Section 19: Risking One’s Life to Snatch a Demonic Crystal!
By Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
Section 19: Risking One’s Life to Snatch a Demonic Crystal!
Chu Yun stood within a dimly lit, hidden mountain cave, yet he was pleasantly surprised to find everything before him as clear as daylight.
As he concentrated, the six-colored pupils in his eyes began to spin rapidly. The Vital Energy of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and wind materialized in the air, each with its own unique and vibrant hue, visible to the naked eye.
“Even activating my Six-Element Eyes feels easier now.” Chu Yun clenched his fists, clearly feeling a surging power hidden within his body, something that was absolutely absent before.
Following this, he also discovered that his hearing, smell, taste, and other senses had significantly improved.
His thoughts shifted and changed with remarkable agility, his spirit felt invigorated, and the World itself seemed to draw closer to him.
“That’s right!” Chu Yun recalled a crucial point and sat down, entering a state of meditation. A few breaths later, he opened his eyes, a look of immense joy welling up. “Excellent! My Soul and Spirit have both seen substantial improvements. I can now collect two more Spirit Monsters without issue! The Rejuvenation Pill truly defies Heaven and Earth, making one brand new!”
This was a miraculous Pill capable of enhancing one’s innate potential. It had forcefully elevated Chu Yun’s aptitude, building upon his already excellent foundation.
“But this is still not enough!” Chu Yun pondered, then sat down once more and proceeded to swallow the remaining two Rejuvenation Pills one after another.
Due to the cumulative effect of the medicine, each successive dose’s efficacy decreased. However, Chu Yun’s Spirit still received a considerable boost. By the end, his Spirit was capable of supporting four more Spirit Monsters, plus one Great Demon.
“Without the Rejuvenation Pill, with my aptitude, I would have to wait until I was twenty-seven or twenty-eight for my internal energy to reach this level. But now, I’m only fifteen and have already achieved this stage!”
Chu Yun clenched his fists. Finally, the issue of insufficient Spirit had been resolved. The path ahead was smooth and bright. Next up was the Azure Pill.
This Azure Pill, an Upper grade Pill, was a renowned cultivation Pill in the long history of Xingzhou. Consuming one could last for a month.
It was emerald green in color, emitting a faint, ethereal glow. It was as large as a glass bead. As soon as it was taken out of the bottle, a refreshing fragrance permeated the air. The Sky Fox maiden diligently guarding the cave entrance immediately twitched her fox ears. Her bright eyes darted around, and upon seeing the Pill in Chu Yun’s hand, her gaze tightened.
“Master…” The Sky Fox maiden let out a soft, delicate whimper as she approached coyly. Her cherry-like lips parted slightly, and she lowered her head, though her peripheral vision kept flitting towards the Azure Pill.
Chu Yun couldn’t help but chuckle and say, “If you keep staring, you’ll drool all over it.”
The Sky Fox maiden quickly raised the back of her hand to wipe her mouth. Realizing she had been tricked, she became indignant, her fluffy, snow-white fox tail swaying as she pouted, “Master, you’re naughty, tricking me!”
“Hahaha.” Chu Yun laughed heartily, no longer teasing the little Sky Fox, and handed her the Azure Pill. “Here, eat this, little darling.”
The Sky Fox maiden’s ethereal eyes lit up. She took the Azure Pill, opened her small mouth, and swallowed it in one gulp.
“It’s so delicious.” The Sky Fox smacked her lips, clearly wanting more. Suddenly, her body trembled slightly, and in an instant, beads of sweat appeared on her skin.
“Good, good, good. The Azure Pill has the effect of purifying the demon body by removing impurities. You’ve sweated out the toxins. However, as you continue to take the Azure Pill over time and your body becomes purer, this effect will diminish,” Chu Yun nodded, explaining to the Sky Fox.
“Can I have more of these Pills? Master, you’re so good!” The Sky Fox maiden chirped joyfully upon hearing this. The exquisite taste of the Azure Pill made it unforgettable after just one consumption.
“Master…” the maiden called sweetly and threw herself into Chu Yun’s embrace. She tilted her head back and extended her small, fragrant tongue to lick Chu Yun’s face. This was a habit she had from her past life. However, now that she had transformed into human form, Chu Yun found it rather peculiar. The maiden’s body was delicate and soft, glistening with sweat and exuding the refreshing scent of the Azure Pill. Her little tongue was tender and sweet, leaving a peculiar sensation on his face.
“Alright, alright, it’s time for you to go back to guarding and be alert,” Chu Yun said, patting the maiden’s head and gently comforting her.
“Yes, Master!”
Next, Chu Yun fed the remaining Azure Pills to his other Demonic Beasts, the Moon Rabbit and the Rainbow Demon, while awaiting any developments outside.
“Strange, why haven’t those two Tribulation Demons returned yet? Could something have happened?” Chu Yun wondered anxiously. After feeding his Demonic Beasts, he set off again, taking a wide detour towards the Electric Spark Mao Tree forest.
Before he could reach it, he saw flashes of lightning and heard deafening thunder in the distance, a terrifying spectacle.
“Something has indeed happened!” Chu Yun’s heart stirred. Originally, based on the strength of the two Tribulation Demons, he had expected them to easily defeat the nearly dead Tribulation Demon Tree. However, it now seemed that events had taken a different turn.
Chu Yun approached the battlefield cautiously, not daring to get too close. He lurked on a nearby mountain peak, observing from afar.
“This is a heavenly tribulation! The Electric Spark Mao Tree’s heavenly tribulation!” Chu Yun exclaimed. In the night sky, thunder rumbled, and countless bolts of lightning, like myriad sharpened swords piercing the void, struck down fiercely upon the Tribulation Demon Tree below. The Tribulation Demon Tree was also counterattacking with various lightning-based Dao techniques, but its power was visibly waning.
Chu Yun observed for a while, his eyes flashing with insight. “This is the Mirror Heaven Light Tribulation! It reflects all Dao techniques, and even doubles their power! This Tribulation Demon Tree is doomed!”
To endure such a lightning tribulation, one must not resist it head-on with brute force. Instead, one must find a way to stall for time, and the retaliatory Dao techniques should not be overly aggressive, maintaining a balance between offense and defense. Otherwise, the situation would become like this – the Tribulation Demon Tree would expend all its energy, and the Mirror Heaven Light Tribulation’s power would escalate to terrifying levels. The sooner one exerted their full effort, the closer they would be to destruction. The Tribulation Demon Tree had reached its limit, but the heavenly tribulation would continue to grow stronger with time.
“Alas, even Tribulation Demons must perish under the might of Heaven and Earth. Where did those two Tribulation Demons go?” Chu Yun observed carefully and finally spotted two humanoid figures standing on two separate mountaintops.
These two Tribulation Demons watched the heavenly tribulation with complex expressions. There was a sense of shared misfortune, cold-hearted cruelty, bloodthirsty excitement, and fearful apprehension… They were all Tribulation Demons, but their cultivation was not as high as the Rage King below Shu’s Island. Now in human form, they concealed their aura but still dared not approach the Electric Spark Mao Tree forest. They were wary of each other and simultaneously coveted the natural Demonic Crystal that would soon appear.
Boom!
The heavenly tribulation intensified, and the power of the reflected Dao techniques doubled abruptly. The myriad lightning bolts had shifted from azure to gold. It was as if divine swords were descending from heaven, their light like a forest, striking the core of the Tribulation Demon Tree. After a massive explosion, a circular pit nearly ten zhang in diameter appeared in the center of the forest. Hundreds of Spirit Demon trees surrounding the Tribulation Demon Tree also suffered, turning into ashes.
“A natural Tribulation Demon Crystal!” Purple Vulture shrieked and soared into the air, lunging towards the half-man tall, cylindrical Demonic Crystal in the center of the pit.
“Dream on! Dense Shadow Veil!!” The Fu Du Bi Hu (Rotting Poison Gecko) suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of black mist. The mist expanded with the wind, dispersing the white fog and engulfing the entire Electric Spark Mao Tree forest. This was an Upper grade Dao technique, and its power was terrifying when wielded by a Tribulation Demon. The forest, spanning a hundred li in radius, was effortlessly enveloped. Even a Tribulation Demon like Purple Vulture would suffer constant erosion from dark shadows and disorientation upon entering. It would take considerable effort to break free from this Dao technique.
“The Demonic Crystal is mine!” However, the Fu Du Bi Hu did not want to give Purple Vulture a chance and lunged forward, engaging in combat. The two chased each other through the air, their movements fierce and intense.
“Heaven aids me! Truly, Heaven aids me!” Chu Yun was overjoyed. His daring spirit propelled him to activate the Rainbow Demon, enveloping himself. While casting invisibility Dao techniques with the Rainbow Demon, he drew his Drunken Snow Saber and cast the Dark Dissipation technique, re-entering the Electric Spark Mao Tree forest. This Dark Dissipation technique was an Upper grade Dao technique obtained from the Green Stone ruins. It was part of the legendary Heaven-Transforming Dao Technique, capable of dissolving all dark-attribute Dao techniques. Ironically, this Tribulation Demon-level Fu Du Bi Hu was of dark and poison attributes, and it had just used the “Dense Shadow Veil” dark Dao technique. Chu Yun immediately seized this opportunity to re-enter the forest. In the face of the Dark Dissipation technique, the Dense Shadow Veil became ineffective. However, Chu Yun’s movement was not swift. He felt as if he were sinking into a black, muddy swamp, with viscous and corrosive forces everywhere, forming an invisible net. He was like an insect caught in a spider’s web. He had to retrieve the Tribulation Demon Crystal and escape before the owner of the web discovered him. This was a life-threatening risk. However, after careful analysis, Chu Yun believed the chances of success were quite high. Indeed, it took him two hours to grope his way to the target location. This was thanks to his prior exploration of this area, giving him a first-hand experience. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so quick. “Tribulation Demon Crystal!” Chu Yun slid down cautiously, reaching the bottom of the large crater. Ordinary Demonic Crystals were about the size of an arm. The largest Demonic Crystal Chu Yun had seen was in his past life in the Star Sea Dragon Palace, the Dragon Demon Crystal of the Azure Sea Dragon, which was the size of a millstone. However, the Demonic Crystal before him now surpassed a millstone; it was like a shortened palace pillar. It was cylindrical, requiring two adults to embrace it. It was half a person’s height, entirely pale blue, with a faint green glow flickering within. “Got it!” Chu Yun placed the Demonic Crystal into his Immortal Pouch and immediately turned to leave. As he ran out of the forest, he heard Purple Vulture exclaim from above, “Stop fighting. We both fear the heavenly tribulation, so we can only fight in human form. We can’t even unleash half of our true combat power. Continuing this fight is meaningless.” Saying this, Purple Vulture retreated to a safe distance. “Hmph, then what do you propose?” The Fu Du Bi Hu, also a Tribulation Demon, ceased its attack. “There’s only that legendary method left. Let’s use that method to decide the victor!” Purple Vulture suggested with a serious expression.
