88: Water Palace Spiritual Vein

The blade light disintegrated, vanished, leaving no trace.

Qin Chi understood the meaning of this scene.

Martial arts cultivation is like climbing a mountain; an Eighth Realm Martial God is a supreme expert infinitely close to the peak.

But now, the Divine Intent in this calligraphy post actively disintegrating that blade strike was telling him not to focus on the people at the peak on the path of martial arts.

Do not take people as your goal, but rather take the most fundamental martial arts as your goal, to leap over this great mountain.

Qin Jin looked at the character 'Martial'.

As the character 'Martial' swayed, its sharp edge was fully revealed, capable of refining the spiritual level.

At the same time.

Qin Chi could vaguely sense that this calligraphy post probably contained even more.

How could the Divine Intent of a Martial God's personal writing be so simple? It was just that Qin Chi was currently in the Second Realm and could only touch upon these aspects.

"Guixu Martial God, Su Buqi."

Qin Chi softly recited this title in his heart, a sharp intent rising in his eyes.

"Senior Martial God is quite considerate."

Since that was the case, he would strive to advance further, climbing another realm.

"Congenital Realm!"

The information on the professional panel flashed, and Qin Chi stepped into the Great Wilderness.

[Life Index: 81.5]

[Spirit Index: 84.4]

This was the gain from his focused cultivation during this period.

His cultivation of the Heavenly Azure Method, and the feedback brought by the instant his Dao Foundation was forged, allowed him to grow astonishingly, with his growth rate surging.

Now, Qin Jin was steadily advancing towards the Congenital Realm!

Great Wilderness.

The azure lightning dark halberd moved forward directionally.

Inside the cockpit, Qin Jin's chest rose and fell. As the Breathing Method operated, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth integrated into his physique. A portion refined his physique, while the remaining portion, under Qin Jin's intentional guidance, integrated into his Dao Foundation.

On the lightning-struck wood, the tender sprout that first emerged looked even more vibrant.

The Heavenly Azure Method and the Ten Martial Ways, combined, formed a wonderful chemical reaction.

Operating the Breathing Method not only increased life energy but also allowed him to nourish his Dao Foundation.

"According to the records on the Heavenly Curtain characters, after the Dao Foundation is formed, cultivators use spiritual power to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nourishing the Dao Foundation until it is complete, then opening the Spirit Void."

"However, there is no clear description of how to improve spiritual power."

"Is it because, for that woman, such things were common knowledge, not even worth recording in a chapter?"

Thoughts flowed in Qin Jin's mind: "Before opening the Dao Foundation, one needs to temper the physique and refine the blood and qi, but the Heavenly Curtain characters also didn't state the specific methods."

"Fortunately, I have the Martial Way to supplement and make up for all of this."

"Such a powerful Heavenly Azure Method would certainly involve spiritual cultivation, but for now, only the [Divine Ability Realm] chapter contains cultivation methods for the soul, which seems related to the spiritual aspect."

His thoughts flowed as his cultivation continued.

Just then.

With a sudden perception, Qin Chi abruptly stopped his cultivation and took control of the azure lightning dark halberd.

His cultivation of the Thunder Beast Breathing Technique, coupled with his own affinity for lightning attributes, meant that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth he drew in was mostly lightning spiritual energy, with a small amount of other spiritual energy mixed in.

But just now.

He could clearly sense that the proportion of water-attribute spiritual energy in the world had increased.

Under different environments, the concentration of spiritual energy in heaven and earth also varied. For example, during a thunderstorm, lightning spiritual energy and water spiritual energy would be much more abundant.

Over these days, as he traveled through the Great Wilderness, when he encountered rivers or lakes, the water spiritual energy would also become richer.

But at this moment.

In his perception, as the azure lightning dark halberd continued to advance, while the water spiritual energy became increasingly dense, other spiritual energies seemed unsuitable for this area, being expelled and driven away.

This kind of anomaly was the first Qin Chi had encountered.

The surrounding vegetation was lush.

Towering trees stood tall. As the azure lightning dark halberd moved forward, in narrower areas, it had to charge directly through, creating a thunderous sound.

Mentally sensing the changes in spiritual energy, Qin Jin continued to delve deeper. After pushing down a giant tree blocking his way, his view suddenly opened up.

What met his eyes was a wide lake, which, from a distance, seemed to be connected to a larger river further away.

The lake water was emerald green, and it appeared quite deep.

Qin Chi traveled along the lake shore for a distance, sensing carefully, and finally determined that the origin of the spiritual energy changes was precisely within the lake before him.

"What is hidden here?"

By now, Qin Chi had gained considerable experience.

Some treasure lands and unique places in the Great Wilderness were naturally formed by heaven and earth, while others had precious treasures within them, which then caused the environment to change.

As the conjecture arose, Qin Chi piloted the azure lightning dark halberd and slowly entered the water.

Extraordinary mechas were inherently combat weapons. The various environments in the star sea were incredibly complex, allowing them to adapt to all kinds of situations.

Upon entering the water, under Qin Chi's control, all the lights on the azure lightning dark halberd's body dimmed, and its radar activated.

Having entered a unique place, it was natural to explore it.

This was also the purpose of Qin Chi's long journey.

Now, with his Dao Foundation forged and his mecha by his side, he also possessed the courage of a master, bold due to his skill.

The mecha's radar scanned the surroundings. The underwater world was unique, and according to the radar's feedback, it was over a hundred meters deep.

Under Qin Jin's control, the azure lightning dark halberd submerged.

Being inside the cockpit, coupled with his current powerful physique, he didn't need to worry about decompression sickness or similar ailments.

Soon.

The azure lightning dark halberd landed at the deepest point.

Qin Chi followed his spiritual perception, and the mecha's front lights activated, moving forward in the deep, silent underwater environment.

Along the way.

Occasionally, strangely shaped underwater creatures swam past.

They seemed unresponsive to the lights, and in Qin Jin's spiritual perception, they were not extraordinary creatures.

This was already the bottom of the lake, but as Qin Jin continued to advance, he could clearly sense that the water spiritual energy became increasingly dense, which was extremely peculiar.

Just as Qin Chi was moving forward.

On the constantly active mecha radar, a giant object, tens of meters long, appeared within the radar's range and was rapidly approaching!

Qin Chi's spiritual power also detected the opponent, and in his perception, the appearance of the giant object entered his mind.

It resembled an eel, with long whiskers on its head that swayed in the water. As its fins undulated, they stirred up water waves, and it rapidly approached.

It was long and slender, with a red back. As it moved forward, it emitted a very peculiar sound, like human speech, mumbling.

Qin Chi instantly made a judgment.

Its appearance somewhat resembled the aquatic strange beast, the 'Huayu,' recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas!

In the water, its speed was extremely fast, and in an instant, it had already closed the distance.

The moment it closed in, the Huayu's eyes glowed, and its body was enveloped in flowing light as it fiercely charged towards the azure lightning dark halberd.

"Its attack method is quite primitive."

As the thought flashed through his mind, Qin Jin exerted force, and the azure lightning dark halberd moved with him, dodging in the lake with extreme agility.

The Huayu, completely enveloped in flowing light, crashed past the mecha's side.

At the same time.

Seeing the fish body that brushed past, Qin Chi's expression became serious. As the last section of the Huayu's tail was about to pass, the azure lightning dark halberd's massive arm reached out and suddenly grabbed its tail.

The Huayu's body was extremely slippery, and the moment it was caught by Qin Chi, it still surged forward for a bit.

But Qin Chi was already prepared.

Inside the cockpit, the Dao Foundation glowed, and brilliant lightning power surged forth, pouring into the azure lightning dark halberd, receiving layered amplification. In an instant, the mecha's previously dimmed lights reignited, various runes flashed, and the formerly dark lake bottom was suddenly illuminated. Surging lightning flowed along the arm, erupting from the tail of the fish, attacking the entire body of the Huayu.

The Huayu's body stiffened.

Qin Chi did not hesitate. His other hand also gripped the fish's tail, and the lightning continued. The azure lightning dark halberd tightly held the fish's tail, using it as a fulcrum, exerting force throughout its body, and violently swung the mecha.

Behind it.

Under the burst of lightning power, the Huayu let out a painful shriek. It endured the pain, opened its mouth, and immediately prepared to unleash an attack.

But just then.

A massive force came from its tail, interrupting its attack. Its slender fish body was violently lifted, swung into the air at the bottom of the lake, tracing a perfect arc, and finally slammed heavily onto the reef at the lake bottom!

Boom!

The tranquility of the water was completely shattered, and countless particles of sand were stirred up, making visibility almost zero.

But now, Qin Chi was already accustomed to fighting under spiritual perception.

The moment the fish body slammed into the ground, Qin Chi did not stop releasing lightning. The azure lightning dark halberd turned its body underwater and lifted it again.

With the continuous burst of lightning power, the Huayu was like a lightning whip being swung, lifted, struck, and slammed down.

This happened several times.

The entire lake bottom was filled with stirred-up sand.

But within the sand, two sources of light glowed.

One was the azure lightning dark halberd, its entire body's runes lit up!

The other was the Huayu, with lightning surging and erupting within its body, being swung around at the bottom of the lake.

After another round of slamming, just as it was about to hit the ground, Qin Chi suddenly released his grip.

The Huayu's body slammed onto the ground, and due to inertia, slid forward in the dark lake bottom.

At the same time.

Behind him, the mystic dragon halberd fell into his hand, lightning gathered, and Qin Jin pursued. Facing the Huayu, whose aura was growing weaker under the lightning burst, he brought the great halberd down onto its head!

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom!

Violent power erupted, and lightning exploded in the lake water!

Qin Chi retracted his halberd, took a step, and with the mecha's rear thrust, landed beside the Huayu.

At a glance, with the final blow, its head had directly exploded, and it was already dead. There was a flowing light within it.

Clearly.

That was its crystal core. The azure lightning dark halberd bent down and retrieved its crystal core.

Its crystal core was triangular, and extremely dense and pure water spiritual energy surged within it.

It is well known that lightning elemental energy restrains water elemental energy.

This Huayu seemed to have many unused abilities, but under the lightning attack, it was directly slain by a series of assaults. The crystal core was stored by Qin Chi.

At the same time.

With a slight thought, he directly stored the Huayu's body into his mountain and river using his spiritual power.

At the bottom of the lake, the stirred-up sand from the battle surged, and visibility was extremely low.

Around them, many aquatic creatures were affected by the residual combat energy and died.

Qin Chi followed the direction from which the Huayu had appeared and stepped closer.

Continuing to advance, after moving away from the recent combat zone, visibility improved. After traveling some distance, Qin Chi's steps paused, and he stopped in place.

At this moment, the azure lightning dark halberd stood on a cliff at the bottom of the lake.

Looking ahead, the ground suddenly dropped, like an abyss, falling vertically for dozens of meters before reaching a new ground.

Here, no lights were needed to see everything clearly.

Because the lake water here was exceptionally clear and peculiar. Qin Chi's gaze swept over, and there were strange luminous ores, large and small, piled up into mountains.

In addition to that.

On the ground below, there were many scattered bones, some already decayed, others appearing quite fresh.

Fish, beasts, and even human bones!

No other creatures were found nearby; these bones were clearly remnants of the Huayu's consumption.

Shifting his gaze, Qin Chi looked towards the other end.

There were traces of dilapidated buildings, most of which had already decayed and collapsed into the water. Only vaguely could one discern that, countless years ago, a water mansion might have existed here!

The azure lightning dark halberd descended.

Qin Chi gazed at the building traces, his thoughts racing.

"I wonder if this is a creation left from the Tiancang Immortal Dynasty era."

"Were those who lived here humans, beasts, or other beings?"

Filled with doubt, Qin Chi first went to investigate near the building traces.

After some investigation, there were no additional discoveries.

That bamboo forest secret realm had a formation barrier protecting it, allowing it to endure to this day.

However, this water mansion had likely collapsed many years ago, sinking and decaying in the lake water.

In Qin Jin's mind, there was another conjecture.

This might have been a land-based building, but as mountains and rivers changed and years passed, the surface of the Great Wilderness transformed, turning this place into a lake, buried underwater.

Having investigated the water mansion, Qin Chi's gaze was clear as he approached the luminous ores.

As he approached, he clearly sensed that the water spiritual energy became increasingly dense, as if he were immersed in an ocean of water spiritual energy.

The azure lightning dark halberd exerted force, and Qin Chi chipped off a piece of ore. After spiritual perception, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Such dense and pure water spiritual energy."

"So—"

Qin Chi looked at this nearly two-hundred-meter-deep underwater ore vein: "Is this spiritual stone?"

"Water-attribute spiritual stones?"

"This place is a spiritual stone mine, or perhaps it could also be called a spiritual vein."

Qin Chi made a guess using terms he understood.

"No wonder the water spiritual energy here is so abundant."

Qin Chi looked at the mystic dragon halberd in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he used the great halberd to chip off several water spiritual stones, storing them in his mountain and river, and did not continue.

As a noble Extraordinary Mecha, the [azure lightning dark halberd] only needed to take samples.

Qin Chi did not intend to mine in this dark, sunless deep pool.

Inside the cockpit, Qin Chi's thoughts stirred, and a light screen appeared.

Within the light screen, two maps appeared.

One map, centered on the Si Huo Tribe, depicted the surrounding area.

That was the map drawn by the Si Huo Tribe members according to Qin Chi's instructions, which he then scanned and recorded.

The other map, starting from the Si Huo Tribe, was now extremely far from the tribe. It was the one-way map Qin Jin had recorded during his journey over this period.

On it were many markers, all of which were Qin Jin's discoveries up to that point.

Sliding his finger on the light screen, after recording this spiritual stone mine, the azure lightning dark halberd began to ascend.

Before long—

On the lake surface, ripples spread, and the azure lightning dark halberd emerged from the lake.

Around it.

Many underwater creatures that had died in the residual combat energy also floated to the surface.

The moment he emerged from the water, Qin Chi's expression became solemn.

After the azure lightning dark halberd landed on shore, Qin Chi's gaze suddenly shifted, looking towards the dense forest on one side.

His spiritual power activated, conveying the simplest and most direct meaning.

"Come out, all of you."

There was no response from the dense forest.

After about a few breaths.

From the direction of the dense forest, a sound suddenly rang out. Looking from afar, several human figures frantically turned around, wanting to escape.

They wore similar animal skin clothing, appearing to be from the same tribe.

With a slight thought, Qin Chi's spiritual power spread out like an arrow released from a bowstring.

He did not harm them; he merely utilized the unique characteristic of his own spirit.

The pressure generated by meditating on the Three-Headed Strange Beast!

Under the spiritual pressure, the bodies of the fleeing individuals stiffened, unable to move. Sweat dripped from their foreheads, and their faces showed fear.

The Azure Thunder Profund Halberd stepped closer.

Its heavy footsteps seemed to echo in their hearts.

Qin Chi had already mastered the Great Wilderness language, but the Great Wilderness was vast, and he couldn't be sure if they used the same language. So, he conveyed his meaning with his spiritual power, which resonated in their minds.

"Which tribe are you from?"

"Where is your Lord Sacrificial Spirit?"

Two questions were asked.

There were four people in total there. Upon hearing Qin Chi's questions, two of them looked even more panicked, one showed determination in his eyes, and the last one's nervousness seemed to lessen somewhat.

Seeing this.

Qin Chi lifted the pressure from the last person.

The pressure on his body suddenly dropped, and the man's body went limp. He forced himself to stand straight, facing Qin Chi, looking at the azure lightning dark halberd's imposing mechanical body, his voice trembling slightly: "Honored being, we did not intend to offend you."

"We were passing by and heard some commotion here, so we came over."

"Answer my questions."

The language the other party used was the same as that of the Si Huo Tribe.

Qin Jin's voice, imbued with pressure, suddenly rang out, echoing in all directions.

Hearing this voice, the person who was replying trembled, then gritted his teeth: "We are from the Fengyu Tribe."

"Lord Sacrificial Spirit—"

"Our Lord Sacrificial Spirit—"

He hesitated.

Beside him, the person with determined eyes suddenly widened them, trying to forcefully break free from the spiritual pressure.

"Lord Sacrificial Spirit is resting in the tribe."