Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha
Chapter 48: The Appearance of a Strange Treasure

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The Appearance of a Strange Treasure

In the hollow center of the mountain’s belly, the stone platform seemed to be suspended above the deep space, surrounded on all sides, above and below. Except for the ’starlight’ projected at her feet from above, it seemed altogether pitch-black, with not a hint of light visible.

Only Shi Ji knew that within this excavated mountain’s belly, on the stone walls made invisible by darkness, were densely packed Taoist scriptures carved by her over the centuries with a sword.

With a wave of her hand, the seemingly boundless mountain belly was instantly rid of its former moist vapor, replaced fleetingly with a scorching, scorching sensation. At this moment, the mountain belly became incredibly arid, as if the entire world had dried up.

Shi Ji continued, "All things have their spirit. Cultivators use the Golden Core to achieve longevity, but the flesh decays even faster than the Core. If one cannot surpass the Golden Core Realm, the body’s decay means the annihilation of both form and spirit."

When she mentioned the phrase ’annihilation of form and spirit’, the severe tone in Shi Ji’s voice sent chills through Nezha, who asked, "This spirit, is it the spirit of the Primordial Spirit?"

"Precisely."

Shi Ji nodded, "As mentioned earlier, cultivators pursue immortality, and the cultivation of the physical body with the power of the Golden Core is not for mere arm wrestling, for you have seen, even Ao Bing’s body tempered through countless cycles of the sixth-grade Golden Core couldn’t withstand a single strike from a magic treasure. Cultivators temper their bodies simply to house the Primordial Spirit they cultivate.

After cultivating the Primordial Spirit, even if the body decays, the spirit remains, achieving the destruction of form while the spirit stays, allowing for spirit possession to obtain a new life. This is the Loose Immortal Realm.

As for the skills of the Loose Immortal, they directly strike at the Primordial Spirit. A cultivator yet to enter the Loose Immortal realm cannot defend, so weak is the spirit, that a single blow results in death. This is the insurmountable barrier between the Golden Core Realm and the Loose Immortal Realm. Beyond this, there are many more profound mysteries."

Nezha listened silently, he was not afraid, for the matter had passed, and though it was luck, he had won.

He recalled, if everything has its spirit, then why was he Nezha, where did the original spirit of Nezha go?

It wouldn’t have exchanged places with some ordinary person in the 21st century, who lacks Mana, has a sense of justice, and worries about being targeted by dark forces, working as an extremely handsome office worker, right?

Nezha thought wryly, looking up at Shi Ji, whose eyes flashed with a strange light, and even more strangely, Nezha understood her meaning.

Thus he knelt down, and with the utmost solemn ceremony, expressed his deep gratitude.

The heavens may grant you the aptitude for cultivation, but they will not gift you the ’Infinite Longevity Scripture’ to unlock inspiration, nor the Breathing Technique, much less reveal to you the ’Golden Core Heaven Sun Scripture’.

Nezha received teachings from Shi Ji and remained there for three days without realizing it.

Three days later, Shi Ji summoned Nezha into the cave once more. Nezha thought this lady was going to issue another eviction order, but unexpectedly, upon seeing Shi Ji, she spoke of something entirely different.

Her eyes closed slightly, her hands in a position of clasping flowers on her knees, when Nezha arrived, she did not open her eyes, only said, "I have two Daoist friends on a fairy island far away in the East Sea. Yesterday they sent a letter, sharing some recent interesting news with me. Would you like to hear it?"

Nezha knew Shi Ji wasn’t the type to idly chat and complain about friends or bosses, so if she was finding him to talk, there must be something she wanted to convey.

He also found a cushion to sit cross-legged, back upright, and said, "Madam, please speak, Nezha is all ears."

Shi Ji said, "The first matter, during Chengtang’s times, the ancient battlefield near Sanshan Pass was a place of pervasive bloodshed, yet a fire-eye arose from the ground, growing to 200 feet within a month, spewing sulfur smoke daily. Someone saw a piece of blue-black wood floating in the lava deep within the fire eye, later suspected to be the legendary Purple Cloud Divine Wood."

"Purple Cloud Divine Wood?"

Shi Ji nodded, "It is a refining material only found in Ancient Scriptures. Guangchengzi, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, possesses a cave protector treasure named the Sky Flipping Seal, refined using the Purple Cloud Divine Wood."

"The second matter, a thousand miles north of this place, lies a Fir Forest spanning 800 miles, known in the Cultivation World as the ’800-mile Desolation’. Over the centuries, innumerable predecessors have perished there.

But there is a legend, within this desolation, there exists a Ten Thousand Spirit Treasure Tree, born during the birth of all things, which flowers once every thousand years and fruits once every ten thousand.

Last month, a mid-Taiyi Golden Immortal from the Jie Sect brought out a corner of blood clothes from that desolation, inscribed with four words: Treasure Tree Fruited."

"Thirdly, in recent days, an outer heaven fallen star landed in Zhaoge, obtained by Chengtang’s King Wu Cheng, Huang Feihu. Rumor has it that this meteorite contains the Star River Divine Sand, a treasure as precious as the Purple Cloud Divine Wood and even more rare, it can serve as a core for condensing the Golden Core."

After Shi Ji spoke, she fell silent. Nezha furrowed his brows, resting his chin on his hand, and pondered for a while, then said, "You’re telling me these things so that I should bring all these treasures back? With these being so precious, why doesn’t Madam go acquire them herself with her skills?"

No sooner had he spoken, than a slap from Shi Ji struck him swiftly, adding another bump to Nezha’s head.

But compared to before, though Nezha still couldn’t dodge, he saw more in this slap.

Shi Ji looked at Nezha, undisguised irony in her eyes, and sneered, saying, "Such strange treasures appear, what cultivator would not covet them? The world’s heroes vie for them; do you think you could profit from this? I tell you these so that while you head to Zhaoge shortly, you may avoid these places, lest the immortals confront each other and you, an innocent bystander, lose your life unjustly in their clash."

Hearing this, Nezha was rendered speechless. He thought, if he got unwarranted slaps for such a small affair, today was indeed an unlucky day.

He spread his hands, saying, "Madam, Zhaoge is thousands of miles from Chentang Pass. If I’m free, instead of grasping the Golden Core techniques at home, why go to Zhaoge and stir trouble?"

Let alone the ’800-mile Desolation’ thousands of miles away.

Nezha made clear he wouldn’t go, but Shi Ji shook her head, opened her eyes to look at Nezha, and said meaningfully, "Destiny decrees it, eventually, you shall go."

The heavy sense of fate in Shi Ji’s words gripped Nezha’s heart. He took a deep breath and asked, "Madam, what do you mean by this?"

Shi Ji didn’t bother with mystery; she said, "Recently, as I practiced Fire Resistance Technique, occasionally I had insights, so I divined, but don’t know who veiled the secrets, for deeper it was shrouded in chaos, unclear, but generally, it seems, you’re destined for a journey to Zhaoge."

Now that the conversation turned to destiny and divination, Nezha was even more confused.

Although aware this is the Fengshen world, where some things one must believe, he still didn’t understand why he would go to Zhaoge at this time.

He bade farewell to Madam Shi Ji, then went looking for Bi Yun to say goodbye, and directly used Earth Style to return to Chentang Pass.

As Nezha departed, Cai Yun arrived on the serene stone terrace.

Her lovely pink-tinged pale face was expressionless, so cold and distant it deterred others from approaching.

Her long hair was now fashioned into a topknot, though a male’s hairstyle. Yet as her body was already maturing, when standing straight, the Daoist robe clung close, tracing a slightly protruding curve.

She observed Bi Yun, clad in the same Daoist robe as her, the silly child two years her junior who was squatting, focused on plucking weeds from the stone terrace fissures.

Occasionally, a grasshopper would leap out, startling him into a tumble, far from the demeanor of a cultivator.

But Cai Yun scrutinized closely, and whether it was akin to Shi Ji’s sudden inspiration or suddenly acquiring the nose of the Sea Guardian Black General, her brows furrowed all at once, asking, "He’s been here?"

Bi Yun was startled by her, turned around, and stammered, "Se... Senior Sister... Senior Brother! You’re out!"

Cai Yun thought to herself, you fool, such an obvious matter, yet you still have to ask again. She said, "Answer me, where is Nezha?"

"Nezha, don’t worry Sister, he’s gone... Sister, Sister?"

He’s gone.

Cai Yun once believed she had earned the privilege of leaving the Golden Chicken Cave, styling her hair and emerging confidently.

However, upon hearing, he’s gone, she suddenly froze in place, feeling inexplicably lost.

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