"Well, it seems this is the only way for now," Master Xuanyang sighed.
“Alright then,” Master Danton nodded in agreement.
Xu Kong glanced at Tian Yuanzi and nodded, saying, "Then let's go."
The group transformed into streaks of light and disappeared into the air, heading westward.
Inside a quiet little temple in the western mountains, in a side room, amidst the gentle fragrance, Wang Gui's spirit flickered in and out of existence. The Tian Shan snow lotus, which hadn't been very tall to begin with, had grown to the height of an adult, and had become slender and graceful, resembling the body of a young woman at first glance. It was becoming increasingly solid.
And in the Jade Void Palace of Kunlun Mountain.
Fei Ling Fei Hua's body began to appear and disappear, almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person. Both of them had their eyes slightly closed, their expressions solemn, seemingly entering a very important phase. The entrance to the cave where they were located was also blocked by a strange light barrier. It was a protective formation set up by Tian Yuan Zi, used to guard the two of them.
It seems that the time for the two of them to wake up and start anew is not far off.
Underground in the western suburbs of Gaoping County, Shaanxi Province.
Li Yang sat upright with his eyes closed. His entire body radiated a dazzling golden light, even more intense than before, and a terrifying pressure gradually emanated from him, almost rivaling the chilling, piercing Heavenly Net Blood-Transforming Divine Blade below. Little White, who had been hiding on the ground protecting Li Yang, trembled violently, not daring to approach within ten meters of him. Hiding in a distant corner, he secretly watched, his eyes flashing with shock and fear.
Li Yang was unaware of the situation outside. He was simply following the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique step by step in his cultivation. With a constant supply of energy, he had no worries about improving. He cultivated methodically and with great enjoyment. Often, the sensations he experienced during cultivation were not much different from those between men and women during sex, and perhaps even more pleasurable.
Li Yang was immersed in the joy of improvement, which was very exciting and thrilling. He couldn't care less about the outside world and was only focused on cultivation. His realm improved little by little, and his body became more and more perfect. He was advancing towards the highest realm described in the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique, the Vajra Indestructible.
Although Li Yang was unaware of the situation outside, he was acutely aware of his own. As waves of strange energy emanated from his body, it was as if he were coated in golden paint, his entire being turning golden, even his eyes and hair. Along with these energy fluctuations from Tang Feng, a strange aura and oppressive force began to emanate, even including the terrifying, ferocious energy of the Heavenly Blood Transformation Divine Blade below.
The already weak seal below suddenly began to tremble. Although the malevolent energy below seemed abundant, it couldn't withstand the frenzied absorption by Li Yang and the Heavenly Luo Blood Transformation Divine Blade, could it? Not only was most of the malevolent energy inside consumed, but the seal itself also became shaky and rendered ineffective.
Meanwhile, Tian Yuanzi and the others, who were heading west towards the Xuan Yin Cave in the sky, almost all sensed the strange fluctuations and looked towards Shaanxi with shocked expressions. After all, they knew about these seals; they were the result of the combined efforts of the founders of their major sects to seal them, preventing the malevolent energy and vengeful spirits from unleashing their power to wreak havoc on the world. Their responsibility was to protect and guard them. Suddenly sensing these eerie fluctuations, their hearts skipped a beat, and they all had a bad premonition.
"What's going on? I can sense an unusual fluctuation in the Changping mass grave," Tian Yuanzi said, frowning as he stopped in mid-air.
"I had the same feeling. It's like someone has disturbed it. The seal seems very weak, as if it could be destroyed at any moment," Master Xuan Yang said in shock.
"Who has such great power to break the seal?" Master Dandong shouted.
"There aren't many people in the world who can tamper with the Changping Seal. Not counting us, the experts of the demonic path haven't made any moves either. Who could it be?" Void Leader pondered, stroking his beard.
"Whoever it is, why don't we go and see for ourselves?" Master Dandong suggested.
"Then what should we do about this trip?" Master Xuanyang looked at Zhang Tianyi. This is a very tricky situation, and we can't afford to make any mistakes.
"How about we split into two groups? We are now among the top experts in the cultivation world, and we're all here. No matter how strong someone is, they can't surpass us in terms of power. I'll go check it out with Xu Kong, while you guys continue towards Xuan Yin Cave. We'll meet up with you later." Tian Yuanzi made the decision.
"That's the only way for now. Let's split into two groups." Zhang Tianyi agreed with Tian Yuanzi's suggestion.
"Alright. Let's go." Master Danton didn't object. After all, he wasn't an unreasonable person.
Tian Yuanzi and Xu Kong changed direction and rode their immortal swords straight towards Li Yang.
Li Yang, underground, was unaware of the situation outside. He sensed he was close to reaching the Vajra Indestructible Realm, but was stuck just one level short, causing him great frustration. Furthermore, the previously abundant malevolent energy below had suddenly become insufficient; most of it had been absorbed by the Heavenly Net Blood Transformation Divine Blade, leaving him with only a small portion—far from enough. If he couldn't seize this opportunity to break through, it would be difficult to find such a chance again.
Damn it, after absorbing thousands of years of malevolent energy in a period of seclusion, he actually reached the eighth level of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique, equivalent to the late stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation. He was only one step away from the Earth Immortal realm, which is the ninth stage of the final level of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique. But it was this one step that blocked Li Yang's progress, preventing him from advancing any further.
Meanwhile, Tian Yuanzi and Xu Kong had already rushed over.
"If I'm going to do something, I might as well go all the way!" Li Yang snorted coldly, drawing out the Heavenly Net Blood Transformation Divine Blade and placing it in the air, no longer absorbing the malevolent energy below. Meanwhile, golden light shone from his hand as he slammed his fist heavily into the thin seal below. The seal trembled, revealing several splashes of water.
The ordinary ripples made a soft popping sound and immediately cracked. Li Yang immediately inserted his hand, and a pure, fierce aura surged forth, which was quickly absorbed by his hand. Instantly, a wave of exhilarating sensation spread through him.
Chapter 955: Horror, Utter Horror
The feeling of powerlessness he had just experienced vanished instantly, replaced by the exhilarating sensation of leveling up, surging through his body in waves as it pushed him through the final few hurdles. However, these final hurdles seemed to be the most crucial ones. They were far more difficult than previous advancements, consuming a considerable amount of energy with minimal results. His cultivation level remained almost stagnant. He was stuck at the late stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation, unable to progress any further.
Li Yang was so annoyed.
He could only absorb the energy below even more frantically. Waves of powerful, malevolent energy were absorbed into his body and transformed into the vast, pure Buddhist power, gradually strengthening and toughening his physical body. However, although a considerable amount of malevolent energy entered, his cultivation level remained stagnant, as if this energy had little effect on breaking through his cultivation barrier.
"Not good!" Li Yang suddenly felt the malevolent energy below gradually weakening, as if it was becoming insufficient.
"Damn it, at this crucial moment, the supply is insufficient. What the hell? Are they playing me for a fool?" Li Yang cursed inwardly. If he hadn't reached such a high level, he would have stopped cultivating and vented his anger. Fortunately, despite his outburst, he remained calm and continued cultivating.
The energy was gradually decreasing, becoming even less effective than when it had attacked the barrier earlier. If the energy intensity had remained the same, it might have been able to break through that formidable barrier someday.
"Yes. But now the energy is decreasing, it's about to disappear, it's gone. Holy crap, isn't that meant his cultivation level would be permanently stuck at the late stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation?" He suddenly realized why those powerful figures in the cultivation world were all at the late stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation. It wasn't that they were stupid and didn't want to improve, or that their conditions weren't right. It was that they desperately wanted to improve, but couldn't. Li Yang was now facing this very dilemma, and it was giving him a real headache.
"No, I have to get through this hurdle this time. If I fail, I'll still be doomed when I get out. Those old bastards will definitely team up against me. At that time, I'll only be at the late stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation, just like them. Maybe with the help of the Heavenly Net Blood Transformation Divine Blade, I can defeat one of them. But can I defeat two? Three? Obviously not. I have to reach the Earth Immortal realm~" Li Yang snorted coldly, pondering in his heart.
He gritted his teeth and continued making the order. Now he couldn't help but think about the Demon Blood again. Damn it, if he hadn't lost the Demon Blood, wouldn't entering the Earth Immortal realm have been much easier? Now he was stuck.
Meanwhile, Xiao Bai, who was hiding on the ground protecting Li Yang, cowered to one side, watching the astonishing pressure emanating from Li Yang, not daring to approach. She knew that Li Yang was at a crucial moment in his cultivation and should not be disturbed. But when she didn't want to disturb him, some people just wouldn't let her have an easy time.
Two streaks of light suddenly appeared in the sky, hurtling towards them like shooting stars. Their speed was incredibly fast; from the moment they were seen to their arrival, it seemed like only a blink of an eye. Xiao Bai's face turned pale instantly. "Damn it, a top expert has arrived! I'm no match for them at all."
Meanwhile, underground, Li Yang slowly absorbed all the malevolent energy below, leaving not a single drop. Having exhausted all he could absorb, Li Yang had no choice but to withdraw his hands. Looking at his hands, he felt frustrated. He was at a crucial moment, on the verge of a breakthrough, but he was stuck.
"Where can I find a super large energy cluster? Without a super large energy cluster, I'll be stuck forever. This is so uncomfortable. So frustrating!" Li Yang frowned, deep in thought with a headache.
His divine sense wandered throughout his body, checking his cultivation progress. He found everything was fine, and his cultivation level was much higher than before. However, he couldn't take the final step; he was stuck at the last hurdle between immortals and mortals.
He was incredibly distressed, but when his divine sense suddenly swept over the second primordial spirit, his eyes lit up. "Holy crap, this second primordial spirit is at the early stage of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation! Its strength is incredible, its energy is immense! If I can absorb its energy, I might be able to break through the final barrier!" Li Yang's blood boiled with excitement. He decided to act immediately. Once his main body was strong enough, he could figure out how to deal with the second primordial spirit later. As long as his main body was strong enough, the second primordial spirit was just an aid and could be abandoned.
"Let's do it!" Li Yang snorted coldly, making up his mind to do it. He immediately summoned his second primordial spirit, absorbing its powerful energy wave after wave, which he then devoured into his main body. Instantly, powerful and pure magical power surged into his body. Li Yang immediately felt extremely comfortable. Although his cultivation level remained stagnant, he felt much better than before.
"Keep going, keep going, keep pushing..." Li Yang shouted to himself in his heart, striving to sprint towards the final hurdle.
Outside, Tian Yuanzi and Xu Kong had already reached the sky. They hovered in the air, their brows furrowed as they looked down. Tian Yuanzi's expression suddenly darkened. "That's right," he said, "the seal here has been disturbed, and the malevolent energy seems to be gone. This...this is unbelievable. Such powerful malevolent energy, just vanished like that? Who has such ability to absorb such a large amount of malevolent energy?"
Void frowned and shook his head, saying, "I couldn't have guessed it either. It's terrifying that it could actually make such a powerful malevolent aura disappear. It's unbelievable. What exactly happened?"