Jiang Yun used his divine sense to control the three hundred and sixty-five acupoints throughout his body. Stellar power surged from the acupoints, following the Twelve Meridians, Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and other bodily channels to connect them all.
The moment the acupoints linked together, they erupted with dazzling light. The Lesser Heavenly Cycle Star Formation activated, and in the blink of an eye, a gigantic Star Dharma Form with only an upper body enveloped him, standing tall upon the earth.
To deal with a ferocious beast—especially one as harmless as this—Jiang Yun did not use the Dharma Form's full power. He merely activated the first stage, the half-body Dharma Form. This was also the result of his gradual refinement of the Star Dharma Form over the years.
The first stage of the Star Dharma Form could evolve into a half-body form to protect him. Although it lacked a lower body and could not move freely or defend well against attacks from underground, its offensive and defensive capabilities were still greatly enhanced. The second stage would evolve into a complete body. At that point, he would be located in the center of the Dharma Form, which could block attacks from all directions. He could also move freely, greatly increasing his flexibility, while its offensive and defensive power would be far stronger than in the half-body stage. The third stage was the Dharma Form's ultimate mode. Building upon the second stage, the Dharma Form would become even sturdier and tougher under the full enhancement of the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Star Formation. It would also evolve into a three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form. With stellar power condensed, each arm would be empowered with a stellar weapon, though an Innate Spiritual Treasure could also be used in its place. This would further increase the Dharma Form's attack power and range.
The Demon Ape was momentarily dumbfounded when it saw the enormous half-body Dharma Form that had appeared out of nowhere. Only after spotting Jiang Yun's figure inside did it recover. Fiendish Qi radiated from its entire body, making people tremble with fear. Its bones cracked, its muscles bulged, and viciousness flickered in its pupils.
It let out a deafening roar and ferociously lunged at Jiang Yun again.
Seeing the Demon Ape leap toward him, Jiang Yun showed no panic. He also wanted to see how powerful this physical Dharma Form was in offense and defense.
Facing the fist that came swinging with all the other party's accumulated strength, he was filled with battle intent. He met the Demon Ape's attack head-on and controlled the Dharma Form to throw a punch of its own.
The instant the two fists collided, the Demon Ape's momentum halted. It was then pushed back repeatedly by the force transmitted through its hand, while its fist split open under the impact of the Dharma Form's stellar power.
Jiang Yun did not stop attacking. The Dharma Form's chain-like long arm swung down violently at the Demon Ape, while simultaneously sealing off its retreat.
After several attacks, the Demon Ape was already covered in wounds. The damage inflicted by stellar power was truly formidable. Since it could not withstand the Dharma Form's attacks head-on, it could only dodge nimbly and agilely. Under the cover of the Dharma Form's two arms, the Demon Ape was like a sparrow trapped in a cage.
As the two arms closed in, the space available for evasion grew smaller and smaller. The Demon Ape failed to dodge in time and was finally caught by one leg.
Jiang Yun gripped the Demon Ape's lower leg. Before it could struggle with all its might, he swung it up with tremendous force and smashed it into the ground.
After a loud boom, the impact left a huge ape-shaped imprint in the ground. Dust filled the air. The Demon Ape was battered and dazed. Before it could even howl, it felt its body dragged up again, rising and falling, rising and falling...
After dozens of such rounds, Jiang Yun finally hurled it away with great force. It scraped along the ground and rolled several hundred meters before finally coming to a stop.
The ferocious beast Demon Ape's internal organs had been shaken apart, its tendons torn and bones broken, and blood poured from its mouth. It struggled for a long time to stand, but could not manage it.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun decisively formed a hand seal and used the Dharma Form to unleash a Star Seal, ruthlessly following up with another strike. After the dust settled, only the corpse of the ferocious beast remained on the ground.
After completely killing the ferocious beast Demon Ape, Jiang Yun had also thoroughly enjoyed the battle.
This initial test of his abilities had strengthened his control over his divine abilities, while greatly improving his grasp of battle timing. However, he also knew that this was merely a small milestone on his path of cultivation. He needed to keep working hard and continuously increase his strength. Only then could he preserve himself during the great tribulations to come.
Mount Sumeru Range, an unknown mountain peak.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!"
Jiang Yun's figure flashed abruptly, appearing in this place.
More than a thousand years had passed since he fought the ferocious beast Demon Ape in the Secluded Valley.
After that battle, Jiang Yun had returned to his familiar rhythm. Either he repaired damaged earth veins and restored vitality to spiritual plants while traveling, or he transcended Vengeful Souls and swept away filth. Along the way, he had also encountered some ferocious beasts and Demon Beasts, fought dozens of satisfying battles, and further perfected his divine abilities. His experience in magical combat had grown richer, while his combat awareness and will had undergone tremendous tempering. All in all, he could now be considered a veteran of countless battles.
Although his face now bore the marks of wind and frost, his eyes were filled with resolve. His entire being was brimming with vigor and battle spirit, no longer possessing the youthful immaturity he had shown at the Spirit Bamboo Valley Dao Field.
Mount Sumeru was located among the mountains of the Mount Sumeru Range, in the central region of the Western Land.
The Western Land had once been exceedingly prosperous, but it had been devastated by Demon Ancestor Luohou. Back then, Luohou had set up the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation, linking together the many earth veins and Spirit Veins of the Western Land. When he lost the War of Immortals and Demons, Luohou had detonated many of those earth veins and Spirit Veins by triggering the sword formation. Fortunately, Mount Sumeru was the Western Ancestral Vein and was protected by a great formation. Favored by fortune, it ultimately escaped the worst of the disaster, preserving much of the Western Land's vitality.
Upon arriving at the Mount Sumeru Range, Jiang Yun found himself at a loss. Mount Sumeru was protected by a great formation and concealed by the Heavenly Dao. Under ordinary circumstances, no one could locate Mount Sumeru through heavenly divination.
At the very moment Jiang Yun reached the Mount Sumeru Range, two figures sat upright at the head of the Grand Hall, whose walls were adorned with jade-green tiles and golden bricks. They possessed solemn and dignified appearances, while golden lotuses of spiritual energy surged throughout the hall.
Suddenly, one of them felt something stir in his heart, as if his mind had been drawn by a force. He opened his eyes and emerged from meditation. With a pinch of his fingers, he calculated the heavenly secrets for a while.
"Hm? Has Heaven bestowed a master-disciple destiny upon me?" the figure muttered. The other figure seemed to hear him and ended his meditation as well.
"Brother Zhunti, my heart was stirred by the heavenly secrets, and I sensed a master-disciple destiny. I wish to go out and seek my disciple. Continue guarding the hall and wait for my return. What do you think?"
The person who had received the heavenly revelation was none other than Daoist Jieyin, one of the Lords of Mount Sumeru. The other figure was his brother, Daoist Zhunti. The two had been born together in Mount Sumeru, shared similar temperaments, and became brothers. Since Daoist Jieyin had undergone Form Transformation first, he had become the elder brother.
"Rest assured and go, Brother. Return soon with your worthy disciple," Daoist Zhunti replied with a smile.
With that, Daoist Jieyin left the hall and headed straight outside Mount Sumeru.
Meanwhile, after failing to deduce Mount Sumeru's location, Jiang Yun could only wander around the Mount Sumeru Range for the time being, casting his net far and wide.
Relying on the Merit and Fortune he had gained by repairing earth veins and exterminating ferocious beasts over the past thousand-plus years, he fortunately discovered a hidden cave in a mountain ridge. Inside, he found a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Root, a Gengjin Grape, and a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Buddhist Prayer Beads.
Discovering the Gengjin Grape had also been a matter of luck. When he reached this area, he suddenly felt a bloodline resonance. A faint bloodline attraction drifted from the distant mountain ridge.
Jiang Yun followed that bloodline attraction all the way there and ultimately discovered the hidden cave.
It turned out that this Spiritual Root had also transformed from the same Jianmu origin as him. During the vine's evolution, it had resonated with Gengjin Qi, one of the Five Qis, and ultimately produced this Gengjin Grape.
Jiang Yun, meanwhile, was the Cloud Bamboo that had purely transformed from the Jianmu origin. After his soul possessed the body and awakened its intelligence, he had also been fortunate enough to awaken the innate divine ability Devouring Evolution.
As long as Jiang Yun devoured enough origin from Spiritual Roots of the same source, his true body would gradually evolve. One day, it would become a new Chaos Spiritual Root—the Heavenly Pillar Tree.
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