BTTH: From Genius to Invincible-Chapter 543: Entering the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree
Word Count: 2,349 Words
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"Xiao Yan, what should we do now?" Yun Yun’s beautiful eyes reflected grave concern as she surveyed the scene.
She cared little for the Bodhisattva Heart itself. If not for Xiao Yan’s need, she likely wouldn’t have brought the Flower Sect’s experts here at all.
Xiao Yan found himself momentarily at a loss. Five Half-Saints blocked their path, combined with this eerily sinister Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. Anyone with eyes could see something was deeply wrong here.
Gu Qing Yang’s expression tensed with gravity. Five Half-Saint experts... ’terrifying’ was the only word to describe such a lineup. Even though Xiao Yan possessed the strength to kill Nine-Change Dou Venerate Tian He Zi, that old thing probably couldn’t have withstood even a single palm strike from a Half-Saint. Even combined with Xun Er and the others, they would struggle against opponents of this caliber.
Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed as his gaze swept toward the radiant glow emanating from within the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree’s trunk. The Bodhisattva Heart lay right before their eyes. To give up so easily would leave him deeply unwilling!
"Xiao Yan, I think we should let the others handle some of the Half-Saint tree slaves. Once we break through this obstacle, we can deal with everything else," Cai Lin suggested in a low voice, exchanging a meaningful glance with him before gesturing toward the other groups.
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. Having their group face all five tree slaves was clearly impossible. And even if he could desperately fight through, wouldn’t that just let Hun Yu and the others claim the spoils for free?
"Everyone, since none of us plan to leave, I doubt anyone here can handle all the Half-Saint tree slaves alone." Xiao Yan turned to address the assembled experts after a moment’s consideration. "My group will deal with one Half-Saint tree slave. The rest, you can divide among yourselves."
Hun Yu and Jiu Feng exchanged glances at his words. Jiu Feng’s Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had brought the most people, nearly twenty Dou Venerates. The Hun Clan had fewer numbers but boasted the strongest overall strength. Additionally, four reclusive factions were present, two being vassal clans affiliated with the Yan and Lei Clans.
Though the Yan and Lei Clans hadn’t dispatched core clan members, they had sent their affiliated vassal clans, whose strength was far from weak.
As the saying goes, ’men die for wealth as birds die for food.’ Those Dou Ancestors killed by the beast tide might have looked foolish, but everyone here was just as reckless. Not a single one considered running away, even knowing the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree could slay Half-Saints. Their greed overwhelmed their reason.
Of course, it wasn’t purely greed that emboldened them. Every faction present possessed trump cards such as Half-Saint spatial jade slips and other life-saving measures. Even Xiao Yan’s group had their escape methods.
It was precisely this sense of security that made them bolder!
"Good! My Hun Clan will handle our clan’s Half-Saint ancestor," Hun Yu immediately agreed. To him, the Bodhisattva Heart was equivalent to the position of Clan Head. How could he possibly let it slip away!
"My Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe can also handle one."
The remaining factions nodded heavily before selecting their targets.
"Nalan Yanran, Old Hai, your strength is relatively weak. Stay out of the fighting and keep watch on the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. If it makes any move whatsoever, immediately crush your soul spatial jade slips," Xiao Yan transmitted to his entire group.
Though somewhat unwilling, Nalan Yanran nodded. This wasn’t the time to argue with his decision. Maintaining vigilance and securing their escape route was the wisest course.
The atmosphere suddenly shifted. Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and nearly everyone present locked onto their chosen Half-Saint tree slave simultaneously before unleashing devastating attacks. Streaks of Dou Qi shot forth like divine punishment.
Xiao Yan unfurled his Ancient Phoenix Wings, achieving blinding speed as Heavenly Flame gathered on his right fist. A resonant hum filled the air as the Vajra Glass Body erupted, instantly transforming him into a ninety-nine-foot golden giant. His booming voice thundered: "Vajra Glass Fist!"
Octane Blast shed a tear; it had been abandoned after all! Now that Xiao Yan had cultivated the Vajra Glass Body to major mastery, he could employ this body-refining technique’s complementary moves.
Heavenly Flame enveloped his massive fist, which resembled a small mountain peak as it smashed toward the rightmost Half-Saint.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The fist wind howled ferociously. Even without using Skyfire Three Mysterious Change to activate his Clan Mark, this single punch made space itself tremble continuously. Its power left observers speechless.
The tree slave, dead for countless years, suddenly opened its eyes when confronted by Xiao Yan’s mountain-like fist. Its mouth gaped in a roar that completely shattered the Dou Qi streaks launched by Little Fairy Doctor and the others.
Against Xiao Yan’s devastating punch, the Half-Saint expert responded with an identical punch—no technique variations, no Dou Techniques or Dou Qi, just the simplest, most ordinary fist.
BOOM!!
Fist met fist in a collision that made Xiao Yan’s eyes contract sharply. Crack crack crack!! The golden fist formed by his Vajra Glass Body shattered inch by inch as indescribably terrifying force transmitted through his entire body.
In this clash of pure physical might, Xiao Yan was completely outmatched by the Half-Saint’s most basic punch!
BOOM!
The earth shook and mountains trembled as space ruptured. A Half-Saint’s might operated on an entirely different plane from even Nine-Change Dou Venerates like Tian He Zi!
After achieving nine changes, the fusion process remained extremely difficult, requiring vast amounts of time to merge into a true Half-Saint. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
This single punch thoroughly taught Xiao Yan the gap between Saint and Venerate! Truly heaven and earth apart!
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, let me help you!" Xun Er stepped to his side in a single stride, her Nine-Change Dou Venerate cultivation erupting forth magnificently.
"Don’t overexert yourself," Xiao Yan transmitted quietly.
Xun Er gave a subtle nod, naturally understanding his meaning. Though this Half-Saint tree slave was formidable, if she unleashed her full power, defeating it alone wasn’t impossible. However, expending too much Dou Qi would leave them disadvantaged when competing for the Bodhisattva Heart.
Her hands formed seals before she pointed skyward. The Great Silent Destruction Finger, carrying an aura that annihilated all existence, descended from above.
Gu Qing Yang and the others didn’t remain idle either, all unleashing Low Tian Class Great Silent Destruction Fingers. At their level, Low Tian Class Dou Techniques were no longer rare.
Boom boom boom!
One Tian Class technique after another erupted forth. The energy of the world swirled like a whirlpool, fusing into their attacks as they bombarded the Half-Saint tree slaves.
Hun Yu’s group also exploded with tremendous strength. The disparity between Dou God Clans and other factions immediately became crystal clear.
Though the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe boasted superior numbers, they possessed few Tian Class techniques. Only Jiu Feng’s beast techniques could damage the Half-Saint tree slave; the other elders all transformed into their true forms to attack.
But a single counterattack from the Half-Saint tree slave left them grievously wounded from mere aftershocks. Without their Demon Phoenix Bell defensive beast technique, they would have been slaughtered en masse.
"Strike its head!"
Xiao Yan roared as the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor enveloped his body. After several exchanges, he had sensed these Half-Saint tree slaves contained no Dou Qi whatsoever. Instead, a strange seed within their skulls had taken root and sprouted. It was this seed that controlled their bodies.
"Ha!" His Ancient Phoenix Wings flashed as he appeared behind the tree slave. The Heavy Xuan Ruler crashed down heavily on its crown.
Clang!
A metallic reverberation rang out, the rebound leaving Xiao Yan’s arms numb. Still, the blow had cracked the Half-Saint tree slave’s skull slightly.
The Half-Saint tree slave erupted in fury, spinning to unleash a devastating palm strike. Xiao Yan’s mind stirred, and his Ancient Phoenix Wings wrapped protectively around him. The newly fused Heavenly Flame merged from Ten Thousand Beast Flame, Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, and Nine Dragon Lightning Flame ignited instantly. The illusory figure of an incomparably beautiful giant bird wreathed in wind, thunder, and flame materialized to shield him.
BOOM! CLANG!
The Ancient Phoenix Bell released reverberating sonic waves. The shockwaves caused the Half-Saint tree slave’s features to contort in pain and anguish, as the sound waves could penetrate flesh and directly assault the seed within its skull.
Jiu Feng’s eyes gleamed with covetous desire upon witnessing Xiao Yan’s Ancient Phoenix Wings surpassing even his own.
"That Tian Class technique has actually reached the bloodline strength of the Ancient Heaven Phoenix royal line!"
In that instant of distraction, the Half-Saint puppet their Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe faced flashed before him. Five fingers formed claws, thrusting viciously as if to tear out his heart.
Jiu Feng sensed mortal danger and his multicolored pupils erupted with blinding radiance. In the next second, a Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe elder mysteriously appeared before him, taking the blow meant for him!
"Young Tribe Leader!" The elder never imagined Jiu Feng would manipulate him to serve as a human shield!
"Rest easy, Elder Huang Yi. I’ll ensure you receive proper burial. Your death won’t be in vain," Jiu Feng said coldly.
Poof!
Under the Half-Saint’s claw strike, this Seven-Star Dou Venerate elder exploded into blood mist. Even his Monster Core and soul were obliterated, and not even bones remained!
Xiao Yan naturally noticed Jiu Feng’s attention on him and shook his head, gaining new insight into the man’s ruthless nature. He glanced at Feng Qing Er, forgotten at the sidelines. This poor little phoenix will surely face difficult days ahead in the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe.
BOOM!
Overhead, multicolored lightning coalesced into a devastating strike that bombarded the Half-Saint tree slave. It was Cai Lin’s seven-colored heavenly thunder.
For a time, the space before the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree erupted in extremely fierce combat across five separate battlefields. The battles involving the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe and four reclusive factions could only be described as brutal.
"Strike together!" Xiao Yan transmitted urgently. He had just used the God Seal Technique—combining five seals into the Ancient God Seal—to blast a deep fissure into the tree slave’s skull, though the counterattack had sent him flying while coughing blood.
Everyone nodded at his command, each unleashing their most powerful techniques.
They struck with perfect coordination, their terrifying attacks converging on the Half-Saint tree slave’s head at the exact same instant. Under such devastating assault, the tree slave’s body trembled violently. Then its skull, already riddled with cracks from Xiao Yan’s bombardment, exploded like a watermelon hitting the ground.
Bang!
The moment the seed within its brain was destroyed, the headless tree slave ceased all movement. Its body emitted cracking sounds before dissolving into white ash that drifted away before everyone’s eyes.
This nameless Half-Saint expert thus vanished forever, leaving not a single trace behind.
Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, wiping cold sweat from his forehead as he surveyed their situation. Aside from Xun Er, the strongest among them, everyone bore injuries. Even elite experts like Gu Qing Yang and himself had suffered internal wounds from trading blows with the Half-Saint puppet.
’These Half-Saint tree slaves are truly terrifying. Real Half-Saints must be even more fearsome.’
Xiao Yan flicked his fingers, sending pills flying from his storage ring to hover before everyone.
"Rest and recover briefly. I’ll stand guard," he said in a deep voice.
No one objected. They swallowed the pills and quickly sat cross-legged, seizing every moment to enter cultivation states. In such a perilous place, maintaining full Dou Qi reserves was essential for survival.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, should we intervene?" Xun Er approached his side, her beautiful eyes observing the other battle circles as she asked softly.
None of those battles were proceeding smoothly. Even Hun Yu’s group had already lost one Hall of Souls expert whose heart was shattered by their Half-Saint puppet.
Though their overall strength didn’t match Xiao Yan’s group, those Half-Saint tree slaves clearly couldn’t maintain resistance much longer.
The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe and the other two battlefields presented rather tragic scenes. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had lost three elders with half their remaining members wounded, though they had inflicted a massive gash on their tree slave.
Compared to them, however, the final two battle circles appeared catastrophically worse. The four teams were hastily assembled coalitions that, despite individual strength, completely lacked cooperative coordination. Several Dou Venerate-level experts had already perished under the Half-Saint puppets’ assault. It could be said this was the area with the most severe casualties by far.
Moreover, once these tree slaves locked onto enemies, the fight became one to the death with escape nearly impossible.
"No need. Focus on ourselves. That Bodhisattva Ancient Tree is definitely not simple. Use this time to recover some Dou Qi."
Xiao Yan’s eyes flickered briefly before he shook his head. This wasn’t the moment for compassion; these people were all competitors.
If not for fearing that random attacks might provoke the Half-Saint tree slaves’ hostility, he would already be launching sneak attacks on them!
There was only one Bodhisattva Heart!
Soon, the Hun Clan eliminated their Half-Saint tree slave after sacrificing one Three-Change Dou Venerate and severely injuring two others. They glanced at Xiao Yan’s group, understanding the need to recover quickly.
Next came Jiu Feng’s Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe. After losing three elders and heavily wounding most survivors, Jiu Feng barely managed the kill.
After recovering for some time, Xiao Yan observed the final two battlefields. They still hadn’t resolved their conflicts. Though the Half-Saint tree slaves were covered in wounds, victory seemed unlikely.
Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged glances before striking together. Both unleashed God Seal Techniques in surprise attacks.
Boom!
The thunderous impact exploded one tree slave’s skull before they wheeled toward the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.
Almost simultaneously, Cai Lin, Little Fairy Doctor, and the others, having coordinated beforehand, surged toward the ancient tree as well.
