For example, the Three-Lives Body could summon the Past Body, Present Body, and Future Body to fight alongside him. But he had yet to comprehend the Time Dao and simply lacked the ability to neutralize or lessen the backlash of the River of Time.
If he used it, the Three-Lives Body would be forced to dissipate before long, and he himself would suffer grievous injuries from the backlash.
Though one person became four during that brief time, they still could not seriously injure a great divine ability wielder of the same level. Suffering severe injuries for that was simply not worth it.
After carefully reviewing the gains from his twenty-five Epochs of cultivation, Yuan Yan shifted his attention to the Primordial Gourd Vine and the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd, nodding in satisfaction.
After twenty-five Epochs of nurturing, the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd had finally transformed into a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Though it contained only thirty-seven Innate Divine Restrictions, its power was beyond comparison with that of a High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
Moreover, the three thousand Great Daos it contained had all been perfected and evolved to the Great Firmament level.
As for the Primordial Gourd Vine, not only had it not gradually weakened from losing its origin while nurturing the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd, it had even recovered somewhat.
This was because, to prevent the Primordial Gourd Vine from withering due to excessive loss of origin, he had specially created divine abilities such as Nine Breaths Absorbing Qi, Spring Breeze and Rain, and Growth of All Things.
These not only accelerated the Primordial Gourd Vine's absorption of Innate Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme Spiritual Essence, but also allowed its lost origin to slowly recover.
However, although the Primordial Gourd Vine nurtured and sustained the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd with its Primordial Origin, and its recovery rate exceeded its loss rate, that recovery had become incomparably slow.
At this rate, it would likely take tens of thousands of Epochs to fully recover.
Shaking his head lightly, Yuan Yan stopped paying attention to the Primordial Gourd Vine and the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd. He turned his focus back to himself and fell into thought.
I can nurture the Primordial True Spirit with the Great Firmament Dao Fruit, allowing it to transform into an Innate Imperishable True Spirit. That requires no deliberate effort and can proceed naturally.
Then what should I cultivate next?
Should I open up and evolve the Reincarnation Dao and World Dao? Or refine the Innate Divine Restrictions within the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd and comprehend the laws and Great Daos contained within? Or cultivate the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions and temper my Fleshly Primordial Spirit to the utmost? Or something else?
After only a moment of thought and hesitation, Yuan Yan had his answer: cultivate the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions and temper his Fleshly Primordial Spirit to the utmost.
At most, he would break through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm in one or two Epochs.
Before then, cultivating the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions and tempering his Fleshly Primordial Spirit to the utmost would also lay a more solid foundation for him.
Moreover, although he had already condensed a Great Firmament Dao Fruit, he had yet to break through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm. Opening up and evolving the Reincarnation Dao and World Dao to the Great Firmament level would not be easy. At the very least, it would take dozens of Epochs.
Likewise, refining the Innate Divine Restrictions contained in the Myriad Dao Primordial Gourd and comprehending the laws and Great Daos within would require a great deal of time.
But if he waited until after breaking through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, when his cultivation was higher, he would surely achieve twice the result with half the effort.
To cultivate the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions, he naturally could not remain in his original form. Cultivating in his Innate Dao Body form would be best.
With a thought, Yuan Yan severed his connection to the Primordial Gourd Vine and transformed into a humanoid Dao Body. Sitting cross-legged beneath the Primordial Gourd Vine, he began circulating the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions, taking his Fleshly Primordial Spirit as Yin-Yang and carrying out Yinyang Evolution.
As the technique circulated and Yin-Yang evolved, the balance of Yuan Yan's Fleshly Primordial Spirit was broken. His fleshly body gradually weakened while his Primordial Spirit slowly transformed and strengthened, breaking through the limits of his Primordial Spirit until his fleshly body vanished and his Primordial Spirit transformed to the utmost limit of strength.
When Yin reached its end, Yang arose. His powerful Primordial Spirit gradually weakened, while a fleshly body slowly emerged. The fleshly body gradually transformed and strengthened, breaking through its limits, until his Primordial Spirit vanished and his fleshly body transformed to the utmost limit of strength.
When Yang reached its end, Yin arose. His powerful fleshly body gradually weakened, while a Primordial Spirit slowly emerged. The Primordial Spirit gradually transformed and strengthened until Yin-Yang returned to balance once more.
It took a full three thousand years for Yuan Yan to complete one Yinyang Evolution, returning his fleshly body and Primordial Spirit from a state of imbalance to Yin-Yang equilibrium.
At this point, although his fleshly body and Primordial Spirit had not strengthened in the slightest, their limits had been broken. As long as he absorbed enough Innate Spiritual Qi, he could naturally cultivate his Fleshly Primordial Spirit to its limits with ease.
With another thought, Yuan Yan circulated Nine Breaths Absorbing Qi, rapidly inhaling, exhaling, and refining boundless Innate Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme Spiritual Essence. Endless Innate Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme Spiritual Essence gathered, forming a vast vortex that poured into him as his Fleshly Primordial Spirit rapidly transformed and grew stronger.
Five thousand years later, though Yuan Yan had cultivated his Fleshly Primordial Spirit to its utmost limit, he could no longer absorb Innate Spiritual Qi and Dao Rhyme Spiritual Essence to achieve further transformation and growth.
As he carefully sensed the changes in his Fleshly Primordial Spirit, Yuan Yan's eyes lit up. His Fleshly Primordial Spirit had strengthened by at least twice as much.
Did that not mean that if he could undergo nine Yinyang Evolutions before breaking through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, his Fleshly Primordial Spirit could strengthen more than five hundredfold?
He was a Top-Tier Innate Divine. Although he had not deliberately tempered his Fleshly Primordial Spirit before, it was absolutely not weak.
If it truly could strengthen more than five hundredfold, his Fleshly Primordial Spirit might be able to withstand a Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure head-on, rivaling the fleshly body of a Great Firmament Witch Clan member.
If so, then the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions he had created were far too terrifying, allowing him, a Taiyi Golden Immortal, to possess a Great Firmament-level Fleshly Primordial Spirit.
But Yuan Yan soon shook his head lightly. Though the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions were indeed remarkable, they were not quite so heaven-defying.
Even if he could complete nine Yinyang Evolutions on his current foundation, it was because he had already comprehended his own Dao, condensed a Great Firmament Dao Fruit, and reached the Great Firmament level in cultivation.
Otherwise, even as the creator of the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions, he would absolutely find it difficult to achieve this with insufficient cultivation. In the end, cultivation determined one's limits!
No longer dwelling on these matters, Yuan Yan continued to calm his mind and cultivate the Nine Yin-Yang Evolutions, carrying out Yinyang Evolution. This time, however, the order of the Yinyang Evolution was the reverse of the previous one.
Two Epochs later!
Boom! A vast spiritual qi vortex comparable to a sea of stars exploded apart, and Yuan Yan's figure slowly emerged.
He sat cross-legged beneath the Primordial Gourd Vine, his Fleshly Primordial Spirit suffused with an immortal, indestructible aura. It had already reached the Great Firmament Golden Immortal level and was no weaker than a Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
He suddenly opened his eyes. With the slightest movement, he shook space-time itself. The space-time of heaven and earth cracked apart, unable to bear the terrifying might of his Fleshly Primordial Spirit.
Yet in an instant, Yuan Yan restrained the aura of his Great Dao, and the space-time of heaven and earth gradually calmed.
However, before long, heaven and earth suddenly changed!
Deep within Yuan Yan's Sea of Consciousness, the Great Firmament Dao Fruit enveloping an Innate Imperishable True Spirit manifested. Boundless Dao light spread forth, illuminating the myriad worlds.
As though sensing Yuan Yan's intent to attain the Great Firmament Dao, the formless and intangible Great Dao of heaven and earth appeared. Heavenly music resounded, Dao radiance danced, golden light became immeasurable, auspicious colors filled the air, the five qi surged, celebration clouds stretched boundlessly... Countless phenomena manifested.
Under the suppression—test—of the Great Dao of heaven and earth, Yuan Yan's Great Firmament Dao Fruit shone ever more brilliantly, extending outward without end. It manifested his Yin-Yang Dao, leaving the imprint of his Innate Imperishable True Spirit upon heaven and earth and engraving the supreme truths of the Great Dao.
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