1616 How Do You Feel? Wuzhuang Temple, Pepino Melon
The moment Spirit Expulsion Cursing Seal entered the Great Arbiter Divine Maiden's body, it went straight to her soul.
For a moment there, she felt like she had lost control of her own life and death. However, she had a feeling that it would only take one thought from Chu Kuangren to kill her.
"What is this?" The Great Arbiter Divine Maiden was horrified.
"Something that I can use to control you," Chu Kuangren said indifferently.
With a single thought from him, the Great Arbiter Divine Maiden's face turned pale. She covered her head and collapsed on the ground, screaming excruciatingly.
It was not the physical pain that tormented her; it was the pain from her soul, which was a hundred times more tormenting than physical pain.
Not even the toughest of men could endure such pain, let alone a woman like her.
Her mind was being ravaged mercilessly.
She would rather be dead than suffer such torments.
Her screams lasted for a while before they eventually grew soft. She lay on the ground, weak and wretched.
"How do you feel?" Chu Kuangren asked as he sized up the Great Arbiter Divine Maiden.
She looked at the man with utmost fear. He was like the living devil asking her the most common question.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing much. I'm just testing out the Spirit Expulsion Cursing Seal's effect," he said.
The Great Arbiter Divine Maiden got up on her feet slowly. "What do you want me to do?"
"Go back to your Immortal Hall. When I need you, I will contact you," he said.
With that, he turned around and planned to leave. However, before he could, a thought rushed into his mind.
"Your damage-reversing technique is quite interesting. Give it to me."
"Alright."
The Great Arbiter Divine Maiden dared not defy him anymore. She immediately handed over her damage-reversing technique to Chu Kuangren.
After that, the two parted ways.
As Chu Kuangren slowly left her sight, the Great Arbiter Divine Maiden wore a conflicted look on her. She knew Chu Kuangren had branded her with his mark permanently.
It was an insult that she could not erase for the rest of her life.
"Damn it!"
She dished out a palm strike at the nearby mountain, crushing it into dust.
Chu Kuangren was aware of the little commotion behind him. He smiled but was not bothered.
"I have two more Spirit Expulsion Cursing Seals. Who should I use them on?"
…
A few days after the Book of Earth's Mountainous World opened, a beam of light shot up into the sky from inside it.
Daoist laws surrounded the pillar of light like stars in the galaxy.
A powerful energy presence spread outward in all directions.
All the sky-prides and Prodigies who were exploring the Mountainous World sensed it. They all turned in that direction and responded with an odd look.
"This energy presence means some big Opportunity of Fortune has appeared."
"It's definitely unusual. It seems like only the Book of Earth's core can release such a powerful energy presence. Who got it?"
"We shall find out."
Almost everyone flew toward the source of the powerful energy presence with overflowing desire and excitement.
Somewhere on a mountain, a blue-haired woman stood tall on its peak. Boundless scorching energy surrounded her and turned the area around her into charred lands.
She was in the center of the massive charred land!
She stared into the light pillar further away and muttered, "This energy presence belongs to the Book of Earth's core. It's showtime."
Her figure flashed and disappeared from the spot.
On the other hand, a man in bronze armor threw a punch, creating an image of a massive army.
The ferocious beast before him was torn apart by his fist energy.
The man was Gou Chen Imperial Commander of the Immortal Hall.
He turned to the light pillar with gleaming eyes. "Chu Kuangren, will you be there?"
With a step forward, he traversed more than a million kilometers, leaving a trail of quakes in his wake as if a massive army was marching forward with him.
Each of his movements brought forth the might of an army.
On a random island within the Mountainous World, another black and white light beam shot up into the sky with Yin Yang energy manifesting from it. It somehow released a strange energy fluctuation in the air.
The beam faded after a while.
Calamity Yin Yang, with his hands behind his back, stepped out from it.
Behind him was a pile of dead sky-prides and Prodigies, whose blood stained the river red.
"Interesting. If the Book of Earth's core has appeared, many other sky-prides and Prodigies will be there. I wonder how many Peerless Prodigies I can kill," he said in a ridiculing tone.
Then, his figure flashed and disappeared as he flew toward the light beam.
"Amitabha."
As the mantra echoed, Fa Hai looked towards the light beam while wielding his scepter and bowl.
"The Book of Earth cannot fall into the wrong hands."
"As the Buddha wills it!"
Behind Fa Hai were a number of sky-prides and Prodigies, putting their hands together and praying with utmost sincerity.
They were all from different forces and orthodoxies. They used to be talented sky-prides with a bright future, but they had now all become Fa Hai's followers.
…
Thousands of Daoist laws circulated a massive mountain ridge, making it look like the spine of the galaxy.
Beneath the mountain ridge was a massive Daoist temple.
In front of its gates was a massive signage with its name carved on it — Wuzhuang Temple.
Inside the Daoist temple were pavements made of Immortals Stones. Immortal Trees were dancing in the front yard, and there was an orchard with boundless qi and Immortal Sparks emanating from it.
Countless sky-prides and Prodigies were in awe of the grand Daoist temple.
"So this is the source of the light pillar? But where's the Book of Earth's core?"
"Look. The Daoist temple looks strange."
"Wuzhuang Temple."
Someone suddenly remembered the origin of the Daoist temple's name.
With a surprised squeal, he said, "Could this be where Zhen Yuanzi, the Earthen Immortal's ancestor, cultivated?"
Powerful elites roamed free during ancient times.
Other than a handful of Primordials, the others also possessed powers that should not be underestimated, such as the Nether River Forefather and West Ruler Matriarch.
Zhen Yuanzi was a top Embodier. Be it his strength, status, or reputation, he was on par with, or even surpassed, the Nether River Forefather.
Zhen Yuanzi called himself the Earthen Immortal's ancestor. He was also the owner of the Book of Earth, and the place he resided was Wuzhuang Temple.
"It was said that the Earthen Immortal's ancestor possessed not only the Book of Earth but also an Innate Spiritual Root, the Pepino melon. The melon could extend one's lifespan and help an Arch Gilded Immortal to manifest the Life's Core Flower. It's really powerful," someone said after a quick glance.
Soon, the group noticed the Pepino tree.
A massive tree was located in a corner of the front yard, and hanging on the branches were crystal clear fruits that were shaped like a human baby.
"The Innate Spiritual Root is really something different."
The group gulped nervously.
The Pepino melon was a rare fruit that was assumed extinct in the current era.
If anyone could have a bite, it would definitely boost his or her cultivation level greatly.
"Let's just get one first."
One of the sky-prides grew restless and flew toward Wuzhuang Temple.
However, a surge of sword qi came in so fast that it blasted the sky-pride away.
