Chapter 455 54: Handover

The Underground Fire Cave.

This was the place Pei Jingque used for Alchemy.

The Bright Void Sect's Array channeled the power of the Earth Veins, condensing it into a single strand of Earth Evil True Flame capable of tempering all things.

At this very moment.

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged atop the Earth Evil True Flame, his Physical Body glowing crimson as he allowed the True Flame to burn him continuously.

CRACKLE... POP...

A series of minute, crackling sounds echoed ceaselessly as his body trembled slightly in response.

His tightly furrowed brow spoke of the agony Zhu Ju was enduring. Beads of sweat evaporated the instant they formed, seared away by the intense heat.

This True Flame, hot enough to melt Magical Treasures, seeped into his body as wisps of fire, searing and incinerating every organ, every bone, down to every last cell.

Only in this way,

could he suppress the turmoil of the chaotic bloodlines within him.

Although Zhu Ju's Physical Body was powerful now, it was like a monster forcibly stitched together from countless bloodlines.

The various bloodlines twisted his Physical Body and his very genes, threatening to tear him apart.

Only the constant, searing True Flame could make these chaotic bloodlines temporarily cease their infighting and unite against a common enemy.

But this was no long-term solution.

"Martial Uncle."

Shui Qianning's voice drifted down from above:

"You were looking for us?"

"Yes."

Zhu Ju looked up, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it in an instant.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a Token upwards.

"From this day forward, you are the twenty-sixth Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect. This is the Sect Leader Token. It can open all of the Bright Void Sect's treasure vaults, including the Secret Realm."

"Ah!"

Shui Qianning was stunned.

"Martial Uncle, I'm afraid this is..."

"Say no more!"

Zhu Ju's voice was heavy.

"Your master's Primordial Spirit was damaged. It is unknown when she will awaken—a century at the soonest. My situation is similar to my wife's, and I have neither the strength nor the inclination to handle the Sect's affairs."

"A country cannot go a day without its ruler, and a Sect cannot go a day without its master. You are the most suitable person to be the Sect Leader."

"..." Shui Qianning opened her mouth.

"Yes!"

She already knew about Pei Jingque's condition and was aware that her master's Primordial Spirit was inside the Jingque Sword.

Her master had become a Sword Spirit.

Moreover,

there was no telling when she would awaken.

The Bright Void Sect truly needed a Sect Leader.

"Also..." Zhu Ju hesitated for a moment, a flicker of reluctance on his face, before tossing out another object.

"This is The Investiture of the Gods, an Ancient Exotic Treasure I came across by chance. It contains a Tier Three Middle Grade Twelve Celestial Star Array. You only need to feed it a certain amount of Spirit Stones to deploy the Array anytime, anywhere."

"Take this as well!"

"Ah!" Shui Qianning's heart leaped in shock.

"Martial Uncle, this item is far too valuable! This junior cannot accept it."

A Treasure that could set up a Tier Three Middle Grade Grand Array anytime, anywhere... She had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen one.

A treasure like this was more precious than a Golden Core Grandmaster.

"You are the Sect Leader. How can you not have a protective treasure?"

Zhu Ju shook his head.

"I told you to take it, so take it. You have an Innate Dao Body. You should use the Sect's resources to reach Core Formation as quickly as possible. Only then will you have the strength to truly lead the Sect. Relying on external objects is not a long-term solution."

"...Yes." Shui Qianning pressed her lips together and slowly bowed her head.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle."

"Xi Chen."

"Present."

Xi Chen, who had been standing by silently, took a step forward and cupped his fists.

"Your instructions, Master."

"This is for you." Zhu Ju raised his hand, and a palm-sized Spirit House flew out and landed before him.

A Spirit House was valuable, but not extraordinarily so.

The crucial part...

was what was inside!

The Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo!

Xi Chen's breath hitched.

Beside him, Shui Qianning, the newly appointed Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect, also had eyes shining with unconcealed envy.

This was a Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo, something a Golden Core Grandmaster would fight to the death for, and it was being given to Xi Chen.

"Master!"

Xi Chen's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly dropped to his knees.

"You mustn't!"

"This Treasure is too great! This disciple is unworthy..."

"Listen to me." Zhu Ju's voice was slow, but his tone was unquestionable.

"To resist my tribulation, I shattered my own Golden Core and lost my Magical Power. I can no longer refine The Investiture of the Gods or the Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo."

"I have also withdrawn all of my Divine Thought from the Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo. It's just an empty shell now."

"Urgh..."

A sudden, sharp pain made Zhu Ju pause. He took a moment to recover before continuing.

"But you must be careful. The Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo is tainted with Dao Poison. You need to use the Spirit Cleansing Spell on it once a month to purge it, or else it will develop a chaotic consciousness. At that point, not even a Golden Core would be able to control it."

"Master." Xi Chen's expression shifted, and he then nodded firmly.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Master!"

"This disciple will certainly cultivate diligently, form my Golden Core as soon as possible, and protect the Sect from outsiders."

Although the Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo was tainted with Dao Poison, it was a Late-Stage Golden Core artifact. Not only did it possess the power to crush an ordinary Golden Core, but it could also help Xi Chen increase his Cultivation at a speed far exceeding his current rate.

It was comparable to taking Spiritual Elixirs and Medicines every day.

With its help, he believed it wouldn't be long before he reached Dao Foundation Perfection and broke through to the Golden Core Realm.

"Good."

Zhu Ju nodded and slowly closed his eyes, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

"You may go."

"Inform me when a message arrives from the Profound Clarity Sect."

"Yes."

"This junior takes his leave."

Laden with treasures, Xi Chen and Shui Qianning glanced one last time at the Fire Acupoint before respectfully departing.

*

*

*

Zhu Ju emerged from underground.

Suddenly stepping out from the pitch-darkness into the blazing sun, the abrupt change in light would typically cause discomfort.

The eyes, especially, would shut instinctively.

But he was different.

The moment the light began to change, his pupils constricted, adjusting naturally.

And that was not all.

Zhu Ju took a deep breath. The Skin and Flesh on his back split open, and a pair of wings—partly feathered, partly like Curved Sabers—slowly unfurled.

With a gentle flap.

WHOOSH!

Amidst a surge of wind and thunder, Zhu Ju's body transformed into a streak of white light that pierced the thick cloud cover and vanished.

「A short time later.」

He appeared over a desolate wasteland.

As far as the eye could see, there was only barren, empty land.

But as a subtle change occurred in Zhu Ju's eyes, countless spatial rifts floating in the void came into view.

"The bamboo's shadow sweeps the steps, yet no dust is stirred. The moon pierces the pond's bottom, yet the water shows no trace."

A melodious, slow voice rang out:

"A golden-scaled fish that slips the net is no mere pond-dweller. Shedding its armor, it can still transform into an azure wave."

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist. You have broken free from your cage and forged a new path, unlike this old man, who cannot part with a millennium of decay."

The void shimmered.

A figure strode forth from a thousand li away, arriving before him in just two steps.

'Void Shifting?'

The Void Shifting ability of his Outer Body Incarnation, 'Wukong,' seemed like a joke in front of this person.

"Qingyuan True Man!"

Zhu Ju's expression turned solemn as he cupped his fists.

"I never imagined the True Man himself would come in person."

The newcomer was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Profound Clarity Sect, Qingyuan True Man, one of the three Nascent Soul True Man in the world today.

"You are too kind, young friend."

Qingyuan True Man had a fair, beardless face and wore a simple gray Daoist Robe. He looked no different from a common Daoist of the Mortal World, utterly unremarkable.

He looked at Zhu Ju and gave a serene smile.

"For a fellow Daoist to abandon his Golden Core in pursuit of the Great Dao... this old man is truly impressed."

"It was an act of desperation," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

"If I'd had a choice, I... would never have made this decision so soon."

"Haha..." Qingyuan True Man laughed heartily. With a light wave of his long sleeve, a Jade Scroll floated over.

"This is the inheritance of the Formless Seal. It contains the ancient True Inheritance, as well as our Sect's modifications. Young friend, you may study it all."

"Senior." Zhu Ju's eyebrows shot up, his expression shifting.

"This junior is ashamed to receive such kindness."

"I'm not giving it to you for free," Qingyuan True Man said, shaking his head.

"Shattering the Core to form the Soul is a dead end. Your path of the Physical Body, young friend, though arduous, may not be impossible. If you succeed, you will have illuminated a new path for all the world's Cultivators. That would be a Great Merit."

"Furthermore..."

"I need you to do me a favor, young friend."

"Oh?" Zhu Ju's expression grew serious.

"What favor?"

"Kill the Six Paths Demon Monarch!" Qingyuan True Man's face turned grim.

"As long as that fiend lives, the Cultivation Realm will know no peace."