Heaven's Devourer

"What sort of damned luck are you referring to?" Wu Yu was getting a little frustrated. He was in dire conditions, and how was that even supposed to be considered as lucky? 

Ming Long appeared in front of his eyes with her arms on her waist and remarked, "You better be courteous to Old Mother here. Otherwise, you will miss out on a mysterious encounter." 

"Oh, Granny, please don't play tricks on me now. We are in a life and death situation. It would be best if you helped out. You can accumulate good fortune this way, and this would be beneficial to you too." Wu Yu naturally knew Ming Long had a wealth of experience. When it came to critical junctures, she wouldn't be scamming him. 

"That's true. I probably died at a young age because of the sins I have committed. To be reborn, I have to accumulate some good karma." The thought struck Ming Long. 

After finishing her lines, she pointed to the lava rocks in front of Wu Yu's sincere eyes and said, "Hundreds of thousands of living things live on the heavenly continent. Through countless years of nourishment, even in the skies or underground, there is a chance for treasures to be formed, or even immortal essences, precious minerals, metal deposits, or some other precious treasures. Naturally, these treasures can also come in other forms. For example, the ordinary lava below ground could become a type of unique lava after being nourished by the neighboring spirit veins for countless years through changes in the terraplates. The lava below your feet now has temperature 10 times higher than normal lava. It also has taken the shape of a circle, making it so the lava within doesn't leak or flow. It is as though the lava is still and contained. The true name of this phenomenon is the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace. 

It was no wonder Wu Yu felt that the lava was a little unique. In fact, the heat seemed to have leaked to the surface of the earth. 

"What's the use of the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace?" Since Ming Long had said that it is a treasure, she would definitely be right about it. 

Ming Long pouted and said, "This is precisely why I said that your lucky encounters are through the roof! Others would have no use of the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace. If they fell into it, they would lose their lives. As for you, it just so happens that you need it dearly at this moment.” 

Speaking till this point, Wu Yu's eyes lit up. With Ming Long's reminder, he could roughly guess what she was trying to say. 

"That's right. Do you remember when I told you that you are lacking an extremely important condition when you wanted to start with the third tier of the Invincible Vajra Body?" 

Wu Yu naturally remembered it. However, Ming Long liked to keep it secretive and wouldn't tell him what the condition was. 

Clearly, that condition was right below his feet. Looking back, Lady Luck seemed to have always been smiling at him. If it wasn't for Ghostly Wings of the Black Mountain, the chances of him discovering the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace would be extremely slim, no matter how many years he searched. 

Ming Long continued solemnly, "Underground lava can be separated into three tiers. The first is the most common kind, while the second is this Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace. This is, in fact, the core of underground lava that spans over ten thousand miles. It is the hottest region, and it has ancient spirit veins nourishing it. As for the third tier, it would be the most insane. It is known as the Subterranean Blazing Sun Furnace. It is an underground core that only forms under the strictest of conditions. It requires rays of blazing sun shining through the surface of the earth for countless years, over 10 spirit veins nourishing it, and years of transformation. There are at most one or two spots in the entire Dong Sheng Divine Continent that could fulfill these conditions. Let's skip this for now.”

"The most crucial thing is how this place is related to the third tier of the Vajra Body." 

Ming Long knocked his head and answered, "Dumbass, it's obvious that if you can absorb the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace, you will gain a minor mastery of the third tier. Naturally, this process is painful and perilous. If you were to fail, you would have wasted the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace too. As for the exact method, the spiritual art for the third tier will provide the introduction and guidance." 

"What do you mean by minor mastery? How long will it take exactly?" Wu Yu was still feeling anxious. He felt that the thing he was lacking most at the moment was time. 

"For the Invincible Vajra Body, there are 10 layers for the first tier. This just relates to the fundamentals. The second tier has six layers and focuses on improving one's internal strength. As for the third tier, there are only two layers, and those are minor mastery and greater mastery. It focuses on improving one's exterior. The third tier onwards is where the Invincible Vajra Body shows its true powers. It's also when you start to reveal your edge. If your talents are exceptional and one in a million, you will be able to gain minor mastery in less than three days. If you are slow and untalented, it won't work, no matter how long you take. You might even be burnt to death before completing the training. To put it simply, this has nothing to do with time. The mastery level of the third tier depends on one's encounters, destiny, will, attitude and resolve." 

Therefore, the conclusion Wu Yu had was that as long as he had the guts to go down, he would have a great chance to succeed. 

The truth was, he knew clearly that he did not possess the strength. Even if he could make it out before Ghostly Wings of the Black Mountain succeeded, what could he possibly do? The most likely outcome would be: die on the spot. 

However, the Gates of Hell had provided him an opportunity instead. 

He had not expected the third tier of the Invincible Vajra Body to be the time when he truly advanced in muscular strength after consolidating his fundamentals. 

Seeing his determined will and guts, Ming Long was secretly impressed. 

Naturally, she didn't wish to share how dangerous and painful this adventure would be. She had experienced it previously and knew that the chance of failing was above 70%. After all, what Wu Yu had right now was way below what she had in the past. 

As for her, she only succeeded after encountering her second Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace. That experience was truly worse than death. She had hidden these truths as she said to Wu Yu, "If you can absorb the entire Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace into your body and form the Nanwu Treasured Moon Golden Vajra Body, you will gain minor mastery of it. After succeeding, with the strength and durability of your body, no water or fire attack will be able to harm you. You will also be more than 10 times stronger. The strength of one's body is a huge aid in battle. At that time, although your Jindan essence might not be sufficiently strong, with the Nanwu Treasured Moon Golden Vajra Body, you could be as strong as a seventh tier Jindan Dao cultivator. You could fight four tiers above you! Isn't that insane?" 

Indeed, Wu Yu was greatly moved by what she had said. 

Ming Long continued guiding him along and added, "This is only for minor mastery. If you can find a Subterranean Blazing Sun Furnace and master the Nanwu Blazing Sun Golden Vajra Body, the third tier would then be considered as greater mastery. At that time, your body strength would be even more horrifying. Obviously, you might never find one in the first place. Secondly, you might not be able to withstand the Subterranean Blazing Sun Furnace. Treasured Moon is too gentle and mild compared with Blazing Sun. The difference is that one is the sky, while the other is the earth." 

The Nanwu Blazing Sun Golden Vajra Body was a little beyond Wu Yu’s reach at this moment. All he cared about right now was the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace below him. He wanted to succeed as quickly as possible and catch up to Jiu Ying. 

However, something wasn't right. Why would Ming Long hand him the spiritual art of the third tier so easily? 

Wu Yu was staring at her. 

Ming Long laughed awkwardly for a moment before commenting, "Regarding that... The truth is that you are really gaining a lot by trading with me! This time, my request is very simple and easy to accomplish. You have to promise me to give me an immortal treasure of the gods after my rebirth!" 

Immortal treasure of the gods! What an exorbitant demand! Wu Yu recalled the demands from Ming Long. From the Heavenly Dao Godly Pill in the beginning, it had gotten more and more....

If this went on, Wu Yu felt that his debt to her would pile higher and higher. This made him feel a little bottled up.... 

Wu Yu was someone who found it hard to not keep a promise. 

He did not have a concept of real immortals and therefore had no idea about the things Ming Long was demanding. However, Wu Yu had managed to see past it. He could cross the bridge when he came to it. His current relationship with Ming Long had improved substantially. Considering their friendship, Wu Yu might really have the opportunity to become an immortal. When it happened, what Wu Yu would do to repay her kindness would definitely exceed what she had demanded. 

Obviously, Ming Long claimed to be an unparalleled demon in the past. Her cautiousness, suspicions, and personality of a lack of security wouldn't just disappear. 

"No problem," agreed Wu Yu. 

If he were to rely on himself to decipher the Jingu Bang, he probably would not have enough time. Now that the situation was dire, he couldn't care about the minor details. 

Looking at the boiling hot Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace, Wu Yu made his decision. Before that, he had to explain to Jiu Ying. 

"Jiu Ying, I have a plan, but I will need to rely on this lava and take a risk. As for what happens to me later, don't worry about me. Focus on getting out and stopping Ghostly Wings of the Black Mountain! What do you think?" Wu Yu suddenly asked. 

Jiu Ying was taken aback as his nine heads looked at Wu Yu. His heads then looked at the underground lava. Without a further word, he nodded his head. Wu Yu felt relieved with Jiu Ying's response. 

Everything was now in position. 

Wu Yu had once seen the full text of the Invincible Vajra Body. It was just that he couldn't remember it all. When Ming Long started reciting those words, he seemed to have returned to that dream of his. He stood between the heavens and earth. In front of him was that massive, golden pillar that reached through the clouds. It was more shocking and larger than the Clear Sky of Shushan. The words on the Ruyi Jingu Bang got clearer and clearer. Wu Yu was so familiar with the first 2,000 words that he could recite them backwards. As Ming Long continued reciting, the words for the third tier appeared on the Ruyi Jingu Bang. They were clear, awe-inspiring, and vivid. Every golden word was full of mysterious vibes and seemed to possess countless variations. When placed together, there were many areas where one would find it hard to decipher. 

After trying to decipher it for some time, his body started emitting a golden light as though the densely packed words had suddenly appeared on the surface of his body. 

At this moment, Jiu Ying stopped. He noticed that Wu Yu’s body was even more blinding than the lava below them. That mysterious, golden text exhibited rays that matched a blazing sun. Looking at it for a short while made his eyes sore and tired rapidly. 

"Wu Yu's physical body is already rarely seen in the world. He probably inherited the legacy of an ancient martial cultivator. If he survives this, he will definitely become a glorious person in the future." Jiu Ying sighed emotionally. After which, he continued excavating diligently. He was also feeling impatient about the situation. 

"What is he trying to do?" Just as Jiu Ying was feeling confused, he saw Wu Yu fall towards the lava without regard for anything. In that instant, the lava covered his body. Jiu Ying could see the grimace, pain, and struggle on Wu Yu's face. However, Wu Yu did not try to escape; he completely sunk to the depths of the lava pool in a short amount of time.

At that moment, the lava seemed to have become still. 

Jiu Ying wanted to save him when he recalled what Wu Yu had instructed a while ago. Therefore, he resisted the urge. 

"Let's see what kind of changes he will show. Otherwise, the cultivators in the vicinity will be in danger." 

The truth was, since they knew how difficult it was to deal with Ghostly Wings of the Black Mountain, Wu Yu and Jiu Ying should prioritize the evacuation of the martial cultivators on the surface. By doing so, Ghostly Wings of the Black Mountain wouldn't be able to do anything. The shame was that when Ghostly Wings of the Black Mountain first showed himself, he had already claimed the lives of He Taozi and Wu Yu's seniors. This gave them no time to react appropriately at all. 

While immersing himself within the Subterranean Treasured Moon Furnace, Wu Yu had not expected the process of forging his Nanwu Treasured Moon Golden Vajra Body to be so... horrifying.