Chapter 368
Chapter 368
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Undisclosed]
Chapter Title: The Indestructible Gilded Silkworm
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Almost simultaneously with the earth dragon flipping over, Lu Yang lowered his eyelids and opened his Dharma Eye. He pierced through the earth's crust, gazing remotely toward the source of the tremors.
The numerous rock layers could not block his line of sight.
What first came into view was a grand formation operating slowly. It severed heavenly secrets and obscured causality over the area it covered, its transformations profoundly abstruse.
He had just scanned this region with his divine sense, yet found nothing at all. If not for this earthquake causing a slight misalignment in the formation—which had previously operated flawlessly and seamlessly—he would likely still be in the dark, unable to discover the item even if it was right in front of him!
"Indeed, a fine treasure."
Lu Yang's heart stirred slightly. His gaze extended further, soon passing through the formation, which was gradually losing its power, to behold the scene hidden within.
—It was a pool of liquid.
Moon-white radiance flowed within the pool. Lu Yang recognized it at a glance: Lunar Essence, the Origin of the Eight Stones—【Xin Metal】!
Yet this was merely embellishment.
As one of the Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiends, the value of 【Xin Metal】 was unquestionable. However, at this moment, all its wonders were overshadowed by a single point of golden light in the pool.
Like a crane standing out among chickens.
Lu Yang's gaze fell upon that point of golden light. In an instant, he felt his divine sense ignite, as if he were staring at the rising sun with mortal eyes!
"【Calamity Wave】!"
With a thought from Lu Yang, the wondrous effect of 【Illumination】 empowered him. His mind cleared and steadied, dispelling the burning in his divine sense and allowing him to see the scene before him clearly.
It was a silkworm larva.
Its hue was pure gold, like a spark of starfire. Yet upon closer inspection, it revealed an endless expanse of prairie blaze.
This golden silkworm, seemingly no larger than a finger joint, was actually covered in intricate, dense patterns. Every moment, they shifted in light, color, and form. Each pattern symbolized a gu insect, and refining each one was a miracle snatched from the jaws of life and death—now all layered together.
The next second, information naturally surfaced in Lu Yang's mind:
"【Ten Thousand Calamities Gu】!"
Deprived of the formation's protection, the heavenly secrets of this gu insect could no longer be concealed. Lu Yang merely pinched his fingers in calculation to immediately grasp its origins.
"This is the supreme gu of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect."
"【Ten Thousand Calamities Gu】 is merely a pseudonym to mask heavenly secrets. Its true name is 【Indestructible Gilded Silkworm of Ten Thousand Calamities】!"
"From the sect's founding, it has been guarded with utmost secrecy, never once leaked. Generations of cultivators have nurtured it until today, when it finally matured."
As for its function, it was simple.
—Breakthrough.
This silkworm gu was a supreme treasure crafted specifically for breaking through to perfected Foundation Establishment! This one alone could boost the odds of achieving Foundation Establishment perfection by a full thirty percent!
"In the late Foundation Establishment stage, Perfected Beings must face the 【Heavenly Lightning Tribulation】, tempered by heavenly lightning to reforged their Dao foundation. Yet by late Foundation Establishment, the wind, fire, and thunder tribulations come to an end. Logically, this is the limit imposed by heaven and earth—even the 【Heavenly Lightning Tribulation】 carries a faint note of warning."
It warned cultivators: You may only go this far; proceed no higher.
Should a cultivator stubbornly press on toward Foundation Establishment perfection, what came next would no longer be mere tribulations, but the great calamity known as the 【Heavenly Human Five Declines】!
"With the five divine abilities gathered, one becomes intolerable to heaven and earth."
"Hence the 【Heavenly Human Five Declines】: the Dharma body fouls, the Dao foundation gathers dust, divine abilities wither, mana fades, and heart demons proliferate until utter annihilation!"
Only passing this trial achieved perfected Foundation Establishment.
Only then was there hope to refine a golden nature, forge a blessed land, and ascend toward fruition.
Failing it meant a handful of yellow earth.
If heaven and earth had shown some tolerance before, the 【Heavenly Human Five Declines】 was true heavenly punishment—a killing intent aimed at extermination!
Thus, perfected Foundation Establishment could not be faked by merely adding one more divine ability.
To date, the only ones who could fake it were those of the Dao Court—and even there, the "official positions" of perfected Foundation Establishment were exceedingly rare.
This illustrated the preciousness of perfected Foundation Establishment.
It went without saying how invaluable a wondrous treasure that aided one in achieving it.
At this thought, brilliant light burst from Lu Yang's eyes. 【Indestructible Gilded Silkworm of Ten Thousand Calamities】!
This gu's function was to help one survive the 【Heavenly Human Five Declines】!
"Once refined, it can be used only once. It forms a golden cocoon around the gu master, locking all states within."
"Even the 【Heavenly Human Five Declines】 struggles to affect it."
"Thus, the gu master can patiently endure the 【Heavenly Human Five Declines】 inside the golden cocoon. Once the calamity passes, they emerge—achieving perfection!"
Undoubtedly, this was an irresistible temptation for any Great Cultivator.
But Lu Yang held back.
Facing the suddenly revealed 【Indestructible Gilded Silkworm of Ten Thousand Calamities】, he remained steady as a mountain. His brow furrowed slightly, then he smiled disdainfully.
"I wondered what it was."
"Guarded so tightly—I thought it was some superior Dharma sword. Turns out it's just this sort of external aid. Small sects are like that; so narrow-minded."
His words dripped with contempt.
Hearing this, Long Yue breathed a sigh of relief. The divine ability she had prepared to unleash the moment Lu Yang moved eased off.
"He doesn't want it?"
"That's a supreme treasure for reaching Foundation Establishment perfection... He truly doesn't want it? Good—he didn't seize it. His arrogance works in my favor."
Even so, Long Yue couldn't help sneering inwardly.
External aid or not?
In this world, realm was ultimately supreme. Even if reliant on aids and slightly weaker in the same realm, one could still crush lower realms effortlessly!
On the surface, though, she wore a fawning smile.
"You jest, Dao Friend."
With that, she reached out toward the air, eagerly retrieving the 【Indestructible Gilded Silkworm of Ten Thousand Calamities】. Seeing Lu Yang make no move to stop her from start to finish, she finally relaxed.
"A man of the orthodox path after all."
Long Yue felt she had misjudged the Sword Pavilion somewhat. She had thought them no different from the Saint Sect, but now it seemed they differed.
The next second, Lu Yang spoke.
"This pool of 【Imperial Fluid】 is decent, though."
His eyes gleamed with interest.
"I wish to refine a Dharma sword and require one Heavenly Gang Earthly Fiend. Would Dao Friend be willing to part with it?"
"Why not?"
Having secured the 【Indestructible Gilded Silkworm of Ten Thousand Calamities】, Long Yue cared nothing for mere 【Xin Metal】. With a wave of her slender hand:
"Please, Dao Friend, take it!"
"My thanks."
Lu Yang smiled faintly, then beckoned with his hand, drawing the entire pool of 【Imperial Fluid】 into his grasp. His five fingers closed, instantly refining it into a stream of qi.
【Xin Metal】!
Without hesitation, Lu Yang absorbed this Xin Metal into his sea of consciousness, then—just as before—transmitted it via his Dharma body straight to his main body.
Seeing this, Lu Yang's main body lit up with excitement.
"With this, my Immortal Spirit Body can gather three divine abilities, perfecting mid Foundation Establishment. Add 【Upholding the Dharma】, and it's equivalent to a Great Cultivator!"
Though Upholding the Dharma could only empower one body at a time—be it clone or main—as long as used well, it could fully emulate two Great Cultivators.
At this thought, Lu Yang's expression shifted.
In the southern frontier, within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
Lu Yang's consciousness returned to his clone. He lowered his eyelids, concealing his expression. With only one Great Cultivator, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect was a dragon's pool and tiger's den to him.
But with two?
"【Indestructible Gilded Silkworm of Ten Thousand Calamities】... This gu is fated for our Sword Pavilion!"