Breakthrough

The cloud path was actually a comparatively condensed current of cloudy vapor. When the colorful auspicious clouds condensed, they returned to their unadorned state and turned white once more, drifting across the sea of clouds like lengths of white silk. Qin Sang and the others waited a while longer. Seeing that no new tremors arose and that the cloud path seemed relatively stable, they hesitated no further. Real Person Zhijian was the most familiar with this place, and his sword arts were exquisite, granting him the ability to handle any sudden emergency, so he took the lead. Qin Sang walked in the middle, while the two Daoists brought up the rear. Their intention was to let Qin Sang understand and familiarize himself with the environment inside the auspicious clouds as quickly as possible. Appreciating the three Daoists' good intentions, Qin Sang no longer distracted himself by contemplating the Buddhist seals, keeping his eyes constantly sweeping their surroundings. Earlier, when they crossed the plains, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had been awakened by Qin Sang, but now it had grown drowsy again. After devouring the tribulation lightning from Qin Sang's ascension tribulation, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had fallen into a deep, days-long slumber. During this time, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could still be woken, but its reactions were sluggish; it would respond to Qin Sang with lazy languor, and once it carried out his commands, it would quickly sink back into a deep sleep. This was a peculiar state, and Qin Sang could not be sure whether the butterfly was merely digesting the tribulation lightning or undergoing some kind of transformation. Normally, before each metamorphosis, most spirit insects had to enter a cocooned dormancy, during which they could not be awakened. The cocooning phase was also a spirit insect's most vulnerable stage. Qin Sang could feel the benefits brought by the baptism of the tribulation lightning, and it certainly would not be a bad thing for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly either. As for how much she would benefit, he could not say for sure. During this period, Qin Sang had been quietly observing the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, unable to discern any obvious changes. *Once I obtain qualification for register promotion this time, I must visit Master Lingxu and refine the Qingshuang Pill as soon as possible...* Qin Sang thought to himself. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly's metamorphosis should not be too far off; her cultivation could not be delayed for lack of medicinal pills. As his thoughts drifted, the four had already walked along the cloud path for an hour, and the scenery outside the auspicious clouds was no longer visible. The cloud path was surrounded on all sides by auspicious clouds. For safety's sake, the four traveled strictly on foot at a steady, moderate pace. Before long, Qin Sang felt an invisible pressure descending upon them. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked toward the relatively tranquil clouds. The pressure seemed to originate from the depths of the auspicious clouds, with no perceptible source. With the strength of his physical body, this slight pressure was nothing. Yet as they ventured deeper, the pressure grew stronger and stronger. The four showed no signs of distress, but had it been a Nascent Soul cultivator in their place, they would likely have had to circulate true essence to withstand it. Few Nascent Soul cultivators dared explore this place, and this invisible pressure was one of the stumbling blocks. Upon reaching the deepest part of the auspicious clouds, the pressure would vanish without cause, only to be replaced by other, far more terrifying dangers. "Be careful!" Real Person Zhijian's warning rang out. Qin Sang's heart tightened. Narrowing his eyes, he saw clusters of auspicious clouds drifting toward them along the path ahead. The clouds moved precisely along the cloud path, like a gaping maw devouring the path section by section as they drifted toward them. Generally speaking, walking along the cloud path only required resisting the invisible pressure and watching out for abnormal fluctuations that might suddenly erupt from the clouds. A situation like this was uncommon and ranked among the most dangerous phenomena, yet unfortunately, they had run into it. Qin Sang and the others showed no panic. They looked toward Real Person Zhijian, waiting for his decision on whether to retreat. Watching the auspicious clouds draw near, Real Person Zhijian remained calm and unhurried. Pinching his fingers in divination, he said in a deep voice, "The end of the cloud path is not far ahead. We'll charge straight through!" The others voiced their agreement and immediately unleashed their magic treasures and divine abilities. Golden light flowed over Qin Sang's skin as he silently activated the Vajra Heavenly Armor Seal. Meanwhile, Real Person Zhijian swiped his paired fingers through the void, sending a streak of sword light slashing against the auspicious clouds to carve open a passage. The other three immediately followed. *Rumble, rumble...* A sound like rushing waves roared in their ears as waves of surging fluctuations crashed against Qin Sang. The golden light flickered continuously, ringing out with clangs as if striking a bronze bell. With the Heavenly Armor protecting his body, Qin Sang walked steadily as though clad in golden armor, entirely unscathed—appearing to be the most at ease among the four. "Fellow Daoist, the capabilities of this hand seal of yours are truly comprehensive." Real Person Guyun's envious voice came from behind. Traveling together along the way, Qin Sang had repeatedly cast the *Seven Master Buddha Seals*, all of which Guyun had witnessed. Hearing this, Qin Sang nodded inwardly. The *Seven Master Buddha Seals* was indeed exceptionally comprehensive, covering qi regulation, movement techniques, suppression, slaying foes, calming the spirit, and body protection, with the final seal boosting overall combat power. Such divine abilities were rare. Even without the potential to fuse the seals, it was a hard-to-come-by art, so it was no wonder Real Person Guyun was envious. *Swish!* Another flash of sword light cleaved the auspicious clouds. The scene ahead transformed drastically, and palaces came into view. Delighted, everyone immediately accelerated, ultimately passing through the outer layer of auspicious clouds without a scratch. *Thump!* Their feet touched solid ground. Unexpectedly, beneath their boots were stone-paved steps, and before them lay a collapsed ruin of broken walls and rubble. The sky above was still blanketed by auspicious clouds. Thick layers of clouds obscured the heavens. Outside, it should have still been daytime, yet no sun could be seen in the sky. Because this place was even brighter than the world outside. Stepping up to higher ground and gazing as far as the eye could see, they beheld golden palaces bathed in radiant brilliance. Most of the golden palaces bore damage, yet one could still feel a solemn and majestic aura that involuntarily inspired awe. The golden halls varied in form, arranged in endless rows like fish scales. Between the palaces, strange lights shimmered, clearly segregated by restrictions. These obstructed vision, preventing even Qin Sang from seeing where the golden halls ended or how vast this palace complex truly was. It was hard to imagine how magnificent it must have been in its prime. "This place seems..." Qin Sang was struck by an immediate sense of familiarity, recalling the Baishi Diocesan Altar, the administrative hub of the Arctic Exorcism Hall. The impression the two places gave him was remarkably similar, and in its prime, this place seemed to have been even grander than the Baishi Diocesan Altar. "Indeed. It is said that this was once the Jushan Diocesan Altar..." Real Person Zhijian answered Qin Sang's unspoken thought. Not being a member of the Daoist Court, however, he offered no elaborate explanation. Finally, Real Person Zhijian pointed toward the depths beyond the golden halls. "Fellow Daoists, look at that Nine-Bends Astral River. Do not cross the river lightly." Qin Sang had also noticed the even more wondrous sight behind the golden halls. Real Person Zhijian was pointing to a blue band of light spanning the horizon. The band had nine winding bends, filled with countless floating motes of light like the stars in the night sky or the lamplight of ten thousand homes, clearly visible even across the golden palaces. Qin Sang also spotted a piece of land, lush with verdant greenery and brimming with vitality. Yet this land was tilted, with one side tipped upward, and the entire landmass was flipped upside down, its trees and vegetation growing in reverse. Beside the land stood a myriad-zhang sword peak, looking as though it had tumbled from the heavens, suspended inverted in the sky with its summit plunging straight into the Nine-Bends Astral River. On another side, countless gigantic python-like vines tangled into a massive clump, floating in the void like a sea of vines, their root system nowhere to be seen. From time to time, bizarre phantoms manifested amidst them—dragons and phoenixes dancing, auspicious beasts portending good fortune. All these bizarre spectacles combined into what looked like a fragmented, disordered space haphazardly cobbled together, yet somehow maintaining long-lasting stability, filling one with wonder. Qin Sang knew that was the core zone the three Daoists had spoken of. Beyond the Nine-Bends Astral River, even cultivators of their caliber had to tread with caution. Real Person Youhuang pointed toward the area behind the Nine-Bends Astral River and briefly recounted her past experiences there: "Many of those sights are manifestations of great figures' divine powers. But if you think they are merely illusions, you would be sorely mistaken. I once set foot upon a landmass where towering ancient trees grew alongside some spiritual flowers. I picked a few and refined them on the spot, feeling their genuine effects. Yet when I brought the spiritual flowers out of the Jushan Diocesan Altar hoping to brew pills, I found that they had turned into illusory phantoms... That place is a realm where the false and the real coexist, indistinguishable from one another." The Jushan Diocesan Altar reminded Qin Sang of the Immortal Hall in the Storm Realm. The scenery of the Immortal Hall had seemed less wondrous than this, though back then, he had lacked the strength to set foot in such a zone. At this point, Real Person Zhijian, who was holding a command token and seemed to be sensing something, spoke up. He pointed toward a far corner behind the golden halls. "The Daoist Court has sent no new messages, so they likely haven't detected the demons' whereabouts yet. Last time, the demon marquises first caused some commotion over there, and by chance, an immortal official from the Daoist Court happened to be nearby and spotted them. Let us head there first." None of the others objected. After getting their bearings, they set out immediately. Unexpectedly, before traveling far, they ran into an obstacle. A golden light wall barred their path ahead. The golden palace behind it was clearly visible, yet impassable. They tested it and found breaking the light wall would not be difficult, but the resulting shockwaves might be seen from afar. Since their purpose on this trip was to ambush the demon marquises, they needed to conceal their movements as much as possible. After a brief discussion, they decided to take a detour. And so it went, time and again. Along the way, such encounters were too numerous to count. At times, they even had to backtrack along their original route, taking three full days just to approach their objective. They originally intended to lie in wait nearby and scout secretly, but their subsequent discovery changed their minds. Before long, the four arrived at the edge of a massive crater. "It must have been blown up not long ago. What on earth did those demons do? The golden palaces preserved to this day are extraordinarily durable, yet this was leveled to the ground," Real Person Youhuang said in surprise. "All traces have been erased," Real Person Zhijian said, shaking his head. "The Daoist Court recorded several other locations, some of which left the demon marquises empty-handed, leading to the deduction that they will return. We will take those spots as our targets and search along the way. The demons haven't crossed the Nine-Bends Astral River yet; otherwise, the personnel stationed by the Daoist Court would certainly have detected them." "Agreed!" They did not linger, resuming their journey. Tracing their path, they traveled primarily along the rear of the golden palaces, occasionally cutting forward. More than ten days passed in succession, yet they still found no trace of the demon marquises, nor did they witness any anomalies. At that moment, the four were walking behind several golden halls, searching aimlessly. Right then, Qin Sang suddenly stopped in his tracks, an odd expression crossing his face. Noticing his strange behavior, the other three also paused. "Did Fellow Daoist Qingfeng discover something?" Qin Sang shook his head and sighed. "It is truly ill-timed. A spirit insect I rear is suddenly breaking through its bottleneck, and it may have to undergo tribulation right here." He had not anticipated that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would finish digesting the power of the tribulation lightning at this exact moment. Furthermore, after absorbing the tribulation lightning, she had begun battering at her bottleneck without the slightest warning. During her fourth transformation, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had absorbed the Near-Dragon Saliva of the five-transformation spirit insect, the Immortal Fat Bee Dragon, laying a solid foundation. Adding to that her devouring of the ascension tribulation lightning, breaking through was only natural. The timing, however, was truly unfortunate. The Qingshuang Pill had not yet been concocted, leaving her without external aid, and the location was entirely wrong. Exiting the Jushan Diocesan Altar now was out of the question; there simply was no time. Interrupting the breakthrough was even less of an option. As the saying went, *the first drum fuels courage, the second flags, and the third exhausts.* How precious was an opportunity for breakthrough? For a spirit insect in particular, it was something one could only chance upon by luck. Even if this mission ended in failure, Qin Sang could not stop the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Hearing this, the three could not help but be taken aback. Real Person Youhuang and Real Person Guyun exchanged a glance, both tinged with envy. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. However..." For Qin Sang to treat this so seriously, it was very likely a spirit insect about to break through to the fifth transformation. A five-transformation spirit insect, even if its divine abilities were singular, was enough to become a formidable asset. Changing her tone, Real Person Youhuang furrowed her brows. "The qi dynamics here are chaotic; this is no suitable place for undergoing tribulation. Furthermore, you have not yet advanced in the registers, Fellow Daoist. Forcing a breakthrough might harm your spirit insect. Would it not be better to..." What worried her most was that a spirit insect undergoing tribulation would expose them, causing their efforts to come to naught. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had already begun storming the barrier. Qin Sang had no time to explain to them. Sweeping his gaze across the three, he made a decisive call: "Lest this cause trouble for you all, I shall withdraw." With that, Qin Sang cupped his hands and turned to leave at once, but Real Person Zhijian called out, "Hold on!" "Do you remember that on our way here, we passed a courtyard sealed on all four sides by ancient restrictions? A spirit insect's heavenly tribulation is the weakest and fastest. If we set up a few more preparations, we should be able to suppress the celestial phenomenon within a certain radius..." The two Daoists said nothing. Real Person Zhijian paused, then continued, "Undergoing tribulation now might not necessarily be a bad thing. We might as well lay an ambush nearby. If it draws a demon out, it saves us the trouble of searching all over." Hearing this, the two Daoists were finally moved. Having searched for days without success, Real Person Zhijian's proposal was indeed a viable approach. Without waiting for their reply, Qin Sang was already dashing back the way they had come; he remembered the courtyard Real Person Zhijian mentioned. Before long, they arrived before the courtyard, each employing their own methods to help Qin Sang tear an opening in the ancient restriction. Qin Sang darted into the courtyard, while the three Daoists chose a nearby golden hall to jointly set up a killing formation. The courtyard was dilapidated. Qin Sang had no mind to admire it. Using his remaining astral essence stones, he erected an array within the courtyard to block outside probing, then with a flicker of thought, summoned the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. At this moment, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's wings were clasped tightly together, a faint halo enveloping her body, pulsing rhythmically like breath. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Qin Sang merged his mind with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's, feeling her attachment and trust, and did everything within his power to help steady her spirit. By now, Qin Sang was essentially certain that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could also enjoy partial protection from the jade Buddha's power, which was why he felt confident letting her break through. The courtyard was dead silent. The halo undulated with increasing speed, and with it, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's aura fluctuated incessantly. However, Qin Sang could feel a peculiar energy within her body, like a seed whose vitality had been ignited. Once this energy broke through that membrane and gushed forth, it would take root and sprout! Qin Sang did not have to wait long for that moment. *Boom!* A pair of exquisitely magnificent swallowtail wings snapped open. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly revealed her true form, turning into a large swallowtail butterfly dancing above Qin Sang, her long tail streamers trailing down to lightly brush against his cheek. *Crackle!* Bolts of lightning snaked across her wings, displaying a sharp, formidable momentum. After hundreds of years of growth, she had finally come into her own! Amid the lightning, the heavenly eye pattern shifted and reorganized at astonishing speed, turning more intricate, more gorgeous, and more breathtaking! *Flash!* The heavenly eyes on her butterfly wings suddenly blinked, shooting out two beams of wondrous light that struck fear into the heart. In an instant, dark clouds densely gathered overhead. The tribulation clouds had formed!