I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Just as Zhou Yuan finished his cultivation for the day and was about to take a short rest, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up at the outside of the cave.

Almost simultaneously, without warning, the sky outside the cave was filled with swirling clouds and wind!

"Ugh—!"

A fierce gale appeared without warning.

It swirls and converges wildly above the main peak of Lingshu Mountain, forming a huge vortex of airflow.

Thick, leaden-gray clouds surged in from all directions, instantly obscuring the clear sky and turning daytime into night.

Within the clouds, lightning danced wildly, thunder rumbled, and a chilling pressure from heaven and earth slowly spread out.

"roar--!!"

A deafening roar, filled with pain, struggle, yet also with defiance and excitement, came from the center of the swirling wind, piercing through the clouds and echoing across the land!

Immediately afterwards, a huge azure figure, amidst the gale and lightning, suddenly soared into the sky from the mountains below!

It was none other than the peak level seven Gale Beast!

At this moment, however, it seemed to be larger than usual, with its feathers standing on end and its dark blue-black demonic aura rising into the sky like smoke, faintly echoing the thunderclouds and storms in the sky.

"Finally, one of them is about to transform into human form..."

A hint of understanding and anticipation flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes as he muttered to himself.

He had long anticipated this day. The flesh, blood, and demon core of the transformed demon beasts he provided, along with the excellent spiritual vein environment of Ling Shu Mountain, ensured that the Gale Beast, the most talented and accumulated among these peak level seven demon beasts, was indeed the first to touch the threshold of transformation.

It triggered the Heavenly Tribulation of Transformation!

He moved swiftly and appeared outside the cave.

Mei Ning also sensed the change in the world and flew out from the nearby villa, landing next to Zhou Yuan with a look of tension and curiosity on her face.

High in the sky, the Gale Beast spread its enormous wings and soared through the gale and the first flashes of lightning, as if declaring its existence and determination to the heavens and earth.

It actively embraced the might of Heaven.

"BOOM!!!"

The thunderclouds in the sky seemed to be completely enraged, suddenly becoming extremely violent.

Thick bolts of deep blue lightning, as thick as arms and imbued with an aura of destruction, crisscrossed and fell from the churning, boiling clouds like whips wielded by a god.

In an instant, lightning wove into a terrifying giant net of lightning covering an area of ​​hundreds of feet, making one's scalp tingle, and firmly enveloping the enormous body of the Gale Beast within it.

Begin a frenzied bombardment!

"Crack! Boom!"

Lightning struck the Gale Beast's feathers and flesh, bursting into blinding sparks and releasing a burnt smell.

The Gale Beast let out a painful howl, but it did not retreat. Its dark blue-black demonic energy surged out, forming a thick protective demonic aura that withstood the continuous lightning strikes.

Long before the Gale Beast sensed the opportunity to transform and prepared to undergo its tribulation, Zhou Yuan had already bestowed upon it a "Frosty Marrow Pearl".

If a demon beast takes this before undergoing its transformation tribulation, it can greatly weaken the heat and destructive power of the heavenly lightning, reducing the direct damage to its body.

It can be described as a treasure for overcoming tribulations.

At this moment, a faint blue cold light flowed across the surface of the Gale Beast's body. This was the effect of the Frost Marrow Bead, which guided, dispersed, and weakened much of the power of the lightning.

Such a spectacular celestial phenomenon and the commotion of the demon beast undergoing its tribulation could not be completely concealed.

High-level cultivators within a thousand miles of Ling Shu Mountain, and even further afield, almost immediately sensed this and looked in this direction with surprise and uncertainty.

"What...is this strange phenomenon?"

"Someone is forming their Core? No, that's not right! Core formation celestial phenomena aren't that terrifying!"

In a cave on a mountain peak about seven or eight hundred miles away from Ling Shu Mountain, an old man in the mid-stage of Core Formation flew out of the cave and stared in horror at the towering pillars of thunder and wind that stretched from the sky to the ground.

That power of heaven and earth far surpassed the lightning tribulation he experienced when he formed his core, making his very soul tremble.

"call out!"

A crimson streak of light flew rapidly from afar and suddenly stopped in the air about tens of miles away from the edge of the protective array set up by Zhou Yuan, revealing a gaunt old man wearing a red robe with a sinister face.

This person's cultivation level has reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

His gaze, filled with suspicion and uncertainty, fell upon the core of the storm and lightning within the great formation, and the vaguely visible figure of a giant beast. His pupils suddenly contracted.

"A Heavenly Tribulation of Transformation?! This... how many years has it been since any demonic beast in the Tiannan region has taken human form?!"

The old man in the red robe gasped in disbelief, his face filled with disbelief.

For a demon beast to transform into human form is to defy the heavens, with an extremely low success rate. And once successful, it becomes a terrifying existence comparable to a human Nascent Soul cultivator!

More importantly, cultivators who possess the ability to transform into spirit beasts are extremely rare!

Because the probability of a spirit beast turning against its master after it gains intelligence and transforms into human form is extremely high, almost no cultivators are willing to take this risk. Usually, they try to limit the growth of the spirit beast before it reaches the peak of level seven, or get rid of it after it transforms into human form.

"call out!"

Another streak of earthy yellow light pierced through the air and stopped not far from the red-robed old man.

The light faded, revealing a middle-aged man in a yellow shirt, with a square face, large ears, and a rather dignified demeanor.

This person's cultivation level is also at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

"Fellow Daoist Li, you've come too?" The red-robed elder looked at the newcomer and said in a deep voice.

"Such an amazing celestial phenomenon is hard to miss."

The middle-aged cultivator in yellow robes, surnamed Li, stared intently at the Gale Beast undergoing its tribulation within the grand formation, his expression grave. "Judging by this momentum, it is undoubtedly a Transformation Tribulation. Moreover... judging by the beast's form, it seems to be the Gale Beast recorded in ancient texts?"

"This place... seems to be the location of that Fellow Daoist Zhou Yuan's sect?"

"Zhou Yuan?"

The old man in the red robe frowned:

"Is that the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who came to Dongyu Kingdom eight years ago, occupied Ling Shu Mountain, and was known for his extravagant spending?"

"It was him."

The cultivator surnamed Li nodded, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"I met him once before, and he seemed unfathomable, with extremely high skill in formations. I never imagined he would cultivate a spirit beast capable of taking human form!!"

"Transformed spirit beasts possess combat power comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators, but the risk of backlash is extremely high. Fellow Daoist Zhou is playing with fire and getting burned!"

The old man in the red robe shook his head, his tone somewhat dismissive, but deep in his eyes, there was an undisguised greed.

If this spirit beast successfully transforms into human form and is truly tamed...

"Fellow Daoist Zhou! Spirit beasts taking human form are extremely dangerous; nine times out of ten, they will turn against their masters! You must think carefully! It would be better to take advantage of its weakened state during its tribulation and join forces to kill it, thus eliminating future troubles!"

Suddenly, the cultivator surnamed Li gathered all his magical power and shouted loudly towards the direction of the great formation.

His seemingly well-intentioned reminder was actually a test of Zhou Yuan's attitude; he also harbored some thoughts of provocation and taking advantage of the situation. (Latest plot: Click to follow.)

Having witnessed the power of Zhou Yuan's array, he dared not rush in.

The great array of light rippled slightly, and Zhou Yuan's calm voice emanated from it, echoing clearly in their ears:

"I appreciate Fellow Daoist Li's kindness. However, I have my own plans for this matter, so please don't trouble yourself."

"My two fellow Daoists are guests from afar. If you don't mind, please wait outside for a moment. Once this matter is settled, I will invite you inside for tea."

His voice was calm and even, without the slightest hint of tension or panic, but rather conveyed a sense of composure as if he were in complete control.

The cultivator surnamed Li and the red-robed elder exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

How could this fellow Daoist Zhou be so confident?

Could he really be confident in controlling the transformed spirit beast?

The two said no more, simply hovering in the air, closely watching the tribulation process within the great formation.

They also wanted to see just how powerful this legendary Transformation Tribulation was, and what Fellow Daoist Zhou had to rely on.

The lightning tribulation lasted for almost half an hour, and its ferocity made the two Nascent Soul stage cultivators watching from afar secretly alarmed.

Although the Gale Beast was in a sorry state, with large patches of charred black feathers, many torn and bloodied wounds on its body, and its aura was much weaker.

But he was never struck by lightning, nor did he ever give up.

It weaves through the lightning net, using its powerful demonic body and the protection of the Frost Marrow Bead to withstand the damage, demonstrating astonishing resilience.

Finally, when the last terrifying bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket and purplish-gold in color, struck, the Gale Beast used its last bit of demonic power to condense a giant wind blade to collide with it. After both were annihilated, the thunderclouds in the sky began to slowly dissipate, and the gale gradually subsided.

The clouds of calamity dispersed.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone down on the giant beast below, which was barely breathing but still stubbornly hovering in mid-air.

A profound fluctuation of the laws of heaven and earth descended, enveloping the Gale Beast.

Its massive body began to emit a soft light, its bones crackled, and its flesh writhed, slowly contracting and deforming...

The shaping process has begun.

This process lasted for several days.

During this time, the spiritual energy within Ling Shu Mountain frantically converged towards the location of the Gale Beast, forming numerous small vortexes of spiritual energy.

Zhou Yuan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the cave, quietly observing. Mei Ning was also by his side, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration.

The cultivator surnamed Li and the old man in red robes did not leave either. They sat cross-legged dozens of miles outside the great formation, regulating their breathing while patiently waiting for the result.

They had never witnessed the transformation process firsthand.

Several days later, the light above the main peak of Ling Shu Mountain gradually faded.

A figure slowly stepped out from the light and stood in mid-air.

He was a tall, slender young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

He was handsome, but his brows held a sharp and untamed quality befitting a bird of prey.

Most strikingly, he has a pair of folded wings covered with bluish-black feathers on his back, and his arms, neck, and other skin are covered with fine feathers.

With a high nose bridge and a slightly pointed nose tip, it still retains some of the physical characteristics of the Gale Beast.

This is a sign that the transformation is incomplete; many demonic beasts are like this during the first stage of transformation.

His aura had stabilized at the level of the early Nascent Soul stage.

Although he was slightly weak from just completing his tribulation, the powerful demonic energy fluctuations characteristic of a transformed demon cultivator were undeniable.

It worked!

The Gale Beast successfully passed the Heavenly Tribulation of Transformation and became an eighth-level Transformation Demon Cultivator!

The young man (the Gale Beast) looked down at his human hand, then moved the wings on his back. A look of novelty and complexity flashed in his eyes. Then, his gaze fell on Zhou Yuan in front of the cave below.

Eyes facing each other.

Zhou Yuan remained calm, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

The young man in his Gale Beast form had a glint in his eyes, a mixture of arrogance, confusion, and a barely perceptible struggle.

Transformation and enlightenment, freeing oneself from ignorance Having acquired full intelligence and the ability to think independently also means...

The spirit control spell has failed!

He is free now.

It is an existence equal to the human "master" before them.

A wild impulse, a yearning for freedom, began to grow in his heart.

However, the moment this thought arose in his mind—

"snort!"

A cold, muffled groan exploded like thunder in the deepest part of his mind!

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable pain and fear, originating from his very soul, swept over his entire body!

It felt as if countless red-hot steel needles were simultaneously piercing the core of his demonic soul!

That kind of pain goes straight to the source.

It caused his newly formed demonic soul to tremble violently, almost collapsing!

It's a restriction!

It was a hidden restriction that Zhou Yuan had deeply planted in the deepest part of its demon soul by some strange secret technique when it was still a level seven demon beast and had not yet developed intelligence!

This restriction usually lies dormant, but it will be triggered immediately once it develops a strong intention to rebel or harm Zhou Yuan!

"Ugh—!"

The young man in his Gale Beast form groaned, his face turning deathly pale. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his straightened back involuntarily bent down. His eyes, filled with horror and fear, stared at Zhou Yuan.

Only now did he truly realize how ridiculous his so-called "freedom" and "power" were in the face of this human being!

life and death.

It still all depends on the other party's decision!

"Come in."

Zhou Yuan's voice rang out again.

He casually took out a spirit beast pouch.

Lie Feng gritted his teeth, a hint of humiliation flashing across his face, but more so a resigned dejection.

He was ultimately afraid of death.

Moreover, having been enslaved and driven by Zhou Yuan for so many years, they had long been accustomed to this relationship.

more importantly.

If Zhou Yuan hadn't bestowed upon him the Cold Marrow Pearl, he would have already been reduced to ashes in the Heavenly Tribulation.

Through a combination of kindness and severity, his nascent rebellious spirit was completely crushed.

"Yes, Master."

The fierce wind bowed its head.

He replied in a dry voice.

He swayed and transformed into a streak of azure light, willingly throwing himself into Zhou Yuan's spirit beast pouch.