Forcefully Refining the Essence of Heaven and Earth

Donghua's physical state was very special, resembling a ethereal soul, yet also possessing a portion of his Yang Soul Body.

Zhang Xuezhou's body is also very special. His Shadow Follows Technique allows his body to slip into the shadows like a fluid, and he also possesses the Yang Soul Body that can switch between reality and illusion.

If he were bold enough, he could follow the Eight Treasures Merit Pool spring and continuously search for his way into the sacred mountain.

The intertwined and complex 'fast and slow' environment that Donghua Derivatives possesses can indeed provide them with extremely ample opportunities.

Silence fell all around, and the spring they had entered stopped flowing, its current like a frozen icicle.

In this state, they can keep all dangers within a minimum threshold.

How do you plan to use the essence of heaven and earth?

As Zhang Xuezhou continued to dive into the dark, lightless spring, he remained wary of Donghua and kept asking about the details.

"Naturally, it involves incorporating the divine soul, and then using the divine soul as a starting point to forge a perfect cultivation body. This will lay the foundation for stepping onto the Great Dao in the future," Donghua said without hesitation.

"So, if I take it, will I use it the same way?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Whatever you want," Donghua said. "If you're worried about the risks, you can keep it with you; it will also remove the mark Houtu uses to track you!"

The situation between Zhang Xuezhou and Donghua is extremely complicated, but there is actually no deep-seated hatred between them.

The shift from hostility to cooperation between the two was not difficult; however, they were destined to have little in common or any real rapport.

Generally speaking, they cooperate when risks arise, and then each goes their own way when things go their separate ways.

If they can crush each other without causing trouble, there's an 80% chance they'll fight directly, and a 20% chance they'll treat each other like a stray dog, ignoring each other as long as the other doesn't bark.

The two shared similar feelings, constantly searching for any movement around them amidst their complex emotions, hoping to see the spiritual essence of heaven and earth running around like a ginseng doll.

Once caught in the influence of their static surrounding field, no matter whether the spiritual essence of heaven and earth is hidden or running wild, it cannot escape their pursuit.

"Listen up, I can sense its presence!"

As they continued their stealthy advance through the darkness, Zhang Xuezhou felt as if everything was black.

As he pondered the form of the essence of heaven and earth, Donghua gave him a swift reminder.

A slender silver dragon quickly came into Zhang Xuezhou's sight. Its body was so thin that it resembled mercury in a thermometer, yet it was a complete dragon in form.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that even using this silver dragon for picking his teeth was too much trouble, and if he were to share it with Donghua, there would be nothing left.

"Its form doesn't matter. As long as you catch it and refine it, you can turn it into a behemoth thirty or fifty feet tall if you want!"

As if sensing Zhang Xuezhou's thoughts, Donghua gave him a reminder and urged Zhang Xuezhou to keep moving forward.

This silver dragon has been hidden in the secret realm of Mount Ling for many years. The two Western religious leaders turned a blind eye to it, and even the goddess Houtu was helpless when she descended to the mortal world. She could only rely on some of the dragon saliva it spat out to forge its demonic body. The special nature of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth meant that few people could capture it.

Moreover, the essence of heaven and earth is adept at moving. What appears to be only a small silver dragon body is actually closely connected to the mountains and the earth's veins. Once it senses danger, it will quickly move away, leaving people empty-handed.

Donghua himself was somewhat lacking in the strength to seize this spiritual essence of heaven and earth, but the collision between his and Zhang Xuezhou's domain powers created a superimposed effect, the power of which was so great that even Donghua felt it was somewhat unbelievable. Now was the time when he had the highest chance of success.

As for cooperating with Zhang Xuezhou, it's like seeking help from a tiger, but compared to losing him, this cooperation is indeed acceptable.

He even tried his best to reassure Zhang Xuezhou about the collaboration, hoping that both sides would succeed.

"Don't let your guard down. You must sneak in quietly and refine it slowly, capturing it before it can react!"

Just as it appeared still in the outside world, the essence of heaven and earth, once trapped in the field, also lacked any reaction, its entire form remaining motionless.

Donghua cautiously offered a reminder and urged Zhang Xuezhou to act swiftly and maintain the same pace.

"Whether you use your divine soul to guide the refining or your Law Power to refine it, you must be careful not to go too fast or too slow. You need to slowly erode it like boiling a frog in lukewarm water. By the time it realizes what's happening, it will all be over!"

Donghua clearly had some experience in capturing spiritual essences of heaven and earth; he even gave Zhang Xuezhou pointers on how to refine them.

"So now it's our turn to eat the dragon?"

"Begin the refining!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Donghua did not occupy the head and tail of the dragon respectively; instead, they stood on the left and right, maintaining an absolutely fair distribution.

Roughly speaking, one person starts refining from the left and the other from the right, directly dividing the essence of heaven and earth into two equal parts. As for how the two people transform it into actual abilities, that depends on their individual skills.

Having reached an agreement, the two did not delay and both adopted the method of soul refining.

Zhang Xuezhou's advantage lay in his stronger spiritual power, while Donghua's advantage lay in his experience; the two of them refined their techniques at an extremely equal pace.

Just as Donghua had expected, the gradual approach of slowly boiling a frog in water failed to trigger any escape attempt by the silver dragon.

The two refined the silvery-white dragon's body, turning one side pale red and the other side black and white stripes.

The difference in soul refinement surprised Donghua somewhat. He had previously thought that Zhang Xuezhou had taken his skills and was replicating them, but now this difference meant that Zhang Xuezhou had already forged his own path, which was different from his.

"My ability stems from the giant tree's manipulation of time, which assists my domain-suppressing flames, thus forming a powerful, mutually supportive force. It seems to be purely about controlling time..."

Donghua discerned Zhang Xuezhou's background, but he did not delve any further.

Every cultivator's path is different. Zhang Xuezhou did not follow his old path, but instead forged his own unique path. The two of them no longer had a competitive relationship.

But he also realized that he might have missed the fortuitous opportunity that Zhang Xuezhou had. Perhaps he should have waited longer, or perhaps he should have distinguished between them sooner, or even planned together to break free from the control of the giant tree.

Things can't be undone, but the future can be shaped by oneself.

Donghua eventually immersed himself in refining the essence of heaven and earth, seeking to continuously expand forward.

Until the earth shook violently, countless roots reached out and approached.

"Not good!"

He groaned, and saw that an uninvited guest had appeared on the previously stiff and motionless silver dragon.

Countless tiny roots burrowed into the silver dragon's body, even breaking through the fast and slow fields they had constructed, becoming participants in this gluttonous feast.

These roots clearly did not maintain any balance with Donghua and the others, but instead directly demanded resources in a ruthless and predatory manner, thus disrupting the balance of refining.

What's going on?

"It seems like the Jieyin blue lotus has entered!"

Zhang Xuezhou asked a question, and Donghua made a guess. This reminded Zhang Xuezhou of the Buddha's disciple holding the Seven Treasures Tree, and the Sect Master Jieyin who relied on the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus Platform to support himself by the Spirit Spring.

If I'm not mistaken, the twelve-petaled golden lotus platform, repaired by the Thousand-Petaled Golden Lotus, should have been broken, perhaps even triggering this top-tier treasure's unconscious self-rescue, thus disrupting the balance.

The two quickly exchanged a message and launched a mental attack directly at the Twelfth-Rank Golden Lotus Platform. In just a few moments, they saw the silver dragon, which had previously shown no reaction, begin to awaken.

As if sensing the encroachment of being devoured, the spiritual essence of this place stirred up a riot.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xuezhou saw the silver dragon transform into flames, then into flowing water, and then into rocks.

Various changes constantly transform between the original states of Feng Shui, fire, and earth.

A heavy, oppressive feeling rushed over him. Zhang Xuezhou felt his head buzzing, and the entire mountain was trembling violently, constantly squeezing everything around it and completely eliminating the path they had come from.