Nascent Soul Late Stage, Son Shi Xiao, E Gu Seeks to Claim the [Barbarian Bone] Venerable Seat!

A century has passed in the blink of an eye.

Divine Firmament Plain is no longer the scorched wasteland it once was.

Between the six main peaks, countless cave abode, beast paths, and spiritual fields spread out, connecting the land for tens of thousands of miles into one vast expanse.

Above the three thunder peaks, purple-gold thunderclouds never dissipate, and the Dao of Lightning energy is so dense that it is almost tangible; the southern volcano has been completely refined by the Nine Flames Ridge-Suppressing Pagoda, and the crimson magma flows slowly along the outer wall of the mountain. From a distance, it looks like a giant crimson beast lying dormant on the earth.

The two Earth Dao mountain peaks, after decades of expansion, have long since become two bustling gathering places for Demon Beast.

The Shan Li, comprised of descendants gradually introduced from the Mountain Bear Lineage, along with the offspring that multiplied on their own in Divine Firmament Plain, and the recruited Rogue Cultivator demons, now numbers over ten thousand Lightning Bear Line -type demons.

Among them were over three thousand Foundation Establishment or above, forty-seven Golden Core Demon General, and four Nascent Soul Demon King Shi Jian and Shan Li.

Within the Giant Bear Clan, they are already considered a force to be reckoned with.

Those early Golden Core Demon General submitted to the Shanli Sect, such as the Azure Wolf and the Black Python, were gradually eliminated by the Shan Li decades ago.

Some were sent to outlying outposts, others were simply dismissed to fend for themselves; and those who replaced them were all direct descendants of the Mountain Bear bloodline.

Shi Jian remained silent on the matter.

He spent almost all of his century in his cave abode on Divine Firmament Peak.

He refined all one hundred catties of Purple Firmament Golden Lightning Essence; the three jars of Ten Thousand Ten-Thousand-Year Lightning Marrow Liquid further refined the Immortal Foundation within his body, making it even purer.

In addition, among the hundreds of captive purple lions, more than ten of them, after successfully attaining the Golden Core stage, were refined into Dao Pill pills and consumed by him.

Through specific Cultivation Method, these Dao Pill pills were all of good quality.

With a hundred years of arduous cultivation, Shi Jian's cultivation progressed smoothly; he had already steadily entered the Nascent Soul Late Stage, the whole process being extremely seamless.

Or perhaps, Shi Jian was inherently gifted and possessed an incomparably powerful divine soul; therefore, the further he cultivated, the smoother Shi Jian became for him.

There are no bottlenecks at all, as if this is how it should be.

The Dao essence of the Immortal Foundation [Purple Pivot Lightning] is more than twice as profound as it was a hundred years ago.

He even vaguely touched upon some deeper origin of Dao of Lightning, a resonance between the Purple Pivot Lightning and heaven and earth, mysterious and indescribable.

However, he is still far from reaching the Spirit Transformation.

However, it is not untouchable. To Spirit Transformation, one must thoroughly understand the foundation of Immortal Foundation, seek verification from heaven and earth, and leave a mark of the Great Dao.

At this stage, arduous seclusion and solitary practice are no longer sufficient.

Shi Jian knew in his heart that he needed more practical experience, more insights, and more resources, but before that, he had to deal with one thing first.

At the foot of Divine Firmament Peak, in a spacious cave at the base of the volcano.

The Shan Li lay prone on the ground.

Her true form was an enormous, dark golden bear; her fur was as hard as refined iron, and her limbs were as thick as stone pillars.

The aura of the Earth Dao Immortal Foundation flowed across his body, enveloping the entire cave in a thick, earthy yellow halo.

Two Nascent Soul cultivators, Xiong Gang and Xiong Lei, stood guard at the cave entrance, their faces tense.

A deep, guttural roar echoed from the depths of the cave.

That wasn't the sound of Shan Li.

The voice was extremely childish, yet it exuded an innate domineering aura; immediately afterward, a thin arc of purple-gold lightning exploded from beneath the Shan Li, splitting several charred cracks into the surrounding rock walls.

Xiong Gang's expression changed, and he was about to step forward.

Shan Li suddenly looked up, his bronze-bell-like beastly eyes glaring at him.

Xiong Gang immediately shrank back, not daring to breathe.

Another half hour passed, and an even louder cry of a young beast came from the depths of the cave.

Shan Li lowered its head and gently licked the wriggling little thing under its belly with its huge tongue.

It was a bear cub.

It was no bigger than an ordinary puppy, covered in a layer of snow-white fur; so white it was almost transparent, and under the crimson light of the volcano, it shimmered with a faint purplish-gold hue.

The most eye-catching feature is the thunder pattern that covers its limbs and back.

Fine, purple-gold patterns are naturally embedded among the white down, as if they were born into its very bones.

With each breath, the lightning patterns flickered slightly, and the Dao of Lightning energy in the surrounding air involuntarily converged towards the bear cub.

"Born with lightning patterns..."

Xiong Gang and Xiong Lei exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Shan Li slowly transformed back into human form and held the white-furred bear cub in his arms.

The bear cub opened its eyes, revealing a pair of round, beastly pupils that were a deep, purplish-gold color.

It opened its mouth and yawned, and a tiny arc of lightning shot out from between its teeth, striking the Shan Li's chin.

Shan Li frowned and flicked its forehead.

The bear cub let out a pitiful groan and curled up into a ball.

"Go tell that dead bear." Shan Li looked up and winked at Xiong Gang: "Tell him he has a son, and make him come down and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Gang smiled sheepishly.

"Alright, Miss, I'll go fetch the young master right away."

Xiong Gang was an honest and simple man, and he immediately went to find Shi Jian to report the news.

A short while later, Shi Jian arrived.

As he stepped into the cave, his gaze fell upon the tuft of white fur in Shan Li's arms.

White fur, lightning patterns, and purple-gold beast eyes.

Shi Jian remained silent for a moment, then extended a hand.

The bear cub tilted its head, looked at the hand that was bigger than its entire body, hesitated for a moment, and then took a bite.

The tiny baby teeth couldn't bite through Shi Jian's flesh at all; instead, a surge of lightning energy rushed up, making it tingly and numb.

Shi Jian's lips curled up slightly, then quickly disappeared.

"Like you." Shan Li leaned against the stone wall, his tone indifferent.

How is it similar?

"Quite."

Shi Jian didn't reply, but held the bear cub in his palm and examined it several times. The child had strong bones, abundant Blood Qi, and the lightning patterns formed its own meridians. Its talent was indeed very rare.

"What's your name?" Shan Li asked.

Shi Jian thought for a moment, "Shi Xiao."

"The 'Xiao' in 'Divine Firmament '?"

"Um."

Shan Li nodded, offering no objection; she snatched the bear cub back from Shi Jian's hands and tucked it into her bosom. "Alright, now that you've finished watching, go back and cultivate."

"Don't interfere in the child's affairs. I'll discipline this kid myself."

Shi Jian, however, did not leave.

He stared at the bear cub for a moment, and then made up his mind.

Although this child has good talent, there are many talented cubs in this Beast Realm; only one in ten can survive to adulthood.

Since he has the means, why doesn't he use them?

[Enlightenment: 127]

[Realm: Level Ten Demon King (Nascent Soul Late Stage)]

With a thought, Shi Jian began to Enlightenment the number of times he could enlighten Shi Xiao.

Once, twice, ten times...

He poured out a hundred Enlightenment in one go; this method was so silent that even Shan Li didn't notice.

The young bear Shi Xiao, nestled in Shan Li's arms, suddenly trembled, and its round, purple-gold beast eyes suddenly lit up.

Those eyes, which had been dull and ignorant, now shone with a wisdom that was completely out of place for their age.

Its aura remained unchanged; it was still that of a newborn cub.

But he has already developed Divine Sense!

And silently, it swelled to an extremely terrifying level.

Shan Li suddenly frowned and looked down at the bear cub in his arms.

Shi Xiao lay quietly, his purple-gold beast eyes fixed intently on the sky outside the cave.

That look in his eyes didn't resemble that of a newborn animal curiously observing the world.

It's more like a seasoned hunter surveying his hunting grounds.

"That kid's eyes... something's off," Shan Li muttered.

Shi Jian remained unfazed. "As I say."

Shan Li glanced at him suspiciously, but ultimately didn't press the matter further; in this Beast Realm, the bloodlines of the strong are inherently extraordinary.

Wasn't she much smarter than the average bear cub when she was a cub?

Shi Jian turned around and strode out of the cave.

Shan Li, carrying Shi Xiao, followed.

"Wait," she called to him, "You've come out of seclusion. There are some things I need you to know."

Shi Jian paused in his steps.

"The Giant Bear Clan has been in turmoil for the past century." Shan Li's expression darkened as he handed Shi Xiao to Xiong Gang behind him, gesturing for him to take it away. "The power structure of the seven main clans has changed."

Shi Jian turned around, leaned against the cliff wall, and gestured for her to speak.

"The Ancestor Egu is about to attain enlightenment."

Shi Jian's brow twitched slightly.

He had long heard of the E Gu, the ancestor. The Giant Bear Clan had seven main branches; each branch was overseen by Spirit Transformation demon immortal.

The E Gu Demon Immortal is the strongest member of the Giant Bear Clan; he is also the head of the Seven Lineages and the progenitor of the Giant Bear Lineage!

The entire Giant Bear Clan was established around the Giant Bear Lineage.

What level of enlightenment are you attaining?

"One of the four stages of the Dao of the Physical Body: [Barbarian Bone]."

Shan Li's voice was extremely low. "The Ancestor Egu has cultivated the Dao of the Physical Body for seven thousand years. Now, he has Six Dao Immortal Foundation, and only the final step remains: to seek confirmation from heaven and earth to take control of the world's [Barbarian Bone]."

"If the certificate is successfully obtained, my Giant Bear Clan will be elevated to the status of royalty."

Shi Jian was greatly alarmed; this news was significant.

The Giant Bear Clan has thirteen Nascent Spirit Transformation, yet none have Dao Venerable Dao Fruit; if the Barbarian Fiend truly achieves the [Barbarian Bone], then he will be the first Dao Venerable in the history of the Giant Bear Clan.

At that time, the status of the entire ethnic group will rise accordingly.

To become a renowned royal family throughout the entire Beast Realm, and even the Nine Realms!

"Don't be too happy yet. The problem is that if the Ancestor Egu wants to seek confirmation from Heaven and Earth, he will inevitably alarm the original owner of the [Barbarian Bone] position."

"Who?"

"Have no idea."

Shan Li shook his head. "I only know that there are four major stages of the Dao of the Physical Body: [Barbarian Bone], [Blood Body], [Life Body], and [Indestructibility]; among them, there is no record of anyone holding the [Barbarian Bone] stage in the Nine Realms."

"Either it's an unclaimed position, or the Ancestor Egu directly attains it."

"Or..."

Shan Li didn't continue.

Shi Jian finished speaking for her, "Either he has an owner, but that owner is either not in the open, or he has fallen into darkness."

Shan Li nodded, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

If there is an owner, then forcibly seeking proof from the E Gu is tantamount to declaring war on that Dao Venerable.

In a fit of rage, the Dao Venerable could erase the Dao Imprint of all cultivators below him with a single thought.

"When will the Ancestor Egu make his move?" Shi Jian asked.

"It'll be soon," Shan Li said. "According to news from the Mountain Bear Lineage, E Gu is currently in seclusion, undergoing a breakthrough; at the latest, within fifty years, there will be results."

"Does this mean that in the next fifty years, other ethnic groups will try to obstruct the road?"

Shi Jian's heart sank as he realized the key point: he preferred the [Barbarian Bone] position, which had no master.

If there were a master, how could they allow a foreign race to cultivate to the point of perfect Immortal Foundation?

The real question is whether other forces and races in the world are willing to allow the Ancestor Egu to attain enlightenment, thus hindering his progress.

That's the real problem!