The bamboo grove trembled as chaotic leaves fluttered, with gusts of astral wind colliding so fiercely that bamboo stalks bent and even rocks were swept up!
Daoling stood within a cyan light screen, golden radiance bursting from his天灵盖 (top of the head), each ray scorching hot. Endless wood-attributed energy spread through his body.
He stomped the ground, causing a thunderous roar and rapid cracking. His aura intensified, twisting the light screen pressing in from all sides until it exploded inch by inch!
Surging energy rebounded from the wilderness. Wang Ling, who had controlled the heaven and earth here, suddenly felt layers of pressure reversing like golden ripples. His body trembled, and he staggered backward.
Wang Ling's heart jolted. Blood trickled from his嘴角(Corners of the mouth), his face deathly阴沉 (dark). He felt a blazing furnace before him.
"Hmph, arrogant fool. Got反噬 (backlashed), didn't you?"
A golden figure approached. Daoling's eyes met Wang Ling's狼狈 (embarrassed) form, a faint arc forming at the corner of his mouth. "If your cultivation isn't up to par, don't try to act like a master and make a fool of yourself!"
"Scoundrel!" Wang Ling's face turned猪肝色 (livid). He had tried to suppress Daoling with surrounding energy, but没想到 (unexpectedly) Daoling was strong enough to break through, disrupting his control and causing a energy backlash!
Daoling's mind raced as he pondered his path. Though Soul Convergence allowed mastering heaven and earth energy to crush enemies, it wasn't one's own power—physical body was the true way!
"I must develop my flesh to the limit!" He clenched his fist, envisioning a future path: honoring one's body, cultivating a battle physique, making the flesh indestructible.
But this path required逆天 (heaven-defying) tempering in the Body Forging Realm.
Daoling knew he lagged behind top天之骄子 (heaven's favored ones). Qian Yao was terrifying, not to mention the Little Martial Stele's number one— the Martial Emperor!
That was his goal.
Taking a deep breath, Daoling looked at Wang Ling. The latter's only reliance in Soul Convergence had been broken.
Wang Ling didn't speak, charging instead. Though temporarily unable to control heaven and earth energy, entering Soul Convergence awakened diverse energies in the flesh, far surpassing Half-Step Soul Convergence.
"Kill!" Daoling长啸 (roared), stomping the ground before bursting forward, surging with blood energy as he threw a punch.
"Die!" Wang Ling howled, charging to meet him, channeling muscle energy into his fist to crush Daoling and avenge his shame.
BOOM! The earth trembled like thunder drums. Both bodies vibrated.
Daoling tensed. Soul Convergence was indeed beyond Body Forging. His fist felt numb, giving him a deeper understanding of its power.
Wang Ling had only 20,000-jin strength in Body Forging, but others—like the Martial Emperor—could likely suppress him with a single breath at that realm!
Wang Ling's虎口 (tiger's mouth) ached,惊骇 (shocked). Daoling's punch had carried 50,000 to 60,000-jin of force!
Alarm bells rang in his mind. Daoling was too abnormal—unbroken through yet this powerful. If he reached Soul Convergence, Wang Ling would have no chance.
"Youngster, die! I won't waste more time on you!" Wang Ling sneered, channeling energy recklessly into his palm. A small bronze ferocious beast formed, radiating凶栗 (fierce) aura.
"He's mastered a minor divine ability derived from ferocious beasts!" Daoling's eyes flickered, clenching his fist as golden blood energy coiled like starlight, exuding ferocity.
Though a minor divine ability, Wang Ling had only mastered its皮毛（a mere trifle）, unable to unleash its full power.
"Barbaric Ox Divine Ability!" Wang Ling嘶吼 (roared), pushing his palm. The ox in his hand charged toward Daoling.
"Stellar Fist!" Daoling thundered, forming a fist seal. His hair fluttered as his aura towered. The punch was like a sword unsheathing, twisting the vacuum as it slammed into the ox. BOOM! The天地 (heaven and earth) shuddered, vacuum cracked, and surging energy swept up a ten-thousand-jin boulder.
Sand and stones flew, airwaves surged, engulfing both as surrounding bamboo shattered. The tempest lasted ten breaths before subsiding, leaving chaos. Wang Ling staggered back, face pale, body gashed and bleeding.
"Surely he's dead now," Wang Ling thought, wiping blood. The forced use of the Barbaric Ox Ability had caused another backlash.
But as dust settled, a figure emerged, eyeing him冷漠 (coldly).
"You!" Wang Ling's heart dropped. Daoling was unharmed! He tried to charge but, daunted by Daoling's calm expression, turned to flee.
"Where do you think you're going?" Daoling冷哼 (snorted), leaping to grab Wang Ling's shoulder.
"Scoundrel! I'm from the Wang Clan! Hurt me, and you'll die! Young Master Fei saw you—kill me, and you're finished!" Wang Ling screamed in terror.
Daoling said nothing, lifting him by the shoulder and slamming him to the ground.
"AH!"
Screams and bone-cracking echoed in the grove. Wang Ling nearly died, body trembling.
"You stole my Blue Crystal half a month ago. Now it's time to repay the debt!" Daoling growled. Without the Devouring Heavens Technique, he would have perished. No mercy for Wang Ling.
"It's not my fault! That bitch Wang Ya told me about the Blue Crystal! You can't kill me—you'll regret it!" Wang Ling shrieked, face contorted with fear.
"Hmph, still threatening me?" Daoling冷笑 (smirked), his fist cracking like a death knell as it slammed into Wang Ling's chest.
Wang Ling gagged on blood,瘫 (paralyzed) on the ground, eyes a mix of venom and regret. He never expected to meet such an end...
Daoling staggered, panting heavily, sweat drenching him.后怕 (dread) lingered—if Wang Ling hadn't fled, the outcome could have been different.
"Divine abilities are too strong for ordinary martial skills," he thought, wiping sweat. Best to avoid direct clashes with them in the future.
"At my current strength, I can barely fight early Soul Convergence. Stronger ones would be trouble. Wang Ling underestimated me—killing him wasn't easy." Daoling's face sobered. Encountering all-out Soul Convergence experts would be dangerous.
"First, recover." He took the Blood Soul Pill from the Spirit Pagoda.旺盛 (vigorous) blood energy surged, healing his weak flesh as muscles greedily absorbed the pill's power. He recovered rapidly within breaths.
"Drugs are amazing. A dozen more, and I could fight Soul Convergence head-on." Daoling marveled at pills' life-saving value.
After recovering, he snatched Wang Ling's beast-hide pouch, pouring out its contents. A blue crystal caught his eye first.
"Blue Crystal!" Daoling grinned. "Wang Ling, you and Wang Ya went through so much for this—it's finally mine."
He stowed the crystal, mixed emotions fading. A blood-red pill—another Blood Soul Pill—fell into his hand.
"Perfect. This gives me a fighting chance against the other two." With a smile, he wasted no time, recovering to peak in half an hour before dashing deeper into the bamboo grove.