I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 272 Return to the Holy Land
"Is this the power of a supreme treasure second only to the Demon-Subduing Diagram?"

Feeling the boundless power contained within the Eye of Thunder, Wu Ming's heart was also filled with turbulent emotions.

Although the Thunder Emperor himself said that the power of the Demon-Subduing Diagram was stronger than that of the Thunder Eye, he was ultimately unable to control the Demon-Subduing Diagram, and he could not even directly mobilize the power of the Demon-Suppressing Disc and the Demon-Slaying Sword. He needed to suppress evil spirits in exchange for power.

The four divine weapons, including the Demon-Suppressing Plate and the Demon-Slaying Sword, are also supreme treasures. They are one with the Demon-Subduing Diagram and, like other divine weapons, belong to the power that can be controlled by the Demon-Subduing Diagram, thus being branches of the Demon-Subduing Diagram's power.

The complete Demon-Subduing Diagram is more powerful than the Eye of Thunder, but the other four branches, such as the Demon-Suppressing Disc, are a different story. Each of them might be slightly inferior to the Eye of Thunder. At least in Wu Ming's perception, the aura of the Eye of Thunder is no less than that of the four killing weapons, including the Demon-Suppressing Disc, and it is in a fully awakened state.

It can be said,
Wu Ming can freely wield its power, but only if he can withstand it.

"good very good."

Wu Ming withdrew the power of the Eye of Thunder, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

With his current strength, he can easily kill a top-tier Grandmaster and suppress a peerless Grandmaster. If he were to activate the Eye of Thunder, he could even fight against a Dao Saint or Martial Saint who has undergone nine refinements and nine blood.

“Aside from those experts who can be considered the pinnacle among Dao Saints and Martial Saints, or those who are truly immortal, I basically have no rivals in this mortal world.”

After a brief moment of joy, Wu Ming quickly calmed down.

Whether it's the Thunder Eye formed from the eyes of a half-step Emperor-level beast refined by the Thunder Emperor, or the Demon-Subduing Diagram he wields, both are absolute supreme treasures, treasures that even immortal beings would fight to seize. He possesses more than one of them, and while having a strong foundation and resources, he also bears heavy pressure.

One must reach the level of immortality to have the confidence and power to master these supreme treasures.

In addition,

Wu Ming recalled Lei Di's words: the Demon Subduing Diagram contains the Black Emperor's legacy, which is both an opportunity and a destiny. It seems that possessing this legacy will inevitably lead to a life-or-death crisis in the future.

He didn't know what that great calamity was, but since the Thunder Emperor said so, it must not be a lie. Moreover, the Black Emperor was in charge of killing and possessed the Black Emperor's inheritance, so it was not surprising that he would face a great calamity. In any case, whether it was to truly possess these supreme treasures or to face that so-called great calamity, he had to become stronger and go further on the path of cultivation.

"Junior Brother Wu!"

Just as Wu Ming's thoughts were wandering, a shout suddenly came over.

Wu Ming glanced to the side and saw Qing Lan's figure appear in the distance, flying towards them.

"call."

Wu Ming let out a soft breath to calm his mind. Then, with a thought, he took his physical body out of the Demon Subduing Realm. His primordial spirit then entered the body and went to greet Qing Lan.

The two soon met up at a certain place.

"It is said that the Thunder Emperor Palace is an unparalleled secret realm for comprehending the laws of thunder. Junior Brother Wu, you have probably gained a lot from your half-month of study there," Qinglan said with a smile as she looked at Wu Ming.

"Something gained."

Wu Ming nodded slightly, not hiding anything, and briefly explained the situation in the Thunder Emperor's Palace, only concealing the information about the Thunder Emperor's appearance and that the Thunder Eye he exchanged for was not an ordinary rare item, but a 'supreme treasure'.

Upon learning that Wu Ming had spent half a month and had already grasped the basics of the Thunder Law, Qing Lan was quite impressed. However, he was not too surprised. After all, with Wu Ming's talent, and now that he had already entered the eighth level of cultivation, it was only natural that he could grasp the first step of the Thunder Law after half a month of study in a place like the Thunder Emperor Palace.

present.

The two then returned to Lei Kingdom.

About half a month later, a vortex-like void passage appeared in the Great Jin stronghold within the Lei Kingdom. Wu Ming and Qing Lan exchanged a glance, then stepped into the passage together and disappeared instantly.

……

Holy Land.

Qingming Peak.

Inside the cave located at the middle peak.

Wu Ming returned to his quiet room, sat cross-legged, and let out a long sigh.

Wu Ming had expected that this ordeal—falling into an unfamiliar fragmented world and then returning—would draw questioning from the Holy Land's higher-ups. However, apart from the old man in the straw raincoat guarding the main hall asking a few questions and remarking "good luck" when he saw Wu Ming return safely, he didn't attract any attention from the others.

Wu Ming even inquired about it and found that Wu Zhe and the others who fell into the depths of the Shattered Realm with him five years ago also did not attract much attention. Only Wu Zhe's master went to see an immortal being, who then took action, found Wu Zhe, and retrieved the Holy Land. The others all disappeared and their whereabouts are still unknown.

For this,

Wu Ming could only shake his head inwardly.

A master who has undergone seven refinements and seven blood trials would be a powerful figure in a small border country like Yong Kingdom, but in a sacred cultivation land, he is just a tiny speck among countless others, with virtually no status.

Only a peerless grandmaster like Wu Zhe, who comprehended the laws, could attract the attention of the peak master of his peak, who would even request an immortal being to intervene. Other ordinary grandmasters, or even some top-tier masters, were not worth mentioning.

Perhaps the peak masters of the various peaks in the Holy Land, those Dao Saints and Martial Saints, still care about these disciples, but as the behind-the-scenes rulers of the Holy Land, those immortal beings who have become legends would not even give these ordinary disciples a second glance.

For immortal beings, they have broken through the limitations of lifespan, living as long as heaven and earth, immortal for ten thousand years. Legend has it that some ancient beings have even lived for hundreds of thousands of years.

In these long years, the existence of Grandmasters who have undergone seven refinements and seven blood trials is not as rare as floating on water, but it is no different from roadside weeds. They grow one after another, and even if one of them grows a little more luxuriantly, it is not worth mentioning.

In the Great Jin Holy Land, only those Dao Saints and Martial Saints who, after entering the Nine Refinements and Nine Bloods, still display extremely high talent can attract the attention of those ancient and immortal beings.

For Wu Ming, the fact that it didn't attract much attention was actually a good thing. After all, he had too many secrets hidden within him. Although his own strength was already strong enough, even enough to fight against Dao Saints and Martial Saints, compared to immortal beings, he was still just a slightly larger ant. He needed to slowly accumulate experience, cultivate silently, and quietly wait for the day he would break out of his cocoon and become a butterfly.

"My master has not yet emerged from seclusion, so there is no rush to pay him a visit. It just so happens that I also need some time to cultivate in seclusion."

Wu Ming murmured to himself.

According to Qinglan, it seems that the Qingming Peak Master has passed the tribulation of decline. However, the tribulation of decline is a calamity sent down by heaven and earth. Especially for the Qingming Peak Master, this is not the first time he has faced the tribulation of decline, and the impact on him is getting bigger and bigger. Therefore, although the tribulation of decline has passed, he has not yet come out of seclusion. According to Qinglan's guess, he may continue to go into seclusion to recover for another ten years or even longer.

Wu Ming was not greatly affected by this. Dao Saints and Martial Saints who have undergone nine refinements and nine bloods can live for thousands of years. A single seclusion could normally last up to ten years, and the tribulation of decline could take decades from preparation to recovery.

However, for him, after entering the eighth level of cultivation, the progress of his primordial spirit cultivation was even slower than before.

"From the eighth to the ninth refinement, it might take an ordinary cultivator hundreds of years to accumulate enough experience to reach the threshold of the ninth refinement. Although I am much faster than them, at the current rate, it will still take me at least thirty or forty years of accumulation..."

Wu Ming closed his eyes, circulating the "Lin" technique to temper his primordial spirit while sensing the changes in his soul power.

From the eighth to the ninth refinement, this is the last step before reaching immortality, and also the most difficult step before immortality. Hundreds of cultivators at the eighth refinement level and martial artists at the eighth blood level stop at the threshold.

Only the most outstanding among them can break through the barrier.

Once one breaks through to the next level, although there are still calamities blocking the way to immortality, one can still be called a 'saint' in the world. With every move, one can shake mountains and possesses a vast power that mortals cannot reach.

Even with Wu Ming's cultivation efficiency, this step still requires a long period of accumulation and cannot be accomplished overnight.

However, for him, the benefits he gained from this journey from the Molten Realm to the Thunder Domain were already more than enough. He would indeed need a long period of seclusion to cultivate and digest all that he had gained, transforming it into his own power.

……

After reaching the eighth level of refinement, Wu Ming's perception of time became more detached.

Even ordinary people, after the age of sixty or seventy, will lament the fleeting nature of time. Ten years is but a blink of an eye, like sand slipping through one's fingers, disappearing without a trace. This is even more true for a highly accomplished cultivator like Wu Ming.

A sacred place for spiritual practice.

Thunderous Realm, Nine Heavens Thunder Pillars.

Beneath the nine towering lightning pillars, on one of the platforms, Wu Ming, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, sat calmly cross-legged on the edge of one of the lightning pillars.

The power of lightning here is surging and turbulent, almost reaching the level of the Thunder Domain. Even a Grandmaster with seven levels of refinement and seven blood would find it difficult to withstand. If they forcibly stayed here, they would soon be seriously injured.

Only a Grandmaster with eight levels of Refinement and Eight Blood can reach the edge of the lightning pillar and get almost right next to it.

As for those who can stay here comfortably for two or three years, they are no ordinary people, even among Grandmasters. There are only a handful of people like Wu Ming who are close to the Thunder Pillar, under the nine stone pillars.

Splat! Splat!

Arcs of lightning continuously emerged and spread towards Wu Ming's body, but within three feet of Wu Ming's body, they suddenly calmed down, swirling around Wu Ming's body and gradually disappearing.

Within three feet of Wu Ming's body, there seemed to be a forbidden zone for lightning; no lightning power could penetrate this area.

He sat there with his eyes closed, motionless for years.

at last,

After an unknown amount of time, Wu Ming slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed for more than a year. A beam of golden lightning was reflected deep within his eyes, which gradually faded and disappeared over time.

"The second step of the Thunder Law is indeed difficult to comprehend..."

He murmured to himself.

Since returning to the Holy Land, he exchanged many of the resources he had collected for the resources he needed there. Then he spent eight years in seclusion, cultivating all the Dharma techniques he had mastered to the perfect level of the corresponding eighth refinement.

After that, he focused on cultivating the Dao of Thunder. He sat under the Nine Heavens Thunder Pillar for more than five years. During these five years, he had mastered all thirty-six thunder talismans of the Divine Firmament Upper Purity Talisman, and he had also cultivated the Divine Firmament Jade Purity Method and the Supreme Purity Technique to perfection.

He has now mastered all three types of Divine Firmament Thunder Techniques and a total of one hundred and eight Dao talismans!

Simultaneously,

Over the past thirteen years, his primordial spirit has never stopped being tempered and cultivated, and has made great progress.

The most direct manifestation of this is in the Nine Swords Killing Formation. Previously, he was still somewhat strained to control the Nine Swords Killing Formation based on a high-grade spiritual treasure, and could not reach the power of 'Eight Refinements of Peerless', but now he has steadily stepped into it.

Combined with the suppression of the supreme Yuan Shen formation, it can be said that he can even kill a peerless grandmaster who is also at the eighth level of cultivation!

Even he himself is unsure of his own strength now, but at least for a Dao Saint at the threshold of the Ninth Refinement stage, killing a peerless Grandmaster would probably not be as easy as it is for him.

Wu Ming felt that with all his current abilities, except for the Eye of Thunder, he could fight a Dao Saint at the threshold of the Ninth Refinement without any problem. And if he activated the Eye of Thunder... even a Dao Saint or Martial Saint of normal level might not be stronger than him.

It's a pity that the Qingming Peak Master has not yet emerged from seclusion; otherwise, Wu Ming would very much like to spar with him to prove his own strength.

The only pity is that after all these years, he still hasn't been able to comprehend the second step of the Thunder Law and the Slaughter Law.

If he can fully comprehend the second step of these two laws, his strength will undoubtedly advance even further.

(End of this chapter)