Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Refining the Thunder Pill

This beautiful Female Cultivator was named Lu Wei, an Outer Elder of the Yinluo Sect with an Early-stage Life Talisman Cultivation.

The majestic, purple-bearded old man was from the Feng Family. His name was Feng Jiuzhang, an Inner Sect Elder of the Yinluo Sect with a Mid-stage Life Talisman Cultivation!

In his youth, Feng Jiuzhang was unparalleled among the Cultivators of his generation and was the foremost prodigy of the Cultivation Families within the Abyssal Marsh.

While still an Inner Sect Disciple, he had already cultivated one of the Yinluo Sect’s nine ultimate techniques, the Netherworld Purgatory Divine Light. Afterward, he was promoted to a True Disciple, traveled throughout the Yun Country, and made a great name for himself.

Decades ago, his Cultivation broke through to the Mid-Life Talisman Stage. He transformed from a True Disciple into an Inner Sect Elder of the Yinluo Sect.

Over ten years ago, Feng Jiuzhang and Lu Wei were entrusted by the Sect Leader to handle a matter together outside the Abyssal Marsh, and so they became acquainted.

This matter was related to a major event in the Yinluo Sect from three hundred years ago.

Three hundred years ago, an Inner Sect Elder of the Yinluo Sect suffered a deviation while practicing his Cultivation Method, which attracted an Outer Celestial Demon to descend to the Lower Realm. The Elder was devoured alive and died.

Fortunately, the Yinluo Sect was filled with masters. They joined forces to subdue that Outer Celestial Demon. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The Sect Leader at the time saw that the Celestial Demon was a rare Nightmare Demon and thus did not order it to be slain. Instead, he had the Elders move it to a location three thousand li south of the Abyssal Marsh and seal it within a mountain valley!

To the Cultivators of the Yinluo Sect, this Nightmare Demon offered two great benefits!

First, this demon could transform the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into pure Demonic Qi, which was an unparalleled supplement for cultivating Demon Skills.

Second, within a thousand-li radius of the Nightmare Demon’s location, a type of grass called Nightmare Grass would grow. This grass could suppress Heart Demons and refine demonic thoughts. It could also be used to craft various illusion-type Magical Artifacts, making it an extremely precious Spirit Plant.

After the Nightmare Demon was sealed underground, the Yinluo Sect left an Outer Elder with the surname Xiao to stand guard.

Gradually, this Outer Elder married, had children, and his descendants grew into a small Cultivation Family. They were attached to the Yinluo Sect and regularly submitted Nightmare Grass to the sect.

Occasionally, when True Disciples or Elders of the Yinluo Sect encountered a bottleneck in their cultivation and wished to break through, they would descend to the lowest level of the seal to enter secluded cultivation, borrowing the pure Demonic Qi.

For the first hundred years, the Xiao Family gained many benefits from this arrangement, gradually growing stronger and more prosperous.

But more than one hundred and sixty years ago, the Nightmare Demon underwent a strange transformation and nearly broke through the seal!

The Nightmare Demon lured other Outer Celestial Demons to descend to the Lower Realm and released a Demon Fog that shrouded the land for a thousand-li radius, nearly wiping out the Xiao Family.

In the end, it was the Yinluo Sect that intervened, reinforcing the seal and resolving the demonic catastrophe.

After this incident, the Xiao Family’s strength was greatly diminished. Only one Life Talisman Realm Cultivator remained in the family, and many of its other talented disciples had perished.

During that demonic catastrophe, the Nightmare Demon’s aura leaked out, causing several times the usual amount of Nightmare Grass to grow. This gave many of the Yinluo Sect’s Elders and Disciples ideas, so they tampered slightly with the seal.

From then on, the Nightmare Demon would assault the seal once every thirty years!

A demonic catastrophe would descend, Demon Fog would spread, and Nightmare Grass would appear in abundance. The Yinluo Sect would then send Elders and Disciples to repair the seal and collect the Nightmare Grass.

Each demonic catastrophe was perfectly controlled by the Yinluo Sect to be within a "just right" range, making it very manageable.

No matter how much that Nightmare Demon struggled, it could never escape its cage and was reduced to being nothing more than a tool for the Yinluo Sect.

The task of repairing the seal over a decade ago was led by Inner Sect Elder Feng Jiuzhang, and completed by several Outer Elders and a group of Yinluo Sect Outer Disciples.

Feng Jiuzhang was highly skilled in the Array Dao, making him the undisputed choice within the Yinluo Sect for completing this mission at the time.

However, after the Nightmare Grass was picked, it would dissipate into Demonic Light in less than half a day. It had to be initially refined and preserved immediately after harvesting, or else it would be wasted.

And Lu Wei happened to be a Spirit Plant Master who was quite adept at refining and preserving Nightmare Grass.

Thus, someone recommended Lu Wei to Feng Jiuzhang that time. The two of them then gathered some more people and successfully completed the mission assigned by the Sect Leader.

In total, they obtained a thousand stalks of Nightmare Grass. After distributing portions to those above and below, Feng Jiuzhang was still left with no less than five hundred stalks!

Even for someone of his Cultivation and experience, this was an astonishing fortune.

Naturally, Lu Wei and the others who acted with him also reaped considerable rewards.

He even used this batch of Nightmare Grass to break through a bottleneck in his Netherworld Purgatory Divine Light, and his strength soared.

At this moment, Feng Jiuzhang withdrew his gaze and said flatly, "I will go and verify this matter myself before reporting to the Sect Leader for a decision."

Lu Wei’s beautiful eyes flickered, but she hesitated to speak.

Repairing the Xiao Family’s seal was a lucrative assignment, and countless eyes throughout the Yinluo Sect were staring at this juicy piece of meat.

In the Yinluo Sect today, Feng Jiuzhang was still the number one Array master of the current generation!

’I just wonder if he’ll be able to secure it this time.’

...

「Late at night, east of Xiaocang Island, high above the Daze.」

Streaks of Thunder Light flashed across the sky, blindingly bright. The deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth. A torrential downpour raged, and below, turbulent waves surged, creating massive swells several zhang high.

Between the water and the sky, a shell leaf floated in the air. It was surrounded by a soft, gentle glow that blocked the wind, rain, and lightning. As it swayed gently, a clear light filled the sky.

A person sat cross-legged atop the shell leaf, as motionless as a mountain.

He had a tall and straight figure, with broad shoulders and a thick back. His face was sharp and well-defined, with sword-like brows, star-like eyes, and a focused expression.

He wore a dark, cloud-patterned Daoist Robe, possessed an outstanding temperament, and faintly exuded a pure and sharp Sword Intent.

It was none other than Fang Cheng, who had come out in the middle of the night to craft Taiyi Thunder Pills.

At this moment, his hands formed a seal. The Magical Power in his hands transformed into flickering Thunder Light, which gradually began to resonate with the lightning in the heavens above.

"RUMBLE...!"

Another blinding flash of lightning descended, striking Fang Cheng directly.

He spread his arms as if to embrace the sky, and a thunderball a zhang in diameter instantly appeared before his chest!

The Bronze Shell Leaf emitted a soft glow, leaving him completely unharmed beneath the might of the heavens.

His ten fingers danced rapidly, as if weaving cloth. He drew out threads from the massive thunderball, using the lightning as thread to weave a "Spirit Rune Array."

As he sketched with the "lightning threads," the zhang-wide thunderball began to shrink slowly.

This process consumed an immense amount of Magical Power. His expression was grave, not daring to be the slightest bit careless. Only when the thunderball had vanished did he slowly let out a breath.

Before him was a three-chi-square "thin cloth" shimmering with brilliant Thunder Light!

This "cloth," as thin as a cicada’s wing, flickered with dazzling lightning patterns that were profound, precise, and intricately complex, filled with a strange Daoist rhythm.

Fang Cheng channeled his Magical Power and, following the Secret Technique, repeatedly folded this "thunder cloth," finally transforming it into a scorching-white particle the size of a fingernail.

"Condense!"

He chanted a strange incantation and tapped a finger lightly. The scorching-white particle, which had been flashing with a strange light, slowly dimmed. Fine, layered patterns could be seen all over its surface, appearing as if they were intricately carved.

Fang Cheng took out an Essence Supplement Pill and swallowed it. He silently recovered his Magical Power, then continued to use the Secret Technique to draw down the Celestial Thunder.

To refine one Taiyi Thunder Pill, one needed eighty-one distinct pieces of "thunder cloth." They had to be wrapped around each other one by one, in order, and finally compressed into a ball.

The Thunder Power, compressed to its absolute limit and combined with the complex and profound Spirit Rune Array, formed a perfect balance.

And once this power was unleashed, its might was truly terrifying!

A Thunder Pill refined by Fang Cheng with his Sensing Realm Cultivation was powerful enough to unleash a strike comparable to that of a Life Talisman Master.