The instant the vast pillar of light surged into the sky, it seized the attention of every soul within ten thousand li.
Across Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks, every cultivator was shaken to the core.
Gazing at that dazzling beacon of light, their hearts were gripped by awe and fear, yet their eyes blazed with fanatic fervor.
Ruins!
A scene like this had appeared once before.
Three hundred years ago, when the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect forced open the Lingkong Secret Realm, the very same phenomenon had manifested.
Rumor held that the Lingkong Secret Realm was the ancient cave dwelling of a mighty ancient expert.
Even to this day, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had not finished exploring it.
Such a pillar of light was no mere auspicious spectacle. It was born of an immense torrent of spiritual qi suddenly venting into the world.
For such staggering spiritual qi to pour forth, the dwelling's former master must have possessed a cultivation boundary far beyond ordinary comprehension!
Even if not an ancient master, they were certainly someone who touched the threshold of the Deity Transformation realm.
Almost the moment the ruins revealed themselves, countless rogue cultivators surged toward them of their own accord.
Meanwhile, on the chaotic battlefield of the Eighth Peak, the Golden Core masters of both sides barked their orders, sounding the retreat and pulling back their forces.
Immediately after, led by the Golden Core elders of the Luoyun Sect and the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, squads of cultivators were dispatched to the Ninth Peak to clear away the uninvited masses.
The next day.
Outside Sunken Void Valley.
A colossal crater lay before everyone's eyes.
From the six sects combined, nearly twenty Golden Core cultivators had arrived on the scene. Every eye was fixed upon the crater and the towering gates thrown open below.
The pitch-black gates resembled a bottomless vortex, swallowing every stray beam of light.
Crackling bursts of silvery-white lightning tore through the air at irregular intervals, inspiring instinctive dread in all who watched.
Amidst the hushed murmurs, an exceptionally young Daoist stepped forth from the Sword Sect's side.
He appeared to be barely twenty years of age, yet his towering aura smothered every other Golden Core cultivator present.
Yaoguang!
Late Golden Core realm!
A sword cultivator of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!
Every single one of these identities weighed heavily upon the hearts of the crowd.
Looking at the open gates, Master Yaoguang's eyes flashed with wonder.
"The ruins of a grand master! A Deity Transformation cave dwelling!"
The moment his words fell, the crowd that had fallen silent because of him immediately erupted into a restless stir.
Amidst the bustling throng, dozens of divine sense transmissions crisscrossed invisibly.
Master Yaoguang withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes over the crowd.
Under his accumulated prestige, the complexions of those present shifted involuntarily.
Could the Sword Sect intend to monopolize this place, just as they had monopolized the Lingkong Secret Realm three hundred years ago?
Suddenly, Yaoguang changed the subject, addressing the elder of their erstwhile bitter enemy, the Luoyun Sect, with astonishing calm.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng Yan, what do you think?"
He was speaking to a late Golden Core grand cultivator named Cheng Yan.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the white-haired elder replied in a dry, raspy voice, "I presume everyone has already heard the general sequence of events from Fairy Jueqing?"
The crowd nodded.
Not long before, Fairy Jueqing had recounted the story in detail.
A Foundation Establishment guest elder of the Ice Fort had triggered a profound thunder array to obliterate the Yan Alliance's Golden Core elder, Di Wanyun. In doing so, he had inadvertently disturbed this cave dwelling left behind by a Deity Transformation expert, even channeling boundless heavenly lightning to blast open its ancient gates.
Under normal circumstances, such a feat would have shaken the entire Jade Cauldron Domain to its foundations.
Yet before a Deity Transformation dwelling and the ruins of an ancient grand master, even that astounding triumph seemed insignificant.
"And what is your proposal?" Yaoguang asked with a faint smile.
Cheng Yan nodded slowly. "Since it was opened by cultivators of the Ice Fort and the Yan Alliance, neither of our two supreme sects has any right to claim it alone. Furthermore, fellow Daoists from all six sects stand here today; those who are present ought to have a share."
Before Yaoguang could even respond, the Golden Core masters of the remaining four sects chimed in with their agreement.
The two masters of Mount Ailao, the three masters of Azure Pill Valley, Yinyue and Jueqing of the Ice Fort, and even the two dark-faced Golden Core masters of the Yan Alliance—none of them voiced any objection.
Only the first-rate subordinate factions that possessed their own Golden Core cultivators wore expressions of deep reluctance and discontent.
A burly man strode out from the crowd.
"Fellow Daoist Yaoguang, to wage this war, my Heavenly Saber Sect lost nearly seventy percent of our disciples. It was a slaughterhouse!"
"Now that the ruins of a grand master lie before us, boundless opportunities are guaranteed within."
"Are you saying that we cannot even have a sip of the broth?"
As he spoke, leaders from other subordinate factions could no longer hold back.
"Fellow Daoist Tianque speaks the truth!"
"When great fortune appears, it belongs to those fated to receive it!"
"Fellow Daoist Cheng said it himself: all present should share! We shed blood for the Luoyun Sect—there is no reason to cast us aside!"
"Besides, our reaction was slightly delayed, and several rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators have already slipped inside. If even they can partake, what justification is there to shut us out?"
Word by word, their voices swelled, threatening to overpower the hosts.
These subordinate factions boasting Golden Core masters did not belong solely to the Sword Sect's camp.
The Luoyun Sect had first-rate vassals, as did Azure Pill Valley.
Even the Yan Alliance had one among them!
As such, neither side dared step forward to reprimand them rashly, lest they spark internal mutiny.
Everyone was waiting to see what the Sword Sect and the Luoyun Sect would decide.
Faced with this rising tide of indignation, Sword Sect's Yaoguang kept a smile on his face, though the curve of his lips turned chillingly cold.
Snap! He folded his paper fan.
"Very well!"
"Since everyone is eager to explore, my Jade Cauldron Sword Sect will not spoil the mood."
"Anyone who wishes to enter may do so."
"However, there is one condition that the six sects must accept!"
The crowd was taken aback. None had expected the Sword Sect to be so accommodating, so utterly devoid of their usual overbearing arrogance.
Instantly, all eyes turned to the elder of the Luoyun Sect.
Yaoguang could speak for the Sword Sect alliance, while late Golden Core Cheng Yan naturally headed the Four-Sect Alliance.
What was his stance?
Cheng Yan's cloudy eyes fixed on Yaoguang. "Speak plainly, Fellow Daoist."
Yaoguang smiled faintly. "It is simple. The subordinate factions may do as they please, but among our six sects, each sect may send only one Golden Core master inside!"
"Only that?" Cheng Yan's brows knitted.
Yaoguang nodded. "Only that!"
"Are there any restrictions on Foundation Establishment True Cultivators or Qi Refinement disciples?"
"None!"
"Fine, I agree!"
A gleam flashed across Cheng Yan's face, and he consented with utter decisiveness.
The other four sects had no objections either. Being able to send one Golden Core master inside meant they were guaranteed to harvest something of value.
Before long, under the organization of each sect, Golden Core masters led vast cohorts of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement disciples into the great doorway.
As for the Golden Core masters of the subordinate factions, they had already dashed inside ahead of everyone else.
The only surprise was that the Sword Sect dispatched just a single Golden Core master.
It was none other than Kaiyang, who had clashed with Linghu Jie on the battlefield earlier!
Seeing Kaiyang enter completely alone, Cheng Yan's expression shifted slightly.
He beckoned Linghu Jie over.
"Senior Brother, what are your orders?" Linghu Jie asked in a low voice.
In front of outsiders, he projected all the fierce majesty of a sect elder, haughty and domineering. But before Cheng Yan—an eldest senior brother whose age and seniority surpassed even True Person Han Zhan of the Luoyun Sect—he was as obedient as a lamb.
"The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect has prior experience exploring Deity Transformation ruins. They likely understand certain patterns and hazards."
"When you enter shortly, do not be greedy or rash. Advance step by step."
"Furthermore, have the disciples you take inside deploy puppets for scouting whenever possible. Our efficiency should far exceed that of the other sects."
"In short, prioritize stability above all else. I have already sent word for Junior Brother Han Zhan to arrive as swiftly as he can. Once he is here, everything will be secure."
His words were delivered steadily, calm and unhurried.
Linghu Jie suppressed the restlessness in his chest and gave a solemn nod.
"Junior Brother understands."
"Go, then... Oh, one more thing. Aside from the perils of the ruins themselves, you must remain vigilant against the other Golden Core cultivators."
Cheng Yan looked at him with an affectionate, paternal gaze. "The malice of the living far exceeds the traps of ancient cultivators!"
"Senior Brother speaks wisely. I will keep it carved in my heart!"
Linghu Jie gave an affirmative grunt, then led his cohort across the threshold of the deep, abyssal gate.
Similar scenes played out across the other sects.
Over at the Ice Fort's contingent, two women stood face-to-face, their expressions frosty and harsh.
"Sect Master Senior Sister is already on her way. It is only right that I go in first to scout the situation."
"You only want to go because of the chance to break through to the Nascent Soul realm inside! You just want an excuse to abandon your duties here!"
"And what of you, Jueqing? Are you any different?"
"I can sense that my Profound Ice Talisman was triggered. Luo Chen might still be alive. I am going to bring him out!"
"Hmph! A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—what does his life or death matter to our Ice Fort? Senior Sister Jueqing, why put on such an affectionate, righteous display?"
"He is a talent specifically requested by the Supreme Elder. If he truly perishes, neither of us can shoulder the blame!"
"Then what do you propose? We both have reasons we must go. If we stand here bickering, the other sects will simply beat us to the prize!"
While the two remained locked in their impasse, Fairy Jueqing's expression abruptly changed.
The imprint of the Profound Ice Talisman she had personally bestowed upon Luo Chen had vanished!
This meant the defensive ice-seal imbued within it had been completely exhausted.
Was Luo Chen dead?
***
Time flowed like water.
In the blink of an eye, half a year slipped by.
News that a Deity Transformation cave dwelling had emerged at Mount Thunder Accumulation had spread across the entirety of the Jade Cauldron Domain.
The standoff between the two supreme sects had created an opening for rogue cultivators to exploit.
Cultivators from across the Jade Cauldron Domain flocked to the site in droves.
Even from two neighboring great domains, cultivators had set out, eager to seek their fortunes.
In the midst of this frenzy, the war between the two supreme sects finally wound down, grinding to a halt.
Across the various immortal cities, rogue cultivators who had fled the war began trickling back.
Outside Tianlan Immortal City, atop Danxia Peak.
Every Foundation Establishment True Cultivator of the Luotian Association was gathered in the main hall!
Today, Chu Kui had finally healed from his severe wounds and emerged from seclusion.
Facing a hall packed with True Cultivators, Chu Kui brought up the past once more, recounting that fateful battle in detail.
The clash wherein Dan Chenzi obliterated Di Wanyun—a feat largely overlooked by the wider world amidst the frenzy of the ruins—was described to everyone for the very first time.
"I know Luo Chen's capabilities inside and out. Given an opportunity to flee, he instead chose to lay down a lethal ambush. That alone proves he had contingency plans. There is no need for everyone to worry excessively."
"No need to worry? How could we not worry!"
A crisp female voice rang through the hall. Gu Caiyi spoke, her face etched with anxiety. "That was a deluge of ten thousand bolts of lightning capable of striking down a Golden Core master! What kind of contingency could possibly withstand such devastation?"
Duan Feng spoke up.
"Min Longyu, you were the one who gave that array to the Association Leader. Did it possess any means to ward off lightning?"
In an instant, countless gazes converged upon Min Longyu.
Min Longyu took a deep breath and answered rapidly, "It did. But according to Fellow Daoist Chu, the Association Leader drew down the thunderclouds that had accumulated over the Ninth Peak for thousands of years. With the lightning-warding measures I provided, I fear they could not disperse even a tenth of that power."
At these words, everyone's heart sank.
Gu Caiyi stepped forward from the crowd. "Living, we must see the man; dead, we must see the corpse. We have to go find the Association Leader!"
Saying this, her narrow, almond eyes swept across every True Cultivator present.
"Do not forget: without the Association Leader, none of us would be standing here today. Who among you has not received his grace?"
Faced with her words, nobody could remain seated.
"I will go," Min Longyu declared. "I am proficient in array craft. Even if it is the ruins of a Deity Transformation master, I will understand slightly more than the rest of you."
"I was stationed there for three years," Duan Feng said. "I know the terrain of Mount Thunder Accumulation intimately. Count me in."
"The Association Leader granted me a new lease on life, and he is a great benefactor to my Li family. I will naturally go search for him," Li Yingzhang said earnestly.
Plea after plea echoed through the grand hall.
In the end, it was a low, commanding woman's voice that cut through the clamor.
"Enough!"
Gu Caiyi whipped around, glaring fiercely at the woman seated at the head of the hall.
"Sima Huiniang, what do you mean by that?"
Sima Huiniang met her gaze for a brief moment before looking away.
Her eyes fell upon the man who had remained silent all this time.
"Hall Master Wang, you mentioned earlier that you and the Association Leader were the first to discover those ruins?"
Wang Yuan lifted his head and spoke slowly.
"Yes. Luo Chen said that the key to opening the gates of that dwelling would likely be the lightning in the heavens."
Sima Huiniang nodded. "Which means the Association Leader deliberately chose Sunken Void Valley as his battlefield."
Seeing Gu Caiyi open her mouth to speak again, Sima Huiniang pressed on, refusing to give her an opening to interrupt.
"The Association Leader's wisdom far surpasses our own. Every move he makes carries deep intent. Throughout his entire journey, no matter what crisis he faced, he always prepared more than enough backups."
The crowd could not help but nod.
That was indeed the truth.
Back when they wiped out the Fu family, the Association Leader knew Miao Wen would take his side, which was why he acted without fear.
When he marched upon Mount Xiaohuan, he had secretly contacted the Nangong family in advance and used the profits of the pill trade to bind several other Foundation Establishment cultivators to his cause.
Even after arriving in Tianlan surrounded by enemies, he made thorough preparations before attending the banquet alone and battling single-handedly upon the Qinhua River.
To claim that Luo Chen was a brainless brute who only knew how to gamble his life away was something none of them would believe.
That was not how Luo Chen operated; that was how Wang Yuan and the others acted.
Furthermore, Chu Kui had mentioned that Luo Chen originally had the chance to flee back to the protection of the Four-Sect Alliance's Golden Core masters.
For him to choose Sunken Void Valley as his battleground and fight a desperate battle meant there had to be a reason.
While the crowd fell into deep contemplation, Sima Huiniang pondered aloud:
"Under the fury of lightning summoned by a third-order array, neither a Golden Core nor a Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily survive."
"However, the Association Leader held the array disks and could evade some of the force. If, at the critical moment, he channeled the lightning to blast open the dwelling's gates and dove inside, the danger would be significantly diminished."
At these words, everyone felt a sudden flash of clarity.
The outside had indeed been perilous, but if the doors opened, wouldn't taking shelter inside be relatively safe?
And from the way events unfolded, that appeared to be exactly what had happened.
After returning to Tianlan Immortal City, Fairy Jueqing had personally stated that the opening of the Deity Transformation dwelling's gates occurred at the exact instant the ten thousand bolts of lightning struck.
"Yet all of this is merely your speculation. What if you are wrong?" Gu Caiyi pressed, still fraught with worry.
Sima Huiniang shook her head. "We must have faith in the Association Leader. Furthermore..."
She opened her palm. A peculiar ripple was squirming across her skin.
Chu Kui blurted out, "The Consonance Gu!"
"Yes. The Consonance Gu you gave me years ago as a Foundation Establishment congratulatory gift!" Sima Huiniang nodded slowly, her fingers curling slightly. "Over several years of nurturing, I have raised it to the second order. It can already sense life and death. Since my Consonance Gu is still alive, it proves the Association Leader is still alive!"
Seeing the confusion on the faces of the others, Chu Kui promptly explained the nature of this bizarre Gu worm from the Southern Border.
At the first order, hearts resonated in consonance.
At the second order, it could sense life and death.
If raised to the third order, it could transform into the renowned Demonic Heart Gu of the Southern Border; upon the death of one host, the other could absorb their lifetime of cultivation.
It was an exceedingly uncanny creature!
After hearing this explanation, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Luo Chen was not dead. That was undeniably the best news possible.
No wonder that over the past half year, while panic spread through the ranks of the Luotian Association, Sima Huiniang had remained as steady as Mount Tai, far calmer than anyone else.
Gu Caiyi felt both immense joy and a tinge of envy.
Xu Huanzhen, who had remained quiet the entire time, finally spoke up.
"In the Association Leader's absence, the Director General holds supreme authority. Director General Sima, please speak plainly—what should we do next?"
In this hall, Sima Huiniang possessed neither the highest cultivation realm nor the greatest combat strength.
Yet her status was indisputably supreme.
Above all, she had enjoyed Luo Chen's deepest trust over the years.
It was fair to say that she was the backbone of the group, holding an importance that surpassed even the formidable Chu Kui and Wang Yuan.
Meeting everyone's expectant gazes, Sima Huiniang revealed that she had long prepared her plan.
"Three things!"
"First, digest the Foundation Establishment Pills exchanged using battlefield merit points to elevate the overall strength of our Luotian Association."
"Second, while the war between the supreme sects has paused, the heavy losses suffered by the various subordinate factions that marched to the battlefield are an established fact. We must seize this opportunity to expand our reach and strengthen our association!"
"I do not want the Association Leader to return to find a Luotian Association that is stagnant, or worse, in decline."
"Third, and most importantly: though the Association Leader is alive, we must send a team to search for him and render aid!"
Point by point, clause by clause, her instructions were crystal clear.
While nodding in agreement, the crowd silently marveled at Sima Huiniang's composure in the face of crisis, having accounted for every single facet.
Under her guidance, the rescue team was quickly finalized.
It could not be too large!
Too many powerhouses occupied the ruins. If the Luotian Association sent too many people, it would only invite trouble.
However, they had to be exceedingly strong!
Chu Kui had to go. Having fought alongside Luo Chen for many days, he understood his habits and had the highest chance of locating him.
Wang Yuan had to go as well.
Having comprehended the nuances of blood and qi, mastering obvious, hidden, and transformative force, Wang Yuan's combat power was on par with an eighth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.
His body-tempering methods were completely baffling to ordinary cultivators accustomed to relying on artifacts and treasures.
With him present, they had nothing to fear in small-scale skirmishes.
Finally, with utmost deliberation, Sima Huiniang selected Min Longyu.
"Occupying the geographic advantage of Danxia and commanding the grand array, Elder Min is more than capable of fending off any Foundation Establishment enemy. You are our association's strongest defensive bulwark!"
"Under ordinary circumstances, you should never stray far from the Luotian Association for long. That was always the Association Leader's arrangement for you."
"Especially now, with Elder Chu and Hall Master Wang departing, you ought to stay behind."
Sima Huiniang paused briefly.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, she stated her choice for this extraordinary circumstance.
"Yet compared to the Luotian Association, the Association Leader's safety takes precedence above all else!"
"Even if the Luotian Association is destroyed, so long as the Association Leader remains, we can rebuild it from scratch. But if we fail to retrieve him, then even if the association stands firm for centuries, it will be utterly meaningless."
"Therefore, I dispatch you alongside Hall Master Wang and Elder Chu to the Mount Thunder Accumulation ruins. Do you have any objections?"
Min Longyu replied with resolute firmness, "None whatsoever!"
Sima Huiniang swept her gaze over the rest. "Does anyone object to my arrangements?"
Looking at the three carefully selected individuals—Wang Yuan, the Luotian Association's foremost combatant; Chu Kui, the veteran leader of Tianlan's rogue cultivators; and Min Longyu, the master of arrays—the crowd understood that this lineup represented the absolute pinnacle of their association's might.
Even out in the wider cultivation world, such a trio commanded immense respect.
Traveling together, they were undeniably the strongest and most efficient team the Luotian Association could field.
One after another, everyone voiced their agreement.
Even Gu Caiyi nodded in approval.
"Then let each person attend to their duties!"
With a sweep of her sleeve, Sima Huiniang settled the grand strategy.
***
While winds and clouds surged in the outside world, a different scene unfolded within the Deity Transformation ruins of the Ninth Peak.
Inside a grand hall enveloped in swirling mist and crackling with lightning, an emaciated man sat with eyes shut tight, his body trembling faintly.
Arcs of electric light flashed across his skin from time to time.
Wisps of lightning flowed like water, coiling around his frame as they drilled in and out of his flesh.
At his feet lay a dense carpet of items.
Dharma artifacts, magic treasures, talismans, puppets, sword pills, ore minerals, array flags... along with numerous fragments of shredded storage bags.
There was no rhyme or reason to the assortment.
It was impossible to tell what manner of cultivator could possess such a chaotic hoard.
Only Luo Chen knew what he had endured over the past half year.
That day, after summoning the heavenly lightning, the sheer deluge of destructive power had far exceeded his expectations.
The lightning-warding measures of the Eighteen Wandering Formation Disks had been incapable of venting all that fury.
Seeing Di Wanyun perish in an instant, Luo Chen had taken the ultimate gamble and triggered his final contingency.
Channeling the lightning, he blasted open the ancient gate, caring not what level of experts might be drawn to the site.
Fortunately, he had succeeded.
In that split second, he dove straight into these ruins.
Yet while he had survived by a stroke of fortune, it had not come without a terrible cost.
A portion of the pursuing lightning had poured directly into his body.
Ordinary lightning would have been fine; a Foundation Establishment cultivator could endure it.
Yet such a colossal quantity of lightning swiftly triggered a qualitative metamorphosis.
From that moment on, his physical body hovered on the brink of complete collapse.
Luo Chen had tried using the Cleansing Art to purge the foreign lightning, but it was merely a drop in the ocean!
When a ship is taking on water, what use is a ladle against the flooding sea?
Driven to desperation, he activated his final measure: the Profound Ice Talisman!
In a flash, absolute frost sealed his entire body.
He had intended to wait for Fairy Jueqing's rescue.
Yet after being encased in ice, Luo Chen realized the grim truth: the lightning coursing through his body continued to writhe and thrash.
The ice seal was fracturing inch by inch. Within a day at most, the lightning would resume wreaking havoc upon his mortal frame.
In that perilous hour, Luo Chen forced his mind into icy calm.
The invasion of lightning was not an insurmountable death sentence!
If he were a cultivator with a lightning spiritual root, he could have absorbed the spiritual power within to advance his cultivation realm.
Though he lacked a lightning spiritual root, he had prior experience using lightning to temper his body.
*If I use this lightning to open my acupoints, could I burn it away?*
*No!*
*There is far too much of it. Even if I consume a portion, a massive surplus will remain.*
*I must find another method—either to vent it outward or consume it entirely.*
As thoughts raced through his mind, Luo Chen turned his attention to his third-order body tempering art: the Heavenly Roc Transformation!
If mastered, it allowed one to take on a beast-like metamorphosis.
Wang Yuan had sneered at it.
Luo Chen had not been particularly fond of it either.
Yet the Heavenly Roc Transformation was not merely a technique for shapeshifting in battle. Its essence lay in emulating the ancient great beasts, forsaking the path of human transformation to pursue a primordial path of body tempering.
In the Mountain and Sea Realm, ancient great beasts rarely chose to take human form.
Instead, they relentlessly seized heaven and earth's spiritual qi to temper their monstrous bodies, striving for eternal indestructibility and regeneration from a single drop of blood.
The Heavenly Roc Transformation had been conceived along those exact lines!
However, because it was incomplete, crucial methods of body tempering were missing.
It only outlined absorbing the blood essence of three kinds of demon beasts, each leading down a different path of physical refinement.
Those three were the Thunder Roc, the Golden-Winged Great Roc, and the Heavenly Sun Roc.
Their corresponding attributes were lightning, metal, and fire.
These three attributes also happened to be the most formidable offensive spiritual roots in ordinary human cultivation.
If one could execute the transformations of the Heavenly Roc, their combat power would naturally stand supreme among their peers!
Luo Chen possessed all five elemental spiritual roots, making him eligible for the paths of the Golden-Winged Great Roc and the Heavenly Sun Roc.
Furthermore, when he reached Foundation Establishment, he had consumed Emperor Flowing Liquid refined from the carcass of a Blazing Cloud Roc. Strictly speaking, he had already absorbed the blood essence of a roc-type demon beast.
In terms of elemental attributes, he had walked the fire-aligned body tempering path akin to the Heavenly Sun Roc.
If he were to complete this third-order body tempering technique, he should have complemented it in that direction.
Alas, how could everything in the world be so convenient?
*I already satisfy the foundational condition of having roc blood essence within me. Why can I not borrow fire to cultivate lightning, and borrow lightning to temper my body?*
*As for the missing parts of the technique, I will simply complete them myself!*
Time was critically short; the sealing power of the Profound Ice Talisman could last one day at most.
With no room for hesitation, Luo Chen summoned his system panel.
In that instant, he ignored all other entries and scrolled directly to the bottom where his achievement points were displayed.
[Achievement Points: 65]
This was the largest, wealthiest reserve of achievement points Luo Chen had ever accumulated.
Based on his past experience, using achievement points to complete a pill recipe across cultivation tiers cost more than ten points.
The upper ceiling depended on how many realms he was skipping.
Skipping one tier cost within a hundred points.
Skipping two tiers might cost anywhere between a hundred and a thousand points.
Though exact metrics were hard to define, his current body tempering cultivation stood at [Blood River Realm: 50/100], which meant completing a third-order art was not an excessively large leap.
Moreover, completing a technique was heavily influenced by his personal accumulation of knowledge.
The deeper his foundation and the greater his insight, the fewer achievement points would be consumed.
Conversely, the less he knew, the more it would cost!
Cultivation methods should follow the same principle as pill recipes!
*In the Dao of body tempering, my breadth of study may not equal Wang Yuan's, but it far exceeds that of ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.*
*Whether it is my daily physical training and qi nourishment, or reading through ancient texts and scriptures, I have never neglected my foundation.*
*Particularly this Heavenly Roc Transformation—I have studied it constantly ever since reaching Foundation Establishment.*
*Sixty-five achievement points should be enough to complete it!*
With peril bearing down upon him, Luo Chen could afford no more hesitation.
He immediately initiated the completion of the body tempering technique!
Achievement points began to drain away like water.
One point, two points, three, four... fifteen, twenty... forty-five!
When forty-five achievement points had been spent, the completion progress snapped to a finish.
In an instant, an entire manual of cultivation mantras poured into his mind like an enlightenment directly bestowed from the heavens.
The opening portions were thoroughly familiar—the original text of the Heavenly Roc Transformation, which Luo Chen had already memorized backward and forward.
Yet the subsequent trajectory had undergone a profound metamorphosis.
"Electricity traverses the hundred channels; thunder courses through the entire frame. Spiritual qi feeds back into the flesh; blood essence springs forth of its own accord..."
As the detailed mantras unfurled in his mind, Luo Chen realized with pleasant surprise that this completed third-order body tempering technique was practically custom-tailored for him!
Cleansing marrow, transforming tendons, tempering the organs, and opening the meridians—these were all stages he had already traversed.
Now, he would merely use the power of thunder and lightning to walk them anew.
As for the subsequent feedback of spiritual qi to generate boundless blood essence, that originated from his second-order body tempering method, Qi and Body from the Same Source.
The acupoint-opening methods embedded within were the fruits of his research while stationed at the Sixth Peak.
Beyond that, several extraordinary body-tempering arts had emerged.
Bone Reshaping, Blood Changing, Spirit Preserving, Core Condensing, Qi Ingestion, Armor Transformation...
Toward the very end, it even gave an impression of unfinished profundity!
This meant that this body tempering art still possessed room for future refinement and advancement.
Luo Chen glanced through the newly added techniques and discovered they were all intimately tied to everything he had learned in life.
Bone Reshaping and Blood Changing traced their roots to his Foundation Establishment with Emperor Flowing Liquid, drawing from the marrow, flesh, and blood of demon beasts.
Spirit Preserving seemed to stem from the Clear Spirit Evil Shattering art.
Core Condensing drew inspiration from the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation secret art he had practiced several times, as well as the Pure Origin Wonderful Elixir method.
The Qi Ingestion and Armor Transformation that followed derived from the Turtle Spirit Armor.
Faced with such a transformation, Luo Chen was overjoyed.
This was his first time using the system to actively complete a cultivation art. He had never expected it to draw upon the entirety of his life's learning, absorbing the strengths of a hundred schools to forge a method tailored purely for himself.
One could only imagine that if he continued cultivating along this path, even if he never mastered the subtle shifts of blood and qi or walked the orthodox path of body tempering, he would still forge a terrifyingly formidable physique.
A physique comparable to an ancient great beast!
Calling this technique the Heavenly Roc Transformation was no longer appropriate. For the time being, Luo Chen dubbed it the Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering Art.
The reason for such a hasty naming was that he was out of time.
He had no leisure for idle musing!
As the Profound Ice Talisman thawed, the power containing the thunderous fury within him was rapidly fading.
He immediately mobilized this third-order body tempering method to actively absorb that lightning and temper his physical body.
First, he would retrace the four steps: cleansing marrow, transforming tendons, tempering organs, and opening meridians!
Crack!
The instant the frost fully shattered, the immense power of thunder surged to destroy Luo Chen's body.
Gritting his teeth against the agonizing pain, Luo Chen cast the Healing Art and the Spring Breeze and Rain Art again and again.
Alternating between the two medical arts, he mended his battered body.
In the intervals between healing and destruction, Luo Chen painstakingly retraced his body tempering path.
His already formidable physique underwent marrow cleansing and tendon transformation once more!
The five qi within his chest erupted like torrential rain, coiling like furious dragons to tear into the lightning, biting and shredding it apart.
Though the five qi dissipated continuously throughout this ordeal, what remained behind grew undeniably purer and stronger.
The step of electricity traversing the hundred channels proceeded even more smoothly.
Luo Chen even brought out his reserve of supreme-grade Blood Fiend Pills to assist this stage.
Next came the opening of his remaining acupoints.
Time crept by silently...
He had no idea how much time passed before another crisis struck.
Luo Chen's spiritual power had almost run dry.
Whether it was the feedback method derived from Qi and Body from the Same Source, or channeling lightning while casting spells to repair his body, the process devoured vast quantities of spiritual power.
His sea of qi, once brimming with power, was now completely depleted.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen took every superior-grade Soaring Dragon Pill saved in his storage bag and poured them down his throat one after another.
Not stopping there, he forcibly broke open the storage bags left behind by early and mid Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Those he could unlock quickly, he opened; those he could not, he shattered by brute force.
Even when bags burst apart and precious resources were swallowed by dimensional rifts, he had no care to spare.
His sole focus was scavenging every medicinal pill within.
Even unrefined heavenly treasures and spirit herbs were shoveled in without thought.
So long as they contained spiritual qi, it was enough!
As for whether his body could endure such a flood of medicinal pills and spirit herbs, he did not worry in the slightest.
With such a monstrous ocean of lightning raging inside him, there was no need to fear that these second-order pills would fail to be refined.
Amidst this terrifying cultivation regimen, half a year vanished in the blink of an eye.
The four steps of cleansing marrow, transforming tendons, tempering organs, and opening meridians had long been accomplished!
The opening of his acupoints followed as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
Within him, all seven hundred and twenty acupoints shone as brightly as stars in the night sky.
Inside them, silvery-white radiance flickered, harboring residual traces of thunderous power.
Furthermore, Luo Chen had completed a full Blood Changing.
His old blood and qi had been entirely replaced by a newborn vitality!
Beyond that, along his spine, a silver-hued spinal column hummed and vibrated continuously, stretching like a coiled dragon.
This was Bone Reshaping!
Luo Chen could not yet reshape all the bones in his body, so he had started with the most crucial: his spine.
He had a distinct premonition that because of this single bone, his combat capabilities would undergo a tremendous leap!
This was a Thunder Bone!
A slumbering dragon biding its time. Still, it remained silent; but once it stirred, winds and clouds would turn upside down!
*The resources of over thirty Foundation Establishment storage bags have brought me to this stage—a rare and magnificent achievement.*
*Yet it must not stop here!*
Though it was merely thirty-odd bags, they held the accumulated wealth of thirty-odd Foundation Establishment True Cultivators from the battlefield.
Many among them had exchanged their merit points for top-tier treasures.
In Foundation Establishment Pills alone, laden with violent spiritual qi, he had acquired over a dozen.
Luo Chen's eyes shone with blazing brilliance, sparks of lightning seeming to dance within his pupils.
By now, he had thoroughly refined the deluge of lightning inside him.
The lightning drifting through this grand hall was now being drawn in from the outside world.
He gathered dozens of pill bottles and poured an assortment of medicines into his mouth.
Then, he took a deep breath!
As though unhinging an abyssal maw, spiritual qi from several li around rushed toward him in a frantic deluge.
A multicolored dragon of qi was swallowed into his frame.
This was the Qi Ingestion body-tempering method derived from the turtle-breathing art of the Turtle Spirit Armor!
As the dragon of qi entered his body, Luo Chen closed his eyes once more.
The third-order body tempering art surged into motion.
An astonishing scene unfolded.
Across his bare skin, pure white scale-plates began to materialize slowly.
They looked remarkably similar to the armor he previously manifested with the Turtle Spirit Armor.
Yet upon closer inspection, they were fundamentally different.
Those pure white plates resembled the shell of a divine tortoise, yet also bore the scales of a fish-dragon.
A human body transforming into armor, half-demon and half-devil!
Years of arduous toil had yielded a boundless ocean of foundation for Luo Chen. Though initially fragmented and piecemeal, now, after being organized and refined by the system, he had finally stepped onto a body-tempering path that was solely his own!
One could only imagine how monstrously powerful his mortal frame would be once he awakened!
Inside the soundless, cavernous hall, the Daoist rested like a profound turtle, neither breathing in nor breathing out.
Silvery-white lightning rushed in from beyond the doors, crackling and shattering the quietude, yet unable to disturb the slumbering figure within.
Chapter 391