Chapter 2: Fateful Encounter
The blood-red sword in the sky flew back and forth, continuously piercing the fierce beast. In no time, the ferocious beast was on the verge of collapse. The scene was simply more dazzling than the magical effects in games, leaving Yang Yifeng dumbfounded and yearning, unable to believe that the legendary sword flight truly existed. Yang Yifeng became increasingly certain that this place was definitely not Earth.
The seventh-tier demon beast is surprisingly being toyed with effortlessly by that man in black, indicating that his magical power is at least that of an early-stage Fusion expert. Currently, the highest level of practitioners wandering in the cultivation world is indeed at the Fusion stage, and reaching this stage is not an easy feat. Among the various sects, there are only about 20 registered Fusion experts that can be counted, not including the hidden masters of ancient sects, whose numbers are unknown. However, for Yang Yifeng at this moment, a Fusion stage cultivator could easily crush him with a single finger.
As for the Dragon Beard Fruit, it shares a similar origin with the Ginseng Fruit, yet the Dragon Beard Fruit is extraordinary. It has accumulated energy for billions of years, and it is a one-way absorption, incredibly domineering. From the moment it was born, it has been voraciously devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. In contrast, the Ginseng Fruit absorbs spiritual energy in a gentle manner, allowing for both intake and outflow. How can they be compared? Even an ordinary Golden Immortal might not withstand the overwhelming spiritual energy of the Dragon Beard Fruit. Yang Yifeng is a mortal, yet why is he unharmed? This is fate. Yang Yifeng has experienced the great ups and downs of life, profound sorrows and joys, leading to a sudden elevation of his state of mind. Even an ordinary Golden Immortal might not withstand the overwhelming spiritual energy of the Dragon Beard Fruit. Yang Yifeng is a mortal, yet why is he unharmed? This is fate. Yang Yifeng has experienced the great ups and downs of life, profound sorrows and joys, leading to a sudden elevation of his state of mind. Coupled with the heavenly thunder cleansing his mortal body, he then entered the Xuantian Void Realm, nourished by the ethereal divine energy. Additionally, at that time, the Dragon Beard Fruit had just completed its daily absorption of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and was concentrating on digestion. Coincidentally, Yang Yifeng, feeling hungry, encountered that single "apple". Knowing nothing, he consumed it, inadvertently gaining this opportunity. At that time, the Dragon Beard Fruit had just completed its daily absorption of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and was concentrating on digestion. Coincidentally, Yang Yifeng, feeling hungry, encountered that single "apple". Knowing nothing, he consumed it, inadvertently gaining this opportunity. Now, the power of the Dragon Beard Fruit within Yang Yifeng's body has been absorbed to less than one billionth, yet he has already opened all his meridians, cultivating energy without the need for earthly sustenance. In simple terms, he possesses the legendary innate Dao body, which makes any cultivation of immortality or demonic arts incredibly efficient. If he were to absorb it all, he could be said to achieve divinity or immortality without effort. In simple terms, he possesses the legendary innate Dao body, which makes any cultivation of immortality or demonic arts incredibly efficient. If he were to absorb it all, he could be said to achieve divinity or immortality without effort. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the medicinal power remains stored, and Yang Yifeng is unable to absorb it at all, as he has never practiced.
The person and the snake had run quite a distance, and Yang Yifeng sadly realized that despite running for so long, the snake was still hot on his heels, prompting him to exclaim his misfortune. Had he known better, he would not have shouted recklessly. Yang Yifeng was fortunate enough; the snake was only a Level 5 demon beast with limited intelligence, roughly at the integration stage. If a person at the integration stage had come after him, Yang Yifeng would have been caught long ago. The Level 5 demon beast relied solely on brute strength, possessing the magical power of the integration stage but lacking the knowledge to use it. This was somewhat similar to Yang Yifeng, whose spiritual energy was also at the enlightenment stage, just one level lower than the Earth Giant Python. Yang Yifeng was indeed lucky; the snake's limited intelligence and reliance on physical strength provided him a chance. However, as humans are the most intelligent beings, this chase would not cease anytime soon.
However, the heavens did not give Yang Yifeng any face. It would have been better if he hadn't called out, but once he did, trouble came. Where is this? The Monster Beast Forest, one of the three forbidden areas in the Xuanming Continent's cultivation world, where monster beasts run rampant. From the lowest first-tier monster beasts to the highest tenth-tier holy beasts, everything is present. Beasts above the tenth tier are divine beasts, which have long been extinct in the Eastern cultivation world and can only be found in the immortal realm. However, the tenth-tier holy beasts are known to be comparable to experts at the Great Ascension stage, or rather, they should be terrifying existences at the Loose Immortal level. Monster beasts above the fifth tier begin to possess intelligence, and those from the seventh to the tenth tiers can speak human language. Beasts above the ninth tier can even transform into human forms. Ninth-tier monster beasts are also comparable to powerful experts at the late stage of the Integration realm, but for some unknown reason, they cannot leave the forest. Now, a fifth-tier Earth Giant Python has jumped out, coiling its long body in front of Yang Yifeng. This Earth Giant Python has not eaten for three days, and upon hearing a sound, it immediately pounced. Indeed, a grand feast was right in front of it, and the python's saliva was dripping down in puddles.
Yang Yifeng complained as he walked forward, when suddenly a series of crackling sounds came from not far away. Out of curiosity, he approached and saw a person and a beast engaged in a fierce battle. The person fighting the monster was dressed in a tight black robe, standing at 1.9 meters tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a prominent nose, and a hint of a wicked smile at the corner of his mouth. He had a robust appearance mixed with a touch of scholarly demeanor. It is not surprising that these two seemingly contradictory qualities appeared in one individual, yet the overall impression was quite reasonable.
The transformation in temperament and demeanor after consuming the dragon's beard fruit is unmistakable. Even Qi Ye couldn't help but nod in agreement; although he was only at the stage of fasting, he was still able to respond fluently under Yang Yifeng's imposing presence, showing no signs of panic or restraint. This indicated that he was not an ordinary individual, prompting Qi Ye to regard Yang Yifeng with newfound respect and to consider forming a friendship, hoping to invite him into the sect.
"I am out, finally out, I Yang Yifeng am free again!" Yang Yifeng shouted loudly. No matter who it is, after being confined in one place for several months, one would naturally want to vent a little upon coming out
At that moment, in a certain part of the Monster Beast Forest, a flash of white light appeared in mid-air, 2 meters above the ground, and Yang Yifeng suddenly found himself lying there, inevitably falling down. With a "thud," Yang Yifeng landed, exclaiming, "Ouch—how frustrating! If I had known, I would have just stood and called out. It hurts so much. Fortunately, I am not the same as before; otherwise, I would have definitely gotten hurt this time." At this moment, after several months of recuperation in the secret realm, Yang Yifeng was completely different from his former self. "Ouch—how frustrating! If I had known, I would have just stood and called out. It hurts so much. Fortunately, I am not the same as before; otherwise, I would have definitely gotten hurt this time." After several months of recuperation in the secret realm, Yang Yifeng was indeed a different person compared to his previous self. Moreover, his body was incredibly strong, and his demeanor was entirely different from before.
At this moment, the demon beast was already in dire straits. "Evil Shadow Sword!" the man in black shouted, and instantly, countless swords split off, shooting towards the monster. Those countless swords pierced through the demon beast, which then flew backward, spitting blood and crashing to the ground. The man in black sheathed his sword and adjusted his long robe. However, at that moment, Yang Yifeng saw the monster spewing forth a ball of white light, aimed at the man in black. Yang Yifeng shouted, "Be careful!" The man in black seemed not to hear, allowing the white light to fly towards him. Just as it was about to strike the man in black, he suddenly raised his left hand, which was emanating black mist, and effortlessly caught the white light. It turned out that the white light was a round core. Having been influenced by various modern web novel knowledge, Yang Yifeng recognized that it was the legendary inner core of a demon beast. It became clear that the man in black had done this intentionally, provoking the demon beast to release its inner core as an attack. This was indeed the highest form of attack from a demon beast, but the risk was substantial. If the opponent was too powerful, this move would simply gift them a treasure. Wasn't that the case? What a fool, naively handing over the inner core.
However, Yang Yifeng was unaware of all this; he continued to run forward desperately. After a considerable amount of time, he realized that there was no sound behind him. When he turned around, he discovered that the large snake was no longer there, and he finally let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, it's over. How frustrating... I never expected to encounter such a monster right after coming out; what bad luck!" Young Master Yang complained incessantly.
Yang Yifeng was taken aback. Even though he was now stronger, could jump higher, could run faster, and had greater strength than before, he could not possibly compete with this giant! His first reaction was to turn around and run. The enormous python, of course, would not let its meal escape. With its massive body, it chased after him. Despite its size, it was not any slower than Yang Yifeng.
Fortunately, Yang Yifeng did not return the biology class to the teacher, and when he ran, he still moved in an S-shape; otherwise, he would have been swallowed long ago. Thus, a person and a python began to chase each other in the forest. Thankfully, Yang Yifeng's body had been transformed by the Dragon Beard Fruit. It was nothing like before. What kind of spiritual fruit is the Dragon Beard Fruit? Even if you combine the heavenly Peaches of Immortality and the Ginseng Fruit of Zhenyuanzi and multiply that by ten thousand, it still cannot compare to a single one of theirs. This is absolutely not an exaggeration. Just think about it: the Ginseng Fruit blooms once every 3000 years, bears fruit every 3000 years, and matures every 3000 years, yielding 30 Ginseng Fruits that can then be consumed. Since the birth of the Ginseng Fruit, which occurs once every ten thousand years, who knows how many cycles it has gone through? Now, looking at the Peaches of Immortality, even the best ones only bloom once every 9000 years, bear fruit every 9000 years, and mature every 9000 years, which is a cycle of 30,000 years. Moreover, they are produced in batches, so their effect is similar to that of the Ginseng Fruit, at most just a little higher.
As Yang Yifeng ran faster and faster, he felt increasingly at ease. However, the large snake behind him refused to let go, forcing Yang Yifeng to run for his life. After an indeterminate amount of time, the earth giant python suddenly began to tremble, and after pursuing for a while, it dared not chase any longer. It turned around and fled, as if it had encountered something terrifying, moving even faster than when it had been chasing Yang Yifeng.
The man in black descended and said to Yang Yifeng: "Thank you for the reminder, young brother. I am Qiye. May I ask for your esteemed name?" "I am Yang Yifeng, it is a pleasure to meet you, brother," Yang Yifeng replied. At that moment, Yang Yifeng seemed to regain his former demeanor as a CEO, exuding the air of someone in a position of authority.
That fellow Yang Yifeng simply does not recognize value. If it were someone with discerning eyes, they would immediately know that the demon beast is at least of the seventh rank, which means it is a master at the Nascent Soul stage. It is important to understand that once a person cultivates to the Nascent Soul stage, they can initially transcend the Three Realms and no longer be bound by the Five Elements. Not only does their magical power greatly increase, but their lifespan is also significantly extended, allowing them more time to pursue higher realms in order to ultimately transcend the Three Realms, no longer be bound by the Five Elements, and ascend to the celestial realm.