The Rise of the Sect: I am the most persistent person in the world of immortal cultivation

Ye Yang did not answer immediately.

He took something out of his storage bag and held it in his palm.

That was half a piece of Jianmu essence.

The emerald green luster shimmered in the sunlight, and the vibrant life force it exuded made the surrounding air feel fresher.

The old ancestor of the Canghai Sea narrowed his gaze slightly.

"The essence of Jianmu... It seems that you have indeed obtained that opportunity."

Ye Yang nodded and took out the exquisite jade from his storage bag.

"This exquisite jade was a gift from a senior before. Now, combined with the heart of the Jianmu tree, I think it's worth a try."

The Ancestor of the Vast Ocean looked at the two treasures in Ye Yang's palm, remained silent for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Excellent! Excellent! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

He reached out and patted Ye Yang hard on the shoulder.

"Since you have such ambition, how could I not help you? Within the Canghai Secret Realm, there is a place called 'Quiet Sea Cave Heaven,' which is the place I used when I broke through to the next realm. The concentration of spiritual energy there is more than ten times that of the outside world, and there is also a protective array that I personally set up. Go there to cultivate in seclusion!"

Ye Yang clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, senior."

"You're welcome."

The Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean waved his hand, staring intently at him.

"If you can successfully break through to the Mahayana realm, I hope you can help me, Canghai, then."

Ye Yang didn't say anything more polite, but simply nodded solemnly.

Having accepted the cause from the other party, one should repay the result.

Yueji stood to the side, looking at Ye Yang's profile. Her lips moved slightly, but she ultimately remained silent.

But her hand, hidden in her sleeve, secretly clenched the half-piece of Jianmu essence.

……

Jinghai Cave Heaven.

The deepest cave in the Canghai Secret Realm lies thousands of feet below the seabed.

The area was enveloped by a grand formation personally set up by Ancestor Canghai, isolating it from all external interference.

The cave was not large, only about ten feet in circumference, but it was decorated with great care.

The ground was a single piece of natural calming jade, emanating a faint coolness that allowed cultivators to keep their minds clear at all times.

Nine fist-sized spirit-gathering beads are embedded in the surrounding cave walls. Each one is of the highest quality, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy from the Canghai Secret Realm and transforming it into the purest spiritual liquid, which flows slowly along the grooves on the cave walls.

Above the cave ceiling is a huge star map.

The star map was not carved, but rather sealed with the true power of the stars using some secret method.

Looking up, the Milky Way is dazzling, and countless stars dot the sky, making you feel as if you are in the heavens.

In the very center of the cave was a jade platform, about three feet square.

There are no patterns on the jade platform, only the mottled marks left by time.

That was the place where the Ancestor Canghai sat when he broke through to the Mahayana realm.

Ye Yang sat cross-legged on the jade platform.

The Mind-Concentrating Jade beneath him emitted a cool sensation that rose along his spine, sweeping away all the distracting thoughts in his mind.

He closed his eyes and placed the essence of the Jianmu tree and the exquisite jade on his knees respectively.

In his left hand, he holds the heart of Jianmu; in his right, he holds exquisite jade.

Then, he began to circulate the "Immortal Stabilization Technique".

Deep within his consciousness, the golden rune slowly lit up.

It is no longer static.

Under the dual pull of the life force emanating from the essence of the Jianmu tree and the array patterns within the exquisite jade, the rune began to slowly rotate.

With each rotation, a golden thread extends from the rune, spreading along Ye Yang's meridians to his limbs and bones.

Those golden threads were extremely fine, yet incredibly strong. They passed through the meridians, through the dantian, and through every inch of flesh and blood, eventually weaving into a dense golden network within Ye Yang's body.

At the center of that network is the chaotic crystal.

Ye Yang's mind sank into the chaotic crystal.

Inside the crystal is a vast and chaotic space.

There is no sky or earth here, no direction, no time.

Only endless chaotic energy flowed slowly.

But this time, Ye Yang was no longer a passive observer.

The golden network within his body resonated in a mysterious way with this chaotic space.

The chaotic energy began to flow according to a certain pattern.

The clear rises, the turbid sinks.

Yin and Yang differentiated, and heaven and earth were first created.

Ye Yang no longer hesitated.

He immersed his mind completely in that chaos and began to comprehend it.

Ye Yang's consciousness sank into the deepest part of that chaotic space.

Time loses its meaning here.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting cross-legged; it could have been a moment or a year.

There are no words, no language here, only a most primal feeling.

Before the creation of heaven and earth, before the separation of yin and yang, there was a unified primordial chaos.

It was a state of absolute silence, where all things returned to nothingness.

Then, a glimmer of light shone through the chaos.

That was not light, but "movement." It was the first rhythmic movement at the beginning of all things.

Ye Yang's sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently at this moment, and the network woven from golden threads within his body suddenly contracted, tightly enveloping the chaotic crystal.

The clear rises, the turbid sinks.

Yin and Yang differentiated at this moment.

Ye Yang suddenly opened his eyes. In his pupils, his left eye reflected a blazing sun, while his right eye held a crescent moon.

The sun and moon shone together, yin and yang intertwined, and an indescribable aura suddenly erupted from his body!

The Jinghai Cave Heaven trembled violently.

The nine spirit-gathering beads embedded in the cave wall simultaneously emitted a dazzling light, pouring out all the spiritual energy accumulated over countless years, transforming into nine milky-white rivers of spiritual energy that surged wildly into Ye Yang's body.

Meanwhile, the essence of Jianmu and the exquisite jade on Ye Yang's knee shattered simultaneously.

The essence of Jianmu wood transformed into a torrent of emerald green life, flowing into the Tanzhong acupoint on his chest.

The exquisite jade shattered into countless points of light, and the ancient array patterns seemed to come alive, imprinting themselves one after another into his brow. At this moment, the first crack appeared in his cultivation bottleneck.

"Boom!"

Just as Ye Yang broke through.

On the other side, above the Canghai Secret Realm, the sky suddenly changed color.

Countless dark clouds suddenly appeared above the once clear blue sea.

Those dark clouds were not ordinary rain clouds, but ink-black ones, so thick they seemed to be pressing down on the sky.

Within the clouds, lightning flashed, each bolt of lightning a purplish-gold color, carrying a divine might that made all things tremble.

The Mahayana Kalpa.

The sea surface a thousand feet above the Jinghai Cave Heaven was now completely boiling.

Countless sea beasts fled in terror from the deep sea, and all living things in the entire sea trembled under the might of the heavens.

The cultivators of Canghai Pavilion were startled by the commotion and flew out of their respective caves.

"This is... a tribulation of lightning?"

A young disciple looked up at the increasingly lower tribulation clouds in the sky, his face pale and his legs trembling uncontrollably. He had only been cultivating for thirty years, and had never seen such power of heaven and earth.

"This is no ordinary lightning tribulation."

His master beside him had a solemn expression.

"It's the Nine-Nine Thunder Tribulation that breaks through a major realm... Someone is attempting to break through to the Mahayana stage!"

"Mahayana?!"

The young disciple gasped. The Mahayana realm was a level they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

The Canghai has existed for countless years, and has only produced one Mahayana cultivator, the Canghai Ancestor.

The ancestor is nearing the end of his lifespan, and there is no second Great Ascension Town in this region.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the ocean in the blink of an eye.

More and more cultivators came from all directions and gathered in the sky above the sea, gazing at the sea area shrouded in tribulation clouds.

No one dared to approach.

Even a mere aftershock of this Great Ascension Tribulation is enough to annihilate any cultivator below the Integration stage.

"boom!"

The first lightning bolt struck.

The purple-gold lightning, like a divine sword descending from the sky, tore through the thick clouds and slashed straight into the sea!

The seawater was evaporated the moment the lightning struck, creating a giant crater tens of meters in diameter. White steam rose into the sky, turning into a mushroom cloud.

The lightning bolt pierced through the thousand-foot-deep seawater, its power undiminished, and slammed fiercely into the protective array of the Tranquil Sea Cave.

The array's light surged, managing to withstand the attack.

But Ye Yang, inside the cave, still felt the all-pervading power of thunder.

He didn't dodge, nor did he use any magical artifacts to protect himself. He simply sat cross-legged on the jade platform, letting the power of the lightning pass through the great formation, through the cave walls, and through his physical body, directly striking his meridians and dantian.

Pain. Excruciating pain.

It was as if every inch of flesh was being torn apart and every bone was being crushed.

But Ye Yang's lips curled up slightly.

Because he sensed it. The lightning bolt was both destroying and reshaping his body's old structure. Under the baptism of the lightning, his body shed its impurities and radiated an unprecedented glow.

This is the significance of the Mahayana Kalpa.

It is not destruction, but rebirth.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three more lightning bolts struck in succession, each one more ferocious than the last.

The Old Ancestor of the Vast Sea also appeared above the sea at some unknown time.

He stood with his hands behind his back, the sea breeze ruffling his white hair and dark green robe, yet a hint of a smile graced his aged face.

"Ancestor."

An elder from the pavilion, who was at the Refinement Void Realm, flew to his side, bowed respectfully, and then asked in a low voice.

"Can this Fellow Daoist Ye withstand it?"

The Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean did not answer, but simply watched the sea churning with lightning.

The further along the tribulation, the more terrifying its power becomes.

But the Old Ancestor of the Vast Ocean was not worried.

Because he sensed that at the moment the lightning struck, an aura was rising at an astonishing speed from beneath the sea surface.

The aura was initially just a tiny flame, flickering precariously under the bombardment of thunder.

But gradually, that cluster of flames transformed into a rising, blazing sun.

I waited until evening.

"The eightieth one..."

Someone whispered something. Everyone's heart jumped into their throat.

The eightieth lightning tribulation was more terrifying than the previous seventy-nine combined.

The purplish-gold lightning was so dense it was almost liquefied; what fell from the tribulation clouds was not a single bolt of lightning.

A thunderous waterfall, a torrent of purple-gold water cascading down from the sky.

And just before the eightieth lightning bolt struck...

The eighty-first lightning tribulation appeared again.

That was a dragon.

A thunder dragon formed entirely of purplish-gold lightning, with every detail of its head, horns, scales, and claws vividly depicted.

It circled once in the clouds of destruction, letting out a dragon's roar that shook the heavens, and then swooped down with earth-shattering power, crashing straight into the sea.

This strike was more than ten times more powerful than the eightieth.

The protective array shattered the moment the thunder dragon struck. The nine spirit-gathering pearls exploded simultaneously, turning into countless fragments.

The star map on the cave ceiling also dimmed, as the power of the stars was swept away by the lightning.

The thunder dragon pierced through all obstacles and struck Ye Yang directly.

Then, everything fell silent.

The tribulation clouds began to dissipate. The purple-gold lightning gradually faded, and the giant waves on the sea slowly subsided. The sky returned to its azure blue, as if the cataclysmic tribulation had been nothing more than an illusion.

"Is it... over?"

Someone asked in a trembling voice.

No one answered.

Everyone stared intently at that area of ​​sea, at the tranquil grotto a thousand feet below. (End of Chapter)