Without further hesitation, his azure Divine Essence surged, unleashing the full power of Half-step God King. His hands formed a hand seal, the Law of Wind intertwining to condense a gigantic azure palm, slamming towards Loran with destructive force. " Azure Mist Secret Art — Mountain and River Suppression Kill!"
A gigantic azure hand blotted out the sky, and wherever it passed, the ground cracked open with jagged ravines, and even the water of the Spirit Marrow Spring was shaken out. Loran's expression was solemn; he could feel the terror of this attack, and even he, at the Early-stage God King, would find it difficult to withstand it head-on.
" Lei Lin, join forces!" Loran shouted.
Lei Lin understood, and the lightning around him intertwined with Loran's golden Divine Essence, forming a purple-gold pillar of light. Loran, wielding a longsword, concentrated the pillar of light at its tip and slashed towards the giant azure hand. " God King's Power - Thunder Gives Life to All Things!"
The purplish-gold sword energy, carrying both life force and lightning power, collided violently with the giant azure palm. A massive shockwave spread outwards, causing rocks to continuously fall from the cave ceiling, and the ancient runes on the rock walls to flash with dazzling golden light, seemingly resisting the destructive force of the shockwave.
"Bang!"
With a deafening roar, the giant azure palm shattered inch by inch, and most of the purple-gold sword energy dissipated. Loran and Lei Lin were forced back by the shockwave. Loran spat out a mouthful of golden blood, her face turning pale, and most of her Divine Essence was depleted. Mo Chen was also badly affected, forced back several steps by the backlash, a trace of azure blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from outside the cave, and a dense aura of destruction surged in again, even more terrifying than the previous Destruction Demon Jiaolong. Loran was startled and spread out his divine sense, discovering that it was an even larger Destruction Demon Jiaolong, rapidly approaching the cave, clearly sensing the energy and battle fluctuations of the Spirit Marrow Spring.
"It's a horde of the Destruction Demon Jiaolong!" Mo Chen's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with fear. "This one is at least a Late-stage God King! We have to get out of here!"
He ignored Loran and Lei Lin, turned around and fled towards the cave entrance. Qin Feng and Su Mei were also terrified and followed closely behind Mo Chen, fleeing in a sorry state. They knew that even if the three of them joined forces, they would surely die against the Destruction Demon Jiaolong, Late-stage God King.
Loran watched their retreating figures without giving chase. He knew this wasn't the time to settle scores; he had to leave as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable once the Late-stage God King Destruction Demon Jiaolong arrived. He picked up Lei Lin, quickly walked to the Spirit Marrow Spring, collected some spring water in a specially made jade bottle, and then turned and ran deeper into the cave.
There was a hidden passage deep inside the cave, which he had discovered earlier using his divine sense; perhaps it was a way to escape. Lei Lin nestled in Loran, nuzzling his cheek with his head and whimpering softly, while simultaneously circulating his life force to heal Loran's injuries.
Just as Loran was about to enter the passage, the roar of the Destruction Demon Jiaolong echoed from the cave entrance. Immediately afterward, a thick black beam of light shot in and struck the springhead of the Spirit Marrow Spring. With a deafening boom, the springhead was destroyed, and the milky white spring water gushed out, quickly becoming contaminated by the black destructive power and turning into black venom.
Loran felt a pang of pain in his heart; the Spirit Marrow Spring had been destroyed just like that. But he had no time for regret and quickened his pace, plunging into the passage. The passage was narrow and deep, the rock walls on both sides covered with moss, exuding a damp smell. Loran channeled his Divine Essence to the fullest, carrying Lei Lin forward at a rapid pace. The roars of the Destruction Demon Jiaolong behind them grew closer and closer, clearly indicating that it had entered the cave and was wreaking havoc.
After running for an unknown amount of time, a glimmer of light finally appeared ahead. Loran was overjoyed and quickened his pace, rushing out of the passage. Outside was a dense jungle, unlike the previous Magical Beast Forest. The trees here were much taller, the spiritual energy in the air was much richer, and there was no trace of destruction.
Loran glanced back at the entrance to the passage, making sure the Destruction Demon Jiaolong wasn't chasing after him, before letting out a long sigh of relief. He carried Lei Lin, found a huge ancient tree, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing the energy from the Spirit Marrow Spring in the jade bottle to heal his injuries.
Lei Lin lay beside him, warily observing its surroundings while simultaneously processing the energy it had gained in the battle. Its body had grown larger, the single horn on its head had become thicker, and its lightning power had become more concentrated.
Loran was immersed in cultivation, the energy of the Spirit Marrow Spring continuously flowing into his body, repairing his damaged divine body and Divine Essence. He could feel that after the battle just now, his control over the God King Realm had become more proficient, and the compatibility between his Divine Essence and the rules had also improved considerably.
Just then, Lei Lin suddenly let out a low, wary growl, his golden eyes fixed on the depths of the jungle. Loran instantly awoke from his meditative state, his divine sense spreading out as he discovered a group of strange magical beasts approaching them.
These magical beasts were entirely white, shaped like foxes, but with nine tails that shimmered with silver light and emitted a strong spiritual energy fluctuation. There were dozens of them, and the leader was a larger nine-tailed fox whose aura had reached the Mid-stage Deity Level.
" Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox!" Loran was shocked. The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox was an ancient divine beast, skilled in mental attacks and illusions, and extremely powerful. She never expected to encounter so many Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox in this forest.
The leading Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox stopped, its silver eyes fixed on Loran and Lei Lin, letting out a clear cry, as if communicating with Loran. Loran could sense that there was no malice in its eyes, but rather a hint of curiosity and friendliness.
Loran's heart stirred. She dispersed the Divine Essence pressure emanating from her body and nodded to the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, indicating that she meant no harm. Lei Lin also relaxed his guard, ceasing his low growls and merely observing the group of Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox with curiosity.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox seemed to understand Loran's meaning, let out a joyful cry, and walked towards Loran with the other Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox behind it. When they got closer, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox rubbed its head against Loran's palm, letting out a gentle chirp, while simultaneously transmitting a mental message.
Loran learned through mental communication that this was the core area of Magical Beast Forest, called " Ten Thousand Fox Valley," the habitat of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. The battle fluctuations and destructive aura from earlier had attracted their attention, so they came to investigate. Upon learning that Loran had come here to escape the pursuit of the Destruction Demon Jiaolong, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox offered him their protection.
Loran was overjoyed and thanked the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. He knew that the Ten Thousand Fox Valley was rich in spiritual energy and relatively safe, making it an excellent place to heal his injuries and improve his strength. He decided to stay in the Ten Thousand Fox Valley for the time being, and wait until his injuries were fully healed before continuing to explore the secrets of the ancient seal and seeking an opportunity to break through to the God Lord Realm.
The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox led Loran and Lei Lin deeper into the Ten Thousand Fox Valley. Along the way, Loran saw many strange plants and magical beasts. The ecosystem here was complete and harmonious, without any signs of destruction, which was in stark contrast to the Magical Beast Forest outside.
After walking for about half an hour, a beautiful valley appeared ahead. In the center of the valley was a clear lake, and many exotic flowers and plants grew around the lake, emitting a faint fragrance. Countless Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox frolicked and played in the valley, and the air was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"This is the core area of Ten Thousand Fox Valley, Spirit Fox Lake," the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox transmitted spiritually. "The waters of Spirit Fox Lake contain pure spiritual energy, which will greatly aid your cultivation. You can cultivate here in peace; we will protect you."
Loran thanked the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox again, then carried Lei Lin to the Spirit Fox Lake Spirit Marrow Spring, mixed it with the water from Spirit Fox Lake, and began to absorb its energy. The life force of the Spirit Marrow Spring and the spiritual power of Spirit Fox Lake intertwined, forming a strange energy flow that continuously poured into Loran's body, repairing his injuries and enhancing his Divine Essence and spiritual power.
Lei Lin also jumped into the Spirit Fox Lake, swimming happily and absorbing the spiritual energy in the lake water. Its golden eyes sparkled with wisdom, clearly indicating that the spiritual energy of the Spirit Fox Lake was also of great help to its growth.
Loran closed his eyes, immersing himself in cultivation. He knew that the time ahead was crucial for him to improve his strength. Only by becoming powerful enough could he deal with the conspiracy to Destruction Divine Court, protect the ancient seal of the Vast Wilderness Realm, and ultimately return to the pinnacle of the Divine Realm.