Heavenly River Spirit
The Heavenly River contains extremely terrifying power; if one were to recklessly enter it with their physical body, they would surely perish.
Every drop of water in that river was as heavy as a thousand pounds. When countless water droplets gathered together, it was as if a landmass that had been compressed for ten thousand years was pressing down on their heads. Not to mention ordinary cultivators, even Tier 9 Supreme being would be crushed into blood if they did not have sufficient protective measures.
Only with the protection of the identity token can one roam freely.
Those tokens contain the imprint of the Ancient Heavenly Palace, originating from the same source as the Heavenly River Water. They can create a small safe haven within the Heavenly River, like an umbrella opened in a storm. Although they cannot block all the wind and rain, they can at least keep the person holding the umbrella from getting wet.
However, identity tokens also vary in strength. The higher the level of the token, the deeper it can penetrate into the Heavenly River and withstand the terrifying Heavenly River Crush.
The White Wolf Token Skiff can only sway gently in the shallowest outermost areas; if they venture a few steps into deeper water, the water pressure will make them unable to move. The Green Wolf Token are slightly better, able to go several miles deeper. The Silver Eagle Token and Golden Eagle Token boats can go even deeper. As for the Flood Dragon Token and Dragon Token boats, those are the true passes that allow free movement in deep water.
The differences between levels acted like invisible thresholds, keeping those holding Low-Tier Token outside the depths of the Heavenly River.
Watching the colorful boats gliding across the river, Zi Yan turned her head and exchanged a glance with Lin Ming.
Lin Ming Mingchao nodded to her, and the two of them took out their respective tokens at the same time.
The Golden Dragon Token in Lin Ming's palm was dark gold with Dragon Patterns, and it suddenly lit up the moment he poured his Spiritual Energy into it.
The Golden Dragon Token in Zi Yan's hand also shone brightly, and two Golden Dragon Phantom rose from the token, circling around the two of them before settling back down.
They threw the tokens into the river, and the two Golden Dragon Token expanded simultaneously, transforming into two small Dragon-Shaped Skiff with dark gold bodies.
The boat was several meters long, with a dragon's head carved at the bow. The hull was covered with layers of dragon scale patterns, and the light shield was as thick as a city wall. Golden Dragon Phantom were slowly swimming on the surface, exuding a majestic aura that looked down on all things.
Lin Ming stood at the bow of the boat, his black robes gleaming with a cold, golden luster under the Heavenly River Radiance. Then Zi Yan also landed, floating side by side with Lin Ming on the river.
At this moment, Zi Yan was clearly extremely curious about the token boat beneath her feet, especially since her lively nature kept her constantly occupied.
She crouched down and poked the inside of the light shield with her jade-like finger. The light shield slightly dented and bounced back under her fingertip, like a thin layer of skin that had been pressed.
She pressed her entire palm against the light shield and pushed it hard, but the shield didn't budge. Instead, she was jolted by the elasticity and almost fell backward.
She steadied herself by holding onto the edge of the boat, muttering to herself, "It's quite sturdy," before turning her attention back to examining the dragon head carving at the bow.
"What are we going to do next?" Zi Yan asked with great interest.
She sat Cross-legged in the boat, her bright purple-gold eyes staring at Lin Ming, her gaze filled with an urge to fly out and have fun.
"Actually, as long as you enter the Heavenly River, even if you do nothing but cultivate here, it will still be quite beneficial to yourself." Lin Ming smiled.
He sat cross-legged in the boat, his Spiritual Energy flowing gently around him under the rich Spirit Qi on the river surface. With each breath, he could feel the Spiritual Energy in his meridians slowly increasing.
With the vast Spiritual Energy within this Heavenly River, one could cultivate here and achieve the same efficiency in just one day as in a month outside.
The Spirit Mist rose from the river's surface, and after being filtered by the light barrier, it transformed into the purest Spiritual Energy that flowed into the body, as if drinking the essence of the entire river into the stomach, mouthful by mouthful.
If an ordinary cultivator could cultivate here for ten days or half a month, it would probably be comparable to a year or two of seclusion in the outside world.
However, it was clear that with their vision, they wouldn't be satisfied with just that. So, after a pause, Lin Ming continued, "To gain more benefits, we must venture deeper into the Heavenly River."
Lin Ming's gaze fell upon the depths of the Heavenly River, where the river's surface was a deeper and richer color than the surrounding area, faintly shimmering with a golden glow, like a turbid golden soup.
The water pressure there is many times stronger than that of the outer area, but the Spiritual Energy contained there is also purer and more abundant, like the core and outer perimeter of a treasure trove.
"According to the rules of the Heavenly River, to receive the Heavenly River Baptism, one must collect the Heavenly River Spirit. Only by obtaining enough Heavenly River Spirit can one create a perfect Heavenly River Baptism and thus undergo a transformation," Lin Ming said calmly.
"The Heavenly River Spirit? What is that?" Zi Yan was a little annoyed. She hadn't expected the Heavenly River Baptism to be so troublesome.
She originally thought that jumping into the Heavenly River for a dip would be the end of it, but she didn't expect that she would first have to be a fisherman to fish for some kind of Heavenly River Spirit.
Lin Ming stretched out his finger and pointed to the depths of the Heavenly River. Occasionally, a ball of light, like a star, would drift by there.
Those orbs of light radiated a dazzling brilliance, like stars shrunk countless times and slowly drifting in the river.
Even from a great distance, one could still feel the terrifying power emanating from those stars. Around each cluster of light, the river water was slightly distorted, like the air around a red-hot iron plate deforming under high temperature.
"That is the Heavenly River Spirit." Lin Ming withdrew his fingers, palm facing up, his tone now carrying a hint of seriousness.
"Each one contains unparalleled pure power, the source of power for the Heavenly River Baptism. The Heavenly River Baptism, too, has different levels: Low-Tier Baptism, High-Tier Baptism, and Perfect Baptism."
"Low-Tier Baptism requires the Power of the Heavenly River Spirit, High-Tier Baptism requires fifty, and a Perfect Baptism requires the Power of the Heavenly River Spirit to succeed."
At this point, Lin Ming shrugged, a helpless smile appearing on his lips.
"However, obtaining Perfect Baptism is no easy feat. It is said that even in the Ancient Heavenly Palace, very few disciples were able to achieve Perfect Baptism. Most Heavenly Palace disciples would only receive one High-Tier Baptism in their entire lives, which was already considered an immense stroke of luck. A Perfect Baptism was a privilege reserved for the very core of the core."
"Then I'll have to give it a try." Hearing Lin Ming say that, Zi Yan became more interested.
She smiled Yan Ran, a flicker of eager anticipation igniting in her purplish-gold eyes, and a beautiful curve forming the corners of her lips.
Perfect Baptism, a hundred Heavenly River Spirit —it certainly sounds troublesome, but when has Zi Yan ever been afraid of trouble?
"In that case, let's get started." Lin Ming smiled.
He stomped his foot, and the Golden Dragon Token beneath his feet burst forth with golden light. The Golden Dragon Phantom on the surface of the light shield suddenly lit up, and a silent dragon roar was emitted as the dragon raised its head.
The small boat, like an arrow released from a bow, darted forward and swiftly plunged into the Heavenly River, then rapidly sank deeper into the depths.
Zi Yan also stamped her foot, and her Golden Dragon Skiff followed closely behind. The two dragon boats cut through the river surface one after the other, leaving two Golden Water Trails in the river.
Within this Heavenly River, the Heavenly River Spirit are quite scattered. Those star-like orbs of light wander aimlessly in the river, some fast, some slow, some in groups of three or five, some alone, like a swarm of fireflies scattered on a grassland.
It would be difficult to allocate tasks if they acted together; it would be more efficient for each person to focus on one and pursue their own. Therefore, the four of them were divided into two groups and separated temporarily.
Lin Ming and Zi Yan formed one group, advancing deeper into the river; North King and Xia Jia formed another group, spreading out in the opposite direction.
The four small boats parted ways on the river, each heading towards the star-like clusters of light deep within the Heavenly River.
As they set off, the sound of splashing echoed continuously across the Heavenly River.
Many powerful figures also stepped on their tokens and rushed out like fish, heading straight for the Heavenly River Spirit in the Heavenly River that resembled stars.
Among them, Qing Yanjing also boarded her own token boat. She stood in the boat, her Elegant Long Skirt fluttering gently in the spiritual light, but her gaze did not look at the Heavenly River Spirit, but instead fell on Lin Ming's dark figure from afar.
She hesitated for a moment, a thoughtful look flashing in her clear, cold eyes. It wasn't appropriate to act now; the Heavenly River was a mixed bag, and the Heavenly River Spirit was not someone to be trifled with. Making too much of a commotion here would only cause more trouble.
She withdrew her gaze, lightly stepped forward, and the small boat veered off in another direction, disappearing into the Spirit Mist.
Call out!
The Golden Dragon Token beneath Lin Ming and Zi Yan's feet swiftly sliced through the river water.
A golden light shield enveloped the area, and this golden light shield was clearly quite peculiar. No matter how the Heavenly River water, which possessed terrifying crushing power, pounded against it, it could not shake it in the slightest.
The river water crashing against the light shield was like hitting a Copper Wall and Iron Bastion, splashing out golden ripples that slid outwards to both sides.
However, as they ventured deeper into the Heavenly River, even with the protective light shield, they gradually began to feel a sense of oppression.
The oppressive feeling surged in from all directions at the same time, like an invisible hand slowly tightening and squeezing the light shield inward.
The golden light on the surface of the light shield trembled slightly under the pressure, emitting a deep hum, like a gong being repeatedly struck by a heavy drum.
Lin Ming could feel the token beneath his feet sinking slightly, and the thickness of the light shield was also thinning at an extremely slow rate.
This secretly alarmed them both. The Heavenly River was indeed extraordinary.
The Golden Dragon Token's protective capabilities far surpass those of ordinary Half-Sage Artifact Tier, yet it was still struggling to withstand the pressure deep within the Heavenly River.
If it were one of those small boats made of White Wolf Token or Green Wolf Token, it would probably have been crushed at this depth.
As the two were marveling at the sight, a dazzling light suddenly appeared in front of them.
The light came out extremely abruptly, like a star suddenly ignited and exploding in the river.
They looked up and saw a star drifting by.
The Heavenly River Spirit was a deep, dark blue color, with fine Spiritual Runes slowly flowing across its surface, like the heart of a star that had been compressed for millennia.
A dazzling light emanated from it, turning the river water within a radius of several feet into a deep blue.
At the same time, waves of powerful Spiritual Energy rippled out, shaking the river water, and each ripple caused the light barrier to tremble slightly.