Longzang

Chapter 700 Exquisite
Wei Yuan stood tall in the center of the wasteland, his figure appearing exceptionally tall amidst the forest of lightning.

Everyone around, including Ji Liuli and Feng Chutang, stood far away and silently watched Wei Yuan being struck by lightning.

Eight lightning rods were erected around Wei Yuan, and he stood on a stool made of spirit wood so that he could stand safely during the lightning tribulation, but he dared not move at all.

At this moment, the young cultivator appeared before Wei Yuan, examining the several lightning-streaked metal lightning rods, and praised, "Interesting! This is a good idea, but don't use it again next time. If you use this method to avoid the lightning tribulation, the Heavenly Dao will remember it. Every time you use it, the next lightning tribulation will be three times stronger. If you continue like this, you won't even be able to pass the Heavenly Tribulation when you ascend to the Immortal Realm, let alone ascend to immortality."

Wei Yuan was taken aback. Did the world hold grudges?

But upon closer reflection, it seems that Heaven and Earth truly do hold grudges.

Wei Yuan quickly bowed, but he looked somewhat strange against the backdrop of the sky full of tribulation lightning.

Wei Yuan couldn't help but look up at the sky. He had only broken a promise, and there was no explanation of what would happen if he broke it. It was Wu Chi who said he would be struck by lightning, so why was this heavenly tribulation still going on? Could it really be the good fortune he had accumulated in the past?
Fortunately, these lightning rods were of excellent quality and managed to hold out until the end. However, when the calamity subsided, they were in a state of partial melting.

The young cultivator stood right in front of Wei Yuan, but none of the heavenly lightning bolts struck him; instead, they all focused on striking Wei Yuan.

Once the heavenly tribulation had dissipated, Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It was just killing a Dharma Aspect. Did the world really need to make such a fuss? Could this guy really be the number one Dharma Aspect of the Liao Clan?"

The young cultivator said, "We used to kill several of these self-proclaimed First Dharma Aspects every month, since it's very popular in Northern Liao to cultivate an invincible aura. But this kid is indeed a chosen one, so it's not an exaggeration for Heaven and Earth to react this way."

Wei Yuan suddenly realized why he always felt that he was lacking and didn't live up to his name. It turned out that he was cultivating an invincible mind and calling himself the First Dharma Aspect.

There is a technique to cultivating an invincible mindset: even if there are people stronger than yourself in this world, as long as you can't see them, you are still invincible.

Therefore, those who successfully cultivate an invincible heart are very adept at avoiding truly powerful individuals. Furthermore, it is even more convenient for those born under the sign of destiny to cultivate this skill, as their inherent destiny allows them to successfully avoid many awkward encounters.

The young cultivator said, "This kid is the youngest son of the Great Chieftain of the Golden Horde and the Left Wise King of Northern Liao. You're in for a lot of work from now on."

Wei Yuan was taken aback. This guy was the son of an immortal?
"What do you plan to do?" the young cultivator asked Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan looked solemn and then asked, "Can his physical body be bestowed upon me?"

Wei Yuan wanted to see if the spiritual energy generated by the child of an immortal would be greater than that of an ordinary person.

The young cultivator chuckled and said, "You've become quite adept at doing such heinous things by now! Here, take this."

Wei Yuan took the two pieces of jade paper, each containing a design drawing, which together were called the Tortoise and Snake Refining Immortal Drawing.

The young cultivator said, "The tortoise formation can sever cause and effect. The snake formation, on the other hand, can strengthen cause and effect. Feng Chutang's cultivation is not high enough, so the reincarnation furnace he designed for you is still a bit rough. Such excellent materials need to be carefully prepared."

Wei Yuan was overjoyed and quickly accepted the gift. Only then did he realize that he didn't know who the young cultivator in front of him was, and they had naturally chatted for so long.

So he bowed and respectfully asked, "May I ask your name, senior?"

The young cultivator said, “My surname is Zhu and my given name is Yan. Many fellow cultivators on the path also call me Zhu Yan, which is an alias I used when I was traveling and training. I am not often in the palace and just returned a few days ago, so it is normal that you have not seen me before. I am currently in charge of Haotian Temple.”

Wei Yuan was taken aback. This young cultivator in front of him was the Abbot of Haotian Temple? The Abbot of Haotian Temple who was on par with Yan Shi and could embark on the path of immortality at any moment?
The young cultivator said, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. If the Left Wise King arrives, I'll have a hard time too. Let's go back!"

Without him making any move, the group instantly appeared in the town's garrison and sat down in a side hall. The young cultivator asked, "I have a question. Why did you exchange the Longevity Pill for these Storm Crystals? It seems unnecessary." Wei Yuan replied, "The Liao people are determined to win and will definitely offer something more valuable than the Longevity Pill as collateral. Exchanging them wouldn't be a loss for me, that's one reason. Secondly, after the exchange, they will assume that I will do my best to fulfill the agreement in the duel and will no longer suspect anything."

But this disciple had already prepared two trump cards: his senior sister and Uncle Feng. He had no intention of truly fighting him one-on-one; the exchange was mainly to reassure him and prevent him from fleeing at any moment. This was a war between two nations, not a personal contest. All's fair in war; as long as we win, that's all that matters.

The young cultivator didn't know what to say, and finally just said, "It's a real pity that you don't join my Haotian Temple."

Wei Yuan asked curiously, "Isn't only Patriarch Yuan Jin of Haotian Temple... from that background?"

"That's true. But many of Yuan Jin's ideas are particularly helpful for winning battles. Over time, everyone has followed his advice and learned a lot. Some of his junior brothers and nephews have even surpassed him."

This time, Wei Yuan was at a loss for words. It seemed that the Heavenly Azure Palace acted quite uprightly; Ancestor Xuan Yue simply enjoyed having a heart-to-heart talk with someone after beating them up. As for the other party suddenly becoming enraged during the conversation, it only indicated that their Dao heart cultivation was insufficient.

Finally, the young cultivator said, "I observe that although you have many methods, you seem to lack a powerful method that can deliver the final blow. Human strength has its limits, and all kinds of Taoist techniques and combat skills have their limitations. Therefore, the best method is still external magical artifacts."

"You just happened to obtain a few Storm Crystals. These are materials for refining spiritual treasures in Northern Liao. We humans aren't born with the same constitution as the Liao people, so their effectiveness is diminished. But if we refine them into one-time-use magical artifacts, there won't be this problem, making the best use of them."

Wei Yuan was overjoyed, then remembered something and took out the brutal weapon, offering it to Wei Yuan, saying, "This disciple also has a gun that I find quite handy. Could you perhaps refine it together with the other weapons to turn those Heavenly Crystals into bullets?"

The young cultivator took it, examined it repeatedly, and said, "Hmm, this is a technique from the Heavenly Crafts Hall. It's quite innovative, but it didn't use the 'View Control Technique,' so it must be the work of Yu Zhizhuo. That kid is indeed a genius in weapon crafting, but his approach is a bit flawed."

"Activating this spear technique consumes spiritual energy. In fact, after three strikes, the spear's power is greatly reduced, and the remaining 30-40% of its spiritual energy is practically useless—it's essentially a waste. How about this: I'll keep the spear for now and consider it. I'll return it to you in three days."

Wei Yuan had no reason to object, so he quickly stood up and thanked him.

Three days later, the Abbot of Haotian Temple sent over a long box. Wei Yuan slowly pushed open the lid, and a chilling ray of light shot into the sky, lingering for a long time!
Inside the box lay a long spear, its appearance completely different. The entire spearhead was covered in array patterns formed from natural Daoist energy, making it appear incredibly magnificent. In terms of sheer beauty, it far surpassed the original spear, filling Wei Yuan with delight. Using this spear to kill enemies would ensure that future generations would have to watch the footage multiple times, much like the Qingming military uniform.

This gun is named 'Moment', and it has only one supernatural power called 'Suppression'. This supernatural power comes at the cost of sacrificing all spiritual energy, and when used with the special 'Wind Calamity Bullet', it can kill an early-stage Yu Jing with a single shot.

There were three bullets in the holster, two of which were glowing and made from a single Storm Crystal. They did not lose their suppressive power when fired, and each bullet could severely injure a late-stage Dharma Aspect cultivator.

The final shot, however, emitted a dim and obscure light; this was the Xunfeng Calamity Shot. This shot was forged from three Storm Crystals and required a suppressive divine power to fire.

Two Storm Crystals are sufficient as the main material to forge a Royal Landscape Spiritual Treasure. The spear [Moment] is now equivalent to half a Royal Landscape Spiritual Treasure. In other words, this spear technique uses the cost of two complete spiritual treasures to achieve the power to annihilate an early-stage Royal Landscape cultivator.

This gun reveals the difference between the Tiangong Hall and the Haotian Temple. The Tiangong Hall emphasizes making the most of everything and sustainable development, fully exploring the inherent qualities of each material.

Haotian Temple, on the other hand, unleashes its full potential, transforming all material properties into power, and unleashing it all at once, resulting in unparalleled power.

With the spear in hand, Wei Yuan became serious, realizing that the Turtle and Snake Immortal Refining Diagram needed to be put on the agenda immediately to avoid wasting the materials he was about to acquire.

Just as Wei Yuan was full of confidence and preparing to strike again, Feng Chutang rushed over, followed by Feng Yuanzhenjun. Feng Chutang looked ashamed and sat down for a long time before saying, "I'm afraid Wu Chi's Dharma form will not come out yet."

Then Feng Chutang's Dharma form manifested, revealing a gigantic black dragon coiled amidst ruins. Its body was half-illusory and half-solid, with three claws. The previous shadow dragon had now transformed into a hidden dragon.

(End of this chapter)