The Difficult Path to Spirit Transformation, Yet a Glimmer of Hope!
Deep within the cave abode, Shan Li's earthen-yellow aura suddenly surged.
That energy was no longer flowing smoothly as before, but rather like a flood that had been trapped for thousands of years, finally finding a crack; surging and churning, washing over her meridians, flesh, and bones.
[Ten-Thousand-Layered Edge] 'Immortal Foundation trembled violently in his Dantian, and the thirty-six strands of qi source simultaneously operated to their limit.
The medicinal power of the Treasured Earth Spirit Embryo and the Rock Heart Milk has been completely refined over the past ten years of comprehension; now, the extremely pure Treasured Earth Dao has been fully integrated into the Immortal Foundation, pushing the Nascent Soul to a critical point.
Just one last step.
Shan Li gritted his teeth, urging all the energy within his body to charge towards that invisible barrier.
Boom!
The barrier remained completely still.
The Nascent Soul within her body cracked several times under the impact; blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, staining the prayer mat with a dark red hue.
The second impact.
Boom!
The invisible barrier remained, but the cracks on the Nascent Soul deepened, and the origin of Qi began to become disordered.
Shan Li was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
She cultivated for hundreds of years and waited for hundreds of years; she used the Treasured Earth Spirit Embryo, refined the Rock Heart Milk, and absorbed the Treasured Earth Dao that had been dissipating between heaven and earth for more than ten years.
All the conditions were met, but the barrier to Nascent Spirit Transformation simply could not be broken.
The tribulation of Spirit Transformation is not about whether you have enough power, but about whether you can gain the approval of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Her Ten-Thousand-Layered Edge Immortal Foundation has reached perfection, but perfection does not mean she can Spirit Transformation; just like a knife that is sharpened to the finest point, if it cannot cut the right gap, it will never be able to open the door.
Shan Li closed his vertical pupils, forcefully suppressing the surging energy.
Don't rush, the more you rush, the more chaotic things will become, and the more chaotic things will become, the further you'll stray from the right path.
She calmed her mind and began to reorganize the Daoist energy channels within her body.
The Daoist essence of Ten-Thousand-Layered Edge Immortal Foundation is like a series of overlapping mountain peaks, each layer containing a trace of the True Intention of the Treasured Earth Great Dao.
But just as her Divine Sense sank into the depths of her Immortal Foundation...
An extremely ancient aura suddenly seeped into the world.
That aura... was the origin of the Treasured Earth Great Dao.
It was not the thin, scattered fragments that existed before, but an extremely rich and pure aura of the Great Dao's origin; as if a door that had been sealed for ten thousand years had suddenly cracked open.
Shan Li's heart pounded.
The origin of Dao Venerable Liyuan has actually declined a bit more!
That primordial aura surged in like a tide, pouring into her meridians; Ten-Thousand-Layered Edge Immortal Foundation devoured it frantically, like rain after a long drought.
The opportunity has arrived!
Without the slightest hesitation, Shan Li fully activated his Immortal Foundation, using the power of the Great Dao's origin to charge towards the barrier once more.
This time, the barrier loosened.
Rumble--
Above the sky, thick, earthy-yellow clouds suddenly gathered.
The cloud layer stretched for thousands of miles, its surface shimmering with ancient Daoist patterns; unlike the purple-gold thunderclouds that accompanied Shi Jian's breakthrough, this cloud layer was calm and heavy, like an inverted Shan Yue.
Outside the cave abode, Shi Jian's pupils contracted.
"They've arrived."
Standing atop the main peak, Shan Yue unleashed his Earth Dao energy, pushing the protective mountain array to its limit.
Cang Wuji revealed his true form: a colossal bear, ten thousand feet tall, stood across the mountain pass, its body exuding Ultimate Force Dao aura that formed an iron curtain, sealing off all directions.
Deep within the cave abode, the Nascent Soul within Shan Li's body trembled violently.
The speed at which the Great Dao's essence flowed in was faster and faster. That power was too profound, far exceeding the limits that her Nascent Soul could withstand. Her meridians shattered inch by inch as they expanded, and her flesh and blood surged and reshaped under the scouring of the Dao's essence.
An indescribable pain welled up from the depths of my soul!
It was a thousand times more intense than any injury she had ever experienced in her life.
But that's not the worst part.
The most terrifying thing is that assimilative force.
While the Great Dao was tempering her, it was also trying to devour her soul; an extremely terrifying sense of tranquility seeped into the depths of her soul like a frog being slowly boiled in water.
Shan Li's consciousness began to fade.
She saw many things.
I saw myself as a child, on the main peak of the mountain, being held on my father's lap, gazing at the endless mountain range.
I saw a rare smile on my father's face on the day he broke through to the Nascent Soul.
Upon seeing Shi Jian, who was visiting the main peak of the mountain bear for the first time, I saw that foolish bear who didn't know the immensity of the sky and the earth, his vertical pupils full of ambition.
Seeing himself standing atop Purple Firmament Mountain, gazing at the purple-gold thunderclouds that appeared when Shi Jian Spirit Transformation, he couldn't tell whether he felt gratified or resentful.
Those images flashed by frame by frame, warm yet distant.
Let it go.
A voice echoed deep within her soul, whether it was the whisper of the Great Dao or her own illusion, she didn't know: let go and the pain will subside.
I merged into heaven and earth, and all worries vanished.
Under that assimilating force, Shan Li's soul began to dissolve little by little; his consciousness, like a sandcastle being submerged by the tide, was slowly collapsing.
She's about to collapse.
Ultimately, despite her exceptional talent, she was still just an ordinary mortal...
Outside the cave abode, Shi Jian's pupils suddenly contracted.
He could clearly sense that Shan Li's aura was rapidly weakening.
It wasn't a decline in cultivation level, but a decline in spirit and soul; that vitality was slipping away at an extremely terrifying rate.
Shi Jian was slightly stunned, and a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.
There's nothing he can do.
Breaking through to the Spirit Transformation stage is something outsiders cannot interfere with; it is a contest between the cultivator and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and others do not even have the right to get close.
The Shan Yue also noticed the anomaly, and their expressions became extremely solemn.
His lips moved slightly, but he said nothing.
He knew that this was the most dangerous part of the tribulation of Spirit Transformation; whether Shan Li could overcome it depended entirely on how firm her Dao heart was.
Shan Li's consciousness had become extremely blurred.
That sense of peace, like an endless expanse of warm water, completely enveloped her soul; she almost wanted to let go.
But at that very moment, a thought suddenly surfaced from the deepest part of his soul.
It wasn't some earth-shattering obsession, nor some grand and impassioned vow.
Just one sentence.
That stupid bear has already Spirit Transformation, but I haven't...
The idea was extremely simple, yet extremely unpretentious.
But this very thought, like a red-hot iron nail, pierced deeply into her dissolving soul.
Unwilling to accept it.
The resentment that had been suppressed in his heart for hundreds of years finally erupted at this moment.
She cultivated herself for hundreds of years, governed a region, and managed clan affairs, doing all sorts of dirty and tiring work; while Shi Jian was out killing and robbing, she took care of everything in the rear.
But Shan Li was never anyone's vassal!
His spirit suddenly coalesced.
That assimilative force was forcefully pushed back at this moment, like a flood crashing against a dam; although the dam was trembling, it did not collapse.
The essence of the Great Dao continues to flow in, and the refining continues.
Shan Li's nascent Nascent Soul was reshaped amidst excruciating pain, with the old source of energy disintegrating bit by bit; a new Spirit Transformation aura took its place.
The Daoist essence of Ten-Thousand-Layered Edge Immortal Foundation took root in her Nascent Soul, completely merging with her soul and flesh...