Novels online

Chapter 668: Soul Transformation Perfection (Monthly Ticket Request at Month-End)

Chapter 668: Soul Transformation Perfection (Monthly Ticket Request at Month-End)

Taiyin Secret Realm.

A silver light flashed.

Dressed in black, the External Avatar with a cold and stern face appeared.

He was enveloped entirely in a layer of demonic mist, making his figure indiscernible.

"In truth, Moonlight Immortal City cannot fully control this mystic realm, so why bother with hiding? But since the main body requested it, so be it. . ."

The External Avatar swept his gaze around; it seemed to be the boundless ancient forest where the Horned Wood Dragon once resided.

He formed hand seals, then abruptly scattered something.

Streaks of demonic light enveloped various types of puppets, scattering them throughout the mystic realm.

These puppets instantly grew enormous, some becoming winged iron birds, others armored guards, and there were also various super-small spiders, geckos. . .

Dozens of puppets each burst forth with their aura, most at the Nascent Soul or Core Formation levels.

Of course, the reconnaissance-type puppets had very low auras, almost imperceptible, akin to ordinary wild beasts.

Under the External Avatar's control, they all sped off in different directions.

Within the External Avatar's Sea of Consciousness, the updated mystic realm resource map was already imprinted.

Each puppet only needed to follow the map.

Of course, this sort of thing could only be done when other cultivators had left.

Otherwise, they would easily be discovered, interfered with. . . or simply have the puppets destroyed.

And there were many dangers within the mystic realm; puppets would still be destroyed, but Fang Xi no longer cared much about such low-tier puppets.

Destroy one batch, deploy another.

He had a full ninety-plus years to properly explore this mystic realm. He refused to believe he couldn't acquire a piece of 'Taiyin Jade Crystal'!

"If the main body can outsource, so can I. . ."

"First, I'll outsource it to the puppets. . . it won't be too late for me to act when the puppets are damaged. . ."

The External Avatar's divine consciousness split into myriad strands, entering each puppet. . .

He was proficient in the art of puppetry. After advancing to Soul Transformation, his divine consciousness solidified, and the number of puppets he could control leaped. Now, controlling hundreds of puppets through the secret puppet-mastery technique presented no issues whatsoever.

Not long after, the External Avatar's eyes moved.

He transformed into a streak of demonic light, landing in a desolate wilderness.

A wolf-shaped puppet with copper skin and iron bones quickly dug at the earth with its sharp claws, soon excavating a deep pit.

At the bottom of the deep pit, a cultivator's remains appeared.

Upon the white bones, there were clearly faint golden and silver patterns, and the storage bag beside them was already damaged.

"Judging by its physique, it's already equivalent to a Nascent Soul-level body cultivator. Indeed, a Soul Transformation cultivator. . ."

Fang Xi muttered.

A cultivator's breakthrough requires certain standards for essence, qi, and spirit.

Being able to break through the great bottleneck of Soul Transformation means the cultivator's physique has reached at least the level of a Nascent Soul body cultivator!

Otherwise, frail meridians and a weak body would simply be unable to bear and contain the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!

"Awoo!"

Suddenly, this puppet wolf dug frantically beside the bones again, unearthing a fragment of a damaged Numinous Treasure.

The External Avatar's eyes lit up.

*Crack! *

The fragment was already covered in countless cracks and now shattered with a crash. At the point of fragmentation, a groove appeared.

Inside the groove, embedded was a piece of. . .

"Immortal Jade? !"

The External Avatar immediately reached out and grabbed the jade stone, holding it in his hand, and looked at the cultivator's remains: "Fellow Daoist was truly a clever little devil. . ."

Immortal Jade was too precious for Soul Transformation cultivators. This person must have been an artifact refiner, who actually embedded Immortal Jade within a Numinous Treasure, seemingly intending to use the immortal qi within the Immortal Jade to continuously temper their own treasure.

What a pity. . . ordinary Numinous Treasures simply couldn't absorb Immortal Jade. To this day, the Immortal Jade still glowed brightly.

"If I hadn't come into contact with Immortal Jade before, I wouldn't have let the puppet continue. . . I might have missed it by a long shot."

The External Avatar carefully put away this piece of Immortal Jade and flicked his finger.

Six streaks of demonic flames emerged, reducing the cultivator's remains to ashes, which were then casually interred.

"However. . . this cultivator was at least at the Soul Transformation stage. Judging by the injuries, it doesn't look like they were killed by another cultivator, so it must be. . ."

Fang Xi's figure shifted, and a Five Prisons Peacock appeared in his place.

It suddenly raised its head, letting out a clear cry, its tail feathers unfurling, sweeping forth a five-colored profound light.

In the void, a furious roar suddenly reverberated.

A silver light flashed, and an ancient beast appeared.

It had a lion-like body, but with three heads: a wolf's, a tiger's, and a leopard's.

At this moment, the central tiger head opened its gaping maw, and streaks of wind blades converged, suddenly transforming into a green tornado that swept towards the External Avatar!

The Five Prisons Peacock let out a long cry, and suddenly, spheres of earthy-yellow light appeared in the void.

A large amount of earth-element divine light converged, clashing with the green tornado.

*Whoosh! *

Darkness enveloped the surroundings, and countless cracks abruptly appeared on the earth.

"Indeed, it's an ancient beast at the late Soul Transformation stage!"

The External Avatar sighed with emotion.

When he was at the early Soul Transformation stage, he could only barely contend with a fierce beast of this rank, certainly not guarantee a steady kill.

But now that his demonic cultivation had advanced to the late Soul Transformation stage, he could easily slay it.

He let out a sinister chuckle, and the Divine Infant Sword appeared in his hand.

In the void, an extremely mournful cry, like that of an infant, suddenly resounded. . .

...

"The External Avatar is quite diligent, isn't he. . ."

Lakeside Island Cave Abode.

Fang Xi lightly twirled his prayer beads, looking at the piece of Immortal Jade and the ancient beast corpse before him, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

This ancient beast corpse could be used to feed the Ancestral Demonic Tree, increasing his lifespan, or it could be sold in the cultivation city.

The proceeds from its sale would be more than enough to support a Soul Transformation cultivator's cultivation for a period.

However, cultivating by hunting demon beasts and ancient beasts was too unstable and often fraught with danger, thus it was not Fang Xi's chosen path.

At this moment, his divine consciousness entered a jade slip, marking a few locations: "Flying Dragon Waterfall, Moonlight Pool. . . these two places were explored by that Return to Void cultivator, and there should be a certain probability of Taiyin Jade Crystal being nurtured there every hundred years. . ."

"Even if they've just been harvested, there might still be some forgotten treasures. . ."

"Even if, for argument's sake, there are none left, wait another ninety-odd years, and there definitely will be!"

Ninety-odd years!

For high-tier cultivators, it wasn't a particularly long period of time.

With Fang Xi's currently long lifespan, he certainly had that much patience.

"Perfect. During this time, I'll enter seclusion, consume pills, and fully strive for the Soul Transformation Perfection realm!"

He tidied up, went to his seclusion chamber, took out a bottle of pills confiscated from the Dragon Taming Sect from his pocket, and after consuming them, entered a deep state of seclusion once more.

Meanwhile.

Above the Green Root Plain.

A conversation concerning the Wang Family Ancestor was also underway.

Inside Ma Xianzi's Screen Heaven-Cave.

She sat in the secondary seat, respectfully looking at the person in the main seat.

This person was an old man with a long, horse-like face, whose appearance was ancient and peculiar. He wore a dark robe, and his aura had reached the Soul Transformation Perfection realm.

"Ancestor has emerged from seclusion today, surely having gained something new. . ."

Ma Xianzi raised her spirit wine and toasted the horse-faced elder.

The horse-faced elder drank with a smile, then said, "Little Ye'er. . . you went to that Taiyin Secret Realm, and suffered, didn't you?"

"Ancestor knew too. . . no, that's not right. . ."

Ma Xianzi, capable of cultivating to the Soul Transformation realm, was certainly no fool. She immediately understood many things: "Ancestor didn't think highly of us before entering the mystic realm. . . I'm afraid that Taiyin Secret Realm truly has some issues!"

"My Ma family is, after all, a local influential power in Moonlight Immortal City. Although those Return to Void mighty figures above don't wish us to know, with a few more observations, this intelligence becomes crystal clear. . ."

A trace of mockery appeared on the horse-faced elder's face: "Since the 'Taiyin Secret Realm' was discovered, how many rogue cultivators have truly been confirmed to obtain 'Taiyin Jade Crystal'? Such resources for breaking through to Return to Void will naturally be firmly held by the Immortal City's high-level figures. We can smell the scent, but it's absolutely impossible for us to actually taste it."

"Then why did Ancestor still let Little Ye'er go. . . " Ma Xianzi retorted, feeling wronged.

If Fang Xi had been there, he would surely have been extremely surprised; Ma Xianzi's girlish demeanor was truly exceedingly rare.

"If I didn't let you see it for yourself, I'm afraid you'd still be deluding yourself."

The horse-faced elder smiled coldly: "My Ma family has endured for so many years and has some standing in Moonlight Immortal City. . . Our Fourth and Fifth Ancestors fought life and death for the Immortal City back then. Since you are a prodigy of my Ma family, that Return to Void senior in the mystic realm wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for you. . ."

Ma Xianzi's expression suddenly changed, thinking of something, and she remembered Fellow Daoist Kou.

The horse-faced elder, however, stopped short: "To break through to Return to Void, it is difficult, difficult, difficult. . . Among tens of thousands of Soul Transformation cultivators, those who can cultivate to Soul Transformation Perfection before their lifespan limit are few and far between. . . Besides that, one also needs to switch to Five Elements or Three Odd cultivation methods, or even dabble in demonic cultivation methods. . . At the very least, one must find a 'Two Forms Void Breaking Pill'. . . As for cultivating a new method? The hope of breakthrough becomes even more remote."

"Cultivation was already extremely difficult, and with so many preparations required, it naturally blocked ninety-nine percent of Soul Transformation cultivators. . ."

"Even if one fortunately breaks through to Return to Void, the Great Heavenly Tribulation and Inner Demon Tribulation will immediately descend. Failing to pass them still leads to death and the dissipation of one's Dao. . ."

"But precisely because of this, my Ma family must produce a Return to Void mighty figure!"

The horse-faced elder said fiercely.

"With Ancestor's foundation, you have already successfully switched to a Five Elements cultivation method. In the future, you will at least have the hope of breaking through the bottleneck! " Ma Xianzi said sincerely.

Soul Transformation and Soul Transformation are also different.

Throughout the entire Ma family, perhaps only the horse-faced elder possessed the qualifications to attempt breaking through to the Return to Void bottleneck.

As for other cultivators, even if they cultivated to Soul Transformation Perfection, there were still major hurdles like "Integration of All Paths" waiting for them.

"If I don't get the 'Two Forms Void Breaking Pill', my chance of successful breakthrough is less than one in ten. . . and even if I succeed, there's a high probability I'll perish under the Great Heavenly Tribulation."

The horse-faced elder shook his head: "The 'Brahma Sound Golden Bell' treasured by the family only has some effect on overcoming the Inner Demon Tribulation; it's completely ineffective against the Great Heavenly Tribulation. . ."

Even so, this horse-faced elder was absolutely among the top tier of Soul Transformation cultivators.

Once he accumulated enough, he could calmly pass the tribulation and become a Return to Void cultivator!

It was precisely because of the horse-faced elder's existence that the Ma family was held in such high regard everywhere.

The horse-faced elder thought for a moment, then gravely said: "My Ma family currently has a shallow foundation; we still need to accumulate resources internally and forge many friendships externally. . . Little Ye'er, your relationship with that Wang Family Ancestor is quite good?"

"What? Ancestor has also heard of this person?"

Ma Xianzi was genuinely a little surprised.

"Heh heh. . . Originally, that young Kou was your perfect choice for a Daoist companion. Unfortunately, he had bad luck and died in the mystic realm, so naturally, there's no more mention of him. . . As for that young Bu, he is single-mindedly devoted to the Grand Dao, and his sect has some unclear connections, making him an unsuitable match. Naturally, I have to pay more attention. . ."

The horse-faced elder chuckled.

"Even so, Little Ye'er couldn't possibly marry the Wang Family Ancestor. . . " Ma Xianzi lightly spat, appearing exceptionally beautiful in her gentle pique.

"That Wang family. . ."

The playful expression on the horse-faced elder's face vanished, abruptly becoming very serious: "I've already ordered people to investigate. They are indeed a Soul Transformation family from the Xuanming Abyss. Later, after that incident with the overseas immortal abode, they voluntarily split up. Now, both the Wang Family Ancestor and the family head have come to Moonlight Immortal City, likely to avoid disaster. . . Just this point alone proves that both individuals of the Wang family know when to advance and retreat, and are cautious people!"

He continued: "This Wang family is not simple. The Wang Family Ancestor is currently at the late Soul Transformation stage, but had been enduring silently before, likely out of fear of the Dragon Taming Sect, heh heh. . . He's quite shrewd, otherwise, that old Return to Void dragon would probably have already dug out his Nascent Soul! This person's cultivation has continuously broken through, and there's an eighty percent chance he has fortuitous opportunities on him, with abundant destiny. The Wang family now has two Soul Transformation cultivators and a fifth-stage demon beast. . . their strength is almost on par with an average medium-sized family in Moonlight City. My Ma family should befriend them, not make enemies. You should visit them more often in the future. . ."

When family matters were brought up, Ma Xianzi's expression also grew a little more serious: "Ancestor, I will. . ."

Between cultivators, there isn't just fighting and killing; there are also various forms of social interaction.

It was clear now that the Ma family ancestor held the Wang family in high regard, instructing Ma Xianzi to strengthen their ties.

After all, the Wang family currently indeed looked quite good.

Although they had already split, with the core high-tier cultivators still present, their prestige remained formidable!

"Compared to the Wang Family Ancestor, I am actually more optimistic about Wang Lingying. . . Back then, he came alone to Moonlight City to achieve Soul Transformation, truly demonstrating both courage and wisdom. As for the Wang Family Ancestor, his age should actually be similar to mine, yet he is still only at the late Soul Transformation stage. You must understand how much effort it takes for us to advance our cultivation even by a tiny bit. . . If he wants to switch to a Five Elements cultivation method, and also advance his cultivation, without being able to obtain Return to Void spiritual items, it's highly likely he won't be able to reach that step. On the contrary, Wang Lingying. . . being able to obtain the legacy of his predecessors, and being quite excellent himself, his future achievements are truly hard to predict," the horse-faced elder continued.

Ma Xianzi nodded. Once the Wang Family Ancestor died, wouldn't his inheritance all belong to Wang Lingying?

Whether it was the fifth-stage Black Tortoise, his own fortuitous opportunities, or even the preparations made over the years for Return to Void, all could potentially benefit this person.

With these, his path should become considerably smoother.

"How about it? If Little Ye'er likes him, I can act as your matchmaker. . . " The horse-faced elder laughed heartily.

"Ancestor. . . " Ma Xianzi shook her head: "Unless Wang Lingying advances to Soul Transformation Perfection in the future, then nothing more needs to be said."

Cultivators were all this pragmatic, especially female cultivators.

"Alright, no more jokes for now."

After the horse-faced elder finished laughing, his expression turned solemn: "Now, the Immortal City's high-level figures have given our Ma family a mission. This mission is extremely dangerous; even a Soul Transformation cultivator could die if they're not careful, but I still intend to accept it. . ."

"It seems it must be related to Ancestor's advancement! " Ma Xianzi's expression was grave, completely devoid of her previous bashfulness.

"Precisely so. The Immortal City's high-level figures have promised that if the Ma family completes this mission, they will be granted a portion of Taiyin Jade Crystal. . ."

The horse-faced elder said.

If the Ma family weren't a local influential power in the Immortal City, and had always had connections with the higher-ups, this dangerous mission might not have fallen to him.

"Since that's the case, we must plan this thoroughly."

Ma Xianzi's beautiful eyes lit up, and she immediately began discussing it in detail with the horse-faced elder. . .

...

Time flowed like water, years shuttled like a loom.

Fang Xi, under the identity of the 'Wang Family Ancestor', had completely established himself in Moonlight Immortal City.

He was fully aware of the Ma family's repeated gestures of goodwill, and also knew the intelligence that Ma Xianzi had met with Wang Lingying several times and they had conversed happily.

He was quite unconcerned by this.

After all, old folks grow cunning; he could discern some of the Ma family's intentions.

"They want to outlive me and inherit my legacy? It'd be more reliable to tell a bad joke and make me laugh myself to death. . ."

Fang Xi lay on a rocking chair, lightly twirling prayer beads in his hand, while the little Black Tortoise slowly pushed him from behind.

The years were thus peaceful and quiet, as if time would never flow away.

In reality, a full cycle of sixty years had already quietly vanished without a trace.

This year, Fang Xi was one thousand three hundred years old.

In the Lakeside Island Cave Abode.

Fang Xi sat cross-legged, green and yellow light constantly swirling around his body, transforming into an ethereal purple qi.

Within his Dantian's Sea of Qi, his main Nascent Soul absorbed all this purple qi, its form seemingly growing several times more robust.

"Soul Transformation Perfection, finally achieved!"

After a long while, he opened his eyes and sighed with emotion.

With the generous funding from the Dragon Taming Sect, various spiritual pills were continuously supplied. More crucially, the 'Eternal Evergreen Body' combined with the 'Withered Glory Chant' cultivation method made his cultivation progress terrifyingly fast, and he could also eliminate internal pill toxins, allowing him to consume pills without any qualms. . .

And from the late Soul Transformation stage to the Soul Transformation Perfection realm, it was merely an accumulation of magical power, without any bottlenecks.

Therefore, after his last advancement to the late Soul Transformation stage, he once again broke through at such astonishing speed.

For ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators, it was common for many to spend five or six hundred, or even a thousand years, to go from the late Soul Transformation stage to the Perfection realm!

"Hmph. . . everyone's waiting for me to die so they can inherit my legacy? Sooner or later, I'll break through to Return to Void and give you all a fright!"

Thinking of the Ma family, Fang Xi suddenly revealed a somewhat strange smile.

Ma Xianzi had initially been very close with Wang Lingying, but not long after, the Ma family fell silent. Now, decades later, a shocking piece of news broke: several Soul Transformation cultivators from the Ma family went out together and have not returned to this day!

This caused the Ma family to be in a state of panic for a time, and even Wang Lingying went to show support once.

To Fang Xi, it felt as if he hadn't even exerted himself, yet someone had already fallen?

As he pondered, his thoughts stirred.

Opposite him, a silver light flashed, and the External Avatar's figure appeared, tossing out a fist-sized white crystal.

The crystal was dazzling, almost completely transparent, yet within it was a round of moonlight, appearing exceptionally strange.

"Taiyin Jade Crystal. . . this should be the third piece, right?"

Fang Xi directly took out a jade box, carefully put away the Taiyin Jade Crystal, and stroked his chin: "When Moonlight Immortal City opens the Taiyin Secret Realm next time, they will likely be greatly disappointed. . . Oh well, it's a bit dangerous for you to continue there anyway. Just descend to the lower realm for now, and then prepare for your formal ascension!"

Moonlight Immortal City could obtain a few pieces of Taiyin Jade Crystal each time, but they still needed to exchange them for Sun Golden Essence, then combine them with auxiliary herbs, and invite Pill Refinement Grandmasters to open their furnaces.

In reality, they might not even be able to produce a single 'Two Forms Void Breaking Pill' in a hundred years!

And even if this pill was consumed, a cultivator's breakthrough wasn't a hundred percent guaranteed; it was more like a fifty-fifty chance.

Therefore, according to Fang Xi's estimation, the number of Return to Void cultivators in Moonlight Immortal City should be between ten and several dozens.

After all, Return to Void cultivators also wander, or even perish. . .

Generally speaking, even if one new Return to Void cultivator appeared every five hundred years, and Return to Void cultivators had a lifespan of around ten thousand years. . . then Moonlight Immortal City would have about twenty Return to Void cultivators, and that's in the best-case scenario.

'And Moonlight Immortal City is already a famous cultivator city throughout the entire Starry Sky Domain. . . '

'In other words, as soon as one advances to Return to Void, they immediately become a high-level figure in Moonlight Immortal City, and will be treated with courtesy no matter where they go in human territory. . . '

'I possess the 'Eternal Evergreen Body', which inherently increases my chances of Return to Void by several tens of percent. Moreover, with the 'Three Qi Unification' method for breakthrough, and the 'Two Forms Void Breaking Pill' as a safeguard, it's a sure thing; my breakthrough probability should exceed ninety percent! '

A bright glint flashed in Fang Xi's eyes.

The External Avatar had extracted three portions of Taiyin Jade Crystal, and he barely managed to gather three portions of Sun Golden Essence as well, enough to attempt refining the 'Two Forms Void Breaking Pill' three times!

This pill was of the high sixth rank!

More crucially, the 'Two Forms Void Breaking Pill' was an ancient metallic-mineral pill, so its refining difficulty wasn't too great. Although Fang Xi himself was only at around fifth-stage alchemy, if he went to the Kyushu World and commanded many alchemy grandmasters to assist, he could barely give it a try.

After all, minerals required less precise heat control than plant-based pills; it wasn't as if a slight mistake in heat would ruin an entire batch.

Therefore, the standards for ancient alchemy were somewhat lower than they are now.

Fang Xi felt that if he were to take an assessment in the alchemy of metallic-mineral pills, perhaps his own alchemy rank could be raised further?

"Alchemy is constantly advancing. . . When forming pills from plants, every operation must be exquisitely precise, and the medicinal effects are also brought forth more thoroughly. . . Ancient metallic-mineral alchemy, on the other hand, seems a bit rougher. . ."

"Coincidentally, the Kyushu World also has extensive research in particle collision and matter transformation. . ."

...

Human World.

Evergreen Palace.

Red Alchemist looked at Fang Xi's external Avatar with a resentful expression: "Master. . . you are truly heartless, to throw this concubine into a laboratory to suffer inhumane torture. . ."

"Cough, cough. . ."

The External Avatar coughed.

Although it was the main body's fault, he still had to bear it.

At this moment, he simply kept a cold face and waited silently.

A moment later, accompanied by a clear cry, a giant Green Fire Luan flew over, transforming in mid-air into a young girl in a green ruqun.

Liu Xu arrived shortly after, her expression dignified with a hint of charm, completely different from her previous demeanor.

Finally, Yunxi Xianzi arrived, gracefully descending accompanied by the sound of a zither.

"Everyone. . . this Seat has decided to ascend to the Earthly Immortal World. Have you all made your decision? " the External Avatar asked solemnly.

"For the sake of the immortal Dao, we shall have no regrets even if we die a hundred times over. " Yunxi Xianzi replied with a solemn expression.

"Wherever Master goes, Xiao Qing will go. " Xiao Qing also declared resolutely.

After everyone had replied, Fang Xi's lips curved slightly: "Very well, but as we ascend to the Earthly Immortal World, there remains one major concern: the Green Emperor Mountain Ancestor! This matter is of great importance, as we will assault the spiritual realm together and share the spoils. . . At this point, we should also sign another Immortal Spirit Contract, so that we may advance and retreat together."

This was one of his objectives. The previous division of spoils was precisely to drag all Soul Transformation cultivators into this. Otherwise, why would he have let them plunder the resources within the Earthly Immortal Spiritual Realm in the first place?

Now that they were all grasshoppers on the same rope, and after swearing an oath with an 'Immortal Spirit Document', they could barely be trusted a little.

'In truth, eliminating all Human World Soul Transformation cultivators would be the most secure, but I am not that kind of person after all. . . '

'What's more, the one ascending is merely my External Avatar, so it doesn't matter if it dies. . . consider it a trial run. . . '