Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 57 The Hidden Secrets of the Abyss, First Hearing of the God of Strength

"The abyss at the bottom of the lake...that's a long story!"

Just as Su Ji had guessed, the local deity was, after all, a night-roaming spirit general of Jinfeng County, and naturally knew some of the secrets of the deep abyss at the bottom of Qili Lake.

Zhongliu Shenlingbing once said that the gilded bronze bull head may have come from ancient times and was buried underground due to an earthquake.

That earthquake also caused the Taibai River to change course, turning its wide channel into the small river it is today, and the collapsed area into Qili Lake.

Qili Lake may appear to be only seven or eight li long, but it has never dried up, all because of the bottomless cracks at the bottom of the lake.

It is said to be bottomless, but in reality, the bottom can be seen. It is only because there are dangers below the abyss and a demon king of bloodline is hiding and cultivating there that few people know its depth.

"There's a demon king with a bloodline in Qili Lake?" Su Ji couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Just like the demons in Lunzhou who caused chaos, the reason they only captured seven counties was because there were only seven people who had cultivated their bloodline and spirit to the level of demon king.

The news that two demon kings have appeared in Jinfeng County alone has sparked much speculation.

The calculations were then further elaborated:

"The Baiyan Mountain Range stretches for over a hundred miles and is rich in resources. It's quite normal for it to have a tiger king whose bloodline and spirit have cultivated to the level of a demon king."

"The place where Qili Lake is located is the old riverbed of Taibai River. In ancient times, the demon kings who lived there had nowhere else to go, so they could only gather at Qili Lake. The terrain there is dangerous, so the lineage can continue."

"Furthermore, Qili Lake itself is an important node on the Taibai River, rich in various cultivation resources, allowing even a fierce ghost like Zhou Wu to get a share..."

Sure enough, when the local earth god recounted his personal experience, it proved that the direction of the divination was correct.

"The deep abyss at the bottom of the lake connects to the surrounding earth veins and water veins. When the ancient demon cultivators passed away there, they all left behind a great deal of blessings."

"Those with strong physical bodies nourish the abyss, transforming into various kinds of spiritual jade that can strengthen the bloodline;

"After a soul cultivator passes away, he leaves behind a spirit stone containing a large amount of primordial energy."

"After the lifespan of a high-ranking cultivator in the Dongxuan realm is exhausted, his celestial soul and spirit merge with heaven and earth, transforming into various wondrous places and even secret realms."

"Over the years, countless cultivators have explored this place, yet treasures still frequently appear, not to mention the secret realms that constantly flow through the water and earth veins, which often appear only briefly..."

"When I first became a Dongxuan Mage, I went to the bottom of the lake to cultivate the Minor Yin-Yang Technique. Although I didn't obtain any treasures, I did gain some insights into the profound principles of the earth's attributes..."

"I entered the secret realm within the earth veins by chance, while Zhou Wu must have entered the secret realm within the water veins, which is how he obtained the water-attribute spiritual object that allows him to use the Water Spirit Body."

The Earth God primarily cultivated the "Minor Yin-Yang Method," but he also comprehended the "Earth Escape Mystic Art," which stemmed from his initial glimpse into the principles of the earth within the Seven Mile Lake Earth Vein Secret Realm...

After the local earth god explained it to Su Ji, many of his doubts were finally cleared up.

"I knew it! The Earth God was cultivating the Minor Yin-Yang Method, and the superior spell he used was 'Jade Soul Body.' It turns out it was all thanks to the secret earth vein realm beneath Seven Mile Lake."

"I knew it! Why didn't the clam spirit use any water-related artifacts? Zhou Wu probably stumbled into the water vein secret realm by accident..."

At this moment, the Earth God said with a mysterious air, "The abyss at the bottom of the lake is not only the remains of the Demon King, the Ghost King and the high cultivators. It is said that it was once one of the ancestral lands of the Taibai River Dragon Clan!"

Even if the Taibai River Dragon Clan abandons this ancestral land because the Taibai River has dried up, its value cannot be ignored.

"Some people have mistakenly entered the Dragon Clan's Mysterious Immortal Realm, and some have obtained Power God-level Spirit Jade containing the bloodline of the Dragon Clan!"

At this moment, Su Ji realized that if a cultivator with a physical body, such as a Demon King or Martial King, were to break through to the next level, he would become a God of Strength.

For a moment, Su Ji felt that the abyss at the bottom of Qili Lake was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Yan Tianchou, however, seemed quite excited, as if he had obtained the divine jade of the dragon god's bloodline:

"In the world, those who cultivate bloodline and spirit are the most domineering. If we could obtain a God-level spirit jade containing dragon blood, it would surely make up for the shortcomings of the Golden Toad body!"

In the Yin-Yang realm, ghost cultivators are the weakest, while mystical cultivators are the strongest... The divine favor is further divided into civil and military categories.

In the secular world, cultivators only seek longevity, and profound magic has little effect on living beings; bloodline cultivators are the strongest in combat.

Even the strongest cultivators and those at the Cave Profound Realm may be no match for a squad of armored soldiers, yet a Bloodline Demon King can conquer a city—that is the difference.

Su Ji was calmer than Yan Tianchou, but he still began to prepare for the future: "In that case, it's time to get in touch with the cultivation method of bloodline and spirit sooner..."

In fact, Su Ji had long ago obtained the bloodline cultivation method from the village's martial artists.

However, the cultivation methods of humans are different from those of demons. If they were both mammals, it would be fine, but Su Ji's golden toad body is that of a cold-blooded, cold-blooded animal.

Human martial arts techniques can indeed be deduced by the Heavenly Calculation, but the computational power required, if converted into divine power, would probably be more expensive than buying a technique suitable for the Golden Toad. Therefore, Su Ji has been waiting for the City God Temple Fair to arrive.

Now, Su Ji has another option: to use Zhou Wu's connections to purchase a bloodline cultivation technique from the clam spirit.

The grand scheme of things involves the emperors of the Heavenly Court, and even the Earth God only knows a little about it, but it is extremely important to Yan Tianchou. Not long after the Earth God finished speaking and left, Yan Tianchou had already compiled some information.

"Based on the information we have so far, this world is mainly based on the divine path. Immortals who join the divine path can be called gods, while those who remain in the wild are called wandering immortals."

"There are at least five emperors in the Heavenly Court: the Green Emperor, the White Emperor, the Red Emperor, the Black Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor. Each of them governs at least one pantheon. Currently, the Yellow Emperor, the leader of the Earth God Pantheon and the City God Pantheon, holds the position of Heavenly Emperor and is revered by all things in the world."

"The emperors are all powerful beings above the gods, and they all have the ability to change the world. The position of the Heavenly Emperor is rotated, and no one knows how long the Yellow Emperor can remain the Heavenly Emperor."

"Even among the same divine generals, celestial gods can be respectfully called celestial generals, but divine lords avoid the terms 'emperor' and 'heavenly emperor,' and are called 'heavenly king' instead of 'heavenly lord'..."

"Whether or not one has a physical body is the standard for measuring combat strength. The physical body of a Xuanxian is a burden, the physical body of a Zhenxian is a weakness, and the physical body of a Lishen is the foundation for establishing oneself in the world."

"Some powerful gods of strength are even able to move mountains and fill seas, and naturally they are sought after by many forces. The Golden Flame God General under the White Emperor is a god of strength who can fight against heaven and earth."

"The faith of the emperors is closely related to the mortal world. A powerful god with a physical body can influence the course of events. If one wants to find an emperor or even the Heavenly Emperor as a backer, becoming a powerful god is the best shortcut..."

Su Jishen agreed. If you want to climb up from a Day-Roaming Spirit Soldier, even if you have enough ability, someone has to give up their position, right?

Even the divine favored ones can extend their lifespan through divine power, and the lifespan of a true god is probably measured in centuries. Su Ji doesn't have that much time to wait, so it's better to follow the path of the God of Wealth.

As for becoming a Hercules, Su Ji has already made long-term plans.

A cultivator at the Cave Profound Realm can comprehend profound mysteries in a single day and transcend tribulation to become an immortal overnight; however, a martial artist must cultivate their bloodline and spirit, tempering their body bit by bit, consuming an unknown amount of time.

Just like the tiger king of the White Rock Mountains, as the local deity said, he lived for more than two hundred years by relying on the cultivation techniques taught by the mountain god and the mountain lord, but he still did not become a god of strength.

However, even if the journey is long and arduous, one must take the first step. Su Ji then set his sights on the clam spirit.

The spring rain gradually stopped, but the rainwater still fell from the eaves and trees, splashing up droplets.

The clam spirit's celestial soul arrived as promised, but because its cultivation method was yin, it could only use the cover of plants and trees to make its way to the Zhou family.

After the rain disappeared, Su Ji's spiritual senses returned to normal, and he quickly discovered the clam spirit's trail.

Yan Tianchou pointed out: "The clam spirit has cultivated a Yin Water attribute Dongxuan technique, and is most likely at the Dongxuan Mage level. It seems that because it mainly cultivates the Illusion Dream Path, it took the risk of taking the fierce ghost Zhou Wu as its protector."

"Although the vengeful ghost Zhou Wu is not dead, his strength has been greatly reduced. It will take some time for him to recover to his former state. Perhaps we can try to win over the clam spirit and bring it under the protection of the local earth temple..."

Everything within a certain area of ​​the two villages falls under the jurisdiction of the local earth god temple, which naturally includes this section of the river. Because of this, the demons and ghosts of Qili Lake only dare to go upstream when it rains...

According to Yan Tianchou, if the clam girl had a physical body, she could move to the river to live temporarily.

Su Ji didn't think that much about it, and even felt that Yan Tianchou was being a bit presumptuous. His deception of Zhang Xiaolian was already a stain on his reputation, and he didn't want to be branded as someone who abducted a clam spirit.

Therefore, Su Ji became even more polite and said, "Fellow Daoist Clam Spirit, please come and chat under the stone bridge!"

In the past, if a spirit or monster came to the area of ​​the local temple without saying a word, it would be stopped and questioned, even if it wasn't captured immediately.

Now, the clam spirit was personally received by a deity, which made her feel somewhat flattered: "How dare I trouble the deity to welcome me? This little demon has arrived!"

The celestial soul and spirit are inherently formless and intangible, and can be manipulated at will. They can penetrate not only walls, but even seemingly solid earth.

The clam spirit was not actually a clam demon, but rather a beautiful woman dressed in colorful clothes. She emerged from the river, stepping on bubbles, exuding elegance with a touch of playfulness, creating a fantastical atmosphere.

The stone bridge is located on the center line between the two villages and is not affected by the rain at this time. It can also travel between the two villages with its celestial spirit and nature, not to mention that Su Ji also has the help of Yan Tianchou.

Seeing that the clam spirit had arrived below the stone bridge, Su Ji got down to business:
“Fellow Daoist Clam Spirit, although Zhou Wu’s condition has stabilized, he has fallen into a deep sleep due to the repair of his soul injuries. At least 30% of the resentment and obsession in his soul has not yet dissipated, and I’m afraid he won’t be able to leave anytime soon…”

Just as human wounds heal faster when they sleep, Zhou Wu's soul injuries healed better when he was asleep.

If Zhou Wu were handed over to the clam spirit now, without the suppression of the flawless mid-grade spiritual artifact copper coin, his resentment and obsession might corrupt Zhou Wu's soul core...

The clam spirit, naturally aware of the danger, quickly bowed in respect.
“His resentment and obsession were triggered once, and I was afraid that he would never be able to communicate with me again.”

"Although he was struck by the divine power of the Day Wandering Spirit General, he also took the opportunity to sever much of his resentment and obsession, and with the protection of the Supreme God, his soul core was also protected..."

"Now, he finally has a chance to return to normal, all thanks to the generous help of the High God!"

Of course, the clam spirit's dreamlike body also played a significant role, though it didn't boast about it.

Therefore, Yan Tianchou reminded him: "The clam spirit once said that she deceived Zhou Wu. It seems that she developed some feelings for him after more than two years of getting along. She even risked exposing her own existence to save Zhou Wu's life..."

"Whether the clam spirit developed feelings of friendship, kinship, or love for Zhou Wu, it proves that she is not a cold-hearted person. Even if she does not intend to bring him under her wing, she can still develop him into a temporary partner."

"With the clam spirit as our eyes and ears, we can immediately go and explore for opportunities should a secret realm emerge in the depths of the lake!"

I'm a little over ten minutes late, sorry.
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(End of this chapter)