Promise!

Chapter 306, Spiritual Illumination

"seal up!"

With a single thought, Zhuang Jin unleashed the true power of the Yang God's 'realm', instantly calming and isolating the fluctuations and tremors caused by the dissipation of his aura.

Now that he has succeeded in breaking through to the Yang God realm, he is no longer afraid of leaking his aura and being detected and interrupted by the five major clans during his previous breakthrough.

but.

Revealing his cultivation level at this time would only arouse unnecessary suspicion. Given Zhuang Jin's character of 'valuing practical benefits over empty fame,' he would certainly not want to do so just to show off.

In contrast, he prefers to remain hidden in the shadows, hoping to strike unexpectedly at a suitable moment in the future, which could have a surprising effect.

"Husband, have you really broken through?" Shangguan Yunchang sensed Zhuang Jin's extremely strong and righteous aura and already had the answer in her heart, but she still couldn't help but ask to confirm.

"That's true."

Zhuang Jin nodded with a smile, which moved Shangguan Yunchang, who was in a daze.

This is the Yang Shen realm!

Since the immortals departed eight hundred years ago, the structure of clans and aristocratic families has been formed. How can one not be moved by the first Grandmaster of Yang God outside of clans and aristocratic families in eight hundred years?
However, Shangguan Yunchang remained rational and prioritized her concern. After asking a few simple questions, she went to prepare a late-night snack, allowing Zhuang Jin to stabilize his realm and test his abilities on his own.

'Is this a change after breaking through to the Yang God realm?'

Zhuang Jin sat cross-legged, carefully sensing: 'First, after achieving Yang Shen, I gained another thirty years of lifespan. Adding to that the few years I gained from absorbing some spiritual energy during the 'Chun Disaster' in Cangzhou and the second pass of the Funiu Mountains, I am now over sixty years old.'

It is worth mentioning that this was under the condition of lacking spiritual energy and being stuck in the transformation of the physical body.

As mentioned before, if there is no limit to the supply of spiritual energy, even the lifespan of a Yin God realm cultivator would be well over two hundred years, not to mention the theoretical lifespan limit of a Yang God realm cultivator.

'The Holy Spirit Pearl still contains a trace of spiritual energy, but I'm only in my early forties, far from the end of my lifespan, so I don't need to waste it on this.'

Zhuang Jin skipped over this point and focused on his inner observation: 'Beyond lifespan, the greatest change in the Yang Spirit realm lies in the sea of ​​the soul!'

No, to be precise, it can no longer be called the 'Sea of ​​Souls', because the 'sea' is gone. In its place is a void of soul space, in which, in the due east direction, there is a golden-red sun like the rising sun at dawn, radiating wisps of pure yang energy.

This is precisely the manifestation of his Yang spirit.

Under such changes, the power of the Yin spirit advances to the power of the Yang spirit, giving rise to the signature ability of the Yang spirit realm—shaking the spirit. This ability can release the power of the Yang spirit to shake the enemy's spirit. At best, it can cause the enemy to become confused and their body to freeze. At worst, it can damage the enemy's spirit and even cause them to die on the spot.

Moreover, a new characteristic also emerged in the soul.

Just as a mythical beast, upon reaching the Great Vajra Realm, develops the special property of "indestructibility" in its physical body, greatly enhancing its defensive capabilities, and even after death, without external force, its physical body can remain intact for thousands of years, and a martial artist at the Yang Shen Realm develops the characteristic of "spiritual illumination" in their divine soul.

This characteristic is similar to that of a legendary demigod. It doesn't mean that "every word spoken is perceived," but rather that after marking, a "seed of Yang God power" is left behind, which can project power remotely and across space.

"While it's described as a long distance, there are limitations. For example, it wouldn't work in Cangzhou, but it's certainly possible within the capital's Yong'an area, and even as far as Songling."

Zhuang Jin recalled meeting Shi Yaotang of the Shi family before. He possessed the 'seed of Yang God power' left by his ancestor, but that one was different. It was not only protective but also seemed to contain something else, making it more like a defense or confinement.

'I can leave one of these on Yun Chang, so that even if we're not in the same place in Yong'an, the capital, she can still protect me... No, it seems unnecessary. Yun Chang and I cultivate the Yin-Yang Union Technique together, and our souls are connected. With this, we can project power remotely, and more discreetly.'

Then comes the realm of Yin God, which is sublimated into the illusory realm of Yang God. The power of the illusory realm is far superior to the power of the domain, and its amplification of various abilities is even more terrifying.

Finally, the Yin-Yang Golden Elixir in the Dantian transforms into the Yang-Yang Golden Elixir, and the Yin Spirit Essence transforms into the Yang Spirit Essence; this need not be elaborated upon.

'The Yang God realm is indeed another qualitative leap. The first level of the Yang God realm, Lingzhao, is known as the "Grandmaster of the Spirit Realm." It's no longer on the same level as the Yin God realm. No wonder the powerful clans are so arrogant. Even someone as shrewd as Yuwen Shentong was extremely conceited upon first meeting him, looking down on him like an ant.'

After experiencing the power of the Yang God firsthand, Zhuang Jin began to understand Shi Yaotang, Yuwen Shentong, and others better.

"A Grandmaster of the Yang God realm is already at the pinnacle in the Great Qian Nine Provinces. Such a powerful figure, serving as the foundation of a powerful clan, capable of supporting an entire family, is rare. Even combining the Yang Gods of the five great clans, including the royal family, and clans like Yuwen Shentong's, the number of such individuals would not exceed two fingers."

Thinking of this, and recalling his previous encounter with Yuwen Shentong, he suddenly frowned slightly: 'I broke through to the Yang God realm through my own inherent strength. I wonder how other powerful clans like Yuwen Shentong achieved their Yang God breakthroughs? Did they use any tricks, such as utilizing the Suspended Heaven Mirror?'

'But based on what I sensed before, and now that I've broken through to the Yang God realm, Yuwen Shentong isn't some weakling like those from aristocratic Yin God families. Even with my current profound foundation and after breaking through to a higher realm, my aura doesn't seem as strong as Yuwen Shentong's before.'

Although he had just broken through, Yuwen Shentong had already completed the first level of the Yang God realm, which was still extremely terrifying.

—There were some deviations from expectations. For example, Yuwen Shentong, a grandmaster of the Yang God realm from a powerful clan, was not as incompetent as the Yin God realm from a noble family. This was something Zhuang Jin had not expected before coming to Yong'an. It was also the reason why the situation when he actually faced Yuwen Shentong was different from what he had anticipated in Cangzhou City, and the reason why he was so eager to break through afterward.

Is it because the main mirror of the Suspended Mirror is different, or is there some other reason?

Zhuang Jin recalled their previous meeting and the feeling he had of Yuwen Shentong's Yang Shen aura, which seemed somewhat incomplete. He had a guess in his heart and would wait for the future to verify it.

'However, even so, I am not afraid.'

Zhuang Jin recalled the 'Phoenix Nirvana Blood,' a divine object of the Yang energies that he had placed in his chest before his breakthrough. During the breakthrough, he was able to absorb some Yang energy at the second of the three Yang God trials, but he had not yet consumed it.

'Furthermore, during my breakthrough, I perfectly incorporated and integrated this substance into my body. In the future, if I am injured, it can help me recover quickly until its energy is completely depleted.'

"Besides that, I have two more higher-level powers refined from spiritual energy, and the remaining spiritual energy can refine two more, making a total of four."

"Now that I have truly reached the Yang God realm, a single strike of this power would likely be enough to defeat Yuwen Shentong. Two strikes could severely injure or kill a Yang God without any trump cards of the same level. Using four strikes simultaneously, I could probably unleash a strike from a Grandmaster of the second level of the Yang God realm."

—The higher level of power refined from spiritual energy is the same as the previous one. When I was in the Yin God realm, I did not reach the limit of the increase of one energy. But the Yang God realm is different. If I want to maximize the increase, I need to use more energies at the same time.

"With these trump cards, I'm confident I can hold my own against Yuwen Shentong, and even other powerful clan elders in a one-on-one fight."

Of course, being fearless and confident is one thing, but Zhuang Jin wasn't in a hurry to confront them: 'I have my own hidden advantages, and powerful clans might have their own as well. Who knows what treasures that immortal left them before he left!'

'Furthermore, time is on my side. I have just broken through to the Yang God realm and can now accumulate the necessary cultivation for the first level of the Yang God realm—Spiritual Illumination. This allows me to cultivate various Yang God martial arts techniques.' Let's talk about accumulating the Yang God realm first. This is undoubtedly necessary, as it requires cultivation resources.

Back in Cangzhou, Zhuang Jin absorbed the Xuanbing Marrow from the Immortal Ruins in the Ice Lake Cave. The pure ice-attribute energy stored in the Holy Spirit Pearl was so refined that about 10% of it remained before he arrived in Yong'an, the capital.

When I broke through to the Yang God realm, I used up most of my remaining ten percent, leaving only a tiny bit that could probably sustain me for another month or two of cultivation.

After that, one must find other resources for cultivation.

"Perfect timing! The imperial court has issued a decree for land reclamation. Afterwards, by clearing land in Songling and establishing territory, we can obtain some rare and precious materials for cultivation."

Normally, once Zhuang Jin reaches the Yang Shen realm, the best cultivation resource would be the Black Yuan Pill, made primarily from Black Jade Grass cultivated by a superior-grade Qing Yuan Pot, but high-grade natural treasures would also be acceptable.

However, this would be a waste of resources.

"Songling is the foremost of the nine most wondrous places in the world, rich in spiritual energy and abundant in rare and precious materials. Subsequent pioneering excavation can sustain it for a period of time."

"However, this is unsustainable. High-quality natural treasures are limited; consuming one reduces the number available. It's better to cultivate them sustainably using the Azure Origin Pot. Even waiting for the primordial energy tide to regenerate them is highly unstable."

—We can't just wait for the first month of the year when the vital energy tides bring forth rare and precious materials, have a good meal, cultivate for a few months, and then spend the rest of the year just waiting without cultivating, can we?
"It would be best to wait for the situation to change, find an opportunity, and cooperate with one or more of the five major clans. Using the resources and treasures of their territories, or even by acquiring them outright, we can obtain a stable supply of cultivation materials from these clans."

This requires patience.

Zhuang Jin knew very well that if he made the proposal now, the five major clans would definitely not agree, and might even turn around and unite against him.

The arrogance of the powerful clans only applies to those below the Yang God realm. If he were to reveal his Yang God realm, he, as a Yang God outside of the powerful clans, would certainly be feared by the five powerful clans, including the royal family, and might even cause them to temporarily set aside their disputes and unite against external forces.

'There is a way to solve this problem: first, divide and conquer the five major clans.'

Zhuang Jin's gaze deepened: "Perfect. Now that Emperor Qian Yuan has died suddenly, a power vacuum has emerged, and the five major clans are fighting amongst themselves. I only need to fan the flames and make them truly fight to the bitter end."

He had already been doing this, for example, by giving Yuwen Shentong the "Nine-Nine Heaven and Earth Skill" to ignite his ambition and guide him to confront the royal family, as well as the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu clans.

'Once the infighting among the five major clans escalates to a fever pitch, ideally resulting in the death of a Yang Shen Ancestor or something similar, the hatred will be irreconcilable. Even if I reveal my cultivation level, the internal heretics will be more hateful than me, an external enemy. At that point, compared to my shallow foundation, the internally antagonistic clans will be far more deadly. By securing internal stability before external threats, I can profit from the chaos and even reap unexpected rewards.'

"Only then will it be possible to ensure a stable supply of cultivation resources from one or more of the five major clans."

All of this needs to be planned carefully.

Compared to cultivation resources, Yang God martial arts are actually easier to talk about. This is not the immortal ruins in the Cangzhou underground cave ice lake. Those immortal ruins are relatively low-level and do not even have secret methods to help break through to the Yang God realm, let alone Yang God martial arts.

It was obtained from the Shangguan family.

—In the early years of the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, before that immortal left, the first ancestor of the Cangzhou family was also a Yang God, just like the phantom summoned by 'Yesterday Once More'. Therefore, the Cangzhou family naturally had Yang God martial arts. The Shangguan family's Yang God martial arts were ice-attribute, which matched Zhuang Jin's attribute.

When Zhuang Jin was at the Yin God realm, one of the most important reasons he chose the three Yin God martial arts techniques, "Ice Spirit Flash," "Eight Gates Sword Formation," and "Thousand Miles of Ice Seal," was that Shangguan Yunchang revealed that the Shangguan family possessed the Yang God version of these techniques, which he had prepared for and obtained before leaving Cangzhou.

'The accumulation of Yang Shen realm cultivation and the practice of Yang Shen level martial arts will allow my strength to grow rapidly after breaking through to the Yang Shen realm. For me now, stillness is worse than movement.'

Before breaking through to the Yang God realm, Zhuang Jin played it safe and cautiously. Even after breaking through, he still had to play it safe for the time being. He couldn't show off in front of others, otherwise, wouldn't the breakthrough have been in vain?
This is like a knife: you can do without it, but you can't live without it.

Admittedly, Zhuang Jin may not necessarily take action to quell the beast tide or deal with the internal strife among the five major clans after breaking through to the Yang God realm, but having this level of cultivation and strength is itself a source of confidence.

Even if we take a step back and consider the previous plan to divide the five major clans, if it were exposed or failed, Zhuang Jin's own strength at the 'Daoist Realm' would be enough to allow him to escape unscathed, rather than being killed outright by a mere 'How dare an ant do such a thing?'

This greatly increases the margin for error, and it is precisely because of this that Zhuang Jin's nerves, which had been tense since entering Yong'an, can now relax a little and be much more at ease.

……

The following day, representatives from the various state-owned teams met.

Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang, representing Cangzhou, along with the representatives from Yun, Lan, Jiao, and Yuan prefectures, arrived relatively late. Representatives from the aristocratic families of Ze, Han, Qiong, and Luo prefectures arrived a little earlier.

The purpose of this meeting was to unify our stance in the face of pressure from powerful families, much like the previous meeting of representatives from the five states in Yunzhou, except that it was a further expansion and unification of our previous understanding.

As for the specific effects, Zhuang Jin reiterated that it was like the "eighteen warlords attacking Dong Zhuo"—cooperation might be possible in the early stages, but the outcome in the later stages was uncertain.

This time, only Shangguan Yunchang went; Zhuang Jin did not go—because of the connection between their souls in the Yin-Yang Union Technique, and his recent breakthrough to the Yang God Realm, he could project power remotely, so there was no need to worry about being separated for the time being.

That morning, Zhuang Jin and Yuwen Shentong completed the remaining transaction, exchanging half of the spiritual energy that Xu had promised to withhold for six spiritual beads of their choice.

Of these six spirit orbs, he still lacked four types: Yang, Metal, Earth, and Thunder. He also selected two more, Wind and Thunder, which were relatively rarer.

In order to maintain the balance of power within the Holy Spirit Orb, only the four Spirit Orbs of Yang, Metal, Earth, and Thunder will be devoured for the time being, while the extra two Spirit Orbs of Wind and Thunder will be left behind.

After absorbing these four spirit orbs, the Holy Spirit Orb has now gathered the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and the three powers: wind, thunder, and ice. It is missing only one Yin Spirit Orb.

The Holy Spirit Pearl is even more mysterious, with chaotic energy surging within it. Zhuang Jin could sense it; it was only one step away from a true transformation.

Other functions, such as concealing one's aura, accelerating cultivation, purifying energy, and enhancing aptitude, have also been greatly enhanced.

To put it simply, with the ability of the Holy Spirit Pearl to conceal himself, Zhuang Jin is confident that he can hide from even a Grandmaster of the Spirit Realm at the first level of the Yang God Realm, let alone a Grandmaster of the Saint Realm at the second level of the Yang God Realm, as long as he doesn't make a move.

On this day, while consolidating his realm, he familiarized himself with the Yang God martial arts. The following day, Yuwen Shentong met with representatives of various aristocratic families to discuss the reclamation of Songling.

……

(End of this chapter)