Chapter 74 - Eldest Senior Brother

Chapter 74: Chapter 72: Eldest Senior BrotherInside the Medicine Tripod, five jade-white Elixirs spun round and round, their pill bodies etched with pill patterns, the unmistakable sign of top-grade Elixirs.

The Top-grade Eighth-grade Soul Nourishing Pill is complete!

Chen Qingchi’s complexion was flushed with excitement and exhilaration. His senior brother could be saved now.

Chen Qingchi administered the Soul Nourishing Pill to Ye Qiu. He did not awaken, but Chen could feel that his Divine Soul had stabilized somewhat. One shouldn’t take too many Elixirs at once; after this one is digested, he will take a second pill tomorrow.

Only by this time did he finally let go of the weight in his heart and began to notice the differences within the Little Wood Spirit space.

He looked at those Spiritual Medicines, and the first thing to catch his eye was a pond of Ice Lotuses, all three of them, not far off there was a small tree with only a few dozen leaves, but each leaf shimmered with a faint light, as if runes were flowing on them. Beside the small tree was a plant with flowers in five colors, strikingly bright, and on the other side, a sword-shaped leaf with a human-high fiery red flower bloomed upon it, resembling a Phoenix spreading its wings to fly...

Too many! These Spirit Plants are unknown to him!

How incredible, the most complete compendium of Spirit Plants in the entire Cultivation World was in their Medicine Valley, and he had committed it to memory long ago, yet he had never seen these Spirit Plants in the books.

No, there were still some he recognized. Thousand-year-old red fruits, ten-thousand-year-old wild ginseng, Frost Fruits, Purple Dragon Grass... but the grade of these Spirit Plants was even higher than the treasures of Medicine Valley.

Chen Qingchi couldn’t control the excitement in his heart as he looked at Little Wood Spirit with eyes gleaming green.

Three days later, after taking three Soul Nourishing Pills, Ye Qiu slowly regained consciousness.

"How do you feel? Are you alright?" The moment he woke up, he met Chen Qingchi’s concerned gaze.

Ye Qiuqing gently furrowed his brows, his head still ached a bit, and he felt somewhat weak, but there was no serious harm.

"I’m fine. Just need to rest a couple more days," Ye Qiu answered. This was a blessing in disguise, after all. Because his meridians were damaged and had soaked in Spirit Milk for over a year, his meridians and bones had transformed, and his Dantian had expanded as well. Just waiting for the restoration of his Spiritual Energy, he estimated that he could break through to the Mahayana Realm in one fell swoop.

"Glad you’re fine, we were so worried about you." Chen Qingchi heaved a sigh of relief, seeing that Ye Qiu was mostly recovered, he then clung to Little Wood Spirit to study those unrecognized Spirit Plants again.

"Thank you for all your hard work," Ye Qiu said as he patted the Water Spirit and Earth Spirit. Although he was in a coma, he wasn’t unaware of what had occurred, and he was thankful for them.

The Water Spirit shook its little water-drop-shaped body and ran off to play with Little Wood Spirit and the others without saying a word, as if embarrassed, while the Earth Spirit slowly said no thanks and buried itself back into the ground, staying silent.

Two months later, Ye Qiu’s body had fully recovered, and he decided to return to Sword Pavilion to break through to the Mahayana Realm.

Since Chen Qingchi was idle, and couldn’t bear to leave those Spirit Plants in the Little Wood Spirit space, he decided to accompany Ye Qiu as well.

Ye Qiu calculated the time. Less than ten years remained until the legendary Sky Tower would open.

There were countless opportunities within the Sky Tower, and although everyone who entered didn’t count their cultivation, Ye Qiu was clear that without true ability, one couldn’t even pass the first floor. Not only him, but everyone around him had to hasten their Cultivation practice as well.

Chen Qingchi thought he had come to live out his days leisurely, but ended up working harder than when his Grandfather forced him to Cultivate back home. Though he and others like Shun Hua grumbled and complained, even without Ye Qiu explaining the reason, they didn’t ask further, instead cultivating even more diligently.

A year later, atop Snow Mountain, the sky was densely covered with black clouds with terrifying flashes of Thunder and lightning within, while the Great Elder and Sect Leader had retreated to a distance, watching with apprehension and pride at the person at the center of the storm.

"Our senior brother is about to advance to the Mahayana Realm."

"Truly worthy of our senior brother!"

"The eldest senior brother is also under forty this year, truly terrifying."

"I’m already fifty this year, still hovering in the Nascent Soul Stage!"

"Can you compare with the eldest senior brother?"

A group of low-level disciples muttered among themselves, their eyes filled with envy, excitement, and pride, but without a trace of jealousy. After all, this is the eldest senior brother!

He is the pride of their sect, their role model! Whose eldest senior brother is as formidable as theirs?

Ye Qiu had been preparing for a year to smoothly advance to the Mahayana Realm. He had summoned a somewhat dim and damaged Heavenly Thunder and Earth Net, which not only would withstand the Heavenly Thunders but also mend itself through them.

The Silent Annihilation Longsword stood by his side, having developed Spiritual Wisdom. Given time and high-grade ores, it was bound to join the ranks of Immortal Artifacts.

Come then, it’s merely eighty-one strikes of Heavenly Thunder; he is fearless and will not shrink back.

"Boom, rumble..." The first Heavenly Thunder was as thick as an infant’s arm; Ye Qiu flew up into the air to confront it with his physical body.

Disciples on another mountain peak widened their eyes. This was Mahayana Heavenly Thunder; a single strike could obliterate one completely, leaving no bones nor ash, when had the eldest senior brother become more formidable than body cultivators!

It seemed that Ye Qiu’s arrogance had provoked the heavens; the second Heavenly Thunder was not thicker than the first, but its power was more than tripled.

"Elder brother, this disciple of yours is even stronger than you were back in the day," the Sect Leader exclaimed in admiration, unable to help but speak out loud.

"Naturally," the Great Elder replied coolly, his stern face suggesting that this was to be expected, leaving his own junior brother at a loss for words.

The Heavenly Thunder struck relentlessly for two days, and only half had passed; Ye Qiu’s robes were already torn, but his cold and majestic demeanor gave the disciples below countless confidence. The eldest senior brother would not fail!

"The upcoming Heavenly Thunders will bring Gang Wind, Heavenly Fire, and Heart Demons; I am a bit worried. Ye Qiu’s Heavenly Thunders are clearly much stronger than ours were at the time," the Sect Leader said with a slightly heavy expression.

"He is different from us; he will succeed," the Great Elder stated firmly. From the first day he took him as a disciple, he knew this disciple was different from them, even from all the cultivators in the Cultivation World.

But what of it? Since he became his disciple, he will be his disciple for life, his disciple should be fearless and forge ahead without hesitation.

How could mere Heavenly Thunders stop his footsteps?

With the sixtieth Heavenly Thunder, fierce Heavenly Fire surged towards him, Ye Qiu raised a round shield above his head and surrounded himself with robust Thunder Spiritual Energy, swallowing a Spirit Nourishing Pill to swiftly replenish the Spiritual Energy in his Dantian.

The seventieth Heavenly Thunder brought with it piercing Gang Wind, seemingly slicing through the entire space. Ye Qiu swung his longsword, and with Silent Annihilation unleashed, it seemed as if even the clouds would be dispersed.

But quickly, the Heavenly Thunder gathered again, the pressure mounting even more.

At the eighty-first Heavenly Thunder, Ye Qiu fell into endless darkness, the sight before him strewn with corpses, relatives, and brothers separated by life and death, countless people weeping. The grief pervaded the whole world, as if to shatter him.

He had failed; there was no salvation, everyone had died in battle. Donning his armor and holding the Silent Annihilation Longsword, yet he could not bring back the life of anyone, even as a man of Reincarnation, it was impossible.

This is Heavenly Destiny, and destiny cannot be defied!