When it came to Tian Kui of the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm, the Black Pig Monster King was filled with fury. Alongside his anger, there was also a deep sense of helplessness, frustration, and a bitter envy and hatred towards the unfairness of fate.
"That little bastard Tian Kui's Treasure Body is also incredibly powerful," he said. "It's even stronger than my descendant bloodline's original form. I don't know what kind of Treasure Body it is, but his speed was so fast I couldn't even see him clearly. My spiritual sense had a hard time locking onto him."
"Is that so?"
Gu Qingfeng reclined in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Within the Heavens and Earth, there were many types of Dao Treasure Bodies.
These things were also divided into Innate and Acquired.
So-called Acquired Treasure Bodies were those forcibly tempered using various resources. There were countless Acquired Treasure Bodies across the myriad worlds, too many to count, especially in this modern era of rejuvenation where resources were abundant. Tempering an Acquired Treasure Body wasn't considered particularly difficult.
Of course,
for the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and even some of the Great Desolate's major powers, it truly wasn't difficult. After all, they had ancient legacies, immense influence, numerous experts, and most importantly, they controlled many world secret realms. One could say they possessed inexhaustible cultivation resources.
However,
for those third-rate immortal realms, trying to temper an Acquired Treasure Body was far more challenging.
One had to understand that tempering an Acquired Treasure Body was like filling a bottomless pit. It wasn't over once the body was tempered; this thing was like a magical treasure or a great fortune.
Whether it was a magical treasure or a great fortune, whether Innate or Acquired, they all required nurturing.
Treasure Bodies were no exception.
Even if you had enough resources to temper an Acquired Treasure Body, you would still need to nurture it with your own spiritual power year after year.
If you were born into a great clan, backed by the resources of a major power, tempering an Acquired Treasure Body could double or triple your combat strength.
But if your origins were ordinary, with no support from a major power's resources, then the Acquired Treasure Body you tempered would simply become a burden.
After all, Acquired Treasure Bodies were tempered artificially and weren't perfectly harmonious with oneself. Moreover, most Acquired Treasure Bodies formed through tempering were unstable. If you were unlucky, the Acquired Treasure Body you tempered wouldn't just be a burden—it could cost you your life.
In comparison, Innate Treasure Bodies, being inborn, were exceptionally harmonious with the individual, practically inseparable. Most importantly, Innate Treasure Bodies weren't unstable like Acquired ones. However, this didn't mean nurturing an Innate Treasure Body was easier than an Acquired one. On the contrary, nurturing an Innate Treasure Body was far more difficult.
Throughout history, most people born with Innate Treasure Bodies didn't live long.
Either their Treasure Body failed to awaken,
or after awakening, they were literally exhausted to death because they couldn't shoulder the burden of their own Innate Treasure Body.
Unless you were a reincarnated person, or perhaps had a master who could provide guidance, possessing an Innate Treasure Body wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Back when Gu Qingfeng was in the Mortal World, he had once encountered someone with an Innate Treasure Body—a young girl. From birth, the girl had been frail and weak, barely able to walk, let alone cultivate.
Her Innate Treasure Body had never awakened. When Gu Qingfeng met her back then, he had considered helping her awaken it, but after some thought, he gave up.
The reason the girl had been weak since childhood was precisely because she couldn't shoulder her Innate Treasure Body; her essence, qi, and spirit had all been drained dry by it.
Under such circumstances, if he had forcibly helped her awaken the Treasure Body, her soul would have scattered on the spot.
If the girl had had a master to guide her from a young age, her future potential would have been immeasurable.
Unfortunately,
by the time Gu Qingfeng met her, it was already too late. The girl's soul had long been hollowed out by her Innate Treasure Body.
Then again, whether Acquired or Innate, once a Treasure Body matured, it would be unimaginably powerful, especially Innate Treasure Bodies. Their strength was simply beyond what ordinary people could comprehend.
Extreme Treasure Bodies, Peerless Treasure Bodies, Tyrant Treasure Bodies, Sacred Treasure Bodies, and so on—legendary Innate Treasure Bodies, each more formidable than the last. The mere aura of such a Treasure Body was enough to awe thousands, and their power was truly terrifying.
Perhaps because most people born with Innate Treasure Bodies died young, and those who grew to maturity were exceedingly rare, Gu Qingfeng had never encountered a true Innate Treasure Body in all his years wandering the Great Desolate.
Not only had he never seen one, even the Black Pig Monster King, who had cultivated since the Ancient Era, hadn't seen one either. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to identify what kind of existence the Treasure Body belonged to that had severely wounded him—that Tian Kui.
Both of them had heard plenty of rumors about Innate Treasure Bodies.
Sacred Treasure Bodies, hailed as Sacred Bodies. Legend said those who possessed such bodies shone as brightly as the midday sun, descending like gods.
Tyrant Treasure Bodies, hailed as Tyrant Bodies. Legend said those who possessed such bodies were peerlessly domineering, invincible wherever they went.
Peerless Treasure Bodies, hailed as Peerless Bodies. Legend said those who possessed such bodies were matchless under heaven, truly one of a kind.
Extreme Treasure Bodies, hailed as Extreme Bodies. Legend said those who possessed such bodies could reach the heavens and penetrate the earth, capable of anything.
"Elder Gu, have you ever seen an Extreme Treasure Body?"
The Black Pig Monster King's voice came through. Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "Never seen one. Why? You suspect that so-called Tian Kui is a legendary Extreme Body?"
"This humble one reckons it's highly likely. Otherwise, his speed couldn't possibly be that fast. It was truly too fast. When I fought him, I couldn't even see his figure. Before I could react, I was already injured."
"If it's really as you say, then perhaps that Tian Kui really is an Extreme Body. After all, only the legendary Extreme Treasure Body is said to be capable of reaching heaven and earth, omnipotent."
"Good heavens!"
The Black Pig Monster King drew a sharp breath. "If that little bastard Tian Kui really is an Extreme Treasure Body, then he must be a true disciple of the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm. That is to say, he's the Child of Original Sin the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm has been secretly cultivating all along."
"You mean that Tian Kui is a person of Original Sin, just like you?"
The Black Pig Monster King nodded heavily, then shook his head. "This humble one possesses Acquired Original Sin. But he... he's the real deal, genuine Innate Original Sin."
"Oh?
Is that so?
Has he cultivated an Original Sin Body?"
"That... I'm not too sure. I was no match for him at all. That bastard Tian Kui only used a few moves to beat me into this state. I didn't even get a clear look at him, let alone know what great fortunes or what Treasure Body he has. I certainly don't know if he's cultivated an Original Sin Body."
Changing the subject, the Black Pig Monster King scratched his head and added, "But if Tian Kui really is a secretly cultivated true disciple of the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm, then he should have cultivated an Original Sin Body. No!
Not 'should'—he definitely has."
Gu Qingfeng was puzzled. "What makes you say that?"
"Elder Gu, the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and those Great Desolate powers have long been secretly cultivating Children of Original Sin. You should know about this, right?"
"I've heard a thing or two."