Becoming an Immortal and Ancestor, Starting from the Clan-protecting Divine Beast

32: Chapter 32 Inside the CaveAfter Chen Zhuxiao stepped through the bronze door, he felt a wave of dizziness. It felt as if his entire body was being pulled by countless tiny hands, and his form became distorted. It took quite a while before he returned to normal.

”Hoo! Hoo!”

He panted heavily twice, then immediately became alert. With lightning jumping and thunderous light raging, he scanned his surroundings.

This was a very spacious hall, likely a hundred zhang in length and width. A total of one hundred and eight glazed jade lamps were burning slowly, emitting a faint fragrance; the grease used must have been extraordinary.

On the ceiling of the hall, there was a mural carved. An Armored Divine Being was stepping on a majestic Qilin, surrounded by purple lightning and thunderous light, with a Sea of Thunder floating behind him. He held a mysterious-patterned divine spear and had a Heavenly Eye on his brow, confronting a demonic shadow as high as the sky.

Chen Zhuxiao’s heart shook, and the Heaven-Striking Thunder Domain Scripture began to operate on its own. Azure lightning danced in his eyes, and the Spell maintaining his disguise was broken, revealing his true appearance.

His consciousness seemed to be pulled out of his body and drifted toward the mural above, as if he had become that Armored Divine Being. One after another, Divine Thunders stretching for who knows how many ten thousand li streaked across the firmament, and star after star turned into powder within the Sea of Thunder behind him.

”What... is this?” Chen Zhuxiao was shocked. Isn’t this the Immortal Cave of Daoist Tian Yu? How could something like this appear?

Boom! With a thunderclap that resonated through heaven and earth, Chen Zhuxiao’s consciousness returned to his body, and he regained control.

Zzzzt! He raised his right hand; his entire palm was surrounded by brilliant lightning. After that strange scene just now, the Divine Thunder Qi in his body was unprecedentedly active, as if his meridians had been opened up, and his absorption of the thunder Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth had increased significantly.

Boom! Chen Zhuxiao struck out with a palm, and lightning splashed everywhere, with electric arcs jumping. This kind of power startled him.

”My Qi seems to have been tempered, becoming even more pure and condensed...”

This change made him both happy and surprised, unsure if it was good or bad.

”Perhaps this is the Opportunity that attracted me here.” Chen Zhuxiao steadied his mind and continued to examine the other items in the hall.

Hmm? He walked straight ahead. Hanging on the opposite wall was an exquisite... scroll, with gold threads and silver edges; the canvas seemed to be sewn with some rare and precious silk thread.

It depicted a Sea of Thunder, so lifelike that standing next to the scroll felt like standing next to a real Sea of Thunder. He could even feel the thunder exploding beside him, that magnificent heavenly might, which was heart-trembling.

Below the scroll was a table, on which lay a silver-scaled long sword. Two ancient characters were carved on the hilt.

”vast thunder!”

Chen Zhuxiao could understand them. For some reason, he felt that this 【vast thunder】 before him was prepared for him, that it was his Life-Bound Magical Artifact.

”Opportunity, is this my Opportunity?”

Chen Zhuxiao stood where he was, looking at the 【vast thunder】 not far away, his heart complex, thinking of many things at once.

This trip down the mountain gave him a dreamlike feeling; the people and events he encountered seemed too coincidental.

He sat down cross-legged, his back straight, just watching the 【vast thunder】 without any other actions.

”If it is a blessing, it is not a disaster; if it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided. Since I began cultivating this Heaven-Striking Thunder Domain Scripture, I fear there is no turning back.”

Chen Zhuxiao figured it out. Although he was only fourteen, his intelligence was no less than an adult’s, and he could understand many things clearly.

Afterward, he stood up, surrounded by lightning. His expression was solemn, the Heaven-Striking Thunder Domain Scripture operated, and he reached out to grasp the hilt of the 【vast thunder】.

Hum! The sound of a sword resonated through the place. The silver-scaled long sword seemed to have a spirit, transforming into a silver fish wrapped in lightning and electric light, darting around the hall, slashing and extinguishing a dozen glazed jade lamps, and finally appearing in front of Chen Zhuxiao.

Chen Zhuxiao moved his mind and grasped the Spiritual Artifact sword again. Without the slightest hindrance, he thus left his own mark on it.

A feeling of being able to use it like an extension of his own arm washed over him. This 【vast thunder】 felt more like an extension of his own flesh and blood; using it felt effortless, seamless, and flawless.

Swish! The 【vast thunder】 turned into a silver fish made of lightning and escaped into Chen Zhuxiao’s Qi Sea Dantian, ready to be summoned whenever he needed to use it.

A Life-Bound Magical Artifact is an artifact that shares one’s life; it needs to be nurtured by one’s own Spiritual Qi and magic power at all times.

”If Father and Uncle Yuan knew that I had obtained a Spiritual Artifact to serve as my Life-Bound Magical Artifact, they would be greatly shocked,” Chen Zhuxiao thought.

Of course, he could not yet fully unleash the power of this Spiritual Artifact sword; no, he couldn’t even unleash one-thousandth of its power.

A Spiritual Artifact is a Magical Artifact used by a Purple Mansion True Person; even a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator cannot fully activate it. At this moment, this 【vast thunder】 was more like something used to protect his Dao.

After putting away the 【vast thunder】, there was nothing good left in the hall. Chen Zhuxiao was just about to push the door and leave when his eyes rolled, and he walked over to a glazed jade lamp, summoned the 【vast thunder】, and struck with a sword.

Clatter! The glazed jade lamp embedded in the wall fell down. Chen Zhuxiao picked it up and examined it carefully: ”It is rumored that many great powers like to use the grease of the South Sea merman as lamp oil. This kind of grease emits a faint fragrance when burned, which can refresh the mind and clear away distracting thoughts.”

He had read this in a book called 【Travels of the Wild Daoist Across the Four Seas】, which had been a real eye-opener for him at his young age.

”These glazed jade lamps should be able to sell for quite a lot of money; take them all!”

A look of excitement flashed in Chen Zhuxiao’s eyes, and he put the glazed jade lamp in his hand into his Storage Pouch.

Chen Fufeng and Yuan Feng had previously gone on a killing spree in the Liyuan Plains, and they had plenty of Storage Pouches in their hands.

After he successfully achieved Qi Refining, Chen Fufeng specially picked the Storage Pouch with the largest space for him, in case it wasn’t enough.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Zhuxiao had scavenged all the glazed jade lamps in the hall and put them all into his Storage Pouch. The bright hall suddenly became pitch black.

”The floor tiles used here don’t seem to be ordinary items either; I might as well pack them up and take them away.”

Chen Zhuxiao stepped on the floor below and summoned the 【vast thunder】 to start prying up the floor tiles, causing the Spiritual Artifact sword to emit a dissatisfied hum.

It was a noble Spiritual Artifact, yet you were using it to pry up floor tiles?

Half an hour later, Chen Zhuxiao, feeling a bit guilty, comforted the 【vast thunder】 a few times. After putting it into his Qi Sea Dantian, he pushed open the hall door and left the hall that had been plowed three feet deep.

He had tried to take the Sea of Thunder scroll, but returned empty-handed.

”Thunder Domain Hall?”

Chen Zhuxiao turned around and saw the three characters carved on the hall door.

”I’m afraid the news of Daoist Tian Yu’s Immortal Cave is just a cover; someone must be setting a trap, and Cultivators like me are just pawns entering the game.”

Chen Zhuxiao’s heart sank. Feeling the 【vast thunder】 in his Qi Sea, his heart settled slightly. He scanned his surroundings, looking for a way out.

Outside the Thunder Domain Hall was a crossroads. The path was illuminated by glazed jade lamps, and a fragrance permeated the corridor, refreshing the heart.

Chen Zhuxiao was somewhat indecisive for a moment; he felt that any path would do.

At this moment, the 【vast thunder】 in his Qi Sea reacted, its sword tip pointing slightly to the right, as if telling him to go from the right side.

Chen Zhuxiao pondered for a moment, then strode forward, deciding to trust the 【vast thunder】 this time, and walked toward the right intersection.

After walking for a full quarter of an hour, the road became wider. Ahead, layers of white jade steps appeared, shimmering with a jade-like luster under the light.

Chen Zhuxiao scanned vigilantly, noticed nothing unusual, and then began to step onto the white jade steps.

Who would have thought that the moment he stepped on them, a mountain-like pressure attacked from all directions, forcing him to operate his Cultivation Technique and call upon his Spiritual Qi to counteract it.

Countless lightning flashes flickered. Chen Zhuxiao was surrounded by purple thunder, and enduring the immense pressure, he walked step by step toward the top of the steps.

The higher he went, the greater the pressure became. The lightning transformed from Divine Thunder Spiritual Qi was all compressed and stuck to his body, as if he were wearing a Purple Heaven Thunder Armor.

Chen Zhuxiao’s handsome face was somewhat ferocious; he gritted his teeth, his veins bulging, and he forcibly crossed the white jade steps.

”Hoo, hoo, hoo!”

Chen Zhuxiao panted heavily, took out a Medicinal Pill to restore Spiritual Qi from his Storage Pouch and consumed it, operating the Heaven-Striking Thunder Domain Scripture while walking to restore his Spiritual Qi.

Ahead stood a mysterious black hall, a hundred zhang high and a thousand zhang wide, with glazed tiles for roof and spirit wood for pillars. A black jade plaque hung on the hall, with ancient golden characters written on it: 【Fengyun】.

”Fengyun? Once meeting the wind and clouds, a dragon changes; could this hall be the core of this Immortal Cave?”

Chen Zhuxiao did not rush in. Instead, he waited until his own Spiritual Qi had recovered to about seventy or eighty percent, then performed the disguise Spell on himself again, turning back into the swarthy youth, and only then did he walk toward the Fengyun Hall.

As he approached, he seemed to hear the sounds of Cultivators fighting; someone was battling inside!

Chen Zhuxiao operated his Divine Thunder Spiritual Qi, making his footsteps nearly soundless, and arrived silently in front of the hall door, looking inside through the crack in the door.

He saw five figures standing inside the hall, confronting each other. Judging by their age, they were all about fifteen or sixteen, a year or two older than him.

However, although young, the cultivation levels of these people were not low; they were either at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining or the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

One of them wore fire-red armor, with an arrogant expression and a slender build, holding a long halberd burning with flames in his hand; he was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

That was Liyuan fire; Chen Zhuxiao couldn’t be more familiar with it.

Another person wore a golden robe, with a medium build and outstanding appearance, but still not as good as Chen Zhuxiao. A long sword with golden patterns floated beside him; he was clearly a Sword Cultivator following the Geng Metal Path, at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, close to Perfection.

Of the other two, one was a young girl with a tall figure, a budding chest, outstanding looks, and a gentle temperament, holding a small green wooden tripod in her hands.

”This should be a Cultivator of the Jia Wood Path, at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer; not easy to deal with...” Chen Zhuxiao commented in his heart.

Of the remaining two, one had a large build, protruding a big belly, with eyes narrowed, holding a large earthy-yellow banner in his hand, giving a feeling of being as heavy as a mountain.

”This is a Cultivator of the Thick Earth Path, a turtle shell, good at defense, at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, close to Perfection; should be beatable.” Chen Zhuxiao compared them.

The last person should only be fifteen, not a few months older than Chen Zhuxiao, wearing thunder-patterned clothing, with a sinister look between his brows, and a cyan-blue long sword at his waist.

”This person... seems to be a Thunder Dao Cultivator, not following the Divine Thunder Path, at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, similar to me...”

Just as Chen Zhuxiao was observing the five, the young girl at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, holding the small green wooden tripod, spoke, her voice soft and moist like a spring breeze: ”Fellow Daoist, you have been watching for so long, why not come in?”

Chen Zhuxiao looked awkward, pushed open the hall door and walked in, cupping his hands to the five people: ”I am Ji Yunxiao, greetings to you all.”

The five people in the hall were all examining Chen Zhuxiao; they all felt a strong sense of threat from this swarthy youth.

”It is you, it is you who stole my Divine Thunder Opportunity, die for me!”

At this moment, the fifteen-year-old Thunder Dao youth suddenly let out a roar, his eyes turning red, his body surrounded by cyan-blue lightning, transforming into a thunder dragon, rushing straight at Chen Zhuxiao, his killing intent undisguised.