Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

Cuiluo Mountain, Daluo Palace.

Gu Zhao saw Taoist Ming Chong, who had returned to prepare for Alchemy. He also saw the great centipede, which was still nearly a foot long after being refined, and the Heart Wheel Magical Treasure brimming with Bloodthirsty Demon Qi.

After killing the red-bearded man, Taoist Shen Hao spoke with Zhan Qing for a while before returning to the He Yan Mansion.

Taoist Xu Ning and Taoist Yuan He also left, but they were still traveling through Yazhou. If any real danger arose, they could return at a moment’s notice.

Only Taoist Ming Chong took the Heart Wheel, the source of the incident, and the red-bearded man’s true Body. He excitedly returned to Daluo Palace, ready to fire up his furnace for Alchemy.

"Centipedes are a key ingredient in traditional medicine. I’ve already examined this one, and its medicinal properties are excellent," Taoist Ming Chong said enthusiastically. "If I pair it with a few Spirit Medicines, I might be able to refine a whole furnace of good Elixirs."

"We might not need them, but for the other disciples of Daluo Palace, this is a rare and valuable medicine." Taoist Ming Chong waved the centipede in his hand, causing several nearby Star Officials to drool with envy.

The many Daoists who had received Gu Zhao’s Thunder Seed naturally had no need for external aids. The Evil Qi they harvested from Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits alone was enough for them to advance their Dao Practice. They only ever faced the issue of advancing too quickly and needing time to consolidate their cultivation, never the problem of their cultivation speed being too slow.

But Daluo Palace was establishing itself in the Otherworld, so it couldn’t rely solely on these few dozen old Daoists. By now, counting the headquarters and the branch temples, the number of disciples with Magical Power had grown to several hundred. They could already be considered a major power.

These people didn’t have a Thunder Seed to act as a cheat code. Even practicing Taoist Skills, their speed wouldn’t be much faster than that of other Demons and Ghosts.

Huang Yuan, He Feng, and Bi Yingying, who had all broken through to five hundred years of Dao Practice after joining Daluo Palace, were all experts who had previously been stuck at a bottleneck. It was only with the help of the Taoist Skills that they could solidify their foundations and break through in one go.

Even Zhuo Qingyan, who practiced the Fengyue Sect’s Cultivation Technique and had engaged in dual cultivation with Gu Zhao the most, had yet to surpass five hundred years of Dao Practice.

And Zhuo Qingyan herself was already considered an exceptionally talented Cultivator in this world.

Therefore, for them, any Elixir that could increase their Dao Practice was extremely precious. The fewer the side effects, the greater the value.

The red centipede in Taoist Ming Chong’s hand had a true Body with nearly two thousand years of Dao Practice. It was also a highly nourishing insect-based medicine. One could only imagine how potent the Elixir would be if it were refined from this!

So, the few Star Officials who cultivated Taoist Skills and were advancing their Dao Practice, albeit at a much slower pace than the old Daoists, had their eyes shining.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle. Please try your best to refine a Celestial Grade Elixir," Gu Zhao said with a smile.

As mentioned before, Daluo Palace was becoming more and more formalized. The Magical Talismans sold on a daily basis were categorized into Heavenly, Earthly, Mystic, and Yellow tiers. This system was gradually expanded, and Elixirs were also roughly divided into levels based on their medicinal properties and potency.

And an Elixir refined from a great centipede’s two-thousand-year Dao Practice Body would absolutely meet the criteria for a Celestial Grade Elixir.

Taoist Ming Chong laughed heartily. "Of course!"

Then he handed the Heart Wheel to Gu Zhao. "This is the Magical Treasure that lured the great centipede."

Gu Zhao took the Heart Wheel and finally laid eyes on the so-called life-bound Magical Treasure of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch, which was said to grant the user a Great Technique and the hope of Ascension to the Spirit Realm.

It was a round, hollow, wheel-like Magical Treasure. It felt like metal to the touch, but was softer than ordinary metal. There were eighteen protrusions on the outer edge and twelve on the inner edge, and its surface was carved with unknown patterns.

Gu Zhao wiped away the seal Taoist Ming Chong had placed on the wheel. A ferocious, tyrannical aura surged out, and several faint Runes appeared on the Heart Wheel’s surface.

At the same time, Gu Zhao could feel the Runes emitting some kind of intangible Spiritual Telekinesis. Although it was extremely subtle, it was continuous, shooting out in all directions.

Gu Zhao reached out a finger and sealed the Heart Wheel again. "No wonder that centipede was able to track it down."

Taoist Ming Chong nodded. "Changyi and the others have shallow Dao Practice and couldn’t sense this Telekinesis. The centipede just happened to be not far from them, so it found them immediately."

"And in turn, we harvested a great centipede we can use for Alchemy!" Gu Zhao laughed.

Taoist Ming Chong asked, "This Magical Treasure seems to be of decent quality. Sect Leader, what do you plan to do with it? Cleanse it and refine it into a Taoist Magical Artifact?"

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "You have an idea, Uncle?"

Taoist Ming Chong nodded. "This Spiritual Telekinesis might be an imprint left by the Six-Headed Divine Monarch, allowing him and his disciples to sense it. That must be why that person pursued it all the way to the Central Plains after the treasure was lost."

Gu Zhao understood. "If this treasure could lure him here, it can naturally lure his other martial brothers as well."

The red-bearded man had over a thousand, almost two thousand years of Dao Practice. He was also tyrannical by nature, had killed countless people, and his body was thick with Evil Qi as black as ink. It was a huge gain for Taoist Ming Chong and the others; even Gu Zhao managed to condense a Thunder Seed from it.

And there were possibly five more just like him!

No wonder Taoist Ming Chong was tempted. Killing these five fellows, all full of Evil Qi, would be almost equivalent to killing another Ink Flood Dragon!

"Yes, that’s a good idea," Gu Zhao said with a smile. "But Daluo Palace is too far from the Southern Border. No matter how strong the Spiritual Power released by these Runes is, it won’t reach that far. We might have to go there ourselves when the time comes."

Taoist Ming Chong also smiled. "We’re not in a hurry."

Gu Zhao then stored the Heart Wheel in the gourd at his waist. "Indeed, we’re not in a hurry. I’ll put this thing back in the storeroom later and take it out when we need it."

Taoist Ming Chong nodded and asked Gu Zhao via voice transmission, "Is it my turn to be on duty at the research hall again?"

"Uncle Jing Chun is there now." Gu Zhao calculated the days. "It’s almost time. Three days left."

"Perfect. By the time I finish refining this furnace of Elixirs, it should be about time." Holding the centipede, Taoist Ming Chong ambled toward the Alchemy Hall on the back mountain. "I’ll go pick a Ganoderma mushroom, its properties should be a perfect match."

As he walked, Taoist Ming Chong called out to several Star Officials not far away. "Come, come, act as my Guardians. When the Elixirs are ready, you can each have one to try."

The few Star Officials, eager to join the fun, chuckled and followed along without any pretense of politeness.

Niu Jinniu Liu Han and his wife, Void Sun Rat Chu Yurong, as well as the brothers Golden Sheep of Ghost Yang Chi and Zhang Yuelu Lu Yue, had not yet broken through. They were all eagerly anticipating this Elixir.

Fire Monkey of Turtle Beak Hou Hao and The Monkey Yuan Lin had just joined Daluo Palace and were still a bit shy, but Earth Badger of Di He Feng grabbed them and pulled them along.

"The Elders are all very kind, don’t be shy. Elder Ming Chong’s Alchemy skills are second to none. A single Elixir from him can stabilize your Dao Practice and Magical Power right after a breakthrough.

Good medicine is hard to find these days, and it’s rare for Elder Ming Chong to fire up his furnace for Alchemy. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around often. If you miss it this time, who knows when the next one will be."

Taoist Ming Chong laughed heartily and also waved to the Fire Monkey of Turtle Beak and The Monkey. "Come and be my Guardians!"