Traversing countless worlds from the primordial era

Chapter 19 Elixir

Lei Ming, wielding a straight sword, unleashed a flurry of blade light, cleaving the centipede beast in two. However, even the severed centipede was not to be underestimated; its long tentacles and iridescent teeth were still moving.

Lei Ming flicked his finger, and two frosts froze the centipede. Only then did Han Li walk over from behind.

"Brother Lei's strength is truly admirable. This centipede is so big, it should be at least a mid-level demonic beast, maybe even a high-level one, and it's also a poisonous insect. But in Brother Lei's hands, it has no power to resist at all." Han Li already knew that Lei Ming was strong, but seeing him fight in person made him feel different.

"If it were me, I'd probably have to fight it."

Han Li shook his head and picked the few blue-purple monkey flowers guarded by the centipede. Lei Ming then separated the centipede's exoskeleton and put it into his storage bag.

After tidying up their area, the two immediately headed to the next pre-arranged herb-gathering spot. Elsewhere, scenes of disciples from various sects slaying demonic beasts to obtain spiritual herbs were constantly unfolding, occasionally escalating into clashes over their competition. However, injuries were rare. Everyone knew the forbidden area was about to close, and everyone was racing against time to gather the herbs.

Han Li and Lei Ming were quite lucky. Apart from encountering the centipede the first time they went to collect herbs, they did not encounter any guardian monsters in the four places they visited afterward.

"Brother Lei, the forbidden area is about to close, why don't we split up?" Han Li suggested.

Lei Ming naturally didn't say anything. He and Han Li agreed that they would each be responsible for picking some spiritual herbs.

In a secluded valley, a golden leopard paced restlessly on the mountain. Below, four disciples of the Spirit Beast Mountain were scattered and exchanging words.

Behind the golden leopard was a small tree bearing nine fruits. The tree was crystal clear, like jade, and clearly extraordinary, while the fruits exuded a fragrant aroma that filled the valley.

"Concentration Fruit!" Just as the four were discussing, a voice rang out, and the four cultivators immediately turned around and saw Lei Ming wearing the robes of an outer disciple of Yellow Maple Valley.

Lei Ming looked at the Concentration Fruit Tree with delight. The Concentration Fruit was an extremely precious spiritual herb; whether used in alchemy or consumed directly, it could enhance the power of the primordial spirit. Cultivators relied on their primordial spirit as their foundation, and treasures that could enhance the power of the primordial spirit were priceless.

"They're from Yellow Maple Valley." The four exchanged glances and quickly reached an agreement. The number of Concentration Fruits produced by the Concentration Fruit Tree was limited, and each additional person meant they would receive less.

"He's just a mere Qi Refining Level 11 cultivator. Let's finish this quickly to avoid attracting others," said a strangely ugly cultivator as he flew towards Lei Ming.

"Kid, you're in luck. You stumbled upon this place just as the Blood Forbidden Trial was about to end," said the ugly cultivator.

"I think I'm pretty lucky. Nine Concentration Fruits are enough to double the strength of my primordial spirit." Lei Ming smiled as he looked at the Concentration Fruits.

"Hmph, these Concentration Fruits are ours! You dare to covet them even when you're about to die!"

Lei Ming stared at the other party and said seriously, "You're quite ugly, but you've got quite the imagination. You bunch of rotten potatoes dare to compete with me for the Spirit Concentration Fruit!"

Lei Ming's words struck a nerve. Mortals have both beauty and ugliness, and cultivators are no exception. Most people in this world love beauty and hate ugliness. High-level cultivators can reshape their physical bodies and change their innate appearance, which is why the immortals in legends are all exceptionally handsome. However, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage cannot change their innate appearance. Like the cultivator in front of him, although he was quite talented, he was often ridiculed for his looks.

"Kid, you're asking for death! I was originally planning to give you a quick death, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to torture you thoroughly before throwing you to this golden leopard for dinner!"

The ugly monk took out a magical artifact, which was crooked and looked very strange.

"You're ugly, and the magical artifacts you use are even uglier than you!" Lei Ming couldn't help but complain.

The ugly cultivator sneered twice, and yellow light swirled around the magic artifact. Soon, hundreds and thousands of yellow dots began to attach to the artifact. Afterward, those yellow dots flew away from the artifact and, as if they had been inflated, transformed into giant peaks the size of fists.

The colossal peaks buzzed as they flew, their noise irritating. Under the ugly cultivator's control, the peaks flew towards Lei Ming. Individually, these peaks weren't particularly strong, but their sheer number made them terrifying.

Lei Ming remained calm. With a flick of his finger, a burst of fire exploded within the swarm of bees, followed by frost that rapidly lowered the surrounding temperature. The fire and ice blocked the swarm, which buzzed forward, and many of the bees died instantly.

The ugly cultivator's expression changed repeatedly. Lei Ming's spellcasting speed was too fast, and the power was also strong. Just two spells killed more than a hundred giant peaks.

The ugly cultivator summoned a magical artifact, and a beam of light shot towards Lei Ming. Lei Ming threw out the Dingyuan Bell, which shielded him and blocked the light. The ugly cultivator then threw out more than a dozen spirit talismans, and in an instant, fire snakes, ice arrows, golden light, and other energies struck the Dingyuan Bell, making it spin rapidly.

The swarm of bees flew in, engulfing Lei Ming like a cloud, and the ugly cultivator couldn't help but smile. Although the giant bees he kept were only mid-level demonic beasts, their numbers were vast, and their thorns were highly poisonous. The ugly cultivator believed that Lei Ming would soon be stung to death by these giant bees.

The giant peaks' venomous thorns relentlessly pierced Lei Ming's body, but surprisingly, Lei Ming remained unharmed. Instead, the giant peaks continued to fall to the ground, either severely injured or dead. The faster the giant peaks attacked, the faster they died.

Lei Ming chuckled. His Earthly Fiend Golden Body had reached the third level, allowing him to withstand even top-grade magic weapons with his physical body alone. When those giant peaks pierced him, they were instead killed by the recoil from his body. From this perspective, Lei Ming was definitely the nemesis of ugly cultivators.

Lei Ming stretched his body. Although the giant bee hadn't hurt him, the feeling of being surrounded by the swarm of bees was uncomfortable.

"It's my turn!" Lei Ming brandished his straight blade, and the ugly cultivator hurriedly slapped a defensive talisman on himself, creating a protective shield. However, he clearly underestimated the power of the straight blade. The blade pierced through the shield and directly through the ugly cultivator's body, killing him instantly!

From the moment the two attacked to the moment the ugly cultivator was killed, it was all over in an instant; the other three cultivators hadn't even had time to react.

However, to Lei Ming's surprise, the other three were not angry at the death of the ugly cultivator; on the contrary, they were very happy.

"Now that this ugly thing is dead, we can easily divide the Concentration Fruit among ourselves," a cultivator with a goatee said happily.

"Three for each person, just right," said the cold-looking monk beside him.

"Let's deal with the troublemakers first, then we can discuss how to deal with the Golden Leopard," the last cultivator said.

The three surrounded Lei Ming in the three positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and then simultaneously produced an array flag. Only then did Lei Ming realize that although the ugly cultivator was with them, these three were actually working together.

The three of them moved their lips slightly, and their magic power was injected into the array flag. Lei Ming immediately felt as if the air around him had solidified, and it was as if hundreds of invisible ropes were binding him.

"Let's get started, Fellow Daoist Liao, and finish this quickly," said the third cultivator.

The cold-blooded cultivator nodded and took out a small sword from his storage bag. The sword was crystal clear, with the hilt and blade being almost the same length. As the cold-blooded cultivator infused it with spiritual energy, the small sword rapidly grew larger.

"To die by the talisman sword, you can rest in peace!"

The cold-blooded cultivator sneered, and his talisman sword flew towards Lei Ming. Lei Ming was bound by the formation and could barely move. Sensing the sharpness of the talisman sword, Lei Ming's expression changed.

"These three actually possess talismanic treasures!"

Lei Ming knew about talisman treasures from Han Li's abilities. Han Li bought one from Wanbaolou and easily killed a cultivator at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining with it. The talisman sword in front of him was no less powerful than Han Li's golden brick, and Lei Ming dared not take it head-on.

At the critical moment of life and death, Lei Ming no longer concealed his strength. The aura of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining erupted, and at the same time, the power in his body surged, like a terrifying beast awakening. He stomped his foot on the ground, and the entire valley seemed to shake.

The Dingyuan Bell spun rapidly above Lei Ming's head, offsetting some of the pressure from the formation. Lei Ming had already unleashed his straight sword, which flew towards the goatee-bearded cultivator.

In an instant, the situation reversed, and Lei Ming threw a punch at Fu Jian.

(End of this chapter)