“The Life-Transforming Technique?”
“To think it’s a slaughter divine ability activated by burning one’s own essence-blood and vitality. Still, it sounds exceptionally powerful.”
After giving it a quick scan, Lu Ming voiced his surprise.
Lu Jin nodded. “Its might is indeed extraordinary. Last night, he even used this technique to fend off my Thunderfire True Primordial Energy. Such potency places it at the very pinnacle even among Upper Divine Abilities. However, the price is simply too steep. Once essence-blood and vitality are depleted, one’s future potential will be compromised. No wonder Guo Kui didn't dare use it lightly.”
“Grandfather, don't go coveting this divine ability. Your old bones can't withstand this kind of torment. Better leave this burden to your grandson.” Lu Ming rolled his eyes playfully and stuffed the Divine Ability Jade into his robes with a grin.
Lu Jin was quite advanced in age, after all. Over decades of desperate struggle, his aging body had long accumulated countless hidden wounds; his condition had deteriorated so badly that even outsiders knew he was on the verge of burning out like an exhausted lamp.
Fortunately, Lu Ming possessed a wondrous flame like Life's Flame. Throughout this recent period, he had used the flame daily to treat his grandfather's injuries. As Life's Flame healed him, it emitted trace amounts of vitality that nourished Lu Jin's weathered body, not only eradicating all the latent afflictions within him, but even breaking his shackles and pushing his cultivation a step further, allowing him to refine the long-sought wisp of Thunderfire True Primordial Energy.
Yet even so, Lu Jin's physical constitution couldn't bear to touch this Life-Transforming Technique.
Seeing Lu Ming pocket the Life-Transforming Technique, Lu Jin let out a helpless chuckle. He had indeed originally intended to keep it and cultivate it as a final trump card to protect his grandson.
“Your potential is currently at its peak. You shouldn't cultivate such a domineering, self-destructive divine ability either,” Lu Jin cautioned.
“Grandfather, did you forget about the Life's Flame inside me? With this treasure, there's no need for me to provide my own vitality. At most, it'll expend some essence-blood, which I can just replenish later,” Lu Ming said with smug satisfaction.
Lu Jin was rendered speechless. Channeling the vitality contained within Life's Flame to fuel the Life-Transforming Technique? That was truly ingenious.
“Don't worry, Grandfather. I won't use it lightly unless forced into a corner. After all, losing essence-blood is quite troublesome too,” Lu Ming reassured him.
Only then did Lu Jin nod. His grandson had always been prudent; even if he mastered this divine ability, he would only keep it as a life-saving measure.
“At least the trip wasn't in vain.” Looking at Guo Kui's charred corpse, Lu Ming was fairly satisfied with this harvest. It was fortunate he had channeled his Golden Pupils to check twice more just now, or he might have missed it.
“I'll go grab one of the Peach Mountain Bandits and have him lead us to their treasury. They've run rampant for years, so they ought to have accumulated some reserves. If we can find a foundation-building spiritual item—even a low-grade one—it could be used by your father or second uncle,” Lu Jin said, casting his gaze over the quiet manor.
Lu Ming grew excited at the prospect. The tables had turned; the Peach Mountain Bandits had ransacked their medicinal garden before, and today it was their turn to plunder in kind.
By now, the bandits in the manor had scattered like frightened birds and beasts. Yet before a Divine Ability Master like Lu Jin, escape was impossible. He swiftly dragged back an unlucky wretch at random.
The bandit's legs turned to jelly the moment he saw Guo Kui's charred corpse. Daring not offer the slightest resistance, he obediently led them to the Peach Mountain Bandits' treasury.
A defensive Divine Ability Restriction was laid outside the storeroom, but with Lu Jin taking action, a single punch shattered the barrier along with the bronze doors into pieces.
Lu Jin had Lu Ming wait outside first while he stepped in. Only after confirming there were no hidden Divine Ability Restrictions or other traps did he call Lu Ming inside.
The treasury was packed with an abundance of goods, piled high with diverse merchandise presumably plundered over time. Aside from that, there were several Divine Ability Weapons, though at most of mid-grade quality. Even so, all of it tallied up to considerable value.
Lu Jin and Lu Ming headed straight into the depths of the storeroom, where two iron chests sat. Opening them, golden light spilled forth in dazzling radiance—they were brimming with heavenly gold sand, fine golden grains shimmering brilliantly.
“Whoa, so much heavenly gold sand! There must be over a hundred thousand grains here!” Lu Ming exclaimed in delight.
In the past, the annual earnings of their entire Thunderfire Hall were only around ten thousand heavenly gold sand. The pile before them was equivalent to ten years of profit... In this instant, those ruthless thugs of the Peach Mountain Bandits seemed almost somewhat endearing in Lu Ming's eyes.
If they were still alive, Lu Ming might have even considered sparing their lives.
Still, since they were already dead, that could wait until next time.
A smile touched Lu Jin's aged face as well. As the street saying went: murder and arson earn a golden belt; ransacking homes and wiping out clans enriches three generations. The saying rang true, though the risk was exceedingly high, with the constant hazard of being killed instead.
With this windfall, Thunderfire Hall's future days would surely be much better.
Golden light flowed through Lu Ming's pupils as he scanned the treasury. His gaze suddenly halted on a jade box tucked away in an inconspicuous corner. Beneath the scrutiny of his Golden Pupils, exceptionally pure ripples of primordial energy radiated from within.
Walking over, he picked up a sword and used its tip to flick open the jade box.
As the box opened, a gentle crimson light flowed out. Within the glow rested three peaches that seemed carved from red jade, exuding a faint peach fragrance.
Unfortunately, these red jade peaches appeared unusually shriveled, and primordial energy was slowly leaking away from them.
“What is this?” Lu Ming asked curiously.
Lu Jin looked over and said, “It should be a spiritual item of some sort.”
“A foundation-building spiritual item?”
“No. It's similar to the golden-eyed spirit fish you ate before—it can enhance primordial energy and the like, but lacks the power of foundation-building. It cannot serve as a foundation-building spiritual item,” Lu Jin explained.
“Young Master, this thing is called a ‘Red Jade Flat Peach.’ It strengthens the physical body and tempers primordial energy. It's said that certain pills using this as the primary ingredient can even assist a Feather Robe Master in condensing True Primordial Energy,” the captured bandit chimed in with a flattering smile.
“What?!”
Both Lu Ming and Lu Jin were startled.
Pills refined from this item could actually assist a Feather Robe Master in forging True Primordial Energy?
“Then why didn't Guo Kui use them? He's been stuck at Feather Robe Master for years, so this is precisely what he needed to condense True Primordial Energy, isn't it?” Lu Ming asked suspiciously.
“That's because these Red Jade Flat Peaches are diseased. Too much of their medicinal efficacy has drained away, making them useless for pill refinement,” the bandit explained.
Looking at the shriveled forms of the Red Jade Flat Peaches, Lu Ming shook his head with some disappointment.
“Where did Guo Kui obtain these?” Lu Jin pressed.
The bandit hastily answered, “A few years ago, the Chief—no, Guo Kui—discovered several Red Jade Flat Peach Trees deep within the Peach Miasma Mountains.”
“What did you say?! He found Red Jade Flat Peach Trees?!” Bright light erupted from Lu Jin's weathered eyes as he asked with urgent, uncharacteristic excitement.
Beside him, Lu Ming's heart thumped wildly as well. If it were just three Red Jade Flat Peaches, tantalizing though they were, there were too few of them to be more than a one-time taste. But Red Jade Flat Peach Trees were a completely different story.
They could produce Red Jade Flat Peaches in a continuous stream!
One could even say they were equivalent to a minor blessed land like the Spirit Fish Pool that Divine Ability Clans such as the Li and Yan families had spent fortunes to construct!
“Where in the Peach Miasma Mountains?!” Lu Ming asked hastily.
The bandit quickly replied, “After Guo Kui found those Red Jade Flat Peach Trees, he was overjoyed too. Fearing that primordial beasts in the mountains would fight over them, he found a way to transplant them from the depths of the Peach Miasma Mountains and replant them in the courtyard of the manor where he cultivated, attempting to nurture them with great care.”
“However, the conditions for cultivating those Red Jade Flat Peach Trees are exceedingly strict. Despite Guo Kui exhausting every method, he couldn't preserve their vitality after the transplant. As a result, the five Red Jade Flat Peach Trees gradually fell ill. Two eventually withered and died, while the remaining three continue to wither by the day. The Red Jade Flat Peaches they produced ended up in the shriveled state you see before you, with most of their medicinal potency lost.”
Hearing the bandit's explanation, both Lu Jin and Lu Ming froze in prolonged disbelief.
Only after a good while did Lu Jin exhale heavily, his expression stormy as he cursed in agonizing frustration, “That idiot! He truly deserved to die!”
Such a priceless treasure comparable to a minor blessed land, if properly managed, could have served as the foundational bedrock of a clan. Yet it was utterly ruined by that fool Guo Kui.
Lu Jin's heart was bleeding with distress. Having painstakingly run Thunderfire Hall for decades, its total value likely didn't even compare to those five Red Jade Flat Peach Trees. For Guo Kui to squander and ruin such a heaven-sent opportunity—just how stupid could a person be?
If he hadn't transplanted the Red Jade Flat Peach Trees and had merely harvested a portion every year upon ripening, then found an Alchemy Master in Fengyang Prefecture to refine them into pills, he probably would have become a True Primordial Energy Master long ago.
Lu Ming sighed in sorrow as well, momentarily feeling the urge to run back out and scatter Guo Kui's ashes to the wind.
In the end, Lu Jin didn't even care about the heavenly gold sand here anymore. Gritting his teeth, he commanded:
“Lead the way. Take us to see the remaining three Red Jade Flat Peach Trees.”
Rate on N.U.
