Wield the Power of Heaven and Earth, Slay Demons and Monsters!

Chen Qiu glanced around in confusion before finally fixing his gaze on the crimson stone pillar. He found it rather absurd. Before transmigrating, he had read xianxia novels too, and he knew that one of their main themes was fortuitous encounters.

That was perfectly normal.

But at the very least, the fortuitous encounters in those xianxia novels had some basic logic to them, didn't they?

For instance, finding a dust-covered ancient divine artifact at a roadside stall, or falling off a cliff and discovering at the bottom a secret realm and treasures left behind by some deceased powerhouse. Even in the worst-case scenario, one should have to go through some twists and setbacks before encountering an opportunity, right?

But in this world he had transmigrated into, so-called opportunities just popped straight out of the ground?

Whoever happened to be nearby was the fated one?

That was a little too childish.

He cast those messy thoughts from his mind. Perhaps true opportunities were supposed to be like this—suddenly emerging from the earth, to be claimed by whoever arrived first.

Everything on this crimson stone pillar was good stuff at a discount. Buy whatever he wanted; he definitely would not lose out.

He placed the required Spirit Stones atop the translucent membranes covering the Spirit Beast Ring and the Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Spirit-Absorbing Talisman. The Spirit Stones quickly melted into the membranes and vanished, while the membranes above those two items disappeared as well, allowing them to be taken out freely.

"Young Master Chen, the first two slots contain things that talisman masters and artifact refiners can produce. But the Heavenly Treasure Vault contains many treasures that can only be found within Heavenly Dao Secret Realms."

"And the item in the third slot is precisely one of them."

Before the scholar could finish speaking, a voice drifted eerily into everyone's ears. "The third slot contains an Enlightenment Stone. With this treasure, any spell below the Foundation Establishment Realm's supreme grade can be comprehended to the Great Perfection realm in an instant."

"It would not be an exaggeration to call it the strongest treasure of the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"For an ordinary person to cultivate a Foundation Establishment spell to the Great Perfection realm, even with painstaking practice every day, would take at least a year. But with an Enlightenment Stone, it takes only an instant."

"Its value is exceedingly high."

Fat Dragon and the others' expressions changed slightly. Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw a middle-aged man in red robes, with one hand behind his back and long hair flowing loose, shooting toward them atop a crimson longsword.

The man had not arrived, but his voice came first.

By the time his words ended, the middle-aged man was already only several zhang away, hovering diagonally above them.

"Heavenly Treasure Vault—those with fate shall come."

Greed and excitement flashed in the man's eyes as he looked down at Chen Qiu and the others. The corners of his mouth curled upward. "Looks like I have more fate with it than you do. Since you're all Foundation Establishment cultivators, why not come serve as soul minions in my Myriad Souls Banner?"

"That would make it double happiness!"

"Today is truly a fine day. That old fortune-teller in Heaven-Question Market was spot on!"

"This man is a demonic cultivator, at least at the Seventh Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. One look tells you he is extremely ruthless."

The scholar lowered his voice, his expression turning ugly. His right hand slipped casually behind his back as he prepared to seize an opportunity to control his flying sword and carry Chen Qiu and the others away from this place. They were certainly no match for someone at that level of cultivation.

He had the highest cultivation among them, but the poison was currently wracking his body, leaving him without any combat strength. Their strongest fighter was Young Master Chen, yet Young Master Chen was only at the First Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. He certainly could not win.

Running was their only option.

Fortunately, if he wanted to flee, a Seventh Level Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator would not be able to keep him here.

"Hehe, you really are good at reading people~"

"A demonic cultivator?"

Chen Qiu swept his gaze over the treasures still sealed on the crimson stone pillar, then reached out and pressed down the scholar's right hand as he was preparing to draw his sword and flee. "Are demonic cultivators very strong?" he asked softly.

"Very strong. Invincible among those of the same level!"

"Can they fight above their cultivation level?"

"Basically every demonic cultivator can. Demonic cultivators do not seek immortality. They only seek to chop down all those cultivators pursuing immortality before they die!"

"Can a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator fight a Golden Core Realm cultivator above their level?"

"...That definitely won't work."

"Mm."

Chen Qiu nodded lightly. He had no intention of running. He quite liked the treasures here; compared to leaving, self-destructing a trait offered much greater value for the cost. He no longer hesitated and immediately made the first move.

White Trait, Flawless Body—Self-Destruct!

The next instant—

Chen Qiu suddenly felt the Dao Foundation above his dantian begin spinning at tremendous speed. Then the sky above the entire wilderness abruptly darkened, while the spiritual energy in the surrounding air began surging wildly. With divine sense, he could even see an incomparably massive tornado formed from spiritual energy filling the sky above his head!

Immediately afterward, he sensed the white words Flawless Body, engraved upon his Dao Foundation, gradually peeling away. They traveled through his meridians to his hands, where he felt an incomparably violent aura of power.

He merely pushed both hands forward instinctively.

Then—

Boom!

A bolt of lightning, like a soaring dragon and a full zhang wide, suddenly burst from the dark clouds overhead. Carrying the might of the heavens, it smashed straight toward the ground from the clouds and arrived above the head of that Foundation Establishment Great Perfection demonic cultivator flying through the air on his sword in the blink of an eye!

There was not even a scream.

After the lightning passed, the dark clouds vanished in an instant.

Yet the demonic cultivator who had been shouting arrogantly moments before was nowhere to be seen. All that remained on the ground was a magical treasure that had been struck completely black and lost all its spirituality, as well as two shattered storage rings. Since the storage rings had broken, their contents naturally scattered into other spatial realms.

Chen Qiu thoughtfully lowered his head to look at his right hand. He had originally been curious about what exactly this "full-power strike that crossed a major realm" meant when a trait self-destructed.

Now, he understood.

Traits were more like the laws of this world given tangible form. Even a White Trait contained considerable law power, and the energy released the instant those laws self-destructed was enough to briefly elevate him into the next major realm. Then, one of the spells he cultivated would be randomly selected from his Dao Foundation and temporarily raised to the Great Perfection realm.

This was a full-power strike from the Golden Core Realm.

That bolt of lightning, which could be seen clearly dozens of li away as it spanned heaven and earth, was the power unleashed when a First Level Golden Core Realm cultivator released the Lightning-Channeling Art at the Great Perfection realm with all his strength.

This... was a spell cultivator!

Wield the power of heaven and earth, slay demons and monsters!

After this trial, he became even more certain of the path he would walk in the future.

"Brother Qiu... Th-this..."

Fat Dragon pointed blankly at the pitch-black flying sword that had fallen to the ground nearby, stammering in complete loss. Just moments ago, he had been clutching the scholar's younger brother's sleeve tightly, ready to flee at any moment so he would not be left behind. How had Brother Qiu suddenly insta-killed the man?

Wasn't that a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator? Brother Qiu had still been a mortal a few days ago, yet after only a few days, he could instantly kill a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator?

They were both transmigrators. Honestly, Brother Qiu, didn't you get an extra cheat?

"..."

Even the scholar's mouth twitched slightly. He now believed even more firmly that Young Master Chen was the young master of some reclusive Lineage outside the Great Xia Kingdom. Fat Dragon might not have been able to sense the force behind that attack, but he could sense it with perfect clarity.

That was genuine Golden Core might!