Boom! A series of violent explosions echoed. As Joe Di swept out his spiritual sense, the Reincarnation Bridge fell into his Sea of Consciousness, and his figure instantly darted away.
Bang! Joe Di landed on the hard ground, and within his spiritual sense appeared the rocky mountain he had entered before. Now, however, that mountain had long since shattered into rubble, bearing no resemblance to its former self.
The Lightning Sprite also landed beside Joe Di, chirping excitedly. It seemed the surging resonance of reincarnation had benefited it greatly.
"I'm going to find a place to go into seclusion. If you wish, seek your own opportunities here." With that, Joe Di tossed a Quantum Vault Ring to the Lightning Sprite.
This time, the Lightning Sprite seemed to understand Joe Di's words. It grabbed the Quantum Vault Ring, called out to Joe Di a few times, then vanished like a bolt of lightning into the distance.
No wonder it's a Lightning Sprite—its speed truly is astonishing...
Wait, as Joe Di thought of the Lightning Sprite, he recalled the insects he had slain before, including the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth he sold for ten thousand merit points.
Yet the Lightning Sprite before him looked nothing like those Rainbowwing Thunder Moths. Its claws numbered more than two, each with three toes, not seven. Though it had a pair of wings, they were entirely different from those of the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth.
This made no sense. If the egg had been dug out from the belly of a Rainbowwing Thunder Moth, then the creature hatched from it should resemble the moth. In truth, the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth really did look like a giant insect; aside from some mottled patterns and a few lightning-like markings, it bore no resemblance to a bird at all.
Could it be that the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth only takes on its insect form upon reaching adulthood, and is actually a bird when newly hatched?
Joe Di frowned, feeling increasingly uneasy. Most beastkin either grow more majestic or more beautiful with age—who ever heard of one becoming uglier, turning from a bird into a bug, with its toes regressing from seven to three?
Joe Di focused his spiritual sense on the World Tome, quickly finding the entry for the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth. Its description seemed perfectly ordinary.
But soon, Joe Di discovered a crucial line: the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth is the best at absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. When it lays eggs, many other oviparous beastkin prefer to hide their eggs inside its body. These beast eggs consume the essence meant for the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth’s own eggs, then use the moth’s body for incubation. Upon hatching, they inherit some features of the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth, which prevents the moth from destroying them.
So that's it—Joe Di was almost certain that the Lightning Sprite which had just left was actually hatched from another beast's egg.
Joe Di withdrew his spiritual sense with a wry smile. The vast cosmos truly holds every possibility; anything can happen in this boundless world.
Even if the Lightning Sprite wasn’t a product of the Rainbowwing Thunder Moth, Joe Di had no intention of chasing after it. He had more than enough on his plate and no desire to adopt another beast companion.
Several days later, deep within the ruins of an abandoned sect, Joe Di dug out a cave abode. Having just entered Dao Nurturing, he needed to stabilize his cultivation.
At this moment, Joe Di genuinely felt grateful to An Tu Ning. Without her, where would he have gotten so many God Origin Pills? Given his Path of Laws, combined with his starry meridian and Sea of Consciousness cultivation methods, his need for heaven and earth’s divine essence was almost endless.
Ordinary spirit crystals couldn’t possibly satisfy his needs—only Dao Veins could. But Dao Veins were exceedingly rare. This was when the true value of God Origin Pills became apparent.
...
Inside the Origin Dao Sect’s Water Prison, Cyrus Young stood up. Entering the Water Prison was nothing more than closing his eyes for a brief seclusion. Yet, he was growing increasingly restless—had it only been a few days?
The Origin Dao Sect’s Water Prison was renowned as a sacred place for cultivation within the sect. Some disciples even advanced a full realm after being released from confinement.
No, he had to get out. Having cultivated to the Hunyuan realm, Cyrus Young had encountered this feeling many times before. Whenever it arose, danger was imminent. Even though the Water Prison was considered safe, he dared not remain any longer.
He hadn’t come to the Water Prison out of fear of the Sect Master, but simply to give Felix Xuan some face. After all, he had injured Valley Master Ann Tu Ning of Springvale with a single punch at the sect assembly, which was a direct blow to the reputation of both the Origin Dao Sect and its Sect Master.
The reason for giving Felix Xuan this courtesy was that Grand Elder Zach Chung had yet to be won over. Once Zach Chung was on his side, Felix Xuan would have to step down as sect master—he might even be killed.
Bang! Cyrus Young hadn’t even reached the Water Prison’s entrance when he was stopped by an invisible barrier.
Cyrus Young’s expression changed. The Water Prison was the loosest place of confinement—he could enter or leave at will. This was the first time he’d ever been blocked by such a restriction.
"What’s going on? Hurry and open the restriction—I need to step out for a moment." His anxiety deepened, and he even sensed a hint of death. This was certainly no trivial matter.
"Heh, your year of confinement isn’t up yet. How could you leave now?" A calm voice sounded, and Grand Elder Zach Chung strolled over, unhurried.
"Grand Elder, I need to step out for a moment." Cyrus Young suppressed his agitation and cupped his fists toward Zach Chung as he approached.
Zach Chung sighed. "Alas... I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to leave. Anyone who dares to seriously injure a Valley Master at the Origin Dao Sect’s assembly is usually declared dead on the spot. The only reason you're still alive is because..."
"Zach Chung, how dare you!" Cyrus Young finally realized he’d been tricked. He drew out his artifact, ready to fight.
But before he could activate his artifact, his expression suddenly changed. The space around him abruptly lost all natural laws. Not only that, but his spiritual sense was compressed to less than a foot around his body.
(This chapter is not yet finished~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
Boom! Thunderous arcs crashed down, and within the lightning, a massive arrow several meters long pierced through the air.
"Zach Chung, Felix Xuan—you dare kill a sect elder..." Cyrus Young was both shocked and furious, but the space of the Water Prison bound him so tightly he couldn’t move at all.
Zach Chung sighed again. "Cyrus Young, if you’d known this would happen, would you have acted as you did? You dared threaten the Sect Master and grievously wound a Valley Master at the assembly—did you really think the Origin Dao Sect could still tolerate you?"
Spurt! A burst of blood erupted as Cyrus Young’s nascent soul tried to escape, only to be torn apart by the lightning.
Zach Chung lifted Cyrus Young’s ring with a wave of his hand and turned to leave at a leisurely pace.
......
Having just recovered from her injuries, Ann Tu Ning returned to the sect’s council hall, only to find that half the usual attendees were missing.
Second Elder Echo Young, Rainpeak’s Peak Master Wang Teng, the Hall of Enforcement’s Master, and Xiao...
All the sect’s main power holders had vanished. This was highly unusual—at a sect assembly, they should all be present.
Felix Xuan arrived last at the council hall. Though his gaze seemed heavy, even Ann Tu Ning could sense a certain lightness in the sect master’s steps.
Standing at the sect master’s seat, Felix Xuan spoke calmly, "Everyone can see that many of our members are gone. Perhaps you don’t know the reason. Let me explain. While I was in seclusion, our sect came close to destruction. Second Elder Cyrus Young openly wounded Valley Master Ann Tu Ning at the assembly. The Hall of Enforcement’s Master dared to execute core disciples at will, and some stewards even sold off our sect’s spirit crystal mines..."
Felix Xuan paused, sweeping his gaze across the hall. His tone grew heavy, "If we don’t purge these traitors, not only will we fall from the ranks of the Five Great Sects, but we may soon be expelled from the Dao Domain entirely."
Ann Tu Ning was overjoyed. She finally understood the sect master’s earlier words to her—they were meant to placate the Second Elder’s faction.
As expected, Felix Xuan’s gaze fell on Ann Tu Ning. "Valley Master Ann, you have suffered these past days. Our sect needs to develop, and core disciples are vital. I’ve investigated Alchemist Di—he’s not only a Dao-Molding Pill Sage, but he’s also ventured into the Vast Ruins and returned unharmed. Talents like him are the foundation of our sect’s future. Valley Master Ann, tell Joe Di that he is now a core disciple of the Origin Dao Sect and may choose any peak on the Core Disciple Mountain as his cave abode..."
Ann Tu Ning sighed and stepped forward. "Joe Di has grown disheartened and left the sect’s outer ranks months ago. He is no longer a disciple of the Origin Dao Sect."
After recovering, she had investigated Joe Di and discovered that the first thing he did upon leaving Springvale was to withdraw from the sect.
She felt a bit regretful. In fact, she had hinted at Joe Di’s departure from Springvale, never expecting the sect master was waiting for the final blow.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)