Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 839 - 838 Courting Death [End of Month Votes Requested]

Hou Niao rested for a day, carefully savoring the sensation of being whipped, trying to recall that fleeting spark of enlightenment. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to recollect, he couldn’t grasp it fully, so he knew he needed to experience it again.

His body was a bit sore. Although it wasn’t too serious, it wasn’t entirely unscathed either. But it didn’t matter, he still had time to recover.

Without hesitation, he left the island again, this time not going too far, just beyond the sensing range of the Thunder Ring. Lying in the Cloud Sea to heal; flocks of birds constantly flew by, for in the Hell Star, there were no Spiritual Beasts. Not because the spiritual mechanism here couldn’t breed intelligent life, but because the Unihorn Clan found it easier to manage the criminal cultivators. As soon as any creature gained spiritual wisdom, it was immediately killed.

Their Thunderbolt Power was indeed extraordinary, a natural instinct, coupled with the unique environment of the Hell Star.

There was really no time left. He could feel his Divine Soul, Dantian, Purple Mansion, and all parts of him restlessly agitated, which was the undeniable guidance of the Great Dao; when one day these restless vibrations resonated together, that would be the moment he broke through to the Golden Core.

To maintain a relatively calm physical state, he rarely circulated his energy, for fear of causing trouble; this was a common phenomenon in his generation, affecting not only those in the constellation but also many true disciples.

When it came to suppressing the realm, the Shan Sect didn’t have profound insights; the Anhe Daoist might have, but he was merely a half-trained Daoist.

To quickly resolve the Thunder Ring issue, and ensure that he wouldn’t be unknowingly controlled by the Unihorn Clan during Core Formation, he needed to accelerate the unraveling of the Thunder Ring. So, he lay in the Cloud Sea for ten days.

On the eleventh day, having recovered, he returned to his chosen valley, silently waiting, not knowing what fate might bring him this time.

The Unihorn Clan was still nowhere to be seen, but the Thunder Whip arrived as promised, just like these foreigners’ rigid nature; he had been away for over ten days, so the punishment was a thousand whips!

Having endured the punishment of a hundred whips before, he was confident, but once the first whip struck, he knew things had gone awry.

The lash of the Thunder Whip unknowingly triggered something akin to a catalyst, connecting his Divine Soul, Dantian, Purple Mansion, body, and meridians, with the whip acting as a needle pulling through, resulting in the stimulation of the urge to form the Core!

At this moment, he clearly realized the irresistible nature of this process. He must simultaneously balance Core Formation and unraveling the Thunder Ring, with the slightest misstep leading to a disastrous fall.

Fate delivered its answer, posing an enormous challenge, perhaps as punishment for his continuous stir within the Cultivation World.

To say he wasn’t flustered would be a lie. He faced a choice: proceed methodically to maximize the success of Core Formation, or attempt to unravel the secret of the Thunder Ring while forming the Core?

Perhaps this was the worst environment for Core Formation in the history of the Cultivation World. Before the heavenly tribulation even came, he had to endure a thousand Thunder Whips...

His body had to withstand the lightning, his Divine Soul had to split its focus, his Dantian was rampaging, his Purple Mansion was transforming, and his entire being, from the inside out, was under immense pressure. In this situation, abandoning the deciphering of the Thunder Ring secret and concentrating fully on resisting the lightning while forming the Core seemed the wisest choice.

But his heart was unwilling!

His intuition told him the Unihorn Clan wouldn’t miss any opportunity to control a criminal cultivator. The best time to plant something would be when they ascended, ensuring that cultivators could never escape their control, regardless of the presence of the Thunder Ring. As long as the Unihorn Clan summoned lightning, he would become a lightning target.

Was this the outcome of his century-long cultivation practice?

Controlled by a human being? Even if it were someone closest to him, he would refuse; let alone an entire clan of thousands of Unihorn Clan people? free𝑤ebnovel.com

Become their loyal servant? Living at their mercy? Relying on currying favor with these outsiders to cling to life?

No, never!

This was the freedom Wang Wang mentioned, and now to him, this was the entire meaning of freedom!

Even in such a difficult moment, he still didn’t give up on unraveling the secrets of the Thunder Ring.

The courage was commendable, but this process was incredibly perilous.

First, he had to maintain his body’s resistance to the Thunder Whip, so that the force imposed on his body wouldn’t affect the Divine Soul’s, Dantian’s, and Purple Mansion’s transformation during Core Formation; much like a mortal walking a tightrope while continuously facing incoming whips.

Secondly, he had to cautiously adjust the circulation of breath throughout his body, maintaining the trajectory of normal Core Formation. Although this process had been deduced countless times in his mind, deduction was just deduction, and it differed from actual situations!

Lastly, every time the Thunder Whip struck, he must strive to capture that subtle, mystical feeling and, once such a feeling formed a certain continuity, attempt to seek out a regular pattern from it.

Utilizing one mind for three tasks was his current situation, reflecting his lack of time even to ponder how he had maneuvered himself into this predicament.

All he could do was persist, grit his teeth, trust his judgment, and never become a puppet of the alien race.

... A thousand miles away, Wang Wang watched the continuous flickering of lightning in the distance, counting silently in his heart. When he reached one hundred and one, he couldn’t help but sigh. This young man was truly worrying, having already endured the punishment of a hundred whips before and now challenging the thousand whips, what about next time?

The head jailor, Hong Kan Daoist, however, saw things more clearly. He came from the Anchor Chain Star System’s Great Daoist, which in the universe, although not the very top, was relatively close to that category.

"It’s not by chance, it must be inevitable, he has his purpose."

Wang Wang was confused. His insight was somewhat lacking. Before entering the Hell Star, he was merely a Foundation Establishment disciple, and it was only after entering that he formed the Core, unlike Hong Kan Daoist who attained the Golden Core Realm before coming in, possessing superior cognition in various aspects.

"What purpose could there be? After a thousand whips, even if he doesn’t die, he’ll surely shed a layer of skin!"

Hong Kan Daoist shook his head. "No one’s a fool. Everyone experiences the Killing Whip upon entry, clearly aware of the Thunder Whip’s power. Having endured a hundred whips, he’s aware of his limits. Even seeking death, one wouldn’t choose this way, so there’s certainly a purpose to this behavior.

Historically, there have been people daring enough to try body refining through the Thunder Whip, some attempted to decipher the Thunder Ring through self-punishment, others sought to use it as an opportunity to break through to the Upper Realm. In this Cultivation World, there are all kinds of madmen. The things you can’t imagine are the very things they dare to do."

"And what do you think?"

"It’s likely that he is refining his body with the Thunder Whip to prepare for breaking through to Golden Core. You mentioned he is a Sword Cultivator? Then I suspect he aims to form a Thunder Sword Pill? He’s laying foundational work!"

Hong Kan Daoist, indeed experienced, but his thoughts were not crazy enough. In reality, their young man encompassed all options, undergoing body refining, unraveling the Thunder Ring, and endeavoring to reach the Upper Realm.

In traditional Cultivation theory, this would be a classic case of courting death.