Chapter 1616: The Terror of Stacked Spirituality
Chapter 1616: The Terror of Stacked Spirituality
"With every rebirth, my cultivation talent grows. If I reincarnate enough times, could I actually hope to achieve Longevity?" Rinsing Moon Bai had never imagined she could one day reach the Longevity stage.
From the very beginning, all she had ever wanted was to save the life of her poor nephew.
To a mortal, even a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage was a "High Immortal"!
Rinsing Moon Bai used a few simple tricks to awe the entire village. Once Li Fan was settled, though her heart ached to leave him, she set out alone once more to explore the path through the Immortal-Forbidden Array.
This time, armed with the experience of breaking through the formation in her previous life, Rinsing Moon Bai successfully passed through the array's outermost Astral Wind Layer, saw through the Illusory Light Layer, crossed the Inversion Layer, and carefully avoided the Flowing Fire Layer, only to finally perish within the Arcane Ice Layer.
The ninth life!
"According to Kou Hong, after the arcane ice comes the thunderstorm and then the darkness."
"I'm close. This is easier than I imagined," Rinsing Moon Bai thought, her spirits soaring.
She knew nothing about formations, yet she had passed through more than half of the array relying on sheer intuition alone.
Rinsing Moon Bai stood once again at the edge of the Ruins Abyss, but this time, she didn't rush to break the formation. Instead, she gazed into the distance, observing.
Though she had no master to guide her, after watching for a long time, Rinsing Moon Bai truly began to discern some of its secrets.
"So this is what they call a formation," Rinsing Moon Bai murmured thoughtfully, then leaped down.
She shot through it like a streak of light, breaking through each layer with unstoppable momentum.
Straight to the deepest layer of the Immortal-Forbidden Array—the darkness!
Rinsing Moon Bai had a faint sense that the boundless darkness around her concealed many terrifying, unknown creatures. Yet, none of them seemed to bear her any ill will.
After pausing for a moment, she no longer hesitated.
She flew towards the point of light below.
As she felt the incredibly abundant spiritual energy in her surroundings, Rinsing Moon Bai knew she had finally arrived in the cultivation world!
Not letting momentary success go to her head, Rinsing Moon Bai followed her plan. She found the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance cultivators stationed on the nearest island and applied to join.
She didn't hide her origins from a small mortal world, explaining only that she had been fortunate enough to receive guidance and spirit stones from an immortal master who had wandered in from the outside, which was how she had luckily embarked on the path of cultivation.
He Zhenghao beamed as he led Rinsing Moon Bai to Ten Thousand Immortals Island. "You may be a bit old to start, but fortunately, it's not too late. If you work hard, you still have a hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. Once you do, your world will change completely."
"I know it's not easy for you, all alone. Here are five hundred contribution points. Take them. This should help you get started. You can pay me back later, when you have some to spare."
For a Qi Refining cultivator who had just arrived, five hundred contribution points was a significant sum that could save a great deal of trouble. Rinsing Moon Bai thanked him profusely.
After that, Rinsing Moon Bai settled down on Ten Thousand Immortals Island, with the goal of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Kou Hong said one needs to be at least at the Golden Core stage to bring someone through the Immortal-Forbidden Array. But I think the late Foundation Establishment stage should be enough."
Her realm and comprehension already met the requirements for a breakthrough. The only thing she lacked now was the Foundation Establishment Wonder.
Rinsing Moon Bai worked hard to accumulate contribution points while keeping an eye out for news of cultivators discovering Foundation Establishment Wonders in the wild.
"Foundation Establishment Wonders cost four or five thousand contribution points to redeem. If I have to spend several years saving up each time, it'll take far too long. It would be best to find one in the wild."
Three years later, after working almost without sleep, Rinsing Moon Bai finally redeemed a [Vitality Lotus] from the Tianxuan Mirror.
She successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment realm!
He Zhenghao was the first to send his congratulations. After a brief reply, Rinsing Moon Bai immediately resumed her uninterrupted cultivation.
As it turned out, the various breakthrough materials required by the New Method were the greatest constraint on Rinsing Moon Bai.
Seven days to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Ten days to the late stage.
Just one month later, Rinsing Moon Bai had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment!
"If only I could always cultivate this quickly."
"This Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate... he doesn't seem like a good person. It's one thing to create a path, but to force everyone in the world to walk it..." Rinsing Moon Bai grumbled to herself.
"It's time I went back. I wonder how my nephew has been these past few years."
Rinsing Moon Bai used her remaining contribution points to buy a flying boat and several defensive talismans, preparing to return to the Great Xuan.
Just then, she ran into He Zhenghao.
When He Zhenghao saw Rinsing Moon Bai, his eyes lit up, and he congratulated her repeatedly.
Rinsing Moon Bai didn't know why He Zhenghao was so excited, but since he had helped her so much in the past, she couldn't bring herself to be cold to him.
Upon hearing that Rinsing Moon Bai intended to return to the small mortal world to bring her nephew over, He Zhenghao offered to go with her.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, don't worry. I'm quite familiar with this sort of thing. It'll be absolutely foolproof! You can even leave his future introduction and recommendation to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to me!"
After some hesitation, Rinsing Moon Bai agreed to He Zhenghao's request.
With two Foundation Establishment cultivators working together, the journey was uneventful. Li Fan was brought safely to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Since he wasn't yet a cultivator, he was temporarily settled on Liuli Island.
"Strange. I can't see any sign of a major illness in your nephew," He Zhenghao remarked, shaking his head slightly after carefully examining Li Fan's body.
"It's what they call a mysterious ailment," Rinsing Moon Bai replied, a trace of helplessness in her eyes.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Once one steps onto the immortal path, all illnesses vanish. We just need to help the boy succeed in his cultivation, and he can defy fate and change his destiny. When the Pure Body Spirit Pool opens this time, I'll personally watch over him to ensure his safety!" He Zhenghao declared, patting his chest in assurance.
Rinsing Moon Bai thanked him again. "Fellow Daoist He, for this great kindness, I will surely repay you tenfold in the future!"
Half a year later, Li Fan died violently inside the Pure Body Spirit Pool.
Rinsing Moon Bai rushed over as soon as she heard the news. Where the once healthy Li Fan had been, there was now only a pool of blood and gore.
The sheer volume of blood made He Zhenghao's face turn as pale as paper.
Seeing Rinsing Moon Bai's terribly grim expression, He Zhenghao's heart leaped into his throat. He hurriedly explained, "My condolences, Fellow Daoist, my deepest condolences!"
"It's all my fault. I was trying to help him push through, but I didn't realize he had already reached his limit..."
After listening to He Zhenghao's account, Rinsing Moon Bai took a deep breath and slowly calmed herself.
"So, does this mean Fan'er has no talent for cultivation?"
He Zhenghao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nodded. "I'm afraid so. After all, only a minority of mortals in this world can ever embark on the path of cultivation."
Thinking of how she herself had only slowly gained the aptitude for cultivation after repeated rebirths, Rinsing Moon Bai sighed once more.
"It seems I can't rely on Fan'er to do it himself."
"I'll have to wait until my cultivation is higher, then I can try to change his fate again."
Without Li Fan as a burden, Rinsing Moon Bai focused her entire mind on cultivation.
It took her ten years to reach the Golden Core stage.
While accumulating resources and preparing to break through to Nascent Soul...
Disaster struck from the heavens, and she died without knowing why!
"Return to Truth!"
"The progress in this life was decent."
"Fellow Daoist He was quite a help."
The tenth life!
As Rinsing Moon Bai regained consciousness, the terror had not yet faded from her face.
She had no idea how she had died in her previous life.
She only remembered being in seclusion within the Tianxuan Mirror when she had inexplicably lost consciousness.
"Weren't they saying that the Tianxuan Mirror was supposed to be absolutely safe?"
"It seems you really can't trust anything the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance says!"
Forcing herself to calm down, Rinsing Moon Bai considered her path for this life.
"I can cultivate, but Fan'er can't."
"If I'm to forcibly change his fate, I'll need to be at the Soul Transformation stage at the very least."
"Besides, I can wait, but Fan'er can't. I don't have much time. Unless I redeem some life-extending treasures..."
"But those are even more expensive than cultivation techniques. It's not very practical."
Fifty-six years at most, to go from a mere mortal to the Soul Transformation stage.
It sounded incredible, but Rinsing Moon Bai was quite confident.
By now, her cultivation talent was more than sufficient. Her only limitation was the accursed variety of materials required for breakthroughs under the New Method.
After caring for her long-unseen nephew for a month, Rinsing Moon Bai once again came to the Xuanhuang Realm.
She still asked He Zhenghao to make the introductions.
Though a freak accident in the last life had cost Fan'er his life, it had been an unintentional mistake on He Zhenghao's part.
Overall, he had still earned Rinsing Moon Bai's trust.
Armed with the various pieces of information she had carefully recorded in her last life, Rinsing Moon Bai's path of advancement was even smoother.
Foundation Establishment in a month, Golden Core in half a year.
Nascent Soul in ten years.
Rinsing Moon Bai became a genius who captured the attention of the entire Cong Yun Sea.
She even drew the attention of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters.
And those ten years were not spent on cultivation, but on completing missions and earning contribution points!
"If it weren't for the constraints of all these resources, I could be even faster!" Rinsing Moon Bai cursed inwardly.
Before Nascent Soul, she was indeed incredibly fast.
But the hurdle of Soul Transformation was not so easily overcome.
First, news of the World Birthing Changes was mostly controlled by the various powers within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and would not be leaked.
Second, when a Change occurred, the world would shift dramatically, attracting the attention of nearby cultivators. A fierce struggle was inevitable.
"No matter what! Anyone who dares stand in my way..."
"...will die!" A cold glint flashed in Rinsing Moon Bai's eyes.
While secretly inquiring about news of the World Birthing Changes, Rinsing Moon Bai awaited the day that mysterious calamity would befall her.
This time, she deliberately left Ten Thousand Immortals Island ahead of time and went into hiding on the outskirts of the Cong Yun Sea.
She wanted to see the truth for herself.
It wasn't until that crimson figure appeared that Rinsing Moon Bai finally understood the source of the so-called calamity.
Instead of fear, she felt joy.
"To think, it's actually a Spirit of Heaven and Earth!"
"Doesn't this mean that as long as I can break through to Soul Transformation, I'll have a great chance of reaching Dao Integration as well?"
"And at the Dao Integration realm, the probability of changing a mortal's fate will be even higher."
Flames consumed the seas, and Rinsing Moon Bai was buried beneath the tyrannical might of the Crimson Flame.
"The stacking of spirituality is even more terrifying than I imagined."
"With my aunt's current talent, if she had enough resources, she could probably even attain the rank of a True Immortal. And this is after only ten reincarnations..."
"What if it were a hundred times, or a thousand?"
On the dry seabed of the Cong Yun Sea, Li Fan appeared beside Rinsing Moon Bai's skeleton, his expression grave.
"Then again, for others, spirituality seems to be almost directly linked to cultivation talent."
"But for me, infinite spirituality... seems to be just that—spirituality."
"Why is that?"
Li Fan frowned in deep thought. After a long while, he finally uttered the two words: "Return to Truth."
The eleventh life!
With the accumulation of her past ten lives, Rinsing Moon Bai took twenty years to finally complete her transformation to the Soul Transformation stage.
The news shook the Cong Yun Sea.
And her terrifyingly fast cultivation speed finally caught the attention of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters.
"They're ordering me to the Alliance headquarters?"
Rinsing Moon Bai's expression was complicated, but she could not refuse.
The moment she entered the Alliance headquarters, an illusion appeared before her eyes.
It was a scene of the Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate, from the time when he first comprehended the New Method!
"So, when the Dharma Spreader comprehended the Dao, he wasn't much younger than I am now."
"Cultivating with the New Method is far too troublesome. He was able to innovate a new method... I wonder, could I create another?"
The thought flashed through Rinsing Moon Bai's mind and was gone.
The Alliance headquarters had summoned Rinsing Moon Bai this time mainly to investigate her background.
After all, her cultivation speed was truly too fast.
Moreover, the way she obtained the various resources for her breakthroughs was far too coincidental.
At first, Rinsing Moon Bai was worried that her secret of continuous rebirth would be exposed.
But after a thorough inspection, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance found nothing.
This allowed Rinsing Moon Bai to breathe a sigh of relief.
"However, this has served as a warning."
"These Dharma Spreaders can't see the truth, but what about that elusive Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate? I've heard that experts of that level have the ability to peer into people's minds..." Rinsing Moon Bai was secretly alarmed by the thought.
After the scare, she returned to the Cong Yun Sea without further incident.
After much thought, Rinsing Moon Bai decided to first make another attempt at changing Li Fan's fate.
She even asked Hongxi to assist.
After an agonizing ordeal, Li Fan finally shed the miasma plaguing his body and entered the Qi Refining realm.
Rinsing Moon Bai was overjoyed. "The Heavenly Venerate's New Method has no aptitude requirements! Since my nephew can now refine Qi, as long as he has enough resources, he can reach Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and even Dao Integration!"
As the saying goes, give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Now that she had the ability, who wouldn't hope to achieve even more?
Rinsing Moon Bai thought of the Crimson Flame that would soon appear, and the idea that had been stirring in her heart grew even stronger.
"Slay the Crimson Flame and attain Dao Integration!"
Rinsing Moon Bai had witnessed the Crimson Flame's power before. To maximize her chances of success, she and Hongxi invited six other Soul Transformation cultivators and one Dao Integration cultivator to support them.
As for who would ultimately claim the Crimson Flame, that would depend on their own abilities.
A great net was slowly put into place.
The moment the Crimson Flame descended upon the world, everyone unleashed their full power.
After a fierce battle, it was Rinsing Moon Bai who delivered the final, killing blow!
A Dao Integration Immortal Venerable!
As the power of the Crimson Flame became a part of her, Rinsing Moon Bai felt a satisfaction she had never known before.
She gazed down at Li Fan, whose face was also filled with joy at her advancement, and a faint smile graced her lips.
After that...
An ink-black figure silently descended.
An instant kill, followed by the devouring of everything between heaven and earth!
"As expected. No matter how talented you are, you still have to go through this."
"My acting really is quite good."
"Return to Truth!"
The twelfth life.
When Rinsing Moon Bai awoke, she felt that something was wrong with the Xuanhuang Realm.
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