Chapter 67: The Meteor Shower of That Year

Looking out across the blood-red sea, thousands upon thousands of seven-petaled blood flowers bloomed in dazzling profusion. Each flower was divided into seven petals, every petal deep crimson, reflecting off the blood sea in a display both eerie and beautiful. But Lei Xiang had no leisure to admire the scene. Faced with the surging ocean of seven-petaled blood flowers pressing in, how could he spare a thought for their beauty? He summoned his inner spiritual power, recalled the Blue Lotus Disc, and a huge phantom of a blue lotus appeared, enveloping both himself and the disc. The shadows of the seven-petaled blood flowers pressed heavily against the lotus phantom, making it difficult even for Lei Xiang to breathe.

The difference in cultivation realms truly was insurmountable.

Lei Xiang sighed inwardly. If Wei Jie were in the same stage as himself, even in the late Foundation Establishment, Lei Xiang might have stood a chance. But now, he was nearly powerless to resist. In this moment of life and death, his strong state of mind proved invaluable once more. Lei Xiang slowly closed his eyes, maintaining absolute calm. When he opened them again, he flashed a tiger-toothed smile—a bold idea had formed within him.

He raised his right hand, four fingers like blades, and unleashed Divine Thunder Slash, its target not the enemy but the unopened buds on the Blue Lotus Disc. There were nine stone lotus buds on the disc, only three of which had blossomed. Lei Xiang’s Divine Thunder Slash struck the fourth bud, which quivered, then frantically absorbed energy, finally blooming open.

Success.

With four blossoms open, the Blue Lotus Disc erupted with even greater power, expanding the range of the blue lotus phantom’s protection. But Lei Xiang did not stop there. He unleashed Divine Thunder Slash again and again, stimulating three more buds. Seven blue lotuses bloomed in all. Now, the blue lotus phantom grew dense and solid, almost tangible. The surrounding seven-petaled blood flowers retreated en masse; those too slow were swept away by the phantom, vanishing instantly. Yet the relentless use of Divine Thunder Slash had nearly exhausted Lei Xiang’s spiritual energy. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes.

Wei Jie, who had been gloating as his seven-petaled blood flowers retreated, hesitated whether to use a secret art. Suddenly, he saw Lei Xiang’s strange action—holding a porcelain bottle shaped like a beautiful woman, his thumb constantly rubbing her chest, and finally even kissing her red lips. Was the boy so lost in lust?

Lei Xiang, using his nose, gently inhaled two mouthfuls of millennial spiritual energy from the beauty’s lips of the Spirit Smoke Vessel, then quickly rubbed her chest to shut off the output. He was reluctant to use up all that precious spiritual energy, saving it for later. But as expected of millennial spiritual energy, just two breaths restored more than half his spiritual power. Two more Divine Thunder Slashes would not be a problem. If he could use them to awaken the last two buds, breaking through the blood sea and the seven-petaled blood flowers would be effortless.

Divine Thunder Slash struck again, its silent lightning hitting the eighth bud. As it absorbed the thunder energy, the blue lotus phantom began to materialize and expand. What had once been a phantom spanning ten feet now slowly spread outward. Wherever it touched, seven-petaled blood flowers and the blood sea alike vanished in an instant. The Blue Lotus Disc itself began to rotate clockwise—slowly, but as it turned, it shot out tens of thousands of blue rays of light, which, together with the phantom, gradually eroded the domain of the blood sea.

"What... what kind of monster is this?" Wei Jie muttered inwardly. Could it truly be a transcendent spiritual treasure? If so, even at his peak, he might not be its match. What to do? Fight or flee?

When two mighty forces meet, the brave wins!

Yet Wei Jie was already three parts fearful. The blood sea he commanded began to shrink back, without Lei Xiang even needing to awaken the last bud. The current blue lotus phantom and its blue rays had already forced the blood sea to a shrinking, near-collapse state.

Lei Xiang sneered coldly, muttered an incantation, and poured the last of his spiritual power into the Blue Lotus Disc. The disc’s rotation doubled in speed, and in the blink of an eye, the blue lotus phantom swept away the blood sea and seven-petaled blood flowers entirely. Lei Xiang was finally free.

But it wasn’t over yet. The blue lotus phantom, moving with surprising speed, encircled Wei Jie, who was still hesitating, leaving him frustrated—if only he’d fled earlier.

Lei Xiang’s spiritual power was depleted, but he forced himself to stand tall, unwilling to let Wei Jie see his weakness. He summoned the Eight Treasures Dragon Camel Spear and the Infinite Sword Array, calling out loudly, “Ha! Wei Jie, let’s see if you can escape now!”

Before he finished speaking, a sudden change erupted around Wei Jie—a dense blood mist enveloped him, its stench overwhelming. Even Lei Xiang’s blue gaze could not penetrate it. As Lei Xiang tried to probe the mist, a sudden “pop” resounded—the blood mist exploded, scattering countless blood beads through the air, as if a rain of blood had fallen.

When the blood rain dispersed, Wei Jie was nowhere to be seen.

Blood Escape!

Lei Xiang was unsure whether to feel joy or regret. He was glad that, as a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator, he’d single-handedly frightened a Core Formation expert into fleeing, even at the cost of blood and using the Blood Escape technique. Yet he regretted failing to capture Wei Jie—now he’d gained a formidable foe, a ticking bomb that could explode at any time.

Lei Xiang frowned, his gaze sweeping the area within a hundred feet—Wei Jie was gone. He slumped to the ground, exhausted, and began to circulate the Divine Treasure Sutra to restore his spiritual energy. The millennial spiritual energy in the Spirit Smoke Vessel worked best, but he wouldn’t use it except in emergencies. Meditation was slower, but with Wei Jie gone and immediate danger past, speed was no longer crucial.

In a sea of blue, Lei Xiang restored his spiritual power while reviewing the entire operation against the Blood Fiend Alliance, confirming nothing was missed. Then he stood, took out the Big Dipper Pearl for navigation, and prepared to return to the imperial city of Eastern Yue.

Lei Xiang had recovered sixty to seventy percent of his spiritual energy. He put away the Blue Lotus Disc, threw out his Swift Step to take flight, when suddenly a fierce wind arose. Sand and stones flew, blinding the eyes. Lei Xiang quickly dove beneath a huge boulder, cast Weight Technique several times, barely stabilizing himself. Looking up, he saw storm clouds gathering in the distance; a torrential rain was imminent.

The wind grew fiercer, thunder rumbled overhead.

Lei Xiang watched as a giant tree, thick as three men’s arms, was torn up and swept away by the wind, along with stones. It reminded him of his childhood, when a giant python underwent tribulation—the same wild winds, followed by rain and heavenly thunder. Was some high-level demon beast crossing tribulation now? Feeling uneasy, Lei Xiang unleashed his divine sense to scan the surroundings.

Suddenly, the wind stopped.

Such a strange wind, coming and going in an instant. Lei Xiang stepped out from beneath the boulder, gazed at the dark sky. Thunder still rumbled, but no lightning struck. It was odd.

The strangeness didn’t end there. High above, something black pressed down. Suddenly, it all crashed down with a rattle—not rain, nor birds, for it didn’t dive like birds.

Lei Xiang, usually sharp-minded, was baffled. At this moment, Zhu Chi’s voice rang in his sea of consciousness: “Ah... Lei Xiang, hurry... go pick up treasures! This is a heaven-sent opportunity! Why are you dawdling? Go!”

Lei Xiang was bewildered, “Senior Zhu, have you lost your mind? The sky is about to pour rain, and you want me to pick up treasures? Should I pick up raindrops, or stand here drinking the northwest wind?”

“Exactly, pick up raindrops! Hurry!” Zhu Chi urged anxiously.

Lei Xiang shook his head with a wry smile, sitting back beneath the big stone. “Senior Zhu, I promised to find you a good body when we return to Eastern Yue. That lump of rotten meat sculpture seems decent. No matter how ugly, it’s soul-nurturing wood, after all. Once I kill Wei Jie and get it, I’ll let you reside within and recover. You’ve been stuck in my consciousness so long you’re going mad.”

“Soul-nurturing wood, of course it’s good! It’s one of the seven divine woods of our cultivation world. Get it for me, and I’ll teach you the next level of Divine Thunder Slash. But what’s this about rotten meat?”

Lei Xiang laughed heartily. Zhu Chi didn’t know about the rotten meat statue, meaning he’d been asleep, unaware of Lei Xiang’s secret—the Blue Lotus Disc. Lei Xiang explained, “The Blood Fiend Alliance master possessed Imperial Uncle Wei Jie and took the soul-nurturing wood, making an abstract sculpture. It looks like a lump of rotten meat. I can’t praise his craftsmanship.”

Zhu Chi finally understood, “Using soul-nurturing wood to make a rotten meat sculpture—what a waste of heaven’s gifts... Wait, that’s beside the point. Hurry, go find the treasure! It’s falling!”

A flash of insight struck Lei Xiang. “You mean the wind and rain just now carried treasures?”

“Silly boy, haven’t I told you about the millennial meteor shower? It’s the product of the ancient immortal-demon war, containing countless fragments of magical treasures. If you’re lucky, you might even find fragments of spiritual treasures. Most can only be used as materials, but a few rare ones are repairable. I know you’re keen on artifact refinement, so I told you to go, before others snatch them up.”

Lei Xiang nodded, smiling. “Senior Zhu, it’s just the two of us here—who else could snatch them?”

“You fool! These are treasures from the upper realm. Who wouldn’t covet them? Every millennial meteor shower, wherever it falls, draws bloodshed and carnage... Eh, where are you going?”

Lei Xiang’s Windfire Boots rolled out four wheels, and he shot forward at lightning speed. “Ha! I’m off to grab treasures, of course! Once I’m done, we’ll flee before others arrive and a bloodbath breaks out.”

With his improved Windfire Boots, Lei Xiang sped ahead, swiftly covering one hundred and fifty feet. Yet, to his dismay, he found no treasures, no fragments, not even raindrops. Where had the magical treasure meteor shower fallen?

Suddenly, as he sped along, he felt a strong force of suction overhead, lifting him uncontrollably off the ground.

(End of Volume One!)