Chapter 222 – The Myriad Laws True Lord
"Just one more strike left!"
Hou Chunyu and Gu Mo both stared at the tribulation cloud above the sky, hearts tightening even further. Victory was so close at hand. By relying on countless methods and the formations he had arranged in the Tribulation Valley, Qi Chunde had managed to endure eight bolts of heavenly lightning.
Now, as long as Qi Chunde survived this final strike, he would successfully step into the Nascent Soul realm.
Of course, after withstanding those eight strikes, Qi Chunde's condition was miserable—especially his greatest reliance, the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws, which was in a pitiful state.
The towering tree that had once flourished was now nearly stripped bare by lightning.
Yet, the baptism of the heavenly tribulation had also fused the vast collection of spiritual plant genes within the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws more completely. Once this tribulation ended, the tree would definitely advance to an even higher level.
"Hahahaha!"
Facing the final bolt, Qi Chunde instead burst out laughing. After all, his plan had always been to scrape through the first eight strikes by any means necessary—because he still had his ultimate trump card to carry him through the last.
Very soon, Gu Mo and Hou Chunyu saw that hidden treasure: a wooden puppet.
"A Substitute Puppet!"
Hou Chunyu immediately recognized it the moment he saw it. This was famed as the strongest life-saving treasure, far superior to talismans or pills.
A Substitute Puppet could resist nearly any type of attack, whether poison, soul assaults, or other unconventional means.
Even heavenly tribulation—it could block once.
"This brat… to think he had something like this. Seems we worried for nothing." Seeing the puppet in Qi Chunde's hand, Hou Chunyu finally smiled.
With such a treasure, Qi Chunde would surely withstand the last strike and enter the Nascent Soul realm.
And indeed, that was exactly what happened. The Substitute Puppet blocked the final bolt of heavenly thunder for Qi Chunde, allowing him to smoothly pass through his Nascent Soul tribulation.
"Wait—something's wrong!"
But before Hou Chunyu and Gu Mo could celebrate, both immediately sensed something amiss: the tribulation cloud above did not disperse.
Instead, it began gathering strength again. It felt as if a second person were attempting to cross a tribulation—but here, only Qi Chunde was present.
In the distance, the high elders of Shennong Valley, who had just begun making their way over after sensing the ninth strike, abruptly halted.
"What's going on? Why has the tribulation cloud not dissipated?" one elder asked, expression grim. Qi Chunde's trial had indeed turned out to be highly unusual.
"It's over…"
Seeing the cloud condense anew, Hou Chunyu's heart sank cold. His disciple had encountered one of the rarest, most dangerous special tribulations.
"Master, the tribulation just now was for your Tree of Ten Thousand Laws. The one forming now is for you yourself. Quickly recover—so long as the tree regains its strength, it can shield you from the next tribulation!" Gu Mo urgently transmitted to the stunned Qi Chunde.
Golden Core Dao Seeds were not lifeless objects. Thus, the heavenly will treated the Dao Seed and Qi Chunde as two separate entities. With both attempting to ascend simultaneously, two tribulations had to be endured.
Gu Mo knew this deeply. If his sword cultivator avatar attempted a breakthrough, it would have to face twelve tribulations in succession—that was true horror.
"Disciple, the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws is in terrible shape. Its roots were damaged and it can no longer draw power from the void." Qi Chunde quickly understood once he heard the transmission, but his tree had just endured one tribulation and was utterly exhausted.
To resist another round was impossible.
"Master, the small vial—use it, quickly!" Gu Mo urged. With the tribulation cloud still condensing, this moment was the best chance to recover. Miss it, and the danger would be fatal.
"Alright!"
Qi Chunde nodded. The Sun Essence was indeed effective for him, though now that the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws had advanced, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced. Still, any recovery was better than none.
"What is this…"
But as he opened the vial, a dazzling radiance spilled forth. It was Sun Essence—but unlike the kind he had absorbed before. This was a higher-grade Sun Essence.
Sensing its aura, the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws trembled with overwhelming desire.
Without hesitation, Qi Chunde refined the Fourth-Grade Sun Essence. Nourished by its power, the tree erupted with vitality. Broken roots regrew rapidly and pierced into the void once more, drawing in power.
With the endless influx of spiritual energy, the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws recovered swiftly, regaining its towering form—stronger even than before.
With such a revitalized tree shielding him, Qi Chunde's own tribulation was far easier than the first. And since the tree was his own power, heavenly will permitted it; had an outsider interfered, the consequences would have been dire.
"Success… I've succeeded!"
Qi Chunde looked up at the once again clear sky, feeling as if he had lived through several lifetimes in mere moments. From the elation of passing the first tribulation, to the despair of realizing a second had come, to the joy of recovery and final triumph—the wild swing of emotions had tested his very soul.
"Master, how does it feel, becoming a Nascent Soul True Lord?" With the tribulation gone, Gu Mo walked up to him with a smile.
As for Grandmaster Hou Chunyu, he had gone to face the other Shennong Valley elders, since the bizarre double tribulation would surely ignite their questions.
"Wonderful."
Looking inward, Qi Chunde saw the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws rooted within his dantian. Where others had a baby-like Nascent Soul, his Nascent Soul was a great tree.
"When I return, I'll record my insights. You should study them as well." Qi Chunde looked at Gu Mo with deep emotion. The wisest decision of his life had been taking Gu Mo as a disciple all those years ago.
Without Gu Mo's Sun Essence, he would likely have died under the second tribulation. No—without it, he might never have broken through at all, spending his entire life fruitlessly nurturing a Dao Seed.
"Got it!"
Gu Mo's eyes lit with interest. Though it meant facing two tribulations, it also meant one's foundation was twice that of an ordinary Nascent Soul True Lord. Combined with the Tree of Ten Thousand Laws' myriad abilities…
To be unrivaled among one's peers was no mere boast. And as the tree advanced, its powers would grow as well, surpassing even the original plants from which its genes came.
For example, a certain ability might have come from a mere First-Grade spiritual plant—but through the tree, Qi Chunde could now wield it with the strength of the Fourth Grade.
"Let's go. We'll speak again once your realm stabilizes." At that moment, Hou Chunyu returned, leading them away from the Tribulation Valley.
Soon after, news spread swiftly: Qi Chunde had endured two successive heavenly tribulations and emerged as the strongest Nascent Soul True Lord.
In the eyes of many cultivators, only the most monstrous prodigies could "play tricks" with a Nascent Soul tribulation. To call such an existence the "strongest Nascent Soul" was by no means an exaggeration.
And the speculation of the crowd was entirely accurate. With his current strength, Qi Chunde could easily crush early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and even against those in the mid-stage, he would not fall behind.
As for the late stage—Qi Chunde could not win, but late-stage Nascent Souls also could not do anything to him. With the bizarre and ingenious methods he had accumulated, his ability to stay alive was such that even Hou Chunyu, a late-stage True Lord himself, could do nothing about him.
That's right—this assessment of Qi Chunde's combat power came directly from sparring matches with Hou Chunyu.
"Good, good, good!"
Hou Chunyu was delighted by the strength Qi Chunde had displayed. But he did not forget to warn him: "However, you must not grow complacent. The world has never lacked geniuses even more monstrous than you."
"Yes, Master!"
Qi Chunde bowed respectfully in acknowledgment.
"Now that you've reached this step, do you intend to establish your own branch?" Hou Chunyu asked. Once one became a Nascent Soul True Lord, they gained the right to create a new lineage within the sect.
Xiaohua, for example, had no ambitions. Even after becoming an elder, she never established her own branch—she spent her days clinging to Gu Mo, all but forgetting her master.
But Qi Chunde's case was different. He had developed his own unique cultivation method. Such a method required inheritance, which meant creating a new branch.
"Yes."
Qi Chunde nodded. He also wished to see his self-created method passed down.
"Very well."
Hou Chunyu nodded as well. Disciples grew up, and they needed to build their own careers; as master, he could not hold them back forever. Having nurtured two disciples to the Nascent Soul realm in one lifetime, Hou Chunyu felt more than satisfied.
…
"Disciple, from today onward, you are my chief disciple of the Myriad Laws Branch."
Standing before the massive trunk of a Fifth-Grade ancient tree, Qi Chunde addressed Gu Mo solemnly.
After becoming a Nascent Soul True Lord, Qi Chunde had taken the title "True Lord of Myriad Laws." Naturally, the branch he founded was named the Myriad Laws Branch.
At present, the branch contained only Qi Chunde and Gu Mo—plus a palm-sized little girl and a fish. Xiaohua and Xiaoli, of course, had followed Gu Mo here as well.
Thus, while the Myriad Laws Branch was few in number, it already boasted two and a half Nascent Soul–level powers. The "half" referred to Gu Mo—though not a Nascent Soul True Lord, with the aid of Fourth-Grade spiritual plants, he could fight at a Fourth-Grade level.
"I need to continue stabilizing my realm. The affairs of the Myriad Laws Branch, I leave to you." Qi Chunde patted Gu Mo's shoulder.
"Got it."
Gu Mo nodded. For now, the branch had no disciples anyway, so there was little for him to worry about. The only matter of concern was the spiritual fields allotted to them.
"Xiaoli, from this day forth, you are the guardian spirit beast of our Myriad Laws Branch." After Qi Chunde departed, Gu Mo turned to the little fish.
"Me, Master?"
Xiaoli's fish-eyes widened in shock and excitement at the change in status.
"That's right. Which means the spiritual fields of our branch will all be managed by you," Gu Mo said seriously.
Within Shennong Valley, every branch was assigned a fixed area of farmland. If one wished to expand beyond that, they had to trade for it with contribution points.
These fields naturally could not be left idle. But Qi Chunde needed to stabilize his cultivation and would likely spend more time in the future studying the continuation of his new method, leaving little room to tend fields.
As for Gu Mo, most of his attention was on his inner world. He had no time to manage them either. Thus, handing the fields over to Xiaoli was a perfect choice.
Xiaoli did not need to oversee all of them—just the Third- and Fourth-Grade fields. The First- and Second-Grade fields only required routine care.
Later, when the sect recruited new disciples, those lower-grade fields could be distributed to the newcomers for cultivation.
However, that would have to wait until after the Heavenly Chosen War ended.
This Heavenly Chosen War was being broadcast far and wide. Whichever sect performed well would undoubtedly attract a wave of talented seedlings to join.
Normally, mortals with outstanding spiritual roots, due to limited information, would simply join whichever sect was nearest. But this time, with the Heavenly Chosen War so widely spread, the information would reach them. Those mortals with superior roots would be able to choose their sect based on the results.
Because of this, not only Shennong Valley but also other sects had postponed their recruitment, planning to wait until after the war concluded.
Even the demonic sects were the same. Should they demonstrate power surpassing the righteous sects in the Heavenly Chosen War, it would absolutely draw many to their side.
For cultivation was not only about pursuing immortality—it was also about the pursuit of power.
Immortality could not be seen in the short term. But power—the Heavenly Chosen War would display that in the most direct way.
"Master, rest assured, leave it to me."
Xiaoli happily accepted the responsibility. Managing spiritual fields was precisely her area of expertise.
"What about me, Xiao Mo?"
Seeing Xiaoli receive a new duty, Xiaohua immediately piped up, asking about her own assignment.
"Xiaohua, from now on, you'll be the steward of the Myriad Laws Branch. Work together with Xiaoli to keep tending the Sunlight Glazed Flowers." Gu Mo, of course, would not overlook Xiaohua, his most reliable laborer. He casually gave her a formal title.
Xiaoli and Xiaohua working together made the best team.
The Third- and Fourth-Grade fields of the branch would all be used for cultivating Sunlight Glazed Flowers. After all, the future disciples of the Myriad Laws Branch would be cultivating Qi Chunde's newly created method.
And for that method, Sunlight Glazed Flowers were an absolute necessity. Without their support, cultivating it would be exponentially more difficult.
Therefore, the scale of the Sunlight Glazed Flower fields had to expand. This would also serve as a perfect cover for Gu Mo's Sun Essence. As long as there were enough flowers, no one would ever suspect the origin of his supply.
The Sunlight Glazed Flower would thus become the core resource of the Myriad Laws Branch.
"I'll work hard!"
With her new position as branch steward, Xiaohua brimmed with enthusiasm. She immediately pulled Xiaoli along to inspect the fields, preparing to transplant the Sunlight Glazed Flowers.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)