Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 985 Xiao Qing breaks through, a fifth-order Soul-Eating Beast!

At this moment, the space inside the banner,
The soul-devouring beast "Xiao Qing" was pale gold in color and resembled a small ape.
They are currently curled up in a ball.
Golden light flowed around it, emanating an increasingly strong suction force, like an invisible vortex, frantically drawing in the Yin Soul power stored within the banner.

Its body seemed to be undergoing some kind of fundamental transformation, its aura fluctuating, sometimes weak and sometimes strong, and it was at a critical juncture!

Zhou Xun carefully sensed the intensity of the transforming spiritual pressure, first taken aback, then reacted, a hint of surprise and understanding flashing in his eyes:

"This spiritual pressure... has already surpassed the peak of the fourth rank! This is... a crucial step forward, about to break through to the fifth rank!"

Soul-devouring beasts are rare species of the world, growing extremely slowly and requiring them to devour large amounts of divine souls and essences.

Since Xiaoqing followed him, she has devoured the souls of countless high-level cultivators.
Even the demons devoured a considerable number.

In the final battle, he even devoured the late-stage Nascent Soul Ghost Emperor.

The accumulation is already quite substantial.

The breakthrough at this moment, though unexpected, is also reasonable.

"not good!"

Zhou Xun's expression changed slightly.

"A breakthrough to the fifth rank will inevitably cause a great disturbance, and the energy required will be enormous! Although this secret realm is good, it lacks sufficient yin energy and spiritual power to support it, making it an unsuitable place for a breakthrough!"

Without hesitation, he immediately stood up and, without further delay, transformed into a streak of light and swiftly left the Thunderclap Secret Realm.

Then he reappeared in the ancient swamp, in a stone chamber underground.
Zhou Xun's figure suddenly appeared.
Here, a super long-distance teleportation array was prominently displayed.

He set it up to facilitate his travel to and from the Lake of Oblivion. There are several such places in the human realm, but no one knows about them except for himself.

Zhou Xun stepped onto the teleportation array.

Take out the token and strike it.
In a flash of light, they had already traversed thousands of mountains and rivers and returned to the core area of ​​Wangchuan Lake—the island in the center of the lake.

This place possesses the only fifth-tier low-grade spiritual vein in the human realm, abundant with spiritual energy, which provides Xiao Qing with the enormous energy needed for her breakthrough.
Furthermore, under his control, the potential for unexpected events and risks during a breakthrough can be minimized.

Back on the island in the middle of the lake,
Without hesitation, Zhou Xun waved his hand, and the Soul-Nourishing Ghost Banner appeared in his hand.

With a gesture, he sent a beam of spiritual light into the banner.

The next moment, a golden light shot out from the banner and landed on the ground, revealing Xiaoqing's figure.

Xiaoqing looked different from before.

Its body seemed to have solidified considerably, and its entire body was a purer and deeper gold, with each hair glistening as if it were made of pure gold.

Most notably, it naturally exudes a faint, yet powerful, suction force.

My gaze fell upon it.
I felt a vague sense of unease, as if my soul was being sucked away!

This was a natural display of Xiaoqing's innate talent and supernatural abilities.

Zhou Xun's expression was solemn; he dared not be careless.

He chose a relatively open area on the island in the middle of the lake, and with a wave of his hand, he cast dozens of shimmering, spiritually powerful restrictive runes, forming a simple protective array.

Protecting Xiaoqing within it not only gathers spiritual energy but also isolates the island from the potential impact of any energy leaked out during her breakthrough.

At the same time, he transmitted his thoughts, instructing Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing to immediately organize all cultivators within a radius of several hundred miles.
All were evacuated to a safe area on the edge of the island to avoid being affected by the impending celestial phenomenon.

After doing all this, Zhou Xun stood quietly not far away, sat down cross-legged, and waited patiently.

……

Time passed slowly, and the vortex of spiritual energy gathering above the island in the lake grew ever larger and denser.

Like an inverted funnel, it continuously pours the pure essence of heaven and earth into the dazzling golden cocoon below.

In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed.

The aura emanating from the cocoon of light grew stronger and deeper, as if it were impacting an invisible yet solid barrier.

That oppressive force originating from the very source of the soul,
The sight of Lin Xueying, Song Yiqing, and others watching from the edge of the island sent shivers down their spines.

"This aura... is terrifying!" Lin Xueying's beautiful eyes were filled with shock. She could feel that the life level of the being inside the cocoon of light was undergoing a qualitative leap.

Song Yiqing also held her breath and murmured:

"So this is the scene of a demon beast breaking through to the fifth rank... no, is this the scene of a demon beast breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage? Truly astonishing!"

at this time,

The energy within the cocoon of light suddenly paused, then erupted like a volcano, breaking through a critical point!

An invisible force, like a tidal wave, swept across the entire island in the middle of the lake in an instant, and even spread towards the distant Wangchuan Immortal City!
"Success! Fifth tier!"

A hint of joy flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes.

Xiao Qing has finally taken this crucial step and officially advanced to the fifth rank, which is equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage in the human race!

However, just as Zhou Xun's mind relaxed slightly,
That invisible force swept over him.

Zhou Xun felt the scene before him suddenly blur and distort!
The next moment, he found himself not on the island in the middle of the lake, but standing on a bustling, neon-lit modern city street!
The cacophony of horns, the chatter of pedestrians, the music emanating from shops... all entered my ears with uncanny realism.

"This is... Blue Star?"

Zhou Xun was slightly taken aback. With his current cultivation at the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and his powerful divine soul, he instantly saw through the illusion of this environment.

"No! It's an illusion!"

With a thought, his divine sense slashed out like a sharp sword, shattering the urban illusion before him like glass, revealing the scene of the island in the middle of the lake once again.

But a storm was brewing in his heart:

"This illusionary power... is seven or eight parts similar to the divine power of the ancient bronze lamp of the Crying Ghost Emperor back then! It's just that its power seems to be only about half of its."

"How could Xiaoqing possess such an ability? Could it be that after devouring the remnant soul of the Tiyu Ghost Emperor, it absorbed some of his original divine powers?"

At this moment, the others on the island did not have Zhou Xun's ability to break free from the illusion as easily.

Not far away, Lin Xueying wore a blissful, dreamy smile.

She seemed to see Zhou Xun ending all his busy work, spending his days by her side, the two strolling through seas of flowers, teaching their children and grandchildren, living a peaceful and happy life, free from strife and separation. On the other side, Song Yiqing found herself in a palace shrouded in ethereal beauty.

Her own cultivation was extraordinary, and she stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Xun on the clouds, receiving the worship of countless cultivators, thus realizing her ultimate aspiration for power and status.

Further away, the disciples and stewards who had been evacuated to the edge of the island to watch the battle, as well as the countless cultivators in Wangchuan Immortal City who had sensed the strange phenomenon and looked up at the sky, were also affected.

Some people were overjoyed, as if they had found a long-lost ancient martial arts technique;
Some people were in tears as they reunited with their deceased loved ones;
Some people are filled with pride and have broken through the limits of their dreams...

Throughout the entire Wangchuan Lake area, cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level, mostly had unfocused eyes, their faces displaying various expressions of infatuation, intoxication, ecstasy, or sorrow.
They are so engrossed in the illusions they crave deep within their hearts that they are completely oblivious to the outside world.

Zhou Xun scanned the area with his divine sense and immediately discovered the large-scale anomaly!

"Xiao Qing's abilities are truly astonishing!"

He dared not be negligent, and immediately focused his energy in his dantian, channeling a trace of "yin thunder" magical power, and shouted in a deep voice:

"wake up!"

This sound, like the evening drum and the morning bell, resounded in the deepest recesses of the minds of all those who had fallen into the illusion.
"Uh!"

"what!"

At the edge of the island, Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing suddenly jolted awake, the intoxication in their eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by bewilderment and lingering fear.
They looked around and realized that everything they had just experienced was an illusion!
Within the Immortal City of Oblivion, countless cultivators seemed to awaken from a deep dream, looking around in shock. Recalling the incredibly realistic illusion they had just experienced, they were all sweating profusely and still felt lingering fear.

"What...what just happened?"

"I think I saw it..."

"It's an illusion! What a terrifying illusion!"

Immediately, discussions filled with astonishment and uncertainty resounded across various regions.

Just as Zhou Xun's shout, imbued with the true meaning of Yin Thunder, jolted everyone awake from the illusion, the entire Wangchuan Lake area was still in a state of shock and uncertainty—

"Boom!!!"

A deafening roar, far more muffled and majestic than any sound before, seemingly emanating from the heavens, suddenly exploded!
The sky darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The entire sky seemed to be shrouded in a thick black curtain, completely blocking out the sunlight.

Calamity clouds surged in from all directions, piling up layer upon layer, and converged directly above the island in the middle of the lake, forming an enormous vortex.

At the center of the vortex, the lightning didn't just flicker; it was frantically generating, converging, and roaring!
Thick bolts of silver, purple, and even slightly chaotic lightning, as thick as dragons, rolled and surged through the clouds, emanating a terrifying aura of destruction.

“This is… the Heavenly Tribulation of the God Transformation!” Zhou Xun’s gaze sharpened. When a demon beast advances to the fifth rank, it also needs to undergo the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation, and its power is in no way inferior to the Heavenly Tribulation of the God Transformation of the human race.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swayed and instantly retreated a hundred miles, avoiding the core area shrouded by the tribulation clouds.

The Heavenly Tribulation is extremely sensitive. If other beings of the same or higher rank are within the tribulation's range, it can easily cause the Heavenly Tribulation to mutate and increase in power, which would be a catastrophic disaster for the one undergoing the tribulation.

Beneath the tribulation clouds, Xiao Qing, who had just completed her breakthrough and whose body was filled with swirling golden light, also felt the lock and threat emanating from the laws of heaven and earth.

It suddenly raised its head, its golden eyes staring straight at the sky, showing no fear whatsoever!

"Click——!!!"

The first bolt of tribulation lightning, like a ferocious silver python, tore through the sky and struck down on Xiao Qing with a piercing explosion!

Xiao Qing let out a low roar, and instead of dodging or avoiding, she pushed off the ground with all four limbs, transforming into a golden stream of light and soaring into the sky, crashing head-on into the heavenly lightning!
"boom!"

Lightning exploded, and silver snakes danced wildly.

Xiao Qing was completely unharmed. She shook her head, and her demonic aura became even more concentrated and surging.

"Good!" Zhou Xun exclaimed in admiration. It seemed that a fifth-tier Soul-Eating Beast could easily deal with this lightning tribulation.

Immediately afterwards, the second, the third, the fourth... one after another, the tribulation lightning struck down relentlessly, each one more powerful than the last!
Xiaoqing either withstands the lightning with her bare hands, tears it apart with her claws, or spews out golden demonic light from her mouth.
It easily resolved everything.

Xiao Qing's deep-rooted foundation was indeed beyond his expectations.

Just then, the eighth tribulation lightning bolt finished preparing.

This bolt of lightning was no longer pure silver; it was now mixed with streaks of purple lightning, its power suddenly increasing by a level.
With a chilling intent to purify evil spirits and judge all living beings, it crashed down!
Xiaoqing's eyes shone brightly with golden light. It took a deep breath, its unique nose twitched slightly, and then it opened its mouth and exhaled!
A hazy, seemingly insignificant beam of light flew out of its mouth, grew larger in the wind, and instantly transformed into a huge gray light shield that blocked its head.

A strange scene happened!

The incredibly powerful purple-silver tribulation lightning struck the gray light shield, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to stir up the slightest ripple. It was then silently swallowed up and completely dissolved by the gray light!
"Huh? This supernatural power..."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes. The aura of this gray light was actually the same as the mind-controlling illusion from before, but the way it was used was completely different, leaning more towards defense and absorption.

Finally, the ninth tribulation lightning, also the most terrifying, gathered most of the energy from the previous eight tribulations.

It transformed into a bolt of destructive lightning as thick as a bucket, its color dark and almost black, like a spear of divine punishment, carrying the will to end everything, and stabbed down fiercely!
Xiaoqing used the same trick again, spitting out that eerie gray light.

The gray light and the black lightning collided violently, producing a "sizzling" sound as they melted away.

This time, the gray light trembled violently and quickly neutralized the attack, but ultimately stubbornly extinguished the power of the last tribulation lightning!

After the nine bolts of tribulation lightning, the tribulation clouds in the sky began to slowly dissipate, and the suffocating pressure also faded away.

Pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth, along with a vital force, descended from the sky and merged into Xiao Qing's body, repairing the injuries it sustained during its tribulation and consolidating its fifth-tier realm.

Zhou Xun flashed back to the island in the middle of the lake. Looking at Xiao Qing, whose aura had stabilized and whose body was radiating powerful demonic energy, he couldn't help but praise her:

"Excellent! To have such strength at the very beginning of the fifth stage is far beyond that of ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators!"

However, to his slight surprise,

Having survived the heavenly tribulation, Xiao Qing, a fifth-tier soul-devouring beast,
The golden light around it receded, and its form gradually shrank, eventually transforming into a monkey about half a person's height, covered in golden fur, with lively eyes.

However, it did not transform into human form. It should be noted that ordinary demonic beasts would have already transformed into human form upon reaching the fourth rank.
Once you reach the fifth level, you are no different from an ordinary person.

Zhou Xun stroked Xiao Qing's head, sensing the increasingly profound power of its bloodline, and seemed lost in thought:
"Even after advancing to the fifth rank, you still can't transform into human form?"

"It seems that your bloodline as a soul-devouring beast is more ancient and powerful than I imagined. Perhaps you need a higher realm to truly transform into human form."

Thinking of this, Zhou Xun couldn't help but recall that soul-devouring beast from the True Immortal Realm.
Surely one can't take human form only after reaching that level?
At this moment, Xiaoqing began to talk about the changes after their breakthrough. It turned out that after they broke through with their soul-devouring beasts, they would actually awaken supernatural abilities.
When Zhou Xun understood the true power of this supernatural ability,
There was no great alarm.

"what!"

(End of this chapter)