Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

In an instant, boundless despair surged in their hearts. Restrained by Xuzhuang’s Innate Tai Su Grand Capture, they couldn’t even open their mouths to beg for mercy. They could only watch as he killed Wang Jiao with a single strike. Xuzhuang seemed to savor the moment, reflecting for a short while before finally turning his gaze upon them.

Of course, Xuzhuang wasn’t savoring the kill—the man hadn’t even been a strong opponent. Instead, he was contemplating the thunder skill he had just put to its first test.

Compared to the Shenxiao Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder, this new thunder skill of his was sourced from his own Yin Yang Dao Skill, generating Yin and Yang Thunder. In terms of the power of a single, alternating yin-and-yang strike, it already surpassed his Jade Pivot Divine Thunder and Purple Refining Divine Thunder, which he had only mastered in form.

However, his technique was far too inefficient. The Shenxiao Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder had been created by a master of the Yuxiao Sect, and its Cultivation Method was exceedingly profound. It compressed the time needed to generate thunder from Magical Power and to have countless bolts strike in alternation into an incredibly short span.

Even with his immense Magical Power, Xuzhuang could cast and strike with the Shenxiao Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder in a mere instant.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

By comparison, he could currently only manage to strike with fewer than a hundred bolts of Yin and Yang Thunder in that same instant. And to do so, he had to expend a great deal of extra Magical Power to compensate for his still-imperfect Cultivation Method.

Therefore, this thunder skill still had much room for improvement, and by extension, a limitless future.

Setting aside the many ideas for improvement that had just sprung to mind, Xuzhuang swept his gaze over the captives. Though these Nascent Soul Cultivators possessed considerable cultivation, they were bound by his Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture. Without some astonishing skill or bizarre technique, escape was utterly impossible.

In other words, these Nascent Soul Cultivators were as good as helpless before him. With a single thought, Xuzhuang could crush them all to death, and it would cost him but a sliver of Magical Power at most.

However, that would be meaningless to Xuzhuang. After a moment’s thought, an idea came to him.

Xuzhuang suddenly raised a finger again, channeling a silent ray of thunder. He focused on condensing it, and in just a few moments, the ray of light transformed into a faintly glowing, bluish-purple Thunder Pearl.

’As expected, that wasn’t difficult,’ Xuzhuang thought with a faint smile. While he usually overwhelmed his foes with sheer Magical Power, he had actually integrated the three great legacies of Tai Su. Their respective profundities had always advanced in tandem, and his Tai Su True Form Scripture had similarly reached an incredible realm.

The Tai Su True Form Scripture granted him exquisite control over his Magical Power and the ability to transform things at will. This helped him comprehend changes in form and substance, create new Dao skills, multitask in combat, and fluidly adapt his techniques. While its effects weren’t always direct, they were undeniable.

He was now using the Tai Su True Form Scripture’s exquisite control over Magical Power and Dao skills, along with its power of transformation, to forcibly refine a bolt of World-Ending Yin Thunder into an object resembling a Red Fire Gang Thunder. The function of this new object, however, was vastly different.

After creating a World-Ending Yin Thunder Pearl, Xuzhuang repeated the technique, this time using Heaven-Opening Yang Thunder. Having refined these two Thunder Pearls, he flicked his finger, and they shot directly into one of the Seven Friends of Huangshan Lake, disappearing inside his body in an instant.

The man’s eyes filled with a mixture of horror and confusion. Xuzhuang offered no explanation. Only after he had done the same to each of them did he say coolly, "You have all witnessed the power of my Heaven-Opening Yang Thunder and World-Ending Yin Thunder."

"These two Thunder Pearls will detonate the instant I will it, or if you leave the range covered by my spiritual sense. They will instantly detonate, turning you to ash from the inside out."

The five from Huangshan Lake were still restrained and couldn’t respond. Xuzhuang didn’t beat around the bush, stating bluntly, "You were blinded by greed. Even if you forfeited your lives for it, it would only be what you deserve. However, I have no interest in slaughtering helpless cultivators."

... To think that the great Seven—or rather, Five—Friends of Huangshan Lake, all cultivators at the second level of the Nascent Soul realm, would be spoken of in such a way.

But they could not speak, nor did they have anything to say.

Xuzhuang ignored the bitterness in their eyes and said coolly, "But I am no merciful saint who repays grievances with virtue. That is why I’ve planted these restrictions in you. I want you to perform a difficult task for me."

"If you perform well enough, once the matter is concluded, I will consider your crimes redeemed. Is that clear?"

As he finished speaking, Xuzhuang loosened the restraints slightly. The five men from Huangshan Lake regained a little mobility. They exchanged glances, managed a few bitter smiles, and replied in unison, "You are merciful, Fellow Daoist. We will humbly follow your commands."