Chapter 35 Xia Wei-Leize Adventure
Before going deeper into Lei Ze, Ye Jie took the initiative to instruct: "Stay here first, don't move. I'll go explore the way. Once I'm sure there's no danger ahead, you can follow me."
Xia Wei's face showed worry. "Master, didn't you say that the powerful and overbearing power of thunder is the nemesis of souls? Even if a ghost messenger is struck by thunder, the only fate is to scatter his soul. Will Master be in danger on this trip?"
Ye Jie waved his hand, signaling her to be relieved:
"There are few monsters who have mastered the art of soul refinement and spirit building, so they can't easily spot me. This is the advantage of being a soul-spirit body. Monsters that can spot me are all at the third or fourth level. Combined with the power of thunder, if you encounter one, you'll be doomed. I have the Earth-Shrinking Stone on me, so even if I encounter any danger, no monster can stop me."
After hearing Ye Jie's explanation, Xia Wei reluctantly agreed. The Earth-Shrinking Stone in the ghost's hand was a life-saving weapon, but unfortunately, it could only be used by souls. In the hands of a living being with a healthy body, the Earth-Shrinking Stone was just a piece of stone, no different from any stone picked up from the roadside.
After Ye Jie left, Xia Wei's heart was still hanging. She didn't know what was happening to her master, and whether he was in danger. She pursed her lips, her little fists clenched restlessly around the corner of her clothes, unable to rest for a moment.
It wasn't until an incense stick of time later that Ye Jie returned. Xia Wei patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "Master, you are finally back... If you hadn't come back, Xiao Wei would have gone to Lei Ze to look for you."
Ye Jie scratched his head: "Didn't I tell you not to move around... Never mind. I found a monster that can help you practice. We'd better find a cage and capture it."
Xia Wei was puzzled: "Cage? Are you referring to those iron cages used to trap wild animals?"
Ye Jie shook his head: "Iron belongs to gold, and lightning also belongs to gold. Iron can conduct the power of lightning. Using an iron cage to trap thunder beasts is not a good idea. Let me see... I think those gray-white rocks are good."
Following Ye Jie's pointing, Xia Wei also saw the rugged mountain wall that had been bombarded by lightning but still stood in its original place. Under the erosion of lightning, the surface of the mountain wall was bumpy, and when the strong wind blew past, a chilling humming sound could be heard.
After Ye Jie's careful selection, Xia Wei also came to a concave mountain wall. She concentrated on practicing her skills, and a huge amount of spiritual power poured into her arms. Her muscles tensed and she gained the strength of an ox and a horse. She let out a soft cry and punched the gray-white rock.
Cracks spread out like spider webs along the spot where she fell, shaking the rocks. The explosions were like warriors beating drums, or like thunder shaking the sky above the zenith.
After a few more punches, a corner of the mountain wall fell to the ground with a muffled sound. The oval-shaped pit inside was big enough to cover a beast the size of a calf.
Xia Wei raised her right hand. The protruding finger bones were covered in blood, and the back of her hand was bloody. Even with the power of the tortoise hand, she would still suffer a strong recoil when she hit the solid rock with her fist.
Xia Wei gritted her teeth secretly, her expression firm and fearless. Even Ye Jie couldn't help showing a bit of heartache when he saw her. She had endured too many things that were not suitable for her age.
"Practice the Hundred Refining Body Technique quickly... The Hundred Refining Body Technique can speed up the healing of injuries, but you still have to bear the pain when you are injured. You have to take care of your body." Ye Jie sighed.
As the Hundred Refining Body Techniques were running, the injury on Xia Wei's arm improved significantly, and no more blood was flowing out. After about a cup of tea, the wound was completely healed, and even the blood was reabsorbed by her skin.
"How does it feel?" Seeing Xia Wei staring at her fist thoughtfully, Ye Jie asked.
Xia Wei extended her hand, showing Ye Jie the back of her flawless white hand, and smiled at him calmly, "It feels good. I can feel the tempering of my body by the Hundred Refinements. My right hand is tougher than before. If I hit the rocks like I just did, there might not be any blood."
Ye Jie glanced at the delicate back of Xia Wei's hand and said approvingly, "As the physical strength of ordinary practitioners of the Body Refining Path increases, their appearance will change to varying degrees. Their skin will become wrinkled like sandpaper and its color will tend to become a bronze hue, like iron and steel. Your skin is as white as ever, and you don't look like a practitioner of the Body Refining Path at all. It's enough to paralyze the enemy at a critical moment, creating a surprising killing move."
The two polished the fallen concave stone. After they were ready, Xia Wei used her tortoise hands to pick up the concave stone and went deeper in the direction they had explored in advance.
After walking for several miles, the two came to a valley with even richer spiritual power. The sound of thunder was continuous, and even the earth was shaking.
The surroundings were in chaos, with broken rocks everywhere. There was also a condensed electric charge on the ground. As long as you stepped on it, a thunder would explode. Ye Jie frowned:
"Just now, in this thundering valley, I discovered a group of late-stage second-order Thunder Ying insects. The thunder power they possess can help you quickly cultivate to the Hundred Refinements Body without sustaining serious injuries. But now, I see this place is in shambles. I don't know what happened..."
The two searched for a while but found nothing, and unknowingly they had entered a valley surrounded by thunder.
Xia Wei, who was exceptionally sensitive to spiritual energy, tilted her head slightly upwards, as if sensing something unusual. She climbed the steep slope ahead, her eyes suddenly widening as she covered her mouth with her hand, "Master, what is that?"
Ye Jie was puzzled and hurried to Xia Wei's side. He looked in the direction Xia Wei pointed. His pupils suddenly shrank and his expression was horrified: "Not good, run!"
Left on the ground in front was a huge footprint, which was ten feet long and several feet deep. The claw marks were deeply embedded in the ground, as if to tear the earth apart. There were also fierce arcs of electricity remaining around. Just looking at it made people feel chilled and unable to move.
Xia Wei also realized the urgency of the situation. The footprints alone were so huge, so how huge must the owner of the footprints be? If it caught her, she would probably be dead. She quickly retreated to the rear.
The two fled the valley in a panic. Xia Wei breathed out with lingering fear and asked in a trembling voice:
"Master, what kind of monster is that? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that there would be such a huge footprint."
Ye Jie pondered, "If I'm not mistaken, those should be the footprints left by the great demon Kuiniu. With our current strength, even if we get within a hundred meters of the Kuiniu, we will be reduced to ashes by its thunderous roar..."
Xia Wei was puzzled: "We didn't even see the shadow of the monster, so how did Master know that the monster must be Kuiniu?"
Ye Jie smiled and said, "Xiao Wei, as a cultivator, you must have keen observation skills. You were shocked by the size of the footprints, but overlooked more details, such as the direction of the footprints and the distance between each step."
Xia Wei was stunned, a look of deep thought on her face. Then she listened to Ye Jie say, "Although it was just a quick glance, I'm sure the footprints were hoof-shaped. There were no signs of two feet alternating between them. Instead, one foot was moving forward alone. Among the great thunder-attributed monsters, only the one-legged Kuiniu fits this description."
Hearing this, Xia Wei exclaimed in surprise and said with emotion, "I can't believe that Master can see so many things in just a split second. Xiao Wei still has a lot to learn from Master."
"You are still young. Once you gain more combat experience, these problems will not be difficult for you."
As he spoke, Ye Jie squatted down and pressed his palms against the ground. Although he was far away from the Thunder Valley, the ground was still shaking regularly.
"It seems that every time the earth trembles, the Kuiniu has landed. I never thought that a demon of this caliber would even come to the outskirts of Lei Ze... So, this Thunder Valley must be hiding the lost Xuansha."
"Xuansha? What is that?" Xia Wei blinked.
Ye Jie gazed into the distance, "In the past, Yinglong brought disaster to the world, causing widespread suffering. General Li Jing sought help from the Heavenly Court, and the Jade Emperor ordered the God of Thunder to eliminate the evil dragon. The God of Thunder then borrowed a ray of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Sha from the Goddess Xuannv. The moment the Mysterious Sha fell, the area thousands of miles around was reduced to scorched earth. Endless thunder still rages across the earth to this day, eventually forming the Lei Ze we see before us."
Xia Wei felt something in her heart. She looked up at the endless thunder in the sky with a bit of shock in her eyes. Then she heard Ye Jie say:
"Li Jing, like you, is the reincarnation of an immortal. I heard from other ghost messengers that Li Jing held a high position of power in the Heavenly Court in his previous life. Hundreds of years ago, he even battled the Monkey King, but I don't know if that's true. As for the Kuiniu, it must have detected the presence of Xuansha near the valley. For a thunder beast like it, Xuansha is a rare and powerful tonic."
Xia Wei nodded, followed Ye Jie's example, put her hands behind her back, and quietly stood on tiptoe and asked, "Are there many reincarnated immortals in this world?"
Ye Jie seemed stumped by her question and scratched his head. "I can't answer this question either, but I've heard from others that even if you become an immortal, you can't enjoy eternal peace. Instead, you have to face the impending baptism of immortal calamity. It seems that there are quite a few immortals who choose to reincarnate to avoid the calamity."
As if to ease the embarrassment of being stumped, Ye Jie suddenly said seriously: "By the way, I have a question for you. You should think carefully before answering."
Xia Wei's eyes were determined, and she said respectfully, "No matter what Master asks, Xiao Wei will answer truthfully."
Ye Jie slowly opened his mouth and questioned her soul:
"Kui Niu went to the market to buy shoes. A pair of shoes cost eight copper coins. How many copper coins did he have to pay?"
"Buying shoes? Kuiniu's feet are so big, how can they fit into shoes? No, doesn't it have hooves? Why would it need shoes?"
Xia Wei was a little dumbfounded. She hadn't expected her master to ask such an outrageous question, but she still answered seriously, "Given Kuiniu's strength, it shouldn't have to pay a single copper coin. So the answer is zero."
"Zero? That's a unique answer. Even if you got it right." Ye Jie smiled.
Xia Wei stuck out her tongue, looking unconvinced: "It's obviously zero, how can there be any other answer?"
After chatting for a while, Ye Jie looked back and sighed:
"Because of the Kuiniu's disturbance, the Thunder Ying insects I found earlier have all fled to who knows where. Finding a Thunder Beast suitable for your cultivation will be difficult... If I had known earlier, I would have asked Nan Linghe to come along. With her abilities, finding a Thunder Beast suitable for you would have been a piece of cake."
Xia Wei smiled lightly, not taking Ye Jie's words to heart. Instead, she comforted Ye Jie: "Don't be discouraged, Master, we will always gain something."
Returning to the outermost cliff, Xia Wei looked around and suddenly frowned: "Master, did you see the crayfish meat I brought? I clearly put it here just now."
"Really? Has anyone else been here?"
Ye Jie's expression changed slightly, and he became alert. He looked around and soon saw a few inconspicuous dark blue bloodstains on the ground. The bloodstains were intermittent and full of chaotic traces.
"Wait, those rough dragging marks don't seem to be left by humans..." After careful observation, Ye Jie also found clues from the traces and couldn't help but open his mouth wide, "A monster came here and stole the crayfish meat you brought."
"What?"
Hearing this, Xia Wei was furious. A demonic beast had taken advantage of her absence and stolen the crayfish meat she had worked so hard to hunt. How could she tolerate this? She rolled up her sleeves and said, "Master, let's go and teach those demonic beasts a lesson now!"
Ye Jie nodded. The powerful monster would not bother to steal the meat of the first-level crayfish, so he went to try his luck.
They walked quickly forward and followed the blood trail, and finally came to a head-sized hole in the ground. Judging from the large number of shrimp shells scattered around the edge and the dark blue blood stains at the hole entrance, the crayfish meat should have been cut up here and finally sent into the hole.
Ye Jie closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment before saying, "There are three auras in this cave, each of which is at the mid-second stage. Can you handle them?"
Xia Wei nodded decisively. After the injury on her arm healed, she couldn't wait to fight the powerful enemy.
She followed the method Ye Jie taught her last time. She first used her spiritual power to make a fire, and then used her spiritual power to create wind, pouring thick smoke into the cave.
Ye Jie looked around and blocked several smoking holes with stones. After confirming that everything was correct, he and Xia Wei waited in wait. They sensed that the monsters in the cave were fleeing in panic.
Finally, the monster could not bear the smoke any longer and rushed out of the cave. Xia Wei, who was well prepared, saw the opportunity and punched it. Ye Jie didn't even see the monster's appearance before it turned into a pile of rotten meat in Xia Wei's hands. It died miserably, as if it had been hit by a wild bull with all its strength.
The death of the monster aroused strong anger among its companions. Accompanied by loud squeaks, two more monsters rushed out. This time Ye Jie finally saw the full appearance of the monster. It was a huge rat with a round belly.
The giant rat has lost the flexibility of ordinary rats. Its limbs appear short and thick, and it seems unable to bear the weight of its entire body. What is even more difficult to ignore is the electric current running through its fur. Anyone who touches it will be injured by lightning.
Seeing the whole picture, even Ye Jie couldn't help but take a step back. As a soul, if he were struck by lightning, he would probably lose half his life on the spot.
"That's a second-level monster, the Electric Mouse? It's like searching for something in vain, but it finally comes to you without any effort. Xia Wei, the power of an Electric Mouse is more than enough to help you make further progress in Bailian." Ye Jie reminded.
Xia Wei's face lit up with joy, but she saw one of the electric mice suddenly surge with electricity, and then it jumped up and turned into a ray of blue light, intending to knock her to the ground with the power of thunder and lightning.
Xia Wei didn't dodge and raised her palm to meet the attack. The electric mouse crashed into Xia Wei's palm. The fierce electric current passed through Xia Wei's body, causing her delicate body to tremble uncontrollably. Her skin, bones, and even internal organs seemed to be burned by a hot iron. The pain continued to spread, and her whole body was completely paralyzed.
An ordinary person would probably fall to the ground without a sound if struck by lightning, but Xia Wei, who had expected this, showed a look that reflected this.
She tried her best to practice the Hundred Refining Body cultivation method, and spiritual power continued to flow through her slightly charred body. All injured parts became tougher after being tempered by the Hundred Refining Body, and even her internal organs were completely renewed.
Gradually, the paralysis caused by the electric current could no longer overwhelm her. Amidst the fierce electric shock, she regained the upper hand and recovered control of her body.
The big rat realized something was wrong and wanted to escape, but it was too late. Xia Wei held on to the rat's body tightly and shot a soul-breaking arrow at it from a very close distance, completely shattering its soul.
The last remaining rat was frightened by the scene and was about to escape, but Ye Jie, who was quick-eyed and quick-handed, tied it up with a soul-binding rope.
"Xia Wei, quickly catch it and keep it for future training." Ye Jie reminded.
After receiving the reminder from her master, Xia Wei lifted the concave stone and suppressed the immobilized rat inside. No matter how it struggled, it could not escape.
"What is that?"
After the battle, Ye Jie seemed to have discovered something. He pointed at Xia Wei's face and said with some surprise.
Xia Wei raised her hand to touch her face, but saw some black substance in her palm, and even her arm was black.
"Wait, are those body impurities? Could it be that your Hundred Refinements Body has already reached the mastery stage?"
Thinking of the records of this technique in the classics, Ye Jie was surprised. Expelling impurities from the body is the sign of the second stage of the Hundred Refinements Body.
Ye Jie quickly took out the torn page and placed it in Xia Wei's hand. He saw that the "Hundred Refinements Body (Beginner)" column in the cultivation technique column had actually changed to "Hundred Refinements Body (Mastery)". He couldn't help but sigh, "You've mastered a mid-grade earth-level cultivation technique so quickly. Xiaowei, you're truly gifted."
Faced with Ye Jie's praise, Xia Wei was delighted and smiled.