Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed: "Zhu Jiuyin? Is this true?"

Ye Guihong hesitated for a moment before saying, "This egg has not yet hatched, but it is recorded in the jade slip left by the ancestor, so it should not be wrong."

Chen Yuan pressed further, "Does that Candle Serpent also contain the bloodline of Zhu Jiuyin?"

Ye Guihong gave a wry smile: "If the Ancestral Beast had the bloodline of Zhu Jiuyin, our sect would have already dominated this world."

"Why would it take thousands of years and generations of cultivators to exhaust themselves just to obtain an ancient secret realm?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. Ye Guihong was right. A Nascent Soul cultivator containing true spiritual blood was no match for other Nascent Soul cultivators, and its lifespan was exceptionally long. Over tens of thousands of years, the Jiuli Sect would definitely not occupy only one state.

He then asked, "Since the Candle Serpent does not possess the bloodline of Zhu Jiuyin, why do its offspring possess the blood of the True Spirit? How did your sect's founder know this?"

Ye Guihong said, "This junior is also unaware. This is what the patriarch said, and we, the younger generation, dare not disbelieve it."

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Please bring me the Candle Serpent Egg, fellow Daoist."

A hint of joy flashed in Ye Guihong's eyes, and he clasped his hands in a bow: "Senior, please wait a moment, I will be right back."

He bowed and left the meditation room. After a while, the old man entered again and bowed to Chen Yuan: "The sect leader will return shortly and has instructed me to serve him here."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly. The old man stepped forward, picked up the teapot, and poured Chen Yuan some spiritual tea.

The dignified Nascent Soul cultivator was now behaving as respectfully as a minor Qi Refining cultivator.

About half an hour later, Ye Guihong re-entered the quiet room and gently waved to the old man.

Upon seeing this, the old man immediately clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Chen Yuan, then left the quiet room and closed the door.

Ye Guihong bowed deeply: "The ancestral beast's egg was sealed in a ten-thousand-year-old fire essence stone. It took me a while to retrieve it, and I apologize for keeping you waiting, senior."

Chen Yuan said, "It's alright. Where is the Candle Serpent's egg?"

Ye Guihong flipped his hand and took out a fiery red stone brick about a foot in size, and the quiet room immediately became hot.

He raised his hand and pointed, and the top of the stone brick slowly lifted up, revealing a hollowed-out red egg about a foot in size.

Ye Guihong placed the stone brick on the table, took out the red egg, and presented it with both hands: "This is the egg laid by the ancestral beast. Please take a look, senior."

A glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes, and his left hand, hidden in his sleeve, felt a warmth.

After Ye Guihong left, he took out the jade pendant and held it in his hand.

Now that the jade pendant has reacted, it is clear that the egg of the Candle Serpent indeed contains a trace of true spirit blood.

He reached out his right hand and took the red egg. It was smooth and delicate to the touch, like the finest jade. It was crimson all over, but not dazzling, and had a warm and gentle feel.

Chen Yuan spread his divine sense, but he was unable to penetrate the eggshell, as it was blocked by a barrier.

He tried to force his way in, but the red egg flashed and patterns appeared on its surface.

Upon seeing this, Ye Guihong quickly said, "Senior, you must not force an examination, otherwise the egg will break on its own and the baby snake inside will die immediately."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan immediately withdrew his divine sense and carefully scanned the red egg with his eyes, but he could not see anything, only feel a strong vitality.

The jade pendant was still warm, not scalding hot.

However, the jade pendant reacted even though the egg had not yet hatched, indicating that the true spirit blood contained within it was quite pure.

Chen Yuan nodded slightly and looked up at Ye Guihong: "Since your sect's founder knows that this egg contains the blood of true spirit, why not hatch it and nurture it properly?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Guihong's eyes flashed with a hint of embarrassment: "To be honest, senior, since the Ancestral Beast laid this egg, from our sect's founder to the successive sect leaders, everyone has tried to hatch the Ancestral Beast's egg. I have also tried, but none of them have succeeded."

Chen Yuan looked surprised: "Why is that?"

Ye Guihong shook his head: "This junior doesn't know either, but according to the patriarch's guess, special conditions are needed to hatch this egg, perhaps some kind of rare and precious material, or an extremely special environment."

Chen Yuan asked, "How did the Candle Serpent hatch?"

Ye Guihong said, "The Ancestral Beast was not cultivated from scratch by the Ancestral Master, but rather it came from outer space. Even the Ancestral Master did not know how it was hatched."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed: "An extraterrestrial object?"

Ye Guihong nodded: "That's right. Senior should know that there was a great war in the ancient times of the human world."

"The invasion of otherworldly demons into the human realm caused the sky to collapse and the earth to crack, resulting in the decline of spiritual energy, which has not yet recovered."

"According to the records of the ancestor, the ancestral beast emerged from a spatial rift and was picked up by the ancestor and taken in as a spirit beast."

A hint of doubt flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes: "Since the Candle Serpent has the ability to traverse the void, its strength must be considerable. How did your sect's founder subdue it?"

Ye Guihong said, "This is the strange thing about this matter. Although the Ancestral Beast fell from the spatial rift, it was only a level one demon beast with weak strength, and was easily subdued by the Ancestral Master."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat: "Could the Candle Serpent have hatched in the void?"

Ye Guihong said, "Our ancestor also had this guess. After the ancestral beast laid this egg, he used his methods to send it into the spatial rift, which took several decades or even hundreds of years, but there was no movement."

"Subsequent sect leaders also tried several times, even putting in rare and precious materials that the ancestral beast liked, but there was no sign of it breaking open."

Fortunately, over tens of thousands of years, the vitality within this egg has not diminished.

"However, just in case, it is best to seal it in the Ten Thousand Year Fire Essence Stone and preserve it properly."

Chen Yuan frowned, looked down at the red egg, and examined it carefully again.

This descendant of the Candle Serpent contains the blood of a true spirit. Regardless of whether it is the bloodline of Zhu Jiuyin, it is extraordinary. If it can be hatched and properly nurtured, it will become a great help.

But if it can't hatch, it's just a useless thing. No wonder Ye Guihong was willing to take out such a precious treasure as an apology.

However, no matter how useless this red egg is, it still contains the blood of true spirit, so Chen Yuan naturally wouldn't refuse it.

He raised his head and said calmly, "I will accept this Candle Serpent Egg."

Upon hearing this, Ye Guihong immediately presented the fiery red stone brick: "Our sect's ancestral beast is most fond of ten-thousand-year-old fire essence stones, and its lair is filled with them."

"The eggs it lays should ideally be stored in this ten-thousand-year-old fire essence stone."

Chen Yuan raised his hand and summoned the fiery red stone brick, placing the crimson egg inside and storing it in his body space.

Ye Guihong then took out six wooden boxes and said respectfully, "Just now, I went to the Treasure Pavilion and the Spirit Herb Garden and brought back all the treasures of our sect: three level-ten demon cores, two three-thousand-year-old spirit herbs, and one three-thousand-year-old Flaming Sun Flower. I present them to you, senior."

Chen Yuan took the six wooden boxes into his hands. Before he could affix the spirit-sealing talismans to them, he flicked his sleeve, and the lids opened on their own.

His gaze swept across the scene, and he saw three demon cores of different colors, each exuding a strong demonic aura, as well as three vibrant spiritual herbs with pure spiritual energy.

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, flicked his sleeve, and the box lid closed again.

Ye Guihong immediately took out six intricately written spirit-sealing talismans and affixed them to the six wooden boxes. With a face full of apology, he explained, "This junior has absolutely no intention of holding back anything, but unfortunately, our sect's elders suffered heavy casualties in the Yuling Sect's secret realm, greatly diminishing our strength."

"After returning to the sect, I had no choice but to take out a few three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, refine them into pills, and help Junior Brother Su improve his cultivation."

"These two three-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs weren't enough to make a batch of pills, so they were left behind..."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Since I have accepted your apology, I will not go back on my word."

Ye Guihong breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply: "Senior is magnanimous. On behalf of nearly ten thousand disciples of our sect, I thank you for not pursuing this matter."

Although the Jiuli Sect is protected by the ancestral beast, they are ultimately not Nascent Soul cultivators, and being spirit beasts, they lack intelligence.

If Chen Yuan insists on taking action, even if he cannot break through the mountain gate for the time being, in the long run, the Jiuli Sect will eventually perish.

The best option would be to exchange a useless Ancestral Beast Egg for Chen Yuan's withdrawal.

Chen Yuan accepted the apology gift, but not wanting to stay any longer, he got up and left.

Ye Guihong wanted to personally escort Chen Yuan out of Yunyin City, but Chen Yuan, unwilling to make a fuss, refused the offer, put on a bamboo hat, and quietly left the city.

……

Chen Yuan flew all the way and arrived at Tianji Island in just two days.

Tianjizi had already given instructions, and a Nascent Soul cultivator was waiting at Welcoming Guest Peak. Upon seeing Chen Yuan arrive, he immediately welcomed him into the mountain gate and led him to Mist Peak.

Jing Shuhan was meditating and cultivating in her cave when she saw Chen Yuan return, so she immediately went out to greet him.

Chen Yuan's trip to Lizhou and back took a total of five days, and Tianjizi has not yet returned.

He then settled down at Wulan Peak, meditated to regulate his breathing, and restored his true energy.

Chen Yuan cultivated both his physical body and his spiritual power. After transforming into a deity, Chen Yuan possessed a physical body comparable to a deity-transformed demon cultivator, and he could also mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to unleash supernatural powers.

However, after activating the blood of the true spirit or condensing the Dharma form of the true spirit, one cannot mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and can only rely on one's own true essence when using the power of the true spirit.

On Zhenhai Island, he condensed the Zhu Yan Dharma Image and commanded the Zhu Yan True Fire to kill all the Zhenhai Sect cultivators on the island, but his true essence was consumed by more than half.

However, he did not want to destroy the Jiuli Sect, but only wanted to kill Ye Guihong. Therefore, he did not meditate to regulate his breathing and went directly to Lizhou.

However, Ye Guihong had already lost his courage, and now that he had returned, Chen Yuan could recover his true energy.

The spiritual energy on Misty Peak is exceptionally rich for Nascent Soul cultivators, second only to Tianjizi's cave dwelling within the Heavenly Mystery Sect. Originally, only mid-Nascent Soul cultivators were allowed to establish cave dwellings on this peak, but when the Golden Feather Eagle clan was wiped out, Tianjizi, seeing Chen Yuan's extraordinary strength, intended to befriend him. After Jing Shuhan achieved Nascent Soul cultivation, he granted her special permission to cultivate in seclusion on Misty Peak.

However, for Nascent Soul cultivators, the spiritual energy on this peak is rather thin.

While Chen Yuan was meditating, he held nothing back. The spiritual energy from all the other peaks within a radius of dozens of miles surged in, alarming the entire Tianji Sect.

However, Tianjizi had given strict orders, and everyone knew that Chen Yuan was meditating on Wulan Peak, so they dared not have any objections.

Three days later, Tianjizi rushed back to the sect. Seeing the strange situation on Wulan Peak, he was surprised and ordered the cultivators in the sect not to disturb Chen Yuan's cultivation, and not to complain in the slightest.

Two more days passed, and Chen Yuan's true essence was fully restored. The price was that the spiritual energy in the entire Tianji Sect became much thinner, and it would take at least a month to recover.

Tianji Island has only one large spiritual vein, which is far inferior to that of the Tai Ming Sect.

After Chen Yuan emerged from seclusion, Tianjizi had been waiting outside Misty Peak for two days.

Chen Yuan summoned him into his cave and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Tianji, there's no need for that. I will inform you after I leave seclusion."

Tianjizi bowed deeply: "This junior dared not keep the senior waiting, and has come to offer the cultivation resources of Zhenhai Sect that I have obtained."

He took out six mustard seed rings and twelve storage bags, placed them on the table, and said respectfully, "As instructed by the senior, this junior personally led people to carefully search the Zhenhai Sect's mountain gate, as well as its six spirit stone mines, eleven spirit material mines, eight spirit herb gardens, fifteen spirit plant gardens, and four markets."

"All the acquired items have been categorized and organized, and they are all here."

Chen Yuan scanned the contents with his divine sense and found that each of the mustard seed rings and storage bags was filled with various treasures.

Spiritual materials and magical artifacts, jade slips and scrolls, elixirs and spiritual herbs, spiritual stones and demonic materials, etc., are all available.

Low-level cultivation resources, especially those below the Core Formation stage, account for at least 90%.

Chen Yuan did not carefully count the items. He looked up at Tianjizi and said, "Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist. You may keep one-tenth of these treasures."

Tianjizi's expression became even more respectful: "Senior displayed great power and wiped out the Zhenhai Sect in one night. I merely led people to take over the sea area under its jurisdiction and plundered treasures. My contribution was minimal. How could I shamelessly share the treasures?"

Seeing that he refused, Chen Yuan did not insist. He put away the mustard seed ring and the storage bag, got up and took his leave.

Tianjizi tried to persuade Chen Yuan to stay, but Chen Yuan was determined to leave and departed Tianji Sect with Jing Shuhan.

Tianjizi personally escorted him off Tianji Island before returning home.

Chen Yuan separated a wisp of light, wrapped it around Jing Shuhan, and flew into the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Demons in just a few hours.

A hint of doubt flashed in Jing Shuhan's eyes: "Husband, that ancient teleportation array is in the Silent Sea, why are we coming to the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Demons?"

Chen Yuan said, "Before heading to Donghua Continent, there is one more matter that I need to attend to."

Seeing this, Jing Shuhan stopped asking questions and simply followed Chen Yuan silently.

A day later, the two arrived at the easternmost part of the Ten Thousand Demon Sea, above a bottomless abyss.

Chen Yuan instructed Jing Shuhan: "Wait for me on that island, I'll be right back."

Jing Shuhan agreed and turned to fly towards the deserted island.

Chen Yuan descended into the sea and entered the bottomless abyss.

Chen Yuan stirred up the heavy seawater. When he arrived six thousand feet below, black spiritual energy swirled around him, drilling into his body and slowly purifying the Kunpeng's true blood.

Chen Yuan continued moving until he reached the bottom of the bottomless abyss.

A massive spatial rift lay silently on the seabed, its two sides flanked by steep, precipitous rock walls, resembling two towering walls.

Chen Yuan took a deep look at the spatial rift, then turned around and swam a hundred feet away, stopping in front of a cliff.

The cliffs here, like those elsewhere, are dark and unremarkable.

Chen Yuan stared at the cliff, then suddenly activated the Kunpeng True Blood, and a pair of broad black wings stretched out from his back.

Sensing that extremely subtle spatial fluctuation, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Chen Yuan raised his hands, and a layer of condensed black blades appeared, which he plunged deep into the cliff face and began to dig.

The sheer cliffs of the deep abyss are constantly subjected to the scouring of the heavy seawater, as well as the erosion of spatial turbulence and even spatial storms.

Over the years, it has become extremely hard and has been imbued with a faint spatial power.

Although it cannot be considered a spatial spiritual material, it is by no means something that can be destroyed by ordinary means.

But in the face of the Black Blade, the hard cliff was as soft as a piece of tofu.

With a gentle grab, a large chunk of rock shattered and fell off.

With a thought, he collected the excavated rock into his mustard seed ring and continued on his way.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Chen Yuan had dug out a tunnel several tens of feet long.

Still feeling that the speed was not enough, he unleashed four short arrows with Kun feathers as an aid.

An hour later, Chen Yuan had already gone hundreds of feet into the cliff, and the jade pendant in his body suddenly became warm.

Chen Yuan was overjoyed and sped up.

Two hours later, he went even deeper, over a thousand feet, and finally stopped.

A huge underground cavity, thousands of feet in size, appeared ahead of the passage.

A drop of blood, the size of a fist, hung in the center of the cavity, tinged with a faint purple hue.

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up. The spatial fluctuation he sensed suddenly became stronger, and it was coming from this drop of blood.

Within this underground cavern, the black spiritual energy was extremely concentrated, significantly accelerating the purification of the Kunpeng's true blood.

The jade pendant also became scalding hot at this moment. Without further hesitation, Chen Yuan moved and came to the blood bead, took out a jade bottle, and put it away.

He turned back into the passage, took the excavated rock from the mustard seed ring, and resealed the passage.

Five hours later, Chen Yuan finally returned to the bottomless abyss, and the passage he had dug was blocked up again.

The surface was then sealed with an earth-gathering technique, leaving no flaws.

Without careful inspection, it would be impossible to detect that the cliff face had been dug open.

However, Chen Yuan still carefully checked several times with his divine sense to make sure that no trace had been left before he felt relieved. He then used his escape light to swim upwards.

The blood bead contained the true blood of the Kunpeng, its origin unknown, and it was not appropriate for the other four Nascent Soul cultivators to know about it.

Chen Yuan flew out of the sea, and Jing Shuhan, who was meditating on the deserted island, opened her eyes and flew towards them in a flash.

Chen Yuan stepped forward, looking apologetic: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Jing Shuhan smiled faintly: "My husband's affairs are important. The scenery here is beautiful. I only waited for one day, which is nothing."

Chen Yuan smiled, grasped Jing Shuhan's hand, and with a flash of light, flew westward.

Two days later, Chen Yuan and Jing Shuhan arrived at the deserted island in the Silent Sea, where the ancient teleportation array was located, and stopped.

A cultivator flew up from the island, exuding murderous intent, but upon seeing the two, he put on a smiling face and came forward to greet them.

He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and asked, "Senior Brother Chen, Junior Sister Jing, are you two returning to the sect?"

This person was none other than Bai Yanji. Chen Yuan returned the greeting: "Indeed, Junior Brother Bai. How long have you been guarding this formation?"

Bai Yanji smiled and said, "Six years ago, I replaced Senior Brother Zhuge. Please, both of you."

He raised his hand and guided Chen Yuan and Jing Shuhan to descend into the valley.

A three-story building was constructed in the valley, made of spirit wood. At this moment, the windows on the third floor were open, revealing the elegant interior furnishings.

After the Dual Cultivation Ceremony, Chen Yuan handed over the Great Teleportation Token to Jin Luoheng. Zhuge Qi and Bai Yanji then took turns guarding the ancient teleportation array here, rotating every ten years.

Chen Yuan glanced at Bai Yanji; he still hadn't broken through the bottleneck and remained at the early Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then took out a mustard seed ring given to him by Tianjizi and probed it with his divine sense.

After a while, he took out a jade bottle from his mustard seed ring and handed it to Bai Yanji: "Junior Brother Bai, this is the Jinghai Pill from the Zhenhai Sect. It is somewhat helpful for breaking through the bottleneck of the mid-stage Nascent Soul. Please accept it."

Bai Yanji's face lit up with joy as he accepted the jade bottle and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen."

He put away the jade bottle, as if he had remembered something, and a look of doubt flashed in his eyes: "This Jinghai Pill is extremely precious. The Zhenhai Sect has always kept it secret. Where did Senior Brother Chen get it?"

Chen Yuan smiled but did not explain.

Jing Shuhan smiled faintly: "Senior Brother Bai will know in the future."

Bai Yanji's eyes deepened with doubt as he watched the two walk onto the stone platform, take out eight high-grade spirit stones, toss them into the groove, activate the ancient teleportation array, and disappear. (End of Chapter)