Chapter 158: Both Fate and Solace Are Provided

Every single noun uttered by Situ Jing sent shocks through Ji Yao's heart. Of course she knew about Heavenly Thunder Bamboo—it possessed an innate thunder attribute, but such materials were exceptionally rare, usually growing only in places struck by heavenly tribulations.

If a Heavenly Thunder Bamboo survived a heavenly tribulation without perishing, it would grow a star. Reaching nine stars required enduring nine heavenly tribulations without being destroyed. A nine-star Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was no less durable than the metal and stone spiritual materials used to forge top-tier flying swords and magical treasures.

Even more precious was that a nine-star Heavenly Thunder Bamboo could both draw and store thunder, allowing even those without a thunder spiritual root to use it.

However, if someone with a thunder spiritual root used it to forge their natal flying sword, they would be able to hold their ground in battle even when fighting an opponent a major realm higher.

And this was merely one of the items Situ Jing mentioned. The crucial point was the tribulation of the Void Piercing Realm; Ji Yao did not believe the tribulation Situ Jing referred to was merely the one for advancing from the Integration Realm to the Void Piercing Realm—it must include the Ascension Tribulation as well.

In this realm, let alone the Ascension Tribulation, even the tribulation for advancing further within the Integration Realm had not appeared for tens of thousands of years. Therefore, what truly moved Ji Yao was precisely the tribulation lightning.

Although the tribulation lightning power emitted by these five Thunder-Qi Swords could not compare to genuine heavenly tribulations, it was still far from something ordinary cultivators could withstand.

"Are these really for me?" Ji Yao asked, looking cautious yet scarcely able to believe it.

"You do not possess a thunder spiritual root; initially, I never intended to give them to you," Situ Jing's voice suddenly grew ethereal.

"These five Thunder-Qi Swords were merely the result of a passing whim while practicing my craft, and after forging them, I never gave much thought to how they might be used. Seeing your nine array beads today made me realize that this set of Thunder-Qi Swords might perhaps be used to form an array. As for how to use them specifically, you must figure it out yourself!"

Ji Yao's surging enthusiasm suddenly cooled somewhat. No wonder these five swords had such crude designs; furthermore, one could count on one hand the number of cultivators in the immortal cultivation world who used short swords as their natal weapons. One could say there was simply no one whose attributes completely matched these swords to complement each other perfectly.

Even if such a person existed, they would surely have long since acquired a suitable natal sword, such as Mu Baiyun. Ji Yao could not help feeling a sense of regret on his behalf.

Recalling Situ Jing's traits in the four arts of cultivation, Ji Yao instantly felt there was nothing strange about this. It was already a rare miracle that these five Thunder-Qi Swords had been preserved intact to this day.

Regardless, this was a heaven-sent opportunity; how could Ji Yao not be thrilled?

"I must still thank Senior!"

Ji Yao formally thanked Situ Jing before raising her hand to put away the five short swords. Pondering thunder-related usable arrays in her mind, she lingered for a long time without leaving.

"Senior, do you know the origins of Boundless City and the Lord of Boundless City?" Although Ji Yao was thinking about the array, she had not forgotten her original purpose in seeking out Situ Jing.

Situ Jing thought for a moment. "That should be a faction that emerged ten thousand years ago! I have heard of it, but I never inquired into the details."

Gesturing helplessly at Ji Yao, Situ Jing continued, "You must understand that my descent to the mortal realm this time is primarily for re-cultivating. Consequently, most of my time previously was spent on matters beneficial to cultivation, while other irrelevant matters were not intentionally investigated."

Once it reached this point, Ji Yao no longer needed Situ Jing to explain further. Had it not been for the accident during her ascension, Situ Jing would have long since returned to the immortal realm to continue her life as an Immortal Venerable, and she certainly would not have concerned herself with the affairs of the immortal cultivation world.

Thus, Ji Yao had no choice but to explain in detail to Situ Jing everything that had happened to them in Boundless City, including her own speculations regarding the lineage of the Boundless City Lord.

"You are saying he is connected to the Abyss of Perishing Desolation?" Situ Jing tapped her chin thoughtfully after listening to Ji Yao's account.

Ji Yao nodded. "We previously guessed that the Abyss of Perishing Desolation is the sealing ground of some ancient demon race, but the Boundless City Lord practices both spiritual and demonic arts, and he cares so much about the Abyss of Perishing Desolation. This can only mean that the place is far from as simple as we imagined."

"Right, there is one more matter," Ji Yao brushed aside the fine bangs hanging over her forehead. "This mark—the other party claimed it could help me shield against the interference near the Demonic Prohibition Ground. When I approached it this time, I indeed suffered no further effects."

Aside from those inexplicably appearing memories, Ji Yao subconsciously refused to acknowledge them and thus had no intention of telling Situ Jing about them.

Previously, Situ Jing had not deliberately observed Ji Yao's differences and therefore had not noticed the bangs she left exposed after changing her hairstyle. Only now, when Ji Yao intentionally uncovered them, did she cast a careful glance.

Sensing that Situ Jing's gaze was somewhat unusual, Ji Yao's heart tightened instantly.

"Have you touched the center of your forehead since then?" Situ Jing's gaze lingered between Ji Yao's eyebrows.

Ah, ever since she used her bangs to cover it, she had never touched it again, and Mu Baiyun, who was traveling with her, had never brought it up in front of her. As time passed, she had simply neglected it. If not for recalling the events of Boundless City just now, she wouldn't have remembered this matter at all.

Now, prompted by Situ Jing, Ji Yao realized that this mark must have undergone some kind of change.

Her fingertips brushed against the center of her forehead, and Ji Yao immediately sensed the difference. A tiny, ice-cold particle had appeared there, shaped like a water droplet, though its texture was no longer the same as before.

Ji Yao condensed a water mirror, and only then did she see clearly that the red scar in the center of her forehead had somehow truly turned into a water droplet—or more accurately, a translucent, water-droplet-shaped red glazed gemstone, looking as natural as if it had grown within her skin.

When did it change? Why hadn't she felt a thing? Ji Yao felt a wave of panic.

"Senior, it wasn't like this before. At first, it was just a water-droplet-shaped red scar. Because it was too obvious, I covered it up."

Although it was still obvious now, it looked much prettier than before, resembling more of a delicate cosmetic marking worn by women.

Situ Jing slowly pressed her finger onto the water droplet at the center of Ji Yao's forehead and closed her eyes to sense it.

"I do not feel anything unusual, nor do I sense any malice. The only thing I can perceive is that while it resembles glazed glass, in essence, it is merely a drop of water."

Even Situ Jing could not detect the nature of this method—what on earth was the background of the Boundless City Lord? Ji Yao felt a deep sense of unease.

Situ Jing, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. "Didn't you say he is still waiting for you to return? Presumably, he has no intention of harming you, and he even gave you a helping hand. Since that is the case, set your mind at ease and wait to see what move the other party makes next."

Whether it was the effect of Situ Jing's words or simply her trust in Situ Jing, Ji Yao managed to calm her mindset.

"Very well, you should all meditate and comprehend in your own time! Before deciding on a departure time, you might as well consider what you plan to do about the corpse puppet outside."

In reality, only a dozen breaths of time had passed since Ji Yao and her companions entered the spatial realm when that corpse puppet appeared beside the corpse of the Nascent Soul cultivator.

Generally speaking, when a master died, a corpse puppet that had not yet gained intelligence would turn into an unconscious walking corpse—just as the name implied, merely a moving body.

However, this corpse puppet was different. It was as if the death of its master had stimulated it, causing it to suddenly gain intelligence. After appearing, the corpse puppet only remained dazed for a brief moment before it incredibly absorbed all the vital blood and unscattered Nascent Soul energy of the demonic cultivator.

Having absorbed the vital blood and Nascent Soul energy, the corpse puppet gained its own consciousness in just a single day. As if discovering something, it kept pacing back and forth where Ji Yao and the others had vanished, refusing to leave.

This meant that the moment Ji Yao and the others emerged, the very first thing they would encounter would be this corpse puppet possessing its own consciousness.