At the bottom of Luoshui Lake.
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and immediately felt a layer of grime covering his skin.
With a slight shake of his body, the layer of grime instantly shattered and dissolved into the lake water.
Now, in his perception, he could see his appearance.
His skin was as smooth as jade, even more flawless than before.
"I've turned into a pretty boy!" Jiang Ning chuckled to himself.
After absorbing that strand of True Lunar Essence, he noticed his skin had become fairer and more delicate as if carved from polished jade.
"If this stuff could be sold to women, it would drive them wild with obsession!"
Jiang Ning instantly saw the business opportunity.
For women across the world, any product that could whiten and beautify their skin would spark frenzied demand.
But then he shook his head with a wry smile.
True Lunar Essence what kind of miraculous treasure was that?
For someone like him, it could bring about a transformation as profound as rebirth, let alone for ordinary people.
However, he also knew that the reason for such dramatic effects was that this was his first time absorbing genuine True Lunar Essence.
With any treasure, the most noticeable effects always come from the first use.
Subsequent uses would only diminish in impact until they eventually became negligible.
"Today's harvest of Source Energy Points is bound to be impressive!"
Gazing at the pool of silvery essence on the ground ahead, Jiang Ning's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
So far, the biggest gain of the day had been discovering this place.
A pool of Lunar Essence, plus a strand of genuine True Lunar Essence how much would it contribute to his Source Energy Points? He couldn't say for sure.
But he knew it would be substantial, far exceeding yesterday's gains.
The next moment.
He opened his mouth and inhaled sharply.
The silvery essence in the pool instantly formed a silver column that streamed straight into Jiang Ning's mouth.
"My Lord!!" Beside him, the old turtle saw this and felt another pang of heartache, its mouth twitching slightly.
But Jiang Ning ignored it, continuing to devour the Lunar Essence like liquid silver.
As the essence entered his mouth, he felt a wave of coolness spreading through his body.
It was like having icy water poured over his head in the dead of winter.
After a short while.
Not a single drop of the silvery essence remained.
"What is it?" Jiang Ning turned to the old turtle and asked.
"My Lord!" Suppressing its distress, the old turtle spoke again. "My Lord, the Thunder Serpent possesses a Thunderclap Fruit Tree. I wonder if you might be interested."
"Thunderclap Fruit?" Jiang Ning's expression turned surprised as he pressed, "There's a Thunderclap Fruit Tree here?"
His astonishment stemmed from the fact that he had read about Thunderclap Fruit in ancient texts.
Thunderclap Fruit contained the power of lightning, with remarkable effects tempering the internal organs and boosting one's cultivation.
Boosting cultivation meant enhancing inner energy.
Among all the rare natural treasures, this effect was exceptionally precious and rare.
What made it rare was that Thunderclap Fruit only grew on Thunderclap Trees.
And the conditions required for a Thunderclap Tree to grow were extremely demanding.
Only in unique terrain where lightning frequently gathered could a Thunderclap Tree possibly take root.
Yet the place he was in now wasn't land it was underwater.
A Thunderclap Tree growing underwater? That completely defied his understanding.
Seeing Jiang Ning's skeptical gaze, the old turtle quickly nodded repeatedly.
"My Lord, trust me!"
"The Thunder Serpent is an electric eel. The reason it's had such fortune, even daring to call itself a 'serpent,' is all thanks to stumbling upon that Thunderclap Fruit Tree."
"Right now, the Thunderclap Fruit Tree grows in the Thunder Serpent's lair a place with extremely peculiar terrain."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning recalled the old turtle's charred appearance earlier.
"Old Turtle, those lightning burns you had earlier were they from this so-called Thunder Serpent?"
"Yes, My Lord!" The old turtle nodded vigorously. "I recently made a breakthrough in strength, so I wanted to snatch a Thunderclap Fruit from the Thunder Serpent. Unfortunately, I underestimated its innate divine ability."
"Because we were underwater, the lightning's power was amplified, giving it an overwhelming advantage. I still couldn't defeat it."
After hearing this, Jiang Ning was about 70% convinced.
Moreover, through the divine authority of the Divine's Scion, he could sense the imprint in the old turtle's mind.
Through the imprint, he could feel the old turtle's emotions fear, and submission toward him.
Sensing these emotions, Jiang Ning's trust grew another 20%.
The next moment.
"Take me there!"
"Yes, My Lord!" The old turtle immediately grew excited, its heart filled with schadenfreude.
As the saying goes, inequality breeds resentment.
Now that it had fallen to such a state, it didn't want to see the Thunder Serpent living comfortably either.
At the bottom of the lake.
In an area resembling a yardang landform.
The surroundings were filled with jagged, bizarre rock formations.
The water, too deep, was pitch black, with only faint purple-blue glows emitted by some mysterious substances on the surrounding rocks.
Beyond that, there were no traces of bioluminescent fish in the vicinity.
The old turtle carried Jiang Ning as it swam forward, weaving through the towering rock formations. The surrounding waters parted effortlessly as if the duo were a small boat cutting through waves.
Along the way, Jiang Ning learned that after becoming a demonic beast, the old turtle had gained the innate ability to control water.
Meanwhile, the Thunder Serpent, being an electric eel, had an innate ability to manipulate lightning.
Suddenly.
Zzzzt
An arc of electricity erupted from a rocky pillar, lashing out in all directions.
Seeing this, the old turtle moved swiftly, carrying Jiang Ning around the area where the electric arcs erupted.
"Master, do you see it?" the old turtle asked.
"Yes," Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
From the old turtle's earlier explanation, he had already learned about the peculiar terrain of this place where lightning would occasionally erupt, making it a forbidden zone for life underwater.
Life here was nearly extinct, and only anomalies like the old turtle, which had gained sentience through chance, could move about freely.
The Thunderclap Fruit Tree the old turtle had mentioned was also located at the core of this strange terrain.
Having witnessed the peculiarity of this place, Jiang Ning grew more convinced of the existence of the Thunderclap Fruit Tree.
His heart couldn't help but grow eager.
From what he knew, Thunderclap Fruit contained the power of lightning.
When consumed by martial artists, it could refine their bodies, strengthening their physique.
But its greatest effect was tempering the internal organs and enhancing inner energy.
The older the Thunderclap Fruit, the stronger its effects, and the more it could boost one's cultivation.
At the same time, this fruit was extremely rare.
The Thunderclap Fruit Tree had exceptionally stringent environmental requirements it could only grow in places where lightning struck year-round.
Because of this, the fruit had largely become a mere legend in texts, with virtually no sightings in reality.
Unless one ventured beyond the Great Xia, into the vast uninhabited regions or treacherous lands, there might be a chance to discover such a miraculous fruit.
For example, in the mountain ranges of Nanling, as far as Jiang Ning knew, ancient great demons and even demon kings with their long lifespans slumbered deep within the untamed wilderness.
Only in such perilous, unexplored territories could such extraordinary phenomena exist.
Yet now, he had encountered a similar strange terrain at the bottom of Luoshui Lake.
The occasional eruptions of lightning here further corroborated the old turtle's claims, adding to their credibility.
As they advanced, Jiang Ning, through his perception of the three-li radius of the underwater area, realized the terrain was vast, far exceeding his sensory range.
Within the three-li radius, he could perceive, lightning constantly crackling and electric arcs flashing among the stone pillars.
"Old Turtle, do you know why this place has such strange phenomena?" Jiang Ning asked as a bolt of lightning exploded nearby.
"Master, I don't know either," the old turtle replied. "From the time I gained sentience over two hundred years ago until now, these phenomena have always existed here."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
At that moment, his expression brightened with joy.
In his perception, he spotted the purple tree ahead, obscured by layers of underwater stone pillars.
The tree stood about seven meters tall.
Its entire form was bare, without a single leaf, only three fist-sized fruits hanging from its branches.
At the same time, Jiang Ning also noticed a massive electric eel coiled at the base of the tree.
An ordinary adult electric eel would only grow about three meters long.
But this eel beneath the tree was at least six or seven meters in length, clearly having broken the limits of its species like the old turtle beneath his feet transcending mortality to become a demon.
Now, Jiang Ning could even see blue lightning coursing through the eel's body.
It flowed slowly from its tail to its head, cycling endlessly in a continuous loop.
The flickering lightning also caused the surroundings around the eel to alternate between light and darkness.
After observing the eel, Jiang Ning immediately glanced down at the old turtle beneath him.
Comparing the two, he instantly understood why the old turtle couldn't defeat the eel.
Their auras were completely different.
The old turtle beneath his feet had no remarkable features aside from its large size.
The electric eel, however, was entirely different lightning coursed through its entire body, making it look extraordinarily mystical.
The old turtle continued carrying him toward the eel's location.
Jiang Ning shifted his focus back to the large tree beside the eel.
Cross-referencing with the knowledge in his mind, he confirmed, "It is a Thunderclap Tree!"
His gaze then settled on the three Thunderclap Fruits on its branches.
From what he knew, for every additional decade of growth, a Thunderclap Fruit would form a lightning mark on its surface.
One lightning mark represented ten years of accumulated medicinal potency, roughly equivalent to increasing the user's cultivation by one year on average.
The exact effect varied depending on the individual's physique, bone structure, and absorption efficiency.
From a distance of about one or two kilometers, Jiang Ning's perception swept over the three fruits, revealing five, two, and nine lightning marks respectively.
This meant the three Thunderclap Fruits had fifty years, twenty years, and ninety years of medicinal potency.
"What a pity," Jiang Ning shook his head, feeling a twinge of regret.
What a pity the ninety-year-old Thunderclap Fruit hadn't reached a full century.
Any rare treasure, once it reaches a hundred years of age, undergoes a qualitative leap in potency.
A ninety-year-old Thunderclap Fruit couldn't even be compared to a century-old one their effects were on entirely different levels.
"What a shame!" He shook his head again.
A ninety-year-old Thunderclap Fruit.
If left here for a while perhaps a year, perhaps a decade it might undergo that transformation and become a century-old fruit.
But he couldn't afford to wait that long.
And though the Thunderclap Fruit was valuable, capable of boosting his cultivation, it wasn't worth such a lengthy delay.
Beneath the Thunderclap Tree.
A massive electric eel, six or seven meters long, suddenly opened its eyes.
Like a great serpent, it raised its head three feet off the ground, scanning its surroundings.
The next moment, its blue pupils constricted into pinpricks.
It saw, behind a stone pillar, a giant turtle carrying a human man approaching.
Under the eerie blue glow of the Thunderclap Tree, the scene was crystal clear.
ROAR
The eel immediately bared its fangs and let out a deafening roar in Jiang Ning's direction.
In an instant, its fins stiffened, streaks of blue light coursing through them.
The once-calm waters of the lake erupted into layers upon layers of ripples, surging toward Jiang Ning.
"Turtle General, you dare return?!"
So, it could speak too!
A flicker of surprise passed through Jiang Ning's eyes.
He had originally assumed Luoshui Lake was just an ordinary body of water large in size, deep in places, but nothing more.
But now, it seemed this lake had nurtured actual Yao creatures that had gained sentience, developed demonic power, and awakened racial talents.
Like the old turtle beneath his feet, which possessed the divine abilities of size manipulation and water control.
According to the turtle's description, the electric eel before him called "Thunder Wyrm" had an innate talent for controlling lightning bursts.
Jiang Ning's gaze lingered on the eel, tracing the blue light pulsing through its body.
Such a direct stare unsettled the creature.
Its eyes locked onto Jiang Ning atop the turtle's back.
"Human!" Its pupils narrowed into vertical slits, fierce killing intent flashing within.
As a Yao with awakened intelligence, it understood the power humans wielded.
And it knew exactly how precious the tree it guarded was.
From an ordinary electric eel to its current state, all its gains had come from the fruits of this very tree.
Over the years, one fruit after another had entered its belly, granting it not just intelligence and wisdom but also dominance over these waters so much so that even the two-century-old turtle was no match for it.
It also knew that if word of this tree spread to human settlements, it would inevitably attract power far beyond its ability to resist.
Though this was the lake's deep-water zone, a near-lifeless forbidden area, the strong among humans could still reach it.
At this thought, the killing intent in its eyes intensified.
Without another moment's hesitation, the eel roared again, lightning crackling through the water and illuminating the dark lakebed in a stark, blinding white.
So decisive?
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Then, he lifted his right hand.
In water, his strength was at least a tier higher than on land this was his true domain.
As his hand rose, the surrounding waters churned violently.
Within a three-li radius, the once-placid lake erupted into chaos, undercurrents surging without warning.
The ancient stone pillars reminiscent of yardang landforms suddenly erupted with arcs of lightning from their bases.
Where Jiang Ning stood, the abrupt turbulence of the water seemed to trigger a reaction.
Countless bolts of lightning burst from the lakebed.
As the lightning flared, the Thunderclap Tree emitted a blue-violet glow, drawing in and devouring the surrounding electricity.
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