406: Chapter 406 Submitting the Task, Then Going into Seclusion

As soon as Lu Chen stepped out from the pitch-black entrance of the lair, Qing Yi's soul body, who had been waiting outside, immediately floated over, her pale green eyes scanning him with concern.

Although she wasn't sure exactly what Lu Chen had experienced inside the lair, Qing Yi could clearly feel it.

At this moment, the aura emanating from Lu Chen's body was completely different from before.

It was an introverted heaviness and steadiness, as if he were a walking mountain. His blood and Qi were surging and vigorous, and even his cultivation fluctuations had significantly increased, reaching the peak of the Core Formation Mid-Stage.

What startled her even more was that with every movement, Lu Chen seemed to carry a strange rhythm faintly connected to the earth, and an occasional dark golden metallic luster flashed beneath his skin.

Clearly, he had gained immensely from this venture deep into the insect nest.

"How much time has passed?" Lu Chen asked Qing Yi, restraining his aura.

"Exactly half a month," Qing Yi replied quickly.

From the moment Lu Chen entered the cave to his emergence now, it had been exactly fifteen days, no more and no less.

"Mm."

Lu Chen nodded. The time was slightly longer than he had anticipated, but still within an acceptable range.

With a thought, he summoned the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc that was standing guard nearby.

The Golden-Winged Thunder Roc let out a low cry and flew over. When its dark golden eyes looked at Lu Chen, a flicker of surprise also passed through them, as if it too had sensed its master's transformation.

Lu Chen leaped onto the Roc's back with Qing Yi and, without further delay, drove the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc toward the general direction of the Tree Spirit Elder as he remembered it.

The journey was silent.

Under the suppression of the "taiwu domain," the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc flew at a low altitude and soon returned to the vicinity where they had previously encountered the Tree Spirit Elder.

Without Lu Chen having to search, points of blue-white light automatically converged in the sky above the purified forest clearing, once again outlining the aged figure of the green-robed elder covered in black spots.

The elder looked even more illusory and weary than before, with the edges of his figure appearing somewhat blurred; clearly, maintaining his existence was a massive drain.

He looked at the returning Lu Chen and the significantly strengthened aura on him. There was no surprise in his eyes, only a slow nod.

"Young friend, you have indeed kept your promise, and your strength has improved greatly. This is truly worth celebrating."

The elder's voice was even more ethereal, carrying a hint of relief.

"The aura of that broodmother has completely vanished, and the filth of the nest is being slowly purified by the forest itself. Young friend, your promise has been fulfilled."

Lu Chen's heart stirred slightly.

It seemed that although this Tree Spirit Elder could not stray too far from his main body, through some means—

Perhaps the residual connection from that leaf earlier—he was not entirely ignorant of the situation in the broodmother's nest.

However, regarding his later discovery and refinement of the earth vein dragon scale fruit, since Qing Cang had intervened to shield it, the elder clearly hadn't noticed.

Even if he had, Lu Chen had a clear conscience.

Slaying the broodmother was a trade; the additional spiritual items found were a personal Opportunity, and the two were unrelated.

The root of the insect plague the elder sought to remove was gone, so the trade was considered complete.

"Senior overpraises me; this Junior was merely fortunate," Lu Chen said, cupping his hands with neither arrogance nor humility.

The elder said no more. He raised a withered palm and lightly tapped toward Lu Chen, Qing Yi, and the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc respectively.

Three glimmers of light flew toward each of them.

The one flying toward Lu Chen was an Origin of Yimu Divine Thunder, condensed like emerald, with green lightning seemingly flickering and circulating within it.

Lu Chen carefully caught it and sealed it in a jade box. He could clearly feel the boundless vitality and pure Power of Thunder contained within, which faintly resonated with the other types of True Thunder inside his body.

Flying toward Qing Yi was a pure and translucent pale silver light orb emanating warm and ancient Soul Power fluctuations—a ten-thousand-year essence soul.

Qing Yi's soul body trembled slightly with excitement as she carefully took the essence soul into the depths of her soul body, slowly wrapping and nourishing it with her own Soul Power, preparing to find an Opportunity to refine it.

Flying toward the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc was an extremely faint yet majestic pale golden avian phantom emanating an ancient Bloodline aura.

It was a Soul Transformation Stage Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Bloodline mark.

The Golden-Winged Thunder Roc let out a low cry full of excitement and awe, allowing the phantom to merge into its forehead as it closed its eyes to sense the Bloodline information and dao rhyme insights contained within.

"The trade is done, the Karma is settled."

The elder looked at the three receiving their rewards, and a very faint smile appeared on his weary face.

He raised his hand again and gave a gentle wave toward Lu Chen and the others.

A soft yet grand green whirlwind was generated out of thin air, enveloping the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc along with Lu Chen and Qing Yi on its back.

The whirlwind was not violent, but it carried an irresistible spatial teleportation force.

"This forest does not welcome outsiders for the time being. This old man will send you on your way. Leave this Domain and Cultivate well."

As his voice fell, the green whirlwind suddenly accelerated its rotation, and the light grew intensely bright!

Lu Chen felt his vision blur. The familiar forest scenery rapidly receded and became fuzzy as a spatial pulling sensation washed over him.

In the next moment, the sound of the wind ceased, and his feet touched solid ground.

Looking closely, the surroundings were a completely unfamiliar sight.

Beneath his feet were hard brown rocks, and in the distance were rolling, desolate hills. Although the sky still carried the characteristic gray tone of the Ancient Burial Corridor,

The taiwu domain's anti-flight Restriction that had been pressing down on their heads, making it impossible to fly high, had vanished.

They had been directly sent out of that vast "taiwu immortal tree" forest Domain by the Tree Spirit Elder.

Looking back, they could only see a range of rolling, deep dark-green outlines at the far end of the horizon; that was the ocean of forest they had just left.

Seen from here, it appeared distant and serene.

"We're finally out."

Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Inside the "taiwu domain," there was always a sense of involuntary oppression.

He checked his own state.

Although he had refined the earth vein dragon scale fruit, greatly increasing his Physical Body and cultivation,

The exhaustion from Qing Cang's possession, along with the continuous tension and battles of the past half-month, still left his mind somewhat weary.

More importantly, the three rewards he had just received all required time and a suitable environment to be absorbed, refined, and understood in peace before they could truly be converted into his own strength.

Qing Yi needed to fuse the ten-thousand-year essence soul and attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul Soul Realm.

The Golden-Winged Thunder Roc needed to comprehend the Soul Transformation Bloodline mark to stimulate its potential.

He himself also needed to refine the Yimu Divine Thunder to further perfect his Dao of Thunder and stabilize his newly increased cultivation.

"The road ahead is still long, and there are too many variables. Now that I've gained this Opportunity, it's the perfect time to increase my strength; I cannot miss it."

Lu Chen thought to himself.

He looked around. Although the Spiritual Qi in these desolate hills wasn't particularly dense, it was spacious and quiet, with few living creatures, making it perfect for a temporary seclusion.

"Let's find a place; we will go into seclusion for a period of time," Lu Chen said to Qing Yi and the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc.

Soon, they found a natural cavern inside a mountainside in this hilly region, with a hidden entrance and a dry, spacious interior.

Lu Chen set up several layers of concealment and defensive Restrictions at the cave entrance and released some of the Star Marrow Rushing Thunder Beasts to lurk and keep watch nearby.

Inside the cavern, Lu Chen, Qing Yi, and the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc each found a spot, separated by several dozen feet, without interfering with one another.

Qing Yi's soul body glowed as she slowly released the ten-thousand-year essence soul, beginning to carefully guide and absorb the pure Soul Power within it.

Her pale green soul body was gradually enveloped in a warm silver-white halo, and her aura began to climb and transform slowly and steadily.

The Golden-Winged Thunder Roc lay on the ground with its eyes slightly closed. Its dark golden plumage moved without any wind, and fine arcs of electricity faintly jumped between its feathers.

Its entire mind was immersed in its body, sensing the pale golden Bloodline mark merged into its forehead.

It attempted to communicate with the ancient memories, Bloodline truths, and the Daos of Thunder and Sky contained within. Its aura was sometimes obscure and sometimes surging, as it underwent a silent Bloodline baptism.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the deepest part of the cavern.

He first took out the jade box containing the Yimu Divine Thunder, opened the lid, and stared at the green Lightning Light within, which was full of vitality and contained thunder.

He didn't refine it immediately but first circulated the Star Extermination Thunder Emperor Canon to adjust his state to its peak.

At the same time, he carefully sensed and experienced the characteristics and dao rhyme of this Yimu Divine Thunder, preparing for the upcoming Fusion.

The cavern fell into a long silence.

Only the energy fluctuations and dao rhyme circulation faintly emanating from the three of them showed that a crucial cultivation and transformation were taking place here.

The road ahead was long, and the dangers were unpredictable.

Seizing every Opportunity to increase one's strength was the foundation for surviving and going further in the depths of this Ancient Burial Corridor.

This period of seclusion was of vital importance to them.