From Green Lamp Spirit's description, Junior Leopard captured a glimpse of antiquity times that was not exactly the same as the legends had it.
In the legends of this life, antiquity times were greatly mystified, maybe even demonized. However, the version accounted by Green Lamp Spirit was much more tangible and realistic.
Practicers in antiquity times were not a far cry from those of this life, as they still had to begin with Level One and proceeded all the way until Level Nine. The distinction between Three Large Realms and Three Small Realms also existed, but owing to the copious supply of essence and treasures of the world in antiquity times, practice could be achieved with much less effort than today.
Take the simplest example. In this life, practice in Three Small Realms would cost most practitioners a lifetime, because people in this life had to, step by step, exercise their body, nurture and hone their physique with Internal Qi so as to rise from Skin-Toughening Realm by crossing one barrier after another, and finally managed to syncretize their inner ability with their bodies. In contrast, practice in antiquity times would not require any of the above, because treasures of heaven and earth were everywhere and you could just eat those magic body-strengthening drugs for dinner. Though their effect might not match that of Bone-Forging Pills and Tendon-Changing Pills, the large quantity of drug in-take would make up the gap, and with much more plentiful essence of the world, not only would your body grow at a faster rate, but also the absorption process of Internal Qi. Therefore, practitioners in antiquity times didn't need to spare much time in Three Small Realms, and for them, the first hurdle they met would be the leap from Bone-Forging Realm to Tendon-Changing Realm, in other words, it was a bit difficult in ascending from Level Six to Level Seven, but it was a small one, and most people were able to stride over it.
The true problem lay in the leap from Three Small Realms up to Three Large Realms, where most people would get stuck. Though a few would succeed and obtain the Individual Immortal Karma Rank.
The Individual Immortal of Mystery!
The Mysterious Realm in this life was actually the Individual Immortal Karma Rank in antiquity times.
After entering Individual Immortal Karma Rank, the advantage enjoyed by the practitioner in antiquity times would become less evident, which in effect, was basically extinguished.
The reason was that once you reached the peak of Marrow-cleansing Realm, you would undergo the Nine Kalpas—nine times of Thunder Tribulation.
Only when you had endured one Thunder Tribulation, could you truly leap out of the Three Realms and achieve the Genuine Immortal Karma Rank.
Compared to this life, the Thunder Tribulation was even tougher in antiquity times. If you didn't make it, you would be done. Your body would die out and your ability would wither away. But if you survived one, congratulations, you would really jump out of the three realms and enter the Genuine Immortal Karma Rank, upgrading to a Genuine Immortal.
Thunder Tribulation actually referred to more than one trial. If you wanted to strike further and break through the Genuine Immortal Karma Rank, you would have to constantly exploit the thunder of the highest heaven to purify your body, as, at that point, only the thunderbolt would be eligible to further enhance your body.
If you managed to pass another eight Thunder Tribulations, you would forge yourself a golden body and achieve the Human Immortal Karma Rank.
The so-called golden body accomplishment after nine Thunder Tribulations meant to be the Human Immortal Karma Rank.
What would then happen after the Human Immortal Karma Rank?
That would be the collection of Three Flowers and the congregation of Five Kinds of Qi.
Naturally, these things were far too early to be of concern for Junior Leopard now.
He had yet managed to be an Individual Immortal, not to mention the Human Immortal or the collection of Three Flowers and congregation of Five Kinds of Qi that only existed in legends.
In comparison with this life, the biggest advantage possessed by practitioners in antiquity times did not lie in cultivation nor in the essence of the world, but in magic weapons.
In those times, celestial devices could be found everywhere. There were so many fairy weapons that even any plain disciple from a random school would be equipped with one or two celestial devices. But now, it would be extremely difficult to spot even one celestial device all over the world.
The reason why it ended up in this way was that, apart from sufficient treasures of heaven and earth, we would inevitably mention a bunch of special people and special skills, the necromancer and the necromancy.
According to Green Lamp Spirit's description, Junior Leopard started to get to know these necromancers and the necromancy. In his view, these necromancers were just like scientists in his previous life, and if put more vividly, they bore a lot resemblance to the alchemists he came across in fantasy literature from his previous life.
These necromancers were adept in utilizing all sorts of materials to build celestial devices and fairy weapons. Of course, they would also concoct magic pills and even do some other weird things.
Well, not all those working on necromancy could be referred to as a necromancer, instead, only those who achieved immense attainments in necromancy could enjoy such an honor.
For those long-lived practicers in antiquity times, studying necromancy was their greatest interest, for doing so could help them independently build celestial devices that were suitable to their practice, as well as allow them to while away their long lifetime. Gradually, necromancy became popular and powerful in antiquity times.
Necromancy study was just another version of scientific work, in which those crazy necromancers proposed loads of wild assumptions and visions, but few of them were successfully realized.
One of the assumptions was that if ordinary persons were injected with the bloodline of congenital gods, they would consequently possess the power of congenital gods.
This one was the biggest challenge in necromancy, also the wildest one.
Congenital gods, even in antiquity times, were more or less living in legends, because they actually lived in far more remote primitive times. As it came to antiquity times, knowledge about congenital gods could only be found either in legends of primitive ancestors, or in several imputrescible dead bodies of congenital gods.
Congenital gods were different from ordinary living creatures. They were born with great Divine Sense, and their figures were peerlessly huge, which could be 100 feet high at birth and reach thousands of feet as they came of age. Also, their appearances were peculiar of all kinds. The only feature they all shared was their great Divine Sense.
Picking up stars, reaching for the sun and the moon, knowing about Yin and Yang, cracking up mysteries!
Those were all their innate capabilities, which did not require any practice. With respect of individual strength, a newly-born congenital god would overtake a practicer who had gone through nine Thunder Tribulations and achieved Human Immortal Karma Rank. Moreover, it was said that all the practice methods of human beings were created by the Mighty, the Wise among primitive ancestors through observing those congenital gods.
As to those legendary rumors from antiquity times, Junior Leopard simply took them as entertaining and laughed them away.
Though they were born with Divine Sense and capable of dominating the world, congenital gods still had one weakness—their low fertility. The essential, and the only way to conceive a congenital god and pass down the bloodline was the combination of one congenital god and another. In this way, carrying on the bloodline of congenital gods became fundamentally difficult.
When antiquity times came, those congenital gods in primitive times were long gone, leaving behind a few corpses of themselves for no obvious reason. Then, those necromancers in antiquity times, brimming with mad ideas, came up with this one on a whim, whether it was possible, under the help from those dead bodies, to impart the bloodline of congenital gods into ordinary people, allowing them to also possess these Divine Senses of congenital gods!
This was a crazy idea. But for those necromancers known for their madness, it was a really wonderful conception. As a result, seemingly endless experiments had been set underway.
"They made it?"
"At least not yet at the time when I was constrained in the underground palace of the Small Thunder Temple. However, after seeing your eyes, I reckon, they did presumably succeed in fitting the bloodline of congenital gods into that of ordinary people!" Green Lamp Spirit gave a little sign, and added, "What a bunch of lunatics!"
"In the present world, lots of people do have some magical power of the bloodline. It seems that the experiments those necromancers conducted were truly successful!" Junior Leopard grinned bitterly. "But evidently, these bloodlines can't bring us the power of congenital gods!"
"Nonsense. In the first place, no one had ever wanted to transform a man into a congenital god by this means. The aim of those necromancers was mere to steal some sort of Divine Sense from congenital gods, and the fact that you are already able to use the power of Heavenly Magic Eye is a sound proof of their success!" Green Lamp Spirit yelled.
"But so far, I still don't have my Eyes fully functioning!"
"Fully functioning is, of course, impossible, since your physical strength is limited. Having the bloodline is one thing, but an application of it is another matter. For example, if I give you a big hammer weighing a half a million kilos, would you be able to sledge it?" Green Lamp Spirit sneered. "In order to truly wield these Divine Senses of congenital gods, you have to wait until you reach the Human Immortal Karma Rank at least. You should remember that these methods necromancers worked on are not designed for you lot who haven't even obtained an Individual Immortal Karma Rank!"
"But there are many people in the present day who can wield their power of bloodline smoothly!"Junior Leopard refuted mutinously.
"Humph. You're just talking about some skin-deep Divine Senses. If someone really had a perfect command of the Divine Sense of congenital gods in primitive times, the present world would long ago divert from its present appearance!"
Junior Leopard couldn't find anything to reply, but that Green Lamp Spirit went on again, "Well, I've told you everything you should know. I didn't expect you to have a bloodline of congenital god and be able to utilize part of it. You won. But, with your current ability, you can't destroy me anyway, even if you're able to perform the power of Heavenly Magic Eye. As for the Turtledove's Claw, it may keep me constrained for the moment, but not all the time. It is no use for you or anyone to imprison me like this, so I say, just put me back, would you?"
"Put you back, are you kidding me? That green lamp is a Pure Yang Celestial Device, perfect for me to refine. If I put you back, what shall I use in the refining? As I see it, let's just pick up a cat or dog and thrust your Original Spirit into it!"
"It's true that the green lamp is a Pure Yang Celestial Device, but its Natal Original Spirit was already engulfed by me, so you won't be able to use it at all!" Green Lamp Spirit shouted hastily. "Plus, my Original Spirit isn't something that any random creature can bear. I've been in this green lamp for tens of thousands of years, and my Original Spirit has long been infected with the fire character of Tusita Fire, so it can no longer possess any body of creatures. The wick in this green lamp made of Heavenly Evergreen is the thing most suitable for my dwelling!"
"If so, I can't do anything with that. But it is a Pure Yang Celestial Device! How can it be useless just because you say so? I think we can always find a way to use it, can't we?"
"Useless, absolutely!" Green Lamp Spirit said. "Or how about this, I'll tell you the way of using this Tusita Fire. Nine out of ten of this green lamp's power stems from this Tusita Fire. You can take the Tusita Fire, and I'll also teach you how to refine this Pure Yang Celestial Device. With the Tusita Fire, as well as proper materials, it'll be pretty easy to refine another Pure Yang Celestial Device!"
"Why should I trust you?"
"There is no use in distrusting me, either. Maybe we shall stick to this stalemate, with you constraining me by Turtledove's Claw. Let's try again to refine this green lamp to see whether you can wield it or not?" Green Lamp Spirit suggested with enough composure.
"Even if I really can't wield it, so what?!" Junior Leopard gave a cold smile. "Anyway, it isn't necessary to give this to you!"
As he said so, Junior Leopard dripped a drop of blood onto the green lamp in the face of Green Lamp Spirit, and appeared to implement the refining process decently.
"You!"
Green Lamp Spirit finally started panicking at the sight of Junior Leopard initiating the refining procedure. "This green lamp has long been wrecked. Even if you successfully refine it, it can't have—"
But before Green Lamp Spirit finished his words, Junior Leopard already opened his eyes, looking confused.
"Why is it so? How could it be so easy? Isn't it a Pure Yang Celestial Device? How come this lamp is easier to refine than a psychic weapon?"
"Damn you, stupid idiot, rusted pig head!"
Maybe due to the excessive vehemence, Green Lamp Spirit burst out a long list of swearing words, rendering Junior Leopard dumbstruck, who failed to strike a retort until Green Lamp Spirit got enough out.
Blinking his eyes, he looked down to the cyan fox that was caught by the Turtledove's Claw in his hand, and his gaze shifted to a less-benignant one.
"You damn Original Spirit, getting sick of being alive? You think I'm someone you can just scold? Your head must have gone wrong!" Junior Leopard clutched his hands, and at once, a whiff of soul-summoning power shrouded Original Spirit.
"Aaaah, no, no, you are bad mannered!"
"Bad mannered? Are you mad! What fu*king manners shall I have with you, a Great Ancient Demon!" Junior Leopard sneered at him. "You've had a great time cursing me just now, haven't you? Why didn't you get your manners then? Now you want me to show you some manners, how could that happen?"
"I-I didn't mean that, I, I'm saying, I-I have told you long before, the green lamp is so wrecked that it can only be used as my dwelling. It'll never recover its ability as a Pure Yang Celestial Device, because its spiritual character has long been reset to the chaotic state by me, so refining it now would just be a waste of time!
"Then, what's the matter with you?" Junior Leopard bellowed.
"I-I-I need it as my shelter. If I dwell into the green lamp after you've refined it, that means I would be put under your control, wouldn't it?" Original Spirit of the green lamp sighed.
"Really? I never heard of it. Thank you for reminding me!" Junior Leopard laughed and asked, "do you have to re-enter the green lamp now?"
"Do I have any other choice except for going back into the green lamp?" Green Lamp Spirit sounded a bit discouraged. "Damn it, in this world, there is no other suitable thing to accommodate my Original Spirit. But you should know, though this green lamp has been refined by you, I won't succumb to your control!"
"Are you going to break my inhibition at all?"
"Rubbish! Original Spirit doesn't equate to primordial spirit. Immortal as we are, we don't have much difference from ordinary people. Only when relying on external materials like celestial devices, fairy weapons or other treasures of heaven and earth, can we possess some power. But now I'm in the form of Original Spirit, how can I wipe out your inhibition? However, let's make a deal, shall we?"
"A deal?"
"Yes. I admit that your refining of the green lamp is my Achilles' heel, but I'm also reluctant to be suppressed by you. Thus, I may go back into the green lamp on the condition that you shall not threaten me with it to work for you. As to my side, I'll help you if necessary, like teaching you how to separate the Tusita Fire from this green lamp and methods to refine weapons. But in no case can you force me into helping you, otherwise, I would prefer to live a wandering life as an Original Spirit and never come back to the green lamp!" At this, he appeared to have made up his mind. "Huh! You know your Turtledove's Claw can merely constrain me for the moment instead of for good. Once I ever find an opportunity, I'll certainly be able to shake off your control. When that day comes, all you can get is no more than a crappy green lamp!"
"OK, that's a deal!" Junior Leopard agreed without even thinking. For one thing, he never intended to enslave Green Lamp Spirit, for another, he thought in his deep mind, "I've already refined the green lamp anyway. Once you're back in it, even it's against your will, you'll be at my mercy!"
Apparently relieved at the promise of Junior Leopard, Green Lamp Spirit further asked him to vow to act upon the deal, which ensued another round of bargaining. In the end, Junior Leopard swore by God that he would never ever force Green Lamp Spirit into anything against his will. Meanwhile, Green Lamp Spirit was also made to pledge that he would never ever disclose any of Junior Leopard secrets within his knowledge.
Not until they both took their vows, did Green Lamp Spirit go back into the green lamp with a bit of reluctance.
This coming-back felt immensely different than before for Junior Leopard.
He had had this green lamp refined, therefore, gained a clear view in observing Green Lamp Spirit dwelling into the wick of the green lamp. The figure of Green Lamp Spirit would no longer escape his monitor by virtue of his spiritual mind. Meanwhile, even if the Spirit went back to Junior Leopard's Dantian again, he would have no chance to unscrupulously break into Junior Leopard's mind and talk to him, for, right now, it was Junior Leopard who was seizing the initiative.
However, Junior Leopard never intended to put this green lamp back into his Dantian, for the thought alone that an Original Spirit was living in his Dantian would give him an uncomfortable feeling.
He planned to place this green lamp in the space he divided up, but before that, there was one more thing to do. Ask the Original Spirit of the green lamp to teach him how to take the Tusita Fire off the green lamp, for he had witnessed its great power, which burned the palm of a Level-Seven expert into ashes with just a flash of flame.
"Tusita Fire is also a product of necromancy. It was made by necromancers via simulating the properties of congenital fire and extracting the essence of acquired fire, and has part of the power of congenital fire. The wick of this green lamp is made of Heavenly Evergreen, and that's why it can hold the Fire. Thus, if you separate it from the wick now, you would have no place to store it, unless you can find an object capable of bearing its power, which, I'm afraid would be really hard work in this world, wouldn't it?" Green Lamp Spirit said with a note of glee, as though he had pulled off some kind of plot.
"You crafty guy!" Junior Leopard cursed in an undertone. He raised his hand with a strange object in it and asked, "What do you say, will this do the trick?"
The object he drew out was exactly the weird stone he obtained from the rock flows of the underground fire vein on that day. Though he knew it would be great material in refining a celestial device, he had no idea what this stone was at all.
"Underground Fire Golden Essence, you should have Underground Fire Golden Essence!" At the sight of the object that Junior Leopard took out, the eyes of Green Lamp Spirit were as wide as balls, of course, provided that he had eyes.
"How come you have this thing, how is this even possible? Haven't you said that in the present world, the treasure of heaven and earth has all gone? How can this thing be here? And it's such a big piece!"
"You don't need to know why I have this. Just tell me, can it hold Tusita Fire or not!"
"Boy, the question at the moment is not whether it can hold Tusita Fire. Instead, with Underground Fire Golden Essence and Tusita Fire, as long as you manage to collect enough Earth Fire Yuan Essence, you're able to build up a primitive Pure Yang Celestial Device!"
"Really?!"Junior Leopard's heart leaped.
"Of course it's real. Tusita Fire was created by necromancers through extracting the essence of 81 kinds of acquired fire. Though it can't be on par with congenital fire, Tusita Fire is no less inferior than several famous sorts of acquired fire, and it has some unique properties of congenital fire, enabling it to simulate the power of the latter. As for Underground Fire Golden Essence, it is forged from a bit of golden metal essence in underground lava, being refined by Worldly Extreme Yin Fire for numerous years, which is the perfect material to refine a fairy weapon featured gold and fire!"
"A fairy weapon?"
"Don't daydream now. The Underground Fire Golden Essence you've got hasn't been refined to the right point. Unless you refine it in underground lava for another million years, you won't be able to build fairy weapon with it, but you can build a Pure Yang Celestial Device at the moment!"
"No, no, no. Haven't you said that Pure Yang Celestial Devices can evolve into a fairy weapon? Isn't your green lamp also a Pure Yang Celestial Device that can evolve into a fairy weapon? Other than that, the material of the green lamp is merely Heavenly Evergreen!"
"Boy, stop pretending that you understand it to wheedle information out of my mouth. Heavenly Evergreen is nothing but a name. It never meant that the tree had grown forever. Actually, the Heavenly Evergreen is an alien type of wood from primitive times, which can be divided into categories of 100 years, 1,000 years, 10,000 years, 100,000 years and one million years pursuant to their germinating period instead of living period. Heavenly Evergreen refers to those that take a total of 10,000 years for sprouting since being planted. As to how many years it takes for a Heavenly Evergreen to grow up, you can do the math yourself. This green lamp was made from a mature Heavenly Evergreen of 100,000 years!
Junior Leopard swallowed gently, and then gave a silly smile. "Forget it and talk about Pure Yang Celestial Devices. Is it true that Tusita Fire, Earth Fire Yuan Essence and Underground Fire Golden Essence can be made into a Pure Yang Celestial Device?"
"Of course not. That also requires the mysterious fire of Primitive Dragon Chimera contained in your body!" Green Lamp Spirit said. "Refining weapons is a very delicate technique, so don't dream of it as something you can get done with a whoosh!"