Chapter 102: I Want The Heavenly Thunder To Roar For Me
Within the illusion formation, beside the Zhuang River’s bank, Xiao Chen laid unmoving. Three days had passed and his dried up skin was somewhat healthier.
However, he still looked as skinny as a stick, as though he was malnourished. The poison gathered on his skin, causing his white complexion to turn dark.
Another three days went by and dark clouds gathered in the sky, turning the whole place gloomy. In a blink of the eye, water drops the size of beans fell from the sky, falling on Xiao Chen’s face with a pitter patter.
The torrential rain poured heavily as lightning flashed and thunder roared. The level of the Zhuang River rose and the turbulence water surged violently, gushing at a great speed.
“Chi Chi!”
Raindrops fell on Xiao Chen’s tightly shut eyes; his eyelids could not help but twitched twice. After a long time, his firmly shut eyes opened a crack. The rainwater seeped through the crack, entering his eyes mercilessly.
There was a mist covering the sky, making it look vague and indistinct. Amidst the rain and the mist, he seemed to have seen his parents from his previous life. Because he left, his mother cried every day and his father sighed all day long; both their fine black hair turned white.
“Dad… Mum…” Xiao Chen murmured softly. It was unsure if the water in his eyes was rainwater or tears that were flowing constantly.
He had never felt this lonely in his lives before. Despite the vastness of this world, he could not actually find a place to take shelter from this torrential rain, not even a straw shack.
He painstakingly stretched out his right hand towards the sky, trying to grab onto the vague yet familiar image of his parents.
The bean sized rain fell continuously on Xiao Chen’s right hand, mercilessly extinguishing his delusions. The image of his parents slowly disappeared, transforming into another familiar person in Mohe City.
He saw a heartbroken Xiao Yulan, watching as he left Mohe City. Ye Lan, Xiao Ling`er, and his other companions from the Trial of Gloomy Forest were all kneeling in front of Xiao Xiong, seeking mercy for Xiao Chen.
Then he saw Feng Feixue, dressed in men’s clothing. She was holding a folding fan, looking very graceful and elegant. Various scenes of the past flashed by for Xiao Chen.
“Mohe City… I have already been gone for so long; will you still remember me?”
“Cousin Yulan, did you go to Heavenly Qin School with Xiao Jian??
“Xiao Jian, did your hatred towards me decrease as a result of my departure?”
“Feng Feixue, first you gave me the Azure Dragon Medicine Cauldron, and then you gave me the Azure Dragon Cloud Soaring Art… Who exactly are you?”
“Xiao Xiong, why was I being chased out just because I possess the Azure Dragon Martial Spirit? Why are you so heartless?”
All the vague images in the sky vanished completely, leaving only the mist and the torrential rain, washing away the memories of Xiao Chen.
When all these memories disappeared, Xiao Chen’s heart was clear once again. The water in his eyes disappeared as he pensively watched the rain pour.
Xiao Chen struggled for a little before managing to sit up. He used his right hand to support his weight as he slowly stood. He staggered as his body swayed. Because he was lying on the ground for a long time, the blood circulation in his body was not good. He felt dizzy and almost collapsed again.
After a short period of time, his blood circulation improved. Xiao Chen headed to the Zhuang River’s bank, braving the abounding rain as he slowly walked over. A blurred mirror image appeared in the water, showing Xiao Chen’s emaciated body and black skin.
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly to himself as he muttered “Heaven Ranked Martial Technique… I am indeed not strong enough to execute it yet. If I were to execute it once again, I would probably die horribly on the spot.”
Suddenly, he remembered the first time he executed the Return of the Azure Dragon… The time he was saved by Xiao Yulan, her meticulous care, as well as that table full of tasty dishes.
Now, the two of them had gone their separate ways. It was unknown when they would meet again. He could not help but feel depressed in his heart.
Recollecting his thoughts and drenched from the downpour, Xiao Chen went and found a flat rock. He hesitated for a little before sitting down crossed-legged on it.
He took out the Seven Leaf Fruit from his Universe Ring. The gratifying medicinal fragrance instantly wafted out. There was a layer of golden Qi that appeared to be solid covering it; even the rain was not able to penetrate through.
Xiao Chen did not hesitate as he swallowed this Natural Treasure that even the Black Legged Snake did not dare to swallow. His current Qi and blood were very weak. Even though he had already taken a Red Core Pomelo, it was not sufficient; he needed more.
He did not have to worry about his Qi and blood becoming berserk, causing himself to be oversaturated and exploding to death.
The moment the Seven Leaf Fruit entered his mouth, it turned into a cooling medicinal liquid. It flowed along Xiao Chen’s meridians and circulated through his whole body.
After a cycle, a terrifying energy was emitted from the whole of Xiao Chen’s body. The incredibly berserk Qi and blood churned in his body unceasingly. It followed the acupoints along the meridians and rushed into the Tianding Acupoint in his brain.
Xiao Chen’s body emitted a faint golden glow. When the bean sized rain fell on it, it immediately turned into steam. In a very short amount of time, the flat rock was covered with the white mist.
Within the steam, there was a human figure emitting a golden glow. It looked extremely sacred and holy in the rain.
Seven Leaf Flower grew a petal once every ten years. For all seven petals to grow out, it would take 70 years. Only after another 20 years would there be a Seven Leaf Fruit.
A Seven Leaf Fruit took a total of 90 years to grow. During this time, the Seven Leaf Fruit continuously absorbed the purest Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.
When it finally bore fruit, the Essence of Heaven and Earth contained within it reached an unimaginable level. This was the purest and densest Essence. It could result in a Martial Disciple increasing his cultivation by one grade when consumed.
Although Xiao Chen had anticipated the strength of the Seven Leaf Fruit, he underestimated the Essence of Heaven and Earth contained within. He almost lost control of it.
Xiao Chen quickly circulated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation, slowly refining this berserk medicinal strength. A purple steam rose up from his head.
Xiao Chen’s superficial flesh and skin could be seen being nourished slowly by the naked eye. The dried skin gradually became saturated. His black cheeks looked like it was carved using a knife; the corners were clear and distinct, giving one the impression of a sword that was being unsheathed, a pressuring sense felt when one showed off their abilities.
After the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation made three small cycles, Xiao Chen managed to control the medicinal strength. He continued to circulate the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation. He was prepared to use this opportunity to advance in cultivation realm in this torrential rain.
In the skies above, dark clouds covered the sun. Within the clouds, the sound of thunder continuously crackled. The merciless torrent of rain grew more intense with the wind.
There was the sound of the wind, rain, thunder, gushing river, and the sound of the waterfall crashing onto the ground surrounding him. Further away, there were the chirps of bugs and the growls of Spirit Beasts.
As these sounds entered Xiao Chen’s ear, Xiao Chen reached a state of mental clarity, a state of where he lost the sense of self. He wandered between reality and illusions, sensing and feeling everything between the heaven and earth.
He circulated Purple Thunder Divine Incantation for a cycle. The berserk medicinal strength contained in the Seven Leaf Fruit merged together with the Spiritual Energy absorbed by the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation and flowed into the Dantian.
“Bang!”
Where the Martial Spirit was, there were no barriers. The ten white clouds immediately exploded apart, becoming a formless mass. The clouds disappeared and a pool of clear water appeared in the space of the formless mass.
The size of this pool was at least double that of when Xiao Chen advanced in cultivation realm the last time. He felt the energy contained within and felt extremely joyful. He was actually able to raise his cultivation directly to the peak of Medial Grade Martial Master. He was only a little short of progressing to Superior Grade Martial Master.
Xiao Chen had been capable of breaking into the next cultivation realm for a long time already. He had been suppressing this energy, solidifying his foundations. He did not expect that under the effects of good preparation, he was able to jump to Medial Grade Martial Master using the Seven Leaf Fruit.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, there was a very intense crackle of thunder. Under the guidance of the thunder, many explosion sounds roared within Xiao Chen’s body.
There was a loud crackle of thunder in every one of his 700-odd acupoints in his entire body. It seemed to be synchronized with the thunder in the sky. It was unclear whether the thunder from the heaven was the one triggering the explosions in Xiao Chen’s body, or the reverse.
Every time the sound of thunder roared from his acupoints, Xiao Chen could feel the strength contained in his body increase significantly. These thunderous sounds were actually tempering his body.
Xiao Chen suddenly thought of a section in the Compendium of Cultivation. When the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation is cultivated to the third layer, every time he advanced a cultivation realm there would be the possibility of causing a strange phenomenon to occur, granting him great opportunities in cultivating.
According to legends, after he cultivated to the seventh layer, every time he advanced, he would have to undergo a tribulation of lightning. It seems that this legend was likely true.
When the thunder completely stopped, the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation suddenly started to circulate. The speed of the circulation was actually faster than before. The Purple Thunder Divine Incantation had advanced too.
The torrent of rain slowly stopped and the dark clouds dispersed. The sun shined again and the forest became lively once more. There were all sorts of sounds coming from birds and beasts.
Xiao Chen opened his eyes suddenly; the Purple Thunder True Fire abruptly poured out from his pores before gathering together and transforming into a resplendent ball of purple flame. It floated in front of him.
When the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation advanced to the third layer, there were some qualitative changes to the Purple Thunder True Fire. It finally generated an Origin Flame; it was no longer a flame without any source.
With a thought from Xiao Chen, the manifestation of the Purple Thunder True Fire turned into a purple light and entered his right eye.
A boundless sea of flame instantly appeared within his right eye. It was as though a universe was being separated by the flames. Finally, the boundless universes converged together and the purple fire became a purple light. It slowly disappeared from Xiao Chen’s eye. His eye returned to its normal peaceful look.
Xiao Chen jumped down from the rock. He felt that his entire body was filled with a boundless energy. Every move of his contained a strong might. He trod on the muddy ground and walked to the riverbank.
Xiao Chen waved his finger and a purple flame in the shape of a rhombus appeared in his eye. It gave off an incomparably strange light. A surging flame appeared in his hand and fell gently onto the surface of Zhuang River.
“Chi! Chi! Chi!”
When the terrifying flame landed on the river surface, it burned, giving off sizzling sounds. After a long time, the purple flame disappeared. However, the water level of the Zhuang River decreased by a finger’s length.
