Chapter 177: What Cultivation? Dual Cultivation?
"Hehehe… looks like none of us are willing to give up this treasure!" Gong Heng sneered coldly, clenching his fists tightly.
Elder Ying Shan's gaze was dark and menacing. "I was the one who found this first. Why don't you all go find something else instead of obstructing me here?"
"Elder, you're mistaken," the Great Elder of the Demon Flame Valley, Fang Yan, said with a cold smile. The faint gray flames flickering across his body radiated a restrained but deadly energy. "The Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva is a divine treasure bestowed by the heavens it belongs to the world. Naturally, we all have a right to it."
Su Qian, standing to the side, remained silent, his robes billowing despite the lack of wind. His cold and indifferent gaze swept across the scene. Unlike the others, he had traveled extensively across the continent and had some knowledge about the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva. He understood it wasn't as miraculous as they all believed.
But… what if?
What if one of these three parties managed to obtain it and successfully locate the Bodhi Tree Seed? That would spell trouble for the Jia Nan Academy.
The likelihood of that happening was slim, but the possibility existed nonetheless. Therefore, to prevent any such outcome, the best course of action was to destroy the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva entirely, ensuring that no one could get their hands on it.
For Su Qian and for the Jia Nan Academy, that was the best possible outcome.
"Heh… why hasn't anyone made a move yet?" Gong Heng taunted. "Ladies and gentlemen, since we all want it, why don't we settle this through combat? We can't delay any longer!"
He glanced around and added with a smirk, "Don't forget, there's still that greedy wolf, Mo Tianxing, lurking around somewhere!"
At those words, the expressions of the five present shifted. They understood Gong Heng's intent he was provoking them, trying to force someone to act first. But even knowing this, they couldn't ignore Mo Tianxing, especially not Su Qian.
Lu Bu had already killed Mo Tianxing's son, cementing a deep and irreconcilable grudge between Mo Tianxing and the Jia Nan Academy.
"Damn it… where is that bastard Lu Bu?" Su Qian thought anxiously. If Lu Bu were here, even if the situation couldn't be resolved, at least he wouldn't feel so cornered.
A flash of worry crossed Su Qian's eyes, but the others noticed instantly. With their sharp senses, Gong Heng and Elder Ying Shan immediately realized that Su Qian was the weak link.
The two exchanged a glance, their intent clear: eliminate Su Qian and the three from Demon Flame Valley first. As for Mo Tianxing… they would deal with him later, even if it meant another battle.
Having reached an unspoken agreement, Gong Heng and Elder Ying Shan shifted their focus, their auras locking onto Su Qian and Fang Yan's group.
"Damn it!" Su Qian roared, his sleeves billowing as he sent a violent surge of Dou Qi hurtling toward the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva.
"Damn you! Stop!" Gong Heng and Elder Ying Shan shouted in unison, horrified to realize that Su Qian intended to destroy the treasure.
Boom!
With a resounding explosion, Gong Heng and Elder Ying Shan joined forces to protect the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva. Seizing the moment, the three from Demon Flame Valley turned their gray flames toward Su Qian, launching a ferocious assault.
In the blink of an eye, Su Qian found himself under attack from all sides. The reason was simple: he had tried to destroy the treasure, an unforgivable act in the eyes of everyone present.
"Hehehe… what a lively scene we have here!"
A light chuckle echoed through the valley, and a flash of cyan light appeared. A fiery green serpent blocked the Demon Flame Valley trio's attack on Su Qian, dissipating their gray flames instantly.
"It's you?!" The three from Demon Flame Valley turned pale. They knew the true extent of Lu Bu's strength.
"So it's you, brat!" Gong Heng growled, his brows furrowing. This kid had stolen the magical beast corpse he and Mo Tianxing had fought so hard for how infuriating!
Elder Ying Shan, however, looked unimpressed. "Just a little Dou Wang, and they're all reacting like this?"
"You finally showed up!" Su Qian sighed in relief.
"Lu Bu, fight alongside me and seize the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva!" Su Qian shouted immediately. "It doesn't matter who takes it, as long as it doesn't end up in the hands of these scum!"
"Hmph, Su Qian, do you think a Dou Wang can help you?" Elder Ying Shan sneered. "I could kill him with a single breath!"
"Need my help?" Xiao Yan's voice rang out from the high peak, his tone playful as if he had just happened to pass by.
"No need," Lu Bu replied coldly, barely glancing at Xiao Yan. He could already guess the schemer's intent this guy was just looking for an excuse to take his money!
"Huh?"
Xiao Yan frowned, but Lu Bu ignored him. His eyes shifted to the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva in the center of the valley. "This treasure is mine. Any objections?"
"Arrogant brat!" Elder Ying Shan's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Kid, do you have any idea what you're getting into?" Gong Heng sneered.
The Demon Flame Valley trio exchanged a glance. With Gong Heng, Elder Ying Shan, and themselves, there were three Dou Zong level combatants. The odds were firmly in their favor.
"Don't think we're afraid of you, boy. There's no way you or Jia Nan Academy can take this Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva today," Fang Yan growled.
"Hehehe…" Lu Bu chuckled, tapping his forehead lightly. A surge of soul energy erupted, forming a colorless storm that swept through the valley.
Boom!
An overwhelming force surged into the sky, rippling outward in waves of terrifying energy.
"What? A Dou Zong level soul?"
"How is his soul power this strong? This is monstrous!"
Gong Heng and Elder Ying Shan were visibly shaken. Who was this kid, and how could he possibly be this powerful?
The Demon Flame Valley trio smirked coldly, as if they had anticipated this. "So what? The advantage is still ours!"
"Teacher?" Xiao Yan frowned. "What's Lu Bu playing at? He's overestimating himself!"
"Let him be," Yao Lao chuckled. "Does he really think he can win against two Dou Zong combatants?"
"And what if we add me to the mix?"
A sultry, enchanting voice echoed through the valley as a radiant burst of multicolored light illuminated the area.
Medusa appeared beside Lu Bu, her longsword in hand. Her icy, stunningly beautiful face betrayed no emotion, but her aura locked firmly onto the opposing parties.
The five from Elder Ying Shan's group stiffened, their faces blank with shock.
Su Qian froze briefly before exhaling in relief. He didn't know the full story, but with Medusa here, the outcome was certain.
"Is that… Medusa?" Xiao Yan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. How could this be possible? When did Lu Bu manage to ally himself with such a powerful figure?
"Wasn't Medusa at the peak of Dou Huang?" Yao Lao's shock mirrored Xiao Yan's, but realization soon dawned. He remembered the seven colored serpent he had seen with Lu Bu when they met in the Jia Ma Empire.
"Damn it! So that's what happened!" Yao Lao cursed inwardly, frustrated. With Medusa on Lu Bu's side, they wouldn't gain anything from this encounter.
Xiao Yan's face twitched as he recalled showing off his girlfriend to Lu Bu before. Was this guy secretly laughing at him the whole time?
Lu Bu and Medusa ignored Xiao Yan's spiraling thoughts. Beside them, Zi Yan grinned, her sleeves fluttering as she summoned the black puppet. The puppet strode forward, casually grabbing the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva and tucking it away.
"I'll be taking this. No objections, right?" Zi Yan asked cheerfully as she stored the treasure without hesitation.
The five opponents' faces twitched, but they could only watch helplessly. With three Dou Zong combatants standing before them, resistance was out of the question.
…
In the vast forest east of the Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, within a quiet valley:
Zi Yan was nestled in Medusa's arms, munching on medicinal pills with loud crunches.
Queen Medusa cradled Zi Yan gently, her sharp chin resting atop Zi Yan's small head as her cold gaze softened without her noticing, fixed on Lu Bu, who was busy at work nearby.
They had already left the battlefield ruins. While the Bodhi Transforming Body Saliva wasn't particularly valuable, the people of the Black Corner Region didn't know that. If they sent a message to the Earth Demon Old Ghost and he decided to cause trouble, things would get messy, potentially leading to a complete loss of everything they had gained.
Thus, after some discussion with Su Qian, Lu Bu decided they should leave the ruins altogether and return to the Inner Academy. After all, there wasn't anything particularly valuable left to find.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan also slipped away and returned to the Inner Academy, reasoning that it had been a while since he last saw Nalan Yanran.
Lu Bu, however, didn't head back right away. Instead, he brought Medusa and Zi Yan to a secluded location to focus on crafting the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
Medusa watched Lu Bu busying himself, her usually icy and indifferent expression unconsciously softening. Sometimes, watching a man engrossed in his work was surprisingly interesting. He looked… rather good while doing it.
Zi Yan, oblivious to Medusa's shifting expression, stared wide eyed at Lu Bu as he crafted the puppet. For a long time, she had wanted her own puppet, but Lu Bu wouldn't give her one. It wasn't until this trip to the ancient battleground that she had finally been given the chance to control one.
Now, with Lu Bu crafting a puppet right before her eyes, she resolved to learn everything she could so that she could craft one herself in the future!
…But that determination didn't last long. Soon, Zi Yan began to feel sleepy.
Her large, dark eyes started to droop. She couldn't help it after eating, she always wanted to nap. And with how comfortable Medusa's embrace was, it would be a waste not to sleep!
Lu Bu, oblivious to the subtle shifts between the two women, was wholly focused on crafting the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
Unlike crafting the Symbol Puppet, the Heavenly Demon Puppet required extremely high quality materials. One mistake could result in irreparable losses, and he didn't have another four star Dou Zong corpse to work with.
Lu Bu dared not take this lightly. The Green Lotus Core Flame surged, enveloping Mo Tianxing's corpse in an intense blaze.
Under the fierce flames, the corpse's originally dark skin gradually returned to its natural color before turning crimson.
As the fire burned continuously, faint black smoke seeped out from the corpse before being incinerated into nothingness by the Green Lotus Core Flame.
This was corpse energy, which carried residual fragments of the original owner's will. If not expelled, it could severely impact the crafting of the puppet.
Thanks to Lu Bu's precise control over the flames, all traces of corpse energy were purged within half an hour. The corpse shrank slightly, its skin clinging tightly to its bones. Its fingers, now razor sharp, gleamed like daggers.
With a wave of his sleeve, Lu Bu sent two gusts of wind shooting out, creating fist sized holes in the corpse's forehead and chest. The sight was nothing short of gruesome.
He flicked his fingers, and several items appeared: a jade bottle, a jade box, and several rare and oddly shaped metals.
Crack!
The jade bottle shattered, releasing the spirit of Protector Xuan, who darted toward the horizon in an attempt to escape.
But before the spirit could get far, an invisible web of fire materialized, trapping it instantly.
"Ah! You bastard, let me go!" Protector Xuan's anguished screams echoed as the flames burned him.
Unmoved, Lu Bu increased the intensity of the Spiritual Fire, destroying Protector Xuan's consciousness and leaving behind only a purified soul.
At the same time, he flicked his fingers again, opening the jade box to reveal a brilliant blue magic core. As the box opened, the surrounding air became noticeably more humid.
This was a seventh tier water attributed magic core, part of Han Feng's extensive collection. That guy had been particularly well stocked in magic cores, even owning some at the eighth tier. Unfortunately, Lu Bu didn't have a Dou Zun corpse on hand.
Otherwise, he would have crafted a Dou Zun level Heavenly Demon Puppet. With that, he could roam the Northwest Continent freely without fear of anyone.
Time passed steadily. Three days flew by. Zi Yan had fallen asleep in Medusa's arms, but Medusa remained vigilant, both guarding Lu Bu and… well, just guarding him.
After all, who would spend three whole days staring at a man for no reason? Medusa rolled her eyes at the thought she certainly wouldn't waste her time on something so boring.
Suddenly, a burst of silvery light erupted from Lu Bu's direction.
Mo Tianxing's corpse, once pale and lifeless, now gleamed with a metallic silver sheen, as if forged from molten silver.
As the silvery light grew brighter, the puppet's aura surged, quickly reaching a level that rivaled the strength Mo Tianxing had possessed in life.
Medusa's expression shifted slightly. While she had known Lu Bu's puppet crafting technique was extraordinary, witnessing it in person was an entirely different experience it was genuinely shocking.
A flash of crimson light shot into the puppet's forehead. Instantly, a trace of life appeared in its previously hollow gaze. It wasn't much, but it was enough to hint at its potential.
"It's finally done…" Lu Bu let out a long breath, his tense nerves finally relaxing. After three days of effort, he had succeeded.
"This puppet… it's different from the ones you used before," Medusa said, holding Zi Yan as she appeared beside him with a graceful movement.
Lu Bu's previous puppets had always been jet black and inscribed with strange runes. But this one was entirely silver, lacking any inscriptions.
"A new crafting method," Lu Bu explained with a faint smile.
"What's different about it?" Medusa asked, puzzled. To her, a puppet was just a tool strong defense and high combat power were all that mattered. Why would the crafting method make much of a difference?
"This puppet…" Lu Bu's smile turned mysterious. "It can upgrade itself."
"What?" Medusa's eyes widened in disbelief. Upgrade itself? What did that even mean?
Lu Bu chuckled. "Exactly what it sounds like."
Medusa was genuinely shocked. A puppet capable of growth this wasn't just a tool; it was a treasure.
"Your Majesty, care to test it out?" Lu Bu asked with a grin, patting the puppet's metallic shoulder. "Since reaching Dou Zong, you haven't had many opportunities to fight. Why not use this to sharpen your skills?"
Medusa raised an elegant brow, tempted by the suggestion. He wasn't wrong since advancing to Dou Zong, her chances to spar with opponents of the same level had been few and far between.
Her only real fight had been against Mo Tianxing in the forest, and even then, he had held back, intent on capturing her alive rather than killing her.
"Fine," Medusa said with a nod, agreeing to the idea.
Lu Bu smiled, flicking his fingers to send a stream of light into Medusa's mind. "Here are the control instructions. Try it for yourself."
"Let me! Let me!" Zi Yan suddenly woke up, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I want to control the puppet!"
Lu Bu knocked her lightly on the head. "I thought you wanted to fight it?"
"Don't mess around. I need your help with something," Lu Bu said sternly.
"With what?" Zi Yan pouted, rubbing her head where he had knocked her.
"I need you to help me cultivate!" Lu Bu said seriously. He needed to advance his Azure Sky Dragon Technique the Azure Dragon Scales were no longer sufficient against Dou Zong opponents. It was time to pursue the Azure Dragon Armament.
"What kind of cultivation? Dual cultivation?" Zi Yan asked innocently, her wide eyes brimming with curiosity.
Medusa: "…"
What have you two been doing behind my back?
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