Chapter 33. Divine Thunder Art, Buddha's Palm Domain, and the Pill's Completion! (2)

The furnace lid trembled. Like a black hole, a sudden vortex formed within, pulling in all the mysterious energy born from the Global Awakening in the vicinity of the villa.

These were streams of pure heaven-and-earth essence—special energy that had only come into existence after the Day of Awakening.

Just as living beings relied on oxygen to breathe, they could only embark on the path of evolution by drawing upon this essence.

For an ordinary Awakened, gathering such power required using a Visualization Method, slowly absorbing it into the body and accumulating it over countless days and nights.

But the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace, once activated, drew this energy into itself automatically.

Such a method could only be described as astonishing. As the minutes ticked by, the light spilling from the furnace's mouth grew ever brighter, its brilliance almost blinding.

Lu Yuan knew this was the furnace drawing in the essence of heaven and earth, refining it into pills.

Judging by the process, however, it would still take time. It certainly wouldn't be done in just a few moments.

Forget it. Let the furnace work on its own.

Lu Yuan shook his head and chose to leave it be.

He turned his attention to the three remaining artifacts before him—the Sarira Bead, the Wordless Stone Stele, and the Heavenquake Bow.

After a brief moment of thought, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged before the Wordless Stone Stele.

Its size had not changed, but its surface now gleamed with a mirror-like luster, reflecting his image. Across that polished surface ran strange, irregular patterns. They were difficult to define, yet striking in their uniqueness.

If he had to describe them, they were like bolts of lightning descending from the Ninth Heaven.

"In my previous life, someone managed to comprehend a peerless divine ability from this Wordless Stone Stele..." Lu Yuan muttered to himself. "Rumor had it they spent three whole years on it. I wonder... with my Talent now, how long will it take me?"

Contemplation and anticipation mingled in his gaze.

A divine ability, simply put, was a combat art, like martial arts, where one channeled their power to fight an opponent. But a divine ability was far greater. It could accomplish what ordinary men could never achieve—shaking seas, overturning mountains.

Naturally, most weaker Awakened could never hope to possess such an art. Even if they did, they would be unable to unleash its true might; their bodies simply could not bear the strain. Only those with exceptional Talent, or those who had stepped into the Unfettered Realm, could wield such power with ease.

Lu Yuan's body, however, had long since been reforged beyond the limits of ordinary measure. Having fused with countless divine artifacts, he could no longer be judged by common logic.

If he could comprehend the divine ability, he was certain he could master it.

And so, he stilled his thoughts and focused entirely on the Wordless Stone Stele.

Gradually, the irregular patterns across its surface began to stir. Then, suddenly, Lu Yuan saw it: a colossal bolt of lightning, transforming into a dragon of thunder. Carrying a savage, primordial aura, it plunged from the Ninth Heaven like a tribulation meant to end the world.

Rumble!

A deafening roar exploded in his mind, like the heavens themselves passing judgment.

Crack! Crack!

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

At the same moment, fractures spread like spiderwebs across the stele. With a resounding bang, it shattered into fragments and sank into the earth, vanishing without a trace.

Yet despite witnessing this, Lu Yuan showed no surprise. Instead, a thoughtful expression settled on his face.

He glanced at his phone. Ten minutes.

In just ten minutes, he had grasped the divine ability hidden within the stele.

That mighty cultivator of the past had sat before it for three whole years... and yet he had needed only ten minutes?

Lu Yuan couldn't help feeling a little speechless. It seemed the ancient Bodhi Tree had brought him benefits far greater than he had imagined.

Pushing aside all other thoughts, he closed his eyes. In his mind, a bolt of lightning flashed, and within it, words began to carve themselves into existence.

This was the peerless divine ability of the Wordless Stone Stele—Jade Emperor's Divine Thunder Art!

When unleashed, one could command thunder and lightning as effortlessly as moving one's hand. The stronger one's cultivation, the more terrifying the thunder arts would become, to the extent of being powerful enough to cleave the very heavens.

Thunder was the purest force of yang, the embodiment of destruction.

Lu Yuan could already picture it—the day he wielded thunder against his enemies would be a sight to inspire dread.

To compare him to the legendary Thor would hardly be an exaggeration.

Mount Hulong truly lives up to its name as the ancestral seat of Daoism... Thanks for the divine ability.

Lu Yuan smiled. Spending ten million to acquire a technique of such might was more than worth it. If those old fogey Daoists learned of this, they'd probably be jumping in rage.

For now, however, he did not continue studying the thunder arts.

Instead, his gaze shifted to the Sarira Bead. Left behind by a high monk upon entering nirvana, it contained a supreme Buddhist divine ability.

Yet even the most gifted Awakened would be unable to comprehend the method within.

The reason was simple. The bead required the blessing of the ancient Bodhi Tree. Without it, even in one's possession, the Sarira Bead would remain unusable.

Every step Lu Yuan took, every action he made, had been carefully planned in advance, leaving no room for chance.

Picking up the Sarira Bead, he pondered for a moment before closing his eyes.

He brought the bead to his brow, at the same time willing the ancient Bodhi Tree that had already fused into his mind to stir.

In the next moment, soft, solemn chants of the Buddha rose like ripples through the void.

Simultaneously, the Sarira Bead began to resonate with the Bodhi Tree's hum, radiating strands of gentle, golden Buddha-light.

Before long, glowing characters surfaced upon the bead and hovered in mid-air.

One by one, they drifted forward, sinking between Lu Yuan's brows and vanishing without a trace.

When the final character entered, fine cracks spread across the bead. In the next instant, it crumbled entirely into dust, as though it had never existed.

Just like the Wordless Stone Stele, once the mysteries within were fully comprehended, it would vanish on its own.

By this point, Lu Yuan already knew the name of the divine ability contained within the Sarira Bead.

Buddha's Palm Domain!

Once the method was fully comprehended, the wielder could channel their true power to its fullest, activating the art with a single gesture to summon a vast Buddhist kingdom. This domain would imprison enemies, while the might of the Buddha's realm ground both soul and flesh into nothingness. It was truly a divine art on par with the Jade Emperor's Divine Thunder Art.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. Slowly, he extended his right hand. Buddha-light rippled across his palm, and within it, fragments of an immense Buddhist land began to take shape. It was still faint and indistinct.

He was only at the initial stage of comprehension and had yet to fully master the divine ability. His current strength was also insufficient, preventing the Buddha-land from manifesting in its complete form.

Even so, the sheer power of this art was unmistakable.

Indeed. No disappointment.

Lu Yuan withdrew his palm, a faint smile touching his lips. With these two divine arts in his grasp, his combat power would rise to an entirely new level.

Of course, to unleash their full might, he would need relentless practice until mastery was complete.

When that day came, when he roamed the world unchallenged and stood invincible beneath the heavens, this would be one of his most unshakable trump cards.

"A pity... After comprehending these two divine abilities, my combat strength has grown, but I still haven't broken through to the next realm. I'm so close..." Lu Yuan shifted his attention inward to examine his condition.

After fusing with so many divine artifacts, he had stepped into the Awakened Realm, and was just one step away from another breakthrough.

But the problem was, he had already used up everything he could. Advancing further now would be difficult.

Just as helplessness began to set in, a sudden low hum rang in his ears.

Clang!

He turned and saw the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace had stabilized, its radiance fully withdrawn.

At the mouth of the furnace, a thumb-sized, pure-white pill was floating gently up and down!

Right. How could he have forgotten about that?