Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Spirit Vein Source Stone

BOOM!

A terrifying sonic boom erupted as Shen Haoran’s body shot like a cannonball into the Spirit Sea, kicking up a spray of Spiritual Power!

HISS... HISS...

The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian burned wildly. As he sped forward, it created intense friction with the surrounding Spiritual Power, causing plumes of spiritual mist to rise and slowly envelop him.

At this point, Shen Haoran was using all of his strength. He had charged in with the resolve to succeed or die trying!

WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

His speed was so great that a visible airflow formed around him. Shen Haoran stared intently at the calm Spirit Sea, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Seeing the Crystal Stone getting closer and the Spirit Sea remaining calm, a look of joy crossed Shen Haoran’s face. ’Looks like my luck is good this time. The Spirit Tide seems to be placid for a bit longer than usual!’

However, Shen Haoran didn’t dare relax in the slightest. Although the eruptions of the Spirit Tide followed a pattern, it wasn’t always precise. If it suddenly surged, he would be done for!

Thanks to his desperate, terrifying speed, he finally closed in on the Crystal Stone!

Looking at the Crystal Stone floating silently before him, Shen Haoran had no time to study it. He grabbed it and pulled.

BOOM!

The moment Shen Haoran pulled the Crystal Stone from its original position, the placid Spirit Sea suddenly erupted. A massive Spirit Tide carrying a terrifying aura rushed toward him!

Sensing that destructive aura, Shen Haoran’s pupils shrank. In an instant, cold sweat soaked his clothes!

’Damn it! So this Crystal Stone was being used to suppress the Spirit Sea!’ Shen Haoran cursed inwardly, then whirled around and fled desperately toward the edge of the Spirit Sea.

Just as Shen Haoran’s form left the spot, the raging Spirit Tide behind him devoured his afterimage. It then transformed into a long dragon of Spiritual Power and shot after him!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Behind him, deafening sonic booms echoed continuously, and the destructive aura grew closer and closer!

Shen Haoran glanced back at the Spirit Tide that was gradually catching up, and his heart sank.

’Damn it!’ he cursed inwardly again. Shen Haoran bit the tip of his tongue, and the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian covering his body flared up once more, increasing his speed by a fraction! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

However, that minuscule increase was nothing to the Spirit Tide behind him. The churning, colossal wave closed in on Shen Haoran, bit by bit, threatening to engulf him!

BAM...!

With a muffled crash, the massive tide slammed down from above. The resulting blast of Powerful Qi struck Shen Haoran’s back. The immense force made his entire body shudder and turn illusory!

Seeing the stone platform several hundred meters away, Shen Haoran could only grit his teeth and charge frantically outward. Even as the pressure on his back grew, he didn’t dare look back. If he wasted even a fraction of a second, he would be swallowed by the Spirit Tide!

SWISH!

Shen Haoran sprinted across the Spirit Sea with the massive tide in hot pursuit. His body seemed so tiny, as if a single splash could bury him completely!

BANG!

Just as Shen Haoran was about to escape the Spirit Sea, a loud crash suddenly sounded. To his side, a pillar of Spiritual Power shot toward him. The ferocious Powerful Qi shocked him, and he came to an abrupt halt!

The pillar of Spiritual Power grazed past his shoulder. The fierce, gale-force wind it generated made Shen Haoran’s body tremble!

But while he had dodged the pillar, the Spirit Tide behind him surged forward, crashing down right on top of him!

’It’s over!’ Shen Haoran thought, his heart filled with unwillingness to accept this end.

ROAR! Just as Shen Haoran was about to be swallowed by the Spirit Tide, a heaven-shaking roar erupted from the shore not far away. Changmao’s originally small and thin figure suddenly expanded, transforming into a colossal Ancient Fierce Beast!

"Hurry, run!" Changmao bellowed. A Devouring Power immediately surged from his body, forming a storm of Spiritual Power around him. All the surrounding Spiritual Power instantly gathered in his mouth, coalescing into a pitch-black orb of Energy.

BAM!

The next moment, Changmao spat out the pitch-black orb. It shot like lightning into the surging tide and instantly detonated!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of thunderous explosions echoed through the Spirit Sea, and the massive tide was shattered by Changmao’s attack. The shockwave from the collision sent Shen Haoran’s body flying toward Changmao on the stone platform.

Seeing Shen Haoran hurtling toward him, Changmao caught him in his jaws, tossed him onto his back, and then transformed into a streak of black light, shooting into the tunnel they had come from.

SPLASH! RUMBLE!

Changmao’s attack seemed to have enraged the ocean of Spiritual Power. Countless Spirit Tides churned and rose, roaring as they chased after the two.

...

Back in the narrow tunnel, Changmao had reverted to his small, thin form. The light around his body had dimmed considerably; it seemed that last attack had consumed a great deal of his Energy.

Shen Haoran’s body had also become extremely illusory, his entire lower half having disappeared. Fortunately, this was only a body of Spiritual Thought. Otherwise, his current injuries would have been fatal!

Seeing the Spirit Tides in relentless pursuit behind them, the two could only grit their teeth and desperately race upward.

Perhaps because the tunnel was too winding, the waves of Spiritual Power could never quite catch up to them. In the end, it could only watch as Shen Haoran and Changmao flew out of the tunnel.

BOOM! The wave of Spiritual Power slammed against the cave entrance, where the complex runes of an Array materialized, blocking its path.

Shen Haoran and Changmao collapsed on the ground like dead dogs, their forms slowly dissipating as they returned to their physical bodies.

PFFT...

Shen Haoran, who had been sitting cross-legged, snapped his eyes open and spat out a mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned pale. An injury to one’s Spiritual Thought was far more severe than a physical one!

"What happened?" Elder Yan asked hurriedly upon seeing Shen Haoran’s suddenly pale face.

Shen Haoran took a deep breath, suppressing the churning qi and blood within him. He then opened his palm. A Crystal Stone as dazzling as a star lay quietly in his hand. This was the very Crystal Stone he had brought back from the Spirit Vein.

"A Spirit Vein Source Stone!? You went to the Spirit Vein?" Elder Yan exclaimed in shock when he saw the Crystal Stone.

"Elder Yan, you recognize this?" Shen Haoran asked softly, seeing the shocked expression on Elder Yan’s face.

"Yes. A Spirit Vein Source Stone is something that can only be formed after a Spirit Vein has accumulated and precipitated for millions of years! Its rarity is in no way inferior to the five great Heaven and Earth Spirits!" Elder Yan said, his eyes burning with passion as he gazed at the Spirit Vein Source Stone.

"Do you have any idea what a Spirit Vein is?" Elder Yan then asked Shen Haoran.

"Of course," Shen Haoran said with a nod.

A Spirit Vein is the source of Energy for an entire region. Take the Red Flame Spiritual Vein, for example. All living beings in the Red Flame Mountain Range rely on it to survive, cultivate, and grow. You could say it is what created the Red Flame Mountain Range; it is the very heart of the mountains!

’Just think about it, the amount of Energy stored within something that can supply an entire mountain range must be immense! And it has been accumulating for millions of years...’ Shen Haoran stared at the Spirit Vein Source Stone in his hand and couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. ’It seems I’ve really found an incredible treasure this time!’