Chapter 515 Stuck at the Heavenly Immortal Stage Forever?

The Demon Eye Fire was powerful, but Lu Sangjiu was running low on Spirit Stones. Before long, she had used them all up.

So, left with no other choice, she went to borrow some from Luo Linlang.

Luo Linlang was incredibly generous when she heard the request for Spirit Stones. She kept only a little for pocket money and gave the rest to Lu Sangjiu.

And then, Lu Sangjiu was completely stunned by Luo Linlang’s wealth!

‘They both ascended from the Lower Realm, so why was I so dirt poor while my Senior Sister is this loaded???’

Lu Sangjiu looked as if her whole world had been turned upside down. “Senior Sister… did you rob the sect before you left?”

But Luo Linlang just replied calmly, “What are you talking about? I earned all of this myself, you know.”

She chuckled. “Have you forgotten what a great business mind and talent your Senior Sister has? This is nothing. Go on, take it and use it!”

“You just focus on your seclusion. I’ll take this opportunity to go out for a stroll, and I should be able to earn back the Spirit Stones in no time.”

Lu Sangjiu was speechless.

‘I’m in awe of my Senior Sister. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to latch onto someone this capable?!’

Lu Sangjiu didn’t like being indebted to others, but Luo Linlang was different. To her, she was family.

Besides, Xie Ningyuan’s message—that he might not be able to hold on for much longer—weighed on her. She desperately needed to increase her strength.

So, she didn’t stand on ceremony with Luo Linlang. She accepted the Spirit Stones and immediately went into seclusion.

She cultivated for a full half-month, not stopping until every last Spirit Stone was gone.

Later, perhaps because the Demon Eye Fire had gotten into the habit of expelling energy, it even spat out some of the Demonic Qi it had previously absorbed.

This was a pleasant surprise for Lu Sangjiu. After half a month, she discovered she was on the verge of breaking through to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm!

‘Keep in mind, she had only just broken through to become a Heavenly Immortal while in the Demon Realm. How long has it been? This is ridiculously fast, isn’t it?’

Of course, Lu Sangjiu was well aware that she couldn’t maintain this rapid pace indefinitely.

For one, the Demon Eye Fire had likely spent countless years accumulating that Demonic Qi. Now that it had spat it all out for her, she wouldn’t be so lucky again.

‘For another… well, her supply of Spirit Stones was nowhere near enough. Earning money is just too damn hard!’

Still, she was already very satisfied with her current gains and didn’t bother with pointless worries about the future.

Sensing she could trigger her Heavenly Tribulation, Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang found a deserted place in the wilderness, and she began her breakthrough.

The Heavenly Tribulation arrived smoothly, but its intensity… ‘Isn’t this a little over the top?’

Lu Sangjiu struggled painfully to endure it. After exhausting all her techniques, she had no choice but to withstand it directly. She was severely injured and almost didn’t survive.

Thankfully, she held on until the tribulation clouds finally dispersed. She let out a sigh of relief, only to be immediately dumbfounded.

‘…Huh? What’s happening? Why am I still at the Heavenly Immortal Stage???’

As the tribulation clouds faded, Lu Sangjiu felt a restorative power flow into her, healing her injuries. This part was no different from her previous breakthroughs.

‘But the problem is… by now, my aura should have already risen to the next level. I can feel my power has increased, but why is my cultivation still at the Heavenly Immortal Stage???’

Lu Sangjiu lay in the massive crater created by the Heavenly Tribulation, questioning all her life choices. Soon, Luo Linlang’s head popped into view from above, peering down into the crater.

“Little Junior Sister, congratulations on your advancement! Why aren’t you coming up? What are you waiting for?”

Lu Sangjiu was speechless.

She tilted her head back slightly, her expression like she’d just swallowed a bug. “My cultivation… seems to have run into a problem.”

Afterward, Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang spent a long time investigating, but neither could figure out what was going on.

Lu Sangjiu’s power had undeniably increased, but her Level hadn’t changed at all! There were no other abnormalities, which made the situation completely baffling.

For some reason, she suddenly had a bad premonition. “Does this mean… I’m going to be stuck at the Heavenly Immortal Stage forever?”

Luo Linlang shot her a sympathetic look but tried to comfort her anyway. “It’s fine. So what if your cultivation Level didn’t change? Your actual strength has gone up, and isn’t that what counts?”

“Besides, think about it: this is perfect for playing weak to ambush the strong. In the future, when people see you’re only at the Heavenly Immortal Stage and try to bully you, you can turn the tables on them in an instant!”

Lu Sangjiu was speechless.

‘Now that she mentions it, this could be pretty useful for turning the tables on would-be robbers, couldn’t it?’

Though frustrated, she had no other choice. Lu Sangjiu could only resign herself to her fate.

Next, she decided to use this time to upgrade her Domination Map Blade.

‘The scraps from two Divine Artifacts should be enough to successfully upgrade the Domination Map Blade, right?’

Lu Sangjiu knew the basics of Artifact Refining. Moreover, the Domination Map Blade was her Lifebound Magical Treasure; they were spiritually connected, which made it easier to manipulate.

With the addition of the Ten Thousand Fusion Stones and the recently acquired Demon Eye Fire, she had everything she needed. The chance of success was extremely high.

So, Lu Sangjiu saw no need to find another Artifact Refiner. She bought the necessary materials and got to work herself.

Another full month passed. Lu Sangjiu, not daring to rest for even a moment, finally succeeded in refining the Domination Map Blade!

The moment the refining was complete, black and white patterns intertwined across the Domination Map Blade’s surface. Lu Sangjiu could clearly feel both Immortal Qi and Demonic Qi swirling around it, neither repelling the other nor creating an impure mixture.

It contained such a profound power that, for a moment, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t even tell what grade it was. ‘What level is this thing?’

To test its strength, Lu Sangjiu found a remote area and tried it out on a demon beast.

With a single, seemingly ordinary swing, the demon beast was nearly obliterated into dust!

‘It’s strong. It’s way too strong, okay?’

‘And its power isn’t even obvious. It looks so plain, but it’s unbelievably domineering. Is this what they call returning to a state of primal simplicity?’

At that moment, Lu Sangjiu’s ego swelled. She felt absurdly powerful, to the point she was tempted to go pick a fight with Ji Li right then and there.

Of course, her reason prevailed.

After taking care of her business, she took out her Communication Talisman and discovered that Lie Rufeng had tried to contact her.

When she opened it, she was thrilled to discover that Lie Rufeng had actually found a way for Gu Jue to regain his freedom!

But when she read the contents, Lu Sangjiu was stunned.

Simply put, the Spirit Void Pearl was currently only a Mid-grade Immortal Artifact, which was why Gu Jue could not break free.

If she could upgrade the Spirit Void Pearl to the level of a Divine Artifact, Gu Jue would be able to break his bonds and continue to cultivate as an Artifact Spirit, just like a normal person.

Lu Sangjiu wanted to cry. ‘A Divine Artifact… A Divine Artifact!’

Yan Xue had just told her that with the disappearance of the Gods, it was now nearly impossible to even maintain a Divine Artifact.

‘And now Lie Rufeng is telling me to just go and make a Divine Artifact? How is that any different from telling me nothing at all!’

Lie Rufeng probably realized how ridiculous his suggestion sounded, because he added, “I will continue to look for other methods. Do not be anxious, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Sangjiu sighed. She could only continue to wait.

Just as she was wondering what she and Luo Linlang should do next, she suddenly felt a familiar voice in her Divine Sense!