River of Fate

After Long Lingyu and the other two discussed it, the remaining two jade boxes went to Huang Tutian and Dongfang Riyue. The price was that the two of them gave up their right to a share of the two Spirit Tools.

Wang Ding pointed at the two Spirit Tools and said, "Since Junior Brother Huang Tutian and Junior Brother Dongfang Riyue have given up their right to a share, then these two Spirit Tools will go one each to me and Junior Sister Long Lingyu." After Wang Ding finished, he turned his head toward Long Lingyu. "Junior Sister, you can choose first."

Long Lingyu did not stand on ceremony either. She smiled and pointed at the Blue Ancient Mirror, saying, "This little sister already has the Junhua Sword. Right now, I'm only lacking a defensive Magic Tool. Let this ancient mirror go to me."

Seeing this, Wang Ding also smiled and said, "Junior Sister's choice happens to coincide with mine. I lack an offensive Spirit Tool, and Junior Sister lacks a defensive Spirit Tool. It works out perfectly."

After Wang Ding said this, he put away King Slayer. Then Wang Ding pointed at the three top-grade Magic Tools and said, "These Rogue Cultivators didn't have anything good. Only these three top-grade Magic Tools are still worth a look: one saber and two swords. Nothing much to see. Everyone, divide them up."

After that, the four of them successively divided up all kinds of talismans, Magic Tools, pills, and scriptures. In truth, they could no longer make use of these things, but they could be exchanged for pills, or exchanged in the sect for merit points. That way, they would be of great use.

Wang Ding looked at the empty ground before him, now completely divided up, and smiled as he said to everyone, "Now that the gains have all been split, next comes cultivating here until Heavenly Void closes. I hope everyone can climb a hundred-foot pole and go one step further during this period."

Long Lingyu laughed sweetly and said, "Then many thanks for Senior Brother Wang Ding's auspicious words."

Huang Tutian said, brimming with satisfaction, "This time, I've obtained a heaven-sized fortuitous encounter. If I still can't make a breakthrough, I might as well smash my head in and die."

Dongfang Riyue, however, remained refined and elegant as ever. "This time, I will surely be able to break through to the peak of the Innate realm. The Qi Training Realm is within reach as well."

The four of them each chose a place in the cave and began to cultivate, digesting what they had gained from seizing the treasures and turning it into strength.

Wang Ding chose the deepest part of the cave. At this moment, he sat down cross-legged, focused his mind, and meditated, beginning to regulate his breath. Before long, his spirit wandered beyond the heavens. About two hours later, Wang Ding's spirit and physical strength had both reached their peak.

Wang Ding woke from meditation and took an Inner Core of a Formed Bone Demon out of his storage bag. Wang Ding looked carefully at the Formed Bone Demon's Inner Core. It was the size of an infant's fist and deep blue in color. Within it, countless tiny silver specks of light rose and sank in rhythm, freely revolving, beautiful as the turning of the universe, making one unable to help becoming deeply intoxicated.

However, Wang Ding did not sink into it. Disdain flashed in his eyes. Wang Ding knew this was the instinctive power possessed by the Formed Bone Demon's remnant soul. If it were a mortal, they might be captured by this power, have their soul sucked dry, and die. Once it absorbed enough power, this Formed Bone Demon would have the possibility of resurrection.

Wang Ding no longer paid attention to the beautiful scene inside the Inner Core. Instead, his hand moved, and he threw the Inner Core into his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.

Wang Ding circulated the Surging Waves Spirit Forging Method and began refining the soul power within the Inner Core. After the Inner Core entered his stomach, it immediately transformed into streams of cool air that spread through Wang Ding's entire body. Wang Ding only felt his whole body turn cold as the refreshing air had already spread everywhere, and Wang Ding's Surging Waves Spirit Forging Method was now fully circulating.

This cool air was a mysterious force between heaven and earth, possessed by every life, known as soul power. Soul power had many wondrous uses and could almost transform into all Acquired primal qi between heaven and earth. However, soul power was hard to obtain. It existed only within the souls of all things. Only by slaughtering living beings could it be acquired, but that meant boundless karma. No one would do such a foolish thing for a little profit.

Wang Ding and the other three were also fortunate. The Heavenly Demons they slaughtered were the only creatures not included in this category. On the contrary, the more Heavenly Demons one killed, the more merit one obtained.

Wang Ding's Innate Qi flowed ceaselessly through the meridians of his whole body, and the mental will in his Mud Pill Palace also began to circulate and strengthen along with the qi and blood throughout his body. At this moment, the soul power filling Wang Ding's fleshly body was caught between the two forces. The two forces were like millstones, grinding all the remnants of the Formed Bone Demon's residual soul within the soul power to pieces, turning them into pure soul power.

Under the constant tempering of mental will and Innate Qi, the soul power gradually began to disappear. Each time a wisp of soul power vanished, a wisp of mental will and Innate Qi would vanish with it. At that moment, a wisp of sky-clear cloud qi would be born in his meridians. In the eyes of Qi Training Realm cultivators, this was the power known as true essence, possessing supreme might that communicated with heaven and earth, the foundation of cultivators and the source of all divine abilities. However, Wang Ding's true essence at this moment was different from that of ordinary cultivators. When ordinary cultivators reached this realm, what they cultivated was a comparatively higher-grade Acquired Qi formed by the fusion of Acquired true qi and mental will. Wang Ding's true essence, however, was born from the fusion of Innate Qi and mental will—a mysterious force unique to the Great Luo realm, known as magic power.

True essence and magic power were different. True essence was only a kind of Acquired primal qi, while magic power was a force that contained a trace of the power of the laws of heaven and earth. Its might was dozens of times stronger than Acquired Qi. One had to know that Acquired beings could cultivate at most to the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm. Only by comprehending the path of returning from Acquired to Innate, transforming all the primal qi and true spirit in one's body into Innate, would there be the possibility of taking another step forward. Yet now, Wang Ding directly possessed Innate Qi, representing that once he attained the Dao and became an immortal, he would have more chances than others to advance into the Great Luo realm.

Wang Ding was now immersed in a wondrous feeling. The instant magic power was born, Wang Ding seemed to see the mysteries of the world. His entire consciousness was drawn into a mysterious place. Wang Ding felt himself fly into the sky, transcending everything. After an unknown length of time, a great river appeared above the heavens. That great river was of unknown length; with one glance, he could see neither its head nor its tail. What flowed within the great river was not water, but countless multicolored radiances. Waves of the aura of history, reincarnation, fate, ruthlessness, great momentum, eternity, and more rushed toward him, deeply shaking Wang Ding's mind and spirit. The great river possessed infinite might. Wang Ding's consciousness had only sensed a trace of its pressure, yet it had already become like a candle flame in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.

Suddenly, the Mysterious Yellow Great Talisman within Wang Ding's divine soul trembled, instantly pulling his consciousness back to reality. Although Wang Ding's consciousness returned, he was still immersed in the experience from just now, unable to extricate himself.

What Wang Ding did not know was that because a strand of magic power had been smelted within his body, he had obtained a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity and seen the legendary River of Fate. Legend said the River of Fate could only be seen by peerless experts who had achieved the Great Luo realm, because they had already comprehended their own fate and possessed the opportunity and power to change it.

The River of Fate stood above all things. Legend said the River of Fate originated from the Three Thousand Great Daos and was composed of the laws within the infinite chaos. The past, present, and future of all life were within it. Only by reaching the Great Luo realm would one have the chance to change one's own fate bit by bit. Otherwise, beneath the River of Fate, all things in heaven and earth, all living beings, were ants.