Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The green-robed spirit pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "To be honest, young friend, if you hadn't told me today, I wouldn't have known that there was a spatial passage hidden beneath the bottomless abyss."

"I fell into a deep sleep right after the ancient war ended, and all I know is that the ascension passage was destroyed."

"But whether any spatial passages opened up by cultivators at the Void Refinement stage have been left behind, we really don't know..."

He paused for a moment, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "However, after the great battle that year, only one of the five Void Refinement cultivators who descended to the human realm survived."

"He took three Nascent Soul cultivators with him and returned to the Spirit Realm through the opened spatial passage. Logically, he should have closed the passage."

Chen Yuan frowned: "So, this spatial passage doesn't exist?"

The green-robed array spirit shook his head: "I dare not make a judgment either. After all, that ancient war was too tragic, and the cultivators who had reached the Void Refinement stage suffered heavy casualties."

"Of the five Void Refinement experts in the Spirit Realm, only one survived. None of the Void Refinement experts among the demons survived either. The battle shattered the heavens and earth, so it is not surprising that anything happened."

"But since those four Nascent Soul cultivators are so certain, the spatial passage must be genuine."

Chen Yuan frowned. He didn't doubt Qin Wuyai's words. After all, Lu Wangquan, Cangsong Daoren and Ren Laomo were willing to take out treasures to support his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, so they must have seen this spatial passage with their own eyes.

Having walked the path of cultivation for hundreds of years, he was always cautious and still wanted to find the green-robed array spirit to verify his abilities.

However, even the spirit in the green robe couldn't be sure, which left him with some doubts.

Chen Yuan lowered his head and pondered for a moment before asking, "May I ask, senior, since the demons have all been annihilated after their Void Refining, will the spatial passages they opened when they descended to the human realm remain?"

After pondering for a moment, the green-robed spirit said, "There is a possibility that the location of the spatial passage is the biggest secret of the demon's Void Refinement."

"They all died in the human realm. The spatial passage might have survived, but it would be extremely difficult to find, and it leads to the Burning Demon Realm and the Ancient Demon Realm, so it would be useless to human cultivators."

Chen Yuan's furrowed brows relaxed, and he clasped his hands in a bow: "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

The spirit in the green robe said the same thing, so it seems the middle-aged scholar was right.

The spatial passage opened up by cultivators at the Void Refinement Realm can indeed exist for tens of thousands of years.

The green-robed array spirit asked, "Young friend, have you already decided to enter this spatial passage?"

Chen Yuan's eyes were firm as he slowly said, "The three ascension channels have all been destroyed, and I have not found any other spatial channels. This is my only chance to ascend to the Spirit Realm."

"There are also four Nascent Soul cultivators to help me break through to the Nascent Soul stage. This is a golden opportunity that we must not miss."

The green-robed spirit asked, "Young friend, how confident are you in achieving the Nascent Soul stage?"

Chen Yuan said, "Originally I wasn't very confident, but this time I exchanged twenty-three drops of Moon Dew from you, senior. As long as my physical body breaks through the bottleneck, I will have a 10% or 20% greater chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage."

The green-robed spirit pondered for a moment and said, "Young friend, your path to the Great Dao is promising. If you successfully ascend to the Spirit Realm, could you do me a favor?"

Chen Yuan was somewhat surprised: "Senior, please speak. As long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."

A trace of sadness flashed in the eyes of the green-robed spirit, who murmured, "My master ascended to the Spirit Realm 48,742 years ago, and there has been no news of him since."

"If you happen to meet my master, please convey my message to him."

"Qingyun has failed in his duty and has not been able to protect Tongtian Island. I beg for your forgiveness, Master."

Chen Yuan looked troubled: "This... this junior cannot guarantee that I will definitely meet that senior..."

The spirit in the green robe sighed softly: "I only had a sliver of hope. Although my master is a genius, I don't know if he is outstanding in the spirit world."

"Tens of thousands of years have passed. He may have cultivated to the Integration Realm, or he may still be lingering in the Refinement Realm, or he may have already passed away."

"Young friend, there's no need to deliberately search for the master's whereabouts; just let things take their course."

"But if I do encounter my master, please grant me this one wish."

Chen Yuan felt relieved: "May I ask that senior's name?"

The spirit in the green robe said, "Master's surname is Fu, and his given name is Huaixiao."

Chen Yuan nodded: "If I am able to ascend to the Spirit Realm and am fortunate enough to meet True Person Fu, I will definitely convey your words to him."

The spirit in the green robe smiled with satisfaction: "Thank you for your trouble, young friend."

Chen Yuan said, "However, I still have a question. Since there were once cultivators at the Void Refinement stage who descended to the human realm to resist the invasion of demons, the spirit realm and the human realm should have had some communication long ago."

"Those five Void Refinement cultivators, do they also not know about True Person Fu?"

The green-robed spirit sighed: "When the ascension passage still existed, the human realm and the spirit realm did indeed have close ties, and talismans were frequently sent down."

"Back then, the human cultivators conquered the thirteen realms because they were able to open up a spatial passage thanks to the Myriad Stars Disc, a rare treasure bestowed upon their master by a powerful being from the spirit realm."

"After the five Void Refinement cultivators descended to earth, the Tai Xuan Sect also inquired about the master's whereabouts."

"When the master ascended, he was already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. In less than two thousand years, he broke through the bottleneck and his cultivation level rose to the early stage of the Void Refinement stage."

"But after that he went out to travel and disappeared without a trace until the demons invaded, and he did not return."

Chen Yuan asked, "Senior, do you know the specifics of the Spirit Realm?"

The green-robed spirit shook his head: "I am merely the spirit of the Tongtian Island Grand Array. I only inquired about my master's recent situation from the Tai Xuan Sect because I was concerned about him. I do not know much about the affairs of the Spirit Realm."

Chen Yuan was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't show it. He clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

He then walked out of Tongtian Pavilion, randomly chose a flat area, sat down to meditate and cultivate, absorbing the pure spiritual energy in Tongtian Valley, accumulating true essence bit by bit.

A month later, the ethereal voice of the spirit in the green robe reached Chen Yuan's ears, waking him from his meditation.

"Tongtian Island is about to disappear from the world. I will now see you off, young friend. Please remember, if you encounter your master, please pass on my message..."

Chen Yuan stood up, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, "This junior will certainly keep your instructions in mind, senior."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white light flashed and his figure disappeared.

The spiritual energy within Tongtian Valley rippled for a long time before finally subsiding, restoring its timeless silence.

……

After leaving Tongtian Island, Chen Yuan quietly returned to Zhaoming Lake in Tanzhou, deliberately avoiding other cultivators and concealing his whereabouts along the way.

He entered the Tai Ming Sect's mountain gate and returned to his cave on Langao Island. Jing Shuhan was very happy, but Chen Yuan saw a trace of fading worry in her eyes.

The two enjoyed a night of pleasure, and the next day, Wang Xuange paid a visit, saying that Qin Wuyai had summoned him.

Chen Yuan was not surprised and arrived at Suyue Lake with Wang Xuange.

Wang Xuange took his leave, leaving only Chen Yuan behind.

Qin Wuyai cut to the chase: "Young friend, are you now confident in breaking through the bottleneck of your physical body?"

Chen Yuan said, "I am absolutely certain."

Qin Wuyai smiled and didn't ask any more questions. He said, "We have already collected about 70 to 80% of the Five Elements essence. In another 10 or 20 years, we will be able to gather them all."

"For the next period of time, young friend, please do not go out. Stay on Langao Island, cultivate diligently, temper your physical body, and prepare for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "This junior obeys."

He rose to take his leave and returned to Langao Island to begin refining the Moon Dew.

A single drop of Moon Dew contains the power of the celestial sphere, comparable to years of starlight infusion. Chen Yuan was immersed in cultivation, refining a drop of Moon Dew every month and then drawing starlight to infuse his body, constantly tempering his physical form. Because of this, he somewhat neglected Jing Shuhan.

The two only had a chance to be intimate once a month; the rest of the time, they would meditate and cultivate in their respective stone chambers.

Jing Shuhan and Chen Yuan have been Daoist partners for thirty years, which is more than half a lifetime for ordinary people, and their relationship has long since become as ordinary as water.

But for a Nascent Soul cultivator, thirty years is just a blink of an eye. The two were still newlyweds, deeply in love.

Seeing that Chen Yuan was busy with cultivation, Jing Shuhan couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

But she also knew that there were only thirty-odd years left until the centennial, and although Chen Yuanming never showed it on his face, he must be under tremendous pressure in his heart.

She never complained and never disturbed Chen Yuan's cultivation.

Each time the two met, Jing Shuhan would flatter him in bed, stroll with Chen Yuan in the mountains and forests, watch the sunset on the shore, and boat on Zhaoming Lake, hoping to relieve some of the pressure in his heart.

As a result, their relationship only grew stronger.

Chen Yuan was unaware of Jing Shuhan's thoughts, but her thoughtfulness and gentleness greatly alleviated the boredom of meditation.

Two and a half years later, he refined all twenty-three drops of moon dew and, with the addition of more than thirty infusions of starlight into his body, his physical body finally reached the limit of a level ten demon king.

If Chen Yuan were to encounter Jin Feng again, he could kill him with his physical strength alone.

If it were Ao Mei or Kun Yang, Chen Yuan could hold his own against them with his physical strength.

In another ten years or so, his physical body will be able to break through the bottleneck and become comparable to a Nascent Soul demon cultivator.

Next, all that's needed is to raise your cultivation to the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, and you'll be able to remove the last obstacle to breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage.

Chen Yuan went to the Earth Fire Palace and spent a month refining the demon core of the Mighty Wild Ox into seven Demon Essence Pills.

As he put away the alchemy furnace, Chen Yuan shook his head, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

His talent in alchemy was ultimately no match for that of the Old Man of Alchemy.

Since reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he has refined over a hundred batches of Nascent Soul stage pills, including thirty to forty batches of late-stage Nascent Soul stage pills. His experience far surpasses that of the legendary Pill Master of yesteryear.

However, his success rate in refining late-stage Nascent Soul pills is still only 70%, just like that of the Pill Master.

He has reached the threshold of 80% success rate in achieving the required level of success, but there is still a slight gap.

Unfortunately, there were no more level 10 demon cores or three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs left for him to continue refining pills and cross this threshold.

Chen Yuan returned to his cave and refined the elixir. Except for once a month when he drew starlight to nourish his body and spent a day with Jing Shuhan to enjoy the scenery, he never left his cultivation room.

Cultivation knows no years, time stands still in the lake.

In the blink of an eye, thirteen years have passed.

After thirteen years of continuous starlight infusion, Chen Yuan's physical body finally broke through the bottleneck, becoming comparable to a Nascent Soul demon cultivator.

The moment his physical body broke through the bottleneck, Chen Yuan felt a surge of almost inexhaustible power within his body in a daze.

He seemed to transform into a giant, towering ten thousand feet tall, capable of overturning mountains and seas, seizing stars and the moon, destroying the heavens and the earth, and being omnipotent.

After a few breaths, he broke free from his surroundings and slowly calmed down, but his aura was now very different, several times stronger than before.

From then on, he was considered a half-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chen Yuan stood up, but with just a slight exertion, he left two deep holes in the ground, his legs sinking completely into them.

He froze on the spot, carefully controlling his strength as he pulled his legs out.

His physical body has just broken through the bottleneck, and his strength has greatly increased. It will take him some time to fully adapt.

Instead of continuing his meditation and cultivation, Chen Yuan left the Tai Ming Sect's mountain gate and came to a desolate and uninhabited place in Zhaoming Lake, where he unleashed his full power, causing the water to surge and creating towering waves.

It took me a month to finally get used to my current immense strength.

Only then did he realize why Sun Yuan had been able to protect Nanzhou for tens of thousands of years; it took four Nascent Soul cultivators working together to barely kill him.

The magical weapon, the Hunyuan Cudgel, in his hand was certainly formidable, but the fundamental reason was that his physical body was too powerful.

Chen Yuan slashed himself with the Purple Void Sword, but it only managed to leave a shallow cut.

Even with its full power, the Purple Void Sword could only leave a wound about a foot deep.

This was the damage that a top-tier magic weapon could inflict on Chen Yuan when he was completely unprepared.

When fighting with others, Chen Yuan will definitely activate his Void Escape Robe, making it difficult for top-tier magic weapons to leave wounds on him.

With a single punch, Chen Yuan shattered an island spanning several miles in circumference, sending it sinking into the lake.

When Chen Yuan encountered Ao Mei and Kun Yang again, he didn't need to use any magic weapons or supernatural powers. He could easily kill them with just his physical strength, and they couldn't even withstand more than a few rounds.

There is only one step between a level 10 demon king and a Nascent Soul demon cultivator, but the difference is like heaven and earth, as insignificant as ants.

As night deepened, Chen Yuan took out the jade pendant, which glowed with a bluish light.

The stars in the sky shone brightly, converging into a silver beam that fell upon Chen Yuan, enveloping him.

Fifty breaths later, the blue light faded, and the silver pillar of light slowly dissipated.

Chen Yuan felt somewhat disappointed as he experienced the near-insignificance of his physical body and the 20% of his true essence consumed in his dantian.

It seems that the effect of the Starlight Infusion can only be further enhanced once his cultivation also breaks through the bottleneck.

Chen Yuan put away the jade pendant and returned to his cave on Langao Island to continue his meditation and cultivation.

He had already refined all seven Demon Essence Pills, but there was still a slight gap between him and the late Nascent Soul stage. He could only slowly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to accumulate true essence.

Three more years passed, and Chen Yuan finally raised his cultivation to the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, where he could not advance any further.

But he did not stop cultivating; instead, he continued to refine his true essence and solidify his foundation.

Two years later, Chen Yuan's true essence had become incredibly pure and powerful, reaching a level that left other great cultivators speechless.

Chen Yuan left the cultivation room. He hadn't cultivated for a month and spent his time traveling with Jing Shuhan in Zhaoming Lake, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Jing Shuhan's cultivation level also rose to the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, but was blocked by a bottleneck.

After she and Chen Yuan became Daoist partners, she had no shortage of cultivation pills, and her cultivation level steadily improved.

After Chen Yuan returned from Jueling Island, he gave her several demon cores he had obtained. She absorbed the pure demonic energy contained within them, which not only improved her cultivation level but also solidified her foundation.

Until three years ago, her cultivation had reached a plateau, and she did not want to travel and seek a breakthrough at such a time, so she turned to cultivating supernatural powers.

On this day, the two visited Hundred Flowers Island, a unique island filled with blooming flowers, and returned to Langao Island.

As Chen Yuan descended, he saw Wang Xuange waiting in front of the cave and welcomed him inside.

After the three of them sat down, Jing Shuhan served them spiritual tea.

Wang Xuange cut to the chase: "Fellow Daoist Chen, the Five Elements essence has been fully collected. Senior Cangsong and Senior Ren are both gathered at our sect. Our Grandmaster Uncle invites you to Suyue Lake for a chat." (End of Chapter)