Crimson magma surged like blood, its scorching heat distorting the Void. Li Qingshan's eyes flashed like lightning, piercing through the layers of churning magma, and he vaguely glimpsed a tortoise shell half-buried in the rock base.
The tortoise shell was only about a foot square, its surface covered with intricate and ancient patterns.
It bears some resemblance to the Divine Markings on his Dao Bell, but appears even more ancient and desolate.
It seems to bear the weight of countless ages, flowing with a timeless and profound charm.
"Could this be an ancient artifact left behind by the Sun Sacred Clan?"
A thought flickered in his mind, and he was about to step forward for a closer look.
"Hiss.!"
Suddenly, the Xiaobai on his wrist tightened its body, biting his sleeve and leading Li Qingshan to a certain spot on the abyss wall.
After flying for Dunyi quarter of an hour, Li Qingshan followed the trail and saw the once bare rock face of the abyss.
It had somehow become covered with fiery red vines, and the branches and leaves were adorned with longan-sized fruits.
The crystal-clear, fiery red fruit exudes pure fire elemental energy.
" Fire Spirit Fruit? I haven't seen this in several previous searches."
Li Qingshan was slightly surprised, then looked at Xiaobai, "Is this the spiritual herb you found?"
Xiaobai raised its head and chirped softly, its jade horn gleaming.
"Good!"
Li Qingshan accepted the "gift" with a smile, then returned to his previous spot and turned his gaze to the tortoise shell deep within the magma.
Without further hesitation, his body radiated a crimson-gold divine light, like a miniature sun descending, and he leaped into the rolling lava!
"Whoosh."
The scorching, viscous lava, as if submitting, automatically parted to both sides, failing to harm him in the slightest.
The pure essence of earth fire flowed into his body like rivers flowing into the sea.
As soon as he sank several feet, several crimson phantoms suddenly sprang out from the magma. These were spirits formed from the fire essence of this place, shrieking as they pounced.
Even a grain of rice can shine?
Li Qingshan remained expressionless, his fingers pointing out like swords at will.
A crimson-gold divine light emanated from his fingertips, transforming into a dazzling sword beam that instantly shattered the fire spirits upon contact.
It was transformed back into the purest fire elemental essence, which was then absorbed by his limbs and bones, becoming resources for body tempering.
Li Qingshan accelerated, moving like a dragon straight to the location of the tortoise shell.
He reached out and gently touched the cold, ancient armor plate.
In an instant, a vast and boundless aura surged upwards, penetrating straight into the sea of consciousness!
Countless fragmented images and information surged forth like a tide: a grand sacrificial scene, countless figures kneeling before the blazing sun, ancient prayers echoing through heaven and earth, using some incomprehensible "offering" as a guide to communicate with the great sun. This tortoise shell was the key token to open some kind of "altar," and the information inscribed on it, the secrets of the Great Dao, was too fragmented to be pieced together in its entirety.
"Buzz!"
He attempted to use divine power to activate it, hoping to uncover its mysteries.
However, the moment the divine power was injected, the tortoise shell seemed to have exhausted the last bit of strength to maintain its shape.
With a sudden jolt, the surface shimmered rapidly, and then with a "crack," it shattered into pieces.
Ultimately, it turned into a handful of starlight-shimmering dust, merging into the surrounding magma and returning to nothingness.
Only a vast, pure, and ancient sacrificial power surged into his body through his arm!
"Boom!"
This external force resonated in an incredible way with the primordial power that had been transformed from his shattered Divine Seed!
The barriers of the Four Extremes Secret Realm trembled violently, emitting mournful cries of unbearable strain.
The essence of heaven and earth surged and roared through my limbs and bones like a wild horse, the opportunity for a breakthrough has arrived!
But Li Qingshan's mind raced, and he forcefully suppressed the impulse with immense willpower.
"This place is near a fire vein, and its energy is extremely violent; it is definitely not a suitable place for tribulation!"
He made a decisive move, suppressing the surging aura around him. His figure transformed into a golden rainbow, soaring into the sky and landing steadily back on the black stone at the edge of the abyss.
Xiaobai immediately jumped onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek affectionately.
The Dao Bell in his arms also chimed softly on its own, its body swirling with Divine Markings as it actively absorbed the surrounding Solar True Force.
It subtly resonated with the immense divine power within Li Qingshan's body, its Daoist essence naturally formed.
Li Qingshan gently stroked the bell, feeling the closeness and protectiveness that seemed to connect them like blood relatives.
He picked up the thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum from the purple nitrogen box and sat down cross-legged.
" The Four Extremes Heavenly Tribulation is no small matter; we must make thorough preparations. Let's refine this medicine first, and then find a place to undergo the tribulation."
With a single thought, without the need for external aids, the essence of fire in the world spontaneously gathers.
It transformed into a pure and blazing Dao Fire in his palm, enveloping the purple fungus.
Xiaobai also lay prone to the side, its jade horn glowing as it guided a wisp of pure wood energy into the fire, fueling its flames.
With your help, things have become much easier.
Li Qingshan smiled.
Now that his Innate Dao Embryo physique has reached a minor stage of completion and is in harmony with the Dao, refining medicine has become a breeze for him.
The divine fire turned at will, and the purple fungus quickly transformed into a golden medicinal liquid. Impurities were naturally refined and removed by the Dao Fire, leaving only the most primordial essence.
In less than half an hour, three golden, flawless pills, each the size of a longan, floated in the air, emitting a fragrant aroma and radiating spiritual energy far exceeding that of before.
"Let us then call you ' Origin Pill '."
He took one off and handed it to Xiaobai.
The little creature swallowed it eagerly, and its body immediately shone with a rich golden light. The jade horn became even more lustrous, and its aura subtly grew stronger.
Li Qingshan also took one pill; the pill transformed into a warm current upon entering his stomach, nourishing the restless Four Extremes Secret Realm.
He stood up, tidied himself up, and gazed into the distance.
"It's time to find that place to transcend tribulation."
Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a streak of crimson-gold Divine Rainbow, tearing through the air and shooting straight towards the distant mountains and dense forests.
Only the lingering echoes of the Dao Bell and the ceaselessly churning magma of the Earthfire Abyss bear witness to the encounters and departures of this place.
North of Thundercliff.
The clouds of calamity have not yet arrived, but the killing intent is already upon us!
A devastating bolt of purple lightning, nearly twenty feet in diameter, tore through the sky without warning.
Like Spear of Judgment hurled by the Heavens, it struck Li Qingshan atop the solitary peak with speed beyond comprehension!
"Boom.!!!"
The deafening roar shook the universe, and Li Qingshan was violently blasted hundreds of feet away by the terrifying force!
The protective divine light flickered violently, and his plain-colored Daoist robe instantly turned to ashes.
The charred fragments clung to the jade-like skin, making it look even more disheveled.
The Green Lotus Dao Crown on his head was shaken off, and his black hair stood on end, surrounded by lingering arcs of lightning.
Before he could catch his breath, the entire sky transformed into a boiling sea of purple lightning!
Ten thousand bolts of lightning danced wildly, weaving a web of destruction that completely engulfed Thundercliff!
The terrifying energy fluctuations swept in all directions like a tangible tsunami.
Devastating! Towering ancient trees and majestic rocks crumble at its touch, turning to dust and scattering across the heavens and earth!
In the distance, nestled in a crevice in the rocks, Xiaobai coiled up, its jade-green vertical pupils contracting in fear, reflecting the terrifying scene that seemed like the end of the world, about to reopen the chaos.
The power of the heavenly tribulation grew stronger with each layer!
Nine layers of lightning struck down one after another, each one thicker and more violent than the last!
The lightning strike caused the cliffs to crack and the earth's veins to tremble. The towering peaks, thousands of feet high, crumbled and collapsed layer by layer under the baptism of the thunder!
The surrounding mountains were completely leveled and vanished in endless lightning, leaving only the main body of Thundercliff.
Like an unyielding monument, it hangs alone above the bottomless abyss of new life, bearing the most extreme destructive power in the world.
As the final, terrifying bolt of lightning, resembling True Dragon and carrying fragments of laws, roared and pierced the depths of the earth.
The entire region has been completely turned into a forbidden zone for life, a vast expanse of scorched earth.
Only the ceaseless roar of lightning and fire in the deep abyss at the bottom of the cliff testifies to the reality and cruelty of the catastrophe that had just occurred.
Li Qingshan used his partially completed Innate Dao Embryo combined with his newly formed Sun True Body to withstand the Four-Nine Tribulations!
Although he was cleaved in two, his skin torn and his blood churning, he ultimately prevailed thanks to his superior physique and powerful foundation.
They miraculously withstood this cataclysmic baptism.
The thunderclouds dispersed, and the world returned to its clear state.
He shuddered, and the charred, dead skin peeled off, revealing a more lustrous body beneath, radiating an immortal glow, as if cast from divine gold and jade.
The power of the heavenly tribulation not only failed to destroy him, but instead became the best whetstone, helping him complete a profound transformation.
With a flash of divine light, a new set of plain-colored Daoist robes appeared on his body, the hem of which was subtly embroidered with the trajectory of stars, mysterious and extraordinary.
He raised his hand in a feint, and the Green Lotus Dao Crown that had fallen to the ground transformed into a stream of light and flew back.
The twelve jade petals are layered like a real lotus in bloom, conveying the artistic conception of "the pure light of Tao shines on the Purple Palace, the wonderful appearance of the lotus guards the original truth", and are once again worn on the hair bun.
Her spiky black hair was scattered by the wind, then automatically gathered and tied up again.
At this moment, he stood with his hands behind his back atop the now-ruined Thundercliff, where the thunder and fire below had not yet extinguished and continued to rise.
His features became increasingly clear and bright, like a piece of jade that had been frozen for thousands of years on the Mount Kunlun, refined by heavenly fire, making it even more flawless.
Between the opening and closing of his eyes, there seemed to be an ancient Daoist rhythm flowing endlessly, like the beginning of heaven and earth, the creation of Yin-Yang.
The Innate Dao Body resonates naturally with the myriad Daos around it, and the fluttering of its robes seems to outline the veins of mountains and rivers.
Between breaths, faint phantom images of the stars in the heavens appear and disappear, a true reflection of "the Dao unites with the primordial state to embrace all things, the body is like crystal reflecting the universe."
Even Xiaobai, still shaken, dared not look directly at them from afar.
With only keen sensitivity, he captured the transcendent and vast Daoist charm that merged with the entire world and the infinite Dao.