I conquer the immortal with my strength.

Chapter 598 Taiyuan Water Princess
"...So this is the Tribulation of True Immortals." Xia Daoming's mind raced, and he understood the reason. "It is not the heavenly might and thunder and fire that descend from the outside, but the backlash from one's own accumulated cultivation reaching its limit. If one can suppress it, one can take another step forward; if one cannot, one's foundation will be burned to ashes."

The thought flashed through his mind, but his expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of fear.

His Purple Mansion was already open, his divine soul was refined, and his body was as solid as a mountain. How could this Yin Fire truly burn him to ashes? What had just happened was nothing more than a scene that was both real and illusory.

If it were someone whose spirit is not focused and whose Daoist heart is not firm, upon seeing this sudden flare of Yin fire, they would surely be filled with fear and panic, causing their internal organs to turn to ash, their limbs to rot, and their lifelong arduous cultivation to be reduced to ashes.

"From the inside out... So hot! So hot!"

The scorching flames seemed to burn him to ashes, but Xia Daoming felt no fear; instead, he gradually became intoxicated by them. The flames pierced through his body, tempering both his soul and flesh. Each excruciating pain brought him a surge of exhilarating pleasure.

After a day and a night, the eerie fire finally extinguished silently, vanishing without a trace, as if it had never existed.

He quietly sensed it and understood: this tribulation was the True Immortal Tribulation of the Qi Refining Path. After the tribulation fire, his meridians and primordial spirit became even more resilient and pure. His physique and soul were already robust, so the changes were not significant, but they did become somewhat more refined.

What is most different is that the One Yuan Heavy Water Divine Weapon, which was originally gestating in the Crimson Palace and would have taken some time to take shape, has already begun to stir after the tribulation, as if it is about to break out of its shell.

"The creation of this divine weapon will inevitably attract heavenly calamity. It must not be revealed here, lest it alarm the surrounding regions."

With this in mind, Xia Daoming made a decisive decision without any hesitation.

That very day, he summoned Xingyi and said, "From now on, stability is paramount. Do not confront Jiaoting head-on. We will discuss further plans after I return."

After giving his instructions, he quietly left the temple and went alone into the depths of the treacherous miasma.

At this point, he had already become a Second-Level True Immortal.

A month later.

Deep within the swamp of miasma, the miasma surged like a tidal wave. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and calamity clouds rolled in, heavy as mountains. Fire and lightning intertwined and crashed down.

A man in blue robes stood with his hands behind his back, suspended above the swamp. Thunder and fire struck him, but he only kept his eyes slightly closed and his expression indifferent, as if he were letting the power of heaven wash over him.

Before long, the thunder and fire tribulation subsided. Suddenly, a dragon claw covered in golden scales pierced through the air and plunged into the tribulation clouds, causing thunder to roar and the sea of ​​fire to surge. A moment later, the dragon claw retracted, revealing a crystal-clear Heavenly Tribulation Crystal in its claw.

Xia Daoming looked down at the tribulation crystal in his palm, then looked up at the gradually dissipating tribulation clouds, a hint of relief and contemplation appearing in his eyes.

"The sixth tribulation of divine weapons in the Earthly Immortal Realm was not as powerful as the fifth one in the Profound Realm... This realm has abundant spiritual herbs and is full of immortal spiritual energy. No wonder there are Nascent Soul cultivators everywhere, all because the heavenly tribulation is relatively lenient."

With a change of heart, he put away the tribulation crystal and quietly left.

-

The rear hall of the Earth God Temple.

Upon hearing the news, Xingyi was overjoyed and respectfully bowed, saying, "Congratulations, Master Xia, on surviving this great calamity and returning safely!"

"Haha!" Xia Daoming was in a good mood and laughed heartily. His gaze swept over her from head to toe, and his smile carried a hint of approval: "Your cultivation has progressed rapidly lately, not bad!"

"It is all thanks to Master Xia's guidance and cultivation; otherwise, even if I had cultivated myself for another hundred years, I would not have achieved what I have today." Xingyi bowed, her eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.

Xia Daoming shook his head, his tone calm and straightforward: "Even so, you will still find it difficult to overcome the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and attain the position of a Void Immortal in the short term."

Xingyi was shocked. Just as she had expected, her cultivation was still not up to Master Xia's standards. She couldn't help but bow her head and blame herself: "I am dull-witted and have failed Master Xia's high expectations."

“Your talent is already top-notch, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to stand out from the Merfolk, come to the Immortal Realm alone, cultivate all the way to this level, and even sit on the position of Earthly Lord.” Xia Daoming nodded slightly, then changed his tone, “It’s just that I need you to do things for me, and with your current cultivation level, it’s far from enough.” He was cautious by nature and had always been used to working behind the scenes.

Now that we've arrived in the Earthly Immortal Realm, where powerful beings abound, it's even more inappropriate to act impulsively and rush to the front lines.

Xingyi is commendable for her loyalty, but unfortunately her strength is indeed somewhat weak. He is concerned about his beloved wife Ji Wenyue and his fellow disciples, and he cannot wait for her to grow step by step and help him open up new opportunities.

Xingyi lowered her head as she had expected, feeling uneasy and blaming herself for being incompetent. She had received such great favor from Master Xia, yet she could not shoulder his burdens.

After a long silence, Xia Daoming finally spoke slowly: "I have a method that can help you quickly attain the Void Immortal realm, but the path is arduous, and you must endure many hardships. Are you willing?"

Without much hesitation, Xingyi looked up and said, "I am willing! As long as I can share Master Xia's burden, I will not fear any hardship!"

"Alright." Xia Daoming smiled. "Then you should hand over the temple affairs first, and then you can stay with me in the back hall to cultivate these days. By the way, please also summon Cui Baisong, Du Shoulu, Qingliu, Taoyao, and Hongxia."

He has just survived the Tribulation of True Immortals, and it is unlikely that another Tribulation will be triggered in the short term.

As for the path of body refinement, without true water and true fire at hand, even if one were willing to cultivate a divine weapon, it would be like a skilled cook without rice to make a meal.

Speaking of which, this is a rare lull in my cultivation, so I can take advantage of this time to nurture Cui Baisong and others.

Firstly, it was to repay their kindness in helping him that day; secondly, it was to cultivate a team of Earthly Immortals so that they wouldn't be without capable subordinates if something happened in the future.

Of course, Cui Baisong and the others had a rather low starting point in cultivation.

However, Xia Daoming has always valued character and integrity. He didn't mind that Cui Baisong and others unintentionally displayed rare and valuable qualities, and he put more effort into cultivating them from a low starting point.

-

A moment later, the six of them gathered in the back hall.

"Please sit down," Xia Daoming said, gesturing for them to take their seats.

"Thank you for the seats, Master Xia!" The six people sat cross-legged on the prayer mats as instructed, filled with nervousness and excitement.

Suddenly, everything went blurry before their eyes, and the main hall and their companions vanished. They felt alone, in a gray void.

Before Xingyi could even cry out in alarm, she heard a dragon's roar, and in an instant, she found herself in a boundless ocean. The churning waves transformed into a heavy water hell, pressing down layer upon layer. Even as an eighth-stage Nascent Soul mermaid, she felt as if she were suffocating and drowning.

She transformed into a mermaid and poured all her water-based true energy into trying to stir up the tides, but found that the waves were as high as mountains. No matter how hard she tried, she could only stir up tiny splashes of water, and her body sank deeper and deeper. Her primordial spirit was almost about to collapse under the pressure of the heavy water.

Although Cui Baisong and the other four were of lower cultivation levels and faced less pressure, they were still each caught in their own illusions and trials.

Inside the actual main hall, Xia Daoming sat calmly cross-legged. Behind him stood a woman—Shuiyan Bingsha, with long, ink-black hair, fair skin like jade, and eyes as calm as an abyss. In her slender hand she held a jade-colored banner, its surface shimmering with water-like patterns.

It was Xia Daoming's seventh divine weapon—Taiyuan Shuiji.

She lightly waved her jade banner, and six water curtains descended from the void, enveloping the six people within them. Within the water curtains, each transformed into a different water prison world: a vast ocean, raging waves, or a deep abyss gushing with springs.

The six were completely unaware of the outside world, struggling desperately in their respective heavy water prisons.

　That concludes today's update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)