C12 Accidents Happened Again and Again

At this moment, Zhang Yu was teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, weakened by the successive drain of his spiritual energy and the severe injuries inflicted by Liu Zhong. He barely managed to pry his eyes open, his fingers twitching feebly as if trying to grasp at something, but to no avail.

As he watched Zhang Yu's body plummet down the cliffside, Liu Neng was seething with the realization that his schemes had come to naught. "You little wretch," he spat venomously, "it's one thing for you to die, but to take my chance with you, burying it alongside your corpse—that's too lenient a fate for you!"

Realizing that staying would yield nothing, Liu Zhong stormed off, consumed by rage.

...

Straining to open his eyes, Zhang Yu was assaulted by waves of excruciating pain coursing through his body. The fact that he hadn't perished in the fall left him torn between relief and agony.

He was acutely aware of the void in his dantian, and the fierce battle and fall had left him unsure of how many ribs he had shattered.

With tremendous effort, Zhang Yu dragged his battered body, struggling to rise. Surveying his surroundings, he was astonished to find himself on a ledge halfway up the mountain. Looking up, he realized that the vegetation at the cliff's edge had cushioned his fall, sparing him from a fatal descent.

"Hmm? There's actually a cave here!" In that instant, Zhang Yu stumbled upon a dark, mysterious cave behind him.

Yet, Zhang Yu refrained from venturing inside impulsively. He was unsure of what dangers lay within. Heeding the adage that curiosity could prove deadly, he resolved not to risk his life on a whim. Any exploration would have to wait until his wounds had mended.

Relaxing the grip on the package still tightly bound to him, Zhang Yu exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, the items I seized from Liu Neng are still intact. Losing them would have been devastating."

Carefully unwrapping the package, Zhang Yu discovered it mostly contained Demon Crystals from lesser Demon Beasts, along with a couple of Liu Neng's personal garments. The other items he had previously possessed were missing.

"Why isn't the Treasure Map Liu Neng spoke of here?" Zhang Yu wondered aloud, puzzled. "Could it not have been with him? But judging by his earlier tone, it should have been in his possession."

Unsatisfied with not finding the Treasure Map, Zhang Yu was determined to give the package another thorough examination.

"Ha, there it is. Quite cleverly hidden," Zhang Yu remarked with satisfaction as he finally discovered a secret compartment in the bag, where a map resembling animal hide was concealed.

He spread the newly found Treasure Map on the ground and scrutinized it closely. The simple lines left Zhang Yu scratching his head in bewilderment.

"This is supposed to be a Treasure Map? A few random scribbles would look more convincing," he muttered in frustration after a fruitless attempt to decipher the map.

Reluctantly, Zhang Yu stowed away the so-called Treasure Map and set about healing his wounds. As the spiritual energy within the Demon Crystals was depleted, he could feel every cell in his body rejuvenating.

With nightfall, Zhang Yu paused his cultivation. He understood that martial arts required a balance of tension and relaxation; relentless training wouldn't necessarily deepen one's mastery. Proper rest was essential to soothe his strained nerves, especially after the continuous battles he had endured.

Eating the provisions from the Creation Jade Disc, Zhang Yu was immensely grateful for his foresight. He had saved the leftovers from his solitary training days, thinking it would be convenient for lazy moments. Little did he know they would come in handy so soon! The thought of a martial artist like himself dying of hunger was both ironic and embarrassing.

Gazing at the stars above, a wave of homesickness washed over him. It had been nearly half a month since he had left home, and he wondered if his father was still preoccupied with his own affairs.

"Hmm, these patterns, don't they resemble the routes on the Treasure Map?" An epiphany struck Zhang Yu, and he hastily retrieved the map, laying it out before him. Comparing it to the constellations, he was astonished to find a perfect match.

"So, this Treasure Map is actually an astronomical chart. No wonder the solution eluded me," Zhang Yu exclaimed, smacking his forehead in realization.

After scrutinizing the map and cross-referencing it with the celestial bodies, Zhang Yu was astounded. The Treasure Map's final pointer was indicating his current location!

"Could the treasure be in the cave right behind me?" Zhang Yu whispered to himself.

"Is this fate? First, I acquire the Treasure Map from Liu Neng, then I'm forced off a cliff, and during a moment of rest, I serendipitously uncover its secret," Zhang Yu mused with a hint of smugness.

"I need to heal quickly, then explore what lies within that cave."

...

As Zhang Yu channeled the Creation Divine Arts, he felt his injuries healing at an accelerated pace, with even his broken ribs miraculously mending.

"To break and then rebuild, to be injured and then grow stronger," he reflected, "that's the true essence of creation." Zhang Yu was beginning to appreciate the remarkable nature of the Creation Jade Disc. Normally, his severe injuries would require at least five or six days to heal, but with the Creation Jade Disc, he was fully recovered in just two days. Moreover, the disc could absorb energy from Demon Crystals to replenish life essence during times of grave injury, restoring vitality beyond what any ordinary Medicine Pill could achieve.

"Now, let's uncover the nature of this so-called treasure!" Lighting a makeshift torch, Zhang Yu ventured deeper into the cave.

After several hundred meters, the cave interior brightened significantly. To Zhang Yu's amazement, the walls were studded with Night-Luminescent Pearls, casting a glow throughout the cavern.

"This is beyond lavish! While a single Night-Luminescent Pearl might be worth a hundred gold, there must be close to a hundred here. My own family wouldn't dream of such opulence. It's not about affordability; the Zhang Family has many mouths to feed and must invest wisely."

Suddenly, Zhang Yu felt an oppressive force, and the cave's walls turned jagged and uneven.

His eyes fixed on the long sword embedded in a central stone pillar, Zhang Yu realized the source of his unease: an invisible sword intent emanating from the blade itself.

"So this is the fabled treasure. But how can I lay claim to that Divine Sword?" Zhang Yu whispered to himself, feeling the overwhelming energy radiating from the blade.

Just then, the Treasure Map he had been clutching flew out of his arms. In a burst of light, a spectral figure of a stern-faced man, too indistinct to make out his features, materialized before him.

"Fortunate one, what you see before you is merely a remnant of my subconscious mind. It cannot respond to your inquiries. This place was one of many where I roamed the world to master the Sword Realm. As a token of gratitude, I left behind the Profound Artifact-level Divine Sword, Thunder, for someone with destiny on their side. Shortly, you'll need only this token to penetrate the protective array. Yet, the Divine Sword is sentient; whether you can tame it rests on your determination and effort."

With a "clink," the mysterious man's voice faded, and the Treasure Map dropped to the ground, motionless.

Zhang Yu, containing his bubbling excitement, stepped forward, picked up the Treasure Map, and set about taming the Divine Sword.

Grasping the hilt, he was met with fierce resistance from within the sword, a sensation that grew increasingly intense.

"Whoosh!" The Divine Sword suddenly wrenched itself from Zhang Yu's grip and plunged into the earth.

"Hmm, a sword, uncontrolled by any person, yet it can escape my hold. This only spurs me to subdue you," he thought, his will to conquer ignited by the sword's formidable power.

"Ha!" Zhang Yu bellowed, channeling his spiritual energy and seizing the sword once more. At that moment, a potent force burst forth from within the Divine Sword, flooding into his body.

Zhang Yu recognized this as the sword's final act of defiance. He rallied his dispersed spiritual energy to encircle the invading power.

But the force careened wildly within him, eluding containment. As Zhang Yu grappled with his predicament, a ray of light shot from the Creation Jade Disc, striking the errant energy of the Divine Sword. It melted away like ice upon molten lava, dissolving in an instant.

Upon discovering that the energy within the Thunder Shocking Sword had finally dissipated, Zhang Yu channeled the Creation Divine Arts to consume it piece by piece, integrating it into his very being.

Zhang Yu felt a surge of joy as the Divine Sword yielded to him. It was common knowledge among cultivators that weapons were categorized from the lowest to the highest as Ordinary Artifacts, Treasure Artifacts, Spirit Weapons, Profound Artifacts, Dao Artifacts, Half-Divine Artifacts, and Divine Artifacts. Divine Artifacts were considered mythical, and the most powerful weapon known to exist on the grand path was the Half-Divine Artifact. Each category of weapon was further divided into seven tiers, and even his own father's weapon was merely a fifth-tier Treasure Artifact. The Thunder Shocking Sword, however, revealed itself to be a seventh-tier Profound Artifact, on the cusp of evolving into a Dao Artifact. Dao Artifacts, sentient weapons in their own right, were the exclusive domain of the mightiest powers on the path. This explained the formidable resistance Zhang Yu faced when attempting to tame the sword. Had it not been for the timely intervention of the Creation Jade Disc, the outcome of subduing the Thunder Shocking Sword might have been uncertain.

In addition, the Thunder Shocking Sword imparted a sword technique to Zhang Yu—the Thunder Shocking Sword Spell. Among the techniques, a particular Forbidden Art captured his attention; it was a desperate move that involved risking mutual destruction, expending one's entire life essence to unleash a lethal strike. Life essence is the cornerstone of a person's vitality, notoriously difficult to restore once depleted. Excessive consumption could undermine one's very foundation, leading to wounds beyond healing. Yet, with the Creation Jade Butterfly at his disposal, Zhang Yu harbored no such concerns, for he could gradually replenish his essence through the Creation Jade Disc.