Holy Cloud Pool

Oh?

A Golden Core realm tree demon?

A bit weak.

Though Ye Chuan was only at the Crystallization stage, facing a tree demon a whole major realm above him didn’t bring any sense of pressure. Perhaps this was the charm of being overpowered.

"Tree demons, tree demons…" Ye Chuan released his divine sense and soon realized that all the towering trees around him were tree demons, each radiating an aura no weaker than the Golden Core realm!

"No way… these trees are all alive?" Ye Chuan was stunned. Just as he finished off the first tree demon that had approached, the surrounding trees—previously standing silent and still—began to tremble. Roots tore free from the earth, mirroring the scene from moments ago.

Seeing the swarm of tree demons charging at him, Ye Chuan swiftly formed hand seals. "Let’s make this quick—Nine Flames Avatar!"

Nine blazing golden flames erupted from his palms, coalescing into a towering avatar dozens of feet tall. Arcane runes swirled around the avatar’s form, each flame pulsing with destructive energy.

Divine Ability: Nine Flames Avatar!

The tree demons struck first. Thousands of roots burst from the ground like black serpents, surging through the dirt in a tidal wave of attack!

Yet Ye Chuan didn’t dodge. The flaming avatar swung its arms, and nine waves of fire collided in a cataclysmic explosion. The moment the flames met the roots, scalding steam and the stench of charred wood shot into the sky, turning the entire forest into a living hell!

"Souls, come!" The battle ended swiftly. Ye Chuan raised his Soul Banner, and the lingering spirits of the tree demons writhed in the flames, only to be dragged by invisible chains into the banner as streaks of azure light—

[Absorbed Golden Core soul—Artifact boosts host attributes by +7%]

[Absorbed Golden Core soul—Artifact boosts host attributes by +6%]

[Absorbed Golden Core soul—Artifact boosts host attributes by +5%]

[Absorbed Golden Core soul—Artifact boosts host attributes by +4%]

……

Dense lines of enhancement notifications flooded his vision. Ye Chuan could clearly feel the Soul Banner’s buffs surging—though it was a shame the boosts only amplified the artifact’s effects on him rather than directly strengthening his own attributes. That would’ve been truly broken.

Still, the power increase was nothing to scoff at. Ye Chuan could distinctly sense his combat prowess rising.

Gazing at the sea of flames before him, he felt no remorse for the devastation inflicted upon the Qingyun Sect’s sacred grounds. After all, the tree demons had struck first.

With a light step, he activated Spatial Leap and vanished from the spot.

Elsewhere, Zi Ning'er was flying on her sword when she sensed the tremors of battle—and the distant blaze of firelight.

What in the world was happening?

Had her junior brother run into danger?

Pushing her spiritual energy to the limit, she arrived at the scene in moments—only to be met with a wasteland of flames and the ashen remains of tree demons. Stunned, she muttered,

"T-These thousand-year tree spirits… destroyed? Could this be junior brother’s doing?"

No, impossible. The sacred grounds of the Qingyun Sect housed a forest of tree spirits, most at the Golden Core realm. How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like Ye Chuan defeat them?

Moreover, Zi Ning'er couldn’t detect even a trace of his aura here. Had he been present, residual energy would’ve lingered.

Realizing the situation wasn’t as simple as she’d thought, she suppressed her doubts and focused on finding him.

Soon, with the help of a communication token, she reunited with Ye Chuan atop a cliff.

"Junior brother, are you alright?" Seeing him unharmed, Zi Ning'er exhaled in relief.

"I’m fine. Why so worried, senior sister?" Ye Chuan smiled.

"There was some kind of battle earlier. I feared for your safety," she replied, shaking her head.

"..." Ye Chuan fell silent for a few seconds before responding, "I’m fine, senior sister. You worry too much."

"You’re my junior brother. Who else would I care about?" Zi Ning'er chuckled.

"Fair enough."

"Never mind that. Let’s proceed with the sacred baptism." With that, she summoned her sword again, pulling Ye Chuan onto it as they flew toward their destination.

Throughout the journey, Ye Chuan wrestled with his thoughts, but in the end, he said nothing, merely watching Zi Ning'er’s back in silence.

"We’re here."

A vast pool of shimmering water came into view—over a thousand feet wide, its surface dotted with glowing motes of light and wreathed in mist.

"The Qingyun Sacred Pool. Bathing here grants a significant boost in cultivation," Zi Ning'er explained.

"Since you’ve broken through to the Crystallization stage, this pool will help stabilize your realm."

"Got it."

As Ye Chuan prepared to enter, Zi Ning'er suddenly added, "I’ll bathe over there… and remember, no peeking."

Her warning carried no real threat—if anything, it sounded almost coquettish.

Nodding, Ye Chuan waited as she flew to a distant spot.

True to his word, he didn’t peek. He had no romantic interest in Zi Ning'er, but her kindness and care left him with an odd, uncomfortable feeling.

Exhaling slowly, he shed his clothes and stepped into the pool.

The warm water felt like a hot spring, instantly relaxing his pores—but the next moment, an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy flooded into his body.

"This is the Sacred Pool?" The density of energy left him speechless. It was even more concentrated than his Spirit Gathering Array back home!

Soaking in it was pure bliss.

If only he could take it back for Luo Xi to enjoy…

The thought made him idly open his inventory and attempt storing the pool water.

The next instant, the water level began dropping at a visible rate—fast.

"Wait, it actually works?" Ye Chuan blinked.

"The Sacred Pool—what’s happening?!" Zi Ning'er’s alarmed voice rang out. He turned to see her staring in shock as the waterline plummeted. "Why is it drying up?!"

Though still deep, the sudden loss sent her into a panic. This was the Qingyun Sect’s sacred treasure—if something went wrong, there’d be hell to pay!

Ye Chuan discreetly checked his inventory.

[Item: Sacred Pool Water

Water imbued with dense spiritual energy

Quantity: 7.06 million tons]

Ye Chuan: "..."

Ahem.

"Junior brother, too many anomalies are happening here. We must report to the sect immediately!" Zi Ning'er flew over in a frenzy, scooping him up. "Let’s go!"

"Wait, senior sister—clothes! My clothes!" Ye Chuan protested as she carried him off.