Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 451 - 359 Physical Might_1

Chapter 451: 359 Physical Might_1

A month’s time quickly passed.

In the Spirit Control Pavilion, Shen Long and Ye Hongyao sat on chairs, making idle conversation.

"All the Great Elders of Medicine King Valley have never refined a supreme elixir?"

Shen Long was somewhat surprised.

"Yes! Not just our Medicine King Valley, but throughout the entire history of Qian Yang Realm, the number of alchemists who have been able to refine supreme elixirs can be counted on one hand."

Ye Hongyao stated earnestly.

As alchemists, they all wanted to refine supreme elixirs, but the difficulty was extraordinary.

"The worker must first sharpen his tools if he wishes to do his work well. If there were a fifth-order Spirit Flame or a Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure-level alchemy furnace, one should be able to refine a supreme elixir, right?"

Shen Long’s face showed a look of longing.

"Theoretically, it’s very possible. Whether it’s a fifth-order Spirit Flame or a Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure-level alchemy furnace, both are highly sought-after items, definitely absent in the Qian Yang Realm."

Ye Hongyao said.

Medicine King Valley was one of the five major forces in the Donghua Cultivation Realm, and Ye Sen often took Ye Hongyao to grand ceremonies organized by major forces, making them well-informed and knowledgeable.

Shen Long took out a Messaging Plate flickering with red light, injected a spell into it, and the voice of Zhou Guangyao rang out, "Taoist Friend Shen, a fellow cultivator has heard that you are visiting our Zhou Family and has specially rushed over to meet you. Would you be interested in getting acquainted?"

"What is the name of this person?"

Shen Long asked.

"Han Hu, one of the three great Loose Cultivators of the Western Desert. He is a Body Cultivator with a Cultivation at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul."

Zhou Guangyao said.

"Where is Taoist Friend Han right now? I, too, would like to get to know Taoist Friend Han."

Shen Long said.

"We are right outside the Spirit Control Pavilion."

Zhou Guangyao said.

"I’ll be out shortly."

Shen Long promised and then put away the Messaging Plate.

"Han Hu is an old Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Western Desert Cultivation Realm. He has consumed a good amount of body-strengthening miracle elixirs, making his physical body exceptionally strong. He is quite combative,"

Ye Hongyao said.

Shen Long nodded and stepped outside.

Zhou Guangyao and a brawny man in golden armor were standing at the entrance, the latter exuding a strong murderous aura.

"I am Shen Long; I greet Taoist Friend Han."

Shen Long said with a fist salute.

"I have long heard of Taoist Friend Han’s great name. I’ve heard that you can hold your own in physical strength against a Barbarian Cultivator of the same stage. Han would like to have a friendly spar with Taoist Friend Shen, how about it?"

Han Hu’s voice was loud and clear, his face full of anticipation.

"What kind of spar does Taoist Friend Han have in mind?"

Shen Long asked.

"Let’s contest in physical strength alone, one punch to decide the victor, shall we?"

Han Hu suggested.

Shen Long nodded, looked towards Zhou Guangyao, and said, "Fairy Zhou, let’s go outside the oasis to duel!"

"Taoist Friend Shen and Han are both heroes among men; I, too, would like to see who is the superior one."

Ye Hongyao said with a smile.

"No problem, let’s move to the outside of the oasis for the contest."

Zhou Guangyao agreed, leading Shen Long and the two men away from Jade Spring Oasis and to a vast and boundless desert above.

Shen Long’s Divine Sense burst forth, meticulously investigating the surroundings to ensure there were no abnormalities before he felt relieved.

"Taoist Friend Shen, I won’t hold back, so please be careful."

After Han Hu spoke, his body radiated dazzling golden light, and a vague image of a Colossal Tiger could be seen across his chest.

"Be careful, Taoist Friend Shen, Han is practicing the Subduing Tiger Skill. He has already perfected it and can transform into a fourth-order demonic tiger for combat,"

Ye Hongyao conveyed to Shen Long through a message.

Shen Long nodded, his body glowing bright red as he sprouted numerous Red Dragon Scales.

Han Hu clenched his right fist and threw out a punch. A piercing sound tore through the void as a massive fist of golden light flashed forth, leaving a white streak in the void as it sped straight towards Shen Long.

Shen Long showed no fear as he threw his punch in kind. A huge fist imprint, swirling with a ceaseless red light, flew out to meet the attack.

The two punches collided, and the golden fist imprint disintegrated. The red fist imprint surged towards Han Hu.

A look of surprise appeared in Han Hu’s eyes; he let out a sky-rattling roar, emitting a deafening tiger’s roar and blasting forth a golden sound wave. It collided with the red fist imprint, and both dissolved into nothingness, the shockwave generating a torrent of wind that swept up a great mass of yellow sand.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Guangyao was utterly shocked. She knew Shen Long’s physical body was strong, but she had not expected it to be stronger than Han Hu’s. After all, Han Hu was a seasoned Nascent Soul Cultivator, the foremost among the three great Loose Cultivators of the Western Desert.

It hadn’t been many years since Shen Long advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, yet his physical body was stronger than Han Hu’s.

Surprised, yet with her eyes shining, Ye Hongyao thought, deserving indeed was the man she had taken a liking to.

"Taoist Friend Shen, may I be so bold as to ask, how many drops of Essence Blood have you condensed?"

Han Hu asked through a message, his voice grave.

He had condensed eight hundred drops of Essence Blood, which was already quite good; most Body Cultivators at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul only managed to condense seven hundred drops.

"Nine hundred drops!"

Shen Long replied through a message.

He didn’t tell the truth; the real number was one thousand drops. When it comes to physical strength alone, he had already surpassed Nascent Soul cultivators at the late stage of body cultivation.

The body-forging effects of the Dragon Scale Pills were excellent, along with the Blood Serpent Fruit. The higher the levels of cultivation in the "Nine Transformations Flood Dragon Art," the stronger the body. Upon reaching the twelfth layer, one could even withstand the force of Spiritual Treasures. Otherwise, the "Nine Transformations Flood Dragon Art" wouldn’t be considered the Sect Protecting Technique of the Five Dragon Sect.

Han Hu was quite surprised and said with a fist salute, "Taoist Friend Shen’s physical strength is stronger than mine; I am impressed."

"Taoist Friend Han is too kind."

Shen Long said modestly.

They returned to Jade Spring Mountain, and both Ye Hongyao and Han Hu went back to their residences to rest.

"Taoist Friend Shen, it is not easy for you to come all this way to the Western Desert. Please stay a while longer at our Zhou Family so we can show proper hospitality."

Zhou Guangyao said enthusiastically.

"No need, I have other matters to attend to. Maybe next time!"

Shen Long declined politely.

Zhou Guangyao’s brows knitted slightly as she said, "Ancestor Hua Lei wants to discuss something with you, Taoist Friend Shen, is that convenient?"

Shen Long nodded and agreed. He followed Zhou Guangyao to a secluded manor and met with Zhou Hualei.

Zhou Guangyao’s lips moved slightly, and a look of surprise crossed Zhou Hualei’s eyes.

Han Hu had volunteered to spar with Shen Long and wasn’t sent by the Zhou Family. In Zhou Hualei’s plan, if Han Hu could defeat Shen Long in the spar, it would temper Shen Long’s edge, creating a better position for Zhou Hualei to negotiate with Shen Long.

"Zhou Daoist, I heard you had something to discuss with me?"

Shen Long spoke up.

Zhou Hualei nodded and asked, "Taoist Friend Shen, do you still have any fourth-order Golden-Eyed Beast inner cores in your possession?"

"I have one left, but I’ve promised to sell it to a good friend."

Shen Long said.

"Taoist Friend Shen, could you do me a favor and sell that core to our family instead? Just name your price," Zhou Hualei said.

"I can’t do that; I’ve given my word to my friend that if I got my hands on a fourth-order Golden-Eyed Beast inner core, I would save it for him," Shen Long firmly refused.

"We understand the difficulty you’re in, Taoist Friend Shen. How about this? We’ll exchange it for a fourth-order Wood Demon’s Crystal Core. What do you say?" Zhou Hualei took out a delicate green jade box and handed it to Shen Long.

"Zhou Daoist, I cannot go back on my word."

Shen Long looked troubled.

Zhou Hualei frowned slightly, clearly understanding Shen Long’s implication—that the offer was insufficient and he wanted more.

Truthfully, in terms of value, a fourth-order Wood Demon’s Crystal Core far exceeded that of a fourth-order Demon Core. However, the inner core of a fourth-order Golden-Eyed Beast was beneficial for the Zhou Family’s Nascent Soul Cultivators to cultivate the Golden-Eyed True Pupil; from this stand-point, Zhou Hualei was determined to get it.

"Taoist Friend Shen, with your abilities, defeating another fourth-order Golden-Eyed Beast wouldn’t be difficult, right? How about this? In addition to the fourth-order Wood Demon’s Crystal Core, I’ll add a thousand-year-old Profound Ice Jade Lotus. How about that?" Zhou Hualei said.

"Zhou Daoist, he is a good friend of mine," Shen Long said with a frown.

Zhou Hualei’s mouth twitched slightly before he said in a heavy tone, "Taoist Friend Shen, I’ll add another thousand-year-old Profound Ice Jade Lotus. If not, forget it."

"Deal! Worst comes to worst, I’ll just make another trip to the Northern Sea Cultivation Realm," Shen Long agreed and produced a golden jade box.

Zhou Hualei handed over two white jade boxes to Shen Long.

Shen Long checked them and, satisfied, nodded in approval.

After some small talk, Shen Long took his leave.

"It seems he knew all along how important the Golden-Eyed Beast inner core was to us. That’s why he demanded such a high price," Zhou Guangyao said with a furrowed brow.

"He has real skills and can dictate his price. We are the ones in need, after all. If he wasn’t capable, I wouldn’t have agreed to trade with him," Zhou Hualei said with a heavy voice.

Early the next morning, the Nascent Soul Celebration officially began.

Shen Long and the other guests gathered in a vast Azure Stone Plaza, with Nascent Soul Cultivators seated close to the chairman’s stage. Members of the Zhou Family mingled with the guests.

After a quarter of an hour of socializing, the ringing of a loud bell sounded, followed by a booming male voice: "We respectfully invite Ancestor Yuhua."

As soon as the words were spoken, a streak of azure escape light flashed and appeared above the Azure Stone Plaza. The light dissipated to reveal a graceful young maiden in green.

Zhou Yuhua, the Zhou Family’s newly promoted Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Shen Long and other guests stood up; the younger generation bowed to pay respects.

Zhou Yuhua landed on the chairman’s stage and took her seat, with Shen Long and other Nascent Soul Cultivators sitting down soon after.

The guests took turns presenting their gifts. Shen Long, having no particular friendship with Zhou Yuhua, gave a bottle of Blood Mushroom Pills and a Dharma Treasure, which was quite generous.

"Thank you all for attending my Nascent Soul Ceremony. I raise my cup to everyone here," Zhou Yuhua picked up her glass and drank it in one gulp.

Shen Long and the others raised their cups in response, toasting and laughing together.

After more than two hours, the celebration concluded, and the guests gradually took their leave.

"Fairy Zhou, thank you for your hospitality. I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay longer. I will visit another day when I am free," Shen Long said, and after these words, he left.

Chu Buyu, Ye Hongyao, and others also took their leave, while Shen Yushan and his two companions stayed behind.