"Kid, once the Bitter Sea forms, it'll produce a Divine Pattern. Have you decided what kind of weapon you'll forge in the future?" After an unknown amount of time, the Void Mirror Deity's voice rang out at just the right moment.
Ling Xuan thought it over carefully. In this world, a weapon capable of bearing his Dao might accompany him as he grew, serving as an extension of his life and Dao. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Even if he found a treasure like an Origin Embryo in the future, he could still use it in conjunction with the weapon. He didn't need to worry about the material being unsuitable.
"Then I'll forge a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear," Ling Xuan said.
The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear was the weapon he used most often, and he didn't need any other heavy weapon to help him.
With a thought, his powerful Genetic Origin Energy instantly hammered the newly formed Divine Pattern into the shape of a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear.
"Senior, could this unusual manifestation of my Bitter Sea be the legendary Sun God Physique?" Ling Xuan gazed at the expanse of roiling crimson-gold flames, his heart full of confusion and anticipation.
"It isn't." The Void Mirror's reply was indifferent, as though it had heard this question countless times before.
"Then what kind of physique is it? I can't help feeling it's extraordinary." Ling Xuan still asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.
The spatial patterns flowing across the Void Mirror's surface lit up faintly, as if it were thinking. Only after a long while did it say, "This old man doesn't know either. Perhaps your world has no such thing as different physiques."
Perhaps because the Great Emperor's legacy had been successfully passed down, the voice coming from the mirror held a little more warmth. "Make the most of your time and cultivate."
Before the words had even faded, strands of brilliant Dao essence imbued with the Great Dao Mantra cascaded down like the Milky Way hanging upside down. They wove mysterious hand seals around Ling Xuan, breaking down the abstruse scripture into its most easily understood form.
"Understood!" Ling Xuan took a deep breath, cast aside all distractions, and focused his entire mind inward.
He circulated the Stellar Origin Energy within his body. It flowed like a surging river of stars, slowly pouring into the Bitter Sea below.
The Bitter Sea, which had originally glowed with a crimson-gold light, began to ripple gently under the nourishment of the energy. Fiery patterns on the surface grew denser, as though gathering some kind of power.
As Ling Xuan continued guiding the energy into it, the Bitter Sea began to expand. At first, it did so slowly, but then its pace gradually quickened.
When the Bitter Sea had expanded to a certain extent, Ling Xuan sensed something unusual. He noticed that the flames within it had begun to move in a regular rhythm.
Next, Ling Xuan followed the method recorded in the Void Sutra and attempted to connect with the Wheel of Life.
His consciousness was like an invisible hand, slowly reaching down to the bottom of the Bitter Sea and searching for traces of the Wheel of Life in the depths of its endless flames.
At first, he found nothing, but Ling Xuan didn't give up. He kept adjusting his perception until, at last, he touched a faint yet tenacious force at the very bottom of the Bitter Sea: the Wheel of Life.
Ling Xuan immediately focused all his attention. With exquisite precision, he slowly guided the Bitter Sea's vast, surging power of flame into the Wheel of Life.
During the process, he seemed to sense the Wheel of Life as an ancient behemoth that had slumbered for countless ages and had only just been awakened. It first stretched lazily, then began to turn slowly.
In an instant, an astonishingly vast stream of life essence surged from the Wheel of Life like floodwaters breaking through a dam, rushing toward the Bitter Sea.
The moment this life essence met the flames within the Bitter Sea, they blended together like kindling meeting a blaze, producing an incredible transformation.
As the life essence continued to pour in, the flames within the Bitter Sea grew ever more vigorous, and its surface seethed as if it were boiling.
Ling Xuan seized the moment, deftly guiding the fused power and joining the source of life essence produced by the Wheel of Life to the Bitter Sea.
At last, in the once barren depths of the Bitter Sea, a steady, ceaseless spring of life took shape.
"The Life Spring has formed! I'll keep forging the weapon." Ling Xuan gave a low shout. As the second Divine Pattern merged with the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, its blade instantly blazed with an even more dazzling light, appearing increasingly mysterious and extraordinary.
"I'll keep breaking through." Ling Xuan's gaze was as firm and bright as a torch. He didn't pause for a moment.
The nine blazing suns above the Bitter Sea seemed to receive his command. They began to revolve at full power, continuing to pour Genetic Origin Energy into the Bitter Sea and the source of life.
Sustained by this immense energy, the Bitter Sea began expanding again, swelling like a gigantic balloon being inflated.
Before long, the Life Spring at the center of the Bitter Sea erupted like a dragon breaking free of its bonds, and the source of divine power surged along with it.
The spring's originally bottomless depths had widened many times over under the impact of this immense force. Energy poured forth without end like a surging river, while brilliant rays of multicolored light burst out from time to time, illuminating the entire inner space as if it were a dream.
As the Genetic Origin Energy gradually transformed into a source of divine power, Ling Xuan's Bitter Sea seemed to be struck by a level-twelve tsunami. Waves towered and thunder crashed, while rainbows shot out from it one after another in a spectacular display.
By now, Ling Xuan's crimson Bitter Sea had expanded to the size of a fist. A blazing rainbow hung high above it, stretching across the sky in dazzling splendor. He had reached the Divine Bridge Realm!
Ling Xuan swiftly drove the newly formed third Divine Pattern into his "weapon," then immediately continued pouring in energy, intent on building the divine bridge to the Other Shore in one go.
"Be careful. Breaking through to the Other Shore Realm is a major hurdle, and it brings the Calamity of Lostness," the Void Mirror Deity warned at just the right moment.
"Don't worry, Senior. With my Star Level peak consciousness, a mere Calamity of Lostness won't trouble me." Ling Xuan spoke decisively, brimming with confidence.
He threw himself back into the process of building the divine bridge.
The Bitter Sea continued expanding. The rainbow bridge formed from gathered energy was like a fierce, clawing dragon, crossing the boundless sea.
The divine bridge grew ever more dazzling, its divine might surging. Ling Xuan's strength continued to climb, and he soon reached the peak of the Divine Bridge Realm.
Suddenly, endless mist surged out before the lengthening bridge like a roaring tide. Illusory energy spread wildly, obscuring Ling Xuan's spiritual senses and blocking his path. This was the dreaded Calamity of Lostness.
"Hmph! How could a mere illusion stop me? Wherever I stand is the Other Shore."
His words sounded a little over-the-top, but in these circumstances, they carried an overbearing confidence that brooked no challenge.
After all, the cultivation system of Swallowed Star already included the path of illusion techniques, which placed extremely high demands on a powerhouse's will and consciousness.
As a Star Level powerhouse, Ling Xuan's will far surpassed that of cultivators at the Other Shore Realm. How could he be trapped by the mist that accompanied this breakthrough?
The nine stars suspended above the Bitter Sea suddenly blazed with light. Under the radiance of the blazing suns, the endless mist vanished without a trace.
By now, Ling Xuan had successfully crossed the Bitter Sea and reached the Other Shore.
It was a pure land, wreathed in mist and clouds like a celestial paradise.
High in the sky, he glimpsed an enormous Dao Palace. It was ancient and imposing, radiating a mysterious, powerful aura as if recounting an age-old tale and summoning Ling Xuan to come.
Ling Xuan's body, too, had been elevated by his successful cultivation of the Lunhai Secret Realm.
However, since he was already a Star Level powerhouse, his body had been exceptionally strong to begin with. This elevation improved him, but not by much.
"The Dao Palace is right before me. I'll keep breaking through." After driving the fourth Divine Pattern into the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, he intended to press on in one breath and break into the Daogong Secret Realm.
Thanks to 'Xiangyu Diguanwan' for the two monthly tickets and the 300 Qidian coins! Thanks to my Qin—muah!
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