Chapter 659: Enemies from Liang Kingdom, the True Spirit Tribulation!

A bloodline reverting and mutating in less than a hundred years to break through to the third stage?

The tall and wild Holy Maiden licked her crimson, slender tongue over her lips, her beautiful eyes sparkling with interest at the words.

She had never heard of this Talisman Lu Family; it was likely just a small faction.

For such a force, cultivating a Moonshadow Wolf to the third stage in under a hundred years was nearly impossible.

This beast definitely had some fortuitous circumstances!

“What’s the situation with this Talisman Lu Family? Is the information reliable?”

The Holy Maiden, tall and striking, looked down at her kneeling subordinate, her sharp, deep-set eyes glinting with cold light as she asked.

“Reporting to the Holy Maiden, the Talisman Lu Family is a newly established Core Formation family in Jiang Kingdom. Their ancestor is named Lu Changsheng, known as Changsheng Zhenren.”

“According to my investigation, this information is likely true, but the bloodline reverting and mutating needs confirmation through a trip to Jiang Kingdom.”

This subordinate knew how much the Holy Maiden cared about the Moonshadow Wolf, so he rushed to report to avoid someone else taking credit.

“Changsheng Zhenren.”

Upon hearing this title, the Holy Maiden could not help but let out a derisive laugh.

Although this title had a great meaning and lofty ambition, too many people had taken it, most of whom died young on their cultivation journey. Over time, this title had become considered unlucky.

However, it was normal for a newly established family to use such a title.

After all, the more remote the mountains, the more ignorant the people, and the more they liked to give grandiose names to their titles.

“But for such a newly impoverished family to cultivate a Moonshadow Wolf to the third stage in less than a hundred years is indeed remarkable.”

“Unless he used some secret method that burned his lifespan, this Moonshadow Wolf must be more than just a simple bloodline mutation!”

As the Nascent Soul seed of Beast God Mountain and a top-notch talent, the Holy Maiden knew well about beast taming and was deeply skilled in it.

She understood that ordinary bloodline reverting and mutation could never allow a Moonshadow Wolf to grow to the third stage in just a century.

It could either be nurtured with beast taming techniques, overdrawing its bloodline potential, or perhaps it was a bloodline treasure! As for feeding a second-stage beast with third-stage Beast Cores, that kind of simplistic cultivation method was never in her consideration.

Even as a Nascent Soul seed from Beast God Mountain, she couldn’t afford such extravagance, let alone a newly established Core Formation family.

“Alright, this matter will be investigated by me. If it’s true, there will be heavy rewards!”

The Holy Maiden spoke with a voice full of authority and charisma.

While she was very concerned about the cultivation of the Moonshadow Wolf, she wouldn’t travel all the way to Jiang Kingdom for just a piece of news.

Not to mention the imminent opening of the Mirage Domain of Vast Sands; she needed to carry out her inspection tasks.

Even if she had the time, it wouldn’t be wise to risk crossing Yue Kingdom and infiltrating Jiang Kingdom.

After speaking, she took out a vial of pills from her Storage Ring and handed it to her subordinate, signaling him to leave. Then she crushed a jade token.

After a while, a figure wearing a dark mask and clad in tight black armor arrived.

“Your Highness!”

The Holy Maiden was not only a Nascent Soul seed of Beast God Mountain but also a direct descendant of the Nascent Soul True Monarch of Beast God Mountain.

Thus, after demonstrating her remarkable talent, her family had trained several personal guards for her.

In the future, whether breaking through to Nascent Soul or taking on the position of Sect Leader, she could rely on this direct power to control Beast God Mountain, possessing sufficient deterrence and influence.

“Shadow, I’ve received news that the Talisman Lu Family in Jiang Kingdom has cultivated a Moonshadow Wolf with a reverted bloodline to the third stage.”

“You need to investigate how much of the Wolf’s Moonshadow bloodline has awakened and how Lu Changsheng managed to cultivate it to the third stage in a century. If it’s true, bring that Moonshadow Wolf back!”

The Holy Maiden instructed her personal guard, bestowing a third-stage Beast Taming Ring.

Although this guard was only at the initial stage of Core Formation, she was proficient in assassination, capable of taking down even Core Formation cultivators.

The Talisman Lu Family was just a newly established Core Formation family, and the Moonshadow Wolf had only just broken through to the third stage; so her presence would suffice.

Moreover, the Beast Taming Ring she bestowed was extraordinary, with the ability to tame and enslave third-stage demon kings! Even if the Moonshadow Wolf had a reverted and mutated bloodline, using this ring would still allow her to control it.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Shadow accepted the Beast Taming Ring, her gaze firm as she bowed deeply. Her body, tightly encased in the black armor, had a graceful and curvaceous silhouette, her slender waist bending slightly like a willow branch, exuding both elegance and strength.

Then, she seemed to transform into a shadow and disappeared without a trace.

“You’er, let’s go.”

After finishing her tasks, the Holy Maiden called out to the Moonshadow Wolf on the distant stone platform.

“Roar!”

The Moonshadow Wolf growled low, its majestic form darting toward her like a streak of deep purple lightning.

The Holy Maiden lightly stepped, landing gracefully on the powerful body of the Moonshadow Wolf.

Her fair, long legs, filled with powerful, smooth lines, contrasted sharply with the dark purple fur of the Moonshadow Wolf, making her look pure and enchanting.

As time passed, news about the Immortal City of Da Mengze gradually spread throughout the Jiang Kingdom’s cultivation world.

Although this news was astonishing, it did not impact ordinary cultivators much.

After all, no matter how shocking the events in the cultivation world were, they had nothing to do with those making a few Spirit Stones a month.

However, many cultivators were paying attention to the situation in Da Mengze, considering settling there to establish family forces.

First, Da Mengze was inherently more stable than Nine Heavens Immortal City and Immortal City of Qingluan.

Now that they had survived the fourth-stage beast tide, there should be no disasters for the next hundred years.

Second, this beast tide would surely leave many islands and spiritual veins under attack by demon beasts or cultivators killed.

At this time, while not aiming to be an island lord, finding a spiritual vein or cave for cultivation would still be relatively simple.

Third, Da Mengze had Nascent Soul-level combat power, so safety was not a concern.

Moreover, having just experienced such a beast tide, the prices of demon beast materials in Da Mengze would surely drop, making it possible to obtain some resources.

“The City Lord of Da Mengze has slain a fourth-stage demon king.”

However, some high-level cultivators were alarmed upon hearing this news.

For instance, Wan Hu Zhenren, who had challenged the City Lord of Da Mengze years ago.

As the person involved, he had realized the City Lord’s power was extraordinary.

But he never expected it to be this outrageous.

At this moment, he pondered whether he should visit the Immortal City of Da Mengze to congratulate or simply flee far from Jiang Kingdom.

But now, the Southern Desolation’s cultivation world was also brewing with undercurrents, far less stable than Jiang Kingdom.

After thinking for a long time, recalling that he had already used all his family assets as compensation, he dispelled the idea of congratulations; at most, he would just avoid places where the City Lord of Da Mengze appeared.

Immortal City of Da Mengze.

Originally planning to enter seclusion, Ling Zixiao had started to get busy again, handling matters of the Immortal City.

According to Lu Qingsong’s statistics, the impact of this beast tide had greatly affected Da Mengze, with over a dozen islands severely damaged.

Not only from the beast tide but also due to rogue cultivators taking advantage of the chaos.

In response to this situation, Ling Zixiao immediately arranged for the law enforcement team to hunt down the rogue cultivators and issued an order that no conflicts or disputes could arise among any island forces for the next ten years.

Generally, after major casualties, a jurisdiction would choose to recuperate.

On this day, Lu Lingxiao and Lu Wangshu rode the Abyssal Sea Whale King back to Immortal City of Da Mengze, flying toward the City Lord’s Mansion under the awe-filled gazes of countless people.

Seeing Lu Wangshu dressed in a luxurious golden gown and wearing a gilded mask, everyone speculated about her identity.

They thought, could this be the daughter of the City Lord? “Mother.”

“Auntie.”

Upon arriving at the City Lord’s Mansion, the two immediately called out upon seeing Ling Zixiao.

“Zixiao, Wangshu, you’re back? How was your harvest?”

Ling Zixiao, knowing that the two had gone out to clear the area with the Abyssal Sea Whale King for the past few months, greeted them with an elegant smile, exuding grace.

“The harvest was quite abundant. My Storage Ring and Wangshu’s are completely full; we had to store most in Da Hei’s stomach. There are also many crystal ores we couldn’t fit in, so we had to leave them behind.”

Lu Lingxiao replied.

Although both he and Lu Wangshu had Storage Rings and multiple Storage Pouches.

The bounty from this trip was just too much.

Moreover, the corpses, bones of demon beasts, crystal ores, sea stones, and so on were very heavy and took up space, making it impossible to fit much in the Storage Pouches.

“Later, you should call Qingsong and the others to help transport it with a cargo box.”

Ling Zixiao knew that Lu Wangshu had a penchant for wealth and had surely brought back all valuable findings.

“Okay.”

Lu Lingxiao nodded and asked, “Mother, is Father home?”

“Your father is in seclusion. What’s the matter?”

Ling Zixiao noticed her son seemed to be looking for Lu Changsheng.

“Da Hei said it feels like its bloodline is about to break through and advance, but it needs to undergo the True Spirit Tribulation, so it’s planning to go to the Sea Eye for the tribulation. I wanted to ask if Father is available.”

Lu Lingxiao said.

“True Spirit Tribulation!?”

Ling Zixiao’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

She knew that demon beast bloodlines were classified into low, middle, high, earth, heaven, and the legendary True Spirit bloodlines! But she was unclear on how a demon beast’s bloodline advanced to the True Spirit level.

She also didn’t understand what the True Spirit Tribulation was.

“Yes, we’re not sure either. Da Hei said its bloodline is nearly at its limit and must pass the True Spirit Tribulation to advance.”

Lu Lingxiao replied.

He and Lu Wangshu had just learned that a demon beast’s bloodline had to undergo a tribulation to advance to the True Spirit level.

“I’ll send a message to your father now.”

Lu Changsheng had mentioned to send him a message whenever there was something important.

In Ling Zixiao’s view, the Abyssal Sea Whale King undergoing tribulation to advance its True Spirit bloodline was definitely a top priority!

In the back hall of the City Lord’s Mansion, Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged among the corpse of the Void Kun, his body radiating a blend of Buddhist light and demonic patterns.

The life essence and primal essence of the Void Kun flowed around him like a rushing river, morphing into forms resembling Kun fish, roaring and crashing against his body, then being refined into masses of red mist, rising to nourish his flesh and organs.

Lu Changsheng’s blood energy surged, exuding a regal aura that was both majestic and filled with an underlying malevolence, creating a striking and harmonious contradiction, akin to the interplay of yin and yang.

The “True Saint Skill of Brahma and Demons” not only requires dual cultivation of both Buddha and Demons but also demands a continuous balance between the two in one’s mindset.

Fortunately, Lu Changsheng possessed the “Yin-Yang Creation Sutra,” allowing him to control the true meaning of Buddha and Demons through the mastery of yin and yang; otherwise, he would have struggled with his state of mind.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, Lu Changsheng felt a stirring in his heart and opened his eyes, his pupils slowly rotating like a swastika, with demonic flames flickering around him.

“Does the Abyssal Sea Whale King need to face the True Spirit Tribulation to advance?”

Seeing the letter from Ling Zixiao, Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow.

It’s not just Lu Lingxiao and Ling Zixiao who were unaware of the True Spirit Tribulation.

Even he didn’t know that the Abyssal Sea Whale needed to undergo a tribulation to ascend to the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale.

This was quite sudden.

However, the speed of the other party’s advancement had surpassed his expectations.

Without delay, Lu Changsheng rose and exited the body of the Void Kun.

He took a moment to observe.

It was evident that the body of the Void Kun appeared much more withered and dull than before.

He estimated that once he finished cultivating the “True Saint Skill of Brahma and Demons,” it would be reduced to mere remnants.

“If I don’t use the Demon Core, it would still be somewhat difficult.”

The essence of a demon beast lies in its Demon Core!

Lu Changsheng planned to use the Void Kun’s Demon Core to refine a spirit treasure embryo, replenishing his ethereal body’s origin and cultivating his domain.

So, this Void Kun, which had just broken through to the fourth tier, seemed a bit lacking in his eyes.

He cast a cleaning spell and entered the hall.

“My lord.”

“Father!”

Ling Zixiao, Lu Lingxiao, and Lu Wangshu waited there.

“Alright, I will handle this matter.”

Lu Changsheng said directly, then communicated with the Abyssal Sea Whale through his spirit, inquiring about its confidence in facing the True Spirit Tribulation.

The Abyssal Sea Whale immediately expressed that it had no issues with the tribulation.

Its bloodline was already at a critical point, and the dual-headed flood dragon’s Demon Core, along with the fourth-tier stone dragon heart and the Eight-Legged Demon Fish, had not been fully digested; the True Spirit Tribulation would be perfect for complete refinement.

However, it required a good environment for the tribulation.

For it, the best environment was the sea eye in Da Mengze.

But there would be other demon beasts at the sea eye. Normally it wasn’t afraid, but if sea beasts came to disrupt the tribulation, it would be troublesome.

Therefore, besides reporting, it hoped that Lu Changsheng could assist in protecting it.

“Since you are confident, then let’s go.”

Lu Changsheng nodded in response.

However, when calling for the Golden-Winged Roc, he thought for a moment and decided to release three gourds of essence blood from the Void Kun, which could serve as a major supplement when the Abyssal Sea Whale needed it.

“Are you sure you can face the tribulation?”

Lu Changsheng confirmed repeatedly.

If the latter felt the tribulation was dangerous, he could use the time to gather some natural spiritual materials to refine a couple of treasures to assist with the tribulation and some healing pills.

After all, he had invested so much time and effort to finally cultivate it to the point of bloodline advancement.

If it failed the tribulation and fell under the heavenly calamity, Lu Changsheng would be furious enough to spit blood.

“Master, don’t worry!”

The Abyssal Sea Whale confidently stated that its breakthrough was a matter of course, not merely achieved through burning its bloodline to break the limits.

“Alright.”

After confirming, Lu Changsheng nodded.

Before leaving, Lu Changsheng and his children, Lu Lingxiao and Lu Wangshu, moved all the gains from the Abyssal Sea Whale’s body out.

With his Heavenly Yuan Lotus, Storage Belt, and Inconceivable Treasure Wheel, transporting these treasures became much easier.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Lu Changsheng looked at the miscellaneous array of demon beast corpses, demon cores, crystal ores, and spirit medicines, unable to help but marvel.

Although most were first and second tier, with only a few third tier,

the sheer quantity was still quite terrifying.

Lu Changsheng estimated that the combined value of these assorted corpses and materials was worth several million spirit stones.

However, given the current situation of the Lu family, there was no need to sell them.

Special demon cores could be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

Demon beast corpses could serve as materials for talismans, weapon crafting, puppet making, and more.

Now, the Lu family’s puppets were no longer limited to merely relying on his blueprints from earlier years.

They could now design and manufacture based on materials, such as demon beast skeletons.

However, this type of puppet required much more time and effort, making it less convenient than a streamlined production line.

“Zixiao, please take the time to sort and clean these up. I will go out with Da Hei for a bit.”

After moving all the materials to a large hall in the City Lord’s mansion, Lu Changsheng said to Ling Zixiao.

“Sure!”

Ling Zixiao replied with a light smile.

“Father, what does the True Spirit Tribulation look like? Why don’t you take me along to see it!”

Lu Wangshu, seeing her father and Da Hei preparing to head to the sea eye for the tribulation, spoke up.

The common tribulations in the cultivation world are usually the Nascent Soul Tribulation for cultivators or the transformation tribulation for demon beasts.

“That sea eye is deep within Da Mengze, where it suppresses magical power and consciousness, as you’ve experienced before. Moreover, the greatest danger with the True Spirit Tribulation isn’t the tribulation itself, but rather that Da Hei’s bloodline advancement will attract the attention of other demon kings, which could lead to danger.”

Lu Changsheng explained to his daughter.

This wasn’t just idle talk; it was based on what Da Hei described about the True Spirit Tribulation and his speculations on heavenly calamities.

Previously, Hong Lian mentioned that for a Core Formation cultivator to break through to the Nascent Soul, timing, location, and support all matter, including hidden luck.

If the environment isn’t suitable, or if luck runs out, and someone disrupts the breakthrough, perhaps a rival seeks revenge, then this breakthrough will undoubtedly be severely affected.

Just like the Supreme Elder of the Yin Ghost Sect.

This person took decades from announcing the news to actually breaking through the Nascent Soul, ultimately relying on the Liang Kingdom’s influence to deplete the source of the treasure, the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool, before managing to break through amidst the disruptions from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

And there’s True Lord Juejian.

His cultivation should have allowed him to challenge the Nascent Soul long ago.

But to be cautious and to refine a better quality Nascent Soul, he waited until the appearance of the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm to quietly break through.

Demon beasts follow the principle of survival of the fittest, and infighting among the same kind is quite severe.

The Abyssal Sea Whale’s breakthrough indicated that the heavenly calamity wouldn’t be too dangerous, which naturally led Lu Changsheng to speculate in that direction.

“Alright then.”

Lu Wangshu understood the gravity of the situation and immediately wished her father a safe journey and success for Da Hei’s tribulation.

“Once Da Hei breaks through to the fourth tier, I’ll let you have a good time riding him.”

Lu Changsheng had promised to lend the Abyssal Sea Whale to his daughter, but over the years, it mostly remained in slumber to digest the dual-headed flood dragon’s Demon Core.

So, the outing had been postponed.

“Thanks, Dad!”

Even though she had been let down by her father’s promises over the years, Lu Wangshu still understood.

On this trip, Lu Changsheng not only prepared materials for formations but also brought along the “Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror.”

After all, being prepared for such matters is never a bad idea.

A month and a half later, Lu Changsheng rode the Abyssal Sea Whale to the sea eye in Da Mengze.

This sea eye was also occupied by a late-stage third-tier demon king.

“Sigh, I really don’t want to kill!”

Lu Changsheng sighed.

But to prevent it from calling a mate for revenge after being driven away now, Lu Changsheng could only commit to killing, drawing out the Da Luo Sword Embryo.

After a long while.

“So poor!”

Lu Changsheng looked at the scattered crystal ores in the sea eye’s nest, shaking his head.

But thinking about it, it made sense; these demon kings mostly came from the Starry Sea.

They likely didn’t do well or were driven away, fleeing to this side, hence they hadn’t accumulated much wealth.

Immediately, Lu Changsheng set up a formation at the sea eye.

It wasn’t some forbidden grand array; it was just a simple concealment array, a third-tier formation with spirit gathering, healing, and defense capabilities.

Although Lu Changsheng was a top-tier third-tier formation master.

The work involved in setting up a forbidden grand array wasn’t something a single person could accomplish.

Just like the time when Bihu Mountain set up a second-tier array, even with many people working together, it took more than a year.

After spending over a month, Lu Changsheng completed the third-tier formation and then settled down to wait for the Abyssal Sea Whale’s True Spirit Tribulation to arrive.