Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Deep in the Dongling Mountains, inside the White Crane Sect’s mountain gate.

White-feathered cranes carrying monks flew through the air.

The White Crane Sect raises tens of thousands of spiritual cranes. From Nascent Soul cultivators to Qi Refining disciples, everyone has one, and they can fly back and forth in the mountain gate, making it extremely convenient for them to do so.

One of the white-feathered cranes, carrying a middle-aged monk, flapped its wings and came to the top of a thousand-foot-high peak. It slowly folded its wings and landed.

The middle-aged monk turned over and stroked the white-feathered crane's slender neck twice. The white-feathered crane let out a low cry and touched the middle-aged monk's palm with its beak, with intimacy in its eyes.

The middle-aged monk smiled and walked quickly towards a cave on the top of the mountain. The white-feathered crane followed behind him, step by step.

Outside the cave, there was also a spirit crane lying on the ground. When it saw someone coming, it stood up and greeted them.

It walked with two long legs, gracefully, and uttered a gentle female voice: "Is this Taoist friend here to see the master?"

This spiritual crane is half the size of the white-feathered crane behind the middle-aged cultivator, and the demonic aura on its body is even stronger. It is a level seven spiritual beast.

The middle-aged cultivator bowed and said, "Please inform Fairy He that the head of the Spirit Crane Hall, Xie Zifeng, wants to see a Yuanying senior who is here to visit Elder He."

Ling He nodded slightly: "Daoyou, please wait a moment. I will go and report to the master."

After saying that, it turned around gracefully and pecked the stone door lightly.

The stone door slowly opened, and the spirit crane walked into the cave with its slender legs.

The middle-aged monk waited outside with his hands down. After about two quarters of an hour, the spirit crane finally walked out of the cave.

"Please come in, fellow Taoist. The master is calling for you."

"Thank you, Fairy." The middle-aged monk turned around and gently stroked the white-feathered crane beside him, "You wait here and don't cause any trouble. I'll be back soon."

The white-feathered crane nodded slightly and made two soft chirps, as if urging the middle-aged monk not to waste time and go to pay his respects to Master He as soon as possible.

Ling He looked at Bai Yu He with a hint of smile in his eyes, and said softly: "Leave this child to me."

The middle-aged monk bowed and walked into the cave.

The two walls are inlaid with huge luminous pearls, which emit soft light and illuminate the entire passage.

He walked quickly through the passage and came to a stone hall. The furnishings were elegant and there was a faint fragrance in the air, which seemed to have a calming effect, and slowly calmed the middle-aged monk's slightly nervous expression.

There was a stone table in the middle of the stone hall. An old man with white hair and beard sat opposite. He was wearing a plain white robe and had a kind expression. He asked, "Which Taoist friend is here to visit?"

The middle-aged cultivator clasped his fists and bowed: "Your Excellency, it is the Grand Elder of Lingyun Sect who is here to visit. This senior has a letter to present to you. Please take a look at it."

As he spoke, he took out a wooden box from his storage bag and presented it with both hands.

The old man in white frowned when he heard this: "When did Lingyun Sect produce a supreme elder?"

He raised his hand and took the wooden box in his hand. Looking down, he saw a spirit-sealing talisman stuck on the lid of the box. It was intact and had never been opened.

Using his spiritual sense to explore again, he found that the soul-sealing talisman contained a wisp of condensed true essence, which was obviously left by a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Upon seeing this, the old man in white had a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He raised his hand, made a gesture, injected his true energy, and wanted to peel off the soul-sealing talisman.

But to his surprise, the true essence in the Soul Sealing Talisman was so pure that it failed to destroy it.

The old man in white became interested and injected another strand of true energy, but it still didn't work.

He let out a light exclamation, and without holding back, injected a strong stream of true energy, finally destroying the thick and pure true energy and removing the soul-sealing talisman.

The old man in white opened the wooden box with great interest. Just a wisp of true energy left in the soul-sealing talisman was so troublesome. I wonder where this supreme elder of Lingyun Sect came from?

There was a jade slip in the wooden box. The old man in white probed his spiritual sense into it and examined it carefully.

After a while, he withdrew his consciousness and said to the middle-aged cultivator: "Where is Fellow Daoist Chen now? Please come and meet me as soon as possible."

The middle-aged cultivator was startled and quickly replied, "Senior Chen is in Linghe Hall. I have already ordered people to entertain him well. I will go and invite him over right away."

He clasped his fists and bowed, then turned and left the cave, mounted the white-feathered crane, and flew out of the mountains.

The white-feathered crane was extremely fast. After a short while, the middle-aged cultivator returned to the market town, landed on the ground, walked quickly into the Linghe Hall, and went straight up to the third floor.

Chen Yuan was sitting by the window, holding a teacup in his hand, overlooking the monks coming and going on the street, his face indifferent.

A young and beautiful female cultivator of Qi training stood by with a gentle expression, pouring tea with her bare hands.

The middle-aged monk quickly came to Chen Yuan and bowed, "Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time, Elder He wants to see you."

Chen Yuan put down the teacup, stood up, and said with a smile: "Please lead the way, fellow Taoist."

“I dare not. Please come in, senior.” The middle-aged monk raised his hand and waved with a smile on his face.

He clearly remembered the surprise he felt when the young cultivator in front of him exuded the pressure of the Nascent Soul.

An hour ago, he was meditating and practicing in the quiet room when a foundation-building disciple suddenly found him and said that a senior was looking for him.

He was quite unhappy that his practice was interrupted, but Linghe Hall was responsible for welcoming guests, so he could not refuse and could only let them invite this person.

After seeing Chen Yuan, his dissatisfaction immediately disappeared.

The pressure emanating from Chen Yuan was as powerful as a prison and almost crushed him. This cultivator who looked extremely young was actually a Nascent Soul True Person!
The middle-aged monk took the wooden box handed to him by Chen Yuan with great respect, and immediately rushed back to the sect to pay a visit to Elder He.

Now that Elder He had invited him, he did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. He rode on a spirit crane and led Chen Yuan into the Baihe Sect's mountain range and to Elder He's cave.

According to the rules of the White Crane Sect, cultivators of unknown origin are not allowed to enter the mountain gate, especially Nascent Soul cultivators.

Elder He invited Chen Yuan to meet him in the cave, which showed his trust in him.

Chen Yuan followed behind the middle-aged monk and escaped in a flash.

The spirit crane came forward. It obviously knew Chen Yuan's identity. It bowed its long neck and said respectfully, "The master is waiting in the mansion. Please follow me, senior."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Thank you for your help."

Seeing this, the middle-aged monk clasped his fists and bowed to Chen Yuan: "Junior will take his leave."

Chen Yuan nodded, he turned over, rode on the white-feathered crane, flew into the sky, and disappeared into the horizon.

Chen Yuan followed Linghe into the cave, walked through the passage, and came to the stone hall.

He saw the old man in white sitting behind the stone table, stopped, clasped his fists and bowed, smiling and said: "Daoyou He, I hope you won't mind my sudden visit."

When Master He saw that Chen Yuan looked so young, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He stood up to greet him and bowed in return: "Fellow Daoist Chen, what are you talking about? Please take a seat quickly."

Chen Yuan lifted his collar and sat down opposite Master He. Master He turned around and told Ling He, "You can go down."

"Yes, sir." Linghe lowered his neck and responded softly.

It turned and walked out of the cave. Master He just sat down, raised his hand to signal Chen Yuan to drink tea, and said with a smile: "I have a close relationship with Taoist Xuanyuan, and I have visited Lingyun Sect several times."

"I saw the letter from Junior Brother Zhuge today and learned that you have conceived a newborn baby. I am very happy. I wish you success in conceiving a newborn baby and a long life."

Chen Yuan picked up the spiritual tea that Master He had prepared long ago. The fragrance was refreshing. He took a sip and it had a light floral scent. After drinking it, his eyes were bright and his mind was clear.

He put down the teacup and praised, "Good tea. I would also like to thank you, fellow Taoist, for taking care of Lingyun Sect after the Sect Master left the sect."

"After I returned to the sect, I wanted to visit you, but I just formed my infant not long ago, my cultivation is shallow, and I still need to practice in seclusion, which has delayed me until now." Master He smiled and said, "Daoyou, you are too kind. I was only entrusted by Daoist Xuanyuan to look after Lingyun Sect. I didn't even hear about your return to the sect. I am really unworthy of it."

Chen Yuan said sternly, "I have only been back to the sect for three years. It is only natural that Fellow Daoist He is far away in Song State and is still practicing in seclusion. He is unaware of this matter."

"Before this, the Ziyang Sect had bullied our sect a lot. If it weren't for the existence of fellow Taoist, Taoist Du Kun had no scruples, our sect's situation would have been ten times more embarrassing."

Master He showed a smile. Zhuge Qi did not elaborate on Chen Yuan's origins in the letter. He only said that he was a disciple of Lingyun Sect. He formed his Nascent Soul three years ago and returned to the sect to serve as the Supreme Elder. He came to visit specially.

He didn't know Chen Yuan's character, but Chen Yuan kept a low profile, which made him lose his guard unconsciously.

However, Master He still said modestly: "The pattern of the six sects of Qi State remains unchanged. This is a unanimous decision made by the four major Xuan Sects. Even if I were not here, Taoist Du Kun would not dare to kill them all."

Chen Yuan heard this, his eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and he put down the teacup in his hand: "After returning to the sect, I was very confused. Why did the Demon Sect suddenly withdraw from Qi State, and the six sect leaders also disappeared? Why did the four major Xuan Sects try their best to ensure that the six sects in Qi State remained unchanged? I wonder if you can help me solve this puzzle?"

Master He paused, the smile on his face faded, he pondered for a while, and slowly said: "Junior Brother Zhuge once came to visit me and asked about the whereabouts of Taoist Xuanyuan, but he has not yet formed a fetus, so I can't tell you clearly."

"As the Grand Elder of Lingyun Sect, you are qualified to know the inside story. I will tell you everything."

He paused for a moment and said, "But this is a long story, so let me tell you slowly... Fellow Daoist, have you noticed that natural disasters and frequent droughts and floods have occurred in the countries along the way?"

Chen Yuan's mind moved: "Yes, wherever I go, wars are raging, mortals are displaced, and people are living in misery. Even the world of immortal cultivation is in chaos, and robbery cultivators can be seen everywhere."

He Zhenren stroked his beard and said solemnly, "What I am going to say next is of great importance. I hope you will not spread it to others."

Chen Yuan said sternly, "Please speak up, my friend. I will keep my mouth shut."

Master He paused and said word by word: "The reason why natural disasters continue to occur in various places and even the world of immortal cultivation is becoming more and more chaotic is because the spiritual energy in Donghua Continent is gradually drying up."

Chen Yuan was shocked and blurted out: "Are you serious?"

Master He said, "I never lied. In the secret realm of Dongxu Mountain in Qi State, there is a large spiritual vein sealed. Although it cannot be used directly, spiritual energy still escapes. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is still quite rich."

"If you go to other countries and pay close attention, you will notice that the spiritual energy has become much thinner than it was a hundred years ago."

Chen Yuan suddenly remembered that when he had just returned to Donghua Continent and temporarily stayed at the King of Wei Kingdom, he had sensed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was a little thinner than when he left more than a hundred years ago.

However, he thought that it was because his demand for spiritual energy from heaven and earth had greatly increased after he formed his infant, and he had also become accustomed to the rich spiritual energy of Jiuxianzhou, so he had this feeling and did not take it to heart.

Now that I think about it, whether it is a Qi Refining cultivator or a Nascent Soul cultivator, there is no difference in their perception of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy of the heaven and earth in Donghua Continent is indeed thinner than a hundred years ago. What Master He said is true.

Chen Yuan nodded slowly: "Thinking carefully, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has indeed become much thinner. Why is this?"

Master He said: "This is the reason why the Demon Sect invaded the south and then suddenly retreated."

"Fellow Daoist, you should know that the five major demon sects are all large sects, but their mountain gates are not far apart. The farthest one is only 30,000 miles away."

Chen Yuan nodded. After returning to Lingyun Sect, he asked Jin Luoheng for a map of Donghuazhou.

This map is extremely detailed and valuable. It is only circulated among Jindan cultivators. It records the distribution of all large and medium-sized sects and dangerous places in Donghua Continent.

The five major demon sects are all located in the northern part of Donghuazhou. Their mountain gates are not far from each other and are divided into five small countries. They are rich in spiritual energy and the sky and earth are filled with pure demonic energy. Since ancient times, it has been a holy place for demon cultivation.

Master He said: "The reason why the mountain gates of the five major demon sects are not far from each other is because there is a secret space there that seals off a demonic realm, which is why the pure demonic energy overflows."

"Those five large spiritual veins are the formations set up by the ancient cultivators to seal off the Demon Realm."

Chen Yuan's expression changed. "The cultivators in ancient times actually had such means to set up formations using large spiritual veins?"

Master He said solemnly: "The ancient cultivators had great magical powers, and they were able to reach the heavens and penetrate the earth. It is not difficult for them to set up a large-scale spiritual vein formation."

"That demonic domain is extremely strange, and no one knows its origin. In the past, it was strictly sealed off, with only a small amount of demonic energy escaping. Demonic cultivators used the demonic energy to cultivate, and even slightly surpassed the righteous."

"But after tens of thousands of years, the seal gradually loosened, the demonic realm expanded, and the demonic energy leaked out."

“Even the demon cultivators rely on spiritual energy. When pure demon energy leaks out, it destroys the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, dries up the spiritual veins, and withers the spiritual grass. The places where the five major demon sects are located gradually become unsuitable for cultivators to practice.”

Chen Yuan frowned, "So the Demon Sect invaded the south to seize the spiritual veins of other sects?"

Master He nodded slightly: "Yes, under the erosion of demonic energy, although the large spiritual veins can still hold on, they will eventually collapse one day."

“The five major demon sects had no choice but to prepare for a rainy day, but they dared not make it public, so they took out a few treasures in exchange for the four major mysterious sects to give in and invade the south. However, they only wanted to seize the spirit veins, so very few sects were destroyed.”

Chen Yuan said thoughtfully: "In the past hundred years, the Demon Sect has successively destroyed five countries and seized more than a dozen medium-sized spiritual veins. It has succeeded, but then suddenly retreated. However, the influence of the Demon Realm on Donghuazhou has exceeded their expectations?"

Master He sneered, "That's right. Originally, the five major demon sects thought that the demonic energy would only spread tens of thousands of miles. As long as we leave the place where the demonic domain is located, we will not be affected by it."

"In the future, you can even use more refined demonic energy to practice, improve your strength, and destroy the righteous path in one fell swoop."

“But a hundred years later, the Demon Realm expanded faster and faster, and the demonic energy swept out, causing the yin and yang of the entire Donghua Continent to become unbalanced, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to dry up.”

"Since more than a hundred years ago, natural disasters have occurred in various places. In recent decades, even small spiritual veins in various countries have begun to dry up, causing endless disputes in the world of immortal cultivation."

"At this point, the five major demon sects finally realized that if the demon domain is allowed to expand, the entire Donghua Continent will suffer. There will no longer be a single spiritual vein, and even spiritual energy will be banned, and it will eventually become a deadly place."

“They dared not conceal it any longer, so they informed the Four Great Xuan Sects of the matter, returned the treasure, and asked the Four Great Xuan Sects to help.”

"Although our sect has some discord with Zhiyuan Sect, Jiangxian Mountain, and Tianxuan Sect, and even has deep resentment with the five major demon sects, we can only put aside our past grudges and cooperate sincerely after encountering this incident."

"Since the Demon Sect has retreated, have you found a way to re-seal the Demon Realm?" Chen Yuan asked.

Master He hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes and no. The Tianxuan Sect has the longest heritage among the four major Xuan Sects and has a profound foundation. In the sect's classics, we found records about the Demon Realm in ancient times and the formations set up by ancient cultivators."

"But times have changed. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has been weakening day by day, far less than in ancient times. Many rare spiritual materials have long been extinct, and it is no longer possible to set up the sealing formation again."

"But with the combined efforts of the nine major sects' array masters, the Great Sealing Array has been improved to curb the expansion of the Demon Realm."

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up: "Has the formation been set up?"

Master He nodded slowly: "The expansion speed of the Demon Realm is accelerating day by day, there can be no delay, the nine major sects immediately joined forces to set up the formation."

"However, this formation is not the original forbidden formation after all, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is far less dense than in ancient times. It has great flaws."

"Not only do we need five large spiritual veins to supply spiritual energy, we also need Nascent Soul cultivators to sit in them and regulate the spiritual energy, otherwise it will collapse immediately."

"Moreover, there are demon beast cultivators in the Demon Realm who have been infected by demonic energy. They have lost all their intelligence and are fearless. Their strength has greatly increased compared to when they were alive. They often rush out of the Demon Realm to cause chaos."

"Only Nascent Soul cultivators can withstand the erosion of demonic energy and deal with these monsters."

"To curb the expansion of the Demon Realm and to kill the monsters, we need a lot of Nascent Soul cultivators. The nine major sects have all sent Nascent Soul cultivators to fight, but it's still not enough."

"The five major demon sects had no other choice but to agree to withdraw from the territories of the five countries they had occupied in exchange for the help of the Nascent Soul cultivators of the five countries."

Chen Yuan frowned, "So, the master is in the Demon Realm right now, killing monsters?"

Master He comforted him, "Fellow Daoist Xuanyuan has profound cultivation, so he will be fine."

Chen Yuan shook his head slightly: "The master's life lamp has not been extinguished, but from what fellow Taoists said, the monster is extremely ferocious. If this continues, the risk is extremely high. I wonder when we can completely ban the Demon Realm?"

Master He sighed, "The formation can only contain the expansion of the Demon Realm, but it cannot seal it back. There is even more demonic energy that continues to spread out and devour spiritual energy."

Chen Yuan's heart trembled: "According to what you said, one day, Donghuazhou will be depleted of spiritual energy and become a desolate place?" (End of this chapter)