Earth Spirit Stone Python Evolution

"Ding, congratulations to the player. By spending 3,000 Experience Points, 'Hundred Scrolls of Array Dao: Upper Volume' has reached Great Accomplishment, and the Heart Array level has advanced to Advanced."

Facing a formidable enemy like Zhou Fan, Liu Bai naturally would not be stingy with his Experience Points.

At that moment, Liu Bai felt himself entering an unfathomable state. It seemed that if he closed his eyes, he could clearly perceive every change each Spirit Seal underwent in the air...

The spiritual energy lines continuously taking shape were like strokes he had personally drawn across this vast canvas of heaven and earth. Wherever his thoughts went, the tip of the brush would fall. Every stroke perfectly matched the array diagram in his mind!

Only then did Liu Bai understand what a "Heart Array" was!

Observe arrays with the heart, form arrays with intent. Every trajectory of a Spirit Array lay within one's mind, moving as one willed.

If judged purely by Array Dao Realm, Liu Bai at that moment could rival a Level 5 Spirit Array Master. The only regret was that his current spiritual energy was insufficient to support the condensation of so many Spirit Seals.

However, if he had an array diagram, then it was still possible for him to attempt setting up a Fourth-Grade Spirit Array. Didn't that mean that, as long as he had an array diagram in hand, he could possess strength comparable to the Heaven Transformation Realm?

That was truly astonishing...

Even Liu Bai was stunned by his own strength.

Terrifying demon vines burst from the earth. Before the enormous Heavenly Profound Golden Scale Beast could even display its might, it was instantly bound tightly by the demon vines!

Roar!

The golden beast let out an earth-shaking roar. Terrifying baleful energy spread out, making everyone in Ice Valley feel chilled to the bone.

"What kind of array is that? It actually suppressed the boss?!"

Every member of the Zhou Gang revealed an incredulous expression.

Zhou Fan's face had darkened.

He had thought that after unleashing his ultimate move, dealing with his opponent would be effortless. Who could have expected the other side to suddenly produce such an array, one that he could not break free from even with all his strength?

"This definitely isn't a Second-Grade Spirit Array. Who exactly are you?!"

Feeling the terrifying demon vines continuously tightening around him, Zhou Fan felt as though the Heavenly Profound Golden Scale Beast surrounding him would collapse at any moment. If those vine tendrils covered in barbs landed on his frail body, wouldn't that be fatal?

Liu Bai smiled faintly. Even a genuine Snow Demon Beast could not break free from his demon vine bindings, much less a mere cultivator at the initial stage of the Heaven Fusion Realm.

Although the Heavenly Profound Golden Scale Beast was powerful, it was ultimately only a fused core, and its strength was nowhere near its true power. At most, it allowed Zhou Fan to display the strength of the middle stage of the Heaven Fusion Realm, perhaps only the peak of the initial stage. Naturally, it could not be mentioned in the same breath as a true Heavenly Beast.

"A Third-Grade Spirit Array, the Demon Vine Strangling Array!"

"King Zhou, do you wish to continue?"

Hearing this, Zhou Fan immediately gritted his teeth in secret.

Sure enough, when he had been trapped, he had suspected that this was likely a Third-Grade Spirit Array. But Liu Bai was merely a minor cultivator in the Divine Soul Realm. Even if his talent for Spirit Arrays was heaven-defying, where could he have found enough spiritual energy to set up so many Spirit Arrays in such a short time?

Crack, crack, crack...

Just as Zhou Fan was puzzled, a series of cracking sounds suddenly reached his ears.

This gave him quite a fright. Raising his head, he saw the spirit body of the Heavenly Profound Golden Scale Beast, which was already on the verge of collapse.

"I admit defeat!"

"I never expected you to be a Level 3 Spirit Array Master. I misjudged you. I accept this loss. Let the matter of the snowy mountain end here!"

Unlike other talented youths, Zhou Fan would not suffer for the sake of pride. In his heart, a true man knew when to bend and when to stand tall. Since he had already fallen into a disadvantage, he only needed to concede decisively. At worst, he could settle the score once he became stronger in the future.

Liu Bai had no intention of pressing the advantage either. More importantly, Northern Cang Realm was constantly under the watch of Northern Azure Spirit Academy. How could Northern Azure Spirit Academy possibly allow a genius student like Zhou Fan, who had reached the Heaven Fusion Realm within Northern Cang Realm, to be eliminated? Perhaps someone would intervene the moment Liu Bai tried to deal a ruthless blow.

The great array vanished, and Zhou Fan also put away his Spirit Beast Core.

Although this battle had not lasted long, both men had consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. Liu Bai in particular had nearly exhausted two-thirds of his spiritual energy. That was only because he had three Spirit Wheels supporting him; otherwise, he would have long since been knocked flat by his opponent.

Zhou Fan looked at Liu Bai. The next instant, a ray of light suddenly shot from the violet-gold mark on his forehead and quickly merged into the mark on Liu Bai's forehead.

"This is what you deserve!"

"Let's go!"

Watching Zhou Fan and the Zhou Gang members turn and leave without hesitation, Liu Bai was slightly dazed.

To be honest, he had not expected Zhou Fan to make such a choice in the end.

After obtaining the spiritual energy from Zhou Fan's mark, Liu Bai's Level Seven Mark directly advanced into a Level Eight Mark, reaching the same level as Su Xuan's mark. Guo Xiong and the other two immediately looked envious.

"Heh, I didn't expect Zhou Fan to be such a straightforward man. He gave away a Level Seven Mark just like that, and it even looked like it was about to advance to Level Eight. I wonder if his heart ached when he handed it over." Liu Bai could not help but laugh.

Su Xuan and the others walked over at that point. Hearing this, Su Xuan said, "Zhou Fan may be extremely arrogant, but he is not unreasonable. Since he lost to you this time, it is indeed in line with his character to do something like this.

"As for whether it hurt, I think it definitely did. The higher a mark rises, the harder it becomes to advance it. Who knows how many high-level Spirit Beasts he had to kill to gather enough energy for that Level Seven Mark? Now it is all gone at once. Even I probably would not be able to bear it.

"But you should be careful in the future as well. He disdains using underhanded methods, but he is not particularly broad-minded. He will definitely remember you. Once he believes his strength is sufficient, he will surely seek you out for another battle..."

If it had been anyone else, being targeted by such a genius would indeed have been a headache. But Liu Bai was precisely not among them.

"I have never worried about an opponent I have defeated. From the moment I defeat them, they no longer have the qualifications to contend with me." Liu Bai's tone was exceedingly calm, but his words directly stunned Su Xuan and the others.

Just how confident was this man, to say something like that?

"I originally thought you were a mild and humble person, Liu Bai. It seems I misjudged you..." Su Xuan could not help joking.

They left Ice Valley while chatting and laughing. Since Su Ling'er had been keeping watch outside, she had not witnessed either of the two great battles. Thus, once everyone emerged, she kept chasing after them and asking questions along the way.

She was especially curious about Liu Bai being a Level 3 Spirit Array Master. The little girl kept circling around him, as though she wanted to see what was so special about him and how he could be so formidable!

"All right, what are your plans next?" Su Xuan pulled her sister over, freeing the overwhelmed Liu Bai.

Liu Bai answered her question readily. "I do not have any particular plans. I'm just going to find more Spirit Beasts to kill and try to raise my mark to Level Nine as soon as possible."

Naturally, there was no need to tell outsiders about farming Experience Points. He would soon be heading to Northern Azure Spirit Academy, so he had to take advantage of this rare opportunity to accumulate more Experience Points for future use.

"Oh, then why don't we go together? With you, a Spirit Array Master, our speed of accumulating spiritual energy will definitely be much faster!" Guo Xiong's eyes lit up as he hurriedly said.

Naturally, Liu Bai would not refuse.

If he were not unlike Su Xuan, a king of the Spirit Road, he would have definitely formed a large faction himself. Then he could command an army to lure monsters while setting up arrays and waiting for Experience Points to come to him...

Now that Guo Xiong and the other two had delivered themselves to him as willing laborers, Liu Bai could not have asked for more.

"In that case, we will join as well. I wonder whether you would welcome us, Liu Bai..." After thinking seriously for a moment, Su Xuan looked at Liu Bai and smiled.

Although she was strong, one should not forget that Su Xuan had Su Ling'er, her little tagalong, by her side.

Su Ling'er, who was only in the Spirit Wheel Realm, not only needed to gather spiritual energy; more importantly, her own safety was an issue. After all, any high-level Spirit Beast here possessed the ability to seriously injure her with ease.

At the very least, having more people around would make Su Ling'er safer.

"I couldn't ask for more! With King Su joining us, even if we encounter another Heaven Tier Spirit Beast like the Snow Demon Beast, we can deal with it easily..." Liu Bai said with a delighted expression.

Thus, everyone was pleased.

However, Li Jing had only just obtained the Snow Demon Beast's Spirit Beast Core, and would likely need some time to fuse with it. Therefore, she could only reluctantly bid farewell to Liu Bai and the others before leaving to find a safe place to fuse the Spirit Beast Core.

And so, one day later, within a forest in the northwest of Northern Cang Realm.

The previously silent mountain forest was now unusually restless. Numerous Spirit Beasts roared as they charged out, pursuing three figures ahead of them.

"Quick, quick, lure them all to the designated spot!"

"You two, put some effort into it if you don't want to be eaten by Spirit Beasts!"

"I'll hold them back. You two quickly lure those guys trying to leave the group back over..."

Ahead of the pursuing Spirit Beasts, three panting voices shouted continuously. They struggled to maintain the rushing beast horde as they ran with all their might toward a nearby hill.

At the very top of the hill, a massive golden Spirit Array slowly rotated. Five golden wheels floated in midair, and the fierce wind stirred up by their rapid spinning even tore through the air.

Looking at the many Spirit Beasts being lured over, there were no fewer than forty of them, and more than a dozen in the front possessed the strength of high-level Spirit Beasts.

However, Spirit Beasts of such strength clearly posed no threat to Liu Bai and the others now.

"Make your move."

Liu Bai gave a low shout and waved his hand. The golden Spirit Array atop the hill erupted with astonishing fluctuations. The five golden wheels whistled forth and swept toward the oncoming beast horde.

At his side, Su Xuan was naturally not idle. Her azure spiritual energy surged rapidly, directly transforming into a stream of water that encircled her body. The next moment, she lightly pressed her gentle palm forward...

With a thunderous boom, like ten thousand horses galloping, a surging river cut across the wilderness and directly encircled the more than forty Spirit Beasts, trapping them beneath the hill.

Buzz!

A golden wheel streaked through the sky. Then, a high-level Spirit Beast, a Silver Moon Hound, had its head severed and died instantly.

If this had been in the Northern Spirit Realm, the Spirit Beast Core of a high-level Silver Moon Hound would likely have drawn the scramble of countless people. After all, it was a high-level Spirit Beast ranked 177th on the Earth Ranking. Who knew how many Divine Soul Realm experts would be willing to pay a high price for it?

Unfortunately, in Northern Cang Realm, in the eyes of the many genius students gathered here from countless continents, this thing was practically worthless aside from providing some spiritual energy to one's mark!

Oh, of course, it was not truly worthless. If it were brought to the Spirit Value Hall of Northern Azure Spirit Academy, it might perhaps be exchanged for a few points of Spirit Value...

Although the golden wheels controlled by Liu Bai's array were fast, several agile high-level Spirit Beasts narrowly avoided them. Having recognized reality, they immediately tried to flee, only to have their path directly blocked by the surging river around them.

Those who dared charge into the water met an even worse fate than being beheaded by the golden wheels, because the violent water pressure within the river could instantly leave not even their bones behind!

Very soon, the battle ended!

Guo Xiong and the other two, who had been responsible for luring the monsters, happily went to collect the Spirit Beast Cores. Then they arrived atop the hill and dropped onto the ground.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't hold on..." Guo Xiong lay down directly, his chest heaving as he panted like a bellows and repeatedly waved his hand.

After all, there were only three of them. To lure so many Spirit Beasts over, the three had no idea how far they had needed to run. Although they did not have to fight and only needed to run for their lives, running was exhausting too, especially for cultivators like Guo Xiong who did not specialize in speed.

Liu Bai did not force them. "All right, then take a rest. We can divide the spoils while we're at it..."

At the mention of this, Guo Xiong and the other two, who had been sprawled on the ground pretending to be dead dogs, immediately stopped feeling tired and became full of vigor.

What they did not know was that Liu Bai was already overjoyed inside.

More than forty Spirit Beasts had directly brought Liu Bai nearly 36,000 Experience Points. In addition, he had gained 165 Beast Soul Points. Not only did he now have enough Experience Points, but even the Earth Spirit Stone Python, the Beast Soul he had just fused with, had an opportunity to advance.

"Ding, would you like to spend 200 Beast Soul Points to evolve the beginner Heavenly Beast Earth Spirit Stone Python into the intermediate Heavenly Beast Three-Headed Stone Flood Dragon?"

Whoa!

Although he had long suspected it, Liu Bai was still startled by the system prompt.

So-called Heavenly Beasts were a general term for Spirit Beasts whose strength had reached the Three Heavens Realm. Naturally, the Great Thousand World had not further classified them into beginner, intermediate, and the like.

However, those ranked below fifty on the Earth Ranking could at most reach the peak of the Heaven Fusion Realm in maturity, with only a very few reaching the half-step Heaven Transformation Realm. From rank fifty to below rank thirty, they could possess strength comparable to the Heaven Transformation Realm. Spirit Beasts ranked from thirty to twenty had the potential to break through into the Heaven Piercing Realm. As for those ranked above twenty, they were all super Heavenly Beasts. The Great Thousand World acknowledged that most possessed Divine Beast bloodlines and even had the possibility of Spirit Transformation and God Ascension...

As for those in the top ten, they themselves possessed the potential to become Divine Beasts; they simply had not yet fully matured. Like Wen Qingxuan's Golden Sacred Phoenix and Luo Li's Luo River Spirit from the original story, their terrifying power was in no way inferior to that of Divine Beasts!