Chapter 484 - 453: Thunder Jade Gourd, Saving the Tree

Chapter 484: Chapter 453: Thunder Jade Gourd, Saving the Tree

CRACK!

A bolt from the blue—a serpentine flash of lightning suddenly tore across the sky.

Outside the Market, the passing Cultivators barely had time to react before they saw a streak of lightning flash across the sky. With almost no delay, it struck directly inside the valley.

BOOM—

A colossal roar echoed out.

As dust filled the air, the entire Jinyun Valley began to tremble. Countless Cultivators who felt the commotion immediately flew out to investigate. Even Cultivators hundreds of miles away noticed ripples forming in the teacups at their sides.

The disciples In the Valley stopped what they were doing in unison and all looked toward the back mountain.

"Why is it thundering all of a sudden?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"What happened in the back mountain? Why was there such a huge disturbance!"

Wang Chen, with his sharp eyes, suddenly realized that the mist that had been shrouding the back mountain had dispersed after the lightning strike.

After a moment of shock, he quickly sped toward the back mountain.

One after another, figures began to rush over. Even Li Cang, Zhou Lian, and others were among them.

"What are you doing?"

However, before the disciples could enter the back mountain area, a figure blocked their path.

"Vice Valley Master!"

Recognizing the man, Wang Chen quickly cupped his hands in respect and looked toward the back mountain. "It seems like something happened back there. This disciple would like to go have a look..."

"The back mountain is the Valley Master’s private cultivation grounds. Disciples are forbidden to enter without permission."

Hu Yao stood with his hands behind his back, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Go back."

After dismissing the disciples, Hu Yao immediately turned and entered the back mountain.

In the brief time he’d been delayed, the mist in the back mountain, which had been scattered, had already started to re-form. As Hu Yao approached, it parted on its own to create a path.

Stepping into the back mountain filled with doubt, he was aghast at the sight before him.

The entire back mountain was a scene of utter devastation. The spot where everyone had been performing Artifact Casting just days ago had become a thousand-zhang-deep crater. For several miles in every direction, all the rocks and trees had been pulverized into dust. The ground was shattered, with barely an intact patch to be seen.

What shocked him most was the Golden Core Realm Willow Tree Demon. It looked as if it had been cleaved in two from crown to root by a Giant Axe. The cut was charred black, and stray arcs of electricity still flickered among the scattered flames.

’What happened?’

"Valley Master!?"

Hu Yao could hardly believe his eyes.

"It’s fine. We succeeded in refining a Tier Four Magical Artifact, which attracted a Celestial Tribulation." A voice responded from the side. Hu Yao turned to see a pale-faced Chen Che sitting cross-legged, his hands forming a Sealing Technique as he guided his True Essence to heal his injuries.

He wasn’t the only one. Meng Changtu, Meng Qianxun, Chen Xi, Yu Qian, and the others were all sitting nearby, their faces just as pale.

Every one of them looked as if they had been scorched by fire and smoke; there was hardly an uninjured spot on their bodies.

The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air, rising from their split and battered skin.

"Celestial Tribulation? Tier Four? Magical Artifact?"

Hu Yao was stunned.

He could understand each of those words on its own, but when put together, he suddenly couldn’t comprehend what they meant.

"Hahaha! What a happy accident! I never thought I’d be able to forge a Tier Four Magical Artifact in my lifetime!"

Yu Qian was grinning from ear to ear. Seeing Hu Yao’s confusion, he explained, "Everything in this world possesses spirituality. Magical Artifacts, Pills... just like Cultivators, they attract Celestial Thunder once they reach a certain Grade."

"We all have legs to run, but the Willow Tree Demon couldn’t escape. It took the brunt of the Celestial Thunder’s damage. Otherwise, at least a few of us here would have perished. You could call it a misfortune within a great fortune."

He was usually a very composed man, rarely showing such extreme joy or sorrow.

This just went to show how profoundly shocked and delighted he was by the unexpected turn of events during this Artifact Casting.

However, it was clear this accident was not a bad thing.

"Huh?"

Hu Yao was dumbfounded. This was all new to him; he never even imagined there was so much to Artifact Casting.

He had read about it in the ancient texts, though.

In the Late Stage of his Golden Core career, True Master Chixia would attract Celestial Thunder every time he refined a cauldron of Great Pills. Hu Yao had always assumed this was just later generations mythologizing True Master Chixia. Who would have thought it was actually true?

Looking again, he then noticed a Golden Jade Gourd, about half the height of a man, hovering in the newly formed crater. The patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects on its surface looked entirely natural, with no trace of carving. As it floated there, faint wisps of lightning would occasionally flicker across it, giving it an incredibly mystical appearance.

Just by looking at it, he could tell this Gourd was extraordinary.

"Is that it?"

Hu Yao asked.

"That’s right."

Chen Che nodded slightly and waved his hand. The Gourd immediately flew over to him. The moment it touched his hand, he felt a sensation as if it were an extension of his own body.

At the same time, streams of information about the Gourd flooded into his mind. He closed his eyes for a moment and completely absorbed it all.

Because it was a ’Mother-Child Type’ Magical Artifact, the Gourd’s outer shell itself had only one characteristic:

It was heavy!

Its offensive capabilities were also based on this trait.

The rest of its features were special functions that supported the Gourd itself.

"Valley Master, the commotion earlier was too great. Not only are the disciples In the Valley discussing it, but it’s very likely the Cultivators in the Market were alarmed as well. Should we suppress the news? Otherwise, the rumors will only grow wilder..."

Sweeping his Divine Sense over the area, Hu Yao found that although he had sent the disciples away, they were still uneasy and were muttering amongst themselves about the incident.

"No need."

Shaking his head slowly, Chen Che instructed, "The more we try to silence them, the more curious they’ll become, and the wilder the rumors will get. Just announce publicly that it was the result of a private sparring match between me and a Golden Core expert. Say that it’s nothing serious..."

Hu Yao glanced at the others. Seeing that while they looked wretched, they were indeed not in any serious danger, he let out a sigh of relief and accepted the order.

"Yes, sir."

"This Gourd... let’s just call it the ’Thunder Jade Gourd.’"

After Hu Yao left, Chen Che fiddled with the Gourd for a while longer. He hadn’t known what to name it after acquiring the materials. Now that the outer shell was complete, this name seemed fitting.

After putting away the Thunder Jade Gourd, Chen Che composed himself and began to focus on his recovery.

「 」

The thunder from the back mountain was the talk of the valley and its surroundings for only two or three days before the gossip died down completely.

No one thought there was anything amiss.

After all, in everyone’s opinion, a sparring match between Golden Core True Masters was *supposed* to be world-shaking.

However, when Liu Yuanqing was summoned to the back mountain, he realized his previous assumptions were completely wrong. Although the devastated area had been tidied up, he could still feel the terrifying residual power lingering in the air.

But he didn’t dare ask, look, or listen too much. He was led by Chen Che directly to a willow tree that had been split almost in two, its roots exposed.

Then, he heard the other man ask:

"Can this Willow Tree Demon still be saved?"

’This is still the Willow Tree Demon?’

’How did it get injured so badly?’

Liu Yuanqing froze for a moment, then immediately circled the massive tree twice. Sure enough, he detected an incredibly faint trace of Demon Qi. He gave a wry smile.

"Valley Master, this Tree Demon is like a critically ill patient on the brink of death, clinging to its last breath. Moreover, this Tree Demon’s Grade is far beyond my abilities... If I speak carelessly and end up killing it..."

"Don’t feel pressured. I understand the situation. You just need to do your best."

Chen Che nodded, offering reassurance. "During this time, if you need anything at all, just tell me. I’ll be your assistant."

The Willow Tree Demon was the sole ’victim’ of this Artifact Casting. If it hadn’t blocked most of the damage, the entire back mountain would have likely collapsed, and at least one or two of the Golden Core experts present would have perished.

After his own injuries had recovered, he had also made a trip to Earth Element Star to consult several Spirit Plant Masters about how to treat the Willow Tree Demon. They had provided him with detailed treatment plans, but since expertise doesn’t cross disciplines easily, Chen Che still decided to summon a professional from his own territory.

"Alright, let’s begin."

Liu Yuanqing composed himself, finally adopting the air of a "Physician."

After three days of working together, Chen Che gave Liu Yuanqing ten thousand Spirit Stones and a Tier Two Middle-grade Elixir as payment, then sent him back to his clan.

After all, the man’s skill level was average, so this was the most he could do.

"Whether you can survive now depends on your own fortune."

Chen Che turned and looked at the Willow Tree Demon.

The Tree Demon, which had been split in two, was now stitched back together with hundreds of chains. Most of its massive crown had been chopped off, leaving only bare branches without a single leaf. This was done to prevent the roots from absorbing nutrients only to waste them on supplying leaves.

Of course, this method was at best equivalent to reattaching a Cultivator’s severed limb. Whether it could recover would depend on continued care, much like nursing a patient. It needed to be nourished and irrigated with Spiritual Water daily, and even the amount had to be carefully considered to avoid a case of ’over-nourishment’ where the weakened tree couldn’t absorb the nutrients and was ’stuffed to death’ instead.

As for when it might recover, neither Liu Yuanqing nor the Spirit Plant Masters from Earth Element Star could give a definite answer.

However, the one thing they all agreed on was that Tree Demons have tenacious Life Force. If it could pull through this crisis, survival was practically guaranteed. It might even be a blessing in disguise.

「 」