Chapter 637: A Difference in Philosophy

‘The Primordial Yang Divine Thunder is extremely rigid and fierce, the bane of all things demonic and of Yin Qi. But it lacks versatility and staying power. It cannot be considered a top-tier Thunder Skill.’

Successful at a young age and mentored by a renowned master, his fortune was truly unparalleled.

On his very first journey, he obtained the legacy of the Profound Nether Qi Formless Divine Thunder. It was inevitable that Lii Guizhen would develop an arrogant attitude, looking down on the Cultivators around him.

He measured himself against figures like his own Master and Ancestor Ge Cang.

His Master’s achievement of reaching the Nascent Soul realm at just over 150 years old was too astonishing, rivaling even the sages of Ancient Times. He was left far in the dust.

Ancestor Ge Cang, who was also famous for his Thunder Skills, thus became the target he aimed to surpass.

It was because of this that Lii Guizhen had been so eager to break through, wanting to avoid being left too far behind.

But the failed attempt at Breaking Realm made him understand the vast gulf in talent between himself and Ancestor Ge Cang.

If Lii Guizhen was a prodigy within a single nation, a promising candidate for the Nascent Soul realm, then Ge Cang was a heaven-sent genius who reigned supreme over an entire region. He was the kind of talent who could contend with the most brilliant Cultivators of his generation for a place on the grand stage at the very peak of the Cultivation Realm.

As for his Master, he was a Banished Immortal, a figure to be compared with the most illustrious names in the long River of Time, destined to achieve deeds that would last for millennia.

However, this failure was like a sharp blow to the head, jolting him completely awake.

Otherwise, if he had only discovered this after reaching Core Formation Perfection, when his Pill Discussion had already solidified, it would have been far too late for regrets.

The long period of secluded cultivation to heal his injuries not only tempered some of Lii Guizhen’s arrogance but also allowed him to complete his Pill Discussion, causing his mastery of Thunder Skills to leap forward.

Before he knew it, he had reached the Mid-Stage Core Formation.

He had sought it and failed, only to achieve it after letting go.

‘But Junior Martial Uncle Ge’s talent in Thunder Skills is truly exceptional. He managed to take the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder, which isn’t even a top-tier skill, and through sheer force of will deduce it into the Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net, a technique that can be mentioned in the same breath as the seventeen Supreme Thunder Techniques of the Five Thunders Sect.’

‘My talent in Thunder Skills is inferior to Junior Martial Uncle Ge’s. Forcing a breakthrough with the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder would be twice the effort for half the result. Instead, it was the more profound and subtle Profound Nether Qi Formless Divine Thunder that suited me. In my moment of despair, I took another step forward and truly achieved a high level of mastery.’

The roaring thunder grew fainter, until it was nothing more than a series of barely perceptible, staccato drumbeats.

At the same time, the lightning shifted from a solid, pale cyan to an inky black, before turning into a hazy gray-white that blended into the clouds, easily missed by an inattentive eye.

Lii Guizhen had found a path that suited him during his secluded healing, and it was slowly manifesting in his Thunder Escape.

He had rushed to the Central Province the moment he emerged from seclusion. Besides paying respects to his Master, he also wanted to see something for himself.

‘When did my junior martial sister become so capable? They hadn’t seen each other for decades, but even if her Sword Dao had advanced by leaps and bounds, such an earth-shattering transformation should have been impossible.’

He knew Ma Ruoxi’s aptitude well. She had Dual Spiritual Roots and a superior Spirit Body. Her Cultivation speed, which was comparable to someone with a Celestial Spiritual Root before she reached Core Formation, was mainly due to the corresponding Spiritual Objects his Master had bestowed upon her.

Her latent talents, aside from her excellence in the Sword Dao, were hardly top-tier in any other aspect.

Her sudden growth to the point where she was hailed as the number one person below the Nascent Soul realm made him extremely curious.

After using Thunder Escape to travel for tens of thousands of miles, he felt the Thunder Element True Essence in his Dantian Qi Sea growing sparse, so he switched to a Flying Magical Treasure.

Upon entering the Central Province, he immediately sensed a difference. The landscape was a scene of utter devastation. Hordes of refugees crawled along slowly, like a line of ants.

Every moment, the weak, the old, and the young would collapse, never to get up again.

A few grimy hands scrambled to drag the breathless corpses into the weeds by the roadside.

Aside from the immediate family trying to reclaim the bodies, everyone else looked on with numb indifference, as if seeing nothing at all.

After flying another thousand miles, he spotted a mountain stronghold imbued with Spiritual Qi. He landed his Flying Shuttle and called for the gates to be opened.

“The people of this county are destitute, resorting to trading children for food! This goes against the harmony of the heavens… Why are you all holed up behind your gates, offering no aid?”

Lii Guizhen’s expression was indifferent as he spoke coldly to the dozen or so Cultivators who came out from the stronghold to greet him.

Given his temperament, he wasn’t one for great compassion or blessing the masses. However, it was a long-standing rule of the Qingfeng Sect that when disaster struck, Cultivators were to step in and aid the Mortals under their protection. For him, this duty had become second nature.

Since the Central Province was now under the Qingfeng Sect’s rule, they naturally had to follow the Sect’s regulations.

Moreover, his Master was presiding over this land. For so many Mortals to die needlessly would surely tarnish his Master’s reputation.

“May I ask the name of this fellow Daoist from the Qingfeng Sect?”

The leading Cultivator had a broad face, a long beard, and a high, full forehead. His Cultivation was at the Early-Stage Core Formation.

However, seeing the newcomer’s identity, his tone was still polite. After all, they had, at least in name, acknowledged the Qingfeng Sect as their Upper Sect.

“Your Sect’s Fairy Ma of the Soul-Annihilating Sword once issued a notice to the twelve commanderies, telling us to guard our gates and look after ourselves, lest we suffer retaliation from Tribulation Cultivators and have our Mountain Gates breached. The crops in the Central Province are plentiful. As long as we make it through the winter, the mortal famine will naturally resolve itself. You need not worry, fellow Daoist.”

“Make it through the winter? How many people will have to die for that… If your stronghold just sent out a hundred or so disciples, used Yellow Turban Strongmen to build a few rows of simple houses, and cast a spell to ripen some Spirit Rice early, you could save a hundred thousand refugees!”

Lii Guizhen did not get the answer he wanted, and a hint of anger crept into his voice.

“Fellow Daoist, those were the exact words of your Sect’s Fairy Ma, and I believe they also represent the will of True Monarch Bai. Do you intend to defy a leader of your own Sect? The Tribulation Cultivators have not yet been dealt with; my sect will absolutely not risk sending our disciples beyond the Mountain Gate. If you wish to make friends, you are welcome to come in for tea. But if you insist on pursuing this, don’t blame me for walking away!”

The broad-faced, long-bearded Core Formation cultivator’s voice was loud and clear, offering no room for compromise.

“That is my junior sister’s opinion, not mine… And it certainly doesn’t represent our Master’s!”

Lii Guizhen murmured the words, so quietly that they were unintelligible from a short distance away.

Suddenly, a silent, Formless Divine Thunder manifested before the broad-faced, long-bearded Core Formation cultivator. By the time he noticed it, the thunder had already surrounded him, leaving not even a moment to activate the Grand Array.