Chapter 78 (continued)

Ji Li attacked Shan Heyuan directly.

Standing there with nowhere to avoid it, Shan Heyuan had no choice but to take the hit.

Shen Duheng immediately swung his sword to parry, blocking Ji Li's sword strike in front of Shan Heyuan.

Shen Duheng and Ji Li fought around the giant tree that Shan Heyuan had transformed into, exchanging more than ten blows in just a few breaths.

Shan Heyuan completely ignored the situation outside and just focused on absorbing Spiritual Power, taking root in the earth, and striving to grow.

In the fierce battle, blood and flesh flew everywhere, Tribulation Lightning roared.

All of these became nourishment for Shan Heyuan, and he absorbed them all.

The cultivators watching from afar quickly noticed what was happening.

Recently, Shan Heyuan and Shen Duheng have gained a very good reputation, while Ji Li has been killing people everywhere and has become a demon.

When two sides are fighting, everyone naturally has their own opinion on who to help.

The battle over there was so intense that ordinary cultivators couldn't get close at all, and even if they wanted to help, they were powerless to do so.

Just as people were whispering among themselves, several more cultivators with powerful auras joined the spectators.

These cultivators were all above the level of the Nascent Spirit Transformation stage.

No one dared to approach these highly skilled cultivators, and they all quietly moved back to make room for them.

"They are cultivators from the Three Nine Sect..."

"They've finally come down."

"I wonder how this battle will go. If Senior Shan and the others lose, the Three Nine Sect will probably be in danger."

"Senior Shan and the others shouldn't lose, right? I think his method of transforming into a towering tree is far superior to Ji Li's."

"That's hard to say. Ji Li controlled Sword Reverence Sect for so many years, and Sword Reverence Sect is the number one sect in the cultivation world..."

"No, I can't watch any longer. I have to leave. A fire at the city gates can affect the fish in the moat; this level of battle is not something we can just stand by and watch."

"I'll stay and watch for a while longer before leaving. My cultivation level isn't high enough; I shouldn't become that person's target, right?"

"That's hard to say. What if he's injured and needs Spiritual Power, and then uses us spirit medicine as soon as he has a spare moment?"

"I should leave; I can't watch any longer. Fellow Daoists, you should leave quickly too."

"Huh, what are the fellow Daoists from the Nine Gates doing taking out their bows? Are they going to assist Senior Shan and the others in a ranged attack on Ji Li?"

"Wait, the arrows they've attached to the bows look really strange!"

"Let's step back a bit, they look like they're about to make a move!"

The crowd stirred.

The people of the Three Nine Sect ignored the opinions of the onlookers; they simply shouldered their enormous bows and fired arrows with spherical tips.

The moment the arrow was released, everyone realized that the arrow from the Three Nine Sect was not aimed at Ji Li, but at Shan Heyuan.

Why attack Senior Shan?

Many people were alarmed and wondered: Could it be that the people of the Three Nine Sect were colluding with Ji Li?

Just as they were thinking this, the strange-looking arrow was already close to the giant tree. The tip of the arrow exploded, and the water inside fell onto the giant tree.

At the same time, an astonishing amount of Spiritual Power emanated from it, and even from such a distance, the onlookers could sense it.

"It's Fertilizer Pill! It's an improved version of Fertilizer Pill!"

Someone shouted it out.

More and more people are convinced that the strange arrow contained nothing other than Fertilizer Pill, the Fertilizer Pill invented by Shan Heyuan. Later, various sects improved Fertilizer Pill based on it—other sects could not refine Fertilizer Pill containing the aura of the Breathing Earth, and could only make slight improvements.

Is Fertilizer Pill effective?

"It seems so. I see Senior Shan is still advancing in his cultivation!"

"When did Senior Shan become Spirit Plant?"

"I don't know, but Senior Shan's refined Fertilizer Pill have always contained the aura of the Breathing Earth, so they might have been unusual from the start."

The people from the Three Nine Sect were firing off Fertilizer Pill from a distance, which was like having someone hand you a pillow when Shan Heyuan 're sleepy—it was incredibly comfortable.

He absorbed all the Spiritual Power to strengthen himself.

Not only that, he also absorbed the Tribulation Lightning and Spiritual Power from the air.

Because advancement requires a process, his cultivation level has been slowly improving.

The Tribulation Lightning's energy was exhausted, it grew smaller and smaller, and finally the clouds dispersed and the lightning disappeared.

Shen Duheng has successfully entered the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.

The two people and the tree form a tripod-like arrangement.

After another exchange, Ji Li sneered, "I underestimated you."

Shan Heyuan: "It might not be underestimation, it could be a desperate act. You've already possessed Shen Duheng's body, don't you know his aptitude?"

Ji Li: "Senior Shan, you don't need to be so harsh, do you? You're trying to save the world, but doesn't that mean I'm also trying to save the world?"

Ji Li's face was full of righteous indignation, and for a moment Shan Heyuan wondered if he had misheard or misunderstood him.

This person actually dares to talk about trying to save the world?

Shen Duheng: "Sweet talk?"

Ji Li: "What did I say wrong? Senior Shan attempted to ascend back then to break through the impurities outside the cultivation world and connect it with the upper realm. I'm also following this path. What's wrong with that?"

Shan Heyuan pointed his sword at him. "You tried to ascend, fine, but why harm the disciples of the Sword Reverence Sect?"

Ji Li smiled and said, "What makes you say that? I have always protected the disciples of the Sword Reverence Sect, and even went so far as to refine myself into Sword Spirit to protect the entire Sword Reverence Sect. Shen Duheng can testify to this, right?"

Shen Duheng: "You did indeed refine yourself into Sword Spirit, but it wasn't necessarily to protect the sect's disciples. Instead, you wanted to use your status as the mountain-guarding Sword Spirit to select suitable disciples for possession. Wouldn't I be possessed by you just like that?"

Ji Li: "I have been supported and honored by the Sword Reverence Sect. What is wrong with them offering their bodies and identities when the sect needs them?"

Shan Heyuan: "Nonsense! No matter how righteous you sound, it can't cover up the despicable facts you've committed!"

Ji Li: "I didn't intend to cover it up. Even if I don't possess another body, given the current state of the cultivation world, how many more years can a disciple live? It would be better to transfer your body to me. If I can ascend and become an immortal, I will find those disciples' souls in the future and repay them."

Shan Heyuan: "You're so certain you'll become an immortal, so why didn't you come to save your present self after you became an immortal? If you became an immortal but couldn't save your present self, then how could the people you killed be saved?"

Ji Li's face darkened. "Then I can only say I failed. Was there anything wrong with my starting point?"

Shan Heyuan was about to say something.

Ji Li interrupted him, "To save this world, sacrifices are inevitable. I come from a prestigious family, and my elders have always said that my talent is one in a thousand years. In fact, for a long time, I was the only one in the cultivation world at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage. If I don't have any hope of ascension, who does?"

Shen Duheng: "Sophistry."

Ji Li: "Is this really just sophistry? I cannot ascend in three to five thousand years, but if given enough time, thirty to fifty thousand years, I will surely ascend one day. When I ascend, the predicament of the cultivation world will be immediately resolved, and perhaps a new future will be ushered in."

Shen Duheng: "You stole the sect's fortune to support yourself, and thousands of years have passed, yet you haven't even touched the edge of ascension. Isn't that enough to prove that the path you've taken is terribly wrong?"

Ji Li: "It's just that we're on different paths, what's wrong with that?"

Shen Duheng: "Let's settle this with our swords. I'll show you that you've never had the aptitude to ascend."

Ji Li: "Then let's take a look!"

As Ji Li said this, she drew her sword, suddenly tore open space, and tried to escape backward.

Shan Heyuan opened his Dantian Small World: "I was prepared for this!"

Ji Li tried to tear open space but failed. Shen Duheng arrived. "You've been taking shortcuts all this time, you've probably forgotten how to use a sword, haven't you?"

Ji Li turned and lunged forward. "Gentlemen, help me!"

As she spoke, Ji Li actually wanted to kill the onlookers in the distance to replenish her depleted Spiritual Power.

Those around them were taken aback that he would still have this idea even after things had come to this, and they quickly fled on their swords.