Breakthrough

Two years later. Sensing that the restrictions on his cave abode had been touched, the incarnation awakened from his meditative absorption and welcomed Saint Huiguang and the Azure Fox Saint King into the chamber. During this time, the Azure Fox Saint King had traveled to Jingkong Island in the Eastern Sea to relocate the ancient Spirit Gathering Array and had gathered the spirit herbs and materials the incarnation requested from the demon race, only returning now. Thud! Thud! Thud... The ground shook. Several streaks of flowing light shot from the Azure Fox Saint King's fingertips and struck the ground, turning into four thirty-foot-tall sculptures—statues of the Four Sages: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. "The Four Sages statues are a part of the spirit gathering array. This king also calls it the Four Sages Spirit Gathering Array, and this is the core array disk." With another flick of the Azure Fox Saint King's hand, an octagonal bagua array disk flew toward the incarnation. Gleaming with silver light, the array disk was merely the size of an ordinary compass. The incarnation reached out and caught it, finding it surprisingly heavy, crafted from materials he could not identify. There were many patterns etched upon the disk, yet they were not orderly runes, but a dense mesh of cracks—a truly wretched sight. Even though the Azure Fox Saint King had warned him beforehand, seeing the array disk's state with his own eyes still made the incarnation subconsciously lighten his touch, fearful of damaging it. Looking at the Four Sages statues, they were only slightly better off than the disk. He could not help casting a dubious glance at the Azure Fox Saint King. The Azure Fox Saint King said in a languid tone, "Since you could cultivate to the late Nascent Soul stage, you cannot be utterly ignorant of the dao of arrays. Once you test it, you will know this king speaks no falsehood—it is more than enough to support your cultivation. Of course, if you can comprehend the true Four Sages Spirit Gathering Array from these array implements, that would be an opportunity even this king would envy." The incarnation could sense the mockery in his tone. Evidently, the Azure Fox Saint King was certain that he could never comprehend the true spirit gathering array. If it were truly that easy, it would not have been traded for such a price. "Please wait a moment, you two..." The incarnation rose and beckoned. The four sacred statues shrank down into his palms, and he carried them into the inner chamber. In the inner chamber, following the Azure Fox Saint King's instructions, the incarnation set up the Four Sages statues and the array disk, matching them in strict correspondence to the cardinal directions of the Four Sages. Along with them was the Ten-Thousand-Li Azure Void Array brought by Saint Huiguang. With Ganlu Zen Monastery fully cooperating, all the implements for the Ten-Thousand-Li Azure Void Array had been forged long ago. Both arrays were now set up in the incarnation's cave abode. The moment the Four Sages Spirit Gathering Array was completed, the four statues vanished simultaneously. Then, upon the four cardinal directions of the array disk, depictions of the Four Sacred Beasts emerged, their heads all aligned toward the center of the disk with jaws slightly parted, as if inhaling and exhaling breath toward the array's core. The incarnation felt the spiritual energy in the cave abode violently surge as qi from all directions converged above the array, as though an invisible vortex had formed there. In all his years of cultivation, aside from the legends concerning several immortal palaces, this was the strongest spirit gathering array Qin Sang had ever witnessed! Stepping into the array, the incarnation silently circulated his energy for a full cycle. He instantly felt refreshed, finding cultivation noticeably easier than before; had he not been bound by a bottleneck, the experience would have been even more remarkable. The Azure Fox Saint King's prior description had not been exaggerated in the least. With such an aid, his true body would truly be like a tiger that had grown wings. "The Four Sages statues... My true body possesses the Nanming Primordial Fire. Could that be used to uncover the secrets of this array...?" Thoughts churning in his mind, the incarnation looked at the Vermilion Bird pattern beside him. Unfortunately, he felt no familiar aura from it. Having statues of the Four Sages did not necessarily mean the array was genuinely related to the Four Sages; it could merely have been an illusion employed by whoever created the array. Next, the incarnation set up the Ten-Thousand-Li Azure Void Array and cast a hand seal into the spirit array. The sound of wind abruptly arose. A gust of clear azure wind sprang from the array, circled briefly before the incarnation, and surged straight upward, abruptly dispersing without a trace the moment it touched the ceiling of the cave abode. At the same time. In Luye, Qin Sang's true body heard a crisp chiming of bells. To one side of his cave abode, an array of over a dozen fist-sized azure bells had been laid out to communicate with the Ten-Thousand-Li Azure Void Array. The cost of crafting the azure bells was far lower than the main body of the Ten-Thousand-Li Azure Void Array. The ringing bells indicated that there was a result on the incarnation's side. Roused, Qin Sang cast an incantation gesture. The chimes grew increasingly hurried, and a draft of clear azure wind gathered within the bell array, faintly taking on a humanoid contour. ... Three days later. The incarnation emerged from the inner chamber. Saint Huiguang and the Azure Fox Saint King were still waiting outside, showing no signs of impatience. The incarnation took out two freshly inscribed jade slips. "These are the formula for the Spirit Calming Incense and the alchemy heritage of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Qin has already arranged for personnel to deliver the Myriad Spirit Fruits and other spirit herbs within days..." The Azure Fox Saint King took the jade slips, left behind the spirit herbs and materials the incarnation required, and stood up to leave, merely saying, "This king will verify them later." "Amitabha. Excellent, excellent. That both patrons could turn weapons of war into gifts of jade and silk is truly a blessing for both races! A blessing for all sentient beings!" With a face full of gratification, Saint Huiguang stood up as well. "This poor monk shall not disturb Patron's quiet cultivation." "Please, Holy Monk." Having seen off the two Deity Transformation cultivators, the incarnation returned to the cave abode, put away the various treasures, and sat cross-legged. Facing his palms toward each other, frigid fiend qi poured forth from them, gathering into a white ball of vapor between his hands. The chill was strictly contained within inches, not dissipating in the slightest. The incarnation was doing this precisely to comprehend the frigid fiend qi and assault the late Nascent Soul bottleneck! At this time, the Heavenly Demon Spirit Reflection Sutra had been transmitted to the true body via the Ten-Thousand-Li Azure Void Array. Physical objects like the Four Sages Spirit Gathering Array were not convenient to send back for the time being, so they continued to wait for an opportune moment. Luye. Qin Sang's true body had his hands folded upon his knees, holding a jade slip inscribed with the complete Heavenly Demon Spirit Reflection Sutra. He had already read through the scripture dozens of times and was now contemplating it word by word. Compared to several Deity Transformation-grade Daoist arts like Hundredfold Yin Thunder, this sutra was not overly complicated. Though Qin Sang had not reached that realm, he could still grasp its crux. That critical crux was also where the scripture's greatest danger lay: it required one to actively set up an altar, cast incantations, and draw close to heavenly demons so as to channel a heavenly demon into one's body. Naturally, it was not the true form of a heavenly demon, but a wisp of demon nature—which could also be called demonic intent. The origin of this scripture could not be deduced from the text, but Qin Sang felt it resembled an evil art of the demonic sects, sharing the same underlying nuance as those demonic arts that disordered the seven emotions and overwhelmed the six desires. Even if one only channeled demonic intent, the demands placed upon the practitioner were extraordinarily high. First, one's disposition had to be sufficiently steadfast; otherwise, the heavenly demon's intent would stir inner demons. Second, one's divine consciousness had to be powerful enough to complete the entire incantation ritual. This was arguably even more important than mental fortitude, as the ritual took an immense toll. At the end of the ritual, once the demonic intent was channeled down, the connection had to be severed immediately; the slightest hesitation would truly draw the gaze of a heavenly demon, leading to eternal doom. Once the ritual was complete, the cultivator would be accompanied by the demonic intent at all times, using it to temper themselves, which meant they could also be counterattacked by the demonic intent at any moment. According to the scripture's requirements, one needed divine consciousness at the Deity Transformation level at the very least, with spiritual cultivators being preferable. Someone like him—who, at the Nascent Soul realm, had obtained various opportunities and possessed a chance to elevate his divine consciousness to the Deity Transformation level—had to proceed with utmost caution. With the Jade Buddha in his possession, Qin Sang's pressure was far lighter. He still remembered back in the Hall of Seven Kills, when the Demon Lord unleashed a secret art targeting the primordial soul, instantly wounding everyone grievously, yet the Jade Buddha had blocked it effortlessly. However, whether extraterrestrial heavenly demons or the Demon Lord were stronger was something Qin Sang had no way to compare. Moreover, having obtained this sutra from a demon fox harboring malice toward him, he had to be even more vigilant. In the cave abode, time lost all meaning. Qin Sang lost count of how many times he had scrutinized it, but he was certain the Azure Fox Saint King had not tampered with the text. Every sentence of the scripture was concise and precise; in profundity, it was not inferior in the slightest to scriptures passed down from the immortal palaces. Adding, omitting, or altering a single sentence would feel completely discordant. The one who created this sutra was undoubtedly no ordinary figure. Still, caution remained essential. The Jade Buddha could only protect his primordial soul. No one knew whether extraterrestrial heavenly demons possessed other bizarre and uncanny methods beyond stirring inner demons to kill. Setting up the altar and casting the incantation had to take place after refining the demonic fire's origin. Furthermore, he needed to wait for his incarnation to return so he could prepare a fallback. For anyone else, if an error occurred while casting the spell, they would have no ability to cope whatsoever—inner demons would instantly sprout, leaving zero chance of survival. Qin Sang was different: the Jade Buddha ensured the clarity of his mind. No matter how powerful the heavenly demon was, it should still buy him enough time to react. If an insurmountable disaster arose, he could immediately have the incarnation take the place of his true body, sever his connection with the external incarnation, and sacrifice the pawn to save the king. Whether substituting an external heavenly demon for an inner demon to condense the demonic seal would succeed, Qin Sang did not have absolute certainty. Yet recalling Senior Sister Qingjun's description of the Lifeless Demonic Seal, it was worth a try. Just like what Qin Sang was doing now: Fail, and he would discard an incarnation. Succeed, and he would obtain a Deity Transformation secret art. Since extraterrestrial heavenly demons could bewitch Void Refining cultivators, forming seals with demonic intent ought to be even more potent than with inner demons. His goal had never changed: breaking through to the next realm was his paramount objective above all else. For this, he would spare no expense—even his external incarnation was expendable. ... The stir caused by Daoist Qingfeng appearing at Ganlu Zen Monastery did not last long. The attention of the cultivation world was soon drawn elsewhere. What people relished discussing most was how, led by the two Deity Transformation cultivators, the human and demon races had assembled experts from all quarters to establish defenses across the storm belts to the north, east, and south of Zhongzhou, preparing for the hunt against the fierce beasts. The western region of Zhongzhou was a land of sprawling magma and surging flames where the likelihood of fierce beasts appearing was slim. By now, news of the fierce beasts wreaking havoc had spread widely throughout the cultivation world, known even to many Core Formation cultivators. After the initial panic, everyone's anxiety had gradually settled. News of fierce beasts grew increasingly scarce, unlike the earlier days when they roamed in packs; several decades had passed since the last time a fierce beast had crossed through Zhongzhou. Over all these years, aside from the fierce beasts emerging from who knew where, there had been no other changes, nor was there any sign of the barrier withstanding the storms weakening. Only those privy to the inside truth worried that something had gone awry in the beasts' nest, jeopardizing the path of ascension. Thus, when the two Deity Transformation cultivators made their rallying call, the world responded in droves. The human and demon races, and their various sects, united in rare solidarity, dispatching top experts to patrol the storm belts in rotation and report immediately upon any beast's appearance. Just like that, fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye. Ganlu Zen Monastery. Crackling sounds rang out unceasingly from within the incarnation's cave abode. Had anyone entered at this moment, they would have been astounded: the cave abode was biting with frost, transformed into an ice cavern with thick icicles clinging to the walls and a white frigid vapor swirling continuously through the chamber. If a Nascent Soul cultivator were careless for even a moment, they too would be injured by this chill. The frigid vapor constantly circled a seated figure—the incarnation. A layer of white frost covered his entire body as though he were frozen stiff. With every inhalation and exhalation, what he drew in and expelled was the surrounding cold vapor. As time went on, the chill grew thicker and thicker. The entire cave abode turned into a field of vast white. Suddenly, the frigid vapor ceased to flow. Time in the cave abode seemed to freeze alongside it. A hundred breaths later, extreme stillness shifted into violent motion. Visibly to the naked eye, the cold vapor coalesced into several streams and surged inward furiously, ultimately converging above the incarnation's crown and pouring into his body! Boom! The incarnation's body shuddered violently, a rumble like thunder erupting from within. On the other side of the mountain, an eminent monk within another cave abode abruptly snapped his eyes open. In a flicker, he appeared at the mountain peak, gazing toward the incarnation's cave abode while swiftly flicking his prayer beads. Suddenly, a long whistle rang out. As if drawn by an irresistible pull, the spiritual energy in the mountain surged madly toward the incarnation's cave abode, causing the peak to tremble. The anomaly persisted for a long time before finally dissipating. Before long. Light and shadow flickered before the monk, and a figure emerged—the incarnation. However, the incarnation's aura had undergone a drastic transformation: he was already in the late Nascent Soul stage! "I have disturbed the Holy Monk's quiet cultivation." The incarnation offered a bow. "Excellent! Congratulations to the Daoist for comprehending the profound mystery!" The monk clasped his palms together in return. The incarnation smiled. He had not anticipated things proceeding so smoothly either; his external incarnation had succeeded on its very first attempt at breaking through the barrier. It seemed the true body's insights had benefited the incarnation as well. Unlike Qin Sang's previous habits, after breaking through, the incarnation did not remain in seclusion. Once his cultivation stabilized, he made a high-profile appearance. The news that Daoist Qingfeng had broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage quickly spread across the cultivation world. Everyone said Deity Transformation was within his reach, only lamenting that he had been roped in by the Buddhist sect. Because Daoist Qingfeng resided at Ganlu Zen Monastery, ordinary people found him difficult to meet, making the Xie clan and Loutai Abbey even more sought after. When someone in a sect broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage, a grand celebration was mandatory in the North Sea, but optional in Zhongzhou. When Master Xingji came to congratulate him, he mentioned it in passing, perhaps out of politeness. Unexpectedly, the incarnation showed no reluctance at all and agreed at once, having Ganlu Zen Monastery handle the arrangements on his behalf. Thus, a curious spectacle appeared in the cultivation world: never before had anyone heard of a celebratory banquet being held at another sect's mountain gate. At the celebration, the hall was filled with distinguished guests. Ganlu Zen Monastery executed everything to perfection, while Xie An and the others scurried back and forth, bustling about and beaming with shared honor. At the celebration, Situ Yu, sect master of Mount Bunian, arrived in person to deliver congratulatory gifts and mentioned that Lu Zhang's cultivation had reached full completion and he was currently attempting his breakthrough; the incarnation naturally offered congratulations. Additionally, Daoist Hegao, the new abbey master of Eight Views Abbey, came to offer his felicitations. The incarnation also met Sect Master Yu of Tianhao Tower, whose renowned name he had long known, as well as senior figures from top sects such as Longju Grotto-Heaven and Qiongying Sect, making the acquaintance of heroes from across the world. Ganlu Zen Monastery had evidently not suffered a loss either, having made arrangements of their own. After exchanging greetings with the incarnation, these figures one after another went to pay their respects to Saint Huiguang, discussing who knew what. Worth mentioning was that the incarnation encountered the Poison King again at the banquet. As expected, the Poison King brought up the matter of the Gu King once more. Having tried and failed to coax the Gu King's origins from the Poison King, the incarnation stated plainly, "Fellow Daoist should understand Qin's situation. Even if I wished to trade, I would not dare show my face. Once Qin achieves success in his cultivation, I shall pay a visit in person." ... Following the breakthrough, Qin Sang was in no hurry to advance the incarnation's cultivation. The incarnation did not remain in seclusion. Instead, he studied the Fourfold Tengshe Seal while browsing the texts in Ganlu Zen Monastery's scripture pavilion, reaping bountiful gains. In addition, the incarnation began studying the alchemy heritage of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Using secret arts like external incarnations or split souls to concurrently study various outer paths was not uncommon in the cultivation world, but the results were mostly unsatisfactory. After all, not everyone's incarnation possessed such autonomy and held a realm equal to the true body, granting the ability to comprehend sufficiently profound knowledge. To refine the Spirit Calming Incense, the two Deity Transformation cultivators gathered human alchemy grandmasters to analyze the pill formula. Upon learning of this, the incarnation made contact with several of them. While these masters kept their lips tightly sealed regarding the Spirit Calming Incense, they did not mind doing him a favor by offering generous guidance, and at the incarnation's invitation, they even agreed to refine the spirit pills required by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. ... Another six years passed. Within Luye. The Mani Pearl floated before his true body. Around the Ruyi Pearl, the flames had turned red once again, interlaced with several black threads.