True Spirit No Longer Bound by Fate: Past, Present, and Future United as One, Unique and Unmatched!

The thunderclouds pressed lower and lower, as though they would collapse at any moment, while the lightning grew ever more violent. Yet Zhu Yin remained utterly unmoved.

A hundred years passed before the thunderclouds finally finished gathering strength. The first heavenly bolt crashed down like a roaring thunder dragon, tearing apart heaven and earth.

Zhu Yin's green robes billowed in the wind. He neither retreated nor evaded, taking the lightning head-on with his physical body to temper both his flesh and Primordial Spirit. At the same time, his Primordial Spirit flew from his body and sat cross-legged in the void, enduring the baptism of the Lightning Tribulation.

After the first bolt came a relentless succession of lightning strikes, each stronger than the last. Yet he never took even a single step back.

After the thirty-sixth bolt, a phenomenon appeared... The Ninth-Grade White Lotus emerged beneath his feet, while the Pure-Cleansing Bell hung above his Primordial Spirit. Boundless divine light poured down, protecting him as he continued to receive the lightning.

When the forty-ninth bolt arrived, the Vitality Cauldron appeared above his head, devouring part of the lightning before Zhu Yin's body and Primordial Spirit absorbed and refined it separately.

After fifty-four bolts, his Primordial Spirit returned to his body.

After sixty-three bolts, the Six-Purities Bamboo appeared and transformed into a massive bamboo stalk, blocking the lightning.

When the seventy-second bolt fell, the Vitality Treasure Vase manifested and poured down life-giving water, even containing Three Lights Divine Water to nourish his injuries.

Although Zhu Yin's body was wounded by the lightning, it recovered swiftly and reformed anew. He was like an ancient divine bamboo standing between heaven and earth, unafraid of wind or thunder, growing stronger with every battle.

At last, the eighty-first bolt descended.

This time, it was not ordinary lightning, but true Purple Firmament Divine Thunder... silent and soundless, striking directly at the heart!

There was no roar, no flash of lightning, yet this bolt pierced through the protective divine light, the White Lotus, the treasure vase, and the Pure Bamboo, striking directly into Zhu Yin's mind.

Zhu Yin fell into an illusion. He saw himself becoming the supreme ruler of the Buddhist Sect after endless ages, worshipped by ten thousand Buddhas, unrivaled beneath heaven;

He saw himself ascending to the peak of the Great Dao, with all living beings looking up to him and all sages bowing their heads;

He even saw himself trampling the Great Dao of heaven and earth beneath his feet, holding Heaven-Earth in his hand, with all laws serving him alone.

Yet there was only one sentence in his heart: "What a pity. I possess a pure heart; what I seek is solitude and freedom."

As he spoke, an emerald bamboo leaf flew from the void, cutting through the ages and shattering the illusion.

Zhu Yin suddenly opened his eyes in the void. Behind him rose an emerald Heaven-Piercing Divine Bamboo, its aura soaring into the heavens as though heaven and earth had been remade, radiating endless life force and purity.

The Lightning Tribulation dispersed, leaving his figure at the edge of the thunderclouds calm and resolute.

Not only had he broken through to the second layer of the Great Freedom Nirvana Art, but he had also entered the realm of Great Principle Golden Immortal in one fell swoop—free and unfettered, bound by nothing!

As his Great Principle status was established, heaven and earth naturally bestowed endless Creation Nectar. He absorbed most of it, while the remainder spread throughout the Spirit Platform Mountain region, making the mountain's spiritual energy increasingly dense.

Then, his Primordial Spirit ascended and entered the River of Fate.

It was a mysterious and unfathomable river, vast and boundless. Every drop of water represented a life, a destiny.

He saw himself entangled by countless threads of fate, but he struggled free with all his strength, severing the restraints as his Primordial Spirit leaped out of the River of Fate.

Then he entered the River of Time, where he saw his past self and a hazy, unknowable future self. The two converged in the present.

He stood in the middle of the River of Time, holding the fate of the past in his left hand and the possibilities of the future in his right. Everything depended on what he grasped in the present!

From then on, his True Spirit was no longer bound by fate. Past, present, and future merged into one, unique and unmatched!

His Supreme Unity Dao Fruit transformed accordingly, becoming a true Zenith Heaven Dao Fruit.

His magical power, physical body, Primordial Spirit, divine abilities, and cultivation all improved across the board, exuding the unique aura and pressure of a Great Principle Golden Immortal.

Spirit Platform Mountain underwent a transformation as well.

The Primordial Tea Tree and Pure Bamboo exerted their power together, causing the spiritual energy of the entire mountain to surge. The earth veins strengthened, the number of Spirit Veins soared, and spirit herbs and spiritual grasses grew everywhere.

Even the surrounding earth veins were nourished by Spirit Platform Mountain, giving rise to low-grade and Middle-Grade Spirit Lands.

Delighted, Zhu Yin immediately entered seclusion to consolidate this astonishing fortune.

A million li away, Zhunti and Jieyin silently appeared, one fat and one thin, concealed within the void as they sensed their disciple's changes.

They had originally feared that Zhu Yin would fail his tribulation, so they had hurried over early to stand guard. Now that they saw him break through successfully, they were naturally relieved.

Zhunti smiled and cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on accepting such an excellent disciple."

Jieyin nodded in reply. "As members of Mount Sumeru's lineage, Junior Brother, you deserve credit as well."

Within the Quiet Room on the third floor of the Bamboo Building on Spirit Platform Mountain, all was peaceful and serene.

During this period, Zhu Yin had cultivated in seclusion. His breakthrough into the Great Principle Golden Immortal realm had gradually begun to reveal its effects.

Although the Western Lands were barren and sparsely populated, the commotion from Zhu Yin's tribulation had been far too great. Even some cultivators a million li away had sensed it. The Spirit Platform Mountain where he resided had also advanced into a Middle-Grade Grotto-Heaven blessed land during this process. Spiritual energy filled an area spanning hundreds of thousands of li, causing many cultivators to notice that something was unusual.

However, the effects of these changes were limited to only a few million li around Spirit Platform Mountain. Those farther away could not sense them. After all, the Western Lands were simply too vast, while cultivators were few and generally weak. Even Golden Immortals were pitifully rare, and Supreme Unity True Immortals were rarer still.

Therefore, although many living beings sensed the pressure of a Great Principle Golden Immortal, they had no idea what it was. They only knew that "a great figure has appeared," then continued cultivating or living their lives as usual.

Still, within the affected area, quite a few living beings began approaching Spirit Platform Mountain. Some sought shelter, some wished to become disciples and learn cultivation, while others wanted to try their luck and see whether they could find spiritual treasures or spirit lands in which to settle and cultivate.

Three thousand years later, Zhu Yin emerged from seclusion.

His aura no longer possessed that sharp, exposed edge. Instead, it had become restrained and natural, as though he had returned to his original state. This seclusion had not only stabilized his realm considerably, but also increased his strength by quite a bit.

Standing on the third floor of the Bamboo Building, Zhu Yin looked down over Spirit Platform Mountain. Spiritual energy coiled around it, fortune overflowed from it, and his heart was filled with joy.

He had struggled for over a hundred thousand years in this land, and had finally joined the ranks of Great Principle Golden Immortals. From now on, he possessed the ability to protect himself in the Primordial World. Whether he remained hidden in the mountains or ventured out to travel, he no longer needed to worry about his safety.

After admiring the scenery of the mountain, Zhu Yin summoned the two Boy Attendants and Jin Tu, the Little White Tiger.

"Congratulations, Master, on attaining Great Principle Golden Immortal! May you enjoy boundless longevity!"

In the pavilion of the courtyard, Zhu Yin smiled and waved his sleeve, raising them up. Taking a light sip of bamboo tea, he looked at the two Boy Attendants with considerable satisfaction and said:

"You have gone from newly entering the True Immortal realm to reaching the late True Immortal stage. It seems you have put in no small amount of effort."

As he spoke, he took out a Lightness Sword and a Gold-Breaking Saber, handing one to each of them. "These are both Postnatal Medium-Grade spiritual treasures. Take them for protection."

The Boy Attendants beamed with delight and accepted them with grateful bows.

Then Zhu Yin turned toward Jin Tu.

The Little White Tiger had now grown to the size of a young tiger. His cultivation had reached the peak of the True Immortal realm, even exceeding that of the two Boy Attendants. Yet he remained greedy for food, and there was still a faint scent of alcohol on him. He had clearly sneaked some spirit wine.

"You little rascal, aside from growing a bit bigger, nothing else about you has changed." Zhu Yin could not help laughing as he scolded him.

He was not truly angry. After all, the White Tiger had left home at a young age, which made him rather pitiable. After patting Jin Tu on the head, Zhu Yin began teaching the three of them from his cultivation experience. Only after a full half month did he allow them to leave.