SFS Chapter 74: Acquired
Chapter 74: Acquired
Li Wu wasn't particularly surprised by Qi Chengheng's words, as he had already anticipated this scene.
He nodded slightly and said:
"Since that's the case, then let's grant Qi's wish."
Ying Zichu frowned slightly and said in a low voice:
"Brother Li, this person cultivates the [Kan Water] Dao, and this place is a body of water, which will greatly benefit him. You..."
"It's alright."
Li Wu waved his hand and said:
"You keep an eye on the others, and I will find an opportunity to take the [Great Edict Thunder]."
"All right."
Seeing that Li Wu had made a decision, Ying Zichu nodded.
Immediately, Pei Xiyan, Ying Zichu, and the others turned and headed towards the three cultivators in the distance.
"Oh no! Run!"
The three of them did not cultivate the [Water Virtue], so naturally they could not be a match for Pei Xiyan and the others.
In an instant, only Li Wu and Qi Chengheng remained, facing each other from afar in the center of the lake.
Qi Chengheng slowly raised the long sword in his hand, the blade shimmering with water, the water rippling and flowing towards him, swirling and circling.
Qi Chengheng cultivates the [Kan Water] technique, which is already enhanced in this place. In addition, he also cultivates the sword technique, so his killing power is in no way inferior to the [Divine Thunder] technique.
Therefore, Li Wu dared not be careless at all. He pushed his spiritual power to the limit, with arcs of electricity flashing and a silver-white dragon circling around him. He held a halberd in his hand and had the Golden Mirror behind him.
Qi Chengheng looked at the two [Golden Mirrors] and smiled calmly. The next moment, the lake beneath his feet suddenly exploded.
A water dragon shot into the sky, carrying a sharp sword intent, and rushed straight towards Li Wu.
Li Wutong's pupils constricted slightly, and as he retreated rapidly, he made a fist with his right hand, unleashing a burst of lightning condensed from the Golden Light Mirror.
"boom!"
The thunderbolt collided with the waterspout, unleashing a deafening roar.
Water splashed everywhere, lightning flashed, and towering waves rose on the lake.
Qi Chengheng's figure burst out from the water curtain, his sword momentum undiminished. With a single slash, a bright blue sword light flashed, and the sword energy, carrying the intent of [Kan Water], attacked.
Li Wutong's pupils shrank sharply, and he immediately gathered his spiritual power on the halberd, condensing arcs of electricity into lightning snakes that circled the halberd's body.
The halberd was swung out suddenly, and lightning flashed everywhere. The white lightning collided with the blue sword light, and the resulting shockwaves created a water wall several meters high on the lake.
"boom!!!"
The sharp sword energy forced Li Wu to retreat several feet. After regaining his footing, he pondered to himself:
"This Qi Chengheng is not only at a higher level than me, but his swordsmanship is also so formidable..."
"Most importantly, my [Divine Thunder] doesn't seem to have any effect on him... It seems he hasn't taken any human pills."
"The [Divine Thunder] technique is indeed very powerful!"
Qi Chengheng stood tall and straight, holding his sword in one hand, his eyes lowered as he looked at Li Wu, and said calmly:
"But that's all we can do."
"Back then, True Monarch Kan Shui was defeated by True Monarch Shen Lei, which caused the Kan Shui sect to become weaker than the Shen Lei sect. Today, I will kill you, Shen Lei cultivator, and when I attain the Kan Shui position in the future, I will restore the glory of Kan Shui."
After saying that, Qi Chengheng's eyes sharpened, and with a change of sword stance, more than ten sword energies shot out, surrounding Li Wu from all directions.
Li Wu's expression turned solemn. The Golden Mirror behind him suddenly lit up, continuously shooting out lightning to block the incoming sword energy.
"Boom boom boom!"
Sword energy and lightning intertwined, blasting water columns into the water's surface.
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Wu swept backward, his halberd crackling with lightning. With a single sweep, he unleashed a crescent-shaped lightning blade, tearing through the mist and striking Qi Chengheng.
Qi Chengheng slightly shifted his body, and with a casual flick of his longsword, he deflected the lightning blade, which flew past him and crashed into the lake, creating a towering column of water.
Watching this scene, Li Wuxin pondered:
"Qi Chengheng's swordsmanship is too formidable; we can only attempt a sneak attack using the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword]."
Li Wu currently has two trump cards. One is the Core Formation level [Thunder Sound Flying Sword], which he has now almost fully refined, and its power should be able to be unleashed at about 80-90%.
The other one is the Xuan Lei hidden on his body.
Xuan Lei had already broken through to the Core Formation stage, but he had no supernatural powers, which was very different from the Purple Mansion stage in this world. Therefore, the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm did not stop him from entering.
During this time, it was hidden on Li Wu's body and concealed by his [Divine Thunder] aura, so it was not discovered by others.
After casually shattering Li Wu's lightning with a few sword strikes, Qi Chengheng spoke indifferently:
"Brother Li, if you don't take this seriously, I might really kill you."
"Brother Qi is right, it's time to get serious."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wu unleashed all of his spiritual power without reservation.
The oppressive force of the [Divine Thunder] suddenly erupted, and silver-white lightning surged from his body, transforming into a thunder dragon tens of feet long, which coiled behind him, and the lightning illuminated half of the sky, turning it silver-white.
Upon seeing this, Qi Chengheng was not afraid at all; instead, he was overjoyed.
"Hahaha! Well done, well done!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Chengheng's spiritual power surged, and his immortal foundation [Gorges and Rivers] was pushed to its limit. The water surface churned and surged, as rapid and turbulent as a river in a gorge.
"Brother Li, take this sword!"
Qi Chengheng laughed loudly, raising his longsword high above his head. The blade shimmered with water, but it wasn't gentle ripples; rather, it was a sharp, piercing edge, like a torrent crashing against a reef.
"not good!"
This sword strike was too powerful, and Li Wu dared not easily accept it. He immediately stopped holding back, made a hand seal, and heard a sound of lightning cutting through the air as the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword] suddenly flew out.
"Clang!"
Silvery-white lightning intertwined with azure blue water vapor.
Li Wu's expression was solemn. With a thought, the Thunder Sound Flying Sword drew an arc in the air and attacked Qi Chengheng again.
At the same time, the two Golden Mirrors behind him lit up simultaneously, and countless bolts of lightning poured down like a torrential rain, engulfing Qi Chengheng.
"Boom boom boom!"
Thunder rumbled incessantly, and countless water columns exploded on the lake's surface, turning the entire central area of the lake into a thunderous realm.
However, Qi Chengheng's figure was like a fish swimming in water, constantly dodging and weaving amidst the attacks of thunder and flying swords.
Li Wu hadn't expected that even using the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword] wouldn't be enough to kill Qi Chengheng in a short time. He pondered to himself...
"The battle has dragged on for too long and we can't afford to delay any longer. If cultivators from other grotto-heavens arrive, things will get very bad."
Li Wu hadn't forgotten that his main purpose in entering the secret realm this time wasn't to fight Qi Chengheng to the death, but rather to obtain the [Divine Thunder] spiritual artifact from the Purple Mansion, the [Great Edict Thunder-Slaying].
With this in mind, he turned his gaze to the [Great Edict Thunder] in the center of the lake, and his figure instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, rushing away at lightning speed.
However, just as he was about to approach the ball of lightning in the center of the lake, an extremely sharp sword aura attacked from the side, forcing him back.
"Li Wu, unless you kill me, you won't get your hands on this [Great Edict Thunder Cutter]!"
Looking at Qi Chengheng, who was approaching from behind using water magic, Li Wu frowned slightly and immediately said:
"Mystic Thunder!"
With a soft call from Li Wu, a small snake, about an inch long, emerged from his clothes.
Arcs of electricity flashed and thunder roared. In an instant, the tiny snake, barely an inch long, grew to a hundred feet long, coiling like a dragon with scales and armor shrouded in lightning.
"roar!!"
Accompanied by a fierce roar of thunder, thunder rumbled and dark clouds gathered.
"This is... a dragon? Xiu Lei's dragon?"
Qi Chengheng's expression changed drastically, and he paused slightly, pondering to himself:
"You cultivate the [She Lei] path? What is your relationship with the Heavenly Mysterious True Man?"
Li Wu stood behind Xuan Lei, his robes fluttering in the wind, and said in a deep voice:
"Xuan Lei, hold him off."
"roar!!!"
Xuan Lei roared to the sky, the thunder rumbling and causing countless splashes to erupt on the lake's surface.
In the next instant, its massive body swooped down, opened its enormous mouth, and a thick pillar of lightning shot out from its mouth, heading straight for Qi Chengheng.
Qi Chengheng dared not be careless. He changed his sword stance and unleashed a continuous stream of sword energy.
"boom!!!"
The lightning bolts shattered the azure sword energy, and steam billowed, enveloping the entire lake area in white mist.
A bolt of lightning struck him directly.
Qi Chengheng groaned, his body staggering back several feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He stood on the water's surface, using the water's spiritual energy to heal his injuries, while pondering:
"This dragon is very powerful... When did a dragon capable of cultivating lightning appear in the East Sea Dragon Palace?"
At the same time, Li Wu seized this fleeting opportunity, his figure transforming into a streak of silver-white lightning, and sped toward the [Great Edict Thunder] in the center of the lake.
It was a wisp of energy the size of a fist, silvery-white in color, with lightning patterns flowing across its surface, radiating a chilling pressure.
Li Wu activated his immortal foundation, reached out and grabbed the [Great Edict Thunder Strike], his face immediately lighting up with joy:
"Got it!"
Immediately, he put it into the jade box that Master Tianxuan had given him.
"Walk!"
Having obtained the Purple Mansion Spiritual Treasure, Li Wu naturally did not choose to linger and immediately sped off in the direction of Pei Xiyan and the others.
Watching the receding silvery-white lightning, Qi Chengheng shouted sharply:
"Li Wu! You can't leave!"
He tried to rush over to intercept, but each time he was forced back by Xuan Lei's thunder.
…………
the other side.
Pei Xiyan easily overpowered the three men.
They had only reached this level of cultivation thanks to the Human Elixir, and every time Pei Xiyan's [Thunderclap] struck them, it caused immense power.
With lightning surging in his hands, Pei Xiyan unleashed a series of [Thunderbolts], killing the three men in no time.
Ying Zichu withdrew his gaze and looked towards the sky filled with lightning and water curtains in the direction of the center of the lake, his brows furrowed:
"There's quite a commotion on Brother Li's side..."
Before he could finish speaking, a silver-white bolt of lightning pierced the air, and Li Wu's figure suddenly appeared beside them.
"Walk!"
Li Wu gave a low shout without pausing for a moment.
Pei Xiyan and Ying Zichu saw that although his expression was tense, there was a hint of joy in his eyes, so they knew that the [Great Edict Thunder Suppression] had been obtained. They immediately stopped asking questions and used their escape techniques to follow him.
Behind them, from the direction of the center of the lake, came Qi Chengheng's furious roar:
"Li Wu! You can't escape!"
Immediately following was a deafening thunderclap, the roar of the thunderous roar intertwined with the sword cry of Qi Chengheng, causing the entire lake surface to churn uncontrollably.
Li Wu looked back and saw Xuan Lei's hundred-foot-tall body hovering in the air, constantly spewing out bolts of lightning, tightly binding Qi Chengheng.
Although Qi Chengheng cultivated the [Kan Shui] sword path and was like a fish in water, Xuan Lei was a Thunder Flood Dragon at the Core Formation level. His physical body was strong, and his thunder power was pure and violent. For a time, he forced Qi Chengheng to defend.
"Xuan Lei, that's enough."
With a thought, Li Wuxin transmitted his voice through divine sense.
Upon hearing the sound, Xuan Lei whipped its tail, and a thick bolt of lightning crashed down, forcing Qi Chengheng back several feet.
Immediately, Xuan Lei's body shrank dramatically, transforming into a tiny snake about an inch long, and flew back into Li Wuxiu's body.
Qi Chengheng steadied himself, his body soaked, his hair disheveled, and blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth. He stared in the direction Li Wu had gone, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Li Wu! I will definitely kill you!"
Although the Purple Mansion Spiritual Object of the [Divine Thunder] path, [Great Edict Thunder], was stolen, the Purple Mansion Spiritual Objects of [Thunder] and [Prosperity Qi] are still there.
Although Qi Chengheng did not know where the two spiritual objects were, he knew who could find them.
After thinking it over, he first sat cross-legged to recover his injuries and spiritual power.
…………
Li Wu and the others were only relieved after they escaped the [Water Margin] and entered another grotto-heaven filled with hills and forests.
"It should be safe now."
Pei Xiyan withdrew his escape light, looked at Li Wu, and asked:
"Did you succeed?"
Li Wu nodded, took out the jade box from his bosom, and opened it.
A wisp of silvery-white gas lay quietly in the box, its surface shimmering with lightning patterns.
"This is the [Great Edict Thunder Cutter], a spiritual object from the Purple Mansion?"
Ying Zichu leaned closer for a look, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes.
Pei Xiyan's beautiful eyes also brightened slightly. She could sense the terrifying power contained within this wisp of lightning, and nodded slightly.
"Excellent! With this [Great Edict Thunder Cutter], your chances of breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm in the future should increase by 20% to 30%!"
Li Wu closed the jade box, carefully put it away, and said in a deep voice:
"However, now is not the time to be happy. Qi Chengheng will not let this go easily. If the cultivators from other grotto-heavens know that I have taken the [Great Edict Thunder-Slaying], they will definitely come to fight for it."
The news that Li Wu obtained the "Great Edict to Punish Thunder" would inevitably be known to others.
The Purple Mansion Spiritual Object of the [Divine Thunder] Path has been taken away. They will inevitably be punished after they leave, so they will definitely come to besiege and kill them.
"That's exactly what we wanted," Ying Zichu said in a deep voice.
Their original idea was to fight those cultivators from the four countries to the death.
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
"Then let's use this [Great Edict Thunder] as a hook to fish them all out."
Pei Xiyan agreed:
"Then let's do it that way."
Immediately, she turned and ordered the Jade Forest Mountain and Dragon Cultivators to hide.
…………
Another misty, secluded cave.
Ning Que clasped his hands together, his body radiating golden light and covered in Buddhist scriptures. He looked around and said in a deep voice:
Where could the turtle be?
Since entering this [Tai Xu] secret realm, he has been constantly probing the fate of the tortoise, but after traversing several caves, he has not found the slightest trace of the tortoise's aura.
Just then, Ning Que paused, looked up at the horizon, and said in a deep voice:
"This aura... is it a Purple Mansion Spiritual Object of the [Divine Thunder] path?"
"Has it been found?"
He frowned slightly, realizing that the aura of this Purple Mansion Spiritual Object had probably been sensed by all the cultivators in the Cave Heaven.
"That tortoise cultivates [Longevity Qi]. Sensing this [Divine Thunder] aura, it should also go there. If I follow, perhaps I can find the tortoise."
With this in mind, Ning Que flew towards the direction from which the aura was coming from.
…………
[Fire Virtue] Grotto Heaven.
Qi Yu and the white jade turtle hid under a piece of salt and pepper. Suddenly, the white jade turtle sensed a [divine thunder] aura.
It said in a deep voice:
"They have found the Great Edict of Thunder."
"The Great Edict Thunder-Slaying Item is a rare spiritual artifact of the Purple Mansion in the Divine Thunder Dao. Those people will absolutely not allow this thing to be taken out of the Taixu Secret Realm."
"They're probably going to be surrounded and annihilated by cultivators from four countries."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu immediately became anxious, his face showing worry as he said:
"Then let's hurry and help Brother Li!"
"What's the rush?"
A glint of shrewdness flashed in the white jade tortoise's beady eyes as it pondered:
"The aura of this [Great Edict Thunder] is so obvious that it must have been intentionally exposed. Since they did this, they must have already made up their minds."
"It's probably a deliberate attempt to lure cultivators from four countries to ambush them."
Qi Yu was taken aback; the Li Wu he remembered did not seem like a reckless person.
"Besides, the aura of the [Great Edict Thunder] has already been exposed. Right now, most of the cultivators in the secret realm are probably rushing over there. If you go there rashly now, you won't be helping, you'll be sending yourself to your death."
"So we're just going to watch like this?" Qi Yu asked, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Besides, didn't you say we were going to meet up with Brother Li and the others?"
"A reunion is necessary, but there's no rush."
The white jade tortoise narrowed its beady eyes slightly, revealing a solemn expression:
"And... I smelled something."
"What does it taste like?" Qi Yu was taken aback.
"The taste of Buddhism."
The white jade tortoise said in a deep voice:
"It must be that Buddhist monk from back then."
Release repair?
Qi Yu suddenly remembered the monk Shi Xiu, whom he had met at White Bone Slope, who wanted to take his life.
"It's him?!"
The white jade turtle squinted and muttered:
"Strange, Shi Xiuli shouldn't be able to enter this [Tai Xu] secret realm, so how did he get in?"
"Could it be the [Transfer of Consciousness]? Yes... Only by borrowing a body can a Buddhist cultivator enter the [Great Void] Secret Realm."
"I just hope the cultivator whose body I'm using isn't too strong."
[Transfer of Consciousness] allows a Buddhist practitioner to borrow another person's body, but their strength will also be limited by that body.
"Sigh, hundreds of years have passed, how can anyone still want to take the life of our Longevity Turtle clan?"
The white jade tortoise frowned, the appearance of this monk was truly troubling it.
Looking at this group of bald monks makes me feel nauseous.
…………
Li Wu and his companions found a secluded spot among the hills and forests and settled down there for the time being.
Pei Xiyan arranged for the cultivators from Yulin Mountain and the Dragon Clan to set up formations and traps around the area.
"Now everything is ready, we are just waiting for those cultivators to arrive."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
"The aura of the Great Edict Thunder has already spread out, and it won't be long before someone comes looking for us."
Ying Zichu, standing to the side, said with some concern:
"I don't know if we can win."
"Don't worry, we will definitely win."
Pei Xiyan sneered:
"The cultivators from the four kingdoms sound impressive, but in reality they are a disorganized mess. They belong to different sects and cultivate different paths, so there may be some animosity between them."
"Now that we have found the [Great Edict of Thunder], I'm afraid they will start blaming each other from within."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zichu nodded slightly:
"I hope so."
Immediately, the three of them sat down cross-legged to regulate their breathing, preparing for the upcoming battle.