C7 The Black Figure

Bolts of lightning relentlessly struck down at Wai Jiang.

Boom!

Boom!

...

With the final bolt of the Thunder Tribulation descending, a vast crater had formed around him.

Wai Jiang lay there in the crater, his body bare, with occasional wisps of black smoke rising from his skin.

"Hehe."

Struggling, Wai Jiang turned his head to gaze at the sky. Seeing no more Thunder Tribulation, a smile broke across his face.

Advancing to the Deification Stage had not only fortified his body but also allowed the Deification Qi within him to interact with the five elements of nature, granting him a lifespan of nearly two thousand years.

Yet, inside Wai Jiang, a tumultuous storm was brewing.

The Qi of the five elements was being drawn into his body and channeled into the Core Sea by the Profound Heaven Record.

Boom!

A massive flame erupted from the Core Sea, and as it subsided, a mountain began to take shape.

Simultaneously, rain imbued with spiritual energy descended from above the Core Sea, creating streams that meandered down the mountain, leaving trails of golden glimmers.

With the operation of the Profound Heaven Record, a nascent world was emerging.

Wai Jiang, still in the crater, saw his singed hair begin to regrow.

His various injuries healed, leaving his skin as delicate as a newborn's yet with a resilient sheen.

In that moment, his aura surged, becoming exponentially more powerful.

Beyond the Nascent Infant stage, each new realm brought a vast disparity in strength.

While those in the Deification Stage enjoyed nearly two thousand years of life, Nascent Infant practitioners were limited to five or six hundred years.

And those in the Core Formation Stage had a mere two hundred years, not to mention those in the earlier Qi Refining and Spirit Condensation Stages.

Before reaching the Nascent Infant Stage, one might leverage innate talent and an array of divine powers to challenge higher levels.

But upon entering the Deification Stage, one could truly harness the forces of the cosmos, borrowing the strength of nature and even walking on air.

This was a feat far beyond the reach of any Nascent Infant cultivator.

Having regained some strength, Wai Jiang swiftly retrieved several pills to replenish his vitality. Now, he was finally able to present all the spiritual artifacts he had acquired through signing in. He donned the new clothes he had prepared well in advance. "System, retrieve them!" he commanded.

In an instant, the spiritual artifacts, each glowing with light, materialized and floated in a circle around him. He counted them—there were exactly sixty. Over the past three years, he had deemed the spiritual artifacts somewhat trivial, seldom bothering to sign in at the Treasure Pavilion for them. These sixty artifacts were all obtained from signing in at various other halls, including five top-grade spiritual artifacts from the Mysterious Heavenly Treasure Church. The rest included twenty high-grade and thirty-five Middle Grade spiritual artifacts. Not a single low-grade artifact was present—perhaps even the system deemed them unworthy.

As Wai Jiang gazed upon the five exceptional spiritual artifacts before him, his mind was flooded with memories. The sect's archives had meticulously documented them: the Immortal Slaying Sword, the Three Sacred Swords, the Mountain-suppressing Stone... These were all top-grade spiritual artifacts from the zenith of the Profound Heaven Holy Land, having forged countless legendary names in this world. But now, except for the elusive Three Sacred Swords, the others had been destroyed. These artifacts were the silent witnesses to a most somber chapter of history.

Wai Jiang infused each artifact with his blood essence, refining them one by one and securing them within his personal dimension. No longer concerned about discovery, he had recently ascended to the Deification Stage. With his current level of cultivation, he was confident in his invincibility within the Deification Stage, certain that not even the combined might of the three Sect Masters and the numerous deacons of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect could challenge him.

"Yet, my realm remains insufficient," Wai Jiang reflected. "Above me lie the formidable realms of Void Refining and Return to Nothing. I have a considerable journey ahead before I can claim true invincibility in this world. Complacency is not an option." With these words, he left a shimmering afterimage and vanished from the spot.

Upon his return to the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, he was abruptly greeted by a familiar voice. "Wai Jiang, it's been three years since you joined the Servant Courtyard, hasn't it?"

Looking at the old deacon who had once managed the Servant Courtyard, Wai Jiang nodded and offered a respectful greeting, "Yes, Elder Lin."

Elder Lin had been at the Nascent Soul Stage for several centuries. Now advanced in age, he was destined not to progress any further. "It's a shame you can't practice cultivation. With your temperament, you would undoubtedly be the finest I've encountered in hundreds of years," he lamented.

Approaching Wai Jiang, Elder Lin patted him on the shoulder. He admired Wai Jiang's ability to perform monotonous chores every single day of the year without a word of complaint. Such determination and character were exceedingly rare.

"Elder Lin, your praise is too generous. What merit do I have to deserve such words? It's already an immense stroke of luck to have been taken in by the Taoist sect during my family's time of need. How could I possibly harbor any grievances?" Wai Jiang held Elder Lin in high esteem.

He remembered how Elder Lin had been gravely injured by enemies for the sake of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, leaving him with no hope of further advancement. "Hehe! My boy, you always know just what to say," Elder Lin chuckled, his face creasing with a warm smile. "I can only trust a lad like you with this matter."

Wai Jiang's gaze flickered with curiosity. Unable to cultivate and relegated to menial tasks, he wondered what else the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect could possibly need from him. "The Heaven Dao Pavilion requires someone from the Servant Courtyard to clean the top three floors for a month, and I'd like you to take on this task. Are you willing?"

"When Elder Lin gives an order, how could I refuse? But hasn't the Heaven Dao Pavilion always taken care of their own cleaning?" Wai Jiang inquired.

"Most of our disciples have departed for the Golden Sun Sword Sect, leaving the Heaven Dao Pavilion a bit short-staffed," Elder Lin explained.

This event was the talk of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, with everyone well aware of the recent buzz. In Leizhou, there were four major powers: the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, the Brahma Mountain Temple, the Golden Sun Sword Sect, and the Holy Light Valley. These formidable forces held a sparring competition for their Inner Sect disciples every three years, a contest that determined their standing within Thunder Prefecture.

This year's competition was set to take place at the Golden Sun Sword Sect.

In recent years, the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect had fallen behind the Brahma Mountain Temple and the Holy Light Valley. Their strength had waned significantly, to the point where they were at risk of being overtaken by the Golden Sun Sword Sect.

Yet, these concerns were not for Wai Jiang to ponder.

His responsibilities were clear: maintain the cleanliness of the Heaven Dao Pavilion and keep up with his daily sign-ins.

Time flew, and half a month quickly passed.

Night fell.

Wai Jiang had just finished cleaning the top floor of the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

This level housed only a sparse collection of books—barely a dozen—but they were the most advanced cultivation techniques and martial skills currently possessed by the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

"Uncle Master, I've finished cleaning," Wai Jiang informed the middle-aged man who was dozing off to the side.

"Alright, you can go now."

The man gestured dismissively with his hand and promptly dozed off again.

Wai Jiang hesitated, as if he wanted to speak, but ultimately he descended the stairs.

Shortly after Wai Jiang's departure, a shadowy figure slipped silently through the window and crept toward the sleeping man.

With a swift chop, the intruder knocked the man out cold.

He then swiftly gathered the secret manuals and vaulted back out the window.

Leaping with agility, the figure quickly made his escape from the grounds of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

"Heh, the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect is hardly impressive," the figure sneered, glancing back at the sect he had just infiltrated.

"Drop the items, and I'll let you go," came Wai Jiang's voice, just as the figure finished his taunt.

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