Chapter 389: Thunder Fire Mystic Lotus, Frenzied Gains!

Before heading to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, Lu Changsheng arranged everything at home.

With his son, Lu Ping’an, overseeing White Tiger Mountain, there were no worries about Bihu Mountain.

However, someone still needed to tend to Flower and Fruit Mountain.

The consequences would be severe if enemies, rogue cultivators, or evil cultivators destroyed the fruit trees there.

Earlier, Lu Changsheng decided to assign his son, Lu Qingxian, to oversee Flower and Fruit Mountain.

He found Lu Qingxian and asked, “Qingxuan, is your cultivation stable?”

“Father, my cultivation is solid. I wanted to inform you earlier, but you were in seclusion.”

Lu Qingxian responded respectfully.

“Good. I have a gift for you called the Divine Ability Fruit. After consuming it, you will achieve enlightenment in a divine ability that suits you.”

Lu Changsheng nodded, revealing a fruit that looked like golden glass, covered in seven-colored Dao patterns.

He had long planned to give this Divine Ability Fruit to Lu Qingxian.

But due to his recent dual cultivation with Yun Wanshang, he hadn’t been home.

“Divine Ability Fruit? Consuming it will grant enlightenment in a divine ability!?”

Lu Qingxian was shocked.

Divine Abilities could only be cultivated by those who reached Golden Core Formation!

Many False Core cultivators couldn’t even grasp Divine Abilities.

But his father was giving him such a precious spiritual fruit as a gift!?

He didn’t know how to react.

“Hmm, you should consume it and see what divine ability you can enlighten.”

Lu Changsheng smiled.

The divine ability you gain from consuming the Divine Ability Fruit relates to the cultivation technique you practice, serving as an extension of it.

Lu Changsheng didn’t know which divine ability Lu Qingxian would gain.

Perhaps it would be an offensive divine ability, or defensive, evasive, or enhancement-based.

“Thank you, Father!”

Lu Qingxian swallowed nervously, bowed, and carefully took the golden fruit.

He sat down in a cross-legged position and seriously consumed the Divine Ability Fruit.

The fruit melted instantly, turning into faint golden juice that flowed into his stomach.

“Buzz!”

A moment later, golden light shimmered between Lu Qingxian’s brows as the technique ‘Nine Thunder Fire Techniques’ started circulating on its own.

“Whoosh—”

Dark red flames flowed from his body, accompanied by strands of lightning arcs, wild and fierce and burning hot.

Lu Qingxian entered a profound state.

The technique circulated repeatedly, lightning and fire enveloping his whole body.

“The Nine Thunder Fire Techniques is quite good, but it’s only a branch-level technique.”

“If it weren’t, it would be more suitable for the Dragon Chant Physique than the Vermilion Bird Sky Burning Scripture.”

Lu Changsheng pondered as he looked at the technique.

His son, Lu Lingxiao, practices the Vermilion Bird Sky Burning Scripture.

But Lu Changsheng felt that this domineering technique combining thunder and fire was better suited for Lu Lingxiao.

Time passed bit by bit.

Three days later, Lu Qingxian’s eyes snapped open, his pupils flickering with lightning and fire, full of intense brilliance.

“Father.”

Lu Qingxian looked at his father with joy written all over his face.

A divine ability!

He actually enlightened a divine ability!

Though it was only a Pseudo Divine Ability, it was still a divine ability!

“What is the divine ability you’ve enlightened?”

Lu Changsheng smiled.

“Father, I have enlightened the divine ability called Thunder Fire Mystic Lotus.”

Lu Qingxian responded respectfully.

“Thunder Fire Mystic Lotus? Show me.”

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow and smiled, wanting to see the power of this Pseudo Divine Ability.

“Yes.”

Lu Qingxian took a deep breath and extended his hands, his dantian energy boiling and surging.

“Rumble!”

A thunderous sound echoed in the void, as violent purple lightning arcs surged from his left hand.

From his right hand, searing, fierce red flames rose up.

Under Lu Changsheng’s watchful eyes, Lu Qingxian slowly merged the lightning and flame together.

“Buzz—”

As lightning and flame first made contact, an immense burst of energy exploded, almost distorting the space and threatening to detonate.

But Lu Qingxian rapidly formed seals with his hands, tightly controlling the violent energies until they fused, constantly generating, forming a palm-sized, dark Hong Lian surrounded by lightning arcs.

“Thunder Fire Mystic Lotus.”

Lu Changsheng looked at the lotus in front of him, stroking his chin, thinking it resembled his own Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame.

“Whoosh!”

With a slight raise of his hand, a mass of purple-red flames enveloped the dark Hong Lian.

“It really does resemble my Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame.”

“Its power isn’t bad, comparable to a full-strength attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator at Level 7 or 8.”

“However, the casting process is a bit slow, overly obvious.”

Lu Changsheng squinted his eyes, experiencing the power of this Pseudo Divine Ability.

“Ah?”

Lu Qingxian was left dumbfounded.

He stared at his father in bewilderment.

What happened?

Shouldn’t this divine ability have exploded immediately out of control?

How could his father be playing with it as if it were a toy?

And what’s with Father’s flame? Why does it look so similar to my Thunder Fire Mystic Lotus?

Could it be that Father also consumed a Divine Ability Fruit?

But enlightenment from a Divine Ability Fruit depends on the technique practiced, right?

Lu Qingxian was left puzzled.

“Not bad. It’s comparable to a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the late stages. It’s enough to deal with some insignificant cultivators. How much energy did you consume just now?”

Lu Changsheng asked his son.

Considering that his son had just broken through, the power was commendable.

If others knew that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had enlightened a divine ability, they’d be shocked.

In the entire Jiang Kingdom’s cultivation world, this child would be a rare gem, one that couldn’t be allowed to exist.

But as Lu Changsheng’s son, it was merely a decent effort.

“Father, I consumed around seventy percent of my energy. If I had gone all out, I feel I would be completely drained.”

Lu Qingxian admitted, a bit dazed.

This divine ability was powerful, but it consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

He realized that in a battle, he could use it only once.

And at that point, the fight would have to end, or he’d be in danger.

“Hmm, not bad. You should get more familiar with it daily. Otherwise, by the time you finish casting, the enemy might have already escaped.”

Lu Changsheng nodded, closing his hand, extinguishing the dark Hong Lian and his own Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame as if nothing had happened.

Lu Qingxian was astonished.

His father claimed that this divine ability had the power of a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator’s full-strength strike.

Yet, it was toyed with so casually by him.

Does this mean my father’s power far surpasses that of Foundation Establishment cultivators?

Could my father be a Golden Core Formation cultivator!?

“When you’re out in the world, remember to hide some of your strength to avoid danger.”

Lu Changsheng chuckled, without explaining further.

He continued, “For now, you’ll sit at Flower and Fruit Mountain. Focus on cultivating and mastering both your divine ability and the Nine Thunder Fire Techniques. If anything arises, send word home.”

The Lu Family education ensured that disciples didn’t spend much time on techniques in the early or mid-stage Qi Refining.

Only in Late-Stage Qi Refining would they dedicate themselves to practicing techniques.

Children with good talent, like Lu Qingxian, usually only mastered three to five techniques by late Qi Refining.

But this couldn’t continue indefinitely.

After breaking through Foundation Establishment, it was essential to master and perfect the accompanying techniques for better combat ability.

“Yes, Father!”

Lu Qingxian responded respectfully.

He had already guessed that his father would assign him to oversee Flower and Fruit Mountain.

Initially, he was anxious, worried he couldn’t manage the family.

But now, with this divine ability, he felt confident.

He believed he could defend against a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator just like his elder brother, Lu Ping’an, had in the past by defeating a mid-stage one as a beginner!

After settling matters with Lu Qingxian, Lu Changsheng ensured there were no remaining tasks at home. Then, with Ling Zixiao, he set off for the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

This time, he didn’t take a spirit ship.

Instead, he used the Starlight Disk, holding Ling Zixiao’s hand as they soared into the sky.

Traveling from Bihu Mountain to Qingyun Market Town required waiting for the spirit ship, then taking it to Qingluan Immortal City. This would waste a lot of time.

The Myriad Beasts Mountain Range stretched across almost half of the southern border of the Jiang Kingdom.

As long as they reached the Spirit Control Sect’s territory, they could enter the mountain range.

With the Starlight Disk, they should reach the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range in about a month, even factoring in rest periods.

“So this is the legendary Nine Heavens Gale Layer?”le?”

Ling Zixiao’s beautiful eyes gleamed as she admired the view, basked in starlight, enthralled by the realm.

“Yes, this is the Nine Heavens Gale Layer. With this treasuresure, I can briefly traverse this gale layer.”

Lu Changsheng, holding Ling Zixiao’s hand, stood on the Starlight Disk, smiling.

“I’ve heard that the Nine Heavens Gale Layer contains much essenssence from the sun and moon, starlight, and heavenly materials formed from extraterrestrial meteorites.”

“Some cultivators even lose their treasures in this gale layer, where they drift endlessly.”

Ling Zixiao wore a lake-blue palace robe, her hair elegantly up, adorned with a delicate jade hairpin. She was graceful and poised.

“This is just the lowest part of the Nine Heavens Gale Layer. To find essences les like the sun and moon’s, we’d need to go higher.”

Lu Changsheng remarked, not expecting to find any treasures.

Finding treasures in the Nine Heavens Gale Layer was as likely as wis winning the lottery.

But just as he spoke, he noticed something in the dark winds ahead — a large fragment being battered.

“Hmm, what’s that? Capture!”

Lu Changsheng frowned, and from his sleeve, a mass of Yin-Yang Dual Qi surged out, forming a misty, ethereal hand.

The hand grabbed the large fragment from the winds and pulled it back onto the Starlight Disk.

“It looks like a fragment from a magical treasure.”

Lu Changsheng examined the blackened fragment, covered in scars, and deduced it was from a cauldron treasure.

Given the state of the cauldron, the owner was probably dead.

Ling Zixiao was surprised.

Then she gave Lu Changsheng a strange look, her lips curling into a smile. “As expected of my lord, finding treasure wherever you go.”

“Pure coincidence. Besides, it’s just a fragment, not much of a treasure.”

Lu Changsheng knew Ling Zixiao misunderstood, so he smiled.

Still, finding a treasure just after setting out was a good omen, and his mood improved.

Though, the appearance of this fragment made him wonder if nearby, someone was battling in the Nine Heavens Gale. He grew more cautious.

A month later, the two arrived at the edge of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

Lu Changsheng found a place to restore his energy before using a Spirit Boat to take Ling Zixiao into the mountain range.

He had done his homework before coming to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

He knew that to the demonic beasts, a cultivator’s Qi was like a torch in the night.

If the Qi aura was weak, it might attract attacks.

If the Qi aura was strong, the beasts might see it as a challenge.

The Myriad Beasts Mountain Range was full of demonic beasts. If he kept using the Starlight Disk, not only would it consume a lot of Qi, but it might provoke a third-stage Beast King. So, Lu Changsheng used the Spirit Boat for the journey.

Of course, for now, Lu Changsheng only used the Spirit Boat on the outskirts.

Once they delved deeper, he wouldn’t use the boat either.

It’d be too difficult to deal with flocks of flying beasts.

As they traveled deeper into the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, they occasionally saw groups of hunting cultivators.

Given that Lu Changsheng and Ling Zixiao both emitted the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, these cultivators treated them with great caution, fearing they were rogue cultivators.

After all, demonic beasts were only half the danger in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

Half the cultivators here didn’t die to beasts; they died at the hands of other cultivators.

……

After traveling several hundred miles into the mountain range, Lu Changsheng found the situation suitable and, with Ling Zixiao, landed, storing away the Spirit Boat.

“Zixiao, don’t stray too far and stay alert.”

Lu Changsheng cautioned Ling Zixiao.

“I understand,”

Ling Zixiao replied softly, her smile delicate.

“Time to get to work!”

Lu Changsheng released the Spirit-Seeking Rat from his Spirit Pet Bag, instructing it to direct them to the areas with richer spiritual energy where spiritual veins existed.

He had acquired the Second-Tier Dragon-Seeking Technique.

But hadn’t cultivated the two main methods of a Dragon-Seeker, Source Spirit Perception and Source Spirit Ocular Technique.

So, he couldn’t tell where the spiritual veins were in the landscape.

He relied on the Spirit-Seeking Rat to find the general direction, then used his ocular technique to pinpoint the location.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

The Spirit-Seeking Rat eagerly nodded.

It had been well-fed and comfortable for months.

Knowing that poor performance meant facing hunger, it was eager to perform well.

And so, the two, with the rat, began searching for spiritual veins in the mountain range.

Several hours later, Lu Changsheng and Ling Zixiao arrived at a Second-Stage Thunder Rock Leopard’s territory.

Faced with such a demonic beast, Lu Changsheng killed it with a single punch, then had Ling Zixiao set up a formation while he used Source Spirit Ocular Technique to locate the vein and began severing it.

He had come well-prepared for this expedition to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

With tools like a Mountain-Opening Spade, a Vein-Locking Compass, Spirit-Sealing Nails, and a Mountain River Cauldron.

“Source Spirit Vein-Severing Technique!”

Before him, Lu Changsheng expertly transferred the spiritual vein’s origin into his Mountain River Cauldron.

A few days later, as the spiritual vein withered and faded, rendering the land unstable, Lu Changsheng quickly returned to the surface.

“What’s wrong, my lord?”

Ling Zixiao, who had been guarding the area, immediately asked with concern.

Disrupting the land had caused quite a commotion and had affected her formation.

“Nothing to worry about. The spiritual vein affected the land and could attract other demonic beasts. Let’s move on.”

Lu Changsheng explained, telling Ling Zixiao to put away the formation disk as they moved to a new location for the Spirit-Seeking Rat to continue its search.

And so, most of the month passed in this manner.

After days of searching, Lu Changsheng realized that most spiritual veins in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range were scattered, small, and even tiny veins.

To find a large Second-Stage vein, he would have to delve deeper.

But going deeper risked encountering a third-stage Beast King. Lu Changsheng chose to play it safe, opting to subdue Second-Stage beasts.

“Boom! Boom!”

This day, Lu Changsheng encountered a pack of beasts.

A late-Second-Stage Wolf King led four Second-Stage Demonic Wolves and nearly a hundred First-Stage ones.

Had it been any other cultivator, even at the Foundation Establishment’s peak, they’d likely have perished here.

This was the greatest danger in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

You never knew how many demonic beasts you’d have to face!

“I should have brought the Nine Abyss Mastiff with me on this trip.”

Lu Changsheng remarked as he looked at the pile of beast corpses.

Throughout this journey, he had killed countless beasts.

But other than demon cores or valuable blood and materials, most of the corpses were left behind.

Had he brought the Bizarre Prison Demon Flower or the Nine Abyss Mastiff, not so much would’ve gone to waste.

“However, this vein should be a good one.”

Lu Changsheng assessed the vein through Source Spirit Ocular Technique.

After severing several veins over these days, he had learned to judge the size of a vein based on the beasts inhabiting it.

Though demonic beasts didn’t require High-Tier veins like cultivators, they still liked to occupy them.

For this Wolf King to command such a large pack, the vein was likely substantial.

“Hmm? Is this… Earthfire Fiendish Qi?”

Lu Changsheng spotted a crevice deep within the Wolf King’s cave, from which scorching fiendish energy emanated.

Based on his understanding of geography from his Dragon-Seeking Technique, Lu Changsheng guessed that deep within the Earth, there was probably a vein of Earth Fiend Fire.

“The Earthfire Fiendish Qi has a body-tempering effect. This Wolf King must’ve nurtured four Second-Stage Demonic Wolves here using that Qi.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself, immediately beginning to dig.

He wasn’t surprised to find a vein of Earth Fiend Fire below.

“If this Earth Fiend Fire vein were intact, it could produce one ‘Earthfire Fiend Qi’ every ten years, a valuable Foundation Establishment material.”

“But with me severing its origin, I’ve half-ruined it.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head, a bit regretful.

If he could have moved the entire vein intact back home, he could have used formations to refine the Fiend Energy and produce a Fiend Qi every ten years.

This Fiend Qi could be used in Equipment Refining to enhance the power of spirit tools or as a Foundation Establishment material for fire-based techniques.

But if I can find a few more Earth Fiend Fire veins, I could cultivate one at home.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself as he expertly deployed his Vein-Locking Compass, Spirit-Sealing Nails, and Mountain River Cauldron.

As Lu Changsheng was severing the vein,

Ling Zixiao suddenly looked up and noticed two Foundation Establishment Qi auras flying rapidly in their direction.

She became wary and immediately prepared herself. Turning to the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet beside her, she whispered, “Attack.”

She had no idea whether the incoming cultivators were friend or foe.

But her husband was currently severing a vein, and no one could interrupt him. If they stumbled upon them, it would be their bad luck.

In a few breaths, three Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived in the valley, their expressions serious as they scanned the area covered in wolf corpses.

But the next moment, their minds went blank, their vision distorting.

“Puff! Puff! Puff!”

Ling Zixiao’s hands formed seals, summoning towering sharp spikes to pierce through the three cultivators’ protective auras, impaling their bodies.

As she finished, her Qi surged, fiery energy swirling around her, forming the ethereal image of a beast-headed, humanoid figure covered in red scales, with fiery serpents for ears and standing on fire dragons.

This was the Fire Devil formed from the Twelve Heavenly Demon Scripture, by collecting demonic thoughts from across the heavens and refining them with her Dragon’s Chant Yang energy.

Though it was only an ethereal image, it still possessed some power and combat strength.

The Fire Devil stepped out of the formation, incinerating the three bodies, then returned carrying their Storage Bags before dissolving back into Ling Zixiao’s body.

Several days later, as the Earth Fiend Fire vein was completely severed, the entire valley’s land began collapsing.

Ling Zixiao, seeing the commotion, swiftly put away the formation, and with Lu Changsheng, continued their search for new veins.

“Congratulations, Host! Your offspring have given birth to another 700 descendants! You have earned a lottery draw!”

That day, as Lu Changsheng killed a Second-Stage Giant Bear with a punch, a familiar system sound echoed in his mind.

“Only 700, huh.”

Lu Changsheng felt a bit sentimental.

He didn’t pay much attention to it and proceeded to crack open the bear’s skull, retrieving its demon core.

As a Second-Stage Spirit Butcher, he could estimate the presence of a demon core with reasonable accuracy based on the beast’s size and bloodline.

This trip to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range had been fruitful in more ways than one.

Aside from harvesting spiritual vein origins, he had acquired a considerable income from slaying demonic beasts.

Lu Changsheng understood why so many came to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range to hunt and make money—it was indeed profitable.

He decided that after breaking into Golden Core Formation, he would return to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range to hunt a Beast King and earn enough money to make his magical treasure.

Otherwise, with his family’s expenses and income as they were, relying solely on the generosity of benefactors wouldn’t fund his magical treasure.

Time flew by. Lu Changsheng and Ling Zixiao had spent more than half a year in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

With the Spirit-Seeking Rat’s aid, only targeting the domains of Second-Stage beasts, finding spiritual veins was easy for Lu Changsheng.

Though they faced some dangers, such as beast packs or malicious cultivators, they were handled with ease.

In the process, aside from spiritual vein origins and demon cores, Lu Changsheng had collected Natural Treasures worth about 100,000 Spirit Stones.

The Myriad Beasts Mountain Range was indeed rich in resources.

This also had much to do with the type of beasts he hunted.

Since he primarily hunted Second-Stage Great Demonic Beasts in pursuit of spiritual veins.

The domains of these Great Beasts always had spiritual flowers, herbs, or even spirit ore.

When it came to spirit ore, Lu Changsheng often felt regretful.

He had come across two ore veins during his exploration.

But mining veins alone was too time-consuming to be worth it.

Besides, mining ore veins solo in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range was extremely dangerous, requiring at least the strength of a False Core.

However, he had one stroke of luck, finding Second-Tier Earth Marrow Milk in a land vein.

This Earth Marrow Milk was incredibly precious for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Just a single drop could restore most of their Qi.

Throughout the months, Ling Zixiao had been amazed at Lu Changsheng’s continuous gains.

She kept marveling at his incredible fortune.

They had harvested more in these six months than many Foundation Establishment cultivators could hope to earn in a lifetime.

If you counted the value of the spiritual vein origins, their earnings surpassed those of many Golden Core Formation cultivators!

This made Lu Changsheng realize that being a Dragon-Seeker was indeed a lucrative profession.

If he were willing to sell the spiritual vein origins, he could make a fortune.

“I still have a few Mountain River Cauldrons left. Since things are going so smoothly, I might as well fill them all up.”

“That way, besides nurturing the spiritual veins in Sumeru Cave Heaven, we can also consider cultivating the spiritual veins at Lingcui Cliff, or perhaps even nurture a few First-Tier spiritual veins at Bihu Mountain.”

Lu Changsheng said aloud.

This trip had been more successful than he had anticipated, so he decided to fill all his remaining Mountain River Cauldrons.

This would allow him to cultivate Top-Tier Second-Tier veins in Sumeru Cave Heaven and also enhance the veins at Bihu Mountain.

“Alright.”

Ling Zixiao responded softly, her demeanor elegant and composed.

Given Lu Changsheng’s pace, they could be returning home fully loaded in just another half-year.