A dozen arcs of lightning blasted against Mo Wuji's body, creating flashes of light. Apart from one arc striking his arm, the rest scorched several holes in his outer robe.

Mo Wuji felt only a slight burning pain in his arm, the lightning arcs having no other effect on him.

"This Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Vest is indeed a treasure," Mo Wuji thought with delight. Even without it, these arcs wouldn't have hurt him, but with it, he would suffer much less.

The Lightning Leopard realized its lightning orbs had no effect, understanding Mo Wuji was far stronger. As a Tier 2 demon beast, it possessed some intelligence, and it immediately turned to flee, abandoning any further attacks.

The Lightning Leopard wasn't the strongest in terms of attack power; its greatest survival skill was its speed.

Mo Wuji had been anticipating the Lightning Leopard's escape, and as soon as it turned, he gave chase. He wasn't after the Leopard itself, but rather to find the location of the Lightning Marsh where it lived. The iceberg had long been forgotten.

Even if the iceberg held the Flower of True Divinity, he would find the Lightning Marsh first.

Chasing after the Lightning Leopard, Mo Wuji realized how wrong his assumption had been. The Leopard was far too fast; after chasing for less than half an incense stick's time, he could only see its shadow. Soon after, even the shadow vanished.

Mo Wuji stopped, frustrated by his miscalculation.

"Crack! Boom!" A series of explosions and dull thuds rang out, followed by Mo Wuji's delight. The Lightning Leopard had disappeared, but he had found the Lightning Marsh.

The Lightning Leopard had vanished into the distant Lightning Marsh, where lightning arcs shot out continuously, striking the water and causing crackling sounds.

Mo Wuji, no longer caring about the Lightning Leopard, rushed towards the marsh. Fortunately, it wasn't too far from where he had encountered the beast.

Standing at the edge of the marsh, he sensed the intensity of the lightning strikes. It was several times stronger than what he had experienced in the Lightning Mist Forest's Lightning Marsh. Even the lightning intensity of the Lightning Refining Room wasn't as fierce.

However, Mo Wuji didn't hesitate for long. He was at the peak of the eighth level of the Vein Opening Stage and possessed the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Vest. He was confident he could withstand this level of lightning intensity.

Mo Wuji stepped into the Lightning Marsh. Just after he consumed a bottle of Vein Opening Potion, two lightning arcs struck down. Before they could hit him, he proactively reached out and slammed his hands into them.

With the aid of his spiritual will and now promoted to the ninth level of the Vein Opening Stage, the lightning source was easily guided into his newly opened meridians.

Crack! With just two lightning arcs, a small portion of Mo Wuji's sixty-second meridian was opened.

More lightning arcs fell, and Mo Wuji constantly used his spiritual will and cultivation technique to guide the lightning source to bombard the blocked meridian. After several attempts, the sixty-second meridian was completely opened.

"Too easy," Mo Wuji thought with joy, taking out another bottle of Vein Opening Potion.

This was the first time Mo Wuji had so easily used lightning arcs to open his meridians. Previously, each time had been a near-death experience. This time, with the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Vest, any stray arcs that struck him were directly blocked. Only his arms felt a slight ache.

Sixty-third, sixty-fourth…

"Crack crack crack…" This time, Mo Wuji directly guided seven lightning arcs to bombard both of his arms. The lightning tore apart his sleeves, and a force that seemed to shatter bones surged into his seventy-second meridian. Immense pain assaulted him, making him unsteady on his feet.

"I got too cocky," he thought. Fortunately, Mo Wuji had endured more painful experiences. He continued to guide all the lightning source into the seventy-second meridian. In just one attempt, the meridian was opened.

The moment the seventy-second meridian was opened, Mo Wuji felt his body undergo another transformation, feeling even more relaxed and free.

Mo Wuji exhaled and drank another bottle of Vein Opening Potion. He still had five bottles left, and at this rate, he could open at least seventy-five to seventy-six meridians.

After consuming the potion, the familiar sensation of a brief burning in his throat followed by a complete absence of feeling returned.

Mo Wuji's heart sank. He had prepared for this, but it still disappointed him. This was the second time this had happened, the first being after opening thirty-six meridians, which he solved by upgrading the Vein Opening Potion. This time it happened after opening seventy-two meridians.

It seemed he needed to upgrade his Vein Opening Potion again. Mo Wuji turned around in disappointment. This place was excellent for refining meridians, but unfortunately, he was out of potion.

"Boom! Crack…" Just as Mo Wuji turned, a lightning arc, ten times thicker than the previous ones, suddenly struck him squarely in the back.

"Pfft…" Mo Wuji coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body thrown through the air and crashing into the Lightning Marsh.

The familiar tearing pain returned, making it difficult for him to even struggle. Mo Wuji knew that at least seven or eight bones in his back, including his ribs, were broken, and his internal organs were severely damaged.

Fortunately, there seemed to be only one lightning arc. If there were another, he would be dead.

Mo Wuji barely managed to swallow several healing pills, struggling to crawl out of the marsh. If not for the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Vest, he might have been killed by that massive lightning arc.

"Buying the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Vest was indeed foresightful," Mo Wuji thought, wishing he didn't have this foresight and wasn't injured like this.

"Friend, do you need help?" A leisurely voice called out, and Mo Wuji struggled to look up.

He saw a handsome young man standing outside the Lightning Marsh, with sharp eyebrows, a straight nose, and a gentle smile on his lips. It seemed he was facing someone admiring the moon on a lake, not someone struggling in a swamp.

Mo Wuji couldn't help but sigh. On Earth, this guy would be a natural superstar, not only with a perfect physique and handsome face but also with a perfect voice and demeanor. It was all so natural, without any trace of intentional acting.

"Dan Master Mo?" Another surprised voice called out. This time it was a woman, an acquaintance of Mo Wuji's, Qu Wan'er.

Clearly, Qu Wan'er had arrived with the handsome young man.

The healing pills took effect, and Mo Wuji used his hands to pull himself out of the swamp.

"Thank you, friend, I don't need help for now," Mo Wuji said with a chuckle as he leaned against a boulder after climbing out of the swamp, swallowing a few more pills.

The handsome young man seemed to understand Mo Wuji's thoughts and smiled slightly, saying nothing.

Qu Wan'er stepped forward, asking anxiously, "Dan Master Mo, are you alright? How did you get into the Lightning Marsh?"

Mo Wuji took a few breaths before saying, "I saw a spirit herb in the marsh, so I tried to dig it up. I didn't expect the lightning arcs to be so fierce, I almost didn't make it out."

"Oh, there's really a Thunderclap Grass…" The handsome young man moved like lightning, rushing into the Lightning Marsh. When he returned, he held a vibrant blue grass in his hand.

Thunderclap Grass? Mo Wuji was shocked. He had been lying, but the young man was indeed holding a Thunderclap Grass.

Thunderclap Grass was extremely valuable due to its rarity. It could only grow in lightning marshes, absorbing lightning energy while deflecting lightning. Few spirit herbs could survive in a lightning marsh, except for some passing demon beasts. Thunderclap Grass was an exception; it could dissipate lightning strikes. Of course, low-level Thunderclap Grass couldn't dissipate lightning arcs like the one that had struck Mo Wuji.

This made Thunderclap Grass even more valuable, essentially a treasure for cultivators with a lightning spiritual root.

Mo Wuji was also surprised by the young man's cultivation. He could tell from his speed that he was much stronger.

The handsome young man smiled and handed the Thunderclap Grass to Mo Wuji. "You saw it first, so I got it for you."

Mo Wuji looked at him with confusion. The Thunderclap Grass was so valuable, at least a Tier 6 spirit herb. Was he really giving it away? Was he trying to impress Qu Wan'er? But with his looks and demeanor, he shouldn't need to give away a Thunderclap Grass to gain her favor.

"You dug it up, it's not mine. What I saw might not have been this one," Mo Wuji shook his head, refusing the offer without hesitation.

He had been lying, and he had nothing to do with discovering and digging up the Thunderclap Grass. He didn't want to take advantage of others.

Qu Wan'er quickly said, "Dan Master Mo, this is Senior Brother Hou Yucheng from the Heavenly Devil Sect. Senior Brother Hou never takes advantage of others. Since you discovered it, you should accept it. It's alright."

Mo Wuji smiled faintly. If Hou Yucheng didn't take advantage of others, did that mean Mo Wuji liked to? Besides, he had to consider what was being offered. A mere Thunderclap Grass was nothing compared to the Boundless Soul Tempering Crystal.

"This isn't mine, and Brother Hou doesn't owe me anything, so I won't take this Thunderclap Grass," Mo Wuji said calmly but with an undeniable tone.

Hou Yucheng looked at Qu Wan'er with slight surprise. "Junior Sister Wan'er, is this the Dan Master Mo Wuji you told me about?"

(Hou Yucheng)