Changes in Profound Arts

Chapter 32: Transformations of the Profound Art

Taking advantage of the influence of the God-Devil aura, He Yu struck out with his full strength, his Primordial Sword descending upon the Heavenly Dipper Great Beast. His cultivation at the early stage of a Loose Immortal brought the momentum of the Primordial Sword to its absolute limit. This was his natal sword, one that resonated with his very being; as the cultivation of his Primordial Avatar continued to rise, the grade of the Primordial Sword would only grow higher, eventually becoming no less formidable than those innate spiritual treasures. After all, it was the natal sword of an Era-Body! Just how far it could reach was truly beyond what He Yu could fathom at this moment.

The Great Beast, trapped within the confinement of the sword momentum, struggled in vain to break free. Facing He Yu's heaven-shaking strike, it felt the sheer power of the blow and was struck with terror!

With no room to dodge, it had no choice but to face the attack head-on. The beast's three tails whipped forward, and the sharp spikes all over its body elongated to form four layers of armor. Even this supposedly impenetrable defense did not put the beast at ease; from its two giant eyes, it shot out two beams of black light that coalesced into a black barrier. Three tails, four layers of armor, and a black barrier—added to its own natural hide, this was a nine-fold defense!

Seeing the beast's actions, He Yu felt a surge of trepidation. It was, after all, a mid-stage Loose Immortal entity. With nine layers of defense, he had little confidence in breaking through with a single strike. Furthermore, once this strike concluded, the confining sword momentum would dissipate, and by then, the beast would likely have recovered, making it unimaginably difficult to kill.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as a decision formed in his heart. Though he was unsure if it would succeed, it was a gamble worth taking.

Rumble! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The strike descended with the force of a mountain-splitting, earth-cleaving blow. Facing the edge of the Primordial Sword, the three tails were severed in an instant. The four layers of armor, forged from thousands of fused spikes, were indeed exceptionally tough; the Primordial Sword stalled after cleaving through the first layer. Although it still held the advantage and the second layer of armor was fracturing with cracks, the situation was precarious. It would be extremely difficult to reach the beast's core, as he still had to shatter three more layers of armor, the black barrier, and the beast's own natural defense.

Seeing this, He Yu sighed inwardly. It seemed that path was unavoidable after all!

The Primordial Sword was blocked, and there was no hope of success in the short term. Seeing the black mist on the beast's face gathering toward its eye sockets—signaling that recovery was imminent—and knowing his sword momentum could not hold much longer, He Yu hardened his heart. The situation was about to collapse; there was no other choice.

Whoosh! Bang! Bang! Clang!

The Primordial Sword left his hand, shooting like a bolt of lightning toward the beast. It pierced through the second and third layers of armor, but stalled upon reaching the fourth.

"Primordial Sword—detonate!"

Self-destruct the Primordial Sword?

He Yu's resolve was truly ruthless. One had to know that the current Primordial Sword, having been nurtured by the Primordial Source of Earthly Fiend, was intrinsically linked to his own origin. Detonating it would be enough to damage the very source of his Primordial Avatar, a cost that could be described as immense. Reforming the sword and recovering his avatar afterward would be no simple task.

This decision was a desperate measure. The Source of Heavenly Dipper was vital to He Yu, its utility beyond measure—essential for his small planes, the Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend, and the Great Beast Calamity! Otherwise, facing the Power of Heaven and Earth at the late-stage Loose Immortal level, He Yu would have no choice but to abandon his Primordial Avatar to avoid being reduced to nothingness.

Boom! Rumble!

The Primordial Sword detonated instantly, transforming into a terrifying, thousand-foot-long golden sword that spanned the heavens and the earth. Under this irresistible bombardment, the fourth layer of armor was as thin as paper, and the God-Devil barrier was shattered in a single strike, unable to offer the slightest resistance.

Roar!

Although the beast had recovered and the confining sword momentum had vanished, it was locked in place by the massive golden sword and could not dodge. Even merging with the void proved futile. It could only face this heaven-shaking, god-weeping strike in despair; this was likely the pinnacle strike of this entire era.

"Ugh!" As his natal sword detonated, the backlash immediately damaged the source of his Primordial Avatar. He Yu felt a sharp pain in his heart and a desire to vomit blood; golden and black mists swirled around him, and his cultivation plummeted.

Early-stage Loose Immortal—late-stage Void Fusion!

His cultivation had dropped an entire major realm. The price was truly too high, but the effect was equally staggering.

Boom!

The Great Beast swung its giant claws, and a massive torrent of Heavenly Stellar Qi surged from its mouth like a tidal wave to meet the attack. Yet, it was all in vain. The power generated by the self-destruction of the Primordial Sword was so great that even an Earth Immortal would not dare take it lightly; how could the beast possibly withstand it?

The giant golden sword pierced through the body of the Heavenly Dipper Great Beast without obstruction, dissolving into a massive cloud of golden gas. The beast froze, then shattered into pieces with a loud explosion.

A vast expanse of golden Heavenly Stellar Qi formed a hundred-mile-wide golden cloud, within which were wrapped one golden crystal a few inches in size and two black crystals of similar size.

Source of Heavenly Dipper, God-Devil Crystals!

Seeing the golden and black crystals, He Yu knew exactly what they were. These were within his expectations; he had considered this outcome the moment he decided to detonate the Primordial Sword.

The God-Devil Crystals emitted rays of black light. The Source of Heavenly Dipper, caught within this light, seemed to sense something and began to slowly gather the golden cloud of Heavenly Stellar Qi, clearly attempting to manifest the Heavenly Dipper Great Beast once more. Like his Primordial Avatar, as long as the source was not annihilated, the beast was a terrifying, immortal existence.

"Trying to be reborn? Keep dreaming!" Having paid such a price, how could He Yu allow the beast to return? He didn't have a second Primordial Sword!

Whoosh!

Curling his fingers into a claw, he unleashed the Dragon-Capturing Claw. A giant golden-black claw shadow appeared, instantly tearing through the golden cloud of Heavenly Stellar Qi and snatching the Heavenly Dipper golden crystal back.

With the Source of Heavenly Dipper in hand, He Yu breathed a sigh of relief, his anxious heart finally settling. He channeled his energy, and the hundred-mile-wide golden cloud surged toward the golden crystal like a whale swallowing water. Within a few breaths, it was entirely absorbed.

Having lost its source, the God-Devil Crystals spun incessantly, appearing at a loss.

Facing the two God-Devil Crystals, He Yu felt a headache coming on. He didn't know how to dispose of them. Neither his Primordial Avatar nor his River Crab demon body could absorb or utilize them, yet he couldn't just leave them behind, lest another beast emerge.

In his dilemma, He Yu suddenly paused. He looked at the cloud of golden gas that had formed after his sword's detonation and a corner of his mouth curled up. A thought struck him: having suffered such a heavy loss, how could he not make up for it? Even if he reforged and nurtured the Primordial Sword, it would at best be as it was before. But if he incorporated these two God-Devil Crystals, it would be entirely different; its power would surely increase significantly.

"Heh heh heh!" A cold laugh escaped his lips. He Yu waved his hand, and the golden Primordial Qi surged forth, enveloping the two God-Devil Crystals. Without the Primordial Source present, the crystals could not use the golden Qi to manifest a beast.

The golden Primordial Qi was born from the Primordial Source itself, and he could control it as easily as his own limbs. Under his guidance, the golden Qi slowly took the shape of a sword, and simultaneously, the God-Devil Crystals began to fuse with it...

Time flowed like water. Forging this Primordial Sword was a hundred times more difficult than the last time; the fusion of the two God-Devil Crystals was incredibly arduous. He Yu did not rush. Although his time was not abundant, impatience would not speed up the process and would only hinder his progress.

Bang!

Sharp sword Qi shot out in all directions, accompanied by countless air explosions. Within a hundred-meter radius, wind blades danced, and the aura of the Heavenly Dipper and God-Devil filled the air. In the center of this zone, a three-foot-three-inch golden-black divine blade hung proudly, as if it were the first sword of the ancient world—its edge razor-sharp, its momentum overwhelming the heavens.

After fusing the two God-Devil Crystals, the brand-new Primordial Sword was complete!

The current Primordial Sword was incomparable to its predecessor. The effect of the God-Devil Crystals far exceeded He Yu's expectations; the grade of the sword had at least doubled, and its power had increased more than tenfold.

"With this sword alone, my confidence in resisting the Power of Heaven and Earth in the coming days has increased by thirty percent!" He Yu thought to himself. What pleased him even more was that after being nurtured by the Primordial Source of Earthly Fiend, its power would rise even further.

With the Heavenly Dipper golden crystal in hand, He Yu immediately swallowed it to integrate it into his being, avoiding any complications that might arise overnight. Although he was confident in his strength, the encounter with the Heavenly Dipper Great Beast had made him vigilant. The Primordial World was vast and boundless, hiding countless terrifying existences, perhaps even many at the Loose Immortal level.

As soon as the golden crystal was integrated, a massive change occurred. Within his Primordial Source, the sources of the Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend intertwined and rotated, gradually forming a golden-black Taiji. Once this Taiji was formed, a vast and immense stream of information flooded into He Yu's consciousness, taking him quite a while to digest and roughly comprehend.

"Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend?" The information in his mind left He Yu stunned. It was indeed the Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend—the thirty-six transformations of the Heavenly Dipper and the seventy-two transformations of the Earthly Fiend. It encompassed a vast array of Daoist arts and supernatural powers, far more complex than mere physical transformation.

The Profound Art was deep and unfathomable. Even now, He Yu could barely grasp the surface, but having obtained the method of cultivation, he would naturally be able to comprehend it step by step in the future.

In his mind, the arts of transformation he had always been curious about emerged: The Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Dipper: Revolving Creation, Reversing Yin and Yang, Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations, Returning Heaven and Reversing the Sun, Summoning Wind and Rain, Shaking Mountains and Moving Earth, Riding Clouds and Mounting Mists, Dividing Rivers and Creating Land, Traversing Earth in Golden Light, Overturning Rivers and Seas, Pointing at Earth to Turn it into Steel, Five Elements Great Escape, Six Jia and Strange Gates, Knowing the Future, Whipping Mountains and Moving Stones, Bringing the Dead Back to Life, Flying Body and Hiding Traces, Nine Breaths of Qi, Exporting Primordial Yang, Subduing Dragons and Taming Tigers, Mending the Heavens and Bathing the Sun, Pushing Mountains and Filling Seas, Pointing at Stones to Turn them into Gold, Standing Upright Without a Shadow, Fetal Transformation and Changing Form, Size at Will, Flowers Blooming in an Instant, Wandering Spirits and Controlling Qi, Seeing Through Walls, Returning Wind and Returning Fire, Mastering the Five Thunders, Hiding in the Abyss and Shrinking the Earth, Flying Sand and Moving Stones, Carrying Mountains and Surpassing Seas, Scattering Beans to Form an Army, and the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book.

Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiend: Profound Connection, Spirit Driving, Mountain Carrying, Water Prohibition, Wind Borrowing, Mist Spreading, Clear Sky Prayer, Rain Invocation, Fire Sitting, Water Entering, Sun Obscuring, Wind Controlling, Stone Boiling, Flame Spitting, Blade Swallowing, Pot Heaven, Spirit Walking, Water Treading, Staff Liberation, Avatar Creation, Invisibility, Head Restoration, Immobilization, Demon Slashing, Immortal Summoning, Soul Chasing, Soul Seizing, Cloud Beckoning, Moon Grasping, Transportation, Dream Grafting, Disarticulation, Staff Substitution, Flow Severing, Disaster Averting, Calamity Resolving, Pointing Transformation, Corpse Liberation, Scenery Shifting, Attracting, Cloud Tracing, Beast Gathering, Bird Taming, Qi Prohibition, Great Strength, Stone Penetration, Light Generation, Barrier Clothing, Guiding, Ingestion, Opening, Rock Leaping, Premonition, Rapid Copying, Water Drinking, Snow Lying, Sun Basking, Pellet Playing, Talisman Water, Medicine, Time Knowing, Geography Recognizing, Grain Abstinence, Nightmare Casting.

He Yu learned through the information that it was fundamentally impossible to fully master the Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend at this moment. To fully cultivate the Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend required simulating all things in the heavens; at this time, the Golden Crow, Kunpeng, Ancestral Dragon, Ancestral Phoenix, and the like had yet to emerge, making complete cultivation impossible. However, he could still master a superficial grasp of it.

Heh, come to think of it, I've made a huge profit, He Yu thought excitedly. Even if those Primordial World powerhouses managed to cultivate the Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend, they would at best start from the Era of Ferocious Beasts. The beginning of the Primordial World and the Era of Giant Beasts before that would be a blank slate, and thus naturally incomplete. Yet, I have obtained the complete Profound Art of Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend. This was a massive advantage, and its utility in the later stages would surely be extraordinary.

Although this journey had been full of twists and turns, with He Yu's Primordial Origin damaged and the Primordial Sword requiring considerable time to nourish and hone, these were not worth mentioning compared to his gains. Losses could be recovered, but these gains, once missed, would be gone forever!

Now that everything is finished, I can cultivate in peace. While I'm at it, I might as well scavenge the Primordial World; it can at least enrich my Inner Plane Space, He Yu pondered. A thought crossed his mind, but it would depend on whether he had enough time. He did not know how long it would take to recover from his injuries and cultivate his Primordial Avatar. Although that idea held immense benefits, it could be pursued at any time, so there was no need for urgency. The immediate priority was to prepare for the Calamity of Giant Beasts and Gods-Devils and the Power of Heaven and Earth.