Cave Heaven Realm

Night fell, and moonlight spilled down, reflected by the spiritual lake, illuminating the entire Purple Bamboo Forest until it shone with the exquisite beauty of a purple gemstone.

The crystalline bamboo gave off a violet glow, while mist wreathed the spiritual lake in a hazy veil. Together, they made the place seem like an immortal realm, poetic and picturesque.

Through the mist, a small figure could just be made out beside the spiritual lake-a boy of about six or seven, sitting cross-legged on a stone platform.

With his back to the lakeshore, he sat motionless with his eyes open, seemingly contemplating the Dao, or perhaps lost in thought.

This was none other than Lin Fan, who had come to secretly learn their arts. In the eight or nine months since arriving at the Heaven Mending Sect, he had remained within this blessed sanctuary without once venturing outside.

The only person he saw in his daily life was Qing Yao, who taught him. There was no one else.

Of course, she was not keeping him under house arrest. Rather, she feared for his safety and would not allow him outside until he reached the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Moreover, this former Holy Maiden of the Heaven Mending Sect treated Lin Fan exceptionally well, granting every request he made.

Whether answering his questions about cultivation or supplying resources and materials, she never left him wanting. Everything he received was on par with a Holy Son's treatment.

For instance, Lin Fan would soak in the Heaven Mending Sect's extremely precious golden body liquid from time to time, and she had taught him the sect's guardian divine ability, the Heaven Mending Art, without hesitation.

Even Yue Chan, the current Holy Maiden and Qing Yao's nominal disciple, did not receive treatment as good as his.

Yet the more readily she granted his every request, the harder Lin Fan found it to put his mind at ease.

"I'm just someone who came to secretly learn their arts. Why does that beautiful big sister still treat me so well?" Lin Fan muttered, utterly puzzled.

"I don't understand. I really don't understand..."

Sometimes, that beautiful big sister would stare at him in a daze for ages. Even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Fan felt a little embarrassed.

"Forget it. Since I'm here, I might as well settle in. I'll break through to the Cave Heaven Realm and improve my strength before thinking about it again."

Lin Fan shook his head, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged. His blood energy erupted, blazing like a sun, its golden light dazzling enough to send ripples across the tranquil lake.

He had long since surpassed the Extreme Realm. After several months of tempering himself and soaking in golden body liquid, he had reached the terrifying strength of a hundred and twenty thousand jin in a single arm, surpassing the ancients in an unprecedented feat.

His physical body in particular was unmatched in the Blood Moving Realm. Even the young of pure-blooded ferocious beasts could not compare.

Even Shi Hao, despite constantly breaking through limits along his cultivation path, might not surpass him in the Blood Moving Realm, much less at the age of six or seven.

This was thanks to his constitution-the Indestructible Golden Body. His blood energy was naturally immense, and even a little cultivation was enough for him to reach heights in the Blood Moving Realm that most people could never attain.

Thus, he had lingered in this realm for a long time, carefully exploring its insights. Only when further improvement became all but impossible did he finally choose to break through now.

After the Blood Moving Realm came the Cave Heaven Realm.

Only upon reaching this realm could one be considered a true cultivator, able to go without food for short periods and survive by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.

At the same time, one's use of runes would improve enormously. One would comprehend the true meaning of the runic Dao and understand the rules and transformations of this world, as though recreating a small world.

This was the Cave Heaven Realm: opening a passage inside or outside the body to serve as a bridge between oneself and heaven and earth, elevating one's life to an entirely new level.

Rather than calling the Blood Moving Realm the beginning of cultivation, it was more fitting to call the Cave Heaven Realm the beginning of the divine path. It was like passing from mortality into immortality, undergoing an earth-shaking transformation.

Lin Fan sat quietly, undisturbed by anything around him.

Having read a vast number of Bone Scriptures, he would find breaking through to the Cave Heaven Realm simple and easy. What concerned him was how to make explosive progress within this realm, advance along its path, and reach his desired heights.

The Purple Bamboo Forest was quiet and peaceful. No one would disturb his breakthrough.

Inside her secluded Bamboo House, Qing Yao turned her gaze toward Lin Fan the moment she sensed his breakthrough, standing guard over him.

"Is he about to break through?"

At the instant of advancement, Lin Fan felt as though his entire being were about to ascend to a higher state. His whole body became crystalline, his mind pure and free of the slightest impurity, and runes enveloped him from head to toe.

At that moment, his body shone brilliantly, precious light flowing over it. Runes flickered one after another within his flesh and blood, as though he were a piece of divine metal refining the creative power of heaven and earth, making his final preparations for the breakthrough.

Rumble!

A vast sound like a tsunami rang out, shaking the Purple Bamboo Forest. The lake trembled, and spiritual fish leaped from the water in panic amid shimmering ripples.

An expanse of runes appeared over Lin Fan's body, pouring forth endless golden divine light. Lightning flashed and thunder roared alongside it, dazzlingly brilliant, as though heaven and earth were being split apart and a world brought into being.

In an instant, divine light flooded the area, resplendent as a rainbow. The rumbling tsunami sounded like thousands of troops and horses charging, its force terrifying.

The next moment, an astonishing surge of blood energy shot into the heavens like a True Dragon charging through the nine skies. Its roar shook the ages and scattered the clouds overhead.

Slowly, a rocky opening began to form above Lin Fan's head. It blazed like the sun, resembling an erupting volcano, lighting up the night and turning the area as bright as day.

On closer inspection, the rocky opening was only palm-sized, yet it looked utterly real. Vivid, fiery-red lava seemed to flow within it, and it exuded an ancient, primordial aura.

This volcano-like cavern floated roughly an inch above the crown of Lin Fan's head. Vast life essence surged within it, glittering and blooming with divine splendor, like a real miniature world.

"The Cave Heaven Realm." Lin Fan paused in surprise. After breaking beyond his previous realm, his life seemed to have been elevated, undergoing some kind of transformation.

Not only had his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, but his body and mind also felt much lighter, as though a shackle had been unlocked. He saw the world more clearly and could resonate with heaven and earth.

Boom!

With a thought, the heavenly passage essence above his head surged, connecting with the power of order between heaven and earth and seizing their creative power. He could continuously absorb the endless essence outside him directly to replenish himself.

This realm was profoundly mysterious, utterly different from the Blood Moving Realm. It was akin to shedding his mortal flesh and formally setting foot on the path of cultivation.

If Lin Fan were to describe it using the four stages of Daoist cultivation from his previous life, he was now at the stage of essence refining into qi.

At this point, he gained his first perception of heaven and earth and could refine their divine essence from the boundless void. When he used runes, the divine power within him would surge far beyond what it had been, naturally making him much stronger.

Moreover, from now on, he no longer needed to eat through his mouth to replenish himself. He could draw nourishment directly through the cavern's opening in an unending stream, vastly improving his efficiency.

As long as he did not undergo a devastating battle, he could always maintain abundant vitality. His strength would be difficult to exhaust, allowing him to remain at his peak.

"This feels so good!" Lin Fan murmured, closing his eyes and immersing himself in the exquisite sensations of this realm.

Especially as the essence of heaven and earth streamed toward him, bathing him and filling his body, he felt comfortable from head to toe, as though he were about to sprout wings and ascend to immortality.

Every sweep of his arm brimmed with explosive power. Lin Fan felt he could now take on ten of his former self. His body was light and nimble, almost ready to fly.

Of course, the mysteries of the Cave Heaven Realm went far beyond this. Besides increasing one's strength, it could nurture precious artifacts and cultivate runes. After reaching Spirit Transformation, one could even nurture spiritual bodies and more.

"I can open another heavenly passage and keep breaking through!"

Lin Fan focused, mobilizing the divine radiance within his body to open another heavenly passage.