Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 1028 Reversal
With that thought in mind, Yang Zhengshan sped off toward the Gate of Qingyuan.

He gradually accelerated, and the people behind him also accelerated.

Then he kept shuttling between the virtual world and the real world, with the other party following closely behind.

After several attempts to test him, Yang Zhengshan discovered that this person's strength was far inferior to Chi Yuan's.

Perhaps the other party was showing weakness, but Yang Zhengshan still felt that this guy was not as good as Chi Yuan.

With this thought in mind, Yang Zhengshan's tense mind relaxed.

But after relaxing, a surge of anger rose within him.

Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone Yang Zhengshan.

Since reaching the Core Formation stage, he seems to have become an easy target for everyone to bully.

Chi Yuan was chasing him, Qingyuan Fox Lord was scaring him, and now another person of unknown origin has also set his sights on him.

Thinking about what had happened during this period, Yang Zhengshan's anger surged.

"I'll see just how strong you really are!"

Yang Zhengshan reached out and touched the jade gourd at his waist. Instantly, a wisp of blue mist emerged from the gourd, completely enveloping him.

As his vital energy receded, Yang Zhengshan immediately became invisible in the void.

The man stopped when he got close, his powerful spiritual sense scanning the surroundings, trying to find Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan used his spiritual sense to observe the other person and felt that he was somewhat familiar with him.

"It's him!"

Yang Zhengshan's heart skipped a beat, and he realized who this person was.

Of course, this wasn't an acquaintance, but a stranger—the same guy who had traded Deep Sea Yin Spring Essence with him at the trade fair. No wonder the other party had agreed so readily back then; Yang Zhengshan had thought the other party was easy to fool, but it turned out the other party had his eye on him.

Upon realizing this, Yang Zhengshan was startled.

"not good!"

Just then, the enemy suddenly unleashed a barrage of white arrows, pressing down on his location.

Since the other party has targeted him, it means that the other party has tampered with the Yin Spring Essence, and there should be traces left by him in the Yin Spring Essence.

The other party may not be able to pinpoint his exact location, but they will certainly be able to roughly sense the presence of the mark.

"Yi Wood Divine Thunder, with overwhelming force!"

The Azure Lightning Sword appeared, Yang Zhengshan formed a hand seal and exhaled thunder. Instantly, thousands of thunderbolts appeared, transforming into a long river of thunder that poured out like a flood bursting its banks.

A series of booming sounds echoed, and powerful energy fluctuations spread outwards.

The lightning and ice arrows collided, bursting forth in dazzling brilliance amidst the smoky void.

"Life, death, prosperity, and decline, begin!"

After blocking the opponent's attack, Yang Zhengshan immediately activated his Withered and Flourishing Eyes. Blue and gray light burst from his eyes, and in the next instant, the opponent's lifespan was displayed in his eyes.

"Lifespan of 1,232 years, consumption ratio of five to one!"

"That means it only takes 6,200 years of lifespan to completely annihilate the opponent!"

After confirming the other party's lifespan, Yang Zhengshan breathed a sigh of relief.

Lifespan can also represent one's strength.

There are many factors that affect the proportion of lifespan consumed, the two biggest of which are cultivation level and supernatural powers. The higher the cultivation level, the greater the proportion of lifespan consumed; the stronger and more profound the supernatural powers one masters, the greater the proportion of lifespan consumed.

The consumption ratio is only five to one, which means that the opponent only has the cultivation of the mid-stage of Golden Core, and is probably only slightly stronger than True Monarch Baiyun.

The opponent has a lifespan of 1,232 years. Although Yang Zhengshan cannot directly kill the opponent, he can erase most of the opponent's lifespan.

Yang Zhengshan's lifespan is currently at its maximum, which is five thousand years.

Moreover, Yang Zhengshan also possesses a bottle of the Fountain of Life, which can grant him at least a thousand years of lifespan.

In this way, Yang Zhengshan would have a lifespan of six thousand years, just a hair's breadth away from instantly killing his opponent.

After assessing the opponent's strength, Yang Zhengshan did not immediately use the Withering and Flourishing Divine Power, but instead activated the Returning Soul Array of the Seven Treasures Soul Suppressing Pagoda.

At the same time, the other party took out a round, bead-shaped spiritual treasure. The azure bead spun in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, the surging seawater swept across the surrounding void, turning the void into a sea.

As the seawater filled the air, Yang Zhengshan instantly sensed that something was wrong.

Heavy pressure swept over him from all directions, making him feel as if he were wearing shackles, and his every move seemed to be restricted.

"It really is a siren!"

Yang Zhengshan became even more certain of his previous guess.

Since the other party can produce Deep Sea Yin Spring Essence, it means that they must be related to sea monsters. Deep Sea Yin Spring Essence can only be produced in Deep Sea Yin Spring, and only sea monsters can collect so much of it.

Now that the opponent is using a spiritual artifact related to the sea, it can be confirmed that the opponent is the Demon King of the Sea.

I just don't know which demon clan they belong to.

Is it the Demon Court of the North Sea, the Demon Court of the South Sea, or the Mysterious Palace of the Dark Sea?

The immense pressure restricted Yang Zhengshan's every move, but it could not restrain the Returning Soul Array.

The Soul Returning Array was activated, the opponent's aura paused, the surging seawater instantly froze, and the heavy pressure also subsided for a moment.

However, the Seven Treasures Soul-Suppressing Pagoda is ultimately just a magic weapon. Although the Soul-Returning Array can pull the Demon King's soul into the Exquisite Soul Domain, it cannot control the opponent's soul for a long time, and can only restrain the opponent for a moment.

This moment was Yang Zhengshan's opportunity.

"Use your body as a furnace to gather the essence of all directions."

In an instant, Yang Zhengshan's aura surged several times, and his size expanded more than tenfold. His enormous palms, bathed in lightning, crashed down on his opponent.

With a bang, the two hands, as big as millstones, clenched together, trapping the other person between them.

This is the Devouring Spirit Dharma Body.

Drawing Qi into the body is like a whale drinking from a river, absorbing the essence of all directions; refining the spirit and transforming it into essence is like fire melting gold, fusing the souls of all spirits.

To absorb without stagnation, to transform without stagnation, this is the true path of absorbing spiritual energy. When the Qi is full, it overflows; when the spiritual energy is sufficient, it transforms, and the Dharma body naturally manifests.

It possesses the appearance of all spirits and the power of a thousand pounds; its eyes can see through metal and stone, and its ears can hear the whispers of the wind; when it moves, the wind and clouds follow, and when it is still, all things are at peace.

The Devouring Spirit Body is a body-refining technique used by immortal cultivators, and it was a cultivation method that Yang Zhengshan obtained from Mo Xuanyu.

After the Wood Transformation Body Cultivation Method ran out of training methods, Yang Zhengshan switched to cultivating the Spirit Devouring Body Method.

At that time, Yang Zhengshan's purpose in cultivating the Devouring Spirit Dharma Body was only to improve his physique, but in fact, the Devouring Spirit Dharma Body was also very useful to Yang Zhengshan.

During his tribulation, Yang Zhengshan's body withstood the ravages of the lightning tribulation thanks to the strengthening of his Devouring Spirit Dharma Body.

However, after condensing his Golden Core, Yang Zhengshan suspended the cultivation of the Devouring Spirit Body. It wasn't that the Devouring Spirit Body was useless, but rather that Yang Zhengshan focused his energy on comprehending the Dao of Withering and Flourishing and the Dao of the Great Void, so he didn't have as much energy to cultivate the Devouring Spirit Body anymore.

In fact, the Devouring Spirit Dharma Body is quite useful, and even Golden Core cultivators can comprehend the meaning of divine powers from it.

Of course, Yang Zhengshan had not yet comprehended the Dharma Body supernatural power. At this moment, he was using his Dharma Body to control the divine thunder. Although the combination of the two was not as profound as the divine power, it was still quite powerful.

With his palms clasped together, the opponent's energy suddenly weakened, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

However, Yang Zhengshan soon felt a stinging pain in his palm.

The opponent has broken free from the control of the Returning Soul Formation and launched a counterattack.

A trident appeared in the opponent's hand and pierced through Yang Zhengshan's palm.

Yang Zhengshan quickly withdrew his hand, glanced at the wound in his palm from which golden blood was flowing, and with a flick of his wrist, the piercing wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Such an injury is similar to a mosquito bite for a Golden Core cultivator, and even less important to Yang Zhengshan.

With his powerful vitality and regenerative abilities, he can recover completely in no time.

In contrast, the opponent was more seriously injured when his palms were clasped together. His body suffered tremendous force, and cracks appeared on his body, from which rich magical and spiritual power seeped out.

A Golden Core cultivator's body is not afraid of ordinary injuries; even if their heart is pierced, it will not have a significant impact.

However, if cracks appear, it is actually a serious injury, because it means that the internal balance of the body has been broken.

"What a trick!"

At this moment, the other party finally spoke, and his voice was completely different from that at the trade fair, becoming sharper and more shrill.

As he spoke, the other party suddenly charged towards Yang Zhengshan, raising his golden trident and pressing down with immense force.

Yang Zhengshan glanced at the trident, then vanished without a trace.

The trident is a melee weapon.

Under normal circumstances, Golden Core cultivators rarely use such melee weapons, while demon cultivators tend to prefer them.

Firstly, because demon cultivators possess more powerful physical bodies; secondly, because their physical forms can transform into melee weapons, such as claws, wings, teeth, and so on.

Many demon cultivators, when they transform into human form, will nurture a part of their own body as their natal spiritual artifact.

The fact that the opponent used a trident further proves that they are indeed a demon.

His body became invisible, and Yang Zhengshan merged into the void.

The surging seawater could no longer exert any pressure on him, and the sharp trident returned empty-handed.

The man brandished his trident, stirring up the surrounding seawater, intending to force Yang Zhengshan out.

However, Yang Zhengshan was not using the jade gourd at this time; instead, he transformed into nothingness.

The Azure Mist Hidden Dust within the Jade Gourd merely concealed Yang Zhengshan's aura. In reality, Yang Zhengshan remained in the same spot. Strong energy fluctuations or qi fluctuations would affect the Azure Mist Hidden Dust, preventing it from perfectly enveloping Yang Zhengshan and thus causing him to break free of his 'invisibility state'.

The "body becomes formless" technique allows Yang Zhengshan to merge into the Great Void. At this moment, Yang Zhengshan is a part of the Great Void. Although he has not perfectly merged into the Great Void, he is undoubtedly one with it.

Ordinary energy fluctuations cannot force him to reveal his true nature; only powerful energy fluctuations can make him show his true nature, just like Chi Yuan's method of creating a powerful energy environment in the real world last time. Only that method could make Yang Zhengshan reveal his true nature.

In addition, his understanding of the Dao of the Great Void far surpasses that of Yang Zhengshan, and he can also sense Yang Zhengshan's presence.

Since the person in front of him had not comprehended the Dao of the Great Void and was unable to create powerful energy fluctuations, or perhaps he had not thought of this, after all, he did not understand Yang Zhengshan's current state.

Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you be victorious in every battle.

Intelligence is also a crucial element in battles between Golden Core cultivators.

There are three thousand Great Paths, and the divine powers and intentions are far more than three thousand!

Each type of supernatural power has different abilities, and each person's supernatural power is different.

Some supernatural powers and abilities can even kill people invisibly.

For example, the power of withering and flourishing.

A tai chi symbol in shades of blue and gray appeared in the vast sea, and Yang Zhengshan's figure appeared a hundred feet away, creating distance between them.

This can also be considered an application of the ability to become invisible, that is, to achieve instantaneous movement in the void.

His body became invisible. From disappearing to reappearing, Yang Zhengshan did not stay in the same place, but rather within the range of the void he transformed into.

This range is not very large. At this time, Yang Zhengshan can only transform himself into a hundred-zhang Taixu, which means that Yang Zhengshan can only teleport within a hundred-zhang range.

Of course, Yang Zhengshan could also use the Immortal Palace of Living Realm to achieve instantaneous movement, but that would easily expose the existence of the Immortal Palace of Living Realm.

Therefore, Yang Zhengshan rarely uses the teleportation function of the Immortal Palace in the Living Realm anymore, and he rarely takes items directly from the Living Realm space.

The moment the Tai Chi diagram appeared, the other party sensed something was wrong, but he didn't seem to understand what the Tai Chi diagram meant. He was just instinctively trying to escape the range of the Tai Chi diagram.

"I declare that life and death are irrelevant!"

In the next instant, Yang Zhengshan's lifespan rapidly diminished, and his opponent's lifespan also began to decline.

The loss of lifespan caused the opponent to panic, and they fled at an even faster speed.

In the blink of an eye, he escaped the range of the Tai Chi diagram.

Yang Zhengshan was not surprised by this. Although the Withering and Flourishing Divine Power was domineering, it also had its flaws. It took time to strip away the lifespan, and the range of the divine power was not very large.

If the other party tries to escape, it will be difficult for Yang Zhengshan to eliminate them instantly.

The man seemed to be frightened by the withering and flourishing divine power. After escaping the range of the Taiji diagram, he did not stop at all, but instead accelerated his escape.

Yang Zhengshan couldn't let him escape. He didn't know the other party's identity. If the other party came from the North Sea Demon Court or the South Sea Demon Court, he would be in big trouble if the other party escaped.

It wouldn't be difficult for the other party to ascertain his identity, because his withering and flourishing divine power is no secret. If they were interested in finding out, they could use this information to find him.

Yang Zhengshan unleashed the Flowing Shadow Shuttle and gave chase.

With the help of the Flowing Shadow Shuttle, Yang Zhengshan's speed in traversing the void far exceeded that of before.

However, the opponent's speed in traversing the void was far inferior to that of Chi Yuan.

In just a few breaths, Yang Zhengshan had almost caught up with his opponent.

The situation is similar to that when Yang Zhengshan faced Chi Yuan, except that back then Yang Zhengshan was fleeing, while now he is the one being pursued.

"Sir, today's situation is just a misunderstanding!"

"I am the Water Halberd of the Minghai Xuan Palace. I beg you to spare me for the sake of the North Sea Demon Court. I will definitely come to apologize in person afterward!"

The water halberd, which had been so powerful just moments before, was now begging for mercy.

"Water Halberd!"

Yang Zhengshan quickly realized the other party's identity.

The Minghai Xuan Palace is mainly inhabited by the Jiaoxiao tribe, which has two demon kings, Shuiji and Shuiling.

Among the council members of Zhenyang Immortal City is a demon king of the Jiaoxiao clan, named Shui Ling.

In this sense, the two sides are actually allies, at least in the matter of Zhenyang Immortal City, they are a community of shared interests.

(End of this chapter)