Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

"A world-destroying warship? Do you know what you're talking about?"

Master Fu's gentle gaze suddenly sharpened, shooting out a ray of light that suppressed all the starlight in the sky, illuminating this void for a moment, and then abruptly disappeared, looking at Chen Yuan with majesty.

Chen Yuan said, "Before the Sect Leader, I dare not utter a single falsehood. I am willing to exchange a World Annihilation Warship for that Ferocious Tiger Demon Core. I hope the Sect Leader will grant my request."

He repeated it again, only this time with a more resolute tone.

"You possess the World-Destroying Warship?" Master Fu's voice carried a hint of doubt.

“I naturally don’t possess such a treasure, but I do know the whereabouts of a World-Destroying Warship,” Chen Yuan replied.

"Where is this boat?" A rare hint of urgency flashed in Master Fu's eyes.

Chen Yuan said, "This world-destroying warship is located in a fragment of an interface. I don't know its exact location, but I remember the spatial beacon of that interface fragment, which can guide the sect leader."

Master Fu stared at Chen Yuan for a long while before saying, "Alright, three months from now, you will lead me there to retrieve this boat."

"If what you say is true, I will exchange it for the Ferocious Tiger Demon Core for you, and I will also bestow upon you another treasure."

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. He swallowed back the words he had prepared and bowed again: "Thank you, Sect Leader."

"Go ahead."

Chen Yuan straightened up, the voice of Master Fu still lingering in his ears, but he had already arrived outside the Wanxing Palace. Before him was a dark and deep hall, and it seemed that one step out would plunge him into an endless abyss.

He turned around, slowly walked out of the array, a layer of true essence shield formed on his body, and soared into the air, flying away from Tongtian Peak, his thoughts somewhat complicated.

If possible, he certainly wouldn't want to hand over the World Destroyer Warship just to obtain a Demon Saint's core.

Even though this demon core contains the true blood of the White Tiger and can erase the bottleneck in his breakthrough to the Integration Realm, it is still a loss compared to the World Annihilation Warship.

However, since embarking on the path of cultivation, Chen Yuan has deeply understood the principle that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and has always acted accordingly.

Looking across all the heavens and myriad realms, the World-Destroying Warship is the most supreme treasure. Nearly half of the hundred Mahayana cultivators in the Spirit Realm do not possess a World-Destroying Warship, and in terms of value, it is almost second only to the Profound Heaven Spiritual Treasure.

Master Fu achieved Mahayana cultivation in just 40,000 years and established the Tai Xuan Sect, making him an anomaly among all Mahayana cultivators in the Spirit Realm. He consumed countless treasures, and the time to build a world-destroying warship was still far off.

But precisely because of this, even if Chen Yuan advanced to the Fusion stage, followed the spatial beacon back to the Green Mantis Realm, and took the World Destroyer Warship, he could not defend it, nor was he able to repair it properly.

However, it is uncertain how long it will take before Mahayana can reclaim the World Destroyer Warship, and the situation is full of uncertainties.

It would be better to offer it to Master Fu in exchange for the Ferocious Tiger Demon Core, thus clearing the way for his breakthrough to the Integration Realm.

Cultivation is fundamental. Chen Yuan personally witnessed the efforts made by Chu Weicai, Zhou Muyun, and others in the Xuanli Realm to improve their cultivation and extend their lifespan.

Their listlessness and their willingness to abandon the dignity and integrity of the Dragon Transformation Realm in order to break through to the next level were deeply etched into Chen Yuan's heart.

Although Chen Yuan cultivates both physical and spiritual cultivation and has refined the blood of the true spirit, his lifespan is long, far exceeding that of other human cultivators, and even surpassing that of the demon race. He has ample time to break through to the Integration Realm, but what about his future attempts to reach the Mahayana Realm and ascend to immortality?

Before entering the True Dragon Cave, Chen Yuan thought that with his cultivation of the "Nine Revolutions of True Spirit" and the assistance of the Jade Pendant, he could draw starlight into his body. He believed that as long as he patiently searched for the blood of the True Spirit, he would eventually achieve the Great Ascension and transcending the tribulation to ascend to immortality would not be difficult.

This was not arrogance, but rather the confidence he gained from the immortal techniques and treasures.

With such a heaven-defying opportunity at his fingertips, if Chen Yuan still cannot attain immortality, then there's no point in cultivating immortality.

But after receiving the memories of the Great Sage Xuanli, Chen Yuan realized that transcending tribulation and ascending to immortality was far more complicated than he had imagined.

The Great Way is the most impartial, emphasizing the balance of Yin and Yang; overwhelming power can become a curse.

Chen Yuan felt a strong sense of urgency; he had to improve his cultivation as soon as possible and could not waste a single year of his lifespan.

Mahayana Buddhism was already a difficult hurdle, but a hundred times more perilous obstacle awaited him afterward.

True spirit blood is so rare that even the Treasure Pavilion has no information about it. If we miss this Ferocious Tiger Demon Core, we don't know how long it will take to find a Demon King Demon Core containing True Spirit Blood.

Chen Yuan didn't want to wait any longer. He would rather sacrifice the World Destroyer Warship than not refine the fifth type of True Spirit Blood as soon as possible and break through to the Integration Stage.

A century from now, the Tai Xuan Sect will launch a major offensive against Ba Gui Island, and as an elder, he certainly cannot stand aside.

Advancing to the Fusion stage a day earlier increases one's chances of survival in battle and also provides more opportunities to make contributions.

Chen Yuan would never forget that he had seriously offended the Cold Shadow Demon Saint and the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint, and no one knew whether the two demon saints had sent news of him back to the Burning Demon Realm before their souls dissipated.

As for Master Fu's promise to bestow an extra treasure, it turned out to be an unexpected delight.

However, what puzzled Chen Yuan was that Master Fu did not suspect his intentions and agreed so readily, rendering his prepared explanation useless.

After all, his origins were so bizarre. He was clearly a human cultivator, yet he entered the Spirit Realm through the Burning Demon Realm.

Having just joined the Tai Xuan Sect, he claimed to know about the World-Destroying Warship. It seemed like he had ulterior motives and wanted to lure Master Fu out of the Spirit Realm.

Perhaps Master Fu was overconfident in his strength and fearless of any trap, or perhaps he had other ideas; Chen Yuan could not fathom it.

Anyway, he acts with integrity, and as long as he sees the World Destroyer Warship, Master Fu will know that he has no ulterior motives.

However, given that it involved such a precious treasure, Master Fu wanted to wait for three months, which puzzled Chen Yuan.

However, he took this opportunity to make some arrangements. He turned around and flew southeast, eventually landing on a precipitous mountain peak near the edge of Tongtian Island.

This place is even more remote than Lingyun Peak. The cliffs rise thousands of feet high, with straight sides and a steep top, like a sharp sword piercing the sky. There are few people around, no trace of light, and not a single cultivator can be seen.

Yet this very precipitous mountain is covered with ancient pines, rooted in the cracks of the rocks, lush and verdant, stretching from the summit to the foot of the mountain, their verdant greenery softening some of its fierce aura.

Chen Yuan swept his divine sense across the area and descended into the distance, landing on a cliff near the mountaintop.

This is the only flat area in the entire ominous mountain, about an acre in size. Two stone gates on the mountain wall are tightly closed, and a few ancient pine trees are scattered in front of the gates.

A crow, about half the size of a person, perched on the gnarled branches of one of the ancient pines. Its jet-black feathers reflected the sunlight, subtly revealing iridescent colors, before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The crow, who was dozing with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes when it saw Chen Yuan arrive. It flapped its wings and flew down from the pine tree, looked Chen Yuan up and down, and cawed, "Who goes there?"

Chen Yuan revealed the Tai Xuan Token and said calmly, "Chen Yuan of Lingyun Peak has come to pay his respects to Elder Bai."

The crow was startled and quickly landed on the ground, lowered its body, and softened its voice: "Elder Chen, please wait a moment, I will inform the master right away."

As it spoke, it turned its head, plucked a feather with its beak, and blew on it gently. The feather fluttered and flew towards the stone gate on the mountain wall, merging into it and disappearing from sight.

After a while, the crow turned to the side and extended one wing backward: "Elder Chen, please. The master is waiting for you in the mansion."

Chen Yuan put away the Tai Xuan Token, thought for a moment, then took out a pill, flicked his finger, and sent it flying towards the crow.

The crow opened its beak, caught the pill, and its bright eyes lit up. It quickly swallowed it, saying, "Thank you for the gift, Elder!"

At this moment, the array covering the stone gate slowly dissipated, and the two stone gates opened. Chen Yuan stepped in, passed through a simple and somewhat crude passage, and arrived at an equally simple stone hall.

Dressed in black, Bai Zangzhou stood behind the stone table, his body as straight as a sword. It seemed as if he were not in a cave, but on a battlefield, and his cold eyes revealed a hint of doubt.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands in a bow and said, "I have a favor to ask of you, which is why I have come to visit you. I hope you will forgive me for disturbing you."

Bai Zangzhou's doubts disappeared, and he said calmly, "Sit down and let's talk."

The two took their seats as host and guest, and Bai Zangzhou took out a set of crude tea utensils used only by low-level cultivators and poured spiritual tea for Chen Yuan. It was spiritual tea that only low-level cultivators would drink, and it emitted a somewhat cloying aroma.

"Very few people visit my residence, so please forgive me for any shortcomings in hospitality, Junior Brother," Bai Zangzhou said calmly, without a trace of apology on his face.

"Not at all..." Chen Yuan smiled, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.

If any other cultivator had served him spiritual tea in such a tea set, Chen Yuan would have suspected that he intended to send him away, but Bai Zangzhou was an exception.

Aside from cultivation, this person only punishes Tai Xuan Sect cultivators who violate the sect rules. He is impartial and incorruptible, showing no favoritism even towards the Treasure Pavilion managed by his fellow disciple Ling Jiu Que. He is very unpopular and has very little contact with other elders, so it is impossible for anyone to visit him.

Chen Yuan put down his teacup and got straight to the point: "Senior brother should know that I came to the Spirit Realm from the Burning Demon Realm."

"When I first entered the Demon Burning Realm, I was not alone; a fellow Daoist was also stranded there."

"I also took a Core Formation cultivator who was stranded in the Burning Demon Realm as my personal disciple, and I also rescued some human cultivators who were kidnapped to the Burning Demon Realm, but I was unable to bring them into the Spirit Realm. They had no choice but to follow that fellow Daoist and hide here and there."

"I have heard that Senior Brother Bai not only oversees the Cleansing Heart Hall, but also commands the Shadow Spy cultivators of our sect. Could you please send some men to infiltrate the Burning Demon Realm and rescue them back to the Spirit Realm? I will be eternally grateful."

After saying this, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Bai Zangzhou, his expression very sincere.

Yun Jinyue asked him to go to Miaohe Sect to find someone to save him, but now that he has become an elder of Taixuan Sect, he naturally wouldn't go to such lengths. He would ask Bai Zangzhou for help first, and if that didn't work, it wouldn't be too late to go to Miaohe Sect.

Bai Zangzhou acted swiftly and decisively, immediately inquiring about the specifics.

Chen Yuan recounted the details of Cangsong Daoist, Zhang Yanwei, Yun Jinyue, and others, and also took out a map he had specially prepared when leaving the Burning Demon Realm, handing it to Bai Zangzhou for a look.

Bai Zangzhou took the jade slip and read it for a while before withdrawing his divine sense. He frowned slightly and said, "This matter is a bit tricky. Our sect has never dealt with the demons of the Burning Demon Realm before. It was only for the construction of the city on Tyrant Turtle Island that we started sending shadow spy cultivators into the Burning Demon Realm, but we have not yet reached the Mountain Moving Sacred Domain."

“But since there are junior brothers’ personal disciples among them, I can send someone to the Mountain Moving Sacred Domain to do my best to help them.” Chen Yuan was somewhat surprised. He did not expect that Bai Zangzhou, who appeared cold, would be so easy to talk to. He immediately clasped his hands in thanks and said, “Thank you for your help, senior brother. I owe you a favor and will definitely repay it in the future.”

Bai Zangzhou said calmly, "It's nothing to mention. However, this matter is dangerous, so Junior Brother should prepare a token and offer a few treasures as a reward for completing the mission."

Chen Yuan readily agreed, took out a blank jade slip, wrote a letter, and left his divine imprint.

Once this letter reaches Zhang Yanwei's hands, he will be able to decipher it using the secret method Chen Yuan taught him and see its contents.

He then took out a jade slip containing portraits of Daoist Cangsong, Zhang Yanwei, and others, as well as several agreed-upon hiding places, for the Tai Xuan Sect's shadow spy cultivators to locate and identify the individuals.

Finally, there were three bottles of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation pills, all made from the demon cores of high-level perfected demon generals, and their medicinal power was much stronger than that of pills of the same level.

Chen Yuan also knew that venturing alone into the Demon Realm was extremely risky, and only with a generous reward could brave men be found.

Bai Zangzhou took the three bottles of pills, examined them meticulously, and nodded slightly: "Three bottles of pills are enough. I will send my most elite Shadow Spy cultivators into the Burning Demon Realm. It will take at least two years, and at most five years. Whether it succeeds or not, we will get back to you."

Chen Yuan thanked them again, then got up to take his leave, and Bai Zangzhou personally saw him out of the cave.

Chen Yuan returned to Lingyun Peak. Three months was neither a long nor a short time, but he couldn't refine a single batch of pills. It wasn't enough time for him to travel, so he could only meditate and regulate his breathing in his cave.

Just as Chen Yuan was meditating, several Qi Refining disciples came to his door, wanting to join Lingyun Peak.

According to the rules of the Tai Xuan Sect, Qi Refining disciples can join the various peaks.

However, the Spirit Realm has no shortage of Qi Refining cultivators. Every year, the Tai Xuan Sect recruits hundreds of disciples. Apart from the cultivators with excellent aptitude for Earth Spirit Root and Heaven Spirit Root who are fiercely sought after by various peaks, the other cultivators with three Spirit Roots have to wait until they reach the Foundation Establishment stage and then pass various tests before they have the opportunity to join the various peaks.

In addition to the contributions earned from completing sect missions, disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect also receive monthly and annual stipends, all of which are governed by established rules.

However, each peak will also provide its disciples with a monthly or annual allowance, the amount of which depends on the cultivation resources controlled by each peak.

Lower-ranking disciples all aspire to join the most powerful peaks, and these peaks have the strictest standards for recruiting disciples.

Chen Yuan remains a mystery within the Tai Xuan Sect. Several elders know his background, but they don't spread it around.

Most disciples were extremely curious about this suddenly appearing elder, but they would not hastily join Lingyun Peak.

Choosing which peak to join means becoming a disciple of that peak forever, which will affect one's future path in the Dao, so one must be extremely careful.

However, some disciples, whether due to their good connections, their frustration with their careers, or their desire to take a gamble, wanted to join Lingyun Peak as soon as Chen Yuan was promoted to elder.

Chen Yuan refused all offers, stating that he did not intend to accept any disciples within the next thousand years, so as not to affect his own cultivation.

Elder Yuan advised him to take on more disciples so that he would have manpower to use when he conquered the other world in the future.

Once cultivation reaches the Integration Realm, even determining who is superior is difficult, let alone deciding life and death. More often, it's a matter of mutual restraint, waiting for the outcome of the battle among the cultivators under one's command, in order to gain merit.

Chen Yuan had no disciples to command, so he was bound to suffer losses.

However, Chen Yuan still declined. Other cultivators at the Integration Stage were unlikely to be separated by life and death, but it might not be the case for him.

All the lower-ranking disciples who wanted to join Lingyun Peak were turned away and returned disappointed. Other disciples who were still observing dared not try again.

Lingyun Peak fell silent again, with only the array masters of the Nine Palaces tirelessly modifying the Spirit Gathering Array.

……

Three months passed quickly. On this day, Chen Yuan received a message from Master Fu and immediately got up, left his cave, and went to the top of Tongtian Peak, to the Wanxing Hall.

This void remained as deep and distant as ever, with no end in sight. Only the brilliant starlight shone from all directions, illuminating the small area where Master Fu and Chen Yuan were located.

Master Fu gazed at Chen Yuan and said calmly, "Next, I will open a spatial passage and take you inside. You only need to point out the path; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Chen Yuan respectfully agreed. Without any hesitation, Master Fu raised his hand and summoned a large amount of starlight from all around, which intertwined to form a silvery ball of light, as if in a dream.

Master Fu pointed his finger, and the starlight quickly solidified, transforming into a silver star disk. Within it, specks of golden light appeared, forming an intricate star map that slowly rotated.

Chen Yuan only glanced at it, but a feeling of dizziness arose in his mind, and his soul felt extremely tired. He quickly looked away.

The star map suddenly solidified, then shot out a silver beam of light interspersed with strands of gold, which disappeared into the void.

After a moment, a crack suddenly appeared in the void, revealing a chaotic area that looked very similar to the void, but contained an ancient aura that had never changed since time immemorial.

Master Fu slowly stood up, put away the star chart, then reached out and grabbed Chen Yuan's arm. He took a step forward and came to the crack, then went inside.

Master Fu released his grip and asked calmly, "Where is that fragment of the interface?"

Chen Yuan lowered his arm and forcefully suppressed the four raging phantom spirits in his dantian.

The moment Master Fu grabbed his arm, an invisible force sealed his dantian, causing his true essence sea to calm down and his physical body to become limp.

Only the four illusory figures of true spirits were enraged, seemingly provoked. Their true spirit blood surged and turbulent, trying to forcefully expel this wisp of sealing power.

Fortunately, Master Fu quickly released his grip, and Chen Yuan forcefully suppressed the four illusory true spirits, but there were still aftershocks. The sea of ​​true essence in his dantian surged with turbulent waves that could not be calmed for a long time.

Chen Yuan steadied his mind, activated the Kunpeng True Blood, and a pair of jet-black wings stretched out from his back.

The Kunpeng Dharma Image leaped out from behind him, merging into the void and chaos, as if a fish in water, and let out a long, distant cry.

Master Fu looked at the Kunpeng Dharma Image, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He nodded slightly and softly uttered two words: "Not bad."

Chen Yuan slightly closed his eyes, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and light flowed on his dark wings, making them appear even more profound.

Suddenly, Chen Yuan opened his eyes and said respectfully, "Sect Leader, please follow me."

Having said that, he chose a direction, flapped his wings, and flew forward at an extremely fast speed, covering a thousand feet in the blink of an eye, as if he were teleporting.

The invisible spatial fluctuations were now clearly visible, and the edges of the wings wrapped around Chen Yuan's back rippled like water.

Chen Yuan was like a fish swimming in water, breaking through obstacles in the most effortless way, which was actually quite pleasing to the eye.

But Master Fu only took one step and appeared beside Chen Yuan, easily catching up with him, and said calmly, "How much longer until we reach that interface fragment?"

Chen Yuan estimated it and replied, "It will take about two years."

Master Fu frowned: "Too slow. Inject the spatial beacon from that interface fragment into the star chart."

He flipped his hand and took out the star chart formed by starlight, handed it to Chen Yuan, and revealed a secret technique.

Chen Yuan gradually slowed down, focusing intently on listening. Even after Master Fu finished speaking, he remained absorbed in the conversation.

This secret technique was very brief, only teaching Chen Yuan how to manipulate the star chart, but it contained a trace of the mysteries of spatial laws, from which Chen Yuan gained a great deal.

Other cultivators would have no idea how to comprehend this secret technique; only Chen Yuan, whose mastery of the laws of space had reached a certain level, was able to understand it.

After a while, Chen Yuan felt that he had completely mastered this secret technique. He then took the star chart from Master Fu's hand. It was as light as a feather, as if it were supported by a thin veil. He raised his hand and made a hand seal, injecting a trace of mysterious spatial fluctuations into it.

The golden star map slowly changed, and a silvery, shimmering path gradually emerged, constantly shifting.

Chen Yuan returned the star chart to Master Fu, who glanced at it only once before grabbing Chen Yuan's arm and flying forward.

To Chen Yuan's surprise, in this void and chaos, Master Fu was even more at ease than he was after refining the Kunpeng's true blood, and his escape speed was astonishing.

All spatial fluctuations, spatial turbulence, and spatial storms along the way dissipated on their own in front of Master Fu, as if he had encountered a king's subject.

But despite such an astonishing speed, the surroundings seemed to stand still. Chen Yuan could even clearly see the slightest spatial turbulence. He quickly calmed down and focused his mind on comprehending it.

Three days later, Master Fu finally stopped. Chen Yuan had comprehended countless spatial fluctuations and spatial turbulences, and his understanding of the laws of space had deepened to a new level.

The Kunpeng True Spirit is the embodiment of the laws of space. Chen Yuan also obtained almost all of the memories of the Great Sage Xuanli. Although the Great Sage Xuanli did not master the laws of space, he was still a Mahayana cultivator. Later, he transformed into a True Spirit and naturally mastered many spatial supernatural powers.

Chen Yuan has obtained so many opportunities and comprehended the laws of space several times, faintly touching the origin of the laws of space. Even a perfected cultivator who specializes in the laws of space is no more than this.

When he looked at the fragments of the Green Mantis Realm again, they were quite different from before.

A dim egg of light, shaped like a chicken egg, floats in the distance. It is riddled with cracks and most of it is stained black. Fragments keep falling off and being assimilated by the void and chaos, and it may disintegrate at any moment.

Master Fu took a step forward, and the two arrived in front of the Green Mantis Realm fragment. The egg-shaped light egg disappeared, replaced by a brilliant interface barrier, but it was mixed with wisps of ink and stained with extremely ugly black lines.

Master Fu raised an eyebrow: "True demonic energy?"

"This interface was invaded by ancient demons before it shattered. The essence of the fragments was corrupted by the ancient demons' energy. That world-destroying warship was also created by the ancient demons," Chen Yuan explained.

"You've seen the origin of the interface?" Master Fu's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"I've dealt with the natives of this interface fragment and comprehended the origin fragments..." Chen Yuan recounted the Green Mantis Clan's affairs in detail.

Master Fu nodded, then with a flick of his finger, he created a wide crack in the barrier between the interfaces, stepping inside, with Chen Yuan following closely behind. (End of Chapter)