Demon, come and cultivate for me.

The mountain tiger may appear fierce, but it is actually at its wit's end.

It approached Zhou Chu and the other two step by step, its gaping maw wide open, as if it wanted to swallow them all whole.

Chen Xiangzi had already drawn a talisman to immobilize someone, and he held it in his hand, trembling slightly.

If I can't kill this beast, I'll die here today!

click!

A flash of light appeared in front of Zhou Chu and the other two, and a thick bolt of lightning fell from the crack, striking the mountain lord's crown.

The mountain lord's massive body stiffened, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, unable to rise again.

"Dead?" Xie Qi's tense nerves calmed down slightly.

Chen Xiangzi let out a long sigh of relief and wiped his forehead with the arm that was holding the immobilization talisman.

Just then, a strange phenomenon occurred.

Suddenly, the mountain lord sprang up and charged straight at Zhou Chu, who was in the middle of the three.

Although it has no human form, it has long been intelligent and can distinguish right from wrong.

Of the three, it was Zhou Chu who disrupted its escape formation.

Even if it dies, it will take Zhou Chu with it.

Zhou Chu tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The mountain tiger was already fast, but now, with its last burst of energy, it was even faster and impossible to defend against.

In the blink of an eye, the mountain lord had pounced on Zhou Chu.

A mandrill and a tiger immediately rolled into a ball.

The mountain tiger opened its mouth and bit Zhou Chu's throat. Zhou Chu used all his strength to push the tiger's head away, but he was no match for the mountain tiger's strength now, and his arms were bent little by little by the pressure.

The sharp canine teeth were just an inch away from piercing Zhou Chu's neck.

"Stop it quickly!" Xie Qi pulled Chen Xiangzi up to help.

The two had just taken a step when another bolt of lightning struck, hitting the mountain king squarely in the back.

The mountain god and Zhou Chu were tightly huddled together, and the mountain god was also struck by lightning.

There was no pain, only a sudden blankness in my mind.

"It's over, it's all over now," Chen Xiang said with a grin.

Even the body of a peak-level martial artist is simply not enough to withstand the heavenly lightning that can annihilate the soul and spirit of a demon.

Even the lightning bolts that were blocked by the mountain lord and left with only a trace of their power were not something that a martial artist with acquired skills could withstand.

The thunder outside stopped, and the cave ceased its tremors; the thunder had passed.

Xie Qi stepped forward and pushed aside the charred corpse of Shan Jun, and saw that Zhou Chu's body had not been damaged by lightning.

He shook Zhou Chu and checked under his nose, finding that he was still breathing, which reassured him slightly.

Xie Qi squatted down and grabbed Zhou Chu's arm, preparing to put him on her back. But as soon as her hand touched Zhou Chu's pulse point, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

He carefully felt Zhou Chu's pulse and found it to be extremely weak, almost a death pulse.

Furthermore, no trace of true energy fluctuation could be sensed from Zhou Chu.

This means that Zhou Chu is doomed. Even if he manages to survive, he will be a cripple with all his cultivation lost and his meridians severed.

Is this the power of heavenly lightning?

Xie Qi sighed and said, "Brother, I'll take you out."

Having said that, he carried Zhou Chu on his back and called to Chen Xiangzi, who was standing nearby:

"The mountain king is dead; let's return by the long road."

Chen Xiangzi did not reply, but stood there blankly.

"What's wrong?" Xie Qi turned around.

The tiger's corpse had vanished, replaced by a man with a messy beard, around fifty years old.

The man was wearing a Taoist robe, the style of which was identical to the one Chen Xiangzi was wearing.

His face was deathly pale, and he was emaciated, looking as if he had been dead for a long time.

Chen Xiangzi knelt down with a thud, kowtowed three times, and carried the man's corpse on his back, saying:

"Let's go."

Xie Qi was puzzled, but since it wasn't a good time to speak, he took a longer route back.

With great effort, Xie Qi and Chen Xiangzi brought Zhou Chu and the man's corpse back to the stone chamber above.

Chen Xiangzi put the jade box into his satchel and silently recited:

Uncle, your nephew is here to take you home.

After a short rest, the two resumed their journey home.

But as soon as they stepped out of the hidden door, they discovered that the passageway had collapsed, and both the front and back passages were blocked by rubble, leaving the two of them in a predicament.

However, the two soon decided to go down and check if the formation below had become ineffective.

After all, the entire mountain has already cracked open, so we can always find a way to climb up through the crack.

So they placed Zhou Chu and Chen Xiangzi, their cousins, in the stone chamber and went down together to find a new exit.

Half an hour later, the two discovered to their despair that even though the mountain had cracked open, the seemingly impossible formation was still there.

To get out, the only option is to climb up the crack with your bare hands.

However, this meant that Zhou Chu and Chen Xiangzi's uncle could no longer be taken out.

Chen Xiangzi's idea was that the two able-bodied people should go out first, return to the camp to call for help, and then work together to find a way to bring Zhou Chu and Chen Xiangzi's uncle out.

Xie Qi opposed the suggestion, arguing that Zhou Chu's condition was unclear and that they should take him out to heal his injuries first.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, Zhou Chu's powerful voice suddenly came from behind them:

"What's all the noise about?"

Xie Qi and Chen Xiangzi turned around together and saw that although Zhou Chu's clothes were somewhat tattered, his spirit was exceptionally good, even better than before he was struck by lightning.

At this moment, if it weren't for the indescribable aura that suddenly appeared on Zhou Chu's body, Xie Qi would almost have thought that this was a final burst of energy before death.

No! This aura... seems to be...

"A Martial Artist at the Innate Realm, True Body Realm?" Xie Qi and Chen Xiangzi exchanged a glance and said in unison.

Zhou Chu nodded.

"How did you do that?" Xie Qi ran up to Zhou Chu, circling around him and looking him over, occasionally pinching his skin.

Zhou Chu felt uncomfortable being touched and pushed him away, saying:

"A sudden realization. I was struck by lightning just now, and it gave me an epiphany."

"What did you suddenly realize?" Chen Xiangzi was also very curious.

Chen Xiangzi felt indignant. They were both at the peak of the cultivation realm, but Zhou Chu, this monster, not only knew immortal techniques and swordsmanship, but could also transform into a demon.

Now, after being struck by lightning, he not only survived but also broke through to the True Body Realm of an Innate Martial Artist.

Is there any justice in this world?

Chen Xiangzi reached his peak in his twenties, making him an unparalleled genius in his family, his hometown, and even the entire Chu Kingdom.

Having been in the Yan Kingdom for more than half a year, he had not seen a martial artist more talented than himself.

Zhou Chu was the first.

It was only after meeting Zhou Chu that Chen Xiangzi truly understood the meaning of "there are always people more capable than you."

Xie Qi shared similar thoughts, but was even more deeply shocked than Chen Xiangzi.

Xie Qi was exceptionally talented, and among the sons of powerful families in the entire Yan Kingdom, he was one of the best.

Because of his family background, he had met quite a few prodigies.

But this was the first time he had ever seen someone like Zhou Chu achieve such success without relying on elixirs or guidance from powerful figures.

He knew very well what the True Body Realm meant in the Yan Kingdom.

In the entire Yan Kingdom, the number of martial artists with the True Body Realm or higher can be counted on two hands.

People with such cultivation levels are either heads of powerful families or influential figures in the Yan Kingdom's court.

Reaching the True Body Realm means that one is already a level above ordinary martial artists.

Most importantly, Zhou Chu seems to be under twenty years old!

How could someone like him not be a good match for his younger sister Xie Ning? In fact, Xie Ning might not even be a good match for him...

Zhou Chu was quite pleased with the surprised looks on their faces.

He smiled mysteriously and said:

"I didn't come to any earth-shattering insights, but I suddenly realized that cultivation techniques don't necessarily have to be copied from others; one can also rely on self-enlightenment."

"Self-enlightenment?" Xie Qi's eyes widened. "You mean, you broke through to the True Body Realm by self-enlightening your cultivation technique?"