Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 168: Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire

Si Zhiheng was about to help his centipede kill Wang Hao’s spirit beasts. Even if Wang Hao escaped the blast afterward, Si Zhiheng and the centipede could then face him together.

But as soon as he looked away, Wang Hao rushed out of the mushroom-shaped cloud.

The Heavenly Thunder Bead’s power did not last forever. Wang Hao had two upper-tier spiritual weapons for defense; as long as he could supply them with spiritual power, the blast would not break through.

The fireballs were troublesome too, but the shield he formed from his Red Lotus True Fire kept them from harming him.

Si Zhiheng had diverted his attention, and Wang Hao seized the chance.

Wang Hao swallowed a Qi-Returning Pill and used the Phantom Wood Clone Art. Three figures, accompanied by countless sword lights, attacked Si Zhiheng.

Si Zhiheng hurried to defend himself.

He had not realized that Wang Hao’s true body had gone after the centipede.

The beast shrieked as Wang Hao cut it in two with a sword.

Si Zhiheng was shocked and furious. He had spent years raising the centipede. With its help he had killed many demon beasts and explored several secret realms, earning much of his wealth.

Now it was dead.

“You brat! You’ll pay for my spirit beast!”

A golden flame appeared in Si Zhiheng’s hand.

He formed a seal, and the flame took the shape of a golden eagle. It cried out and flew toward Wang Hao.

The air distorted as the heat rose around it.

“Die!” Si Zhiheng shouted at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao sensed danger comparable to the Gu cultivator’s self-destruction.

What kind of flame could be so frightening?

He felt oppressed by its power.

Searching his knowledge, Wang Hao suspected it was a Heaven-and-Earth Spirit Flame, born naturally from the world. Such flames could inspire fear, and ancient ones might even develop intelligence and become harder to handle than demon beasts.

That explained the extraordinary power of Si Zhiheng’s earlier fireballs.

Wang Hao used two Ice Talismans.

They formed an ice wall several zhang high, but the golden eagle melted it with ease. White vapor rose as it flew through and continued toward him.

Wang Hao retreated and kept throwing water and ice talismans at it.

The ice walls melted into pools, and the water dragons evaporated before they reached the eagle.

Its power appeared only slightly diminished.

Wang Hao’s Red Lotus True Fire was strong, but this spirit flame was on another level. Comparing them was like comparing a kindergartener with a two-hundred-kilogram strongman.

“Die. You won’t stop my True Sun Flame with such ordinary methods!” Si Zhiheng said with a cold laugh.

“I have no choice,” Wang Hao thought.

He had not wanted to use the Spirit-Splitting Cone while still injured. Forcing it to strike Si Zhiheng’s divine sense might rebound on his own.

But he could not restrain the True Sun Flame any other way and had to take the risk.

He retreated, using talismans and sword light to weaken the eagle as it followed.

Si Zhiheng gave chase, then suddenly stopped.

His divine sense felt as though something had pierced it.

The pain almost made him fall.

He steadied himself, looked warily at Wang Hao, and took out a scorched first-grade talisman.

“A divine-sense attack? Fortunately, I found a talisman that protects against those. Otherwise you might have succeeded.”

Wang Hao smiled bitterly. He had feared Si Zhiheng might have a defense, and he did. The Spirit-Splitting Cone had not worked as intended, while its backlash badly damaged Wang Hao’s divine sense and reduced his strength by another thirty percent.

Still, Si Zhiheng had been affected.

The strike had severed the thread of divine sense he used to control the True Sun Flame.

The golden eagle stopped attacking Wang Hao and struggled in the air, nearly breaking free. Refining a Heaven-and-Earth Spirit Flame was difficult, and any loss of strength could allow it to turn on its master unless the cultivator had a special way to restrain it.

Si Zhiheng quickly formed seals. The eagle looked pained, but his injured divine sense could no longer force it into obedience.

Wang Hao saw his chance.

He endured the pain in his head and ordered the Phantom Moon Butterflies to attack.

They flew higher and fired two beams of illusion-inducing light.

Si Zhiheng dodged and threw talismans at them.

The butterflies were vulnerable. Wang Hao had them conceal themselves in mist rather than take the hits.

He used a talisman to block Si Zhiheng’s attacks.

The butterflies’ attacks were powerful but slow. Once seen, they were easier to avoid.

Si Zhiheng tried to regain control of the True Sun Flame, but Wang Hao kept him occupied.

Hidden in the mist, the butterflies attacked from different angles. Si Zhiheng had to concentrate on avoiding their beams.

Wang Hao used the opportunity to take several kinds of healing pills and stabilize his injuries.

He could no longer risk using methods like the Chaos Earth Seal that needed a great deal of divine-sense control.

Fortunately, he had plenty of talismans.

He used a Hundred Blades Talisman, sending hundreds of three-foot-long spiritual blades at Si Zhiheng.

Si Zhiheng raised a small green shield.

The blades clattered against it.

Si Zhiheng had expected the spirit flame to defeat Wang Hao, but the divine-sense attack had broken his connection with it. His own injury was not severe, yet he could not regain control at once.

He could hold out a while, but what if Si Zhijie lost?

Si Zhiheng was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, below Wang Hao. They were roughly matched in fighting experience. If Wang Hao had been uninjured, Si Zhiheng might already have lost.

He had no other plan and could only respond to each attack.

He took out one of his remaining second-grade talismans, a glowing golden one.

He threw it at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao’s Clear Source Boots flashed as he shifted aside. He used several Earth Wall Talismans, raising a yellow wall in front of himself.

Golden light shattered the wall and sent sand and stones flying.

Several golden swords emerged, but had little power left. Wang Hao destroyed them with fireballs.