Jiang Han did not delay any longer. He turned and returned to the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area, continuing to absorb the power of lightning.
A month passed quickly. After advancing more than two hundred steps deeper, Jiang Han finally stopped.
Any further, and the lightning would be beyond what he could withstand at his current level.
Ahead of him stretched countless deep purple bolts of lightning, each as thick as a grown man’s thigh. Even from a distance, one could sense the terrifying aura contained within them.
Even a Golden Core Realm cultivator would likely be injured if they touched it carelessly.
Yet even without going deeper, each bolt of lightning he absorbed now was about twenty times stronger than those at the edge.
Every time he came into contact with that pure lightning power, his body tingled with numbness.
After these days of absorption, half of the spiritual energy within Jiang Han’s body had transformed into a solid state, forming a small purple core embryo floating in his dantian.
Even though the core embryo had not yet fully solidified, the spiritual energy within him was already forty times greater than when he had been at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Once the remaining spiritual energy in his body was completely solidified, he would truly reach the False Core stage. At that time, the spiritual energy within him would be roughly one hundred times greater than at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
And that was only because the Annihilation Divine Lightning had seized too much of the lightning energy. Otherwise, he would likely have already condensed the core embryo and might even have attempted to undergo the Golden Core lightning tribulation ahead of time.
The Annihilation Divine Lightning had not disappointed him. After absorbing more than half of the lightning power, it had grown from a hair-thin strand to as thick as a chopstick.
Now strengthened, the Annihilation Divine Lightning exuded overwhelming might. It circled around the core embryo continuously, frantically devouring the lightning power refined from the thunder. Its increasingly powerful suction could snatch away nearly eighty percent of the lightning energy.
Correspondingly, its aura had become more terrifying. Even Jiang Han himself felt his scalp tingle.
If struck by it, even a mid-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator would likely be injured. An early-stage Golden Core cultivator might even fall on the spot.
Du Yucheng had returned half a month ago. According to her, Mo Qiushuang had not caused trouble. After learning that Jiang Han did not wish to see her, she had simply remained waiting at the foot of the mountain.
Jiang Han could not be bothered with that former senior sister. He truly could not understand why, after everything, she still insisted on looking for him. What was the point of all this?
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, he casually crushed another bolt of lightning and continued absorbing its power, strengthening both his spiritual energy and the Annihilation Divine Lightning.
Du Yucheng widened her eyes as she watched Jiang Han crush one bolt of lightning after another within the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area.
Although she had seen it many times, she was still astonished. What kind of freak was Jiang Han? How could he absorb lightning in such a brutal manner?
In her more than three hundred years at the Purple Firmament Sword Sect, she had seen many people cultivate in the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area.
Including herself, all of them had carefully drawn in a single bolt of lightning, then refined it bit by bit using the Purple Firmament Sword Art.
After refining, the spiritual energy still needed to be slowly absorbed and digested before it could truly become their own.
Under normal circumstances, it took three to five days to refine a single bolt of lightning. That was already considered extremely fast.
As soon as he grasped a bolt, he crushed it directly and absorbed it. It was brutally efficient.
What was even more terrifying was his body. Despite absorbing lightning so violently, he remained completely unharmed. It was simply inconceivable.
“Is it because of the Mutated Lightning Spiritual Root?” Du Yucheng felt a deep sense of envy.
When she first heard Master mention the Lightning Spiritual Root, she had not thought it particularly impressive. After all, she herself possessed a top-grade Water Spiritual Root, which was not much inferior. It simply was not as suited for the Purple Firmament Sword Art.
But now, witnessing the cultivation of a Lightning Spiritual Root firsthand, she realized the gap was enormous. It was as if the Purple Firmament Sword Art had been tailor-made for Jiang Han, with an incredibly high compatibility.
“Junior Brother Jiang is indeed a heaven-sent genius. As long as he is given time to grow, he will certainly become a towering figure. With his future strength, he will absolutely be able to restore the former glory of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect!” Du Yucheng clenched her fist, her eyes shining faintly with excitement.
…
A full month had passed, and Jiang Han still had not come out. Mo Qiushuang was beginning to grow restless.
At that time, that madwoman Du Yucheng had clearly promised that once she returned, she would inform Jiang Han that she was waiting for him.
Given Jiang Han’s temperament, as long as he knew his senior sister had come to see him, he would definitely come out to meet her.
Even if Jiang Han had been angry, a month should have been enough time for his anger to subside.
But a whole month had passed. Why had he still not come out?
Mo Qiushuang looked up at the mountain gate of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect. “Could it be that Du Yucheng deliberately toyed with me and never told Jiang Han that I came?”
After thinking it over, she felt this possibility was the most likely. Otherwise, Jiang Han would not ignore her.
More troubling to Mo Qiushuang, however, was Ji Yuchan’s attitude.
Since she had left the Heavenly Dominion Sect, Ji Yuchan had never once asked about Jiang Han’s situation. It was as if she had already forgotten the matter entirely.
Mo Qiushuang felt a chill in her heart. When Master had spoken so harshly back then, she had thought Master truly cared about Jiang Han. But now it seemed it had only been a momentary impulse.
A month had passed. If Master truly cared about Jiang Han and truly wanted to bring him back, how could she remain completely silent?
When Xiao Xuan had descended the mountain for training, Master had sent more than ten Sound-Transmission Jade Slips a day, afraid he might suffer outside. She had even instructed Mo Qiushuang to secretly protect him until he safely returned to the sect.
Perhaps Master had never cared about Jiang Han. The only one she truly cared about had always been Lin Xuan.
And it was not just Master. Even the other junior sisters disliked Jiang Han.
They despised him for his poor aptitude, for his lack of manners, for being poor and stingy. When he gave gifts, he only offered low-grade spiritual herbs. Occasionally he managed to present a barely acceptable magical treasure, but even those were old-fashioned relics with outdated styles. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
They even prevented other disciples from taking care of Jiang Han. Not to mention spirit stones or spiritual medicine, even other disciples who spoke to Jiang Han would be scolded and told to stay away from him, lest they pick up his so-called bad habits.
Mo Qiushuang’s heart ached. They had truly been too harsh toward Jiang Han.
Just as she was thinking, her expression shifted. A Sound-Transmission Jade Slip flew out.
“Hanyue, what is it?”
“Senior Sister, have you seen Jiang Han?” Liu Hanyue asked.
Mo Qiushuang sighed softly. “Not yet. He seems to be in seclusion, cultivating. I haven’t seen him come out.”
She had waited at the foot of the mountain for a month, and Du Yucheng’s spiritual sense had monitored her for that entire month.
With Du Yucheng, a Great Perfection Nascent Soul sword cultivator, watching her, Mo Qiushuang could only wait at the mountain’s base. Otherwise, she would have already found an opportunity to slip inside.
She had originally planned to enter under the pretext of paying a visit and then seize Jiang Han when the opportunity arose. But Du Yucheng refused to entertain any of it.
No matter what she said, Du Yucheng acted as if she heard nothing, infuriating Mo Qiushuang to the point of cursing loudly.
Yet no matter how she scolded, Du Yucheng remained silent. If she pressed too hard, Du Yucheng would simply manipulate lightning and strike it toward her head.
The damage was minimal, but it left her seething with anger. Over the past few days, Mo Qiushuang had nearly ground her teeth to pieces from frustration.
Liu Hanyue continued, “By the way, Senior Sister, I contacted you this time because Xiao Xuan has successfully entered the Foundation Establishment Realm. Master wants to hold a celebration banquet for him and asked you to return.”
Mo Qiushuang was stunned. “A celebration banquet? For entering the Foundation Establishment Realm?”
“Xiao Xuan’s breakthrough is a joyous event. Everyone is happy. If Master wants to hold a banquet, then she will.”
Mo Qiushuang let out a long sigh. Wasn’t Master supposed to be looking for Jiang Han? Why was she organizing a banquet for a mere Foundation Establishment breakthrough?
“I’m not going back. I’m going to find Jiang Han,” Mo Qiushuang refused decisively.
“And Hanyue, why are you unwilling to look for Jiang Han?”
“I…” Liu Hanyue panicked. She had thought she had managed to forget, yet her senior sister had brought it up again.
Mo Qiushuang immediately understood. She lifted her head and looked toward the Purple Firmament Sword Sect in the distance.
“You’re afraid.”
Liu Hanyue fell silent.
These past days, she had long sensed it. But she did not dare confront the truth.
That truth, which was enough to shatter her completely.