Translator: CinderTL
While the enhancement of his thunder magic didn't affect Song Wen's overall strength as comprehensively as the improvement of his spiritual power, the rapid and visible progress it offered proved utterly addictive.
With a thought, Song Wen summoned over a dozen Thunder-type demonic beasts, each possessing formidable Thunder Art Talent.
Seated before the sacrificial altar, he watched as the number of beasts gradually dwindled. Beside him, mangled corpses of the creatures piled up.
When he devoured the twelfth beast, his expression turned uncertain.
Previously, each beast he consumed had faintly enhanced his control over thunder magic. But this time, he felt nothing.
Staring at the bloody, mangled beast on the altar, Song Wen frowned, his eyes filled with doubt.
He conjured a ball of thunderlight, but it revealed no trace of enhanced power.
After prolonged contemplation yielded no answers, Song Wen tossed another beast onto the altar.
Activating the altar again, he used its power to absorb the beast's blood essence and soul.
Yet the result was the same: his Thunder Art Talent remained unchanged.
Rising slowly, Song Wen paced, his gaze shifting between the altar and the ground formation.
"What's going on? Why can't my Thunder Art Talent improve any further?"
"Could it be... the 'hidden flaw' I suspected with the Imperial Thunder God's Sacrifice Platform?"
"Now it seems this isn't a flaw at all, but rather some kind of limitation inherent to the platform itself."
These thoughts raced through Song Wen's mind.
"Is there a limit to how many times each person can use the platform? Or perhaps a cap on how much one's Thunder Art Talent can be enhanced through it? Or could it be that the human race itself has an innate limit to its Thunder Art Talent?"
Unable to determine the cause, Song Wen stored the remaining two Thunder-type demonic beasts in his Spirit Beast Pouch. He then left the pavilion, soared into the air, and departed the canyon.
Using the Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Escape Technique at full power, he traveled a million li before stopping above a desolate, uninhabited desert.
Spiritual light erupted from his fingertips as he rapidly formed several Thunder Incantations.
Above, the wind howled and clouds churned like waves.
Crack!
With a thunderous roar, a dark golden lightning bolt shattered the storm clouds and plunged straight into the earth.
The ground trembled violently as dust billowed skyward.
A bottomless rift tore through the earth, stretching for hundreds of li.
Staring at the colossal chasm, Song Wen murmured to himself.
"The speed of my Thunder Escape Technique has increased by about fifty percent. The power of the Haotian Divine Thunder has roughly doubled, and is now nearly as formidable as my full-powered Nine Calamity Heaven-Measuring Sword. It's enough to rival the full-force strike of a peak Body Integration cultivator."
Without lingering, Song Wen swiftly turned and left, returning to the pavilion at the bottom of Cloudstream Valley.
After clearing away the demon beast corpses from the pavilion and glancing at the sacrificial altar, Song Wen paid it no further attention.
The Imperial Thunder God's Sacrifice Platform hadn't fully realized his ambition of infinitely enhancing his Thunder Art Talent to rival the power of the Kui Bull, but the current results weren't disappointing.
Across the entire mystic realm, his Thunder Art Talent was undoubtedly among the very best. Of course, within the Divine Blood Gate, there might be those of equal or even greater talent, but he hadn't encountered any such individuals yet. Even Wei Gu's Thunder Art Talent paled in comparison to Song Wen's current level.
As for the platform's limitations and future utility?
He couldn't answer these questions for now, but he wasn't entirely without clues.
If he could help the Remnant Soul suppressed in his sea of consciousness regain its awareness, he might be able to obtain the answers from it.
Pushing the matter of the sacrificial altar aside, Song Wen's thoughts swiftly turned to his upcoming journey to the Western Rong Continent.
This expedition would be perilous, and thorough preparation was essential.
Only twenty-odd Substitute Puppets remained, so many more needed to be refined.
Thirteen Minor Teleportation Talismans were left, and more would need to be refined as well. However, this would require assistance, as Song Wen himself couldn't draw them.
He had one sixth-tier Earth Evasion Talisman and two teleportation talismans.
Teleportation talismans were unique to the Divine Blood Gate, and Song Wen had no way to draw them, so he couldn't hope to obtain more.
However, he possessed the method for drawing fifth-tier Earth Evasion Talismans. When seeking help to draw the Minor Teleportation Talismans, he could have these also drawn.
As for higher-tier Earth Evasion Talismans, they were even rarer, but they could occasionally be seen at special events like high-tier cultivator exchange conferences or auctions. He would need to keep an eye out for them.
Despite the importance of these life-saving items, Song Wen didn't consider them the most crucial aspect of his journey.
The Western Rong Continent was the domain of demon beasts, where they roamed freely. Although human cultivators had ventured there before, none had ever managed to establish a lasting presence.
For the human race in the Western Rong Continent, their existence was likely as mythical as that of the Kui Bull in the Eastern Profound Continent—nearly legendary.
Any human cultivator who appeared in the Western Rong Continent would likely be hunted down and intercepted by demon race tribes.
To overcome this, the best solution would be to become like the demon beasts themselves—not only possessing their aura but also their physical form.
Achieving this was not impossible.
Take Wang Qiuyue's Body Refinement Technique, for example.
When she activates it, her body transforms into a half-dragon, half-human form, and her aura shifts accordingly. This is only what Song Wen has witnessed firsthand; she might have even held back, and it's possible her human form could fully transform into a dragon.
Song Wen had no intention of emulating Wang Qiuyue by cultivating a shapeshifting Body Refinement Technique.
After all, Bai Wei had said that the departure date was within the next ten to twenty years. In such a short time, it would be difficult for him to find a suitable Body Refinement Technique and cultivate it to mastery.
Moreover, cultivating a Body Refinement Technique would consume too much time, leaving him unable to prepare other life-saving measures.
For this, Song Wen had another solution.
He flashed to the Spirit Field at the bottom of the valley and selected over forty Bodhi Spirit Cores from the thousands of plants.
Among them were the oldest—a thousand-year-old Spirit Herb—several hundred-year-old ones, over a dozen decades-old ones, and a few newly sprouted ones.
Carrying the Spirit Herbs, Song Wen headed toward the Myriad Swords Pavilion.
Great Communication Lake.
The perennial white mist still shrouded the dark green waters, stirring an inexplicable unease in his heart.
Pushing through the layers of mist, Song Wen arrived above an island.
"Fellow Daoist Yingwu, I've taken the liberty of visiting. I hope you will show yourself and grant me an audience."
"Enter."
Yingwu's voice echoed from the island.
Before the sound faded, the white mist before Song Wen suddenly parted, revealing a passage.
He stepped through the passage and found himself hovering a hundred zhang above the island.
After surveying his surroundings, he noticed Yingwu's slender figure standing at the edge of one of the many stone pits on the island.
Song Wen landed beside her, but Yingwu didn't turn to look at him or speak. Her gaze remained fixed on the bottom of the pit.
There, two creatures were mating:
A Toxic Flood Dragon and a Thunder Eagle.
(End of the Chapter)
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