Chapter 106: Chapter 102: The Main Culprit
He saw that the Celestial Demon Pig’s abdomen was a kaleidoscope of colors. Upon closer inspection, there were nine distinct shades.
’Something here caused the Celestial Demon Pig to mutate!’
A glint flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes. He crouched down and reached for the Celestial Demon Pig’s abdomen.
Without a sharp blade, Lin Hao had no choice but to use the Nine Nether Bone Claw to forcibly tear open the Celestial Demon Pig’s body.
If that instructor from the Lin family knew what was happening from beyond the grave—that Lin Hao had not only secretly learned his martial art but was now using it to dissect a Devil Beast’s corpse—he would probably be angry enough to crawl out of the underworld.
Lin Hao had still underestimated the toughness of the Celestial Demon Pig’s body.
Even with his cultivation at the Sixth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, he couldn’t scratch its abdomen, even when channeling the Nine Nether Bone Claw with all his might.
The toughness of this Celestial Demon Pig’s body was unimaginable.
Lacking a sharp blade, Lin Hao finally set his sights on the Celestial Demon Pig’s long tusks.
Using every ounce of his strength, Lin Hao pulled out its tusk and, with great difficulty, finally managed to cut open its abdomen.
After rummaging around for a moment, Lin Hao pulled something out from inside its body.
After wiping away the blood, Lin Hao froze.
Lin Hao had been looking for the Celestial Demon Pig’s Demon Pill, of course. When its true appearance was revealed, he was first taken aback.
Before joining the Heaven-Stepping Sect, he had obtained a Celestial Demon Pig’s Demon Pill, but that one had been a drab gray. The one he now held in his hand, however, shimmered with a brilliant, multicolored light.
Then, Lin Hao’s eyes lit up.
The shimmering Demon Pill in his hand resembled a certain type of Refining Material—the Flowing Light Divine Stone.
Refining Spiritual Artifacts required all sorts of materials. Demon Pills were one, but various Crystal Stones were also needed.
The Flowing Light Divine Stone was a type of Crystal Stone and one of the most difficult to find.
This was because the formation of a Flowing Light Divine Stone was extremely rare.
Normally, a Tier One adult Devil Beast would have a Demon Pill in its body. When a Devil Beast reached Tier Three, it would develop a Divine Sense.
After developing a Divine Sense, a Devil Beast could also cultivate.
As the Devil Beast cultivated, its Demon Pill would grow larger and its energy purer. When a Devil Beast was about to advance from Tier Three to Tier Four, it would refine the energy within its Demon Pill.
It would discard the dregs and keep the essence, leaving behind the pure energy and expelling the impurities.
These discarded impurities took the form of a crystal and were called Devil Crystal Stones.
Devil Crystal Stones were essential for refining high-level Spiritual Artifacts.
So-called Spiritual Artifacts were the product of ordinary weapons or Divine Soldiers being refined by an Artifact Refiner using special materials and techniques.
Their power was countless times greater than that of ordinary weapons or Divine Soldiers.
Spiritual Artifacts were divided into Tiers One through Nine. The first three tiers could be refined, but from Tier Four onward, a Spiritual Artifact needed to be nurtured.
The materials and time required to nurture a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact were unimaginable; typically, it took at least several hundred years.
Leaving other sects aside, take the Heaven-Stepping Sect for example. When Wu Taichu was showing Lin Hao around the sect that day, they visited the Divine Weapon Hall where weapons were forged. Lin Hao casually asked if the Heaven-Stepping Sect had any Spiritual Artifacts of Tier Four or higher.
In response, Wu Taichu told Lin Hao with a wry smile that forget Tier Four, only he and the three Grand Elders in the sect even possessed a Tier One Spiritual Artifact. And even then, they would rather consume their True Essence in a fight than use them.
This was because he was the only one in the entire sect who knew a thing or two about Artifact Refining. As for the method to nurture a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, in the entire Cangnan Empire, likely only a major sect like one of the five great divine sects would have it.
As for a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, the Heaven-Stepping Sect did have one, but it was an heirloom passed down through generations. It was the sect’s ultimate treasure, the foundation of its power.
The Heaven-Stepping Sect, with its ten-thousand-year legacy, possessed only a single Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, a testament to how precious they were.
And to nurture such a precious Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, one material was absolutely indispensable: the Flowing Light Divine Stone.
The Flowing Light Divine Stone was not a type of Devil Crystal Stone. However, if a Devil Beast grew up in a special environment, the impurities it eventually expelled might have properties similar to a Flowing Light Divine Stone.
’And this special environment...’
A realization struck Lin Hao, and his heart began to pound violently.
An environment special enough to cause a mutation in a Tier One Devil Beast’s Demon Pill, forming something that resembled a Flowing Light Divine Stone, must contain a rare and unusual flame—the Flowing Light Divine Flame!
All the information about the Flowing Light Divine Flame surfaced in Lin Hao’s memory, and his body began to tremble with excitement.
It was rumored that wherever the Flowing Light Divine Flame was born, Flowing Light Divine Stones would form alongside it.
The reason it was just a rumor was because even the Carefree Divine Monarch had scoured the Divine Demon Destruction Domain without ever finding the Flowing Light Divine Flame. According to records, no one had ever seen it.
The Flowing Light Divine Flame was a flame for Alchemy, containing the five elemental attributes. It had the miraculous ability to turn the rotten into the magical.
Rumor had it that if one used the Flowing Light Divine Flame for Alchemy, even a mere alchemy apprentice’s success rate would skyrocket tenfold!
’This withered secret realm contains such an unusual flame, and there might even be pure Flowing Light Divine Stones!’
Even someone as composed as Lin Hao couldn’t suppress his excitement.
For him, the unusual flame would be the icing on the cake, but if there truly were Flowing Light Divine Stones, it would be a timely rescue for the entire Heaven-Stepping Sect.
With the Flowing Light Divine Stone and other materials, Lin Hao could refine ordinary weapons and Divine Soldiers into Spiritual Artifacts! He could nurture them into Tier Four or even higher-level Spiritual Artifacts!
After finally calming his excitement, Lin Hao continued onward.
Having just experienced the ferocity of the Celestial Demon Pig, Lin Hao didn’t dare to be careless and proceeded with extreme caution.
However, after walking for a long time, he didn’t encounter any more Devil Beasts.
Now, Lin Hao stood in a clearing, staring blankly into the distance.
In the distance, rolling mountains stretched out, lush and green. But as far as the eye could see, one mountain peak looked as if it had been sliced in half, with the faint outline of ruined walls and broken ramparts visible upon it.
Lin Hao gazed ahead, then retracted his gaze, his mind full of doubt.
The place where he stood seemed to be a border between two areas that shouldn’t exist at the same time.
The forest behind him, though dense, had completely withered, yellow leaves. The forest ahead had the same types of trees, but they were lush and verdant, radiating vitality.
’What’s going on?’
Lin Hao wanted to figure it out, but the thought of the Flowing Light Divine Flame and Flowing Light Divine Stone spurred him to continue forward.
But just then, Lin Hao saw some words carved into a tree.
"Do not enter unless you are at the Ninth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm! Remember this!"
Beneath the large, blood-red characters, the signature actually belonged to Cang Yan.
Aside from the tree, Lin Hao found nothing else out of the ordinary. Though puzzled, he still chose to step forward.
That single step left Lin Hao horrified.
BOOM!
It was as if the weight of all the mountains in the world was crashing down to suppress him!
Lin Hao’s feet blurred as he retreated!
WHOOSH!
Having narrowly escaped, Lin Hao broke out in a cold sweat.
There was an overwhelmingly powerful pressure ahead, something he could not contend with at his current level.
’The Flowing Light Divine Flame is definitely up ahead, and maybe even the Flowing Light Divine Stone!’
Though unwilling to give up, Lin Hao wouldn’t gamble with his own life. In the end, he could only sigh in front of the forest, unable to proceed.
’I went through so much trouble to get in here, and all I get is a mutated Demon Pill?!’
Feeling utterly indignant, Lin Hao slammed a fist into a large tree behind him.
BOOM!
The massive tree, which would have taken several people to encircle, was strong on the outside but rotten within. Lin Hao’s punch snapped it in two.
Lin Hao was stunned.
’I didn’t even use much strength in that punch. Why did the tree break?’
’Not only are the leaves in this forest withered and yellow, but even the trunks are rotten. Could it be that something underground is absorbing all the nutrients?’
As soon as the thought occurred to him, Lin Hao’s fighting spirit soared.
’If I can’t get the Flowing Light Divine Flame and the Flowing Light Divine Stone, I’ll find out why this forest withered. I might find something unexpected.’
It was a nice idea, but the withered forest was vast, and for a moment, Lin Hao had no idea where to start.
Just then, the "True Self" that he had forged within his body suddenly stirred without any warning.
Lin Hao was delighted. He immediately channeled his Bloodline Power using the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill.
The Bloodline is the True Self!
For a Martial Artist, cultivation begins with awakening their Bloodline. The moment the Bloodline is awakened, the Divine Soul is set.
Other Martial Artists might awaken their Bloodline, but unless their cultivation reaches the Peak of the Elemental Realm, they will never know what a Divine Soul truly is.
But Lin Hao was different. He had done things in reverse, first gathering his Divine Soul and then forging his Bloodline. His Bloodline was his True Self!
Now, as Lin Hao channeled his Bloodline Power, he sensed something in the withered forest resonating strangely with his True Self.
As he stepped into the forest, the feeling grew stronger.
Finally, Lin Hao stopped in the very center of the withered forest and crouched down.
Brushing aside a thick layer of leaves, Lin Hao froze for a second, then became ecstatic!
Nine Dragon Flower!
Lin Hao saw a Nine Dragon Flower!
His hands moved faster, and then, about a meter away, Lin Hao saw another one.
This was incredible! Lin Hao began clearing away the fallen leaves like a madman.
Finally, after clearing a large area around him, Lin Hao stopped.
One stalk, two stalks...
Lin Hao counted them. There were a full twelve Nine Dragon Flowers!
He carefully pulled them up, took off his outer robe, and wrapped them inside.
Now, he finally understood why this forest had withered.
This place used to be a medicinal field!
’A medicinal field, the Flowing Light Divine Flame!’
Lin Hao looked toward the ruined ramparts, and a thought suddenly arose.
’Could it be that a God of Alchemy once lived here?!’
Lin Hao’s heart leaped, and he wished he could rush into the dense forest ahead to investigate.
But his cultivation was insufficient. Even with his body reinforced by a near-perfect protective aura, he would still be crushed into a meat patty.
"Sigh. I should have asked more questions before coming in," Lin Hao lamented, finally turning back, though he kept looking over his shoulder.
The plan for now was to leave this place, raise his cultivation level, and then return.
However, when Lin Hao returned to where he had first entered, he was stumped. How was he supposed to get out?
While Lin Hao was racking his brains for a solution, outside the secret realm, Wu Taichu and the elders were nearly going mad.
Several hours had passed since Lin Hao jumped off the cliff, and they still hadn’t figured out a way to rescue him.
Finally, Wu Taichu took out his Spiritual Artifact!
When the eight Peak Masters saw Wu Taichu take out his Spiritual Artifact, their eyes all lit up with a strange light.
Some of them had been in the Heaven-Stepping Sect for over a decade, others for several decades, but none had ever seen Wu Taichu use his Spiritual Artifact.
The fact that he was willing to use it now to save Lin Hao forced them to re-evaluate how important Lin Hao was to Wu Taichu.
Wu Taichu’s cultivation was at the Peak of the Elemental Realm. As he activated his Spiritual Artifact, a terrifying aura surged into the heavens.
However, even with the Spiritual Artifact in hand, he was still powerless.
Before long, the three Grand Elders also took out their Spiritual Artifacts and joined forces with Wu Taichu...
