Perfect World: Dream of the Immortal Era

Immediately following, he felt a sense of suffocation, as if he were bearing the weight of a towering mountain that pressed upon him with unbearable force.

Gu Wudi’s expression turned grave as he looked up to the sky, which had unbeknownst to him become overcast with dense clouds, lightning dancing within them.

The blinding flashes of electricity and the deafening thunderous roars shook the heavens and earth, reaching the pinnacle of terror.

A heavenly tribulation!

Glancing at the cocoon of Dao beneath his feet, blowing away in the wind, Gu Wudi instantly understood the series of events that led to this moment.

Having just broken through to the Rooting Realm, due to the perfect heavenly seed of the ancient kind, he merged with the Great Heaven and Earth to some extent, essentially becoming a part of the great Dao. Because of this, his heavenly punishment had been delayed.

Only when he tore the Dao cocoon apart and returned to his individual corporeal form, did the heavenly tribulation decide to come knocking.

“So this is a heavenly tribulation?”

Standing still, Gu Wudi experienced the terrifying might and momentum of the divine wrath, quietly waiting for the first heavenly tribulation of his life.

It did not keep Gu Wudi waiting long. Once the massive tribulation clouds had gathered sufficient strength, they immediately poured down like raindrops.

Electric arcs coalesced into spherical forms, like seeds of thunder punishment, filling the sky, all pervading, silent. But when one thunderball fell nearby Gu Wudi, it erupted with earth-shattering force, engulfing him in lightning at once.

Subsequent thunderballs followed one after another, limitless in number, exploding continuously, emitting intense radiance like a blazing sun.

Gu Wudi only felt excruciating pain, as the lightning serpents swam through every extremity of his body, leaving charred traces in their wake.

He knew, the stronger the battle prowess and greater the potential, the more terrifying the thunder tribulation faced, thus keeping a calm heart, even attempting to use the heavenly wrath to refine his body.

Initially, Gu Wudi struggled to adjust, not only due to the intense pain, but being scorched crisp by the heavenly wrath, he even smelled the aroma of his own roasting flesh.

However, as time passed, the frightening potential of the celestial prince gradually surfaced, and those areas scorched by the thunder punishment began to recover to their original state thanks to Gu Wudi’s formidable recovery ability, becoming even more resilient and robust than before.

The thunder punishment was not to be underestimated, with its might gradually increasing, striking him with fury, leaving his body battered and bruised within moments.

Gu Wudi remained silent, continuing to rely on his powerful physique to heal his injury.

Thus, he continually oscillated between injury and recovery, slowly, Gu Wudi’s skin became translucent, emitting a gentle luster, occasionally flickering with arcs.

He stood amidst the endless thunderbolts, motionless like a mountain, harvesting much from the thunder punishment, and at the very least, his body refining process was highly successful, his physique strengthening considerably.

It seemed as though the heavens realized they couldn't do much against Gu Wudi. The celestial punishment transformed, no longer sending down thunderballs. Instead, several thunder dragons emerged from the heavy tribulation clouds, weaving their way towards Gu Wudi with a menacing sway.

Sensing the impending danger, Gu Wudi knew that facing these thunder dragons, he could no longer rely on harnessing lightning to temper his body as he did before.

With a sudden flash of light, a resplendent halberd appeared in his hand—a supreme treasure born from the Immortal Vine's Dao Fruit and the Chaos Gourd, capable of growth and of evolving alongside Gu Wudi.

At this moment, he planned to draw upon it to transcend the calamity together.

"Roar!"

The thunder dragons roared, diving down with such force that the ground shattered and a mountain peak collapsed, scattering rocks and clouds.

Fearless, Gu Wudi wielded his halberd. Above his head, a vast celestial dome materialized, swiftly concentrating at the halberd's tip, forming a miniature sun. He swung it fiercely, striking the center of a thunder dragon's skull.

"Boom!"

The thunderous explosion resounded as the lifelike thunder dragon disintegrated into dust upon impact.

This marked the first time Gu Wudi unleashed the power of his celestial seed, displaying overwhelming might. In one move, he reduced the thunder dragon borne of heavenly punishment to ashes, obliterating it.

It's important to understand that the power of thunder punishment surpasses that of ordinary cultivators. Otherwise, it wouldn't be considered as punishment. Yet now, Gu Wudi demonstrated extraordinary strength, destroying a thunder dragon.

The other thunder dragons quickly approached. Gu Wudi wielded his halberd to meet them head-on, battling with such intensity that the sky was torn asunder and the sun and moon lost their brilliance.

Despite Gu Wudi's cultivation level only being at the Root Establishment stage, his destructive power rivals beings two major realms above him. Such is the unparalleled advantage of the son of an Immortal King.

Time passed indeterminably as the heavenly punishment concluded. The thunder gradually quieted, occasionally giving a faint rumble, losing the terrifying divine awe from before. The lightning dispersed completely, leaving no trace behind.

Where Gu Wudi stood was now a scene of utter devastation, a massive crater charred black by the tribulation lightning, several nearby mountain tops were also levelled.

Such power made it hard to believe that it was a mere Root Establishment cultivator that attracted the heavenly punishment.

At the bottom of the crater, Gu Wudi sat cross-legged, quietly mending his wounds. Although he swiftly eliminated one of the thunder dragons at first sight, the others demanded a price from him.

Being grazed by a thunder dragon's giant claw felt as if he was struck by a falling star, causing Gu Wudi to cough up a mouthful of blood.

He was certain that if the claw had hit him several more times, even the flesh of an Immortal King's son couldn't withstand it and would disintegrate on the spot.

Fortunately, he was only struck twice in total. Even so, Gu Wudi felt as if his whole body had fallen apart.

After a period of meditation, Gu Wudi's injuries gradually healed, and all his wounds returned to their original state. The charred burns and other marks vanished completely.

When he stood up, having concluded his meditation, his condition reached its peak.

He looked at his palms and skin. After the ordeal of thunder tempering his body, his strength had increased several folds compared to before, giving him an added edge.

Conducting an internal examination and confirming he was fine, Gu Wudi left the place. The extraordinary fire seed he sensed was not far off. There had to be cultivators nearby, so lingering wasn't wise.

After determining the direction, Gu Wudi took off, soaring through the air with astonishing speed, like a bolt of lightning across the sky.

Having reached the Rooting Realm, he was more powerful in every aspect than before.

The perfect ancient seed, the comparison with the body and soul of the Immortal King, and the vast tempering by thunder punishments combined to grant Gu Wudi combat strength far surpassing the expected level of his current realm.

Competing within the same level, perhaps only the strongest successors of major forces could fight him. Even true immortal descendants might be no match for him, though there are some rare beings who might transcend the limits of bloodline power.

From such a high starting point, his peers could only look up to him, unable to muster any desire to pursue and catch up.

Shi Hao's case was different; his starting point was far from high. He crawled up from the Lower Realm's Eight Territories, growing stronger along the way, even after reaching the Three Thousand Dao States and reconstructing his Dao foundation, it wasn't in a complete grand world.

Comparing the two, they were worlds apart.

Logically, Gu Wudi, at his level, should be contending with the strongest of the same age in the primal ancient realm, but now, going by the assumed name "Gu Wudi," he had no apparent background; his name was obscure, so naturally, he started from the bottom.

Crossing mountains and rivers, traversing vast wilderness, Gu Wudi arrived at the edge of a tranquil forest and halted.

Here, ancient trees reached the sky, lush and verdant, with tens of thousands of years old trees everywhere. Even their bark had cracked, bearing the marks of time.

Gu Wudi paused, closed his eyes slightly, and used the characteristic of closeness with the heavenly seed and the Dao path to sense the rules of the Dao around him.

After a short while, he confirmed a direction and raced swiftly towards it.

During this time, Gu Wudi sighted the presences of cultivators, some alone like him, and others in pairs or groups.

Relying on his keen spiritual sense, Gu Wudi avoided them from afar. His destination was where the fire seed was hidden and encountering these cultivators held little significance until he reached the fire seed's hidden place.

Soon, he arrived at the mouth of a vast valley. At once, upon arriving, Gu Wudi, through the heavenly seed, detected the aura of that extraordinary fire seed concealed within the valley.

However, he couldn't rush inside to search immediately because the valley was filled with mist, faint flashes of immortal symbols flickered, clearly not a place of goodwill, harboring an immortal Dao formation within.

Gu Wudi's eyes shone brightly, a touch of surprise in them. Could it be that this fire seed was deliberately buried in this valley by some power's living beings?

He quickly dismissed his suspicion.

Beyond the valley, amidst the dense forest, figures flickered as cultivators stationed themselves in every direction. None of them moved; they merely sat cross-legged in place. Some were speaking while others meditated with their eyes closed, as if waiting for something.

If the fire seed belonged to a major power, it wouldn't make sense for so many cultivators to gather at the valley's entrance.

Moreover, since these beings were all waiting, Gu Wudi couldn't help but speculate: Could it be that retrieving the fire seed from the valley required a specific period or some other condition?

Scanning his surroundings, he fixed his gaze on a young cultivator, a lone wanderer without companions. Gu Wudi saw no need to hold back, so he slowly approached and sent a voice transmission.

"Fellow Daoist, are you here for the fire seed in the valley?"

The young cultivator was initially startled upon hearing this, staring directly at Gu Wudi. After sensing no malice from him, he slightly lowered his guard but remained cautious.

"Naturally, aren't you here for the same reason?"

Gu Wudi smiled.

"Indeed, but I arrived later than you. I wonder what the current situation in the valley is. Could you enlighten me? Let us forge a good relationship."

The young cultivator, after hearing Gu Wudi's words, agreed without much hesitation. After all, the news about the valley was known to everyone, revealing it wouldn't harm him, and it could forge a beneficial connection with the seemingly strong Gu Wudi. Why not proceed?

"Of course. Since you've already cultivated Dao, you don't need a Dao seed. I guess you're here like the rest of us, to find a Dao seed and exchange it for cultivation resources."

"That's about right," Gu Wudi replied.

"Well then, this is a chance not to be missed.

According to rumors, the Dao seed sealed by the celestial array in this valley is a perfect fire seed. Whoever obtains and merges with it is destined to ascend to immortality.

So this time, top sects like the Great Red Heaven Sect and the Scarlet Fire Gate have sent their finest talents to compete for the Dao seed.

However, who can say where fortune lies? What if we wandering cultivators obtain the seed, exchanging it with a major sect could grant us unimaginable cultivation resources, and perhaps we'll never face worry again. We might even join these great sects as disciples."

"Exchange it with major sects? Aren't you afraid that..."

The young cultivator shook his head with a smile. "Maybe such things happened long ago, but later, the major sects realized that doing so would cause top Dao seed bearers to shy away from them, leading to the loss of top seeds."

“Thus, they announced to solitary cultivators the various items they could exchange for the Dao seeds. In this way, those who have already integrated with Dao seeds but lack cultivation resources would willingly offer up the seeds they hold.”

“I see.”

“Fellow Daoist, could it be that you are not a cultivator from the Great Red Heaven?” The young cultivator asked, puzzled that Gu Wudi was unaware of such things.

“To be honest, I am indeed not a cultivator of the Great Red Heaven; this is my first time here.”

“I thought so, but that’s alright. Since you’ve come to the Great Red Heaven, as long as you can obtain a top-tier Dao seed, you can change your fate, embarking on a different path of cultivation, never having to worry about cultivation resources for a lifetime.

In the valley ahead, there is hidden a perfect fire seed, which is even more valuable. Even those from top sects are covetous because a perfect fire seed signifies the potential to attain true immortality.”

“A perfect fire seed…”

Gu Wudi was speechless, realizing he had underestimated the seed he sensed.

Any Dao seed, if deemed “perfect,” is extraordinary, no wonder powerful entities vie for it.

“For now, everyone is waiting for the mists within the valley to clear. Don’t be fooled by how quiet the mist seems, it is incredibly dangerous, harboring hidden threats. Several powerful individuals from great forces have already perished because of it.

If all goes as expected, the mist will dissipate in a few days, and then it will be up to luck.

Don’t think that just because the major sects have sent many people with great strength, they will surely win. With the celestial array binding them, the outcome is still uncertain. We have a chance too.” As the young cultivator spoke, his eyes glowed, as if he could already picture himself obtaining the perfect seed.

This left Gu Wudi speechless, as he continued to ask a series of questions.

“You’re thinking too much, fellow Daoist. Even if an Immortal King came here and forcefully broke through the celestial array, there’s no guarantee they’d acquire the perfect ancient seed inside.

Such perfect ancient seeds, sealed by celestial arrays, are either the works of supreme beings from countless eras ago or are innately born from the path of the great Dao. If provoked, they vanish instantly without a trace.

Otherwise, the powerful forces wouldn’t need to send their prodigies to compete; an Immortal King’s descent and a true immortal’s immediate presence would suffice.”

Gu Wudi suddenly understood, nodding in acknowledgement.

“As for how those cultivators who’ve already merged with Dao seeds can earn the trust of the perfect ancient seed… this isn’t really a secret.

Fire seeds enjoy dwelling in areas rich with fire attributes. As long as you make some preparations beforehand, you can accommodate it. As the saying goes, an excellent bird chooses a tree to perch upon.

The quality of the things you prepare is crucial to your success. Meanwhile, you must learn the ancient sacrificial language that allows you to communicate with the fire seed. Otherwise, it won’t pay any attention to you.”