Transformation

Time had lost all meaning; seas turned into mulberry fields.

For Li Cha, sealed within the valley, time was more like a vague background hum. Outside, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans had long risen to prominence and reached their peak. Now, their eyes were bloodshot with slaughter, and war swept across the Primordial Wilderness. Endless resentment and blood-soaked fiend qi had nearly seeped into every inch of land. Even the Heavenly Dao's seal could not fully block out that sickeningly sweet stench of blood and violence.

The Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation had reached its final stage.

Within the valley, the scorched earth remained unchanged, but the Enlightenment Tea Tree, now over ten feet tall, had taken on an entirely different splendor. Its branches and leaves were not lush, yet every leaf was verdant and gleaming, flowing with a warm, jade-like luster. The natural Dao patterns upon it had become clearer and more profound than before. After several Yuanhui of arduous cultivation, his injuries had fully healed. With the Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation and his unparalleled comprehension, he had forcibly integrated the originally Chaos-based Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique with himself, reconstructing it into a supreme cultivation method that perfectly suited his current body as an Innate Enlightenment Tea Tree while directly pointing toward the origin of the Great Dao—the Primordial Chaos Great Dao True Scripture.

Another hundred thousand years passed. He devoted himself to refining the Chaos Pearl, and after refining twenty-four layers of Innate Restrictions, his control over this Chaos Supreme Treasure had reached a new level. Though he still could not fully wield its world-evolving might, its ability to conceal heavenly secrets and naturally generate Dao resonance allowed his cultivation speed to soar by the day.

On this day, an indescribable sense of oppression suddenly weighed upon his heart like a mountain of immense weight.

Li Cha jolted awake from deep meditation and looked up at the sky. Despite the Heavenly Dao's seal blocking his senses, he could still clearly feel that in the direction of Buzhou Mountain, the Celestial Pillar of the Primordial Wilderness, a terrifying energy capable of destroying heaven and earth was slowly gathering. This was no ordinary lightning. It was the final punishment born from the intertwining of Tribulation Fiend Qi and Heavenly Dao Laws!

"Is it here?" Li Cha murmured, his gaze sharpening. Even his heart trembled before this power. His Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation had actually collided with the Heavenly Punishment Power at the end of the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity.

At that very moment, the origin power within him, suppressed and tempered for several Kalpas, could no longer be contained. Like a volcano that had built up pressure for ages, it erupted with a thunderous roar!

"Buzz!"

The Innate Enlightenment Tea Tree's true body burst forth with azure divine light that shot into the heavens. Vast Spiritual Energy and Dao resonance surged into the clouds, drawing forth the unseen Form Transformation Tribulation!

"Rumble!!!"

It did not come from Buzhou Mountain. Instead, directly above this sealed valley, the rules of the Heavenly Dao were stirred. Pitch-black Tribulation Clouds instantly gathered, their scale far beyond that of an ordinary being's Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation. More terrifying still, what churned within those clouds was not ordinary violet lightning, but dreadful bolts tinged with Chaos, dark crimson in color and filled with the meaning of destruction and finality—World-Destroying Divine Thunder!

At the moment of his transformation, the Heavenly Dao had actually diverted a trace of the world-destroying lightning punishment meant for the culprits of the Tribulation of Calamity and added it to his Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation! This was a true killing trap!

On the battlefield beyond the valley, Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, Beginning Qilin, and the billions of troops under their command were all stunned by the sudden, terrifying thunderclap that seemed to erupt right beside them. The rhythm of the slaughter slowed involuntarily, and countless uncertain gazes turned toward that small valley, which had seemed utterly ordinary to their senses yet had suddenly drawn down such a horrifying lightning tribulation.

"What place is that?" A trace of confusion and vigilance flashed through Ancestral Dragon's enormous dragon eyes. Even with their divine abilities, they could not see through the reality of that valley. The might of the lightning tribulation made even Peak Quasi-Saints like them feel their scalps tingle. Stranger still, despite such terrifying lightning striking down, the valley did not so much as tremble. Not even a wisp of dust rose, as though all destructive power had been swallowed by some invisible maw.

Within the valley, Li Cha looked at the Tribulation Clouds above him, where World-Destroying Divine Thunder was brewing, and a cold curve lifted at the corner of his lips.

"They really think highly of me. It's only a transformation, yet they've even brought out World-Destroying Divine Thunder." There was no fear on his face. Instead, he carried the calm composure of someone who had long been prepared.

Just as the first dark crimson bolt of World-Destroying Divine Thunder tore through heaven and earth like a roaring wicked dragon, crashing down with an aura that could end all things, Li Cha moved.

He did not reveal his true body and withstand it head-on. Instead, he raised his hand and produced an item.

It was an umbrella.

Its ribs had been carefully refined from a section of his own main trunk, which had become incomparably tough after being tempered by Heavenly Punishment. Its canopy had been woven from the strand of Heavenly Punishment Power he had forcibly seized from the Heavenly Punishment long ago, refined over two hundred thousand years into warp and weft, while his vast Great Dao Merit served as the threads. When the umbrella was completed, the Great Dao resonated. Golden Light of Merit lay concealed within it, yet it faintly radiated a supreme majesty that made all lightning retreat.

Houtian Great Dao Merit Spiritual Treasure—the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella!

"Whoosh!"

The Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella leisurely opened above Li Cha's head. Its canopy spun, spreading a ring of gentle yet indestructible clear light. There was no earth-shattering collision. The World-Destroying Divine Thunder, powerful enough to severely injure or even kill a Quasi-Saint, melted away layer by layer the instant it touched the clear light, like ice and snow beneath a warm spring sun. It was purified until it became streams of docile Thunder Spirit Qi, silently absorbed by the canopy and instead strengthening the Heavenly Punishment Power contained within it.

The Tribulation Clouds seemed enraged. More World-Destroying Divine Thunder poured down like a torrential rain, and dark crimson lightning turned the entire valley into a vision of hell. Yet no matter how violent the lightning tribulation became, the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella remained like a reef amid raging waves, utterly unmoved. The space beneath it formed a pure land of its own, invulnerable to all laws.

Above the sky, Heavenly Dao rules gathered, and a massive, cold, emotionless Eye of Heavenly Punishment slowly appeared. It stared fixedly at Li Cha, who stood unharmed beneath the umbrella. Deep within that emotionless pupil, there seemed to ripple an almost imperceptible fluctuation—a feeling close to being stifled and wanting to curse.

It's only a Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation. Do you really need to use the Great Dao to suppress me?

It's only a Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation? Is that all it is? You even brought out World-Destroying Divine Thunder!

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment was, in the end, the incarnation of rules and could not truly curse. After unleashing eighty-one bolts of World-Destroying Divine Thunder far beyond normal standards without shaking the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella in the slightest, the Tribulation Clouds began to disperse. The Eye of Heavenly Punishment gave Li Cha one deep "look," then slowly vanished with a trace of helplessness.

The Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation had been overcome!

Vast life force of creation descended from the heavens and merged into Li Cha's true body. Amid ten thousand feet of azure light, the tea tree form gradually faded away, finally condensing into a young Daoist.

He wore an immaculate azure Daoist robe and an ancient Daoist crown on his head. He had specially refined it himself; after all, his true body had nearly been plucked bald, and after transforming, the state of his head was uncertain, so it was better to cover it. His face was fair and beardless, his nose high and straight, his eyes shaped like peach blossoms, and a smile as refreshing as spring often rested on his lips.

In his hand, he held a jade ruler. It was the Spirit Origin Ruler, formed from the core root of the Primordial Chaos Spirit Tea Tree. A High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure containing thirty-six layers of Innate Restrictions, its radiance was restrained, yet it possessed supreme divine abilities to enlighten all things, awaken intelligence, subdue demons, eradicate evil, and dispel filth.

Feeling the vast mana surging through his body, far beyond the shackles of a Golden Immortal, Li Cha smiled faintly.

Early Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal! His Human Flower had bloomed to twelve petals, signifying that his essence, qi, and spirit had all reached perfection.

Had the Heavenly Dao not previously weakened his foundation and obstructed him at every turn during this transformation tribulation, then with the foundation of a Primordial Chaos Spirit Tea Tree, he would have begun at least as a Quasi-Saint upon transforming. His current Early Da Luo cultivation had only been barely attained because he had relied on the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella to skillfully maneuver through the lightning tribulation and forcibly "plucked" a considerable amount of lightning tribulation origin from the Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, as the Heavenly Dao wished, reaching Peak Golden Immortal would already have been fortunate.

With a thought, the Chaos Pearl floated within his primordial spirit. Having refined twenty-four layers of restrictions, he could now initially employ its ability to conceal heavenly secrets. From this day onward, as long as he wished it, aside from the Heavenly Dao itself, which governed the rules of the Primordial Wilderness, even future Saints would find it difficult to deduce his origin.

The Heavenly Punishment faded, but the seal remained. Unwilling to accept this, Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Beginning Qilin each unleashed their methods. Dragon breath, phoenix flames, and qilin seals blasted against the seal, yet they vanished like clay oxen entering the sea, unable to stir even the faintest ripple. How could they possibly shake a prison personally laid down by the Heavenly Dao?

In less than three years, Tribulation Fiend Qi once again clouded their minds. The doubts and investigations of the outside world were cast aside. The three clans and their vassals once more became entangled in boundless slaughter for the illusory position of "protagonist of the Primordial Wilderness," driving the Primordial Wilderness deeper into the abyss.

Yet at the edge of that chaotic battlefield, the existence of this strange valley had already caught the attention of certain figures behind the scenes. The immortal-looking Hongjun, the demonic-energy-shrouded Luohu, and several other great powers hidden in the shadows all turned their attention here without prior agreement. They remembered this strange place, which had not been harmed in the slightest even by the final calamity of the Dragon-Han era. From time to time, concealed divine senses swept across it, attempting to uncover its secrets.

Within the seal, Li Cha held the Spirit Origin Ruler and lightly brushed his sleeve. He raised his head toward the invisible barrier separating the inside from the outside, his gaze seeming to pierce through everything and behold the blood-soaked Primordial World beyond.

"It is time to leave." His voice was soft and calm, yet carried an unquestionable resolve.