Little Hammer, Little Drum

At this point, Guang Chengzi paused, then looked at Huanglong and said seriously:

"Actually, if you can endure the pain of the whipping, your cultivation will advance several times faster than through your current painstaking practice!"

Huanglong glanced nervously toward the backyard, where wails continued without end. He swallowed and said with an awkward laugh:

"Better forget it. My body's too frail."

He had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, yet had only reached Mid True Form Stage Great Perfection.

Even so, he still could not withstand such terrifying lashings.

Yet Bai Ze had only reached Early True Form Stage Grand Perfection, and he could already endure them.

There was both envy and disappointment in Huanglong's eyes.

In the backyard.

The two people wailing to the heavens exchanged voice transmissions with meaningful looks.

"Brother Bai Ze, what are you doing? Why are you screaming so loudly? Does it really hurt that much?"

Bai Ze sent him a reassuring look and transmitted:

"It's alright. I can still endure this little pain. But there is something this little brother does not understand. Why did you provoke Celestial Venerable?"

Duobao chuckled and nodded toward Venerable Lingbao's avatar below.

"Little brother, did you see the treasures hanging from Master's waist?"

Bai Ze looked over at his words and saw a palm-sized Violet-Gold Hammer tucked at Venerable Lingbao's waist, along with a small drum that exuded an ancient, primordial aura and seemed to be made from some unknown hide.

Somewhat puzzled, he transmitted, "What about them?"

"Little brother, when your big brother came to plead for you today, I took a stroll around, but I never found that hammer.

"You should know that hammer and that drum are Master's personal Supreme Innate Spirit Treasures, possessing boundless power.

"I thought he would have put them in his room, but there was nothing there."

Seeing Duobao's eyes gleaming brightly, Bai Ze faintly began to guess what he was thinking.

He hesitated. "Brother, you wouldn't be..."

Before Bai Ze could finish, Duobao nodded heavily. "That's right, I've got my eye on Master's hammer!

"You have no idea. That old bastard uses the Thunder Whip to strike me whenever he has nothing better to do.

"Now that I've finally seen it, no matter what, I have to steal it.

"When the time comes, that drum will be your welcome gift!"

Listening to Duobao's arrangement, Bai Ze's eye twitched. They had not even gotten their hands on them yet, and he was already dividing the spoils!

How generous of you!

But... he looked at the hammer and drum, sensed the powerful aura emanating from them, and activated the Insight Divine Ability!

In an instant, information about the two Supreme Innate Spirit Treasures appeared in his mind.

That little hammer was called the Violet-Gold Hammer. It had been born from the evil aura of Heavenly Lightning Punishment and the Chaos Gods and Devils who governed lightning.

One swing shook the heavens, two swings split the earth, three swings startled Chaos!

It also contained three hundred and sixty Innate Restrictions.

Its power was unfathomable; even Gods and Devils could scarcely withstand it!

The other was called the Fishing Drum. At the dawn of the Creation of Heaven, it had been born from the resonance between Pangu's eardrum and the laws of the Heavenly Dao.

It likewise contained three hundred and sixty Innate Restrictions and ranked among the Supreme Innate Spirit Treasures.

With a light tap, its soundwaves could disrupt the laws of the Heavenly Dao. With a slight shake, it could shatter the body of someone at Early Tracing Origin Stage Great Perfection.

If all three hundred and sixty restrictions within it were triggered, even the true bodies of Gods and Devils could be shattered!

Seeing this, Bai Ze subconsciously swallowed. Even he would not believe himself if he claimed he was unmoved!

But he knew perfectly well that both were treasures Venerable Lingbao cherished. The fact that he carried them with him was proof enough.

If Bai Ze tried to steal them, setting aside whether he could even succeed, he feared he would be reduced to ashes before he even made a move.

He hurriedly shook his head, steadied his mind, and drove away his greedy desires.

Only after a long while did his heart regain its clarity. "Brother, this matter is too difficult. I think we should forget it. Don't make Celestial Venerable angry again."

Duobao frowned slightly at his words, but after a moment, he understood why and chuckled. "Little brother, what are you thinking?

"What we're seeing now are merely phantoms divided from those Supreme Innate Spirit Treasures, not their true forms.

"If they were the true forms, then even if Master permitted it, there would be nothing we could do if the treasure spirits themselves were unwilling.

"But still, little brother, your guts are truly huge. You actually wanted to steal the true bodies of the Supreme Innate Spirit Treasures outright.

"Worthy indeed of someone your big brother has taken a liking to."

Bai Ze laughed awkwardly, but inwardly let out a long breath. He had truly been scared to death just now. He had not expected Duobao's courage to be so great—or for him to court death so thoroughly.

But even if they were imitations, they were not something they could obtain, especially not him!

He knew his own place very clearly. In this little courtyard, he had neither name nor standing and could not even be considered a proper guest.

If he stole them alongside Duobao and somehow angered Venerable Lingbao...

Given Duobao's relationship with Venerable Lingbao and their many years of affection, Duobao might merely suffer a little and have a major matter reduced to a minor one, a minor matter reduced to nothing.

But Bai Ze was different. In his current awkward position, a single bolt of lightning might turn him into scraps, skipping even the spark-making process.

Yet he needed to maintain his relationship with Duobao, and directly refusing him might not be appropriate.

After a brief consideration, he quietly transmitted:

"Brother, this matter requires long-term deliberation."

Duobao looked at Bai Ze in surprise. "Little brother, don't tell me you're scared!"

If an ordinary person were told that, he might agree through gritted teeth to save face.

But was Bai Ze an ordinary person?

He was not even human, let alone an ordinary person!

He immediately nodded. "That's right. I'm afraid Celestial Venerable will press me to death with a single finger."

Duobao was instantly left speechless by Bai Ze's words. With a helpless look, he transmitted:

"What are you afraid of? With the bond between us brothers, if anything happens, I'll cover for you!

"Besides, based on my understanding of Master's temperament, if we can actually pull it off, Master definitely won't blame us.

"After all, if his disciple managed to swipe his things, with his personality, he definitely would not make a huge show of punishing us.

"Otherwise, wouldn't he be telling everyone that his disciple had stolen from him?

"My old Master cares greatly about face, especially in front of Second Senior Uncle.

"So, little brother, just rest assured!"

"This..." Bai Ze was somewhat tempted, but he still had his reservations and could not answer for the moment.

Seeing this, Duobao raised his brow and thought, There's a chance!

He immediately struck while the iron was hot:

"Little brother, carefully feel what is different after being struck by the Violetgold Whip."

Bai Ze frowned slightly at his words and carefully sensed his condition. A moment later, his eyes narrowed!

"Brother, why is it that every time this whip is swung, it strikes my weak point without missing by a hair, strengthens my body, and promotes my cultivation?"

Duobao chuckled:

"Of course it does. Our True Form cultivation focuses on the physical body, but this whip can improve oneself and accelerate True Form cultivation!

"Otherwise, do you think I'm so full of food that I have nothing better to do than get whipped?"

For a moment, Bai Ze looked at Duobao, who was being beaten half to death yet enjoying it immensely, and instantly understood why he kept courting death.

He understood even more clearly what Duobao meant.

Yet he still teased, "I thought Brother was a masochist and simply liked this sort of thing."

Upon hearing this, Duobao did not know what "masochist" meant, but he understood the latter half. It was definitely not anything nice!

Especially in light of their current situation, he instantly felt those two words brimming with endless malice!

He laughed and cursed, "Bastard, you're the masochist!"