Chapter 1775: Put Down the Brand

Seeing the platform being pulled up, the numerous apricot trees were all enraged. In an instant, branches and leaves fluttered and crashed down towards Yuan Tao.

"Oh no..." Zhang Xuan's expression changed. He had personally witnessed the destructive power of the apricot tree branches and leaves; even he would find it hard to escape unharmed if struck, let alone Yuan Tao, whose cultivation was far inferior to his own! Just as he was about to rush forward to save him, he felt a tightening around his wrist and saw Luo Ruoxi holding his hand, shaking her head.

Knowing the girl must have her own reasons for doing this, Zhang Xuan immediately suppressed his worry and looked back. The apricot branches and leaves had already reached Yuan Tao. With a soft hum, Yuan Tao seemed to activate some kind of protection, as a warm glow formed a thin protective armor around him.

The armor was not thick, yet the force of the attacks could not penetrate it, no matter what. "Is that the Golden Armor left by an Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He had heard of this item; it was somewhat similar to the Sage Golden Soldiers. It was a special technique left by Ancient Sages on a person's body, capable of forming an impenetrable defense against anyone below the Ancient Sage realm, incredibly powerful. It seemed that the experts from the Hundred Schools of Thought knew that retrieving the platform would be dangerous for him, so they intentionally left this to protect his life.

Crackle! The numerous apricot trees continued to lash out madly. With each strike, the armor weakened slightly. After all, the Golden Armor was formed by concentrated energy; prolonged attacks would eventually deplete it until it disappeared.

"Lift!" Though his six senses were shut off, preventing him from perceiving his surroundings or knowing his exact location, Yuan Tao was still acutely aware of the constant attacks. With a thunderous roar, he exerted all his strength. Rumble! The Dragon-Rhino bloodline within him ignited, and immediately, a spectral image of a Dragon-Rhino appeared above his head, its head touching the heavens and its feet planted on the earth. As the spectral image appeared, his strength surged once more, and the shackles on his cultivation seemed to break instantly, reaching the Great Sage level. Although Yuan Tao's bloodline had been activated, his cultivation had never broken through to the Immortal God realm; under this immense pressure, he succeeded immediately.

Creak! Creak! With his cultivation advancing, bloodline burning, and strength increasing, the tall stone platform rose significantly once more. Its connection to the ground seemed on the verge of breaking completely.

"So strong..." Zhang Xuan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Yuan Tao, before him, was drawing upon the immense power of the earth; as long as his feet remained on the ground, his strength seemed boundless. Could this be the Dragon-Rhino bloodline? Not only was its defense invincible, but as long as it was rooted to the ground, its strength was something no ordinary person could contend with.

"The Dragon-Rhino bloodline belongs to the Earth element of the Five Phases and can draw upon the earth's profound energy to unleash extraordinary combat power... Once truly activated, it's no weaker, and in fact stronger, than Wei Ruyan's Innate Poison Body or Zhao Ya's Pure Yin Body!" Seeing that he understood, Luo Ruoxi nodded and said, "Don't you have a Houtu Qilin? Get some of its essence blood!"

"Okay!" Zhang Xuan nodded, not asking how she knew he had tamed the Five Kings of the Forest World. Instead, he moved his spiritual sense to communicate with the sacred beast within his folding space, and with a flick of his finger, a cluster of essence blood appeared hovering above. The Five Kings of the Forest World suppressed the Five Phases, and the Houtu Qilin was precisely the Earth-attributed powerhouse.

"Inject the blood into Yuan Tao's glabella..." Luo Ruoxi instructed. Zhang Xuan flicked his finger. Whoosh! The Houtu Qilin's essence blood immediately flew towards the nearby stout man and entered through his glabella.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! As soon as the blood entered his body, it seemed to ignite. The Dragon-Rhino hovering above Yuan Tao's head grew even more massive, as if it had received a powerful tonic. It stomped its feet on the ground, seemingly ready to lift the very heavens and earth.

Crack! The base connecting the platform to the ground completely fractured, and Yuan Tao violently ripped it from the earth. A violent tremor ensued, and the imprinted figure, which had been lecturing on the platform, spoke with some incoherence. The people listening on the meditation cushions awoke from their trance, each startled.

"What are you doing!" "You're seeking death!" The numerous Fae Tribe members were practically exploding with rage. Master Kong taught without discrimination, and the recent lecture had been beneficial for their cultivation. Now, this fellow had pulled up the platform, effectively cutting off their opportunity for cultivation. The Fae Tribe members were also people! They too had the right to receive guidance from Master Kong and cultivate!

"Block them!" Yan Xue whispered. The members of the Hundred Schools of Thought uniformly stepped forward to block. Yuan Tao pulling up the platform was precisely what they had planned; at this crucial moment, no one would be allowed to interfere.

Crack! The two sides stood in confrontation, ready to act at any moment. Zhang Xuan, too lazy to intervene, continued to watch Yuan Tao. Just then, the Golden Armor on Yuan Tao's body could no longer withstand the attacks and instantly shattered.

"Oh no..." Zhang Xuan was filled with anxiety. With the armor earlier, he could still withstand the apricot trees' attacks. Now that it had completely shattered, wouldn't he be killed very quickly?

"Don't worry, someone is even more anxious than you are..." Luo Ruoxi smiled again. Before her words even finished, Yan Xue flicked his palm, and a large cloak flew straight towards Yuan Tao, landing on his body.

When the branches and leaves struck the cloak, they were once again blocked. "This is... a treasure left by an Ancient Sage?" Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted. He knew without a doubt that this was a top-tier defensive treasure refined by an Ancient Sage; even the Demonic Azure Blade might not be able to shatter it in a single strike. As expected of the Hundred Schools of Thought, they certainly had many treasures.

Creak! Creak! With the treasure blocking the attacks, there was a buffer of time. Yuan Tao, clutching the platform, moved away from his spot. As the platform swayed, the hovering spectral image above it also swayed, seeming somewhat unstable.

"Now's the time, Zhang Xuan! Go get that imprint and inject it into Yuan Tao's body..." Luo Ruoxi said. "Okay!" He had long since stopped wanting to merely watch the show. Zhang Xuan's body blurred, appearing above the platform, and he slapped down with his palm in mid-air.

While others revered Master Kong's relics, he felt no such awe. As the force of his palm descended, the imprint, resembling a human figure, indeed lost its balance, swayed, and immediately fell from the platform. With Heavenly Dao True Qi permeating, he gently tapped it. Whoosh! Just as Luo Ruoxi had said, the imprint was injected into Yuan Tao's glabella.

"What are you doing...?" Everyone was stunned, and Yan Xue's scalp tingled as he roared. Their purpose in snatching the platform was precisely for this imprint. Yet now, the imprint had actually been injected into Yuan Tao's body... It was simply inconceivable, unbelievable.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan did not reply and returned to his previous position. Before he had even fully settled, he saw Yuan Tao, who had absorbed the imprint, suddenly swell. His already stout figure rapidly inflated like a balloon.

Creak! Creak! In the blink of an eye, he became perfectly round, exceeding two meters in both height and width, resembling a massive barrel. "What's going on?" Frowning, Zhang Xuan was also stunned. Even he had not anticipated such a situation.