Chapter 970 - Refining the Thunder Saint Pearl

They had missed their best opportunity to kill Liu Wuxie. Now that he had seized the Thunder Saint Pearl, he would become a living nightmare for the divine race. They understood all too well the terror of a human possessing the Ancestral Tree.

With the ancestral tree that naturally suppressed them, their chances of victory were close to zero if Liu Wuxie could make a breakthrough into the Spirit Profound Realm.

They had to kill Liu Wuxie before he made a breakthrough.

"Let's go," Qiao Bian said as he left with the Dragon Emperor Academy's disciples. There was no reason for them to linger.

The crowd began to disperse, but some lingered, searching around the ruins.

"Brother Liao, what should we do now?" asked a few experts beside Liao Changhong.

They had joined forces earlier, but even so, they had failed to kill Liu Wuxie. Chasing him any further would prove pointless.

"Even if he has obtained the Thunder Saint Pearl, I have ways to make him cough it up," Liao Changhong sneered as a sinister scheme took shape in his mind.

The eyes of those around Liao Changhong lit up. They knew him well. He was a prodigy who held high positions in the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy and the Liao Clan. Rumor had it that he had restored several ancient spiritual arrays long thought to be lost to time for the Liao Clan.

"Brother Liao, what's the plan now?" one of the disciples asked, curious about Liao Changhong's scheme.

Everyone turned to look at Liao Changhong, eager to hear of his plans.

"Don't worry. We'll talk as we go," Liao Changhong said as he left. He didn't want to reveal his plan openly in such a crowded place.

After the loss of the Thunder Saint Pearl, the entire sea region rapidly became desolate. Due to changes in nature's laws, the lightning energy in the sky also vanished.

Some cultivators began sensing the threshold of the Earth Profound Realm and attempted to make breakthroughs. Since Luan Tianzhi and the others could adapt to the laws, they believed they could do the same. Moreover, the distorted laws of this world had been weakening over the years.

Liu Wuxie didn't stray far from the sea region before finding a secluded spot to hide.

An hour later, Ruan Ying and Jiang Nan regrouped with him. Both bore injuries from their ambush on the divinekin and had narrowly escaped death.

"Congratulations, Master, on obtaining the Thunder Saint Pearl."

They hadn't even paused to tend to their wounds. Their joy at their master's success had outweighed concern for their own well-being.

"Focus on healing your injuries," Liu Wuxie ordered.

No one was around, and they needed to heal quickly. Liu Wuxie could already foresee the storm that was coming. The days ahead wouldn't be peaceful. Pursuers from the Spirit Profound Realm, the Earth Profound Realm, and the relentless twelve fiends would soon be on his trail.

"I have already contacted He Hai'an; he's on his way to join us. Lu Liang is also en route," Ruan Ying said.

Neither of them had any healing pills, as they only carried spirit stones with them.

Liu Wuxie handed them two pills. Once regrouped, they could even contend with an ordinary opponent at the Earth Profound Realm.

Time passed slowly. Several groups found them, but Liu Wuxie slaughtered them without exception.

By nightfall, Ruan Ying and Jiang Nan had mostly recovered from their injuries.

"Master, where should we go next?"

Returning to the ancient castle wasn't an option, as they would be found sooner or later.

"We'll meet up with the other two first and plan from there," Liu Wuxie replied.

Refining the Thunder Saint Pearl would cause a phenomenon that would surely attract trouble if anyone at the Earth Profound Realm noticed.

The three departed immediately under the cover of night. If there had been only two people, they could have flown on Fiery's back, but three were too heavy.

After two days of travel, they finally met up with Gu Yu and Lu Liang amid the mountain ridges.

Half a day later, they joined up with He Hai'an by a creek.

Gu Yu had successfully reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm through his seclusion. With the Dragon Clan Scepter in hand, his combat strength had soared to unimaginable heights.

Moreover, he had grasped the basics of the Great Dragon Aspect Art. Though his progress couldn't rival Liu Wuxie's, he rapidly caught up due to his divine dragon bloodline.

After they regrouped, the six became a force to be reckoned with. Ordinary cultivators could no longer pose a threat to Liu Wuxie.

"Big Brother Liu, did you seize the Thunder Saint Pearl?" Gu Yu asked excitedly.

He knew Liu Wuxie had been stuck at the pinnacle of the True Profound Realm for some time. If he could make a breakthrough with the Thunder Saint Pearl, he would have nothing to fear in this world.

"That's right. I urgently need a safe place to refine it and reach the Spirit Profound Realm," Liu Wuxie said frankly. The news was bound to spread quickly anyway, and he didn't need to hide it.

"Master, I passed by an abandoned underground mine on my way here," He Hai'an shared. "Supreme-grade spirit stones were excavated there in the past. The complex tunnels make it a perfect place to refine the Thunder Saint Pearl."

All the spirit stones had long been mined out, leaving behind labyrinthine tunnels.

After a brief pause, Liu Wuxie made his decision. "Very well, we'll go there."

That was the best solution, as refining the Thunder Saint Pearl out in the open would make the phenomenon visible for hundreds of miles. The refining process would take time and surely attract formidable foes.

However, the lightning energy would be trapped and contained underground.

The group of six hurried on their way, and after an entire day and night of travel, they arrived at what seemed like the ruins of an ancient sect.

The shattered gates, once symbols of its past glory, had crumbled into ruins. The buildings were also heavily damaged, and this place had been scavenged long ago.

This sect had once been built atop a spiritual vein. But after the great calamity, countless people had perished, and the spiritual vein had nearly been drained already, leaving it barren.

He Hai'an pointed to a stone gate hidden in a corner. "The entrance is over there."

When they moved the stone gate aside, it revealed an underground tunnel before them.

Lu Liang and Ruan Ying guarded the rear while He Hai'an and Jiang Nan scouted ahead. Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu stayed hidden, their divine senses extending outward to alert them to any movement.

Once inside, they sealed the stone gate behind them, ensuring no one could find them.

The place was just as He Hai'an had described. The tunnels were incredibly complex, and each passage had once produced spirit stones.

They frequently stopped to recalibrate their route, with Liu Wuxie guiding them using Ghost Eye. They would be lost in this labyrinth otherwise.

After walking for nearly half a day, they finally reached a wide-open cavern with several houses around it. This was likely the heart of the mine, and the houses were once living quarters for the miners.

"Set up a spiritual array," Liu Wuxie ordered.

Lu Liang and the others quickly got to work, and after two hours, they completed a defensive spiritual array. Liu Wuxie then personally fine-tuned it to enhance its power.

After that, the four scattered to guard the four directions. Gu Yu guarded the spiritual array's core, and Fiery formed the last line of defense outside the house.

Once everything was prepared, Liu Wuxie entered one of the houses.

It was a race against time, and he had to make his breakthrough quickly. Everyone in the world was hunting, and they would stop at nothing to seize his treasures.

He summoned the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. The Thunder Saint Pearl thrashed violently, trying to escape.

"Demonic flames, refine it for me!" Liu Wuxie roared as he circulated the Desolate Devouring Art without hesitation, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy, which flowed into him like mercury.

The commotion barely leaked out as the spiritual energy seeped into the underground through the cracks.

The Thunder Saint Pearl crackled loudly as thunderbolts flowed out of the cauldron and flooded the entire house. The violent energy instantly tore the house apart, reducing it to rubble.

Gu Yu's face paled at the sight. If a normal cultivator had taken that hit, they would have been obliterated instantly.

Using the lightning energy to temper the physique was only the first step. Liu Wuxie realized that the True Dragon Physique alone would no longer be able to satisfy him. If he could succeed in tempering the Divine Thunder Physique, his physique would surge to terrifying heights.

The lightning energy flickered and formed a net around him as he stood amidst it. The violent energy instantly vaporized his clothes, leaving him naked under the searing lightning.

The lightning arcs were packed so densely that only a vague outline of his form could be seen from the outside.

Liu Wuxie also searched his memory for the cultivation technique of the Divine Thunder Physique. He hadn't attempted it during his previous life because finding a suitable source of lightning energy had been impossible. Now that he had the Thunder Saint Pearl, he could finally try it.

"Heavenly lightning, vast and boundless... tempering the physique through lightning..." he chanted.

Bolts of lightning poured into his body. The violent energy split his skin open, soaking him in his blood. It was a gruesome sight, more akin to brutal torture.

If anyone were to witness this scene, they would think he had gone mad. Nothing remained intact on him, and his flesh peeled away.

Even the physique of someone at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm would have been destroyed by this force, let alone someone at the True Profound Realm.

However, Liu Wuxie's physique far surpassed that of ordinary people. He endured the torture by constantly healing his true essence and restoring his True Dragon Physique.

Even so, Liu Wuxie was stunned by the extent of the damage.

"Heal!" Liu Wuxie roared, taking out spiritual fruits and swallowing them in large quantities to heal his injuries.

Even the heavenly tree's essence, which had been residing within his body, finally activated, rapidly healing his injuries.

Yet, even more terrifying lightning bolts slammed into him as he pressed on with the brutal tempering. His body turned black as lightning arcs crawled across his skin.

The pain was indescribable, and he had long since gone numb from the agony.

Even his hair was vaporized and half-burned away; it would take a long time to grow back.