Chapter 188: Give Me More Time (Fourth Update)

"The reckoning begins!"

This news spread, stirring up waves of turbulence once again in the Second Heaven.

"Just now, the entire Mystic Profound Sect was annihilated—not a single survivor. Everything inside was looted clean!"

"He’s really going through with the purge. I thought it was all over..."

"How could it be? Back then, they hunted him relentlessly. Now that he’s won, the victor writes history—of course, he’ll settle the score."

"But with this purge, the number of powerhouses in the Second Heaven will sharply decline. Won’t the demons beyond the void invade directly?"

"I heard Lu Ye also has a grudge against the demons. I wonder if, after wiping out these sects, he’ll head into the void. The demons there are the fiercest, perfect for his Soul Banner."

"Let’s hope so... Thankfully, our sect didn’t act. Otherwise, it’d be us trembling in fear today."

The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion immediately took action, tracking Lu Ye’s whereabouts.

Lu Ye’s gaze turned toward them.

"Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist—Lu Ye, Fellow Daoist! Don’t attack! I’m from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. I have something to give you!"

From a distance, an old man hurriedly shouted.

Lu Ye wasn’t a bloodthirsty demon who killed indiscriminately.

The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was merely an intelligence organization, surviving by selling information. The Heavenly Secrets Mirror was a Chaos Supreme Treasure, on par with the Eternal Prodigy Leaderboard. Countless smaller mirrors derived from it ensured the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion thrived across all heavens.

"What is it?" Lu Ye asked.

"Spirit stones!"

"Fellow Daoist must have noticed—when you traveled eighty thousand miles, our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion presumptuously used the Heavenly Secrets Mirror to capture your image. This was to prevent the weak from throwing their lives away. All profits generated from your actions have been handed over, and the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has doubled the amount as compensation. Please understand!"

Lu Ye hadn’t expected the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to be so accommodating.

Good. Very good.

"Fine, I’ll take it. The grudge between me and the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is settled," Lu Ye declared.

"Ah, many thanks, Fellow Daoist! Many thanks!"

Lu Ye nodded, not bothering to converse further with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion cultivator.

He was busy.

Busy killing.

Sect after sect fell, while others fled.

Lu Ye didn’t bother with those who escaped—he lacked the energy to chase them down. He’d kill them if he ran into them later.

Even so, he wiped out fifteen sects in one go, amassing an immense amount of resources.

With this haul, Lu Ye estimated he could cultivate to the mid-to-late Heavenly God Realm without issue.

The moment to condense his fifth life would come when he broke through to the Fate Realm.

So there's no hurry to search for the heavenly treasures needed to condense the fifth life.

All resources obtained.

Lu Ye found a blessed land, set up various arrays, and began his cultivation.

Forging artifacts, refining pills, crafting talismans, cultivating...

A multi-pronged approach.

The resources were truly abundant—far too many.

Piled up like mountains, the storage rings inside the Void Shuttle formed small hills, as storage rings couldn't be placed inside other storage rings to avoid spatial collisions.

However, the Void Shuttle wasn't affected by this limitation.

After all, even living beings could enter it.

But with such a mess, Lu Ye feared it would take forever to find what he needed in time.

It would be better to categorize everything and place them behind glass for a clear overview.

Under the tempering of Vermilion Bird's True Flame, the Void Shuttle quickly changed its form.

All the items inside had been cleared out by Lu Ye.

Storage rings of various colors, inlaid with different gemstones, glittered under the sunlight. Any other cultivator who saw this hill of storage rings would surely burn with envy.

And then, upon seeing the owner of these rings, their faces would surely darken.

With everything prepared—

"Begin cultivation!"

"Ding, cultivation initiated!"

Earth Immortal Fifth Layer!

Earth Immortal Sixth Layer!

Earth Immortal Seventh Layer!

...

Third Heaven.

With the Jiang family's massive resource allocation, Jiang Die finally reforged her physical body, and the mother gu re-entered her.

The pain seemed to have passed.

After two and a half months of recovery, Jiang Die's strength stabilized at Fate-Weaving First Layer.

Yet, Jiang Die couldn't feel any joy at all.

Inside the cultivation chamber—

"Celestial Lord Fist!"

With a loud shout, Jiang Die threw a punch, the force of her fist howling through the air.

However, that invincible aura, the sense of unity with all things, did not manifest.

"Celestial Lord Fist!"

Another punch!

Still, nothing emerged.

At this moment, the Celestial Lord Fist was only a faint semblance of its true form, with none of its genuine power unleashed.

As for its effectiveness, it went without saying.

After hundreds, even thousands of attempts, Jiang Die finally accepted the truth.

Her Celestial Lord Fist had become a thing of the past.

The Celestial Lord Fist was gone...

The Celestial Lord Fist was difficult to master, but there were others, other techniques...

Heaven-Piercing Fist!

Jiang Die executed the Heaven-Piercing Fist with fierce momentum.

The force was strong, the form nearly identical.

Yet, there was no sense of piercing the heavens.

Its power, as expected, was lackluster.

One technique after another, Jiang Die tested them relentlessly. The more she tried, the heavier her heart grew.

This one wouldn’t work!

This one wouldn’t either!

This one still wouldn’t!

She had gone from possessing an overwhelming arsenal of skills in the Second Heaven to being left with nothing but flashy but ineffective moves.

How could Jiang Die accept this?

*Knock, knock, knock…*

The array of the training chamber was struck.

Drenched in sweat, Jiang Die halted her practice—not from physical exhaustion, but from the weariness in her heart.

She took a deep breath.

The sweat evaporated from her body.

Stepping out of the training chamber, she was greeted by an elder of the Jiang family, his face warm with a gentle smile.

"Jiang Die, how is your recovery coming along? I hope I’m not disturbing you?" Jiang Yuan asked kindly.

His voice was nothing but soothing.

"I've recovered, and it's no disturbance. May I ask why Elder has come to see me?" Jiang Die inquired.

Jiang Yuan's smile grew even more amiable.

"Nothing too urgent, really. Many in the clan have heard of your reputation, knowing you master countless techniques with astonishing talent. They wish to witness your prowess firsthand. Would you be willing to make an appearance?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Jiang Die frowned slightly.

"Elder, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I'm currently cultivating a secret technique at a critical juncture. Though Lu Ye won our last battle, he isn't invincible. Once I complete this technique, we'll see who truly stands stronger!" Jiang Die said earnestly.

"I will meet with those from the Third Heaven sooner or later—there's no need to rush. Right now is the time for me to rise from shame with courage. I truly cannot afford to waste time."

Jiang Yuan maintained his smile and quickly waved his hand.

"No problem, no problem. I was merely asking for your opinion. Of course, cultivation takes precedence. Your determination to rise from shame is precisely what makes you a fine member of the Jiang family. I'll simply decline on your behalf."

"Thank you, Elder. Give me some time. Once I finish this technique, we can meet without delay."

"Very well, very well..."