Born with immortal seed

Chapter 708 Spiritual Root Transformation
Innate spiritual roots are so rare that descriptions of them are scarce in the cultivation world.

Whether fabricated or far-fetched, they have little reference value.

The only exception was that Bai Zichen had seen the original jade book containing records of the Calabash Boy on Huangting Peak.

Having received the essence of nature and the beauty of the sun and moon, over countless years, it gradually developed spiritual awareness.

It was blessed with great fortune that a celestial embryo was nurtured within it, from which a child sprang forth.

The child had all five facial features and four limbs, and grew rapidly in the wind, quickly becoming a teenager.

Upon opening his eyes, two beams of golden light shot into the heavens, startling the surrounding area for miles.

The nearby cultivators, regardless of whether they were righteous or evil, swarmed around like sharks smelling blood.

The story of a primordial spiritual root truly shedding its physical form and taking human shape, a tale that existed only in myths and legends, has come to life.

No one even knew the specific function of the innate spiritual root after it was transformed, yet they fought over it like madmen.

Born with innate spiritual roots, blessed by heaven, and endowed with exceptional talent, it is at the Nascent Soul stage from birth, and changes every day.

However, surrounded by wolves, the Calabash Boy was powerless to stop them. If it weren't for his extraordinary magical treasure, he would have been captured long ago.

When he was finally trapped in a dead end and had nowhere to turn, he was saved by the Daoist Ancestor, who helped him overcome the external tribulation.

This led to his meteoric rise to power and his ascension to the Immortal Realm, culminating in a perfect ending.

Bai Zichen, looking at the gourd boy, knew that the peaches of immortality at dusk had reached their final stage, with rosy clouds spewing forth and auspicious omens appearing in thousands of strands.

A wisp of true essence descended, manifesting as the Twilight Avenue, a dark, long river flowing around the Demon Peach.

It has no beginning and no end, as if it has become an unsolvable loop.

Unlike the river of time, this river does not signify the passage of years or the transformation of the world.

Only the deepest darkness sinks in; once touched, one will sink into it, becoming a withered shell that can be seen everywhere on both banks of the river.

Humans, demons, plants, and even metals and stones all age in the long river of twilight, becoming markers for future generations to admire.

If Bai Zichen hadn't possessed the true meaning of time and resolved the invasion of the Twilight Avenue, he would have completed his journey of hundreds or thousands of years in a short period of time, just like everything else on the island.

Moreover, this situation worsened as the River of Twilight unfolded, forcing him to summon the River of Time to surround himself, and only by relying on the Great Dao could he resist it.

The cliffs on the deserted island began to show obvious signs of weathering, with cracks appearing everywhere.

Extending from the surface into the depths of the islands and reefs, the soil turned into dry, hard, grayish-white stone powder, which rustled and fell into the sea.

Such a change cannot be achieved in less than ten thousand years.

The Twilight Peach, located at the center, undoubtedly benefited greatly. Its crimson color rose and left its body, and the crimson figure stood up as the true meaning of Twilight surged forth.

The little man materialized at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the essence of heaven and earth merged into him, unleashing a terrifying pressure for a moment.

Bai Zichen had faced late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and Heaven-Opening Spiritual Treasures head-on, but none of them could match this fleeting aura.

At least the former wouldn't evoke a sense of near-reverence in him.

"The origin of heaven and earth..."

Bai Zichen's eyes glazed over, and he took a step back.

This is imbued with the power of the world's origin and the rules of heaven and earth. It is incomparable to the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator or a Void Refiner. Only by merging with the body and refining the Qi can they be equal in rank.

The blood-soaked figure grew to about three feet tall, its entire body flushed red, and it was draped in a yellow robe.

His appearance was somewhat similar to Bai Zichen's, but he was three parts more effeminate and three parts more ruthless. He let out a long howl at the sky and swallowed the long river of dusk into his mouth.

"In the chaos before the separation of heaven and earth, the distinction between pure and impure was established... Today, I undergo nine tribulations and take human form!"

The shrill voice of the Peach of Dusk was followed by a bolt of crimson lightning.

A wisp of yellow smoke rose above their heads, catching the crimson lightning, though it dispersed slightly.

The thunder didn't stop, and immediately a second, even thicker, blast came.

"Does one have to pass through nine tribulations of lightning to truly achieve human form?"

Bai Zichen's transformation experience seems slightly different from that of the Calabash Boy.

Despite sharing the same innate spiritual root, the ways they cross the final step are incredibly diverse, each displaying their unique abilities.

It seems that the Dusk Peach was not lying. It had already accumulated enough resources in the Heavenly Demon Realm, and after obtaining the inner core of the Primordial Longevity Turtle, it underwent a qualitative change.

It took three bolts of blood-red lightning to shatter the yellow smoke.

He exhaled another breath of water mist, which transformed into wispy clouds and blocked three bolts of heavenly lightning.

But the last three bolts of heavenly lightning were already blood-red with a hint of black, and just two of them shattered the radiant light he had spat out.

At dusk, the peaches of immortality displayed a posture with their five hearts facing the sky, and five beams of spiritual light shot out from their mouths and noses. From the ground grew a withered peach tree with few green leaves.

But as the light surged upwards, the branches were laden with immortal peaches, each one looking exactly like the peaches of dusk.

When the black and red lightning struck, all the immortal peaches flew up and blocked the path.

Surprisingly, every time a fairy peach shattered under the heavenly lightning, a trace of the lightning would dissipate inexplicably.

After dropping thirty to fifty immortal peaches, the heavenly lightning, now only half its original power, struck the peach tree directly.

boom!
The loud noise shook the entire deserted island, making it feel as if it had sunk several feet and cracked open countless fissures in the ground.

At the same time, towering waves surged forth, spreading in all directions, reaching an unknown distance.

Before the smoke and dust had even cleared, golden raindrops began to fall, turning into golden beads as they landed on the ground and rolled back and forth.

But most of them rolled towards the direction of the Dusk Peach, and soon the golden light was as dazzling as the sun, but it was cold and had no warmth.

This process lasted for a full half hour before the golden light gradually faded away.

"I survived the heavenly tribulation by chance and successfully transformed into human form... This is what I shed my body and offer to my master as agreed."

Thousands upon thousands of golden beads flowed into the human body, causing the Twilight Peach to grow to about five feet tall. Holding the demonic peach in its hands, it walked up to Bai Zichen and bowed.

"Indeed, the second innate spiritual root to successfully take human form after the Calabash Boy... From now on, you will ascend to the Earthly Immortal Realm with me, where you will have a wider world to explore."

Bai Zichen took the peach and nodded slightly.

After this child took human form, the connection with him became faint and indistinct; it could be severed with minimal effort if one so desired.

The power of creation in the universe is terrifying.

However, the Twilight Peach was clearly not that unwise. Putting aside the huge gap in strength between the two, in terms of potential, it might not even be able to surpass its master.

It is true that the Calabash Boy reached the Nascent Soul stage after several hundred years, but he also needed the protection of the Moral Sect to stop the covetous cultivators from the cultivation world.

Moreover, there was an Ascension Platform during that period, so anyone in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm could ascend smoothly.

Huanghun Pantao saw his master's strength most clearly; throughout history, few could compare to him.

As long as they don't perish unexpectedly, they are 100% guaranteed to ascend to the upper realm.

If even Bai Zichen can't succeed, then the cultivation world should no longer expect anyone to successfully ascend.

With Bai Zichen's talent, he would undoubtedly be outstanding even in the Earthly Immortal Realm.

The Twilight Peach was personally cultivated by the Demon God, and through his exposure, he had seen many talented individuals from the Heavenly Demon Realm, but upon closer examination, none of them could compare to Bai Zichen.

I've only heard that the Ape Saint Clan has produced a Demon Lord whose cultivation is heaven-reaching and earth-shattering. He fought to a draw with a human cultivator at the Void Refinement stage and has already entered the Demon God Palace for intensive training.

The rest are worlds apart.

The innate spiritual root certainly has a high opinion of itself, but being able to sit under such a master is not a disgrace to its status.

Moreover, as a branch of time, the Twilight Avenue is naturally suppressed by the Time Avenue, so it has no psychological resistance to recognizing its master.

"Master, I've named myself Bai Taotao. What do you think?"

Huang Huntao consciously took two steps back and spoke.

Another point is that the human body formed from innate spiritual roots is the highest-grade external body, even in the upper realm.

Even if it ascends to the upper realm, without a powerful backer, it still needs to find someone to protect it. It might as well just cling to a powerful figure in the mortal realm.

"Sure, it's just a nickname, whatever you think is fine."

Bai Zichen's lips twitched, especially since it looked so much like him; anyone who didn't know better would think it was his offspring.

"After you took human form, did you acquire any new supernatural powers?"

He hadn't forgotten that giving Bai Taotao the opportunity to transform was to deal with the several Nascent Soul cultivators on Penglai Immortal Island, not to have an extra helper on his path to ascension.

Although it seems that Bai Taotao has a better chance of advancing to the Divine Transformation stage than Gun Gun and Yu Tu.

"Commanding the Longevity Ghost can reach a maximum range of a hundred miles. Those above the Nascent Soul stage can be immune to 90% of it, so the effect is negligible... The Twilight Path causes people to age, but it can only be effective when the user is within ten feet... Another supernatural power, the Five Emperors' Life-Extinguishing Technique, exchanges life for power. The shorter the remaining lifespan, the stronger the power."

Bai Taotao knew very well what level the person she was dealing with was, so she ignored the basic introduction and went straight for several abilities that could affect a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"If I could reduce a Nascent Soul cultivator to only ten breaths of life, I could even make them unleash the power of a late-stage Deity Transformation cultivator... I could do it myself or buff others. However, with my current level, I can at most shorten someone's lifespan by half and increase their strength by one level."

Bai Zichen shook his head slightly. This desperate technique came at too high a price. It would be good for assassins, but it wasn't suitable for him.

Moreover, most of his strength was in swordsmanship, and he wasted half of his lifespan to advance from the late Nascent Soul stage to the perfect Nascent Soul stage, which was a net loss.

"There are other incomplete innate spiritual roots in the master's cave. If I can swallow them, I estimate that I can grow to the mid-Nascent Soul stage within a few years."

Seeing that her supernatural abilities had not met the requirements, Bai Taotao quickly tried to make amends.

"What is that, that demon peach that's a size smaller than you?"

The only thing Bai Zichen could think of was the strange peach he obtained from the residence of Master Dongyang, which was also related to the Great Dao of Longevity.

"It is this one. There is also a lotus seed. If I can take it, it will be of great benefit to me."

Bai Taotao nodded vigorously. Since there was a connection between their innate spiritual roots, she had already sensed those few energy sources inside the cave.

Compared to it, they are all quite different, but at least they are all related to innate spiritual roots.

Even if it's just a small improvement, it would be a huge gain for Bai Taotao.

"Is this it? Take it. Reach the late Nascent Soul stage soon, and don't disappoint me."

After a moment's thought, Bai Zichen found the gray lotus seed in the cave.

This was the very thing that the Snow Lotus left behind when it killed Qu Yang.

Others might worry that Bai Taotao's strength is growing too fast and difficult to control, but Bai Zichen has never had such concerns.

Judging from the cultivation speed of the Calabash Boy, his cultivation speed after the innate spiritual root took human form was only slightly faster than that of himself, who possessed the mysterious holy body; he had no obvious advantage.

Not to mention in terms of combat strength and the direction of the Great Dao, he completely overpowers Bai Taotao, leaving her with no chance of turning the tables.

"Within fifty years, I will definitely reach the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm!"

Bai Taotao took the gray lotus seed and said confidently.

Bai Zichen waved his hand to send Bai Taotao back to the cave, and then stared at the remains of the innate spiritual root in his hand, lost in thought.

"Wouldn't it be a waste to use this now..."

The strange peach, devoid of its former anomalies, lay quietly in the palm of the hand, and surprisingly began to emit a faint meaty aroma.

……

Wujiang offered up a wooden cauldron, igniting the Samadhi True Fire, which billowed thick smoke.

Thinking that his family had been planning for many days and was on the verge of success, only to have their efforts thwarted by someone else, leaving only half of their once-promising fifth-tier spiritual vein, he couldn't contain his anger.

Unable to provoke Fei Siya, they could only vent their anger on the Qingfeng Sect.

He pushed this fire-controlling magical artifact to its limit, and five fire dragons flew out from the nine holes on the cauldron, clawing and baring their teeth, heading towards the Rotten Axe Mountain formation.

With a mournful cry, the mountain-protecting formation could no longer hold on and collapsed in a series of explosions, with one node after another going out of control.

Mo Zhu, who was fully controlling the array's core and whose mind was connected to it, screamed in agony. His eyes exploded into two clouds of blood mist, leaving two dark, bloody holes on his face.

The excruciating pain caused him to roll on the ground, no longer able to control the great formation and launch a final counterattack.

Five fire dragons rushed into Rotten Axe Mountain, but the moment they touched anything, they were burned to ashes, leaving not even a trace.

Several Qingfeng Sect disciples who were nearby were instantly turned into fireballs, and in less than a breath, they, along with their spiritual weapons, vaporized and disappeared.

"Jiang'er, don't go too far. Half of this will be our family's property in the future!"

Lu Yuanjia knew his junior brother was feeling frustrated, so he didn't impose too many restrictions, only offering a slight suggestion.

Seeing that the situation was settled, he met Fei Siya's gaze and slowly flew over.

Now that Rotten Axe Mountain has been captured, the key to the subsequent negotiations lies in how to divide it up.

This is crucial to whether the Tianyu Sect can maintain its position at Lankeshan and soar to new heights.

Before long, they were about to be squeezed out by the Datong Army.

"Great True Lord Fei, this mountain..."

Lu Yuanjia had just opened his mouth when he caught a glimpse of lightning out of the corner of his eye and turned his head in surprise.

That was on the far horizon, where lightning flashed intermittently, as if falling from the heavens, connecting the earth and the sky.

"A strange phenomenon of heavenly thunder?"

Lu Yuanjia was somewhat confused and asked.

This situation doesn't seem like someone is undergoing tribulation; could it be that a rare lightning-type treasure has been unearthed?

"Someone is rapidly approaching using lightning techniques; they must be at the late Nascent Soul stage..."

Fei Siyan's face finally turned serious. He turned around and abandoned his cynical attitude.

The silver-haired raccoon in his arms also stood up, baring its teeth and revealing two sharp tiger fangs.

In the blink of an eye, the purple lightning was upon them, the sky was filled with dark clouds, and the world changed color.

Only when the lightning stopped did the sound of thunder continue.

"This old Taoist priest was still a step too slow. You all deserve to die..."

A gaunt old man emerged from the lightning bolts, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as he took in the entire scene.

The formation on Rotten Axe Mountain was destroyed, the palace was ablaze, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere, causing him to turn pale with anger.

(End of this chapter)