Chapter 404: Spiritual Treasure Talismans, Divine Thunder, and the Essence of Water

Shen Mo kept his gaze locked on the towering golden gate that rose ten thousand feet into the sky.

At first, he didn’t feel anything unusual.

But slowly, the sensation intensified.

It felt as though he was flying toward the colossal gate—

Or perhaps the gate itself was rushing toward him.

In an instant, dazzling light erupted.

Shen Mo had to shut his eyes from the overwhelming brilliance.

When he opened them again, he found himself standing amidst clouds.

Before him stretched an endless, vast list.

Countless names and terms flashed across it, dazzling and nearly unreadable.

With a thought, Shen Mo wondered if he could sort the list by grade.

Immediately, the list surged and transformed.

In the blink of an eye, it split into five separate rankings.

They corresponded precisely to Saint-grade, Heaven-grade, Earth-grade, Profound-grade, and Yellow-grade.

Shen Mo’s heart stirred again, and many ideas surfaced.

After a few tests, he realized the Heavenly Dao Vault could instantly respond to his thoughts, filtering exactly what he was looking for.

“Saint-grade sword techniques.”

He silently mouthed the words.

The rankings shifted swiftly.

A stream of glowing characters flashed past.

At last, a small list stabilized in front of him.

There were nine sword techniques listed.

Each one was a Saint-grade sword art suited to Shen Mo’s cultivation path.

He leaned in to take a closer look—

And couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

Void Demon-Slaying Sword Immortal Sutra — top-tier Saint-grade technique — 100 A-rank merit points

True Self Absolute God Sword Codex — top-tier Saint-grade technique — 98 A-rank merit points

Great Crimson Sky Lion Sword — high Saint-grade technique — 90 A-rank merit points

…

Heaven-Slaying Earth-Destroying Nine Dragon Sword Art — low Saint-grade technique — 70 A-rank merit points

Each technique demanded an astonishing amount of merit.

Just that Void Demon-Slaying Sword Immortal Sutra

 alone cost 100 A-rank merit points—which, when converted, equaled ten million D-rank merit points!

That number was truly terrifying.

Shen Mo noticed that some techniques could be redeemed in parts, while others could not.

For example, the True Self Absolute God Sword Codex was divided into eighteen sections, each with ten sword moves.

Even so, each move required more than half an A-rank merit point.

Shen Mo had no plans to redeem any sword techniques at the moment. With a casual wave, the list vanished into nothing.

A thought stirred again.

“I want Divine Elephant Suppression Force.”

The massive list shook violently.

It was as if the Heavenly Dao Vault was scouring itself for the Divine Elephant Suppression Force.

A moment later, a single line appeared.

Divine Elephant Suppression Force – Incomplete Manuscript — high Heaven-grade blood-qi technique — 80 B-rank merit points

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.

What was going on?

The Vault didn’t even have the full version of Divine Elephant Suppression Force?

Could it be… this technique didn’t originate from this world?

His interest deepened.

That could mean the Divine Elephant Suppression Force was far more powerful than he originally thought.

Perhaps it truly was of Saint-grade origin.

He examined the incomplete manuscript closely.

The Heavenly Dao Vault offered the first eight layers of the Divine Elephant Suppression Force.

Each layer could be redeemed individually.

The first layer required only 1 B-rank merit point.

The second required 3 B-rank points.

And the further it progressed, the more merit it demanded.

It was clear the Heavenly Dao Will had calculated and concluded that the later layers were exponentially harder to cultivate—and therefore more valuable.

“I’ve already cultivated the first four layers.”

“To redeem the fifth layer… I need thirteen B-rank merit points.”

Shen Mo scratched his head.

That was a lot.

Thirteen B-rank points—where would he get those?

Looks like he’d have to keep working hard and snatching up fortuitous encounters.

With that, Shen Mo continued searching through the Heavenly Dao Vault…

Shen Mo searched through the Heavenly Dao Vault, flipping through entry after entry:

Nine Yang Divine Phoenix Art

, Immovable Dragon King Cauldron, Great Wilderness Flame Manipulation Technique, Yin-Yang Dual Qi Sword Art, Grand Dragon Transformation Technique, Hellfire Destruction Sutra, Divine Thunder Monster Suppression Scripture—he even searched for the Nine Dragon Imperial Pole Scripture of the Jing Kingdom royal family.

To his astonishment, every technique or artifact he could name existed within the Heavenly Dao Vault.

“If that’s the case… can I get the Burning Heaven Sword Manual and the Scorching Earth Sword Manual?”

Shen Mo’s eyes lit up.

The massive list shifted again.

A smaller list appeared.

Heaven-Slaying Sword Manual — high Heaven-grade spiritual weapon — 89 B-rank merit points.

Looking closer, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Manual could be exchanged in separate volumes: the “Slash” character manual, the “Grass” character manual, and four others.

The cheapest, the Grass Character Sword Manual, cost only 5 C-rank merit points.

The most expensive, the Burning Heaven Sword Manual, cost 19 B-rank merit points.

The Scorching Earth Sword Manual wasn’t cheap either—1 B-rank merit point.

The Vault even offered a service to perfectly fuse all six sword manuals into one, for just 1 C-rank merit point.

After scrolling through so many choices, Shen Mo’s vision blurred.

It felt just like those times he’d spent over an hour browsing food delivery apps without placing a single order.

In the end, he chose two items:

Spiritual Treasure Talisman Art – First Layer — 1 C-rank merit point.

Essence of Divine Thunder Water — 61 D-rank merit points.

The Spiritual Treasure Talisman Art needed no explanation—it was the orthodox talisman inheritance from the Spiritual Treasure True Law Sect and the key to breaking the seal on Heavenbreaker.

One C-rank merit point was a bit pricey, but not unreasonable.

The Essence of Divine Thunder Water was formed when Divine Thunder struck ocean water, compressing it under extreme conditions in a short time.

Refined through divine lightning, these water essences became exceptionally dense and even carried a trace of divine thunder’s power.

Even ordinary Demon Suppression Guards could use it to resist demon attacks.

But to Shen Mo, it had a far greater value.

He could use it to rapidly cultivate the Divine Thunder Monster Suppression Scripture—and begin forging his Divine Palace!

Swish.

With a thought, Shen Mo redeemed the two items.

A glimmer of light shot out from his body and merged into the great ranking list.

When he looked again at his Demon Suppression Bracelet, only a pitiful few D-rank merit points remained.

He clicked his tongue.

Time to hustle for more merit.

With another thought, Shen Mo exited the Heavenly Dao Vault.

His awareness returned to his physical body.

Immediately, he sensed that two items were now stored in his Demon Suppression Bracelet.

They could be retrieved anytime he wished.

However, the bracelet was only a temporary storage device.

Once something was taken out, it couldn’t be placed back inside.

It wasn’t a true spatial treasure or storage artifact.

Shen Mo looked around.

Li Heitan, Sun Kong, and the others had also exited the Vault, grinning with satisfaction.

Clearly, they had gotten what they wanted.

Shi Dingyue gave a faint smile. “Since you’ve all redeemed what you needed, it’s time to start leveling up.”

“During this window when Divine Thunder has cleansed the sea, the demons won’t dare to strike. Use it well and strengthen yourselves.”

Li Heitan and the others nodded repeatedly.

Shen Mo returned to his own tent.

After every Divine Thunder cleansing, demons would lie low for at least ten days.

But the next time they attacked, they’d surely bring more lesser demons and even True Demons—

Setting off an even more brutal and devastating war.

Shen Mo unfolded the Spiritual Treasure Talisman Art and began reading carefully.

Before long, he closed the incomplete scroll and fell into deep thought.

Though his eyes were shut, his fingers began moving in the air—

As if tracing patterns.

As time passed, his finger movements grew faster.

Eventually, they stirred the spiritual energy in the surroundings, causing popping bursts in the air.

And then—

Shen Mo’s eyes snapped open, filled with joy.

“I’ve grasped it!”

“This Spiritual Treasure Talisman Art is truly profound. I can now break the first seal on Heavenbreaker!”

Note: In this world, demons and monsters share a common origin. However, monsters are considered lesser hybrids, born from the fusion of demon bloodlines with other genetic strains.

====================================================================================

Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel