experts from various worlds waited within the immortal base.

Occasionally, some adventurous teams would venture to this Floating Island, but they were all ordinary Celestial Immortals and dared not provoke Snow Maiden Peak, which made Zhou Hao feel fortunate.

However, Zhou Hao was just one step away from overcoming the bottleneck of the Chiming Nine Heavens Map, which he couldn't get past no matter what he did, leaving him quite helpless.

This is quite normal on the path of cultivation.

There are many ancient celestial beings who have been blocked by a barrier for hundreds of millions of years, and some have even been unable to break through it since the ancient era of gods and demons.

Having cultivated for so long, he had only just encountered this one challenge, so he had nothing to complain about.

Time passed, and ten years had gone by for Zhou Hao on this Floating Island.

Ten years have passed...

In the beginning, Zhou Hao's main body and second clone spent most of their time in seclusion, hoping to overcome the obstacles as soon as possible.

However, it was later discovered that simply closing oneself off was not very useful, so the second clone, besides scouting the movements of Snow Maiden Peak and causing some trouble for those Snow Maiden, would also take Zhurong Ying and Luo Hui out to hunt and fight.

Perhaps a sudden realization will come during the battle, allowing you to overcome that bottleneck in one fell swoop.

... Anchan Prefecture, Changsheng Estate.

Although it was already autumn, the thousands of acres of Red Lotus in the lake were still in full bloom.

Zhou Hao, dressed in a white robe, walked out from the Red Dust Immortal Mansion standing by the lake.

"Lord of the Manor." The manor's steward, Qingyun, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward and said respectfully.

"Qingyun, you don't need to stay here when I'm in seclusion," Zhou Hao said with a smile.

For more than ten years, with Qingyun in charge of various miscellaneous affairs, everything in the mansion was in good order. Zhou Hao had grown to trust this maid who had been trained by the Second Young Lady of the Liu Clan since childhood.

"Miss thinks the Lord of the Manor should be emerging from seclusion by now," Qingyun said. "Should I arrange for some food to be prepared?"

"Just follow the usual example," Zhou Hao nodded.

Although I have long since stopped eating, a seclusion of nearly a month and enjoying some delicious food afterward is a way to relax and rest.

"Yes." Qingyun immediately withdrew.

"Senior brother, you're out." A beautiful figure walked briskly along the thousand-acre flower bed from afar; it was Liu Yu.

Upon seeing Zhou Hao, Liu Yu's eyes sparkled, like stars in the sky.

Seeing this, Zhou Hao smiled and said, "Yu'er, it's been a month, and your spirit has improved quite a bit."

The eyes are the windows to the soul and spirit; one can discern the strength of a cultivator's soul simply by looking at their eyes.

"I haven't been slacking off. My divine sense can now cover nearly four hundred miles," Liu Yu said proudly.

Since learning that her senior brother had found the Snow Soul Pearl and that she could also cultivate Second Primordial Spirit, she has become even more devoted to cultivating her soul.

Having mastered the sect's most advanced Visualization Technique, coupled with his understanding of the ' Formation Great Dao,' which greatly aided in the nurturing of his divine soul, over the past ten years, his divine soul has developed a divine consciousness that can cover nearly four hundred miles, comparable to the late-stage realm of an ordinary Primordial Spirit Daoist.

"That's really impressive," Zhou Hao praised with a smile.

At the late stage of the Primordial Spirit Daoist realm, one's spiritual soul is almost ready to cultivate the Second Primordial Spirit Technique.

"Senior Sister Yu Chan just returned, and Senior Brother just came out of seclusion," Liu Yu said.

"Yu Chan is back too?" Zhou Hao looked behind her and saw a stunningly beautiful girl in black walking slowly towards him. It was Yun Yuchan, who had been away adventuring for a long time.

"Senior Brother Zhou Hao." Yun Yuchan looked at Zhou Hao, a slight smile appearing on her usually cold face.

"Junior Sister Yu Chan, stay a little longer this time." Zhou Hao smiled and took Liu Yu's hand. "Come on, Qingyun should be ready. Come with me to get something to eat."

"Mm." Yun Yuchan nodded gently, silently following Zhou Hao Liu Yu, a faint smile always on her face.