Chapter 340: Chapter 339: Purification Power

As Shen Haoran and Niu Ben disappeared into the Slaughter Tower, two red dots of light appeared on its surface, representing the two of them.

Before long, a hundred or so disciples had gathered at the base of the Slaughter Tower. They had all heard that a new disciple, a mere Tier One Spirit Marquis, had the audacity to compete against Niu Ben in climbing the Slaughter Tower, and they had all come to watch the spectacle.

"Take a guess, everyone. How far do you think that new disciple will get?" one of the disciples shouted.

"Tch, is that even a question? The Guardian on the first floor is already a Tier Three Spirit Marquis, and that kid is only Tier One. You think he can even get past the first floor?" the people around him said, waving their hands dismissively with looks of certainty.

"Then what about Niu Ben? How high do you think he’ll climb?"

"Well, Niu Ben was already able to reach the Seventh Floor a few months ago. He probably has the strength to challenge the eighth floor today. Even if he can’t make it to the eighth, he’ll definitely last longer on the seventh than he did last time!" the crowd speculated.

"So that means Niu Ben’s victory is guaranteed?"

"What else did you expect? You really think that Tier One Spirit Marquis kid can beat Niu Ben? Not unless a miracle happens!"

While the crowd was buzzing, a loud shout suddenly echoed across the square. "Step right up, step right up! Place your bets! Earn some Points! Bet on Niu Ben to lose, and the payout is ten to one! Bet on Shen Haoran to lose, and it’s two to one!"

Hearing the call, all eyes turned toward the voice, where they saw a disciple had set up a table and started a betting pool.

"Damn it, I was just thinking of starting a betting pool myself. That kid beat me to it! I’m putting my money on Shen Haoran to lose!"

"I’m betting on Shen Haoran to lose, too!"

In an instant, the disciples swarmed forward, surrounding the small betting table so tightly it was impossible to get through.

Seeing the heckling crowd, Murong Wanqing’s expression darkened. She turned to Ling Feng and asked, "Senior Brother Ling, how many Points do you have on you?"

"I... I only have a little over a thousand Points left," Ling Feng said.

"Lend them to me. I’ll pay you back later," Murong Wanqing said.

"You’re going to place a bet?" Ling Feng asked, stunned.

"Hmph! All these people are looking down on my Brother Haoran. I’m going to make them eat their words today!" Murong Wanqing declared with a cold snort.

Hearing this, Ling Feng hesitated for a moment. Then, clenching his jaw, he handed his Points Token to Murong Wanqing and said, "Alright. I’ll back Brother Shen today, too!"

Murong Wanqing took Ling Feng’s Points Token, walked up to the betting table, and slammed it down.

SLAM!

The loud noise made the surrounding disciples jump. All eyes turned to Murong Wanqing, but when they saw her face, they were all momentarily stunned by her beauty.

"Well now, beautiful, are you here to place a bet too? Who are you putting your money on?" the disciple running the table asked, wiping the drool from his chin.

"I’m betting on Niu Ben to lose!" Murong Wanqing declared, tossing a thousand Points from the token onto the table.

"A thousand Points!" Seeing the amount, the surrounding disciples exclaimed. Within the Celestial Spirit Sect, Points weren’t easy to come by. For this girl to drop a thousand Points at once... she was loaded!

Seeing the thousand Points, the bookie froze for a second, a flash of greed in his eyes. ’A thousand Points! That’s enough to buy several Elixirs!’

"Alright, the bet is placed! No backing out now!" As if afraid Murong Wanqing would change her mind, the disciple snatched the Points Token and shouted.

Everyone else looked at Murong Wanqing as if she were an idiot. ’She’s a beauty, all right, but completely brainless,’ they thought. ’Betting a thousand Points on a kid who’s guaranteed to lose!’ 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

HUMMM...

Just then, the Slaughter Tower suddenly erupted with a blinding light. The red dots on its surface began to move!

"It’s starting, it’s starting! Niu Ben is on the move!" Seeing one of the red dots begin to move, the crowd fixed their gazes on it.

On the tower’s surface, the dot representing Niu Ben shot upward at incredible speed. The first four floors posed no challenge to him at all. In just a few moments, Niu Ben had reached the Fifth Floor.

In contrast, the dot representing Shen Haoran was still on the first floor, completely motionless.

"See? I told you that kid wouldn’t even make it past the first floor. Look at him, he’s not even moving. Don’t tell me he’s been scared stiff!"

"Haha! Looks like we’ve won for sure!"

The surrounding disciples erupted in laughter. Murong Wanqing stared at the motionless red dot, her brow furrowed with worry. ’Brother Haoran, what are you doing? Hurry up!’ she thought anxiously.

At that moment, inside the Slaughter Tower, Shen Haoran was standing perfectly still with his eyes shut tight, as if he had entered some kind of trance.

The moment Shen Haoran stepped into the Slaughter Tower, an invisible Energy surged around him, pouring wildly into his body.

As Shen Haoran carefully focused on it, he discovered that the surrounding Energy possessed a purifying effect. It had already permeated his skin and entered the Primordial Small World within his Dantian.

A pitch-black energy roamed about within Shen Haoran’s Primordial Small World before finally settling and seeping into the ground. As the energy with the purifying effect flowed in, wisps of white mist began to rise, and the fractured ground of the Primordial Small World actually began to slowly heal!

’This...’ Shen Haoran was utterly stunned. The cracks in his Primordial Small World had formed because he had overused Elder Yan’s Spiritual Thought, causing it to fuse with his own body and disrupt the Small World’s balance. He never expected that the Spiritual Thought lingering in those cracks could be purified by this energy!

Elder Yan had told him that the cracks in the Primordial Small World required a Sixth Grade Elixir, the Profound Yellow Pill, to be repaired. Although Shen Haoran had already gathered all the necessary materials, refining it was another matter entirely. His skill in Alchemy wasn’t yet high enough to create a Sixth Grade Elixir.

But now, it seemed he might not need the Profound Yellow Pill after all. The Purification Power here, combined with the Profound Yellow Fruit’s effect of Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence, might just be enough to completely repair the cracks in his Primordial Small World. If that happened, he would finally be able to break through the realm of a Tier One Spirit Marquis!

At this thought, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Shen Haoran’s face. The Celestial Spirit Sect’s Slaughter Tower had turned out to be an unexpected blessing.

"However, the Purification Power here is too weak," Shen Haoran murmured, slowly opening his eyes. He clenched his fist, his brow furrowed.

’Then I’ll just have to climb higher!’ Shen Haoran licked his lips and took a sudden step forward.

HUMMM...

As Shen Haoran took that step, the space before him began to warp, and an ancient figure slowly materialized in front of him...