23: Chapter 23: The Thunder Emperor's Demon Slayer

The main hall fell silent for several breaths.

The Spirit Sword Sect Master suddenly chuckled, his laughter carrying a hint of emotion and a touch of regret.

"A newborn calf does not fear the tiger. Very well, since you are my Personal Disciple, keeping this buried in your heart would only turn it into an obsession. It is fine for you to take a look."

"It will let you know just how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is."

He stood up and waved his wide sleeves.

"Follow me."

Wang Shouren abruptly opened his eyes.

He found himself still standing at the entrance of the Linggu Firm, with one foot over the threshold and the other still outside.

The passing Cultivators were all looking at him with strange expressions.

"Fellow Daoist, are you alright?" an assistant dressed in short grey cloth robes approached cautiously and asked tentatively.

Wang Shouren took a deep breath, completely suppressing the remaining dark light in his eyes.

"I'm fine."

He stepped over the threshold, his face regaining its usual calm, though his heart was still not completely settled.

The black lotus mark on his forehead was as quiet as ever, but only he knew what he had done in those few brief breaths just now.

What exactly was the Thunder Emperors Fragmented Manual, the forbidden Cultivation Technique that had cost the Spirit Sword Sect three Core Disciples?

Even if he didn't practice it, just taking a look wouldn't cause him any harm.

His fingers tightened slightly inside his sleeve, then slowly relaxed.

No rush, sell the rice first.

He could already see the shopkeeper of the Linggu Firm walking out from behind the counter with a face full of smiles, his gaze landing on the bulging Storage Pouch at his waist, his eyes shining as if he had seen the God of Wealth.

Spirit Sword Sect, the back mountain Forbidden Ground.

Tian Zhen followed behind the Sect Master, passing through one glowing Restriction after another. The further in they went, the denser the lightning Spiritual Qi in the air became, until finally, even breathing brought a slight tingling sensation.

The Sect Master stopped in front of a stone wall.

The stone wall was pitch black all over, looking as if it had been struck by heavenly lightning countless times, and its surface was completely barren.

In the very center of the stone wall, an iron scroll was embedded, with only half of it exposed while the other half was deeply embedded inside the wall, as if it had been violently smashed in by some immense force.

With just a single glance, Tian Zhen felt a piercing pain between his brows, as if countless bolts of lightning were stabbing into his Sea of Consciousness.

"This is the Thunder Emperors Fragmented Manual."

The Sect Master's voice came from beside him.

"This object is not a Jade Slip, but an ancient Cultivation Technique engraved on meteoric iron. No one knows its origin, nor does anyone know how many Realms of mastery it has."

"Back then, I once asked a Grand Elder at the Golden Core Stage Perfection to take action, attempting to extract it from the stone wall. Do you know what happened?"

Tian Zhen shook his head.

"The Grand Elder exerted all his strength, but the iron scroll did not budge in the slightest. It seems to only recognize a certain type of person—that is, Cultivators with a lightning Spiritual Root. Any Cultivator without a lightning Spiritual Root who tries to comprehend it will have their Divine Sense collapse and perish on the spot."

"Yet over the decades, several Disciples with lightning Spiritual Roots have comprehended it one after another, but they only grasped a few superficial techniques without obtaining the true inheritance. Those few lightning Cultivation Techniques were later compiled and deduced by me, combined with the Spirit Sword Sect's sect-protecting sword scripture, to create the Five Classes Sword Scripture Orthodox Law that you know of."

Tian Zhen stared at the half-exposed iron scroll, his throat dry, as a fear he had never felt before welled up in his heart.

Superficial techniques derived merely from this iron scroll were actually developed into High Grade Cultivation Techniques. Just how terrifying must the true immortal cultivation methods within this iron scroll be?

He wanted to say he wouldn't look, but the Sect Master had already raised his hand to signal him forward. He could only steel himself, walk up to the stone wall, and place his palm against the edge of the iron scroll.

A cold, metallic touch transmitted over.

Then—

The entire world suddenly shattered.

He could not see the stone wall, he could not see the Sect Master, and he could not even see his own body.

In his eyes, there was only a flash of lightning—a bolt of thunder that pierced through heaven and earth, thicker than a mountain and more blazing than the scorching sun.

In the center of the thunder sat a blurry figure, surrounded by thousands of lightning serpents, each of which contained power enough to destroy heaven and earth.

The figure suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward him.

With just a single glance, without any words or actions, at the exact moment their gazes met, Tian Zhen felt his consciousness shattering inch by inch.

Those eyes seemed to see through everything about him—his past, his thoughts, and even that imperceptible black lotus seed deep within his Divine Soul.

An extremely thin arc of lightning shot out from the figure's fingertip.

"Heavenly Demon Seed?"

It crossed the Void Realm, pierced through Tian Zhen's forehead, and struck precisely at the lotus seed deep within his Divine Soul.

The black lotus seed trembled violently, a tiny crack appearing on its surface, and an intense pain exploded from the depths of his Divine Soul.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Tian Zhen!"

...

Wanshan County Market, Linggu Firm.

"Fellow Daoist?"

Wang Shouren abruptly opened his eyes.

A burning heat flared between his brows, the dark light in his eyes was almost impossible to suppress, and a faint flash of purple lightning flickered deep within his pupils.

He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the surging spiritual energy.

The assistant was still looking at him cautiously from the side.

The shopkeeper was handing over a heavy Storage Pouch, his face beaming with smiles.

"Young Master, this is your Storage Pouch. Eight hundred pounds of High Grade spiritual rice, at the market price of half a Spirit Stone per pound, totaling four hundred Spirit Stones. Please count them."

Four hundred Spirit Stones.

This was nearly a hundred more than last year's sale. For that small spiritual field on Qinhu Mountain, it was already a rare and bountiful harvest.

He had originally planned to take the Spirit Stones and browse around the market to see if there were any suitable Magical Artifacts or Medicinal Pills.

But now, he only wanted to leave this place immediately.

"Young Master, would you like to take a look at the new batch of spiritual seeds our shop just received—"

"No need." Wang Shouren put the Spirit Stones into his Storage Pouch, turned, and left.

He walked through the street he had come from, his steps slightly faster than before.

Wang Shouren looked straight ahead, walking directly through the market and turning into another alley.

At the entrance of the alley hung a small green banner embroidered with a green lotus. This was precisely the shop established by the Wang Family in the Wanshan County Market.

The Wang Family's Spiritual Fish were wholesaled from here every year. The shop was extremely large, with a four-entry courtyard house behind it.

In this Wanshan County market where land was as precious as gold, it was incredibly extravagant.

The shopkeeper's surname was Qian, a retainer of a different surname for the Wang Family. His Aptitude was average, but he excelled in being shrewd and capable. He had been guarding this small shop in Wanshan County for seven or eight years.

He was dozing off on the counter, but woke up with a start upon hearing footsteps. Rubbing his eyes, he hurriedly came out from behind the counter and bowed in greeting.

"Young Master! Why have you come in person—"

"Uncle Qian, no need for formalities." Wang Shouren waved his hand, interrupting his pleasantries, his speaking speed a third faster than usual. "Quickly find me a quiet room, the quieter the better. Do not let anyone disturb me."

Shopkeeper Qian was taken aback and wanted to ask if there was anything else needed, but he saw that Wang Shouren's face, which had been flushed when he first walked in, was now deathly pale.

Instantly, his heart skipped a beat.

"The Young Master must have an extremely urgent matter."

Without a second word, he turned to lead the way, bringing Wang Shouren to a secret room at the very back of the shop.

This was where valuable goods were stored on ordinary days. The four walls were made of thick bluestone, extremely sturdy, with only a narrow door for entry and exit.

"Young Master, is this—"

"It is enough. Guard the door. No one is to enter without my order."

Wang Shouren stepped into the quiet room, and with a wave of his sleeve, the stone door slammed shut.

Immediately after, he took out several Formation Flags from his Storage Pouch and tossed them. The Formation Flags landed in the four corners, and a faint green spiritual light lit up, enveloping the entire quiet room.

This was a simple isolating Formation, capable of blocking the Divine Sense probes of Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage.

Only after doing all this did Wang Shouren let out a long breath of turbid air.

He raised his head, his voice still trembling slightly.

"The Lotus Seed was actually... broken!"