There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Chapter 1073 Hu Qianqian's Transformation

Half a year after Quan Xing and Niu Pan joined the Taiyan Sect, Bai Xin and Hou Ji also joined the Earth Cave Sect. However, they were not as high-profile as Quan Xing and Niu Pan. They only received a decree issued by the Earth Script True Lord within the Dao Palace.

The religious war between the Taiyan Sect and the Vajra Temple intensified, with the Zhenyang Sect occasionally getting involved and causing trouble. The Linshui Mansion and the Underground Gate remained neutral.

Quan Xing's dojo was completed in the past six months, and then Quan Xing went into seclusion. The remaining construction was completed by his disciples and grand-disciples, with the Taiyan Sect also providing assistance.

His seclusion was similar to Hu Qianqian's advancement, both involving gathering the spiritual energy of the starry sky with their physical body, primordial spirit, and demon core, and using the bloodline ability of his demon core to capture the rule power belonging to the rat demon clan within the rules of heaven and earth.

Wang Ping didn't observe it too much. After all, the Quanxing bloodline's ability was to sense spiritual energy, and if too much observation caused trouble for his advancement, it would be a loss.

Perhaps influenced by Quan Xing's seclusion and cultivation, Wang Ping, who was resting, also opened his divine kingdom and connected with the consciousness of the believers to cultivate the fourth stage of the 'Stealing Heaven Talisman'.

Mount Jiuxuan and the Taiyan Sect gradually returned to peace from the commotion brought about by Quan Xing and Niu Pan joining the sect. However, this was only a superficial peace. In secret, the various factions were already stepping up the construction of new flying boats and storing enough pills.

In the alchemy room of Jiuxuan Mountain, specially made 'power pills' were being transported in batches to the warehouse of the Taiyan Sect. In his spare time, Wang Ping was also collecting enough star god cores to refine a fixed mirror array in order to prevent the ecological zone of Jupiter's orbit from being affected when he fought with the True Monarchs in the future.

The situation at Vajra Temple was even more extreme; they weren't simply "preparing for war," but rather ready to enter a state of full-scale war at any moment.

Located in the orbit of Venus, the sounds of grand chanting of scriptures and the roar of forging magical implements resounded day and night. The golden-bodied Arhats who practiced asceticism in the temple formed solemn and fierce monk-soldiers, trying out various combinations of spells. They already had an advantage in the construction of flying boats. Under the current circumstances, countless docks rose directly from the ground on the outer perimeter of the Venus orbital ecological zone, and a medium-sized flying boat set sail every time it passed through the Central Continent.

The underground sect's "preparation for war" method is the most peculiar and secretive. They almost never build traditional starships, but instead construct a large number of planetary fortresses, build complex passages and teleportation arrays inside the fortresses, and strengthen various defensive fortifications and traps that rely on the terrain.

In just six months, several meteorites exuding a strong earthy aura appeared near the ecological zone around Saturn, seemingly forming a meteorite belt in Saturn's outer orbit.

The True Yang Sect and the Linshui Mansion were shrouded in a thick aura of fire and water, so much so that even Wang Ping's primordial spirit could not penetrate it to observe what was happening inside. The puppets he had placed in these two sects were also restricted to a very small area. This was not because the two sects had discovered Wang Ping's puppets, but because all the disciples of both sects were treated the same way.

In recent days, Wang Ping has often thought about his conflict with Tiangong and others in his spare time from cultivation. Since advancing to the fifth realm, he has maintained due respect for the other True Lords.

When he first advanced to the fifth realm, the other True Lords took good care of him. However, his humility did not make them restrain themselves. Instead, it escalated. When he expressed some different opinions, not only Tiangong, but also Lieyang stood on the opposite side, which once developed into the current state of war.

In essence, the outbreak of this conflict is even more childish than wars in mortal kingdoms, but upon closer examination, it is quite reasonable. In Yu Lian's words, if Wang Ping were in the position of Lie Yang and Tian Gong, he would make the same choice.

...

Ten years passed by in a flash.

News of people failing or succeeding in advancing to the fourth realm kept coming from the Vajra Temple and the underground cave gate, while the interior of Linshui Prefecture and Zhenyang Sect was still covered by a dense aura.

Over the past decade, Wang Ping has constructed an enormous mirror-like defensive array around Jupiter and the Taiyan Sect's headquarters, capable of blocking the aftershocks of a battle between five True Monarchs.

On a quiet morning, Wang Ping received a message from Xuan Ling saying that Xia Wenyi had officially gone into seclusion to advance his cultivation.

One night not long after, the asteroid where Hu Qianqian's dojo was located suddenly shone brightly with moonlight, and then the cool moonlight washed over the entire asteroid like a tide.

Wang Ping's primordial spirit immediately swept over Hu Qianqian's dojo, while Yu Lian directly transformed into a stream of light, carrying the lazy calico cat towards Hu Qianqian's dojo.

The wooden house where Hu Qianqian was in seclusion had now transformed into a semi-transparent crystal, with dazzling starlight flowing inside. A silver-white pillar of light enveloped it, spreading out in the void into a vast starry sea scroll.

In the center of the starry sea, Hu Qianqian's figure had transformed into human form, wearing a long dress woven from star gauze, with endless stars appearing and disappearing between the hem of the dress. Her fox tail stretched out behind her, with the tip of the tail supporting a swirling nebula, in which the image of the sun and moon revolving could be vaguely seen.

Her eyes had completely transformed into a deep starry sky, reflecting the trajectory of the stars in the heavens. A silver glint flashed between her brows, and subtle ripples of space naturally rippled around her with every move she made, as if the entire starry sky was rising and falling with her breath.

What is most striking is the illusory starry sky surrounding her. Within a three-zhang radius of her, the space forms its own little world, where the stars revolve according to mysterious trajectories. It is both connected to and independent of the outside starry sky. Silver sparks occasionally burst forth from the edge of the domain, and each spark that explodes briefly reveals a fox-shaped phantom.

As the last ray of moonlight merged into her body, Hu Qianqian's eyes shimmered with starlight, and wherever her gaze fell, the grass and trees were draped in a layer of silver light.

Then she gently raised her jade hand, and a miniature star naturally condensed at her fingertips. Within the star, one could vaguely see the phantom of a white fox howling towards the sky.

The next moment, all the energy of the starry sky converged into her physical body and primordial spirit. Her eyes, filled with star illusions, looked towards the door of the wooden house. Then, she flashed and appeared above the lake.

After a brief silence, the little foxes in the distance burst into cheers, and the water sprites in the lake also shouted excitedly, splashing up waves. But before they could rejoice for long, they suddenly darted back to the bottom of the lake, because they sensed the sudden arrival of the rain lotus's aura.

"Greetings, Martial Aunt Yulian!"

Hu Qianqian bowed to the descending rain lotus, and as she bowed, starlight flowed around her body. Her body was gradually reshaped in the light. First, the fox tail and the downy fur on the tips of her ears disappeared, turning into flowing silver-white hair, the ends of which were decorated with tiny starlight.

Then her face gradually became clear in the moonlight. Her skin was like jade, glowing with a faint light. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were naturally upturned, outlining the unique charm of the fox clan. Yet, her eyes were as cold as stars, concealing all allure and leaving only tranquility.

Beneath her delicately straight nose, her lips, the color of newly blossoming cherry blossoms, are naturally upturned, exuding a tender charm even when she is not smiling.

When she fully manifested her human form, a faint starlight mist still swirled around her. As she moved, her wide sleeves billowed, revealing glimmering starlight within them. Most exquisite was the silver fox mark on her forehead, both sacred and alluring, shimmering slightly with her breath. Overall, Hu Qianqian, though in human form, possessed an ethereal beauty surpassing her fox form, like a goddess descended from heaven. Only the occasional glimpse of her lively charm in her eyes retained a trace of her former white fox self.

Yu Lian looked Hu Qianqian up and down, then heard the calico cat meow. Yu Lian glanced at the calico cat, teased it with her tail, and said to Hu Qianqian, "Go and pay your respects to your master first."

"Yes!"

Hu Qianqian's eyes swept over her people, then she transformed into a beam of starlight and flew towards Jupiter. In the distant starry sky, many Taiyan Sect disciples looked at the starlight with envy in their eyes.

Wang Ping had already observed Hu Qianqian's advancement through his primordial spirit, but when Hu Qianqian landed in front of the spirit tree, his eyes still lit up, as if he were seeing a child from his family grow up.

"very good!"

He gave the simplest assessment.

The starlight in Hu Qianqian's eyes faded, revealing blue eyes. She bowed to Wang Ping and said, "It is all thanks to Master's teachings that I will never forget them for the rest of my life."

Wang Ping smiled and shook his head, "What does your cultivation of your own path have to do with your teacher?"

"Master taught me the principles of being a person and doing things. This is the real wealth for the demon race. I am also grateful for Master's protection. Otherwise, I would have had difficulty even entering the country."

Hu Qianqian bowed again.

With a smile on his face, Wang Ping pointed to the futon under the spirit tree and asked Hu Qianqian to sit down and talk. The puppet brought tea as soon as they sat down.

Half an hour later, Shen Xiaozhu and Liu Shuang, having received the news, came to offer their congratulations.

Before long, beautiful and melodious music echoed from the top of Jiuxuan Mountain. It was a duet by Liu Shuang and Hu Qianqian. Wang Ping was quickly captivated by the music, after all, there are very few opportunities in this world to hear music.

However, happy times are always short-lived. Wang Ping did not keep Hu Qianqian for long because she also had her own friends to get together with, and advancing to the fourth realm was a big event for the demon race, and there was also a grand Dharma assembly waiting for her.

Just as Hu Qianqian was preparing to celebrate the Dharma assembly, bad news came from the front lines: the Vajra Temple, the True Yang Sect, and the Linshui Prefecture had begun to withdraw their disciples from the fourth and third realms.

Upon receiving this news, Wang Ping immediately held a brief discussion with Bai Xin and decided to withdraw the core fourth and third realm disciples from the front lines, while the vacancies they left behind would be filled by demon clan disciples.

This decision immediately aroused dissatisfaction among the demon race on Demon Star and Great Luo Star. The extraterrestrial war a thousand years ago had caused them heavy losses, and they could not accept it happening again.

Soon, a small-scale turmoil broke out on the Demon Star. The Dao Palace didn't pay much attention at first, but in just two months, the turmoil involved several large tribes on the Demon Star.

After politely consulting with the other True Lords, Diwen issued an order for a forceful suppression. The suppression force was led by demons, specifically Bai Xin and Hou Ji, who had just joined the Underground Gate.

The rebellion was suppressed within three days, but Bai Xin and Hou Ji did not withdraw their troops. They looted hundreds of large tribes on the demon star, plundered millions of transformed demons, and drove them to the front lines as laborers. Most of the looted resources were used in the war against the rebels.

When Wang Ping received this news, he sighed and then forcibly suppressed the pity in his mind. Because of the infighting among the five sects of Xuanmen, the front line was extremely short of supplies and personnel. This tragedy could have been avoided, but now it was a life-or-death struggle. If he was not careful, he might follow the same path as Huishan.

The demonic cultivator within the rebel army was extremely clever. He most likely learned of the infighting among the True Monarchs of the Xuanmen and deliberately held back, slowly expanding the area of ​​the demonic energy world, causing the opposing battle lines on both flanks of the Dao Palace to retreat continuously.

At the same time, Wang Ping's experiment in the ecological zone near the Star Barrier also yielded results. The puppet successfully fused with the 'Erosion Edge' demonic source. With the help of the puppet's primordial spirit consciousness, he was able to sense the distribution of the nine types of demonic source energy particles in the rules of destruction. However, perhaps because the puppet's cultivation level was too low, he was unable to sense their specific appearance.

He didn't dwell too much on the issue, but instead controlled the puppet to proceed with the next step of cultivation. The next step was to absorb demonic energy, complete the transformation of demonic source within the spiritual veins, and circulate it for one cycle, slowly carving the energy patterns of the 'Erosion Edge' demonic source onto the spiritual veins within his body.

This was still a process that required a lot of patience and time. Wang Ping's first attempt caused some damage to the spiritual veins. After thinking about it, he decided to stabilize his current cultivation level before taking the next step in his cultivation.

Several years passed. When Wang Ping continued his cultivation with the puppet, the ecological zone built by Quan Xing was finally completed. And in that same year, the spiritual energy particles around the ecological zone suddenly vibrated at a rhythmic frequency.

Immediately afterward, the spiritual energy above Quanxing's dojo suddenly fell into a strange stagnation. All the energy particles were like strings being plucked by an invisible hand. At first, they were just slight tremors, but in the blink of an eye, they evolved into a tide that swept across the entire star field.

Soon after, countless vortexes of spiritual energy appeared in the void, each vortex containing energy essence of different attributes at its center. The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth each transformed into a physical network of spiritual energy.

Suddenly, in some areas, the spiritual energy surged violently like a thunderstorm without any warning, while in other areas, a deathly still vacuum descended.

This must be the 'Spiritual Tribulation' that Quan Xing was talking about!
Suddenly, mysterious runes and arrays spread across the starry sky, and countless fine spiritual lightning bolts appeared out of thin air. These lightning bolts were composed of spiritual energy particles, and each one contained the power to change the nature of matter.

Moreover, areas struck by lightning will produce strange psionic distortions: in some places, gravity suddenly doubles, crushing all matter; in other places, the flow of time becomes disordered, and matter withers and flourishes in an instant; and in some areas, the spiritual attributes are reversed, with water-spirited places igniting flames and fire-spirited places forming ice.

As the last bolt of spiritual energy struck, the entire starry sky suddenly fell into absolute silence. All spiritual energy ceased to flow simultaneously, as if time had been frozen. In this silence, Quan Xing's demon core suddenly erupted with brilliant light, absorbing all the remaining energy of the heavenly tribulation.

As the star field returned to calm, Wang Ping appeared above Quan Xing's dojo with Yu Lian. Quan Xing immediately revealed himself and was about to bow to Wang Ping when the previously raging solar energy in the starry sky was suddenly suppressed...

(End of this chapter)