Thunder Virtue's Petition

In truth, swallowing the Ten Thousand Jade Heavenly Dragon Pill and gaining an Immortal Spirit Root had never been something that could be concealed. When an Immortal Spirit Root emerged, it was enough to stir the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for a thousand li around, allowing others to detect it.

Only a true immortal-grade grand formation could completely conceal its spiritual power. But where could a tiny place like Moon-Gazing City find an immortal-grade grand formation? Though the Golden Light Demon-Suppressing Array was powerful, it had yet to reach immortal grade.

As for running off to some desolate, uninhabited place to swallow it, that was even more ridiculous. Chen Xiao was currently only at the third level of Qi Refining. In the Immortal World, he was no different from an ant. Where could he possibly run to?

By comparison, Moon-Gazing City was the safest place. On one hand, he could obtain the Immortal Spirit Root without incident; on the other, it could build momentum for the Chen Clan and make the Nangong Family wary of throwing a rat at a vase.

As for whether the Nangong Family would send someone to assassinate him... Chen Xiao knew that Mengmeng had certainly told Chen Tiannan about him. With his father holding the fort, what was there to fear? This matter might even alarm Chen Fengyang, who was in secluded cultivation.

If an Immortal Spirit Root emerged within the Chen Clan, it meant that in several hundred years, the Chen Clan might have a Golden Immortal overseeing it—enough to carve out an eternal golden age of its own.

Golden Immortals were lofty figures even in the Immortal World, capable of turning their hands to clouds and flipping them to rain. If the Chen Clan produced a Golden Immortal, it would soar to the heavens in a single step and become nobility of the Immortal World.

Moreover, Chen Tiannan, as the lord of Moon-Gazing City, was a subordinate of the Glazed Heaven Palace, the ruler of Glazed Heaven. The Glazed Heaven Palace naturally would not pay attention to an ant-like clan such as the Chen Clan. But once the Chen Clan produced someone with the potential to become a Golden Immortal, things would be different. The Glazed Heaven Palace would naturally devote great effort to nurturing them and truly establish the Chen Clan's standing.

It could be said that by openly swallowing the Ten Thousand Jade Heavenly Dragon Pill and gaining an Immortal Spirit Root this time, Chen Xiao had inadvertently resolved half of the Chen Clan's crisis. Of course, if Chen Xiao were killed before the Glazed Heaven Palace reacted, then that would be another matter entirely.

The moment the Immortal Spirit Root appeared, every hidden danger within Chen Xiao's body was expelled. All the miscellaneous medicinal power was either refined or forced out of his body.

A jade-green radiance slowly rose from within Chen Xiao's body. Faint dragon chants seemed to echo through him, while the meridians he had once crippled himself were nourished as well, becoming extraordinarily tough and more than three times wider than before.

Almost at the same time, the true essence within Chen Xiao's body began to circulate madly according to the cultivation method of the Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art. His true essence, which had originally been comparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm, grew thirty percent more abundant.

With a flick of one hand, Chen Xiao produced a high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stone. Yet after only three breaths, the stone turned into a heap of powder, its spiritual energy completely absorbed by Chen Xiao.

Without the slightest hesitation, hundreds of fist-sized high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones appeared around Chen Xiao. But in a mere instant, they all turned into powder and scattered away.

If anyone had witnessed this scene, their jaws would surely have dropped. Even when Chen Tiannan, at the Integrated Body Middle Stage, cultivated, one high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stone would last him three to five days. Yet Chen Xiao, a mere third-level Qi Refining cultivator—indeed, a little fellow who could hardly even be considered a cultivator—had consumed hundreds of high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones in only a few breaths.

At this moment, Chen Xiao broke through without suspense to the second transformation of the Red Cloud Realm. Yet he encountered no bottleneck, and the Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art continued to revolve madly.

Chen Xiao's face showed neither joy nor sorrow as he mechanically took Heavenly Mystery Stones from the Golden Immortal Kingdom of the Talisman Treasure Golden Immortal. At this point, Chen Xiao had no need for insights into his state of mind to cultivate. As long as his true essence was sufficient, his cultivation would rise.

After all, Chen Xiao in his previous life had been a Tribulation Transcendence Realm expert. In other words, although he did not currently possess the cultivation or divine sense of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, his state of mind was genuinely at that level.

With an Immortal Spirit Root and a Tribulation Transcendence Realm state of mind as he cultivated anew, if he could still encounter a bottleneck at such a time, then Chen Xiao might as well kill himself.

In only half an hour, Chen Xiao had absorbed several thousand high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones. Had he not obtained the Talisman Treasure Golden Immortal's treasure hoard, with Heavenly Mystery Stones virtually inexhaustible, he would likely have eaten the entire City Lord's Mansion into poverty.

At this point, Chen Xiao's Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art had reached the fifth transformation of the Red Cloud Realm, the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. He stood only half a step away from forming a Golden Core.

But Chen Xiao slowly stopped at this moment. The Golden Core Realm was a major threshold for cultivators. Though this was the Immortal World, not everyone was a cultivator. Only after truly forming a Golden Core could one be considered a true cultivator.

Although the Foundation Establishment Realm and Qi Refining were also called cultivation realms, that was merely a general designation.

Only by forming a Golden Core could one truly step through the gates of cultivation.

Chen Xiao still did not dare rashly form a Golden Core. The Foundation Establishment Realm was meant to lay the foundation for cultivation. The stronger the foundation, the stronger the Golden Core would be. Chen Xiao had wasted sixteen years, and in terms of true cultivation, he had only been at it for half a month since his rebirth. His accumulation was too little—or rather, his foundation was too shallow.

What Chen Xiao needed to do now was continuously consolidate his foundation, allowing everything to fall into place naturally and form a Golden Core of its own accord, rather than forcefully breaking through now. Otherwise, his Golden Core would inevitably be deficient from birth, creating immense drawbacks for his future cultivation.

Chen Xiao was no green youth. His vast experience was his capital.

Chen Xiao rose to his feet and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. His bones crackled throughout his body, and he had unexpectedly grown three inches taller, making his originally slender frame appear even more upright and jade-like.

"In my previous life, I relied on my Immortal Spirit Root to join the Immortal Martial Sect of Glazed Heaven and become one of its disciples..."

After finishing his cultivation, Chen Xiao frowned. The emergence of an Immortal Spirit Root would inevitably draw the attention of the Immortal World's major powers. Aside from the Glazed Heaven Palace, powerful sects such as the Immortal Martial Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect would also do their utmost to recruit him.

In his previous life, Chen Xiao had been recruited into the Heavenly Martial Sect. But back then, young and hot-blooded, he had revealed his identity and asked the Immortal Martial Sect to avenge his clan, only to be refused. This had left Chen Xiao unable to make head or tail of it.

Logically, a disciple with an Immortal Spirit Root would surely be valued by a sect. Yet after he revealed his identity, his treatment in the Immortal Martial Sect had dropped by two ranks. He was even treated worse than ordinary disciples. Even now, Chen Xiao did not understand why.

But Chen Xiao could not be bothered to think about it now. In his previous life, even without the Immortal Martial Sect's help, had he not still relied on his own will to struggle through the Immortal World, breaking through to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm in fifty years? He had only needed to undergo the tribulation before slaughtering the Nangong Family, yet an heavenly tribulation had unexpectedly sent him back to his youth.

Now, with a heaven-defying cultivation art such as the Nine Heavens Thunder Virtue Universal Transformation Art to aid him, as well as the power to command heavenly tribulations, Chen Xiao had complete confidence in protecting his loved ones. He could even lead his clan to soar into the sky in a single bound and make its name resound throughout the Immortal World.

Just as Chen Xiao was deep in thought, his divine sense suddenly stirred, and a summoning intent appeared out of nowhere.

It was an intent calling for him to personally preside over a heavenly tribulation.

"Strange. Aren't heavenly tribulations handled autonomously by the Thunder Virtue Heavenly Book? Why is the Thunder Virtue Heavenly Book asking me for instructions this time, asking me to personally preside over it?"

That was right—the Thunder Virtue Heavenly Book was the hub controlling heavenly tribulations. Yet it was now seeking Chen Xiao's instructions, like the other administrators of Moon-Gazing City seeking instructions from Chen Tiannan, asking Chen Xiao to go preside over the heavenly tribulation.

"Could there be something strange about this?"

With a thought, Chen Xiao vanished from where he stood.