novelraw Chapter 388 - 383: Unique Divine Ability! Unfortunate Friendship!_1
Chapter 388 - 383: Unique Divine Ability! Unfortunate Friendship!_1
The Spirit Devouring Treasure Art is a powerful Divine Skill for swallowing Spiritual Treasures to rapidly enhance one’s cultivation level. It is extremely useful for those with vast wealth and an abundance of Spiritual Treasures.
With this technique, it would be difficult to slow down the speed of cultivation advancement even if one wanted to.
The only downside is that it’s somewhat expensive.
For cultivators with shallow family resources, this Divine Skill is the ultimate useless ability, bar none.
The Spirit Devouring Treasure Art is only effective with Spiritual Treasures. Let alone whether one has any Spiritual Treasures, even if one were lucky enough to obtain one, they would be reluctant to swallow it with the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art.
Thus, speeding up cultivation is not an option.
Elder Brother Zhuo obtained a Spiritual Treasure through the Tongtian Tower, became a True Disciple, and acquired another Spiritual Treasure.
These two Spiritual Treasures nominally belonged to him. But in reality, regardless of whether he was willing to swallow them, he didn’t have the qualifications to devour Spiritual Treasures.
Unless it’s a Spiritual Treasure exchanged with special contributions, Lingbao Sect disciples only have the right to use, not the right to trade.
If they are damaged or lost, the consequences are extremely severe.
What Elder Brother Zhuo desired on this trip were the Spiritual Treasures used for the wager, which were likely prepared for the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art.
Jia Ren looked at Elder Brother Zhuo’s departing figure and couldn’t help feeling envious.
He had always wanted to obtain methods of cultivating by borrowing Magical Treasures and Spiritual Treasures. Unfortunately, his status in the Sect was too low, and he was cut off from information.
Rashly inquiring about it would easily attract the attention of the high-level elders of the Lingbao Sect and bring trouble.
He exchanged time for opportunity, waiting for high-order Lingbao Sect cultivators who had died so he could use the Corpse-Eating Bizarre Pill to obtain Cultivation Techniques and Divine Skills from their bodies.
After more than a year, two bodies were sent to him in succession, but alas, he ended up with nothing.
Until today, he finally saw a glimmer of hope.
The Spirit Devouring Treasure Art?!
Since I entered the Lingbao Sect, I finally have some news!
How should I obtain this Divine Skill?
Kill someone and loot their corpse?!
Jia Ren had no grievances with Elder Brother Zhuo. According to his own principles, he couldn’t bring himself to kill someone for their treasures.
Is the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art a Divine Skill found within the Spirit Law Pavilion, or is it Ancestor Ji Kong’s Unique Divine Ability?
This point is crucial.
If the Spirit Law Pavilion can teach this skill, then it’s not just Ancestor Ji Kong’s disciples who would know the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art. That would offer a much wider range of choices.
If I continue to guard corpses here, I’ll eventually obtain it.
If it’s the latter, the options are too limited. I’d either have to find a breakthrough with Elder Brother Zhuo or... become a True Disciple of the Lingbao Sect and apprentice under Ancestor Ji Kong.
Ancestor Ji Kong’s Unique Divine Ability!
Jia Ren had his answer and contemplated a solution.
"Elder Brother Ye is here!"
It wasn’t just the Loose Cultivators’ side that had invited True Disciples to help; the other side had also spared no effort, calling upon a True Disciple wearing a purple Taoist robe.
When Elder Brother Zhuo met the newcomer, sparks seemed to fly in the air between them.
"Greetings, Elder Brother Ye!"
Zhuo Chengdao greeted Ye Yuan with cupped fists, a standard salutation.
Both were True Disciples of the Lingbao Sect. With an entrance time difference of thirty years, it was proper for Zhuo Chengdao to address Ye Yuan as Elder Brother.
"We’ve each had victories and defeats before. This contest relates to the ultimate outcome, so I ask Junior Brother not to hold back," Ye Qing said with a radiant smile, brimming with confidence.
Ye Qing was known as a legend among the Inner Sect Disciples of the past eighty years.
Zhuo Chengdao was a rising star, and his current reputation was no less than Ye Qing’s in his prime.
Both were disciples of a Refining Void Ancestor, their futures holding limitless accomplishments.
The clash between these two prodigies sparked anticipation among countless people.
People wondered whether the senior would teach the newcomer a lesson, or if the old guard would be swept away by the new wave.
How should they compete?
Both had the strength to clear the Tongtian Tower, so competing on who could pass more levels held no meaning.
The Tongtian Tower was designed as a trial for the Lingbao Sect’s Outer Gate and Inner Sect Disciples. One condition for becoming a True Disciple of the Lingbao Sect was clearing the Tongtian Tower.
The competition between True Disciples was not limited to the Tongtian Tower but also encompassed resource competition outside the Sect.
"Compete on who can clear the Tongtian Tower the fastest," someone suggested, as if it were the obvious choice.
After all, having two True Disciples fight a real battle might harm the camaraderie among Sect disciples.
The Lingbao Sect prohibits private duels. Even if a battle resulted in no casualties, those involved would face significant punishment.
At the least, they would have to face a wall in contemplation for a hundred years; at worst, their cultivation could be crippled, and they would be expelled from the Sect.
No one was willing to bear such a cost.
This was also why deaths were so rare within the Lingbao Sect.
With everyone watching, they couldn’t possibly duel in private. Competing on who could clear the Tongtian Tower the fastest was the best solution.
"Good!"
They exchanged a glance, and both saw the desire for battle in each other’s eyes.
One sought to defend his title as the prodigy of the century and earn his master’s favor and esteem.
The other came for the Spiritual Treasure. His Spirit Devouring Treasure Art had been unused for a long time; if not for the lure of Spiritual Treasures, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in this matter.
One fought for fame, the other for gain; neither was willing to back down.
News of the competition between the two True Disciples spread quickly. Many Lingbao Sect Cultivators hastened to the scene, and several other True Disciples in purple Taoist robes also arrived.
The two competitors entered the Tongtian Tower to begin their challenge.
As soon as the Foundation Establishment Puppet on the first floor appeared, it was instantly turned to ashes, as if struck by invisible lightning from the nine heavens.
Ye Qing specialized in lightning techniques, possessed a Thunder Spirit Body, and wielded a Spiritual Treasure known as the Nine Heavens Thunder Execution Bead.
Lightning flashed, taking out the target with the speed of a sudden thunderclap.
Zhuo Chengdao specialized in the way of the sword, born with the Nine Spirit Sword Body. His Heart Sword was silent, the sword following his will.
The Spirit Heart Sword he had received was chosen for him by his master from the Sect’s treasury. Among nine Spiritual Treasures, it was the one that best resonated with him.
His combat power was many times greater than when he had last cleared the tower.
Instant kill!
Still an instant kill!
The strength displayed by the two True Disciples far surpassed that of Inner Sect Disciples. As soon as they entered the tower, they instantly killed the Second Order puppets and advanced to the next floor.
They advanced unstoppably, with no floor able to delay them for even two breaths.
Both cultivators were at the Late Nascent Soul Stage. Judging by the combat power they exhibited, their strength even surpassed that of ordinary Divine Transformation Cultivators.
This was the strength of cultivators from Great Sects: a Spiritual Treasure in hand and a vast selection of powerful Divine Skills to choose from.
Disciples chosen as True Disciples all possessed the ability to challenge those beyond their level.
The ordinary disciples and Protectors watching couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Some of them were also at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, but the gap in their strength was simply too large!
The two kept pace, nearly identical in speed, until they reached the eightieth floor. There, they finally slowed down upon facing several Late Nascent Soul Stage puppets.
Only at this floor did a difference finally become apparent.
Ye Qing’s lightning techniques were astonishing. Green lightning formed chains that leaped rapidly from puppet to puppet, and each puppet it struck collapsed, disabled.
Zhuo Chengdao was even more terrifying. He still hadn’t revealed his Spiritual Treasure. Yet, the Heart Sword Divine Skill he executed seemed imbued with the power of a Spiritual Treasure, shattering nine Late Nascent Soul Stage puppets into pieces with a single thought.
This was the strength of the Nine Spirit Sword Body: capable of launching a Heart Sword attack on nine targets at once.
The efficiency of his puppet destruction even surpassed Ye Qing’s chain lightning.
Their progress on the floors gradually diverged. One entered the ninetieth floor while the other remained on the eighty-eighth.
Upon reaching the ninetieth floor of the Tongtian Tower, the puppets’ strength jumped from Nascent Soul Level to Divinity Transformation Level.
There was only one puppet, but its combat power was not lacking.
"Spirit Heart Sword!"
Only when facing the Divinity Transformation Level puppet did Zhuo Chengdao finally reveal his Spiritual Treasure. An invisible sword materialized, and the puppet exploded from the inside out.
This was a Divinity Transformation Level puppet. Its combat power, although inferior to that of a true Divine Transformation Cultivator, was still formidable.
The way they slaughtered them as effortlessly as slicing vegetables was sufficient to prove the terrifying prowess of the Lingbao Sect’s True Disciples.
The combat power Zhuo Chengdao displayed was alarming. My Xuan Gui Shield is a Late-stage Soul Transformation Magical Treasure; I wonder if it could withstand the Spirit Heart Sword? When a Divine Transformation-grade Magical Treasure advances to become a Spiritual Treasure, its power becomes incomparable to what it was before.
Ye Qing, perhaps sensing he was falling behind, suddenly felt the pressure increase.
"Thunder Glorious Sky!"
Just as the Late Nascent Soul Stage puppets appeared on the eighty-ninth floor, the sky erupted with shocking thunder, obliterating all twenty of them in a single instant.
He rallied and gave chase, not slowing down at all.
He relentlessly bombarded his way through, without regard for the consumption of his Spiritual Power.
Fall behind by one step, and you’re slow at every step. Once a gap appeared in the tower challenge, catching up became much more difficult.
Zhuo Chengdao remained as steady as Mount Tai, using his Heart Sword to execute other sword techniques for swift victories.
"Ten Thousand Swords!"
Facing nine Nascent Soul Early Stage puppets on the ninety-ninth floor, the Spirit Heart Sword multiplied from one to ten, then from a hundred to a thousand, and countless spiritual swords shot out.
It was like a frenzied swarm of fish, each sword enveloped with the power of a Spiritual Treasure.
The nine Nascent Soul Early Stage puppets were pierced through the heart by the Ten Thousand Swords and blasted to smithereens.
As the multitude of sword shadows dispersed, the Spirit Heart Sword returned to his hand with a joyful ring. Zhuo Chengdao was the first to emerge from the Tongtian Tower.
Ye Qing emerged only two breaths slower, having also cleared the Tongtian Tower. However, his face was pale, clearly showing severe depletion of his Spiritual Power.
Ye Qing looked towards Zhuo Chengdao, his heart filled with unwillingness.
I’ve lost...
My lightning techniques are fierce and peerless. In a direct battle, I’m confident I could defeat him.
But this tower challenge was a race against time, and I still fell short.
The reputation I worked so hard to maintain... I couldn’t protect it.
"You won!"
Ye Qing said nothing more and turned to leave, unwilling to be further embarrassed by staying any longer.
"This is Senior Brother’s Spiritual Treasure!"
Zhuo Chengdao took the Spirit Storing Bag handed to him by a Lingbao Sect Cultivator. It contained the Spiritual Treasure promised as the prize for this battle.
Indifferent to the surrounding cheers, he suddenly glanced over, as if sensing something, in Jia Ren’s direction.
I’ve had this feeling for a while now... the way that person looks at me is strange.
Zhuo Chengdao saw it was an Early Nascent Soul Stage Grey-robed Protector. Assuming it was someone from the losing side, he paid it no further mind and walked away.
Such keen perception.
He noticed me after just a few extra glances.
This trip wasn’t in vain. I learned about the Soul Control Pill and the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art, and I witnessed the strength of the True Disciples.
"Brother, I have a great opportunity for you!"
"An opportunity to save yourself a thousand years of fruitless effort is right here!"
"These female cultivators have good backgrounds. In the future, they might even obtain a Spiritual Treasure!"
"If I weren’t aiming for stability, I wouldn’t have chosen Li Ruhua myself."
Just as Jia Ren was about to bid Ma Zhongyuan farewell and leave, Ma Zhongyuan sent him a voice transmission.
A thousand years of detours, my ass! This guy’s head has never been screwed on straight.
Jia Ren felt several scrutinizing gazes land on him. He looked over and saw Ma Zhongyuan chattering endlessly to three female cultivators in the white Taoist robes of the Lingbao Sect.
He could vaguely hear Ma Zhongyuan mentioning terms like ’extraordinary talent’ and ’a waist perfect for wrapping around’.
The three female cultivators were quite pretty. They blushed and repeatedly threw appraising glances his way.
This guy is really determined to drag me into this mess...
I really made a mistake in choosing my friends! What terrible judgment!
You can keep those opportunities for yourself!
Jia Ren didn’t dare to stay any longer. He quickly beat a hasty retreat, afraid Ma Zhongyuan would sell him out.