CHAPTER 8: GREEN SOVEREIGN DIVINE VINES

Lu Chen followed the path leading to the Demonic Beast Forest. Along the way, the trees grew denser, and wild beasts began to appear. To Lu Chen, these creatures were hardly a threat, and he easily took them down one by one.

As he ventured deeper, the beasts grew stronger and even started launching attacks at him. Yet, they were nothing more than live practice for his Golden Snake Nine Variations Art. When he cultivated in the secret realm that had served as the Green Emperor's cultivation ground, he had only trained against wooden stakes, mimicking the forms without much real progress.

However, after just a few bouts with real beasts, his grasp of the Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment technique had already extended beyond simple dodging.

He experimented with using Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment twice in succession during a beast's attack. He first dodged backward to avoid the strike, then he immediately lunged forward, landing a palm strike before the beast could react. The move let him kill efficiently, saving considerable effort.

Lu Chen also began developing new uses for the technique, such as launching sudden assaults and concealing his aura. He even managed to practice the Silver Snake Emerges From Its Lair technique to the level of initial mastery.

As dusk settled in, Lu Chen killed a wild boar, skinned it with the small knife he carried, and cut two pieces of meat from its belly. He skewered them on tree branches and began roasting them over a fire.

Feng Tiancheng emerged from the Twin-Fish Medallion and sat down beside him. Over the past few days, he had been silently observing Lu Chen's repeated practice of the Golden Snake Nine Variations Art, and he felt genuinely pleased with the boy's diligence and talent.

By now, the two had made their way close to the entrance of the Demonic Beast Forest, where a stone stele was sticking out of the ground. It was engraved with the words, "Demonic Beast Forest."

Feng Tiancheng looked at the stele and then turned to Lu Chen. "Little Lu, you've already become quite proficient in your movement technique. These wild beasts are no longer much of a challenge. It's time you face something fiercer. Your next step is to venture into the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Forest."

He pointed at the stele. "That marker indicates the true edge of the forest. The creatures inside are real demonic beasts. They've started cultivating and gained intelligence. One misstep, and you could lose your life. Your movement technique has improved, but your Heaven-Splitting Six Yang Palms still drains too much of your strength. You're still lacking a solid means of attack."

Lu Chen handed Feng Tiancheng a piece of roasted meat. In between bites, he said, "Grandpa Feng, the sword light you used before... Could you teach me that? It looked really cool."

Feng Tiancheng glanced at the divine mark on Lu Chen's abdomen and replied, "Sword light is merely a method of channeling spirit qi. You'll need to reach the Qi Regulation Realm before you can release qi from your Heavenly Pool's sea of qi into the outside world. But I can teach you how to use your divine ability now."

The moment Lu Chen heard the words divine ability, his eyes lit up. "Grandpa Feng, what's a divine ability? Is it powerful? I want to learn it!"

Seeing how excited Lu Chen was, Feng Tiancheng explained, "In ancient times, cultivators would use secret arts to awaken a divine ability each time they broke through a realm. Back then, divine abilities were common. But in today's world, much of that legacy has been lost, and it has become extremely difficult to awaken a divine ability. However, when you reached the Qi Absorption Realm, I used a secret art to awaken one for you. Take a look at your abdomen."

Lu Chen quickly set the meat aside and lifted his shirt. He saw a black yin-yang symbol on his lower abdomen. He had always thought it was something that appeared naturally after entering the Qi Absorption Realm and had never understood its purpose. Now that he knew it could be activated as a divine ability, it meant gaining another powerful weapon in his arsenal.

Feng Tiancheng had Lu Chen sit down and taught him how to guide his spirit qi through the meridians to activate the divine ability. "Each person's divine ability serves a different purpose. Try it and see."

As he spoke, Feng Tiancheng began circulating his spirit qi and activated his own divine ability. A green-glowing vine extended from his waist. It split into two, then four, and continued multiplying until countless vines surrounded him.

"Watch closely. This is the Green Sovereign Divine Vines."

With a gesture, the vines shot toward a distant boulder, shattering it instantly. Then they scattered and smashed the remaining rock fragments into dust.

Lu Chen was stunned. He immediately ran up to Feng Tiancheng, pestering Feng Tiancheng to teach him how to do that.

He then sat down cross-legged and began channeling his spirit qi according to the method he had just learned, guiding it into the divine mark on his abdomen. The moment the qi surged in, ten vines burst out, thrashing wildly and lashing at everything nearby. Startled, Lu Chen quickly cut off the flow of his spirit qi.

In an instant, everything within ten meters had been cleared out. Whatever the vines touched seemed to lose its vitality and wither away on the spot.

Lu Chen stared wide-eyed at the aftermath. He couldn't believe he had done that. The divine ability had consumed a large amount of his spirit qi, but its power was astonishing.

Feng Tiancheng observed calmly. His first divine ability had also taken the form of vines, so he had already expected Lu Chen's would be the same. It was a unique divine ability tied to the Green Sovereign bloodline. However, unlike Lu Chen's, his vines had never absorbed vitality and were purely for offense.

He suddenly recalled the incident in Greenheaven Village. He had been fighting using Lu Chen's body, and the moment his vines touched the spirit qi from that cultivator leader, the spirit qi vanished. From the looks of it, the divine vines had mutated upon bonding with Lu Chen, gaining a unique new skill.

Feng Tiancheng couldn't help but grow more curious about the boy's future. Everything that came into contact with Lu Chen seemed to evolve. That can't be a mere coincidence. Perhaps he truly is destined to walk an extraordinary path.

Lu Chen glanced between his vines and Feng Tiancheng's. They looked the same. However, Feng Tiancheng's vines were fluid, obedient, and moved like an extension of his body, while Lu Chen's were wild and uncontrollable.

Seeing the doubt on Lu Chen's face, Feng Tiancheng explained, "A divine ability isn't something you can control just by channeling spirit qi. You have to guide it with intent. The Green Sovereign Divine Vines have the potential to develop sentience; if you don't learn to control them, they'll become a danger rather than an asset. To command them properly, you need to refine your spirit qi manipulation down to the finest level.

"This principle applies to all martial techniques as well. The more precise your control, the less qi you'll waste in battle. So, your next step is to enter the Demonic Beast Forest, face real demonic beasts, and hone your control. You also need to get more adept at using both Heaven-Splitting Six Yang Palms and the Green Sovereign Divine Vines."

Lu Chen looked at Feng Tiancheng and nodded firmly. He had grown considerably stronger over the past few days, and he now felt confident about rescuing his grandfather.

After finishing the wild boar meat in just a few bites, he stood up and prepared to enter the Demonic Beast Forest.

The moment he stepped inside, he sensed the difference. The forest was far quieter than the outside world. Out there, he could still hear the roars of tigers, but here, not a single sound could be heard. The silence was eerie, almost suffocating. The air felt unnaturally heavy.

Feng Tiancheng's voice echoed in his mind, "The reason they're called demonic beasts is because they've developed intelligence. They've started to form a sense of territory. Usually, within each region, there's one dominant demonic beast that rules the area. Only weaker beasts exist within its domain. The stronger the beast, the larger its territory.

"Just like humans, demon beasts also have cultivation levels. Humans cultivate spirit qi, while beasts cultivate inner cores. The fundamental process is similar, but this only applies to ordinary beasts. Some have a bloodline inheritance and can't be judged by these standards. I'll explain more when we encounter one in the future. For now, your job is to start fighting."

Lu Chen uttered a brief sound of acknowledgment.

He moved forward cautiously. Even after covering quite a bit of distance, he hadn't come across a single beast. Nevertheless, Feng Tiancheng's warning stayed with him, and rather than lowering his guard, he grew even more vigilant.

Just then, a low rumble echoed from the hillside ahead. Lu Chen immediately activated Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment to mask his presence and crept forward with caution. There, he spotted a massive rhino tearing into the carcass of a wild boar.

It was his first time seeing a demonic beast, and his eyes lit up with excitement. The rhino was nearly two meters tall, with its body covered in thick, armor-like hide. Its blood-red eyes gleamed menacingly, and two sharp horns, one large and one small, jutted from its head as it ripped through the boar's hide.

Feng Tiancheng explained from within the Twin-Fish Medallion, "Judging by its appearance, that's an Iron-Armored Rhino—a level-six Qi Absorption Realm demonic beast. It's known for its powerful defense, and its horns are incredibly tough, often used to ram enemies.

"Every part of a demonic beast is valuable. Take this Iron-Armored Rhino, for example. Its horn can be forged into a weapon, its hide made into armor, and its flesh and bones refined into medicinal pills. Most importantly, once a beast becomes a demonic beast, it forms a demon core inside its body. That core is highly valuable and can be used to forge weapons, craft pills, or set up formations."

Lu Chen stared at the fierce demonic beast and said cautiously, "The Iron-Armored Rhino is huge. Does it have any vulnerable spots?"

Feng Tiancheng responded without hesitation, "Its defense and strength are impressive, but its reflexes are poor, and it turns slowly. A slow-moving opponent with high defense is actually ideal for you right now. It's a good match for your first demonic beast battle. Also, its rear isn't protected by its tough hide, making it its most vulnerable spot. Aim for that."

Everything Feng Tiancheng said made it sound simple, but Lu Chen had never fought a demonic beast before. He stared at the rhino's rear, unsure if he could even get close without being crushed to death.

Just as he was racking his brain for a way to approach, a black bird suddenly flew overhead and let out two sharp cries.

Lu Chen waved it off and snapped, "Damn it, stupid bird!"

Then he quickly turned and dashed toward a safer spot.

His shout instantly caught the rhino's attention. It swung its head around, eyes blazing with fury. With its front hooves scraping the ground, it charged straight at him.