Chapter 44: The First Layer of the True Essence Realm (Part Two)

Looking back in front of him, that small pile of spirit stones was completely exhausted, making Wu Shu's mood much heavier. Compared to enduring the torment of the curse's power, having no spirit stones was what truly left Wu Shu helpless.

Sitting cross-legged in place for a while, his physical strength had recovered considerably before Wu Shu finally checked his body.

In his dantian, there were five distinct tiny droplets of profound energy liquid, while the power of the curse had also carved out a second acupoint within Wu Shu's body. However, unlike the previous acupoint, this second acupoint was stationed with some profound energy mist. Under the intimidation of this profound energy mist, the power of the curse was completely coiled up and confined within the acupoint.

Despite enduring indescribable pain, Wu Shu still wore a satisfied smile at such a harvest. Even though he was currently suffering from an extreme lack of spirit stones, after this cultivation experience, Wu Shu still felt it was entirely worth it.

The situation inside the second acupoint also brought inspiration to Wu Shu. He turned a droplet of profound energy into mist and introduced it into the two acupoints respectively. As a result, the power of the curse in both acupoints calmed down and obediently stayed within the acupoints.

During this cultivation session, the Stele Spirit had not been as well-behaved as usual.

Upon seeing Wu Shu endure the erosion of the curse's power, the Stele Spirit had felt inner terror, genuinely worrying that Wu Shu might perish because of it. Yet, when it saw Wu Shu wake up once more and wear that satisfied smile, the Stele Spirit was completely dumbfounded.

Although the pain brought to Wu Shu by the curse's power was evident to all, it seemed that after enduring it, Wu Shu did not take the curse's power seriously at all, acting just as usual.

This meant Wu Shu had truly suppressed the curse's power within his body; the only unknown was how Wu Shu dealt with the eruption of the curse's power.

Thinking of this, the Stele Spirit happily said, "This kid is truly extraordinary."

The Night Demon Ancestor could naturally tell why the Stele Spirit was happy. Earlier, taking advantage of the Stele Spirit's inattention, the Night Demon Ancestor had also peeked at Wu Shu's cultivation a few times. At the exact moment the curse's power erupted, the Night Demon Ancestor had actually felt a surge of pity for Wu Shu—this was a pain the Night Demon Ancestor could deeply empathize with. From then on, the Night Demon Ancestor had grown quiet and stopped peeking. In the Night Demon Ancestor's view, Wu Shu was still too young, and a young man who had not yet experienced the harsh lessons of life would never have his fiery passion quelled.

However, seeing the Stele Spirit's joy being so intense, the Night Demon Ancestor felt a guilty conscience and thought, "Could this human kid really pull it off?"

Unlike the internal murmurings of the Night Demon Ancestor, the Stele Spirit spoke directly, "Young Master, I have something to tell you."

At the Stele Spirit's eager request, Wu Shu suppressed his physical fatigue and manifested within his sea of consciousness. As soon as Wu Shu appeared, the Stele Spirit happily said, "Young Master, I truly did not misjudge you."

Although Wu Shu was now able to suppress the curse's power within his body, it still failed to resolve the agony brought by its eruption; Wu Shu did not believe he had succeeded in dealing with the bloodline curse yet.

The Stele Spirit continued, "Young Master, do not blame little spirit for peeking at your cultivation. This time, had little spirit not peeked at your cultivation, I would never have discovered the problem Young Master is currently facing."

Seeing the Stele Spirit's bright and beaming smile, Wu Shu's heart skipped a beat as he asked, "Could it be that you know how to deal with the eruption of the curse's power?"

The Stele Spirit nodded firmly and said, "Young Master, the Heavenly Thunder Technique, the Earthly Fire Technique, and the Suppressing Mountain Heavenly Technique—each of these three techniques is immensely powerful. Although cultivating these three techniques cannot help Young Master suppress the curse's power, any single one of them is fully capable of resolving the problem of the curse's power erupting."

What the Stele Spirit said was so unbelievable that Wu Shu doubted his own ears.

If the Earthly Fire Technique could resolve the issue of the curse's power erupting for him, Wu Shu believed that even if the curse's power were to erupt in his body again in the future, he would be able to handle it with ease.

Wu Shu asked excitedly, "What must I do?"

The Stele Spirit answered without hesitation, "As far as I know, when members of the Wu family deal with the eruption of the curse's power, they all circulate their cultivation technique with all their might, gather the earth energy within their bodies, and only when the curse's power becomes relatively peaceful do they allow the curse's power to return to the acupoints. As for... dealing with the erosion of the physical body by the curse's power, there has never been a good method."

Reminded by the Stele Spirit, Wu Shu's eyes lit up as he said in a deep voice, "So that's how it is."

Yet, when faced with the torment of the curse's power, the attitude Wu Shu displayed had always been one of utter calm and detachment. This genuinely made the Night Demon Ancestor envious and annoyed, prompting the Night Demon Ancestor to scoff, "Kid, stop spouting nonsense there. You know better than anyone what kind of pain the eruption of the curse's power brings you. Wanting to suppress the curse's power is something our ancestors wouldn't even dare to imagine, let alone a greenhorn like you."

Wu Shu glanced disdainfully at the Night Demon Ancestor without saying a single word.

Seeing Wu Shu maintain such a demeanor, the Night Demon Ancestor grew even more agitated and angrily muttered, "Kid, if I guessed correctly, you are severely lacking in spirit stones right now. Are one hundred and fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones enough? No, no... I'll give you all thirty thousand lower-grade spirit stones I have on me. Today, this ancestor wants to see what kind of ability you have to suppress the curse's power inside your body."

As soon as these words were finished, a storage bag appeared in the Night Demon Ancestor's hand. The Night Demon Ancestor raged, "Divine Stele, there are thirty thousand lower-grade spirit stones here, considered as my gift of apology to the Young Master. I wonder if the Young Master dares to accept them."

Thirty thousand lower-grade spirit stones? Such a massive amount of spirit stones—had it not come from the Night Demon Ancestor, Wu Shu would never have believed what was happening right before his eyes.

However, a doubt arose in Wu Shu's heart at that moment: how could a demonic soul carry a storage bag into the sea of consciousness? Even though Wu Shu considered himself proficient in formations, he remained thoroughly perplexed as to how the Night Demon Ancestor's soul body could produce such a huge sum of lower-grade spirit stones.

The Stele Spirit first berated angrily, "Audacious demon, plotting once again to harm the Young Master! How brilliant is the Young Master? How could he ever fall for the tricks of scumbags like you?"

The Stele Spirit's words completely stunned Wu Shu. This was thirty thousand lower-grade spirit stones! Even in his dreams, Wu Shu had never imagined seeing this many spirit stones.

Fortunately, the Stele Spirit knew Wu Shu's predicament well, and changing its tune, it said, "However, considering that you two are here to apologize to the Young Master, I shall accept these spirit stones on behalf of the Young Master. But let me warn you both here and now: do not harbor any delusional thoughts of launching a counterattack against the Young Master while he is weakened from cultivation. As long as I stand guard here for a single day, don't even dream of leaving."

Every word spoken by the Stele Spirit sounded righteous and stern, but Wu Shu didn't catch most of it. He only heard ten words: Thirty thousand spirit stones accepted by the Young Master. Upon acquiring the thirty thousand lower-grade spirit stones, Wu Shu was filled with boundless joy, eager and impatient to match wits and strength with the bloodline curse once again.