Chapter 578: Treasure

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and struck Jianmu’s giant face, carving out dark cracks.

“What’s happening?”

Jianmu looked stunned, its face turning to gaze at the sky.

“A Thunder Tribulation!”

Seeing this, Zhu Ju explained:

“Daoist friend, your true form is very special, naturally aligned with the Great Dao. You shouldn’t have rashly tried to move. Now that you wish to undergo Transformation, you must naturally pass the trial of a Thunder Tribulation. Only then can you break your bonds.”

“So that’s how it is…” Jianmu’s cheeks twitched.

“The Cultivation Technique you gave me is incomplete.”

“Of course,” Zhu Ju nodded.

“Our deal was only for the Transformation Method. The complete Method was not part of the transaction.”

“…” Jianmu pursed its lips.

“You said the Great Dao has changed, that the Cultivation Technique in your possession can no longer be used for Cultivation and is worthless.”

“Just because it can’t be used for Cultivation doesn’t mean it’s worthless,” Zhu Ju shrugged.

“It can be studied. The current Cultivation Methods of the Demon Race are all adapted from Ancient Techniques.”

“You don’t intend to get my complete Method for nothing, do you?”

“Fine!” Jianmu sighed.

“What do you want in exchange?”

“The Heart of Jianmu,” Zhu Ju said.

“Just one-third of the Heart of Jianmu. In return, I can also help you leave this Divine Mansion.”

?

Anger surged in Jianmu’s heart once more. It stared death at Zhu Ju, gritting its teeth and growling:

“Impossible!”

“Ngh…”

“The Thunder Tribulation is here again!”

Before it could finish speaking, dozens of thick lightning bolts descended from the sky, shattering its giant face into pieces.

“What are you doing?”

Zhu Ju took a step back, his expression changing.

“Stop it!”

“How do I stop?” Jianmu was clearly flustered as well.

“I… I can’t control it! The Cultivation Technique is operating on its own! I… I’m starting the Transformation.”

Since gaining sentience, its so-called Cultivation had been based entirely on instinct and self-exploration. It had never encountered a true Cultivation Method, let alone a top-tier Wonderful Dharma from the Ancient Era.

Upon its first contact, it had been so overwhelmed with excitement that it had activated the technique on its own, but it lacked sufficient control.

The only reason it hadn’t become a Fallen Demon was because of its unique body.

“Dammit!” Zhu Ju roared, quickly turning back to the three women.

“Be caref—”

BOOM!

Before he could finish, a violent, Powerful Qi erupted, sweeping across a thousand li with the force of toppling mountains.

Mountains collapsed and the earth cracked open.

A colossal tree, rooted in the heart of the earth and reaching to the nine heavens, appeared in their senses.

Before it, even mountains seemed minuscule.

Jianmu’s main body was actually this large; the group had been on its body from the very beginning.

Across a ten-thousand-li expanse, wind and thunder raged. Streaks of lightning slithered through the dark clouds like winding Spiritual Snakes.

At the core.

The lightning was blinding and dazzling, throwing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi into chaos.

Ming Nianwei’s eyes filled with terror.

“My Lord!”

“You three go first.”

Zhu Ju’s expression was grave. His Five-Colored Divine Light flared, blocking the incoming wave of Strength completely.

“Go now!”

“Yes.”

Ming Nianwei complied. With a flash of Sword Light from her Fuyao Sword, she enveloped the three women and transformed into a streak of light, speeding into the distance.

Within a hundred li of a First-Grade Great Demon’s Thunder Tribulation, it was unsafe. Those below the Third Grade, at least, would find it difficult to protect themselves.

Flee!

‘I have to get out of here first,’ she thought.

Behind them, the Five-Colored Divine Light acted like a colossal shield, holding back the violent Powerful Qi and buying them time.

Under the impact of the Thunder Tribulation’s aftershocks, ripples spread across the Five-Colored Divine Light, and the Five Elements Mountain also teetered on the verge of collapse.

“Daoist friend.”

Zhu Ju took a deep breath and looked at Jianmu, who was slowly undergoing its Transformation amidst the tribulation clouds.

“With the Divine Mansion now manifest in the world, disaster is upon you. Gaining true freedom will not be so simple.”

“Our deal…”

“…will continue.”

“Perhaps,” Jianmu had recovered from its panic, speaking as it resisted the Thunder Tribulation.

“Besides me, there is a white wolf and a jiangshi in this world. You should be careful of them.”

“We will meet again!”

BOOM…

A deafening roar erupted as lightning flashed wildly, as if a scorching sun from the nine heavens had fallen into the Mortal World.

Zhu Ju felt his body tremble. He subconsciously activated a Method, transforming into a wisp of Qingfeng and retreating explosively with the blast of Strength.

Like a falling leaf, swaying in the wind.

That one retreat carried him thousands of li away.

*

*

*

「By a certain river channel.」

The current washed a mangled corpse onto the shore.

Its limbs were broken, several ribs were missing from its chest, and half of its face had disappeared.

Even its five viscera were gone, leaving an empty cavity.

In such a state, even an Upper Three Grades Martial Artist would likely not have survived.

But even in this extreme condition, as a five-colored halo interlaced within the corpse, the missing organs began to regenerate, and the broken body slowly restored itself. Not long after, it was as good as new.

“Haaa…”

Zhu Ju opened his eyes and exhaled a long, turbid breath.

“The power of the Thunder Tribulation is truly terrifying. It nearly scattered the life force in my body. It took this long just to recover.”

His Physical Body was extraordinary, possessing a transcendent power. In theory, he could be reborn from a single drop of blood.

His recovery had been so slow not because of the severity of the damage to his Physical Body, but because the power of the Thunder Tribulation still lingered within him.

After all, when Zhu Ju had crossed worlds, he had been ensnared and annihilated by an Immortal Grade Array, yet he had managed to seize a new body and be reborn by relying on the unique properties of his Venerable Immortal Bone.

Though a First-Grade Great Demon’s Thunder Tribulation was strong, it was nothing to him.

“However…”

“The grade of the Five Elements Mountain seems to be higher than I thought. It faced the Thunder Tribulation directly without a scratch.”

Summoning the palm-sized Five Elements Mountain, Zhu Ju tossed it in his hand for a moment before taking out a Spirit Fruit.

“Innate Origin Qi!”

Gazing at the Spirit Fruit, a flicker of emotion crossed his face.

He had once spent countless efforts to obtain this item, yet now he had acquired it with ease.

With a glint in his eye, Zhu Ju’s expression hardened. He opened his mouth, swallowed the Spirit Fruit, and sat cross-legged on a rock to begin its Refinement.

For an ordinary Cultivator, Innate Origin Qi was not particularly useful. Its only benefit was allowing one’s Physical Body to achieve a state of Returning to Innate, improving one’s foundation and constitution, but there were many Spiritual Objects that could accomplish the same.

It could, however, be used to refine a Pure Yang Magical Treasure, or perhaps a Super Grade Qi Blood Divine Weapon.

But for Zhu Ju, he could use it to refine the Venerable Immortal Bone within his body, forging an unparalleled foundation for his Immortal Path.

In the process, his Physical Body would be reforged and his Cultivation would increase, but these were secondary benefits.

An unknown amount of time passed.

RUSTLE RUSTLE…

Leaves rustled as three figures pushed through the dense mountain miasma and appeared by the river.

“What’s going on?”

Pang Fei’s brow was tightly furrowed.

“I clearly saw a rich aura rising from here, indicating the emergence of a Spiritual Object, but there’s nothing.”

“Spiritual treasures conceal themselves,” a man and a woman appeared behind him. The woman, holding an Eight Trigrams Compass, said slowly,

“Junior Brother Pang, don’t be anxious. The Spiritual Object is nearby. There’s no mistake.”

“Right,” Pang Fei came back to his senses and sighed.

“I never thought the one who snatched away the Half-Demon Qian Hu would be Li Xianshan of the Sanhe Gang. We entered the Divine Mansion several days after them. I’m afraid they’ve already gotten their hands on quite a few good things.”

“The Luh Wu Divine Mansion is larger than we imagined. For just two Fifth-Grade cultivators to try and monopolize it is nothing but a fool’s dream,” the man said, shaking his head. His gaze shifted, and his eyebrows suddenly shot up.

“Found it.”

“It’s him!”

The three of them looked in unison toward a rock shrouded in mist. When they saw the figure on it clearly, they were all stunned.

“Zhu Ju?”

Pang Fei’s eyes glinted.

“He’s refining a Treasure!”

As he spoke, his figure flashed, and he thrust his hand toward Zhu Ju’s abdomen.