dmims Chapter 207 Two-Person Cave Exploration, Ancient Thunder Crystal Wall
Chapter 207 Two-Person Cave Exploration, Ancient Thunder Crystal Wall
Chapter 207 Two-person cave exploration, Ancient Lei Crystal Wall (5.5k words, 4 bonus chapters for the Alliance Leader)
Beside the cliff halfway up Leifeng Mountain, the wind swept by, carrying fine powder of Leiwen Rock, and the lingering aura of Leiling in the air still carried a hint of undissipated ferocity.
Chen Yi stood there, his fingertips glowing with a faint azure light, the nascent form of the Taiyi Evergreen Magic Power, capable of keenly detecting hidden dangers in the world.
He slowly rotated his wrist, allowing the spiritual light to spread along the airflow. After a moment, he withdrew his hand, and the spiritual energy around him returned to normal.
"The Thunder Armor Beast has just perished, and its aura has not yet completely dissipated. In the short term, no other demonic beasts should dare to approach this area."
Ning Bu'er sat leaning against a flat, dark rock, his body still trembling slightly beneath his black robe.
When she was severely injured by the Thunder Armor Beast, the thunder crystals in several major acupoints in her body suddenly burst. At this moment, the wounds were still throbbing, and even mobilizing her magic power was noticeably sluggish.
Seeing this, Chen Yi did not hesitate. His right palm slowly emitted a warm, azure light and gently covered her lower abdomen.
That was the spot where the lightning crystal had been most severely shattered, and traces of blood could be faintly seen spreading beneath the black robe.
"The wound has just burst open, and the life force has not yet dissipated, making this the optimal time for treatment."
Chen Yi's voice was gentle and steady, and the Taiyi Changqing magic power in his palm slowly seeped into Ning Bu'er's body like a gentle stream.
This supernatural power is known for its healing ability among the three major abilities of his Purple Extreme Golden Core. It does not require the use of the healing runes engraved on the Golden Core; it can awaken the vitality of damaged acupoints simply by nourishing them with pure magical power.
Ning Bu'er felt a warm sensation spreading down her lower abdomen. The tearing pain seemed to melt away with warm water, and the burst acupoints, like parched land receiving sweet rain, slowly contracted and healed under the protection of the azure magic power.
A blush crept up her ears involuntarily. Her gaze fell on Chen Yi's focused profile. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was serious and without a trace of distraction. Yet, the warmth from his palm made her heart beat faster for no reason.
Especially when the magic flowed to her perineum, the precise healing sensation was clearer than when her fingertips touched it. It was as if even the tiny cracks deep inside the acupoint were smoothed out, causing a slight tingling sensation throughout her body. However, she kept biting her lip and remained silent.
As Chen Yi withdrew his hand after the last wound healed, the warm spiritual energy suddenly dissipated, and she felt a sense of loss.
"The injury has been initially stabilized. With gentle nurturing using magical power, it will be almost completely healed and will not leave any hidden dangers for cultivation."
Chen Yi withdrew his hand, the azure spiritual light gradually fading, leaving a trace of the coolness of lightning spirit on his fingertips.
"This place is not safe to stay for long. The cliff face is exposed, and if we encounter other cultivators or demonic beasts, things may go wrong."
Ning Bu'er slowly raised her head, a few bits of rock still clinging to her hair. She gazed at Chen Yi, a faint smile playing on her lips, her breath sweet and fragrant.
"I should have settled things with Fellow Daoist Chen, but I never expected to owe you a favor again today."
"It's just a minor matter of healing, don't worry about it."
Chen Yi nodded slightly, then turned to activate his Wind and Thunder Escape technique to leave. The Crimson Soul Sparrow was still waiting for Old Hu's family in the valley ahead. He needed to hurry over to meet them and ensure that everyone could safely travel to Zhongzhou.
"Wait a moment!"
Ning Bu'er suddenly reached out and gently pulled Chen Yi's wrist with her cool fingertips.
Her fingertips, carrying the unique coolness of a demon cultivator's body, created a wonderful contrast with the warmth of Chen Yi's palm as she gently pulled him close.
Chen Yi turned around, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Is there anything else, Miss Ning?"
Ning Bu'er bit her lower lip lightly, a resolute glint flashing in her dark eyes. Her voice was extremely low, trembling slightly.
"Since things are already like this, why don't you... help me replenish some more lightning crystals? My body tempering and magical power are now far superior to before, and my body can hold more than a hundred lightning crystals."
Upon hearing this, a blush instantly spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. To plant the Thunder Crystal, one must remove all clothing and allow the Thunder Crystal to be directly embedded in the acupoints on the surface of the body, which is equivalent to exposing one's entire body to Chen Yi's eyes.
However, during the previous treatment, the Taiyi Changqing magic power had already thoroughly explored the injuries in her body. Guided by divine sense, that magic power could even clearly perceive the texture of the muscles deep in the acupoints, which was more delicate than touching with fingertips.
Now that she can no longer maintain her aloof image as a true disciple of the Demonic Sect, she might as well loosen up and owe Chen Yi a favor in exchange for stronger cultivation assistance, which would be more worthwhile.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly.
Ning Bu'er, as a true disciple of the Demonic Sect, has quite a few connections in the area of Yinlei Mountain. If he could make her owe him this favor, it would be much easier for him to return to Yinlei Peak to seek opportunities in the future.
Not to mention the scene when the lightning crystal was planted, and Ning Bu'er's perfectly muscular body, which made his fingertips feel a little hot.
But he quickly suppressed his distracting thoughts and scanned the empty cliff face around him:
"This place is not suitable. There is no shelter above or below, and if an emergency occurs, it will be difficult to even take cover. Besides, I need to hurry to meet up with my friends, who are waiting ahead on my Crimson Soul Sparrow."
Upon hearing this, Ning Bu'er's eyes lit up with a smile. Chen Yi only said that the timing and place were not suitable, without directly refusing.
She stood up, brushed the dust off her black robe, and pointed with her finger to a hidden crevice in the cliff face above:
"At the foot of the mountain, there is a dense forest area with natural concealment formations, suitable for us to secretly cultivate in seclusion."
But before that, we need to go to the Thunder Armor Beast's cave. There are good things hidden inside, which we will split equally.
Afterwards, I'll send you off in a flying boat to catch up with your friends; at the speed of a flying boat, it won't delay your journey at all.
After a moment's thought, Chen Yi nodded in agreement. Ning Bu'er didn't say anything; he also wanted to explore the Thunder Armor Beast's cave before leaving, as the cave of a late-stage third-tier demon beast would surely contain good things.
Moreover, Chen Yi was also curious about how this Thunder Armor Beast, whose lifespan was less than five hundred years, had cultivated such a profound understanding of ancient thunder spirit essence.
The two moved swiftly; Chen Yi activated his Wind and Thunder Escape technique, gently shielding Ning Bu'er in his arms.
The light surrounding him condensed into a pale blue curtain, suppressing even the sound of air friction to a minimum, like a spirit fox in the Foundation Establishment stage silently passing by.
Amidst the turbulent currents of lightning near the Thunder Armor Beast's cave, this escape light did not stir up the slightest ripple, nor did it disturb the residual aura of the Thunder Armor Beast outside the cave.
Ning Bu'er leaned against Chen Yi's chest, the faint scent of herbs emanating from him lingering in her nostrils, her heart filled with surprise:
The concealment ability of this Wind and Thunder Escape is so powerful that even her mid-stage Golden Core divine sense could hardly detect anything unusual. Just how many unrevealed methods does Chen Yi have up his sleeve?
The moment the thought crossed my mind, the scenery before me changed.
The entrance to the cave was hidden behind a rock crevice covered with lightning patterns. The cave was filled with a rich aura of lightning spirits, and several broken pieces of lightning armor were scattered on the ground, with the warm, bloody smell of the lightning armor beast still lingering at their edges.
"Go this way, the place with the densest thunder spirit is where the treasure is hidden."
Ning Bu'er pointed to the depths of the cave, where the aura of lightning spirits was several times purer than at the entrance, and one could even see silver-blue lightning threads floating in the air.
Chen Yi activated his escape light, carrying Ning Bu'er as they sped into the cave. The distance of several hundred feet was covered in an instant with the aid of the Wind and Thunder Escape technique.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning appeared ahead, revealing a small lightning pool, roughly ten feet square.
The pool is surrounded by dark purple thunder-patterned stone, and silver-blue thunder paste churns in the water. Fine thunder patterns condense on the surface, and occasionally a drop of thunder paste falls, blasting a small scorch mark on the rocks by the pool.
Along the edge of the pool, several spiritual herbs shimmered with lightning. The dancing lightning threads on their leaves caused the surrounding air to tremble slightly, clearly indicating that they were rare varieties that had been nourished by the power of lightning spirits for a long time.
"Little Thunder Pool".
Chen Yi said softly, his tone tinged with emotion.
Nearly twenty years ago, in an underground cave in the secret realm, he met Ning Bu'er, who was still somewhat green at the time, by a Thunder Pool that was even larger than this one.
At that time, he was disguised as "Bald Xu Jiu" and Ning Bu'er was at odds with him.
Now, however, he holds her protectively in his arms, her soft body pressed against his arm, and the two of them stand together before a similar forbidden zone, their circumstances changing as if from another world.
Ning Bu'er's expression also slightly trembled, a complex emotion flashing in his dark eyes.
This was clearly the same thought that Chen Yi had.
The bald, burly man with a full beard and a violent aura from back then has now returned to his original appearance.
With delicate features and a gentle, composed demeanor, even the way he looked at her carried a perfectly measured distance, devoid of the tension of the past.
She steadied herself and pointed her fingertip to the center of the pool:
"Three feet below the Thunder Pool, there are two peak-level third-tier Earth Thunder Spirit Fruits hidden."
They have absorbed the earth's energy and the power of thunder spirits for over eight hundred years. Their growth environment is extremely demanding, requiring them to be rooted deep within the earth's veins and in places where thunder spirits converge. The slightest deviation will cause them to wither.
For Lei Xiu, this fruit is a top-tier auxiliary resource. After consuming it, it can directly purify lightning-attribute mana and nourish the foundation of lightning-type divine abilities.
"I came to this cave specifically for these two fruits, but I never expected to be ambushed and injured by the Thunder Armor Beast hiding in the earth's veins as soon as I approached the Thunder Pool."
After explaining, Ning Bu'er looked up at Chen Yi, her beautiful eyes filled with a hint of inquiry, her breath sweet as orchids:
"How about we each take one of these Thunder Fruits?"
"it is good."
Chen Yi nodded in agreement, but his gaze remained fixed on the liquid in the Thunder Pool, never looking away.
As they got closer, the system in their mind started popping up notifications one after another.
The quality of this Thunder Pool liquid is significantly higher than that of the Thunder Liquid in the Secret Realm. The key is that it contains a trace of ancient thunder spirit fluctuations, and after being accumulated and purified over ten thousand years, its spiritual energy density far exceeds that of ordinary Thunder Pools.
For him, this liquid could not only be used to condense lightning crystals and temper his physical body, but also to nourish the "Purple Lightning Soul-Nourishing Technique," enhancing the runic power of his natal divine ability, the Thunder Soul Whip.
It can even increase the number of runes on your natal thunder talisman.
In comparison, while the two peak-level third-tier landmine fruits were also quite effective, they were still inferior to the landmine pool slurry.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, this thunderous magma is quite powerful. Should I protect you with my Nine Yin Thunderflame? Or should I retrieve the thunder fruit?"
Seeing that Chen Yi had not moved for a long time, Ning Bu'er assumed that he was wary of the violent power of the thunderous liquid, so she took the initiative to make a suggestion.
"I'll do it."
Chen Yi spoke calmly, but did not move forward.
With his current body-refining strength at the mid-stage of the third tier, if he directly reached into the lightning pool to take the fruit, he would at most suffer a few minor burns from the lightning slurry. Moreover, with the system around, he could also devour the lightning spirit power that invaded his body, so there was no need to worry about getting injured.
However, he was unwilling to rely on the system all the time. The path of cultivation required constantly challenging oneself, and if one sought stability in everything, it would be difficult to make progress.
Chen Yi closed his eyes, recalling the pattern of the scales on the Thunder Armor Beast's body during their battle.
The scales are distributed in a specific matrix, and each scale is connected to the lightning power of the adjacent scales, forming layers of defensive barriers.
With a thought, his right arm suddenly lit up with silver-blue lightning, and more than two hundred lightning crystals surged out from his body and floated around his arm.
These lightning crystals were densely arranged according to the pattern of the lightning armor beast's scales. The lightning spiritual power between the crystals attracted each other and gradually condensed into a light purple lightning crystal armor, covering the entire right arm.
Although it was only a temporary, nascent form, it exuded a defensive aura far exceeding that of a single lightning crystal. The power of lightning spirit flowed across the armor surface, forming intricate protective patterns.
"This is... the Thunderscale Defense Array of the Thunder Armor Beast?"
Ning Bu'er's eyes were full of surprise, and he subconsciously took a step forward.
She had fought against the Thunder Armor Beast and was quite familiar with the characteristics of this defensive formation, but Chen Yi had only fought the Thunder Armor Beast once, yet he was able to imitate the basic form of the formation. His comprehension was truly astonishing.
Chen Yi opened his eyes, his fingertips lightly touching the lightning crystal armor, feeling the lightning spirit power flowing within it:
"I've only learned the basics; it's not even close to the essence. I'm still far from it."
A true Thunderscale Array has a connection of spiritual energy between its scales that is several times tighter, and its defensive strength is far superior to this makeshift array.
Chen Yi gave a simple explanation.
He did not mention that when he collected the Thunder Armor Beast's corpse earlier, he had secretly absorbed the spiritual essence from several pieces of Thunder Armor. Just now, he had a sudden inspiration to transform that spiritual essence into the basis of the formation, and he did not expect the effect to be better than expected.
Subsequently, Chen Yi could continue to absorb the spiritual energy of the Thunder Armor Flakes on the Thunder Armor Beast to cultivate this defensive technique.
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yi plunged his right arm into the Thunder Pool.
The silvery-blue lightning plasma surged instantly, crackling with electricity, like countless tiny lightning whips lashing at the lightning crystal armor, yet it could not break through the defense.
His hand groped around at the bottom of the pool for a moment and soon touched two warm fruits—these were the Landmine Spirit Fruits.
The fruit is about the size of a fist, with a skin that is a mix of earthy yellow and silver-blue patterns. The earth's energy and the power of thunder spirit flow slowly within it, and you can clearly feel the powerful energy contained inside when you hold it in your hand.
For lightning cultivators, the greatest benefit of this fruit is that it allows them to directly absorb the lightning spirit and earth power without refining it. This not only stabilizes their cultivation but also enhances their control over lightning-based spells, making it an extremely rare spiritual fruit that improves comprehension.
Chen Yi took out the two landmine fruits, shook off the lightning paste on the surface, casually handed one to Ning Bu'er, and held the other one in his hand. His fingertips glowed faintly as he quietly absorbed a wisp of spiritual energy from it. A system notification flashed, confirming that the fruit was of pure quality and free of any impurities.
Ning Bu'er accepted the Landmine Fruit, but his gaze remained fixed on Chen Yi's Thunder Crystal Armor, his eyes filled with admiration:
"Although your lightning crystal array is only in its rudimentary form, it can already withstand the erosion of lightning magma. Such talent in cultivation is truly admirable."
But Chen Yi did not stop. He activated his divine sense again, and more than three hundred lightning crystals surged out of his body, spreading along his right arm to half of his shoulder, wrapping that half of his body in the lightning crystal armor.
Pale purple lightning danced on the armor's surface, reflecting off the silvery-blue lightning paste in the lightning pool, making it appear even more imposing.
Ning Bu'er stood to the side, her eyes full of doubt, and couldn't help but ask:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, the Thunder Fruit has been obtained. What... is there to do next?"
She couldn't fathom Chen Yi's intentions. Although the Thunder Essence was precious, there was no need to go to such lengths to arm herself in order to come into contact with it.
Chen Yi did not answer immediately. Just now, when his right arm plunged into the lightning pool, at the moment the system absorbed the lightning plasma, he vaguely sensed the abnormal fluctuations in the lightning plasma:
As he sensed the flow of spiritual energy within the entire Thunder Pool, he discovered that when that energy touched a certain spot on the pool wall, there was a slight resistance, as if the water had encountered a small gap.
That feeling was mysterious and profound, exactly the same as his intuition when he observed the environment of Thunder-Inducing Mountain and suddenly sensed that something would happen halfway up the mountain.
In just a few breaths, Ning Bu'er was indeed sent flying backwards from that direction.
At this moment, the "sense of imperfection" emanating from the pool wall perfectly matched my intuition at the time, as if it were silently hinting at something.
It was because of this intuition that he deliberately condensed three hundred more lightning crystals and wrapped his entire arm and half of his shoulder in the lightning crystal armor.
This hastily put-together defense, while not perfect, still offered considerable protection.
Chen used this lightning armor crystal to test whether the new defensive method was worth further in-depth research.
In addition, one should put on a proper act in front of Ning Bu'er, at least not act too outrageously, so as not to expose the system's devouring ability.
After making preparations, Chen Yi took a deep breath and slowly lowered half of his body into the Thunder Pool.
The silvery-blue lightning plasma flowed along the lightning crystal armor, crackling with electricity, but it could not penetrate the defense.
Following his intuition, he groped along the pool wall near the bottom of the Thunder Pool. Suddenly, his fingertips touched a crystal that felt different from the surrounding rocks. It was slightly cool to the touch and felt heavier than ordinary Thunderstone.
With a gentle tap, the palm-sized Thunder Spirit Crystal detached from the pool wall and was held in his hand.
The crystal was a deep purple color, and the thunder pattern on its surface was no different from the rest of the pool wall, making it look unremarkable.
Seeing this, Ning Bu'er curiously leaned closer, staring at the crystal for a long time, even probing it with her divine sense to carefully perceive it, but found nothing unusual. She couldn't help but ask:
"Fellow Daoist Chen, is there anything special about this thing? To me, it looks no different from ordinary thunderstone."
Chen Yi handed the crystal to her, his tone indifferent:
"I can't really explain it, but when we were in the Thunder Pool just now, I felt that something was off about the pool wall, so I took it out to take a look."
He said this, but the system notifications in his mind had already exploded:
[A 20,000-year-old crystal barrier has been detected. Should we absorb it?]
Chen Yi silently recited "Devour" in his mind, and the system progress bar slowly jumped:
[Currently consuming 0.1% to 0.12%]
He only tested it for a short while before stopping. Judging from the rate of absorption, the quality of this lightning crystal wall was likely to reach the fourth rank. What was even more precious was not the material itself, but the "true meaning of the lightning spirit from 20,000 years ago" contained within it.
The ancient Thunder Spirit Will runes are completely different from the rune laws of the current period when spiritual energy is weak. The spiritual objects from 20,000 years ago are closer to the origin of heaven and earth, which is of great benefit to his cultivation of all Thunder Spirit-related techniques.
And soon, Chen Yi's guess was confirmed.
After the lightning crystal wall was removed, the spiritual energy of the lightning magma in the lightning pool no longer grew as continuously as before, but remained in a stable state.
This kind of lightning-like quality cannot be perceived by divine sense; it belongs to a specific state existing in the unseen realm.
Chen Yi was only able to perceive this slightly because he had been absorbing and devouring spiritual energy through the system for so many years, and because of his recent understanding of the unity of body and heaven.
The spirituality of the Thunder Pool had never changed like this when the Thunder Fruit was taken out before.
Chen Yi had a vague guess in his heart: this lightning crystal wall might be the original core of this small lightning pool. It was because it was rooted in the earth vein that it could continuously gather the power of lightning spirit and give birth to lightning paste and landmine fruit.
His ability to detect this anomaly was entirely due to the intuition he developed after imitating Lao Hu's method of "merging with heaven and earth" at the foot of Yinlei Mountain and sensing the energy of heaven and earth.
Chen Yi pondered to himself: Old Hu was able to possess perception abilities far exceeding those of his peers when he was in the Qi Refining stage and at the beginning of the Foundation Establishment stage, which must mean he had a very deep understanding of this method.
When I catch up with Lao Hu, I must ask him for advice. This ability to seize opportunities through intuition is much more direct and useful than divination.
Having retrieved the Thunder Fruit and Thunder Crystal Wall, before the two left, Chen Yi took out a Magnetic Thunder Jar from his storage bag, filled it with Thunder Essence, sealed it, and put it away.
Then he pulled Ning Bu'er into his arms again and used the Wind and Thunder Escape Technique.
Following Ning Bu'er's instructions, they fled to a secret place at the foot of the mountain, preparing to go into seclusion to replenish their thunder crystals.
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(End of this chapter)