Chapter 673: Dai Gang’s Secret

Translator: Irene_ Editor: X, TYZ

Le Buleng stared at Dai Gang's broken wrists. They were white and lustrous, somewhat like jade yet not, and somewhat like wood yet not.

He mumbled to himself, "I see, I see. Body of grasscord and white lotus… Unexpected, how unexpected. I've fought so many battles against you, but failed to notice. An undying body… I never imagined anyone would actually reach that level."

With a slight smile, Dai Gang replied, "You have good judgment, Brother Buleng. [Grasscord] is a product from my traveling days, when I chanced upon a few netherworld lotus seeds in the hall of Daya. From there, I received significant enlightenment."

Flesh grew from his broken wrists at a visible rate, forming two perfectly new palms.

Dai Gang's voice carried a magnetic charm that reminded people of the spring breeze.

Le Buleng's eyes were brightly lit at this point. The thrill inspired him. When it came to training, he never was one to follow conventions. The absolute arts he had created were all bewildering, yet revealing of his talents.

Dai Gang's brief summary had already sparked ideas in Le Buleng's head. He mumbled, "Netherworld lotus seeds? I got it. They're a perfect match for the [Lotus Chiropractic Technique]. With [Grasscord] as a complement, an undying body can be achieved? But that's not enough since it's only a shell. How then, can it be perfected? Something is lacking, something crucial…"

His eyes beamed suddenly, his expression exuberant. "[Life and Death Command]! Could it be the [Life and Death Command]? Hahaha, I got it! Living through death! Commendable! How impressive! It's no wonder you're a Grandmaster! It's only logical!"

Dai Gang was taken aback, but he quickly sighed and shook his head. "I had thought that the only person who could possibly unravel my secret was the Holy Emperor, but who knew it would be you, Brother Buleng."

As if he hadn't heard, Le Buleng continued mumbling to himself, "Yeah, living through death and stimulating a wisp of life along the boundary of life and death. That's the key to an undying body. What a genius! A step ahead of me in fact."

Le Buleng seemed to have gone insane.

He raised his head all of a sudden, his eyes fixed meaningfully onto Dai Gang. "What does death feel like?"

Dai Gang shuddered, and his perpetually cheerful face twitched a little. Reverence, enthusiasm, fear, infatuation… his face was a blend of all these intense emotions.

With a bitter smile he stated, "Indescribable."

In response, Le Buleng released a long breath. "Must've been unusual. How I yearn for it."

The fervor in his eyes gradually faded, and he returned to his normal state. "Walking on the boundary of life and death while defying fate… it's definitely a first. It might not be the last, but definitely the first. I'd never been impressed by you in the past, but things have changed! Please share its name."

"[White Lotus Revival Technique]," Dai Gang acceded.

Le Buleng nodded. "[White Lotus Revival Technique]. Living up to its name indeed. Many incomprehensible details have been cleared up."

Dai Gang laughed involuntarily. "What were you uncertain about?"

"The reason you turned your back against the Avalon of Five Elements and established the Jadeite Forest. The reason you were so interested in God's blood."

Dai Gang stared blankly as Le Buleng spoke.

Le Buleng's voice was very calm and emotionless, as if relaying an irrelevant story. "[White Lotus Revival Technique] is indeed an amazing achievement, but not flawless. That new wisp of life is merely the beginning. Much more vigor is required to maintain your undying body. God's blood has ample vigor and is the best material for replenishing your undying body as a result. A pity it is difficult to get a hold of it. Without a complete [White Lotus Revival Technique], you had no confidence in beating the Holy Emperor and hence chose to establish the Jadeite Forest."

The sky was much quieter as even the wind had stopped blowing. There only was Le Buleng's piercing voice now.

"Previously, I had found the low wood elemental energy in the Jadeite Forest to be strange. All the energy was flowing toward your palace. Why would you need that much wood elemental energy? Now, I finally understand. What you need isn't the wood elemental energy, but the vigor within the wood element. You're using the whole of the Jadeite Forest to nourish yourself."

"When the Holy Emperor was injured from the battle with An Muda, you did not jump in to fight for God's blood, but you definitely weren't afraid, so that was interesting. Perhaps… you couldn't leave the Jadeite Forest? Come to think of it, ever since you became a Grandmaster, you lived a solitary life in the Green Sea. You needed the Jadeite Forest when the Green Sea became insufficient? In this sense, the Jadeite Forest is both your home and prison."

"So, you've been paying attention to God's blood and people thought you were trying to study it. Plus, you were in a defensive position."

"Which reminds me of something that I still can't understand. Why did Ye Baiyi defect to the Holy Emperor?"

Le Buleng grinned, but there was only seriousness in his eyes. "I believe I'm the only one who's been in a match with you and Ye Baiyi. Back when Ye Baiyi took over my position as the division leader of the Icy Flames Division, I'd already noticed that his elemental energy was unique. Also, how many times have we battled? How can you hide that familiar energy from me?"

His tone became increasingly curious. "I'm still confused about your goal. Is it the thing in the hands of the Ye family? Or the thing that the Dread troops are guarding?"

The air was quiet and still.

After a long time, a sigh was heard.

Dai Gang started speaking, "You've surprised me today, Brother Buleng. The world has underestimated you. A year later, on this day, I'll come over to visit and pay my respects.

With him as the center point, the elemental energy within a several hundred mile radius started to surge.

Even further away, the people in Skyheart City could sense the elemental wave motions. Those in the nearby Jadeite Forest were basically experiencing a storm.

Even though Dai Gang and Le Buleng had chosen an isolated area for their battle, it was inevitable that the effects of their clash would extend across the cities. After recently assuming power, Yu Mingqiu deployed all the wood elementalists he could to strengthen the defense of the Jadeite Forest.

A sandstorm was covering the sky ahead and rolling over with indestructible force. Those terrifying wave motions from far away made people feel suffocated.

Lu Chen, who was usually unconcerned about worldly affairs, floated beside Yu Mingqiu.

He admired his junior's unflustered demeanor. If it had been him, he would've been at a loss. While looking at him, Lu Chen thought back to how Yu Mingqiu acted when reciting poetry. They were like two different individuals at this point.

"Stabilize the defense!"

"Get ready to resist the attack!"

"

"Prepare yourselves, all wood elementalists!"

"Doctors, get ready to treat the injured!"

His commands were concise, while his voice was steady. It boosted the morale of the people and reduced their stress level.

The Jadeite Forest engaged its defenses, and the sky darkened immediately. Nightshade leaves bigger than houses started stacking onto one another and covering the sky. They emitted a soft light, producing a beautiful sight. Dragon bones made from 12 golden crow vines propped up the green dome. Each bone was made from three interwoven vines, and each vine was over three meters in diameter.

A large volume of fibrous roots hung down from the vines and were connected to the big trees of the Jadeite Forest to form an additional support. Within the dome, there were countless petals fluttering in the sky. They were the ideal buffer because they could absorb extreme impacts.

Despite the darkening of the sky, the leaves and fluttering petals were releasing their own glow, which actually illuminated the area to a level that was as good as daytime.

The impenetrable defense made the citizens feel much safer, but their faces changed soon enough when the windstorm approached with an earth-shattering howl that even the defense was unable to block.

"It's here!"

Even with his rich experience in the Wilderness and despite having seen all kinds of strange phenomena, Yu Mingqiu couldn't help but tremble at the intimidating scene unraveling before him.

The beasts in the Wilderness were nothing compared to what he was witnessing.

Was this a Grandmaster's power?

Boom!

The Jadeite Forest jerked, as if there was a giant palm grabbing and shaking it.

The outermost layer of nightshade leaves exploded into powder as the dragon bones continued to shake intensely, producing cracking sounds. The dancing layer of petals were pulverized and formed mist that surged and intertwined. The big trees that acted as support shook suddenly, causing their leaves to fall. Cracks formed on a massive viridescent beech tree that was massive enough to require four men to carry.

Yu Mingqiu raised his guard. He was the most worried about the first hit.

He opened his eyes wide, staring overhead. Seeing that the dragon bones displayed no signs of breaking despite their intense swaying, he finally released a sigh of relief.

They had made it!

Pitter patter! The storm-like sounds of collisions made it hard for people to breathe.

The green light emitted by the nightshade leaves formed dense ripples that numbed their heads. The soil raised by the windstorm contained a terrifying force that instantly bore holes through the nightshade leaves upon impact. The number of holes on these leaves was increasing rapidly, turning them into something that resembled beehives before completely destroying them.

At the nightshade field beneath the dome, the wood elementalists were channeling whatever energy they could to grow and sprout more nightshade leaves. The sprouted leaves floated up toward the dome like thick green clouds as they strengthened the defense.

Yu Mingqiu raised his voice, "Pay attention to the elemental energy, change shifts!"

One after the other, the drained wood elementalists groaned before collapsing onto the nightshade field. Doctors rushed over to pull the semi-conscious wood elementalists aside to make way for the next group.

10 breaths.

The windstorm lasted for a total of 10 whole breaths. A suffocating 10 breaths.

Everyone's minds were blank when the windstorm passed with its typical rumble. They couldn't react in time.

After a short pause, cheers filled the place. Having survived the calamity, people went wild with joy.

A calm and collected voice effectively broke the cheers.

"Inspect the defense immediately and treat all injured elementalists. Recover your elemental energy as much as you can and be quick," Yu Mingqiu ordered.

There was no joy on his face.

He knew that this was just the beginning.