Chapter 116: A Surge in Strength
The fierce battle between Yi Tian and the Dark Fierce Dragon Beast raged on relentlessly, devastating everything around them.
Meanwhile, Yi Feng, Yi Li, and the other three members of the Reincarnation Squad swiftly navigated through clusters of dragon-patterned spiritual roots, plucking one Dragon Fruit after another. Within mere moments, they ceased their gathering and rushed to Yi Tian’s side.
“Retreat first!” Yi Tian commanded, seeing their movements and knowing they intended to join the fray, but he stopped them.
The Dark Fierce Dragon Beast’s attacks were terrifyingly overwhelming. Even with his Divine Shift Secret Technique nearing perfection, Yi Tian could not completely evade its strikes. Fully unleashing the Sun Shooting Heavenly Skill, using his fists as arrows, he released a terrifying power that could only temporarily fend off the beast’s assault.
At this rate, Yi Tian could not hold on.
Moreover, the Divine Shift Secret Techniques of Yi Feng and the others in the Reincarnation Squad were not as advanced as his. Facing the beast’s overwhelming onslaught, they would likely falter in disarray.
Understanding this grim reality, Yi Feng and the others instantly fled beyond the Savage Barbarian Mountains.
Seeing this, the Dark Fierce Dragon Beast shifted its attack, gathering golden elemental energy from its surroundings and transforming it into thousands of divine weapons that surged toward the five members of the Reincarnation Squad.
“Kill!” Yi Tian drew his Void-Breaking Bow once more, releasing a radiant beam capable of annihilating all that stood before it, aimed directly at the beast’s eyes.
At that moment, the Dark Fierce Dragon Beast tilted its head slightly. The light slashed across its brow bone, carving a blood-welling wound several yards wide, with blood flowing profusely.
Struck by Yi Tian’s arrow, the beast’s control over the golden elemental energy faltered, and most of its attacks dissipated.
Thus, the members of the Reincarnation Squad narrowly evaded or shattered the oncoming assault, escaping without injury and fleeing the beast’s territory at the last moment.
The Dark Fierce Dragon Beast roared in fury.
It unleashed all its wrath upon Yi Tian, its ferocious attacks plunging the entire battlefield into chaos, the skies swirling with martial tumult. Despite enduring two of Yi Tian’s arrows, the beast showed no sign of weakening; instead, it grew more terrifyingly violent, its vitality overwhelmingly robust.
Under the beast’s brutal assault, Yi Tian teetered on the brink of collapse.
Had he not cultivated the Divine Shift Secret Technique, even an elite Yuan Dan-tier expert would have been crushed by the beast’s relentless barrage.
Finally, Yi Tian broke free from the beast’s lair.
The Dark Fierce Dragon Beast pursued him for thousands of miles but was ultimately forced to abandon the chase, retreating sulkily to its den.
When Yi Tian emerged from the Savage Barbarian Mountains, the Reincarnation Squad had already regrouped.
After tallying their haul, the mission proved exceedingly fruitful—they had gathered thirty-two Dragon Fruits.
These thirty-two Dragon Fruits were worth nearly one hundred points, a significant fortune for Yi Tian and his comrades, all at the Yuan Gang cultivation level. This was comparable to the reward a Yuan Gang expert would earn after guarding the Ancient Crystal Mine for three months.
The Ancient Crystal Mine was a relic jointly exploited by the major sects and powers of Arqin City.
Legend held that the mine was formed from the marrow of a primordial celestial dragon that had fallen eons ago.
Within the mine lay Dragon Crystals—exceedingly rare and precious—making it a frequent target for vicious beasts.
It was said that every three to five days, waves of fierce beasts would launch attacks on the Ancient Crystal Mine, resulting in heavy casualties.
Yi Tian and his group returned to Arqin City.
They exchanged all thirty-two Dragon Fruits for points in the mission hall.
With these points, they purchased three low-grade magical treasures from the exchange area, of ordinary quality. Each treasure cost between seven and a dozen points.
These artifacts significantly boosted the Reincarnation Squad’s strength, at least doubling it.
In the days that followed, Yi Tian and his companions continued operations within the Savage Barbarian Mountains, moving from place to place, battling the fierce beasts that dwelled there, and collecting more Dragon Fruits.
This routine lasted nearly a month.
During this time, they exchanged Dragon Fruits for over four hundred points and each member acquired a low-grade magical treasure. Unfortunately, only two low-grade magical bows were available in Arqin City, an extremely scarce number.
These two bows were claimed by Yi Li and Yi Hong.
With the treasure bows, their power surged manifold. The Sun Shooting Heavenly Skill fully unleashed, their strength was enough to suppress, even hunt, top-tier Yuan Fa experts.
Alas, few cultivators used treasure bows, so their stock in Arqin City remained limited.
Otherwise, if every member of the Reincarnation Squad had one, their strength would have soared even further.
Even so, Yi Tian and his team made tremendous leaps in power, making subsequent missions considerably easier and steadily increasing their points.
They used the points to exchange for numerous Dragon Crystals.
Dragon Crystals were comparable to Yuan Crystals—highly condensed energy crystals—but absorbing Dragon Crystals inevitably imparted a trace of celestial dragon aura, which took a long time to dissipate.
With abundant Dragon Crystals, each member of the Reincarnation Squad secluded themselves in their respective towers for deep cultivation.
After one and a half months, they emerged from seclusion.
Although their cultivation had advanced significantly following the consumption of hundreds of Dragon Crystals, none had yet reached the pinnacle of the Yuan Gang realm. Nonetheless, their combat power had greatly increased.
During their months in Arqin City, Yi Tian’s group grew rapidly in strength.
However, their frequent missions around Arqin City eventually led them into a deadly ambush.
One day, as Yi Tian and his companions returned from the Savage Barbarian Mountains, a figure clad in black suddenly appeared before them, locking onto them with murderous intent.
Without a word, the black-clad stranger burst forth with staggering energy, a true essence hand surging toward Yi Tian and his team, causing the very void to resonate with explosive sound.
This was a top-tier Yuan Fa expert!
Yi Tian and his team were taken aback, never expecting an attack from such a powerful foe.
At the same time, Yi Tian considered a grim possibility: the opponent had likely come to assassinate them.
Suddenly, Yi Tian leapt into the air.
At that moment, he unleashed the Sun Shooting Heavenly Skill to its fullest, his palm coalescing a brilliant radiance.
His palm collided with the true essence hand.
Boom!
A cataclysmic explosion shook the heavens and earth. Yi Tian was blasted backward hundreds of yards, yet the true essence hand shattered instantly.
“Hmm!” The black-clad man was visibly shocked.
He hadn’t expected Yi Tian to withstand seventy percent of his strike’s force—it was almost unbelievable.
“Kill!”
Yi Tian and the black-clad man immediately engaged in a fierce battle in midair.
Yi Tian unleashed the Sun Shooting Heavenly Skill with full force, releasing terrifying destructive power. The black-clad man was forced to give his all, unable to withstand Yi Tian’s relentless assaults.
Occasionally, Yi Tian also wielded the Great Sun Heavenly Skill, holding the blazing sun in his hand, scorching the void with terrifying, fiery true essence.
Having mastered both heavenly skills, Yi Tian, though not yet at the pinnacle of the Yuan Gang realm, matched the top Yuan Fa expert blow for blow, their duel fiercely contested.
Even when the black-clad man unleashed Yuan Fa techniques, sending relentless waves of water crashing at Yi Tian, each was shattered by Yi Tian’s counterattacks.
In the distance, the Reincarnation Squad members landed on the ground, watching their captain’s battle with great interest.
Yi Feng leisurely remarked, “How long do you think it will take for the captain to defeat him?”
“Within a hundred moves.”
“Seventy moves!”
“One hundred and fifty moves!”
Yi Shan, Yi Li, Yi Kuang, and the others each offered their guesses.
They were confident in their captain; a top-tier Yuan Fa expert was not as intimidating as imagined—they believed they had the strength to subdue him.
The black-clad man was furious and bewildered.
He could not believe that a Yuan Gang-level cultivator was suppressing him so effectively.
In the end, he summoned a magical treasure.
Yet, even with its power unleashed, his attacks soared but still could not utterly shatter Yi Tian’s defenses.