What Is a Spirit Manor?

Streams of gentle wind blew into the Flourishing of the Many Realms, suffusing this realm with an abundance of life and vitality. Yet for heaven and earth, this vital force was exceptionally dangerous, for it was entirely beyond control—it could grow without bound, drawing nourishment from everything in this world. Left undamaged, the blossoms and trees would grow endlessly; when damaged, they would condense all their energy into a single spot, unleash an attack, and reduce their true forms to nothingness—effectively gouging flesh from this world piece by piece. Moreover, the reason this tribulation was named Phantasm Wind was that it could adapt to a spirit manor's defenses, automatically shifting between states of mutual generation and overcoming—making it the foremost nemesis of any Scenery Command spirit manor. Should the spirit manor activate one defense, such as an earth-phase defense, the next wave of phantasm winds would switch to wood-phase. Beyond the Five Elements' mutual restraints, it possessed targeted counter-measures across Yin-Yang and numerous other aspects. Such a heavenly tribulation was practically tailored by heaven and earth specifically for Wei Yuan and his myriad methods. The numerous phantasm winds quickly locked onto the newly erected spirit manor. Stream after stream brushed against it, instantly splashing diverse hues across this previously colorless, magnificent palace. The countless creatures and beasts in the lowest tier of the spirit manor came alive, battling frantically against the crazily spreading wild flowers and grasses. Countless petals and shredded leaves flew across the sky. Yet the roots of these plants were extraordinarily developed, and their growth rate was shockingly swift; often, when a wildflower was pulled up by its roots, it tore away a sizable chunk of flesh and blood along with it. The spirit manor's Dao-protecting creatures were numerous, yet every gust of phantasm wind brought a fresh expanse of green and motley wildflowers. As the flora grew, it siphoned spiritual energy from the spirit beasts' bodies; indeed, everything around them could be turned into nourishment to fuel mad growth, before dissolving into nothingness. Thus, with every gust of phantasm wind that swept past, a gouge appeared upon the spirit manor. Though the manor's spirit beasts were formidable in battle, they could not withstand an unending onslaught. The weakest among them gradually became covered in wounds, eventually overgrown with flowering trees, until they collapsed and vanished. In the sky, the ten-thousand-li tribulation clouds grew ever brighter, like a sea of glittering gold and crimson, relentlessly shedding wisps of phantasm wind with no end in sight. Based on past experience, Wei Yuan would not be surprised even if this heavenly tribulation lasted several hundred days. As his cultivation advanced by the day, heaven and earth's hostility toward him had become increasingly blatant. This hostility felt somewhat baffling. Among the past Palace Masters of the Palace of Grand Beginning, there had been plenty of peerless, ferocious figures, yet never had any been heard of being targeted so harshly by heaven and earth. Moreover, Wei Yuan was a child of karmic destiny, someone who ought to enjoy heaven and earth's favor—which made it make even less sense. Wei Yuan knew that complaining before heaven and earth was useless; he could only steady his mind and face it. Caught entirely unprepared, he had no choice but to counter each move as it came. Under the relentless assault of the phantasm winds, the lowest tier of the spirit manor gradually began to falter. At this moment, clumps of jade bamboo suddenly sprouted among the flowering trees, swaying without wind as their leaves shot forth countless flying swords. Not only did the flying swords shred the phantasm wind flower trees, but slicing away a portion caused the entire flowering tree to wither and die, and they could even slash directly through the phantasm winds. The emergence of this vast bamboo grove instantly relieved much of the pressure on the spirit manor. Han Li, having just attained Scenery Command, saw the dire situation and set aside consolidating his cultivation to act immediately against the heavenly tribulation. Outside the spirit manor, that stalk of lingzhi grass appeared once more, swaying and casting glittering motes of light that landed upon the damaged portions of the manor, rapidly mending them. What was more, the restored areas were noticeably sturdier than before. Then, nearly half the spirit manor dimmed as night fell and starlight began to shimmer across the mortal realm. Beneath the curtain of night, the range of the lingzhi grass's repairs expanded dramatically, while the sea of sword bamboo unleashed even more flying swords, sustained for far longer. With the three joining forces, they held off one side of the spirit manor, vastly reducing the strain on the entire structure and halting the spread of damage. The three's mindscape worlds complemented one another seamlessly—one attacking, one healing, and one amplifying—uniting into boundless power that could truly hold its own. However, the next wave of phantasm winds shifted, growing distinctly larger and thicker. A single strike from a bamboo sword could no longer obliterate them completely. At the same time, their elemental affinity shifted subtly to counter Han Li's flying swords, causing their effectiveness to drop sharply. As a result, the three could no longer completely block the winds on their flank, managing to intercept only a fraction. By now, an uproar rose from Central City. Numerous cultivators surged out and formed battle arrays under the direction of the Holy Battle Hall's cultivators. Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong each took charge of a grand formation, continually channeling formation power to combat the heavenly tribulation. The living beings within the Flourishing of the Many Realms had actually neutralized nearly half the heavenly tribulation's power! For the first time, Wei Yuan recognized the strength of united wills within the Flourishing of the Many Realms. Countless independent-thinking individuals, when facing a crisis of survival, could unleash power beyond imagination. The Phantasm Wind Tribulation shifted once more, the elemental attributes of each wave fine-tuning continuously, instantly heaping immense pressure on the two grand formations. At that moment, a patch of starry night descended to envelop both formations, instantly boosting their operating speed by half. Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong poured everything into discerning the attributes the moment the phantasm winds appeared and guiding the formations to adjust their responses. Only thus could they barely hold the line. In the blink of an eye, both were drenched in sweat; such intense strain far exceeded their normal capacity, yet they gritted their teeth and held on. Fortunately, beyond the formations stood many substitute cultivators. In the intervals between formation cycles, coordinated by the Flourishing of the Many Realms, they stepped in to replace those whose Dao power was depleted. Only Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong's expenditure could not be relieved. Thus, the heavenly tribulation seemed endless. Though the damage to the spirit manor slowly mounted, it remained far from total destruction. The two sides entered a stalemate. Yet Wei Yuan knew this stalemate could not last long, primarily because Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong could not hold out much longer. Aside from the two of them, no one else had the capability to helm a thousand-person formation; breaking down into multiple hundred-person small formations would drastically reduce their overall strength. With a shift of intent, Wei Yuan began channeling the power of his mindscape world to empower Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong, extending the time they could endure to half an hour. Half an hour was indeed very brief, but in this situation, it was enough time to watch and wait for further developments. Above Qingming, Wei Yuan stood suspended in midair. Tangible yet formless phantasm winds blew steadily into his body, yet he wore a relaxed expression, as if he were merely enjoying a gentle breeze on his face. In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed. Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong could no longer hold out and were rotated out to rest, causing the rate of damage to the spirit manor to spike sharply. Yet Wei Yuan remained calm and unruffled, as if nothing were happening. He knew the heavenly tribulation would never end like this, nor would his enemies simply sit by and watch. After another half-hour of stalemate, a faint eye suddenly appeared at the center of the tribulation, possessing an eerie square pupil, staring fixedly at Wei Yuan. Suddenly, most of the pale, fish-scale tribulation clouds thickened, their originally translucent texture turning nearly solid! The phantasm winds descending from the clouds transformed into various phantasmal beasts and spiritual creatures, visibly endowed with greater spirit and possessing far more extreme, targeted attributes. A massive contingent of fire-phase phantasmal beasts was added, clearly intended to suppress Han Li's sword bamboo sea. With this escalation of the heavenly tribulation, the destructive slaughter surged, and the rate of degradation on the spirit manor spiked dozens of times over. Less than three hours remained before it would be completely destroyed, and in just one hour it would sustain permanent damage, jeopardizing Wei Yuan's future Dao path. Wei Yuan still did not move, nor did the tribulation change; both sides remained locked in quiet confrontation. The faint eye in the heavens seemed to blink, and more and more phantasm winds rained down. Suddenly, several colossal primeval savage beasts plummeted from the clouds! The intensity of the heavenly tribulation had climbed to unprecedented heights. By Wei Yuan's estimates, the time until the spirit manor's destruction had collapsed to less than a quarter of an hour. The first primeval savage beast charged into the mindscape world, its size—originally exceeding a thousand zhang—instantly compressed to around a hundred zhang. Galloping swift as lightning, like a moving mountain, it slammed violently toward the spirit manor! Dozens of grand formations hurled streaming flames and ice phoenixes simultaneously, crashing into the savage beast, yet only shrinking its stature by ten zhang. Immediately after, countless flying swords rose from the sword bamboo sea, pelting the beast like torrential rain; each flying sword that pierced its body blasted away a large chunk of flesh and blood. By now in Qingming, the concept of explosions had taken deep root, and many divine arts and methods used by cultivators in the Flourishing of the Many Realms bore traces of explosive design. Han Li struck with all his might in this round, reducing the primeval savage beast's size by another twenty zhang. But the remaining seventy zhang was still a colossal titan. Charging forward, it smashed headlong into the spirit manor! In an instant, thousands of spirit beasts shattered into oblivion, and countless spiderweb cracks fractured across the base below. A swarm of spirit manor beasts surged forth, pouncing upon the primeval savage beast and tearing into it with tooth and claw. After taking a few bites, many spirit beasts collapsed and dispersed. Though the primeval savage beast appeared to have the form of a beast, it was actually condensed from the power of the heavenly tribulation, its entire body made of tribulation wind. For the spirit beasts, tearing into it was tantamount to devouring tribulation wind; after a few mouthfuls, they were annihilated by the gale. Spirit beasts perished in massive swarms, while the primeval savage beast roared with earth-shattering fury to no avail, helpless as its form dwindled smaller and smaller until it was finally submerged by the beast horde. The primeval phantasm wind savage beast was destroyed, but the spirit manor had sustained severe damage, teetering on the brink of permanent harm and demotion in grade. Yet this was merely the first beast; a second had already entered the mindscape world, with several more on their way. At this critical juncture, the second tier of the spirit manor suddenly shuddered, and countless ritual apparatuses representing the Great Dao of heaven and earth began to operate. Countless tracks and rings intertwined, their paths of motion influencing and driving one another in an immensely intricate display. With a single glance, Wei Yuan saw that behind the movement of every ritual apparatus lay a mathematical law. Every two or three apparatuses combined to form a new pattern, and when all were joined together, they formed an entirely new, complete system. Brought together, all the ritual apparatuses were a simplified cosmos. Watching the movement of these apparatuses, Wei Yuan was suddenly struck by an epiphany. It turned out that mathematics was a special eye, helping those whose cultivation had not yet reached the heights to see the reality of a higher, vaster, and more complex world. It was also a special language that recorded the truths of the world and presented them to those who could understand it. With this realization, Wei Yuan instantly felt his comprehension elevate another notch. Yet now was not the time to study the heavenly ritual apparatuses or decipher the mathematical laws behind them. Maintaining his detached poise, he closely monitored the stirrings of the heavenly tribulation while mobilizing his stored karmic luck, continuously blessing the cultivators within the Flourishing of the Many Realms. Under the empowerment of karmic luck, the cultivators' strengths rose like boats lifted by a rising tide. Lei Ling and Dugu Cangqiong's power recovered rapidly as well, and they would soon be able to rejoin the fight. Once the spirit manor's ritual apparatuses began turning, the entire manor started ascending continuously, ultimately reaching five hundred zhang in height—a majestic sight of boundless grandeur! With the spirit manor's transformation, the number of spirit beasts at the base surged, and among them appeared several primeval spiritual savage beasts of their own. As a result, the spirit manor's estimated endurance skyrocketed to several months. Yet Wei Yuan knew that given the temperament of this realm's heaven and earth, it would never let things rest so easily. Sure enough, that colossal, indistinct Heavenly Eye blinked, and suddenly a gigantic phantasmal tiger leaped from its pupil! The phantasmal tiger moved with astonishing speed, plunging into the Flourishing of the Many Realms in an instant and slamming directly into the spirit manor! In an instant, countless spirit beasts dissolved into ash. Han Li, Jun Weizhi, and Fuyao all coughed up blood and collapsed, while thousands of cultivators across dozens of formations were thrown into disarray, some dissolving into beams of light and vanishing forever between heaven and earth. A ten-zhang tidal wave suddenly surged across the sea, and countless marine creatures were wiped out in this apocalyptic cataclysm. Even the ritual apparatuses on the second tier of the spirit manor deviated in their rotation, grinding against one another and throwing off massive showers of sparks. This single strike instantly knocked the spirit manor's endurance back down to a single day. Wei Yuan still stood with his hands clasped behind his back, largely because the phantasmal tiger was formless and intangible, leaving him no means to intercept it with his current methods. Now, he immediately channeled ten million strands of mortal karmic luck into the spirit manor. Its restoration speed accelerated dramatically, restoring its endurance to ten days. In the sky, primeval savage beasts began to appear in packs and herds, virtually endless! Wei Yuan's heart sank slightly as the estimated endurance dropped once more to three days. This time, what charged in first was not one, nor a few, but over a hundred mountain-like primeval savage beasts! Yet halfway through their charge, their speed suddenly slowed. Many even turned their heads toward another direction, hesitation and confusion clearly visible in their eyes. At the edge of the firmament, the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven emerged, rippling with bands of pale yellow waves. Wherever the ripples passed, the auras of all the primeval savage beasts weakened drastically, and some even dissolved directly! Wei Yuan was thoroughly astonished. The newly erected grand hall within the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven was actually a spirit manor as well?! Who was the true spirit inside it? Could it be Jialuo, who had just transformed from a heavenly demon? The Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven's attack happened to counter the primeval savage beasts, proving extraordinarily effective; a single ripple stripped away nearly half their vitality. After several ripples washed over them, all the beasts were reduced to barely thirty or forty percent of their power. The spirit manor's endurance instantly stretched to three months. Now caught in a dilemma, the primeval savage beasts knew that the central spirit manor was their primary target, but leaving the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven unchecked made breaching the central manor impossible. Yet if they turned to attack the Yellow Springs spirit manor, they would in turn be countered by the central spirit manor. Only now did Wei Yuan put his mind at ease. It seemed this Sweeping Spring Mist Phantasm Wind Tribulation could be weathered smoothly after all. Heaven and earth wouldn't be so idle as to actually force him to undergo tribulation for several months. If it truly did, the authority Wei Yuan might gain control of would be terrifyingly immense—vast enough that heaven and earth could not tolerate it. Just as Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly saw, not far ahead, a youth step out of the void, wearing a radiant smile. The youth then pointed a finger toward the sky, shooting a stream of frigid chill straight at the Heavenly Eye! This strike actually forced the Heavenly Eye shut for an instant, creating a fracture in the heavenly tribulation! This was forcibly interfering with the heavenly tribulation! The Heavenly Eye snapped open in the next breath, its pupil blazing with tribulation fire! It first locked onto the youth, who froze in place as invisible tribulation fire ignited all over him. But the youth's body split apart, and another youth climbed out from within, leaving behind an empty husk to be consumed by the tribulation flames. This youth clearly possessed a secret art, capable of deceiving the heavenly tribulation by shedding an empty shell to die in his place while making good his escape. Yet the Sweeping Spring Mist Phantasm Wind Tribulation was already an exceptionally rare and terrifyingly powerful tribulation to begin with. With the youth's interference, heaven and earth were enraged, and the tribulation's intensity surged abruptly to a whole new level! From the tribulation clouds, a phantasmal phoenix slowly descended, surrounded by a flock of dozens of primeval luan birds. In an instant, the spirit manor's endurance plummeted to half a quarter of an hour! Wei Yuan glared at the youth, biting out every syllable: "Lü. Chang. He!" The youth offered a radiant smile and waved his hand at Wei Yuan, gesturing farewell forever.