Chapter 399 - 73: Crossing Essence Pill

A column of white light shot into the sky.

It was as if two suns hung in the sky.

It took a full hundred breaths before the light began to slowly fade.

A mountain peak that once stood upon the earth had vanished, leaving a sudden, glaring gap in the rolling range.

Zhu Ju, who had vanished, reappeared. After sweeping the area with his Divine Thought, he shot downward.

A short while later, a dusty storage bag and a Flying Sword with its Spirituality damaged appeared in his palm.

’It seems Hong Kan was wrong. The Mixed Element Thunder Bomb is powerful, but unless you’re at the very center of the explosion, it can’t kill a Late-Stage Golden Core Cultivator.’

’After all...’

’Even Guu Qinghuan almost managed to escape.’

Weighing the items in his hand, a smile finally broke through the tension on Zhu Ju’s face.

Golden Core Grandmasters temper themselves with Primordial Spirit Techniques, granting them a degree of foresight. They can instinctively sense danger before it arrives.

That was why.

Though Zhu Ju had used every trick up his sleeve and had several opportunities to wound Guu Qinghuan, he had never succeeded.

If Guu Qinghuan hadn’t been worried about reinforcements arriving and desperate to capture him, she probably wouldn’t have fallen into the trap.

The Mixed Element Thunder Bomb was undeniably powerful, but it still had to hit its mark.

And how difficult was it to pin down a Golden Core Grandmaster long enough for a Mixed Element Thunder Bomb to detonate?

"Husband!"

At the familiar voice, Zhu Ju’s head snapped up. His gaze fixed on the figure above, and a smile immediately lit up his face.

"Wife, you’re here."

Pei Jingque’s eyes were red. She stared fixedly at Zhu Ju for a long moment before taking a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in her heart. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke.

"I thought... Thank goodness you’re alright."

"I’m fine." Zhu Ju rose into the air and handed her the storage bag.

"These belonged to Guu Qinghuan of the Blood Demon Sect. There should be some good things inside."

"Guu Qinghuan?" Pei Jingque looked astonished.

"You actually killed her?"

This was a Golden Core Grandmaster who had been famous for a century, her methods formidable and her strength extraordinary. Even Pei Jingque had no guarantee of victory against her, yet she had died at the hands of Zhu Ju, a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator.

"It was a stroke of luck."

Zhu Ju sighed lightly.

"It was a true brush with death. I was lucky to have that Mixed Element Thunder Bomb Hong Kan gave me."

"I see..." Pei Jingque’s expression was complicated, but she didn’t press him for details, merely nodding.

"As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."

"Fellow Daoist!"

As they spoke,

two streaks of light streaked over from behind.

Huike and Zhishou flew near. Their gazes lingered on the vanished mountaintop, their faces filled with shock.

"A Golden Core Grandmaster..."

Huike said, his voice filled with awe,

"Truly incredible!"

"Indeed," Zhu Ju said, turning to the side.

"This is Pei Jingque, Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect. She is my dao companion and also a Golden Core."

"Sect Leader Pei." Huike performed a salute.

"I have long heard of your great name!"

"If not for your timely arrival, Sect Leader Pei, I fear we would not have escaped. This old man thanks you."

In his eyes,

the earth-shattering strike just now must have come from Pei Jingque; Zhu Ju did not possess such power.

In a way, he wasn’t wrong.

"Wife."

Zhu Ju began,

"This is Master Huike, one of the Three Sages of the Grotto Heaven World, and this is his successor, Zhishou. I met them on my travels. We happened upon some Demonic Demon People committing evil deeds, so I intervened to help..."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both." Pei Jingque nodded in acknowledgment.

"My husband’s injuries haven’t healed yet. He must recuperate."

"Yes!"

Zhishou nodded.

"Shou City is nearby. We can rest there."

*

*

*

「In the Quiet Chamber.」

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on a cushion. Taking off his outer robe, he revealed a body covered in hideous, crack-like wounds.

Pei Jingque couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath at the sight.

The crisscrossing wounds were like ravines carved across a plain, radiating a palpable Power of Destruction.

She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to gently trace a wound, sighing.

"It’s a good thing your Physical Body is so resilient and your healing ability is so astonishing. Otherwise, these injuries would have been fatal."

"The wounds themselves don’t matter," Zhu Ju said, his expression unchanging.

"My Physical Body is linked to my Soul, so my recovery is no worse than a Golden Core Grandmaster’s. The problem is that Guu Qinghuan’s Magical Power has seeped into my very marrow. With my current Cultivation, it’s almost impossible to completely purge it."

"It’s alright." Pei Jingque narrowed her eyes, and a dark red Fierce Flame ignited on her jade-white palm.

"I’ll do it!"

WHOOSH...

The Fierce Flame burst forth from her palm, transforming into silky threads of fire that penetrated Zhu Ju’s body.

At this very moment,

if Pei Jingque so wished, she could kill Zhu Ju with the utmost ease.

"Huike wants to leave with us. What are your thoughts?"

"One of the Three Sages of the Grotto Heaven... his power is on par with Dao Foundation Perfection, and with a Secret Technique, he can even affect a Golden Core Grandmaster to some extent," Zhu Ju said.

"If he’s willing to join the Bright Void Sect, that would be a dream come true."

"And then there are Xia Tong and her brother. Their innate talent is extraordinary. They could join the Sect and become part of the third generation of Core True Inheritance."

"Xia Tong?" Zhu Ju looked puzzled.

Ever since arriving, he had been in seclusion to heal his wounds and hadn’t accompanied the others to meet the Grotto Heaven Natives.

"The Little Commandery Princess from the Beihou Mansion," Pei Jingque explained. "The one you rescued."

"She’s also willing to join the Bright Void Sect."

"I see..."

"The Blood Demon Sect’s Magical Power is truly tenacious. Even my Vermilion Bird True Flame can’t easily grind it away. Hold on."

"Mm." Zhu Ju’s expression remained unchanged, but beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and his body trembled slightly.

A moment later, however, the tension in his spirit eased.

"Done."

Pei Jingque withdrew her hand and, with a flip of her palm, produced an item.

"Husband, haven’t you been looking for a treasure to increase your Divine Soul Power? This Crossing Essence Pill should suit your needs."

"A Crossing Essence Pill?" Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up.

"The elixir refined from the Spiritual Bird Mist Crow’s Essence Blood? This pill is exceedingly rare. Where did you get it, Wife?"

"I got it from Qin Zhiruo and Yuan Zanfeng," Pei Jingque said with a smile.

"I got the elixir, and they got the Spiritual Medicine."

"Yuan Zanfeng?" Zhu Ju frowned.

"Why would those two be together?"

’In this Grotto Heaven World, for two people to trust one another meant their relationship was far from ordinary, just like his and hers.’

’And Qin Zhiruo has already joined the Profound Clarity Sect.’

"Who knows."

Pei Jingque shrugged.

"As long as the elixir isn’t a fake, it doesn’t matter."

Zhu Ju nodded and took the Crossing Essence Pill. With just a single sniff, ripples spread through his Sea of Consciousness.

’A Spirit Pill!’

’With this pill, my Divine Soul Power can increase by another measure. I’ll finally be able to connect to my Central Spirit.’

’When that happens...’

’I might be able to reach Dao Foundation Perfection.’

With that, he glanced at Pei Jingque, then tilted his head back and swallowed the elixir.

The Crossing Essence Pill was extremely rare, not only because it was difficult to refine, but also because its usefulness was limited.

For a Golden Core Grandmaster, the increase in Divine Soul Power from a Crossing Essence Pill was negligible, barely better than nothing.

But for a Dao Foundation Cultivator...

Although it provided a huge boost to their Divine Soul Power, the pill’s ingredients were so expensive that it was considered an outrageous waste.

Pei Jingque sat cross-legged opposite him, acting as his Guardian.

「Time passed.」

"Sect Leader Pei."

Huike’s voice came from outside, laced with shock and uncertainty.

"You’d better come out and take a look."

"Oh?"

Pei Jingque’s eyes snapped open at the sound. She raised her hands, and a stream of flame instantly formed a ring that enveloped Zhu Ju.

Then, she pushed open the door and walked out.

It was the middle of the night.

Stepping out of the room, she instinctively looked up toward the sky. There, amidst the sea of stars, an Immortal Mansion radiating a brilliant light had majestically appeared.

An Immortal Mansion!