"Beyond the Three Realms lay an endless void. Powerful stars hung within it, and even those renowned experts of the Three Realms could not easily destroy them."
The Yellow-Haired Great Bear appeared beside Lei Zhan. "You've seen it for yourself. If you cultivate the divine ability my master left behind to a high level, seizing the sun and moon will be no mere fantasy."
Lei Zhan nodded slightly.
He naturally knew how powerful this divine ability was. The Star-Plucking Hand, created by Daoist Sanshou, would turn one's hands into magic treasures when cultivated to its highest level.
And if it were paired with the divine ability Three Heads and Six Arms, its battle prowess would become even more heaven-defying. Even fighting opponents of a higher level would be as easy as eating or drinking.
"All right." The Yellow-Haired Great Bear pointed to the enormous meditation cushion in the distance. "Since you've received such a boon, go over there and thank my master."
"Understood." Lei Zhan nodded.
The Star-Plucking Hand was a supreme divine ability coveted by countless top experts and even great powers throughout the Three Realms. Having received such a boon today, Lei Zhan naturally knew he should show his gratitude.
Besides, the kindness of imparting knowledge and teaching the way was as weighty as a mountain.
Lei Zhan stepped forward and came to the enormous meditation cushion, then knelt down to pay his respects.
Whoosh—
The instant Lei Zhan knelt, a towering figure a thousand zhang tall appeared in the distance on the top platform of the altar, directly before him.
This towering thousand-zhang god and demon had bronze-colored skin, a bald head, and wore nothing but a crude animal hide. His build was almost identical to that of a human, but what made him truly unusual was his arm.
He was a one-armed god and demon. He had no left arm, only a right one.
The towering one-armed figure looked down at Lei Zhan, a faint trace of delight on his face.
"I have imparted the divine ability. Only when you have passed the tribulation and become a Celestial God may you be counted as a disciple of Daoist Sanshou. Do not slack off and bring my reputation to ruin."
The towering one-armed figure was solemn and imposing. He pointed his one remaining arm, his right hand, slightly toward Lei Zhan, who knelt below.
Whoosh.
In an instant, five rays of light, each a different color, shot out and flew straight toward Lei Zhan. Then the towering one-armed figure vanished.
"Hmm? What's this..." Lei Zhan sensed something, and delight rose in his heart. His face, too, was unable to hide his joy. These must be the Five Elements Essence Daoist Sanshou had left behind to help those who inherited the divine ability cultivate the Star-Plucking Hand.
Lei Zhan immediately sat cross-legged. The five rays of light surged into his body, and before long, waves of profound energy rippled around him.
As he sat cross-legged, his hands rested loosely on his knees, shining with five-colored light like dazzling treasures.
Whoosh.
He circulated the Star-Plucking Hand's method. The Five Elements Essence continuously merged into his hands: gold, green, water-blue, fiery red, and deep yellow. The five-colored lights swirled and gradually began to fuse, becoming a single shade of chaos.
Everything settled, and Lei Zhan's hands returned to normal.
"I've cultivated the Star-Plucking Hand to the first turn." Lei Zhan opened his eyes, a trace of delight in them. He looked down at his palms. With a thought, a complex, circular divine pattern appeared on each one. "So these are the Star-Plucking Divine Patterns! To cultivate the second turn of the Six-Turn Star-Plucking, I'll have to wait until my God-Devil Body Refining reaches the Myriad Phenomena level."
With a thought, Lei Zhan made the complex patterns sink beneath his skin, where they could no longer be seen with the naked eye.
Every divine ability required long years of cultivation. None could be mastered overnight.
Even the Law of Heaven and Earth and Three Heads and Six Arms that Lei Zhan cultivated had numerous thresholds. He had to break through each one in turn before the divine abilities could advance and grow more powerful.
The cultivation method for the Star-Plucking Hand was called the Six-Turn Star-Plucking.
At the Purple Mansion level of God-Devil Body Refining, one could cultivate the first turn!
At the Myriad Phenomena level, one could cultivate the second turn.
At the Primordial Spirit level, one could cultivate the third turn.
At the Void Return level, one could cultivate the fourth turn.
To cultivate the Six-Turn Star-Plucking divine ability, one had to break through each major realm of God-Devil Body Refining before cultivating the next turn.
This was a true supreme divine ability, one that placed a tremendous strain on the divine body. If the divine body was not strong enough, it could not be cultivated.
The supreme divine abilities renowned throughout the Three Realms generally placed high demands on the divine body.
With the Star-Plucking Hand, a powerful divine body could cultivate it all the way to the True God level, with almost no bottlenecks. As long as one had enough Five Elements Essence and a strong enough divine body, one could cultivate it to the deepest levels.
Once the Six-Turn Star-Plucking was fully mastered, one's hands alone could rival a Chaos Treasure through sheer physical strength. Such a powerful treasure far surpassed Pure Yang magic treasures and Xiantian Spirit Treasures in might.
"You're awake? How did it go?" The Yellow-Haired Great Bear wore a teasing smile.
"The divine ability passed down by my master, Daoist Sanshou, is naturally terrifyingly powerful. I have a feeling that even though my God-Devil Body Refining is only at the Purple Mansion level, I could easily kill Qi Refining cultivators at the Myriad Phenomena True Person level with the Star-Plucking Hand alone. Even against those at the Myriad Phenomena level who also cultivate the God-Devil Body Refining Path, I could use the Star-Plucking Hand and expend some effort and skill to kill them." Lei Zhan smiled faintly.
"Master Daoist Sanshou?" The Yellow-Haired Great Bear couldn't help feeling pleased.
The Yellow-Haired Great Bear continued, "The Star-Plucking Hand you received is the original divine ability. Even if you become a Celestial God or even a True God, it'll be powerful enough for you to use. You could cultivate it to the same level as its first master."
"Celestial God, True God..." Lei Zhan's eyes held a trace of anticipation.
"Passing the tribulation and becoming a Celestial God is still far beyond you." The Yellow-Haired Great Bear said, "There's no need to think about anything else. The human race is naturally clever, and you're exceptionally talented. After enduring countless trials and tribulations in the future, you may yet become one of the Three Realms' top great powers. You've only just taken your first step by obtaining my master's divine ability."
"Understood." Lei Zhan nodded.
"Lei Zhan, now that you've obtained the divine ability, would you like to challenge the War God Hall next? With your current strength, you should have nearly a thirty percent chance of passing the third floor."
"Thirty percent?"
Lei Zhan shook his head. "That's too low. Though my Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map has reached the ninth level, I've only just entered it. I still need time to polish my cultivation before reaching perfection. I'll return to challenge the War God Hall once my strength improves."
The Yellow-Haired Great Bear said no more. "If you're not going to challenge the War God Hall, then let's leave. Your master, Immortal Juhua, must be getting anxious waiting."
"Fine." Lei Zhan nodded.
Outside the Divine Ability Hall, Immortal Juhua stood quietly before its enormous, towering bronze doors, waiting. He kept looking at the huge hand carved into the doors, wondering what was on his mind.
Whoosh—
Suddenly,
Ripples spread through the space as it began to fluctuate. A moment later, two figures appeared.
One was a handsome young man in black robes, the other a Yellow-Haired Great Bear.
"Master." Lei Zhan greeted him with a smile.
"Hmm?" Immortal Juhua looked at Lei Zhan. "Did you succeed?"
"I did." Lei Zhan nodded firmly.
"Good!" Immortal Juhua laughed heartily. "Hahaha, wonderful! I, his master, had no fate with this opportunity. But the Great Dao leaves one in fifty ways of escape, and in the end, my disciple was the one who obtained it."
Lei Zhan stood to one side, silently watching. He understood Immortal Juhua. Though he had lived for millions of years, knowing that an enormous treasure mountain was within reach yet being unable to claim it for himself was truly agonizing.
"Alas..." The Yellow-Haired Great Bear stood to one side as well. Seeing Immortal Juhua lose his composure, he sighed softly. Juhua simply wasn't monstrous enough, and his luck was lacking. That was how things had gone awry...
A moment later,
Immortal Juhua composed himself, though a trace of irrepressible delight still lingered on his face.
"Senior Big Bear, does the wager you agreed to earlier still stand?" Immortal Juhua looked at the Yellow-Haired Great Bear.
"The wager? Of course it still stands." The Yellow-Haired Great Bear glanced at Immortal Juhua, who was thinking only of securing benefits for his disciple. "Come with me to the hall."
Though the space before the War God Hall was spacious, it wasn't a suitable place to talk.
The most suitable place was the main hall of the abode. In ancient times, Daoist Sanshou had lectured and hosted gods and demons there. Most importantly, it was spacious!
As Lei Zhan and Immortal Juhua walked alongside the Yellow-Haired Great Bear, he spoke as they went.
"Lei Zhan, the spear art I found for you was created by a very famous Celestial God from ancient times. He comprehended it amid battle and slaughter, and it also contained his Dao."
"A famous Celestial God from ancient times?" Immortal Juhua's pupils contracted as he stared at the Yellow-Haired Great Bear in disbelief.
The spear art that this Abode Spirit had found for his disciple had actually been created by a Celestial God!
"A Celestial God?" Lei Zhan was also taken aback. He had already suspected this might be the case, but even so, hearing the Yellow-Haired Great Bear say it made his heart pound fiercely.
Though a Celestial God was still an unreachable existence to Lei Zhan, the strength of Celestial Gods varied enormously. And if the Yellow-Haired Great Bear meant that particular Celestial God...
Then he was a top Celestial God who had nearly reached the peak of the Celestial God and True Immortal ranks! If he wanted to kill another Celestial God, it would be as easy as killing a chick.
"What a lavish gift!" Immortal Juhua couldn't help exclaiming. He had originally thought that the Yellow-Haired Great Bear finding a spear art created by a Celestial Immortal was already quite remarkable.
As for the Celestial God and True Immortal level?
The Xia Emperor, who had unified the entire Great Xia World, was only a Pure Yang True Immortal. Celestial Gods and True Immortals were few enough to count on one hand throughout the entire Great Xia World!
A washed-up author's daily note:
I'm a little late today. I'll start writing the second chapter right away!
Please keep reading! I'm begging you, brothers, please keep reading!
If you can, please don't save up chapters for later just yet. Even a lowly author like me has big ambitions. At the very least, I'd like these numbers to look decent.
Once again, my thanks to all you brothers and sisters! Thank you for your support!
Thanks to Eagle Eye 112 for the Qidian Coins tip.
Thanks to Yuhua Qingdi for the 500 Qidian Coins tip.