Chapter 1637: Heavenly Desolation Soul Purge

The avatar's moves were tricky and unpredictable.

The Ice Soul Divine Light blocked the masked man's retreat. Simultaneously, the masked man also faced the threat of the Seven Souls Killing Array. The masked man's meticulously planned ambush of Qin Sang had failed, instead leaving him in a predicament where he could neither advance nor retreat.

The divine light surged powerfully. A vast expanse of chilling energy froze everything in its path, even the very space. The masked man felt a chill penetrate his protective true essence, as if it would freeze his vital energy. Secretly alarmed, he instinctively brought forth his wooden armor to meet the attack. This treasure had protected its master several times and performed commendably.

The wooden armor appeared above the masked man's head, flickering with light, as the shadow of an ancient tree stretched out, seemingly spanning the heavens and earth. Unexpectedly, just as the ancient tree was about to fully form, the divine light's speed suddenly surged, sweeping down instantly, as if it had directly pierced through the ancient tree's shadow. The Ice Soul Divine Light excelled in concealment and speed. After the avatar refined the icy disc's chilling energy, its attack could no longer be concealed, yet the divine light's speed increased rather than decreased. The avatar had exchanged blows with the masked man and discerned the wooden armor's patterns, deliberately restraining the divine light's speed precisely to mislead the masked man's judgment and draw out the wooden armor.

Swish!

In an instant, the wooden armor was engulfed by the Ice Soul Divine Light. The ancient tree, not yet fully formed, violently shook and suddenly shattered. Within the vast white divine light, only the wooden armor's main body shone with a rich green glow, while mysterious ice rapidly condensed at the edge of the green light. The wooden armor tumbled erratically, and an endless stream of green light surged out. However, this treasure was a supreme defensive artifact, unable to break through the mysterious ice, and in a flash, it was sealed within a massive ice platform.

With a single move, one of the masked man's defensive treasures was disabled.

The Snow Treading Divine Blade followed closely. Its blade qi was like a rainbow!

At this moment, Qin Sang's true self had also adjusted. The Sun Divine Tree was hidden in his sleeve, and the Sun Divine Birds were poised to strike, merely waiting for the opportune moment. Once the blade and sword united, the masked man would face a death trap! To an ordinary person, the masked man now had no room to maneuver; he could either choose a direction and forcibly break through, or surrender.

"Insignificant tricks!" the masked man scoffed. He scoffed coldly and slapped his dantian with a backhand. A red light shot out from his dantian, and within it, strikingly, was the ethereal image of a spirit tree. The spirit tree hovered in front of the masked man, no more than seven feet tall. Compared to the other ten-thousand-year-old ancient trees in the jungle, it seemed much younger. The spirit tree's leaves were crimson with a dazzling luster, like magma flowing through their veins. Its grayish trunk was covered in cracks, resembling parched earth, ancient and robust. Its developed root system was also crimson and tightly clustered. The crimson glow emitted by the spirit tree was connected to the masked man's dantian, their energies seamlessly integrated. Its roots swayed in his direction, as if they were rooted within his body.

"Crimson Profound Ancient Tree?"

Qin Sang's pupils constricted. He then realized the ancient tree wasn't a transformed divine ability but an actual physical entity, which surprised him even more. The Ebony Sword needed to devour spirit wood to upgrade, so wherever he went, Qin Sang paid attention to collecting records about spirit wood. He had heard the name of the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree before, but he didn't fully understand its power. The masked man had refined a complete spirit tree, rooting it within his body. This kind of divine ability was entirely new to Qin Sang.

Just then, the masked man quickly completed a hand seal and pressed it onto the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree's trunk. The ancient tree trembled and rapidly descended. As it fell, the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree transformed from solid to ethereal, and the moment it touched the ground, it vanished completely, as if it had escaped underground. Qin Sang's gaze became solemn.

In that instant, the jungle changed, completely different from how it had felt before. Previously, the masked man had merely used the wooden beads to manipulate the glowing points, but now Qin Sang had the illusion that the entire jungle was connected by a strange force, becoming a unified entity. At the same time, a bright crimson light erupted from behind the masked man, and the ethereal image of the ancient tree appeared behind him. With a flicker, it merged into the masked man's body.

Whoosh! Crimson light shot into the sky!

The masked man leaped down from mid-air. The moment he landed, the ground was struck by an astonishing force, making a colossal, drum-like "thump." The aftershocks of the impact spread outwards, sending ripples through the jungle's foliage, and several side halls on the periphery were even shaken to collapse. Even more astonishingly, the masked man who landed on the ground was gone, transformed into a tall giant. His skin was rough like bark, and his arms and fingers were long and slender, like branches, resembling a spirit-creature born from an ancient tree. The giant's facial features faintly retained the masked man's outline. The masked man stood firmly on the ground, giving Qin Sang the feeling that he was an ancient tree rooted in this place, an immortal monument within this jungle!

Swish!

The Snow Treading Divine Blade slashed through the air. A blizzard poured down. In an instant, the masked man's hair turned white. He tilted his head back. His expression, combined with his rough skin, made him appear even more ferocious. He let out a savage sneer, and with a shake of his right shoulder, threw a heavy punch. Wherever the punch's aura reached, the blizzard suspended in mid-air. The snowflakes shattered, a scene like the void itself fracturing, leaving a striking path within the blizzard. Beneath the edge of the Snow Treading Divine Blade, a fist shadow suddenly appeared, undeterred by the sharp blade light, and struck out with a punch!

Boom!

Fist and blade collided. The Snow Treading Divine Blade vibrated wildly, and the avatar's aura faltered. It felt a massive force transmit through the divine blade from a distance, its body trembled, and it almost flew backward. The avatar's expression was solemn as it fully activated its cultivation technique to steady itself. However, the Snow Treading Divine Blade couldn't hold on. With a clang, the divine blade was jolted upward by the massive force. Though not immediately knocked away, its pressing offensive also slowed. Fortunately, at this moment, the sword array had already pressed forward, pulling the masked man into its formation.

Both the Golden Sinking Sword and the Snow Treading Divine Blade were magical treasures, but one was wielded by his true self and the other by his avatar. Moreover, Qin Sang's sword arts and blade techniques differed vastly, so their power was naturally incomparable.

From an aerial view, within the jungle, a dim space was sealed off by the sword array. The masked man fell into the array, his body becoming indistinct, surrounded by countless floating sword threads that revealed his murderous intent!

Swish!

The sword threads began to strangle. The masked man roared repeatedly, his fists like spinning wheels, creating continuous roaring sounds. Surprisingly, he counterattacked purely with his bare fists, and countless sword threads snapped in response. The masked man was inevitably cut by the sword threads, but beneath his bark-like thick skin, a layer of crimson light membrane flowed. It seemed he was not in life-threatening danger for the time being.

"What immense power!" Qin Sang exclaimed. He stared at the masked man's fists, finding no other treasures. From this, it was clear that the masked man had gained his strength through a divine ability. In previous exchanges, all signs indicated that this person couldn't be a body cultivator. However, through the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree and a unique divine ability, he had obtained a spirit wood body and could integrate into this ten-thousand-year-old jungle, thus undergoing a profound transformation. Qin Sang secretly thought it was fortunate he hadn't placed his hopes on the treasures given by Mount Myriad Poisons, as with the strength of this person's spirit wood body, suppressing potent poisons within him shouldn't be too difficult. However, while this person's strength greatly increased after transforming into a spirit wood body, he appeared cumbersome...

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly as he flashed above the sword array. His sleeves flared, and a crimson flame shot out from his hand, also conjuring a spirit tree. The difference was, this was a tree of flames! As the Sun Divine Tree first appeared, three Sun Divine Birds flew wing-to-wing, merging into a ball of fierce flames in mid-air, and in an instant, they charged towards the masked man. Feeling the violent aura of the Southern Bright Lihuo, the masked man's roars abruptly ceased. His expression changed drastically as he suddenly leaned back and rapidly retreated. But he was currently within the sword array; how could he freely dodge? Seeing the masked man struggling to move, the Sun Divine Birds were about to reach him.

Suddenly, the masked man's entire body stiffened, the luster of his skin rapidly faded, and he eerily transformed into a withered old tree. At the same time, a subtle vital energy flowed in the jungle's shadows. Qin Sang's expression darkened; it was too late to change the Sun Divine Birds' trajectory.

Boom!

The spirit fire plunged to the ground. Blazing flames erupted. The withered tree instantly turned to ash, and a large area of the surrounding jungle was incinerated into scorched earth.

"Is this what you rely on?" the masked man's voice echoed from the jungle beyond the scorched earth. A ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree swayed a few times, its leaves turning yellow and falling, and withered at a visible rate. Inside the tree trunk, there was a creaking sound, and a treant leaped out. It looked at Qin Sang, responding with a cold sneer, returning Qin Sang's taunt in full. The cumbersome posture of his spirit wood body was deliberately adopted by him; his purpose was to draw out Qin Sang's trump card, and it had indeed worked.

However, the masked man's heart was not as relaxed as his outward appearance suggested. Seeing the Sun Divine Tree, a trace of horror flashed in his eyes, and he finally understood why Su Zinan called him "Fire Fiend"! With just these two kinds of spirit fire — Demonic Fire and the Fire Tree — this person could walk unchallenged in the cultivation world. At the same time, he greatly regretted his overconfidence. He should have decisively withdrawn when the Weeping Spirit Cave Master was struck; now he was in a difficult situation, like riding a tiger from which he couldn't dismount.

The mocking words entered Qin Sang's ears. Qin Sang's face remained unperturbed. Relying on his divine sense and Heavenly Eye divine ability, he keenly perceived that the masked man's movements were not traceless, and after reappearing, his aura became disordered. Clearly, this divine ability brought a considerable burden.

Leaving the Sun Divine Tree hovering beside him, Qin Sang raised his right arm, reaching towards the distant vortex of death qi. His five fingers formed a claw, and he grasped it forcefully. The demonic fire within the vortex suddenly contracted, revealing the shape of a fire lotus. However, the demonic fire had not yet been completely refined. The edges of the fire lotus appeared ethereal, and some demonic fire still lingered outside, rotating around the fire lotus. As the demonic fire's power gathered to its extreme, the fire lotus trembled, possessing the might to shatter mountains and crack the earth. A "rumble" echoed from the center of the death qi vortex. The vortex collapsed in response, and countless streams of death qi scattered outwards, losing the masked man's control and quickly reverting to their essence as wood spirit qi. Instantly, green light rained down in the jungle.

Qin Sang pointed again, and the fire lotus expanded, instantly transforming into a massive ring of fire, large enough to cover most of the jungle, descending from the sky.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Blazing fire scorched the sky. Ancient trees crumbled. The masked man intended to use the jungle's terrain to his advantage, so Qin Sang set the jungle ablaze! Flames sprang up everywhere, and a black wall of fire surrounded the battlefield. Ten-thousand-year-old ancient trees were everywhere in the forest, many of which had become spirit wood due to their age, but how could they withstand the Nine Nether Demonic Fire? Ash drifted. The wall of fire advanced inward, and the area of scorched earth rapidly expanded.

Crack!

At the edge of the fire wall, an ancient tree had coincidentally transformed into a treant. The masked man, with thoughts of retreat, leaped to this spot, but his connection to the outside jungle was severed by the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, forcing him out. The masked man hadn't expected Qin Sang to find the crucial point so quickly. After Zhu Wudao sent him the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree, he began refining the Acquired Wooden Man Stele. This divine ability was a true legacy of the Wood Aspect Palace. Before grand completion, it required a place abundant in wood spirit qi to unleash its full power. However, he had spent most of his time cultivating the Gu King, lacking sufficient cultivation time, so he was still some distance from grand completion.

He was no longer in the mood for mockery. The masked man's body flickered, about to break through the demonic fire's blockade.

Swish!

The Ice Soul Divine Light reappeared. The avatar, seeing that the Snow Treading Divine Blade posed no threat to this person, simply withdrew its blade and focused on controlling the divine light. The sword array followed closely. The masked man's body was first covered in a layer of frost, then sealed by sword threads. No matter how powerful his spirit wood body was, he couldn't withstand it anymore. Qin Sang directly summoned three Sun Divine Birds. He already had a certain degree of control over them, no longer acting without reservation. The divine birds circled in the sky, poised to strike. However, if the masked man didn't dodge, the Sun Divine Birds wouldn't just be posturing. Furthermore, Qin Sang occasionally used the Soul Seizing True Word. Even if the masked man was prepared, he was inevitably affected by the stinging sensations from his soul. Several leaps failed to help him escape. A look of anxiety gradually appeared on the masked man's face.

Boom!

Crimson flames surged heavenward. Manipulating the Sun Divine Birds for too long, while also managing the demonic fire and sword array, exceeded Qin Sang's capabilities, forcing him to act. As expected, the Sun Divine Birds missed again. The masked man's maneuvering range was compressed by more than half. He reappeared in another location, immediately followed by the divine light and sword array. Unexpectedly, the masked man, contrary to his usual behavior, did not rush to counterattack but looked at Qin Sang with a faint cold sneer at his lips.

Noticing the masked man's expression, Qin Sang's gaze sharpened. He suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger. Without hesitation, he furiously flapped his phoenix wings, soaring rapidly into the sky. The masked man's glabella swelled, and a blood armored beetle emerged from it. In a short time, the jade armored beetle became entirely blood-red and extremely demonic. The blood armored beetle wriggled on his glabella, causing the masked man's features to twist violently. Even with such a powerful spirit wood body, his aura fluctuated unstably, suffering greatly from the backlash. From his throat, a sinister whisper was squeezed out, "Take this Heaven Severing Soul-Purging Divine Needle — let's see if you survive!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

After the death qi vortex collapsed, the glowing points scattered throughout the jungle. Suddenly, around the masked man, all the glowing points floated into the air. Inside each glowing point was the ethereal image of a jade armored beetle. Earlier, the masked man had used three poisonous lights to ambush Qin Sang. Knowing from the Weeping Spirit Cave Master that Qin Sang's divine sense was extremely strong, he knew there was a possibility of being exposed, so he had kept a trump card in reserve. If it succeeded, fine, but if it failed, he could, under the cover of the poisonous light, secretly set up a plan, transforming each glowing point into the power of a jade armored beetle until Qin Sang's Sun Divine Tree was forced out. At the moment when old strength had just been expended and new strength had not yet arisen, he would reveal his killing intent! The Heaven Severing Soul-Purging Divine Needle possessed immense power, but unfortunately, even with his late Nascent Soul cultivation, it required a long preparation time and could not be easily unleashed.

Swish!

The glowing points transformed into poisonous needles, their tips flickering with a cold, eerie poisonous light. All the poisonous needles simultaneously aimed at Qin Sang and shot forth! Although the poisonous needles were fast, Qin Sang had been on guard against the masked man, maintaining a distance from him. His escape speed was like lightning, and the poisonous needles seemed unable to catch up. The masked man's glabella erupted with crimson light, and he let out a low roar, followed by a clamorous sound of flapping wings.

The next moment, an astonishing scene unfolded. The blood armored beetle detached from the masked man's glabella, flew through the air to below the poisonous needles, its eyes fixed on Qin Sang, flickering with fierce, bloody light. The poisonous needles instantly merged, becoming a blood-red needle as thin as a strand of hair. The blood needle flickered, unbelievably crossing through space, catching up to Qin Sang.