Chapter 55 Youthful Spring Robes (Part 1)

The area around the canyon had been ravaged by lightning, leaving nothing but jagged rocks where the cascading waterfall had been. The air was thick with the sweltering heat that followed the lightning strike.

Several hours after a tribulation, a cultivator's primordial spirit is at its weakest, and many cultivators who successfully pass the tribulation are ambushed.

Jiang Gu had already sensed several unfamiliar divine senses spying around him. It was probably because the lightning tribulation was so powerful that they couldn't figure out Jiang Gu's background and dared not make a move rashly.

He quickly made a hand seal and washed and changed both of them. Wei Feng had already shed his divine eagle form. His nose and eyes were red from crying, and his face still bore unhealed wounds. He quietly curled up in his arms, but his hands were tightly gripping his lapel and refusing to let go.

Jiang Gu really couldn't understand how anyone in the world could cry so much.

After searching for a long time without finding a intact spirit pet pouch, Jiang had no choice but to pick the boy up and jump onto the flying sword. The boy was thin and light, and the soft skin and warm body pressed against him, even through the fabric, it was still a little annoying.

If Jiang Gu is unhappy, then others certainly won't be happy either.

After killing three cultivators who tried to take advantage of the chaos, Jiang Gu finally found a spirit pet pouch and promptly threw Wei Feng inside.

Since this little beast won't wake up anytime soon, we'll just release him before he does.

Without the burden of his belongings, Jiang Gu's inexplicable irritation finally subsided somewhat, and he was no longer restrained in his fight. By the time he left the canyon area, his white clothes were soaked in blood, and no amount of water-drawing spells or dust-removing incantations could wash them away. The faint smell of blood enveloped him once again.

Almost all the cultivators who tried to take advantage of him after his tribulation ended up as victims of his sword. Soon, the cultivators who came after smelling his presence dared not bother him anymore.

There were clearly only thirty-six lightning tribulations, but whose newly-completed Void Refinement stage cultivator could be so terrifying!?

This isn't about taking advantage; it's about rushing up to give him a treasure!

Although Jiang Gu lost nine Heaven-Rank magic treasures during his tribulation, thanks to those blind bastards, he managed to collect quite a few good things along the way, which barely made up for the loss.

Although there is only a small difference between the early stage of Void Refinement and the Great Perfection of Deity Transformation, the gap between them is as vast as an insurmountable chasm. The two spiritual veins that he dug out from the Cloud Sea Purple Mansion in Weiming Prefecture were also refined by him during the tribulation of lightning. Together with the spiritual veins in the Mermaid Bay Ruins, they were melted into a complete spiritual vein, which he then planted next to his dantian spiritual root. In this way, it can provide a continuous supply of spiritual power. Although he now has dual spiritual roots of metal and wood, his speed of absorbing spiritual power is no worse than that of a single spiritual root.

In addition, he used the excavated mansion as a prototype and merged the three secret realms with it, successfully creating the prototype of a small secret realm in the Purple Mansion. Jiang Gu controlled his primordial spirit to enter. At present, there is only a large grassy area here, nothing else, but this place is completely under his control and domination. Based on this, it will save a lot of effort to collect the secret realm mansion.

Jiang Gu was very satisfied with the fruitful results of this tribulation. So he took the opportunity to practice against a few cultivators in the early stage of the Void Refinement realm to consolidate his cultivation. Although he was injured, he filled his empty storage bag.

By the time he met up with Ruan Keji, it was already midnight.

"Elder Jiang, you're finally back!" Ruan Keji breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him, then exclaimed in surprise, "You actually broke through!"

Realizing he had been too excited, Ruan Keji's eyes instantly filled with laughter. "So the one who suffered that massive lightning tribulation during the day was Elder Jiang. Congratulations!"

Jiang Gu, with four spiritual roots, actually broke through to the Void Refinement stage, while he, with only one spiritual root, was barely stuck at the Nascent Soul stage. It would be a lie to say he wasn't jealous, but he was even more curious about what methods Jiang Gu had used to cultivate so quickly. It was simply impossible!

Jiang Gu was in a good mood and nodded slightly to him.

The young disciples gathered in twos and threes like quails, looking at Jiang Gu with shock and admiration.

“Junior Brother Mo, I understand you now. I also want to kneel outside Qingping Peak and become your disciple…” a disciple whispered in Mo Daojin’s ear.

Mo Daojin pursed his lips, his burning gaze falling on Jiang Gu, and asked, "Elder Jiang, haven't you found Junior Brother Wei?"

God help us, that good-for-nothing Wei Feng must be dead!

Jiang Gu paused slightly.

Ruan Keji exclaimed in horror, "Could it be that Wei Feng has already—"

"Still alive." Jiang Gu calmly untied the spirit pet pouch from his waist.

He was so engrossed in killing that he had long forgotten about the little beast. Wei Feng had always been afraid of these small, cramped, and enclosed spaces; it was unknown whether he had been scared out of his wits.

As they watched him unpack the spirit pet pouch, the disciples who had been poisoned all wore expressions that were hard to describe.

This place is no place for a human to stay!

Being locked up inside was worse than death!

I'd rather be tortured in the disciplinary hall than be locked up!

The exit of the spirit pet pouch was opened, and a red-clad youth rolled out. He was kneeling on the ground, clutching his own neck and gasping for breath. He was pale from shock, and his hair and clothes were soaked with sweat. He raised his head in a disheveled and panicked manner, and accurately found Jiang Gu's scent among a bunch of complex scents. His dark and gloomy eyes froze for a long time before turning and landing on Jiang Gu.

His eyes, now back to normal, stared intently at Jiang Gu. His voice, as if torn apart, was terrifyingly hoarse, "Master... Father..."

Jiang Gu glanced at him indifferently, "Yes, let's heal our wounds."

Cold, emotionless words offer no comfort whatsoever.

Wei Feng's eyelashes fluttered twice, and he opened his mouth as he looked at him. Several junior brothers and sisters rushed over. Although they didn't particularly like Wei Feng, his current appearance was too miserable, and Wei Feng had previously done his best to heal them, so they hurriedly began to help him heal his injuries.

Wei Feng was helped to sit down in a daze. He was severely injured in the lightning tribulation, and Jiang Gu had only managed to save his life in a hurry. In addition, he had been in the spirit pet bag for nearly a day and a night, and he was completely exhausted. He was fed a lot of pills, and several unfamiliar spiritual energies were helping him heal his injuries, but his eyes never left Jiang Gu.

Yu Qianning gripped his hand, her eyes reddening, "Senior Brother Wei, why are your nails all..."

Wei Feng remained silent.

“The Xiyuan Secret Realm is now sealed off by the Zhou family. I’m afraid it will be difficult for those inside to get out before they find the divine artifact.” Ruan Keji glanced at the twenty-odd disciples behind him. “Of the thirty-six disciples, only twenty-one remain. That’s not bad.”

But if they remain trapped like this, it's hard to say how many will be left.

"It's alright, let's wait a few more days," Jiang Gu said calmly. "For now, let's take them to train in the secret realm."

"This..." Ruan Keji frowned, wanting to refute, but now that Jiang Gu's cultivation was higher than his, all these disciples regarded him as their savior, so he could only grit his teeth and listen to Jiang Gu. However, he was still unwilling to give up, "Elder Jiang, do you know something?"

"The matter of divine artifacts has nothing to do with small sects like ours, Elder Ruan, please rest assured." Jiang Gu retorted gently.

Ruan Keji was speechless for a moment, and in the end he could only nod.

Jiang Gu turned and left.

Wei Feng was being treated by Liu Xianyu and Qian Ning when he saw Jiang Gu turn around. He was startled and pushed away the people next to him. He scrambled to his feet and staggered towards Jiang Gu, calling out in a hoarse voice, "Master!"

He shouted in alarm and panic, and Jiang Gu had just turned around when he was bumped into. Wei Feng grabbed his wrist tightly, looking flustered, "Where are you going?!"

The questioning tone displeased Jiang Gu slightly, but remembering that it was his mistake to have locked the person in the spirit pet bag for a day and a night, he reluctantly softened his tone, "Meditate and cultivate."

The familiar tone instantly reddened Wei Feng's eyes. He choked back a soft sob, forcing himself not to let the tears fall, and stared intently at Jiang Gu, as if afraid he would disappear.

Jiang Gu glanced at him indifferently, "Never mind, come with me to heal your wounds."

Wei Feng felt slightly relieved and was forced to let go of Jiang Gu's hand. He followed closely behind Jiang Gu, his gaze falling on the bloody handprint he had just pressed on Jiang Gu's white wide sleeve, and he pursed his lips.

Jiang Gu found a quiet cave with a small pool inside. He took out some pills to identify them, then separated the pool water and methodically threw in crushed pills. Finally, he injected some excess spiritual energy and said, "Take off your clothes and go in."

Wei Feng stared at the pool of water, his face pale. Some familiar scenes flashed through his mind and were quickly suppressed by him. However, the pain of the previous body tempering and marrow cleansing made him feel lingering fear. He lowered his head to untie his belt, but his fingers, which were wrapped up like a dumpling, were very difficult to untie.

Jiang Gu had limited patience. Seeing this, he used his spiritual power to cut the cloth strips covering his hands and belt together, then grabbed the man and threw him into the water.

The pool water was icy cold, and Wei Feng choked on it twice, shivering all over. Blood began to slowly seep from the wounds on his body. The intense pain made Wei Feng want to get up, but a powerful spiritual force pressed down on his shoulders.

“Master…” Wei Feng’s face was ashen. He looked at Jiang Gu, who was meditating on the shore, and gritted his teeth to make his voice sound steady. “Master, I… am cold.”

Jiang Gu ignored him, but the spiritual energy in the pool covered his wound, and the dissolved pills gradually began to take effect. A dense, tingling, itchy pain replaced the previous excruciating pain, and his whole body began to feel warm.

Wei Feng took a few breaths, gritted his teeth, and struggled against the powerful spiritual energy to slowly move to the shore where Jiang Gu was meditating.

Jiang Gu lifted her eyelids to look at him, "Still cold?"

Wei Feng slowly shook his head, his nostrils filled with an alluring fragrance and a very faint smell of blood. He had never imagined that these two scents would one day appear on the same person. The former haunted his dreams yet filled him with hatred, while the latter brought him peace of mind and dependence yet earned his utmost respect... He must have been mistaken.

That lightning tribulation was so fierce that it's no wonder it struck his nose, causing him to lose his sense of smell; it might even have damaged his brain.

The boy looked up at his master with a face full of admiration and worship. There were still finger marks on his snow-white neck where he had pinched him. His thin and frail shoulders seemed unable to withstand any more damage. He struggled to raise his arm from the pool. Water droplets dripped from his elbow onto the surface of the water, creating ripples.

The mangled fingers gripped Jiang Gu's clean sleeve, stubbornly leaving bright red fingerprints on it once more.

His fingernails were all rotten. He scratched and pounded desperately, losing his mind, and gradually felt the fear growing and spreading in the darkness, from a broken scream to a desperate plea, until finally suffocating in the silence.

This wasn't the first time he'd been thrown into a spirit pet pouch, but it was the first time he'd felt so desperate he couldn't even breathe.

"Master, next time... please don't lock me in the spirit pet bag." Wei Feng looked at him with a wronged expression, his fingers gripping his sleeve unconsciously tightening, squeezing the soft, clean fabric tightly in his palm, his voice trembling with tears, "I'm scared."

"Don't cry," Jiang Gu said expressionlessly.

Wei Feng stared at him intently, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks. Coupled with his pitiful appearance and desperately aggrieved eyes, even Jiang Gu felt a headache coming on.

"……good."

Wei Feng raised his hand and vigorously rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He cried to himself for a while, then suddenly stopped, looked up at Jiang Gu, and grinned, "Master, I can see again! Crying won't make the luminous pearl fall out anymore! And I didn't turn into a mermaid even when I went into the water!"

"Perhaps it's because of that tribulation lightning." Jiang Gu held his face to prevent him from moving, and then used his spiritual power to examine his eyes.

Wei Feng's cheeks were distorted from being pinched, and he grabbed his wrists with both hands, mumbling, "Master, it hurts."

"His eyes are fine." Jiang Gu was relieved; he didn't want his apprentice to be blind.

Wei Feng looked at him with sparkling eyes and gave him a bright smile, "That's great!"

Jiang Gu couldn't bear to look at this familiar foolishness, and the subtle strange feeling he had felt earlier disappeared. "Hurry up and heal your wounds."

Wei Feng nodded obediently, released Jiang Gu's wrist, and turned to swim towards the center of the pool.

Seeing this, Jiang Gu focused on meditating and cultivating with his eyes closed.

Wei Feng glanced back at him, quietly raised the hand that had been holding Jiang Gu's wrist, looked down at it for a long time, and then leaned in and slowly licked it.

The slender, forked red tongue was tinged with Jiang Gu's scent, a strange, subtle fragrance mixed with a faint smell of blood. Wei Feng took a deep breath, captivated, and a strange heat rose in his lower abdomen.

Tick-tock.

The sound of dripping water jolted him awake.

Wei Feng stared at his palm for a long time with an ugly expression, then guiltily turned to look at Jiang Gu who was meditating. In his eyes was anger, resentment and greed that he himself did not realize. His white pupils flashed and disappeared in an instant. He forced himself to put his palm, which was covered with Jiang Gu's scent, into the water and shook off the messy thoughts in his mind.

Jiang Gu is his master, and a master can only be a master.

All he wanted was his master.

Nothing else matters.