Refinement: Just You Wait

Li Yunjing walked to the altar and carefully examined the runes on it.

The Five Aggregates Cauldron trembled slightly, and the voice of the Five Spirits Lord resounded in his sea of consciousness:

"Young master, this is the High Antiquity Calamity-Birth Array, a formation specifically used to cultivate Tribulation Spirit."

"Tribulation Spirit?" Li Yunjing raised an eyebrow.

The Five Spirits Lord said, "That's right. By using the souls of billions of living beings as nourishment, Tribulation Spirit Body can be cultivated. Once successfully cultivated, it will be a hundred times stronger than an ordinary black-haired monster."

"I suspect that the mastermind behind this is someone from the Upper Realm. This formation only circulates in the Upper Realm, and the mastermind wants to cultivate Tribulation Spirit, and then use the Tribulation Spirit's body to completely descend to the Lower Realm."

Li Yunjing felt a chill run down his spine.

Arrival?

Is there a way to break this?

Five Spirits Lord said, "Of course. First, sever the array foundation, then use the Five Aggregates Cauldron to suppress the Tribulation Pearl and refine it slowly. We can't rush it, and we mustn't let it explode."

Young master, please do as you please. My strength has recovered considerably, and I can handle this with ease.

Li Yunjing nodded slightly, then looked away and addressed the crowd.

"Listen up, everyone. This is the Calamity-Birth Array. The Tribulation Pearl is in the center; it must not be detonated."

"Du'e, lead your men to set up a trapping formation, sealing off the area around the altar to prevent the Tribulation Qi from leaking out."

"Wangshu and Primordial Lord Bi Shui, you two protectors, help me suppress the formation's core."

"Hanzun, please restrain the divine thought within the formation from the front and prevent him from activating the formation."

"I will take charge of the formation and use the Five Aggregates Cauldron to refine the Tribulation Pearl."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Since Li Yunjing dared to take out the Immortal Artifact Five Aggregates Cauldron, it means he must have a solution. All everyone needs to do is follow his orders.

"Clear!"

"Do it!"

Upon receiving the order, everyone immediately sprang into action.

Du'e, leading fifty warriors, swiftly set up Mystic Yellow Confinement Formation around the altar. Array patterns lit up, firmly trapping the altar in the center.

Dao Lord Hanzun took a deep breath and stood directly in front of the altar.

"Old ghost, come out!"

He slammed his fists into his chest, his Qi and Blood surging and his aura surging.

"Get out here!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the runes on the third level of the altar lit up simultaneously.

A hoarse, aged voice rang out, carrying a chilling malice:

"A few more are just waiting to die."

"Since you're here, why don't you all stay?"

Buzz.

The runes on the altar shone brightly, and black Tribulation Qi surged out like a tide, transforming into countless black blades that shot towards the crowd.

"Do it!"

Li Yunjing gave the order.

Wangshu and Primordial Lord Bi Shui attacked simultaneously, deploying their Moonlight Domain and Water Curtain Barrier to block the attacks from both sides.

Dao Lord Hanzun met the attack head-on, his fists clashing against the surging tide of Tribulation Qi.

Bang.

The shockwave spread in all directions.

Dao Lord Hanzun took half a step back, secretly alarmed.

Why is this old ghost stronger than before?

The old ghost cackled, "Is that all you've got? Even the old man Beiming couldn't do anything to me back then, and you, a mere junior, can't possibly defeat me?"

Dao Lord Hanzun's face darkened. "Stop being so arrogant!"

He charged forward again, engaging in a fierce battle with the black shadows conjured by the Tribulation Qi.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Yunjing walked to the first level of the altar, with the Five Aggregates Cauldron floating in front of his chest.

"Five Spirits Lord, let's begin."

"Alright, young master, you guide the array base, and I will suppress the Tribulation Pearl."

Li Yunjing formed hand seals and channeled spiritual energy into the ground.

Golden array patterns spread from his fingertips, extending along the cracks in the altar towards the array base.

The runes reacted immediately, with black Tribulation Qi constantly impacting the golden array patterns, attempting to force them back.

Li Yunjing remained calm, continuously channeling his spiritual energy.

The golden array patterns advanced step by step, gradually sealing off the runes.

The old ghost on the altar immediately noticed.

"You brat, how dare you ruin my plans!"

He roared and sent a wisp of his divine sense towards Li Yunjing.

"You want to hurt the young master? Dream on!"

The Five Spirits Lord, controlling the Five Aggregates Cauldron, charged forward.

Bang!

Divine thought collided with the light of the cauldron.

The Five Aggregates Cauldron trembled slightly, but managed to withstand the impact.

"Innate Immortal Artifact?" The old ghost's voice held a hint of surprise, then grew even more greedy. "What a treasure! Perfect as a tonic for me!"

He increased his mental output, frantically attacking the Five Aggregates Cauldron.

The cauldron began to shake violently.

However, despite the violent shaking, it never dissipated.

Li Yunjing remained silent, but his hands moved even faster.

The golden array patterns finally spread to the base of the array.

"Seal up!"

He gave a low shout.

The array patterns lit up simultaneously.

Click.

The runes on the altar dimmed considerably in an instant.

The base of the formation has been sealed off.

"No!"

The old ghost let out a sharp, agonizing scream.

"You dare ruin my grand plan! I'll kill you!"

He went completely mad, unleashing all his divine senses towards Li Yunjing.

"Oh no!" Wangshu exclaimed in alarm.

"Come back!" Dao Lord Hanzun hurriedly returned to defend.

But it was still too late.

Just as the divine thought was about to strike Li Yunjing...

Li Yunjing suddenly looked up.

"Five Aggregates Cauldron, refine!"

He poured all his spiritual energy into the cauldron.

The Five Aggregates Cauldron shone brightly, and five-colored flames spewed out from its mouth.

"Ah!"

The old ghost's divine sense was swept away by the cauldron fire, causing him to let out a shrill scream.

In just a moment, it was completely refined.

The old ghost's distraction completely dissipated.

The runes on the altar completely went out.

The central Tribulation Pearl lost control and began to flicker intermittently.

The Five Spirits Lord said urgently, "Now is the time for me to suppress it and slowly refine it."

The Five Aggregates Cauldron flew above the Tribulation Pearl, its mouth facing downwards, generating a tremendous suction force.

The Tribulation Pearl shook violently, but was firmly held in place by the suction force, and was slowly pulled closer to the mouth of the cauldron.

Just as the Tribulation Pearl was about to be sucked into the cauldron...

Buzz.

The Tribulation Pearl suddenly burst forth with a burst of black light.

A vague will emanated from it, carrying a chilling killing intent:

"You brat, you've ruined my plans."

"I will remember this debt."

"It won't be long before I personally descend upon you, and then you'll be left wishing for death."

The voice was vast and cold, like a judgment from the Heavenly Dao, far stronger than the old ghost's previous distraction.

This is the true will of the mastermind behind everything.

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

So competitive.

A single willpower is enough to suffocate someone.

"Snort."

Li Yunjing snorted coldly and activated the Five Aggregates Cauldron.

"Collect it!"

boom.

The Tribulation Pearl was completely absorbed into the Five Aggregates Cauldron.

That will was also severed and vanished into nothingness.

As soon as the Tribulation Pearl was withdrawn, the cavern trembled slightly.

The black barrier outside began to slowly fade and dissipate.

Sunlight once again shone into the earth's veins.

"It's... it's done?" Du'e, somewhat incredulous.

Is that all?

"It's not that simple." Li Yunjing shook his head, his expression grave. "The main body escaped."

"He only lost a Tribulation Pearl and a divided spirit; the real mastermind is still hiding in the shadows."

Everyone fell silent.

Although they won this game, no one was happy.

They didn't even know who the other person was.

Dao Lord Hanzun said in a deep voice, "The barrier is about to collapse, and the reinforcements outside should be arriving soon. Let's clean up the mess in Northern Spirit Province first."

Everyone nodded.

The group left the ley lines and returned to the surface.

Sure enough, the black barrier had completely disappeared.

In the distance, streaks of light were rapidly approaching on the horizon.

Those were reinforcements from the Immortal Alliance, as well as cultivators from various states who had come to help.

The calamity in Northern Spirit Province has temporarily come to an end.

But Li Yunjing stood atop the rift valley, gazing at the sky above, yet his mood remained anything but relaxed.

The warning from the mastermind behind it all still echoes in my ears.

He knew this was just the beginning.

The other party will not let this go easily.

When will it happen next? And where will it erupt?