CHAPTER 243: WEAK IN POWER, STRONG IN MOCKERY

Lu Chen looked at the skeletal giant and smiled. He connected all the key points in his mind, tilting his head slightly to the left as he faced the furious creature. "If things unfold the way my theory suggests, and that outcome happens to benefit you, then my theory must be correct. And..."

His smile widened into a mocking laugh. He clenched the air with his right hand, and the Hunyuan Greatsword materialized in his grasp, radiating light from his palm. "Your anger has already betrayed you. The speculation I made is exactly what you were aiming for!"

Lu Chen returned his head to a neutral position. He channeled the spirit qi from his Heavenly Pool into the Hunyuan Greatsword. "Grandpa always said that I'm clever and can see through the true nature of things at a glance. I've never once disappointed him."

He planted the vine shield firmly into the ground and gripped the Hunyuan Greatsword with both hands. With a sweeping flourish, he unleashed a two-zhang-long surge of fiery sword qi toward the skeletal giant.

The blazing sword qi twisted and coiled through the air, gradually forming the shape of a fire dragon. Lu Chen raised the Hunyuan Greatsword overhead, and the dragon swung through the sky, roaring as it charged at the giant.

The skeletal giant glared at the approaching dragon, its fury-filled roar tearing through the air as it raised its arms to slam against it.

The dragon struck with tremendous force, wrapping itself around the skeletal giant before exploding in a brilliant burst.

Lu Chen's lips curved into a faint smile at the giant's awkward predicament. This was far from enough.

After the explosion, his three avatars followed suit, forming hand seals to strike at the skeletal giant. Four elemental dragons were unleashed in consecutive turns—fire, lightning, wind, and water—each roaring forth with devastating force.

The four dragons collided against the giant's chest, intertwining in a fierce dance of elemental chaos. Each violent explosion forced the skeletal giant to stagger back three steps.

The attacks were relentless, but the giant's bones were extraordinarily tough. The techniques pushed it back but inflicted no real damage.

Even so, Lu Chen and his avatars continued their ceaseless assault, striking with their sword qi.

Lu Chen stared at the skeletal giant. "Get ready. It's almost time."

Everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned. He looked on, confident and faintly amused.

The four avatars stepped back in unison, launching another volley of dragon-shaped sword qi at the skeletal giant. The strikes assailed the giant repeatedly, teasing its nerves and driving both it and the creatures behind it into a frenzy.

The attacks were more humiliating than harmful, and the continuous psychological torment pushed both the skeletal giant and the creatures behind it into uncontrollable rage.

Lu Chen watched with satisfaction as the giant completely lost itself to fury. This was exactly the effect he wanted. By creating chaos along the northern ravines, he distracted the creatures below and obscured the sight of the venerables in the courtyard, giving him the opportunity to execute his plan.

He gripped the vine shield again as the explosions around the skeletal giant subsided.

The skeletal giant thumped its chest in rage and stomped heavily, preparing to charge. Just then, a sharp tearing sound cut through the air. The ground beneath it shattered, and thousands of Divine Tree's vines burst upward.

These were the vines Lu Chen had planted earlier. Thousands of them converged midair, merging into a massive wooden dragon.

The Green Sovereign Divine Tree possessed its own consciousness. It instinctively sensed the skeletal giant's weak points and recognized the areas containing useful energy.

The wooden dragon struck from behind, aiming directly at the giant's waist and abdomen, where a mass of dense black mist pulsed.

In its simple, instinct-driven mind, the skeletal giant was no different from a larger version of the Blood Soul Beast. Its waist and abdomen contained core essence that the Green Sovereign Divine Tree desperately sought.

The wooden dragon struck precisely, absorbing part of the skeletal giant's core essence. The giant's aura dimmed slightly, and its movements became even more erratic as it struggled against the wooden dragon, abandoning its pursuit of Lu Chen.

"Original, is it safe to absorb it like that?" Lu Qing asked, concern in his voice. "You almost went mad when you touched the skeletons earlier, remember?"

Lu Chen replied calmly, "No problem. Grandpa Feng and the others have already made the necessary preparations in the small world. There's a reason I'm doing this."

He had taken precautions and even consulted Feng Tiancheng. Using a wooden dragon formed from the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree was Feng Tiancheng's recommended method.

The Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree had already reached its complete form. With the formation Feng Tiancheng had prepared, it was completely immune to the effects of the black mist.

Meanwhile, the Acquired Green Sovereign Divine Tree absorbed the purified core essence, leaving the black mist no chance to affect Lu Chen's mind.

Lu Qing fixed his gaze on the wooden dragon battling the skeletal giant. "That's good, that's good."

He took the Hunyuan Greatsword from Lu Chen and condensed a lightning dragon. Seizing the perfect moment, Lu Qing roared at the skeletal giant, "Strike!"

The lightning dragon slammed violently into the giant's waist, staggering it instantly. It halted its attack halfway through, just as the wooden dragon, under Lu Chen's precise control, surged from the ground and wrapped around the skeletal giant.

The giant's limbs were tightly bound by the wooden dragon. The black mist within its chest and skull erupted, spreading rapidly through its entire body.

The black mist contained dense corpse qi. Each interaction corroded the wooden dragon's vines, yet the dragon's movements never faltered. If anything, it tightened its grip further.

The portion of the wooden dragon wrapped around the giant clung like octopus suckers, continuously draining the core essence.

Watching the dragon climb and coil around the giant, Lu Chen's lips curved into a wicked smile. "The Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree is in place. Now, let's start the real battle. Lu Qing, take the role of the formation's core for the Innate Bagua Diagram."

Lu Qing nodded firmly and stepped back behind them. He quickly formed hand seals, releasing the Innate Bagua Diagram. Circles of blue patterns spread out beneath him.

"Original, let's begin. I already stand above heaven and earth, with yin and yang in my grasp."

Crouching slightly, Lu Qing placed one foot on the Eye of Yang Fish and the other on the Eye of Yin Fish. Fire- and water-attribute spirit qi flowed from his hands as he summoned both the black and white fish from the Heavenly Pool.

Lu Chen saw the Innate Bagua Diagram take shape beneath him. He planted the Hunyuan Greatsword firmly in front of him. With a flick of his right hand toward the formation's center, a passage tore open in the air. A small sapling of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree leapt out, planting itself firmly along the Yin-Yang boundary.

Infused with Lu Chen's spirit qi, the sapling grew rapidly within the formation, merging with Lu Qing as it expanded.

Watching the Green Sovereign Divine Tree at the heart of the formation grow to the size of the skeletal giant, Lu Chen smiled. He glanced at Nantian Wan'er's small head peeking out and said, "Wan'er, find a safe spot. We're about to start."

Nantian Wan'er nodded obediently. "Ah, okay, Lu-gege. Be careful."

She formed a series of hand seals, creating a protective shield around herself, and retreated a dozen steps. Stopping at a safe distance, she looked at Lu Chen nervously. "I'm ready, Lu-gege."

She connected her mind to the small world, ready to retreat at a moment's notice.

Lu Chen kept his eye on her. Once he confirmed she was safely within the Yang Purifying Shield, he mimicked ruffling her hair from afar, smiling indulgently.

Her position was at the extreme range he could instantly reach. This allowed him to focus entirely on the skeletal giant while still being able to protect her if necessary.

Seeing Lu Chen's affectionate smile, Nantian Wan'er returned a small, reassuring gesture.

Lu Chen nodded at her, then turned to the three avatars. "Let's get started. This may be our first time demonstrating our arts before outsiders. Since they're watching, let them see our strength. Let them understand that we are the main characters."

Lu Chen and his three avatars glanced toward the Scripture Hall's backyard. Aware that the venerables were observing, their expressions turned serious. Lu Chen's stern and commanding voice rang out, "Rise, Yang within Yin. Yang Purifying Water, Demon Breaker."

He plunged the Hunyuan Greatsword into the vine shield. The Dao Art, Yang Purifying Water spread from the sword onto the vines.

A pale blue glow of Yang Purifying Water rapidly coated the shield.

Lu Chen glanced at the skeletal giant and turned the Hunyuan Greatsword clockwise. In an instant, the vine shield softened into a massive net, every strand coated with the purifying glow.