Chapter 76

Tanggu was slightly taken aback: "Seven Apertures Linglong Wood, what is this?"

He raised his eyes and continued reading, his surprise growing with each word.

The book recorded that beyond the Kōurin Snowfield, there was a divine mountain called "Little Chishan." It was thirty-six thousand miles long and eighteen thousand feet high. The peak was perpetually cold, with snow falling year-round, and it never experienced spring, summer, or autumn. It was a place that ordinary mortals could not reach, inhabited by divine beings.

At the summit of Chishan, countless strange trees grew, one of which was the most peculiar, named "Seven Apertures Linglong." It was born with the seven orifices of a human, resembling human ears and eyes. If one placed their ear against it, they could hear the voices of all things.

This wood was incredibly divine, with various benefits, each unique.

Some said that inhaling its fragrance for a long time could strengthen the body, promote longevity, and even grant immortality. Others claimed that using a pillow made from this Linglong wood could connect one to heaven and earth, allowing them to explore the nine netherworlds and travel through a hundred realms.

Still, others said that being near this wood while reading and reciting scriptures could increase wisdom, cultivate a Linglong heart, and naturally understand the ways of life and nature, aligning with the universe.

Therefore, this wood had another name in the cultivation world.

"Fundamental Heart Primordial Wood!"

It meant that those who possessed this wood would have an extraordinary effect when breaking through from the Xuanhuang Realm to the Tianren Realm. They would naturally align with the heart of heaven and perceive their own heart, making the bottleneck of the Tianren Realm far easier to overcome compared to ordinary people.

Thus, the value of this wood was incomparable. For those at the peak of the Xuanhuang Realm, who sought opportunities to break through to the Tianren Realm, even a small piece was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. Its appearance would likely cause a bloody fight.

However, the "Seven Apertures Linglong Wood" described in the book was black and dull, looking like an ordinary old tree. But the piece in Tanggu's hand was different. It was a bright red, shimmering with a purple glow, and when struck, it produced a Linglong sound. One glance was enough to know it was extraordinary.

Though it had the seven apertures, it seemed different.

Tanggu was momentarily at a loss.

He had also heard that, like strange techniques, there were various treasures in the world, known as supreme treasures, ranked from one to nine stars.

The Water Essence Spirit Pearl in Ye Guyu's possession was a one-star strange object, and in the entire Shiyantown, it was almost the only one.

Above the nine-star strange objects were Earth Treasures and Heaven Treasures, true spiritual objects.

The Seven Apertures Linglong Wood belonged to one of these, and it ranked very high, being among the top three Earth Treasures.

It was just a step away from being classified as a Heaven Treasure.

The value of such a treasure was self-evident. Even outside the Kōurin Snowfield, it was rare. Tanggu did not believe it would appear in such a remote town, and it seemed different from the description in the book. Tanggu closed the green book and fell into deep thought.

It seemed that what he had found was a strange piece of wood that resembled the "Seven Apertures Linglong Wood" but was not the same. However, it must have some peculiar properties, as it had attracted the Silver Snow Ferret and caused the snake eggs of the "Five Flame Python" to mutate.

At the very least, Tanggu knew that the mist it emitted had a special effect on promoting the cultivation of the Qi Dao. As for other functions, he would have to explore them gradually.

But even this one property was enough... Tanggu was worried about when he would reach the fifth level of the Qi Dao. With this strange wood, he believed that day would not be far off.

During the day, at the triangular stone cave, he had used his fourth-level Qi Dao strength to kill the peak third-level Five Flame Python, which had taken a lot of effort. Even though it was a rare species, it should not have been so difficult.

Tanggu deeply felt the inadequacy of his strength. Obtaining this strange wood was perfect for his cultivation.

As night fell, Tanggu sat cross-legged on a wooden bed. The Linglong strange wood in front of him emitted a strange light, with purple mist swirling. Tanggu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and fell into a peculiar illusion.

Inside his body, the primordial energy seemed to boil, constantly churning, and his cultivation speed increased by at least thirty to forty percent compared to usual.

He lost track of time.

...

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

During these two months, Shuixue visited several times and then hurriedly left. She said that her "Nine Transmutation Profound Pill" was almost completely refined, with only a few more batches left, which she believed would be completed within the next one or two months.

The Silver Snow Ferret continued to go out daily to find medicinal herbs for Tanggu. Surprisingly, it managed to find several rare herbs for him.

Among them were two Blood Monkey Flowers of the First Rank, four Spirit Bones of the Second Rank, and even a pale golden, snake-like old root.

Tanggu recognized it as a Third Rank spirit herb, the Golden Snake Root...

With the continuous help of the Silver Snow Ferret and the strange fragrance from the Linglong strange wood, Tanggu's cultivation progressed rapidly. In the first month, he broke through to the late fourth level of the Qi Dao, and by the end of the second month, he reached the peak of the fourth level.

He was just one step away from the fifth level of the Qi Dao!

Similarly, he never gave up on cultivating the Ancient Soul Technique and the Innate Dragon Elephant Technique.

With the nearly ten thousand stone coins from selling the materials from the Five Flame Python, Tanggu successfully bought all the spirit herbs needed for the third level of the Ancient Soul Technique and the first level of the Innate Dragon Elephant Technique. He practiced daily, strengthening his tendons and bones, and his physical strength progressed rapidly.

He had successfully reached the third level of "Soul Thought," significantly increasing his soul strength. When he returned to Fog Island and tested his arm strength, it had reached over six thousand pounds.

Although it was still far from lifting the purple bow, he could at least move it slightly, giving him hope.

On this day, Tanggu packed his belongings, left a note in the thatched cottage, and left quietly.

He told Shuixue that he was going back into the Ancient Python Mountains to seek an opportunity for breakthrough and might not return for a while.

This departure lasted one and a half months.

One and a half months later.

In the depths of the Ancient Python Mountains, in a dense forest.

Tanggu sat cross-legged in an abandoned beast cave, covered in dust, having not moved for a long time.

On this day.

Suddenly, a heavy rainstorm began outside the cave. The rain poured down, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The massive thunderbolts, like the most terrifying beasts, danced in the sky, splitting the void.

"Boom!"

The world turned a murky white, then a light purple!

Inside the beast cave.

Suddenly, a palm-sized red ancient wood floated in front of Tanggu, emitting myriad rays of light. Thunderous energy flowed from its seven apertures, seemingly resonating with the thunder outside!

A powerful, strange, and mysterious aura emanated from it.

Tanggu, who was meditating, suddenly trembled, his face turning bright red, like blood jade. The fragrance he inhaled was now infused with thunderous energy.

Inside his body, the previously calm spirit lake suddenly churned, and all the primordial energy went wild, causing his body to spasm, his meridians to tangle, and he fell into a terrifying dream.

Time passed minute by minute. In the blink of an eye, a night had passed. The thunder in the sky gradually faded, slowly dissipating into the void and finally disappearing.

The red ancient wood also calmed down. The thunderous energy in its seven apertures gradually dissipated and vanished, and the mist it emitted returned to a smoky, misty, and ethereal state.

Tanggu's trembling body gradually became calm.

A day and a night later.

Tanggu, who was in seclusion, suddenly emitted an extremely powerful aura. The aura appeared and then disappeared, and Tanggu slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, two tiny purple thunderbolts flashed and disappeared, too fast to be seen. He reached out and drew the red ancient wood to him, his eyes showing a complex expression.

"Thunder tempering the body, what are you? You almost drove me to madness, but you also helped me successfully reach the fifth level of the Qi Dao!"

"Moreover, my tendons and bones have gained the power of thunder, and the first level of the Innate Dragon Elephant Technique has mutated!"

"My strength has already broken through to twelve thousand pounds, not far from twenty thousand!"

Tanggu clenched his fist and punched the air, and a faint thunderous sound accompanied the punch, with purple lightning flashing on his fist.

"This power..."

He was secretly amazed, his heart filled with shock.

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