Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Within the grotto, surrounded by mountains, the misty clouds roll and swirl, waterfalls cascade down, jade beads splash, and rare flowers and herbs vie for beauty.

Thirty-six square-shaped dragon-breathing platforms are arranged in a mysterious formation, scattered all around. Some are perched on mountain peaks, while others are deep in valleys. The bodies of the platforms are engraved with dragon-shaped patterns.

However, most of the Dragon Breath Platforms emitted milky white spiritual mist, which almost condensed into liquid and merged into this cave, slowly increasing the concentration of spiritual energy.

Only a few Dragon Breath Platforms still exhale pure, dark yellow dragon energy.

Nestled among the mountains are palaces and pavilions with flying eaves and arched roofs, glazed tiles and green roofs, all built from low-grade spiritual wood and materials, stretching as far as the eye can see, grand and magnificent.

These buildings were all built in dangerous places, with no access roads and no need for them.

A streak of light flashed across the sky, weaving back and forth, its robes fluttering, its demeanor elegant and unrestrained, like that of a celestial being.

They were all disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect from the Spirit Realm, along with cultivators from the Wei family, Xuanji Sect, and Chonghua Sect, whose cultivation levels were at least above the Foundation Establishment stage.

Dragonmen covered in scales also flew by, but their speed was much slower than that of human cultivators, and they had to be much more careful, lest they collide with human cultivators.

It was through the efforts of the four sects of cultivators and the various dragon peoples over the past two hundred years that this blessed land has been transformed into what it is today, changing its original appearance and becoming a sacred cultivation ground suitable for cultivators of both races to live together.

However, there is one extremely discordant element: deep within the cave, there is a towering mountain peak over three thousand feet high, which is also the main peak of this cave. It is shrouded in a great array of flames, which has not dissipated even after more than two hundred years.

This is also the only place that the cultivators of both races have not yet set foot in since entering the True Dragon Cave.

No one dared to approach the area within ten thousand feet of this peak. The seemingly peaceful array of quietly burning flames was actually interwoven with pure Crimson Heaven True Fire.

Even the six Grandmasters who had reached the Integration Realm dared not get too close, and ordered the Tai Xuan Sect's array masters to set up another array a thousand feet away, using the array to break the array and slowly wear down the power of the grand array.

This fiery array is connected to the spiritual veins of the grotto-heaven and cannot be forcibly broken. Otherwise, under the raging power of the Crimson Heaven True Fire, not only will the main peak within be destroyed, but even this grotto-heaven will not be spared, and everyone will perish with it.

The six combined-level powerhouses even issued a special decree, strictly forbidding anyone from approaching this peak and lest they provoke the Crimson Heaven True Fire to rage; otherwise, they would be executed without mercy.

At first, people were speculating about what lay behind the fiery array, what earth-shattering treasures were hidden there, and what dazzling light would shine forth after being sealed away for countless years.

But two hundred years have passed, and there is still no sign of the fire array being broken, so people have gradually lost interest.

Even if there is some treasure behind the Flame Array, it won't fall into their hands. Cultivating themselves is more important.

This is a true paradise, even surpassing the Tongtian Island, the mountain gate of the Tai Xuan Sect.

This is not because the spiritual vein here is more powerful than that of Tongtian Island. Tongtian Island contains a giant spiritual vein that emits almost inexhaustible spiritual energy, providing a means for the cultivation of 100,000 cultivators of the Tai Xuan Sect.

This blessed land is only a part of the True Dragon Cave. The entire Xuanli Realm is the complete True Dragon Cave, which includes all the spiritual veins, and even more than one giant spiritual vein.

However, the Tai Xuan Sect cannot integrate all the spiritual veins in the Xuan Li Realm into one. If they did, the spiritual energy of the Xuan Li Realm would lose its balance, and this spatial secret realm, comparable to a small world, would collapse.

If we only consider the spiritual veins within blessed lands and grotto-heavens, they are equivalent to only two large spiritual veins.

But since the true dragon left, this place has been sealed off, and there are no cultivators here.

The dragon energy and spiritual energy emanating from the spiritual veins have accumulated over the long years, becoming pure and powerful, even surpassing that of Tongtian Island.

Indeed, dragon energy is not the only presence in this blessed land.

According to the speculations of the four schools of spirit seekers, a million years ago, this place indeed only had dragon energy.

The spiritual energy from the two large spiritual veins was transformed by an ingenious array into Xuanhuang Dragon Qi, which surged out from the thirty-six Dragon Breath Platforms, filling every corner of the blessed land.

However, as time went on, the dragon energy became increasingly concentrated, even reaching the upper limit that the blessed land could bear, and could no longer be increased.

This blessed land is not very vast, only a thousand miles in circumference, which is rather small even for mortals, let alone cultivators who can fly and escape into the earth.

However, only in such a small, enclosed space can the concentration of spiritual energy match that of Tongtian Island.

After the dragon energy in the blessed land reached its limit, it accumulated in the Dragon Breath Platform, and in turn attacked the formation that transforms spiritual energy into dragon energy, and even began to attack the True Dragon Cave Formation, leaking outwards.

The Dragon Breath Platform began to show signs of damage, and the spiritual veins directly emitted spiritual energy, which merged into the dragon energy.

The dragon's aura was so domineering that it could not tolerate the existence of spiritual energy. According to the spirit seekers, the two sides engaged in a protracted war.

This great battle may have lasted a long time, but dragon energy is ultimately transformed from spiritual energy. Both sides originate from the same source, so it is impossible to completely annihilate it.

Moreover, the Dragon Breath Platform is constantly being damaged, and the formation that transforms spiritual energy into dragon energy is also being worn away by the power of time, while the spiritual energy is inexhaustible, making it impossible for dragon energy to win.

The spiritual energy, refined by the dragon energy, became increasingly pure. The two sides finally ceased hostilities and made peace, coexisting in the blessed land until the human race and the dragon people joined forces to open the gate to the Fire Realm.

Over the past two hundred years, the three peaks of Tai Xuan Sect have sent a total of more than three thousand disciples, while Xuanji Sect, Wei Family, and Chonghua Sect have each carefully selected two hundred elite disciples. The various Dragon People factions have sent a thousand Dragon People to the blessed land to improve their cultivation by utilizing the pure spiritual energy and dragon energy of this place.

With the gates of the Fire Realm opening, dragon energy and spiritual energy overflowed every day. These cultivators dared not waste any time, and instead secluded themselves to cultivate diligently until their cultivation could not be increased any further, before reluctantly leaving their seclusion.

Over the past two hundred years, the cultivators who have entered this blessed land have changed several times, including disciples from the other eight peaks of the Tai Xuan Sect.

According to the rules of the Tai Xuan Sect, the Xuan Li Realm belongs to the disciples of Hua Yu Peak, Yu Jian Peak, and Lan Yue Peak.

However, disciples from the other eight peaks who are facing bottlenecks can use their sect contributions to exchange for cultivation time in blessed lands within the three peaks, ranging from one to ten years, and can be extended upon expiration.

The cultivation pills in the Tai Xuan Sect are extremely precious and have always been in short supply; even with sect contributions, they cannot be obtained.

The disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect can save decades or even hundreds of years of cultivation time by consuming some sect contributions, and directly raise their cultivation level to the perfection of their current realm, which is undoubtedly extremely worthwhile.

Especially for Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators who have an even greater need for spiritual energy, this is a true holy land for cultivation. After the news spread on Tongtian Island, they flocked here immediately.

To their disappointment, the several mountain peaks deep within the cave, where the spiritual energy was exceptionally rich, had already been occupied by disciples from the three peaks.

Even if they contribute more sect contributions, they still cannot cultivate in these places; they can only settle for second best.

As for the dragon people in the Xuanli Realm, the number of them entering the blessed lands and grottoes has greatly decreased after the first hundred years.

On the one hand, more and more Dragon Breath Platform formations are being destroyed. This is both to reduce the power of the Xuanli Realm Formation and to facilitate teleportation, and to allow the spiritual veins to supply more spiritual energy for human cultivators to cultivate.

On the other hand, the dragon people among the four tribes who were trapped by the bottleneck broke through the bottleneck with the help of the Dragon Breath Platform after the Flame Gate opened for the second time. Their numbers were greatly reduced and far fewer than before.

As the dragon energy accumulated over countless years rapidly dissipates and gradually approaches the concentration of dragon energy outside the blessed land, the cultivation speed of the dragon people decreases accordingly.

Those dragon people who wished to enter blessed lands for cultivation had to pay the Tai Xuan Sect for spiritual materials and herbs. Over time, they became unwilling to engage in this unprofitable endeavor. Cultivators from both races came and went, changing hands frequently, but one mountain peak closest to the main peak of the Flame Array remained untouched.

Out of curiosity, some people inquired about who occupied the peak. Upon learning the answer, they all showed expressions of awe and dared not inquire any further.

Ten years ago, thick spiritual mist slowly gathered around this mountain peak, and then spread out, covering a radius of a hundred miles and enveloping one-tenth of the blessed land, attracting the attention of all cultivators.

Elder Yuan of Huayu Peak of Tai Xuan Sect personally took action to gather the spiritual mist and then set up four beams of spiritual light to confine it within a ten-mile radius around the mountain peak.

Over the past decade, the spiritual mist enveloping this peak has grown increasingly thick, until it completely obscures the mountain.

On this day, the spiritual mist suddenly began to churn violently, surging towards the center.

Thirty-six clear sword cries emanated from the depths of the spiritual mist, one after another, echoing throughout the blessed land and startling all the cultivators who were meditating.

A thousand feet away from the fiery array, six cultivators sat around the mountain, closing their eyes to meditate. Beneath them was an array plate woven from spiritual light, into which true essence was continuously poured.

The sound of a sword rang out, startling all six of them. They opened their eyes and looked over.

The gathered spiritual mist slowly condensed into a cloud bamboo, thousands of feet tall, soaring into the sky. Branches sprouted, and the bamboo leaves were lush, all formed from the spiritual mist, lifelike in appearance.

Bamboo leaves fell and merged together, transforming into thirty-six giant flying swords, each about ten feet long, solid as a substance, circling around the cloud bamboo, light and graceful.

Suddenly, a hint of green emerged from the roots of the bamboo, like bamboo shoots breaking through the soil in spring, and quickly spread, turning the entire bamboo green.

The thirty-six giant flying swords paused simultaneously before shooting towards the cloud bamboo and merging into it.

Yunzhu slowly transformed into an enormous cyan flying sword, its tip reversed, and it descended from the sky. Just as it was about to pierce the mountain peak, it suddenly disintegrated and vanished into thin air.

The strange phenomenon that had enveloped the peak disappeared, and the fluctuations in spiritual energy subsided. The low-level cultivators, who had been forced to interrupt their cultivation, returned to their caves with puzzled expressions and continued to meditate.

Those who understood the meaning of this strange phenomenon looked on in amazement, gazing at the now calm mountain peaks, reluctant to turn away for a long time.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Yuan, on gaining another disciple at the Void Refinement stage." A middle-aged scholar sitting on the spiritual light array plate said with a smile.

This man had a refined appearance, with three long strands of beard under his chin, and wore a wide robe with large sleeves, exuding the air of a gentleman. He was none other than Elder Su of the Tai Xuan Sect.

His voice wasn't loud, but it traveled thousands of feet and clearly reached the ears of the other five people.

"The Crimson Heaven True Fire Formation is about to be broken, and Fellow Daoist Yuan's disciple has successfully broken through to a higher realm. It is truly a double celebration," said Wei Wushang, the head of the Wei family, with a smile.

"Two hundred years ago, Junior Nephew Han was only at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He led cultivators from both races to defeat the demon race. Two hundred years later, he has already advanced to the Void Refinement realm. His progress is so rapid that it is rare in the world. Senior Brother Yuan is truly envious of having such a fine disciple." Elder Mei smiled gently, his voice very tender.

The other two also offered their congratulations in turn. Elder Yuan, who was being watched by the others, smiled but said humbly, "My disciple was only the first to enter this blessed land. He was able to make a breakthrough by relying on the pure spiritual energy of this place. It's really nothing."

His temples were gray, and he had a handsome face. He looked to be only in his twenties or thirties, but the overwhelming pressure emanating from his body showed that he was a cultivator at the early stage of the Integration Realm.

Elder Su withdrew his gaze, looked at the quietly burning flame array, and smiled, "At most two more years, we will be able to break this array. Our hard work of more than two hundred years, never leaving it, has finally paid off."

The formation emitted an astonishing heat, but in reality, it was all bark and no bite.

While the Crimson Heaven True Fire is indeed fierce, and those below the Mahayana level dare not touch it, it is like water without a source.

Simply sever the last thread of connection between it and the spiritual veins of the blessed land; without the replenishment of spiritual energy, it will vanish into thin air.

At that time, the main peak, which has been hidden behind the flame array for more than two hundred years, will reveal its true face, and we will finally be able to see the most precious treasures of the True Dragon Cave.

Wei Wushang's eyes revealed a hint of anticipation: "Although this blessed land is good, it is useless to us Nascent Soul cultivators, and we have not found many useful treasures."

"With such tight security, this peak must contain rare treasures. When we enter the Turtle Island, we will be much more at ease."

The group's expressions turned solemn. They were either elders of the Tai Xuan Sect or family heads and sect leaders who were affiliated with the Tai Xuan Sect. Their fates were intertwined, whether they rose or fell together.

They already knew that the Tai Xuan Sect was going to build a city on Ba Gui Island, and their joint exploration of the Xuan Li Realm was in preparation for this.

Elder Yuan nodded slightly: "There is less than a hundred years left before our sect launches a major offensive against Turtle Island. This should be enough time for us to begin refining the treasures we have obtained."

Elder Mei's beautiful eyes revealed a hint of worry: "I'm afraid the treasures on this peak won't be of immediate use, and we won't have time to cultivate in seclusion."

Elder Su said, "Junior Sister Mei, do not worry. If the treasures inside are useless in the battle, you can offer them to the sect in exchange for magic weapons."

"Although there are some losses, we can make up for them by killing two demon saints on Tyrant Turtle Island."

Elder Mei shook her head slightly: "How can a demon saint be so easy to kill? I only ask to save my life."

"Our sect in the Spirit Realm has not built a city on Tyrant Turtle Island for tens of thousands of years. This time, when our sect enters Tyrant Turtle Island, we will definitely face a fierce counterattack from the Burning Demon Realm. It will certainly not be as easy as conquering those minor worlds."

The leader of the Chonghua Sect laughed and said, "No matter how dangerous Turtle Island is, if the six of us join forces and deal with it carefully, what is there to fear?"

Elder Su's eyes flashed, and he said, "Right now, we should focus on breaking the formation. It's not too late to worry about the battle of Tyrant Turtle Island once we have the real treasure left behind by that true dragon."

The group said no more, closed their eyes again, and silently poured true essence into the spirit light array plate, gradually weakening the connection between the flame array and the spiritual veins of the blessed land.

Two years passed quickly. On this day, four cultivators gathered in a stone pavilion on the edge of a cliff. Spiritual fruits and wine were laid out in front of them. They sat and discussed the Dao, laughing and talking.

Yuan Shuheng raised his wine cup and toasted Han Xuan across from him: "Congratulations, Senior Brother Han, on your great progress in cultivation, advancing to the Refining Void Realm, and living to the age of forty thousand years!"

The other two, both true disciples of Huayu Peak, raised their cups in greeting and offered their congratulations.

"Senior Brother Han advanced from the early stage of Nascent Soul to the Void Refinement stage in two thousand years, which is unprecedented in our sect. Ten thousand years later, it is no surprise that he will become an elder."

"The disciples of the other peaks have long since reached the Nascent Soul stage, but they have never been able to advance to the Void Refinement stage. Senior Brother Han is ahead of the curve. After returning to the mountain gate, he will surely greatly enhance the prestige of our Feather Transformation Peak!"

Han Xuan smiled slightly, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp: "I have only achieved some success by chance. Why should my three junior brothers come all the way to Xuanli Realm and wait for two years just to congratulate me?"

Yuan Shuheng smiled and said, "Senior brother, you don't know this, but we came here not just to congratulate you."

"I also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to break through the flame array to hone my true essence and increase my chances of breaking through to the Void Refinement stage."

Han Xuan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by that, Junior Brother?" (End of Chapter)