Chapter 771 Sudden Contact at the Assembly

Zhang Deming assessed the current state of his body. This was a Spirit Species Incarnation. The Spirit Species had spent the last month or so in dormancy, continuously trying to connect to his Main Body, and had already consumed the vast majority of its Spiritual Power.

He knew full well this was where the Five Elements Remnants had retreated. It would be insane to go investigating in his current state.

Thus, after a brief pause, he walked forward a short distance. After fulfilling the ten-kilometer range requirement for his signal beacon, a stir of his Heart Spirit sent him back to the Spirit Nurturing Space. He then quickly left the space and returned to his Main Body.

…

In the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower, his Main Body opened its eyes. Without a word, he immediately got up, walked over to the bed in the Cultivation Room, and looked at the true doppelganger lying there.

Zhang Deming waved his hand. His sleeve billowed, producing a powerful suction force. The true doppelganger offered no resistance and was drawn directly into his sleeve, into the Spirit Nurturing Space.

Zhang Deming then sat cross-legged again. He sent his consciousness back into the Bean Soldier Incarnation. A moment later, the incarnation’s sleeve billowed, and the true doppelganger floated out.

The Bean Soldier Incarnation, with little Spiritual Power remaining, disintegrated into a shower of Spiritual Light at a mere thought from Zhang Deming.

When Zhang Deming opened his eyes, now fully prepared, he checked everything over and found no lingering issues.

Only then did Zhang Deming rise and look up in the direction of the signal beacon he had left. Without further hesitation, Spiritual Power surged around him. His figure vanished abruptly, reappearing an instant later on a distant tree.

His lower body was embedded in the tree trunk, while his upper half remained in the open air.

Deep in the forest, when using the Five Elements Flying Escape, Earth Escape and Wood Escape were the fastest methods—even faster than regular Flying.

At the Law Level, the Five Elements Flying Escape Technique’s speed was already slowly approaching the concept of Rainbow Transformation.

In terms of raw speed, not to mention its agility and stealth, his Five Elements Flying Escape had already reached the pinnacle for a Tier Four Magical Technique.

Just like that, Zhang Deming’s body flickered continuously, disappearing and reappearing in distant trees. He moved at an incredible speed, yet his passage created almost no disturbance.

It had to be said that the Five Elements Escape Technique truly lived up to its reputation as a quintessential Flying Technique, and was perhaps the ultimate example of a Mobile Comprehensive Technique.

…

Ten kilometers was not a long distance. For a Cultivator using a Law Level Escape Skill, the word “far” hardly applied. After just a few flickers, Zhang Deming arrived in the target area he had sensed—the location of his signal beacon.

Zhang Deming’s figure emerged silently from a tree trunk. Peering into the distance, he saw that a clearing in the forest had been transformed into a Flower Swamp, from which a faint, strange floral scent emanated.

A dainty and pretty Female Cultivator with a smile plastered on her face was walking toward five human-shaped ‘radishes’. She moved with a strange, rhythmic gait, her body swaying gracefully.

The five people were completely submerged in the swamp, with only their heads sticking out like radishes planted in the ground. The Flower Swamp was clearly not a natural formation; it not only restricted their movements but also sealed their Spiritual Power entirely.

They could only wait like five human radishes, watching helplessly as the Three Talents Female Cultivator, Guan Lijuan, swayed gracefully toward them, utterly powerless to do anything.

Zhang Deming arrived just in time to witness this scene. When he spotted a familiar face among the five heads, he froze for a moment.

‘Ji Ming?’

‘Wasn’t he with the disciple recruitment team, gathering disciples from the various states? What is he doing here in the Hengduan Mountain Range?’

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhang Deming decided he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

If he were to make a list of people in the Sect he would help without any ulterior motive, this guy would definitely be near the top. It wasn’t just because he and Juan’er had grown up like brother and sister; it was also because Ji Ming had helped him out quite a bit in the past.

It was the kind of help given quietly, without asking for anything in return. And while Juan’er might have been part of the reason, the favor was genuine.

Across the entire Sect, there were very few people he owed. It was almost always the other way around; for one reason or another, with or without ulterior motives, others were indebted to him.

Ji Ming… was one of those rare exceptions.

Therefore, while Zhang Deming had originally intended to watch from the sidelines and figure out what the hell the Five Elements Remnants were up to, that plan went straight out the window the moment he saw Ji Ming.

Whether as a matter of principle or personal feeling, he had to save him!

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Deming’s face rapidly changed, taking on the appearance of a middle-aged man. At the same time, he raised a hand, and orbs of light materialized.

Rune Summoning: Spirit Nurturing Vine Demon Summoning Technique—Dragon Turtle!

Rune Summoning: Spirit Nurturing Vine Demon Summoning Technique—Qu Qingxian!

Rune Summoning: Spirit Nurturing Vine Demon Summoning Technique—Nangong Cheng!

A Tier Four, Law Level Spirit Nurturing Summoning could already fuse four summoning orbs into his body at once, but most of the ten core members of his ‘council’ were only at the Tai Chi Stage.

Therefore, Zhang Deming only fused three and didn’t continue. When the orbs are fused, the final Cultivation is based on the strongest orb and does not stack, making it useless to fuse Mirror Images with Low-Level Cultivation.

By the time he finished, he could delay no longer. In the distance, Guan Lijuan had already reached the five captives. With a wave of her hand, a mixture of mud and vines wrapped around them and lifted them into the air.

Watching this, Zhang Deming hesitated no more. He stepped out from the tree as a current of black water surged at his feet, forming into a ferocious Black Dragon. The Black Dragon’s scales were savage and ugly; with its single horn and sharp claws, it resembled a Flood Dragon.

Of course, this was only in appearance. On the path to Transform into a Dragon, whether through the Dao of Shaping or the Dao of the Dragon and Snake, a creature must pass through the stages of snake, python, and several other serpentine forms. Only after all that could it become a Flood Dragon, a feat only achievable at Tier Seven.

…

I’ve been combining chapters—from 2,000 characters to 5,000, and then to 10,000—and it’s been two months, but I still haven’t reached Boutique status… Other books hit Boutique long ago with only 100,000 or 200,000 characters, and without having to combine chapters!