Divine Root Bone

Zhang Yang looked around the empty stone chamber. The five giant ancient statues had long since turned into dust, and there was nothing else around. He had thought that all the opportunities here had been seized.

There was nothing more worth collecting on the [Reverse the Heavens Finger], so he walked slowly forward while casually scanning the ground.

But as the gaze swept across the bases of the five stone statues, five tiny, dazzling clusters of spiritual light suddenly entered the eye. Beneath the base of each weathered stone statue lay a crystal that shimmered with a faint glow. The distance was still too great to discern its inner form, but the light seemed warm and profound, unlike the shallow luster of ordinary spirit stones.

Zhang Yang's heart stirred, and he quickly stepped forward, bent down, picked up a spirit stone, and examined it closely in his palm. It felt slightly cool and smooth to the touch, and a vast and boundless spiritual energy flowed continuously from his fingertips into his meridians. Its density was terrifyingly high, and compared to the top-grade spirit stones distributed monthly by the Qingyun Sect, the concentration of spiritual energy was dozens of times, or even nearly a hundred times, higher.

A question arose in his mind, and he muttered to himself:

Could this be some kind of high-grade spirit stone?

The stone chamber had a very high dome, from which a sliver of light shone down. Zhang Yang raised his hand and brought the pearl to his eyes, pressing his single eye against the crystal to focus on the faint light, carefully examining its internal structure through the light.

The crystal was crystal clear and transparent, with countless tiny bands of starlight swirling within. Intertwined among these were wisps of indescribable, unique Daoist patterns, resembling time and space, yet carrying an aura of obscurity and desolation, impossible to define. He was all too familiar with this Daoist aura; it shared the same origin as the primordial power contained within the five Star River Spirit Fruits in the Time Reversal Domain earlier. Yet, upon closer inspection, subtle differences existed, lacking some of the ancient, serene quality.

The overwhelming spiritual energy, the core of the flowing star river, and the unique time-space Dao rhythm—all these characteristics, when strung together, suddenly brought back a memory of my junior sister chatting about the monthly stipends distributed by the sect.

My junior sister once mentioned that top-tier natural treasures are extremely rare and priceless throughout the Central Plains.

Chronosperm

Ordinary cultivators would never have the chance to see one in their entire lives; the spiritual energy contained in a single one far exceeds that of a hundred top-grade spirit stones.

Zhang Yang clenched the crystal in his palm, his heart filled with surprise and uncertainty:

Could it be that this unassuming crystal hidden beneath the stone statue is the legendary Jade of Time?

He pondered and compared repeatedly, and his judgment was now almost certain. When he held it in his hand just now, the crystal had no trace of evil or violent aura; its texture was warm and pure. The flow of spiritual energy was very similar to that of a top-grade spirit stone, except that the spiritual energy within the chalcedony was much more abundant and viscous, far exceeding that of ordinary spirit stones. With all these details confirming it, he was certain that the item in his hand was indeed the Time Jade Marrow, extremely rare and priceless in the Central Continent.

He found a flat, dust-free stone spot and planned to sit cross-legged to absorb the spiritual energy of the jade marrow, taking this opportunity to personally verify the treasure's mysteries and break through his cultivation bottleneck. He was currently at the eighth level of Qi Refining. When he broke through to the eighth level, he had almost exhausted all the resources allocated to him by the sect. If he could use the Time Jade Marrow this time, he might be able to break through the shackles and step into the ninth level of the late Qi Refining stage.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suddenly remembered something: he still had three storage bags he had stolen from the four members of the Black Fiend Sect, which he had not yet opened to check what was inside, whether they contained spirit stones, magic artifacts, or pills.

He carefully weighed the pros and cons, and concerns arose in his heart. The amount of spiritual energy required to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining was enormous, and the resources in his storage bag were unknown. If the bag contained mostly magical artifacts and miscellaneous items with few spirit stones, the interruption of spiritual energy midway could easily lead to a qi deviation. Even if the bag contained enough spirit stones, he couldn't figure out how much spiritual energy was needed to fully break through to the ninth level, making the risks difficult to control.

To be on the safe side, he temporarily shelved the idea of ​​opening the storage bag and decided to first use the Time Jade Marrow he had on hand to cultivate and break through, personally experiencing the difference between the spiritual energy of the jade marrow and top-grade spirit stones. Each of the five stone statue bases contained a piece of jade marrow, and the spiritual energy of a single piece was equivalent to hundreds of top-grade spirit stones. The storage capacity of five pieces was terrifying, and it should be more than enough to break through his cultivation level. He made up his mind to refine one piece first, and if the spiritual energy was not enough, he would use a second piece, proceeding step by step and steadily.

Zhang Yang calmed his mind and neatly arranged the five radiant Time Jade Essences on the ground in front of him. He tightly gripped one of them with one hand, focused his mind, and activated his divine soul to actively connect with the vast spiritual energy sealed inside the jade essence.

hum-

The starry patterns on the surface of the chalcedony suddenly lit up, and a massive amount of viscous and pure temporal spiritual energy surged out uncontrollably, rapidly swirling and coiling around him, condensing into a spiritual energy vortex that was clearly visible to the naked eye. It enveloped Zhang Yang's body layer by layer, continuously pouring into his limbs, bones, dantian, and meridians.

The viscous and vast spiritual energy of time flowed into his body through his palm, and Zhang Yang was preparing to guide the spiritual energy to circulate throughout his body.

A sudden change occurred!

He keenly sensed that within this vast spiritual energy was a large amount of hazy, mixed, and filthy aura. Wisps of sinister and silent Daoist charm were hidden deep within the starry river's spiritual energy. As soon as it entered his body, it stirred up his sea of ​​consciousness, made his mind extremely unstable, and caused his dantian's spiritual power to surge and become restless.

Zhang Yang instantly understood:

Time Jade Marrow is completely different from pure top-grade spirit stones. Its interior is sedimented and contains impurities left over from the years. It cannot be directly absorbed. It requires the cultivator's own soul and physical constitution to actively purify and refine it.

He suppressed the shock in his mind, simultaneously activating his divine-grade innate talent to emit a clear Dao radiance, gradually dissolving the mottled impurities and yin evil energy within the spiritual energy, while slowly absorbing the purified spiritual energy. Fortunately, he possessed a divine-grade innate talent, one in ten thousand, whose purifying power far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators. In addition, the black jade on his chest continuously emitted a warm, gentle light, layering to protect his meridians and soul. With these two enhancements, the foul energy that disturbed his mind was constantly stripped away and dissolved.

As purification continued, the impure and chaotic energy within the chalcedony completely dissipated, leaving behind an extremely pure and powerful burst of temporal spiritual energy. Zhang Yang didn't even have time to prepare before the massive surge of spiritual energy crashed into his dantian, breaking through the eighth level of Qi Refining and steadily advancing to the ninth level.

He had intended to calm his mind and cut off the supply of spiritual energy, but the spiritual energy surging from the jade marrow was too turbulent and completely uncontrollable. His divine-grade root bone spontaneously drew the remaining spiritual energy upwards, adding another layer of cultivation enhancement out of thin air. The violent power impacted his soul, and a sense of dizziness swept over him. His vision blurred, and he was on the verge of fainting.

The black jade on his chest never stopped releasing a warm, gentle energy that protected his meridians and sea of ​​consciousness. Zhang Yang clenched the black jade tightly in his palm, his teeth clenched, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. Only one thought remained in his mind:

[Endure, you absolutely cannot faint now!]

The old and new spiritual energies within his body clashed and surged wildly, causing his internal organs and meridians to swell and ache as if they were about to burst from the raging spiritual energy. Layer upon layer of spiritual energy piled up, directly pressing against the barrier of the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

clack clack-

The meridians within his body emitted a series of cracking sounds, as if they were about to burst under the strain. The accumulated spiritual energy of the seasons throughout his body suddenly erupted, forcefully shattering the shackles!

Zhang Yang was shocked, and a storm of emotions surged within him: I have broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage!

The violent spiritual energy had not diminished at all, and continued to surge along the opened Foundation Establishment meridians, raising his cultivation level by another level in a short while, and steadily stepping into the second level of Foundation Establishment!

Only now did the spiritual energy emanating from the jade marrow gradually subside. Zhang Yang gasped for breath, relaxed his extremely tense body, calmed down and reviewed the entire cultivation process, and immediately noticed a key problem.

Unlike top-grade spirit stones, which are entirely pure and possess only a single spiritual power, the Time Jade Marrow contains various impurities accumulated over time, including sinister and dormant Daoist charms, as well as useless turbid energy left over from the years. With his current low cultivation level, he was simply unable to completely purify the entire essence contained within the jade marrow, and naturally, he was unable to unleash the full potential of this treasure.

He pondered to himself:

Such a rare treasure, scarce even in the Central Plains, possesses such terrifying spiritual energy reserves. Logically, with my Qi Refining cultivation level, I should be able to push my realm to a higher level by absorbing it. However, I only managed to break through a few levels before running out of energy. The root cause must be my insufficient realm.

Only when one's realm is higher, and one's spiritual and physical strength is stronger, can the impurities within the jade marrow be purified more thoroughly, and thus the more original opportunities one can absorb.

Conversely, those with low cultivation levels have limited purification capabilities, and most of the essence will be discarded along with impurities, greatly reducing the benefits.

However, he possesses a unique divine-grade root bone and is accompanied by a black jade that protects and purifies him throughout the process. Even though his cultivation level is low, his gains far surpass those of ordinary cultivators at the same level, and even far exceed those with top-grade root bones.

Having figured out the underlying reasons, Zhang Yang suddenly understood.

Once his cultivation was completely stabilized at the second level of Foundation Establishment, Zhang Yang looked down at himself. Of the five Time Jade Essences, only one had been used, and the remaining four still shone brightly with starlight. He reached out and collected them all, selecting a storage bag he had seized from a high-ranking member of the Black Fiend Sect. He carefully stored the four jade essences inside and tucked the bag close to his body. The other two captured storage bags were fastened securely to his waist on either side.

Just as everything was tidied up, the entire towering stone chamber suddenly trembled violently. The stone patterns on the ground cracked continuously, and dust and rubble rained down from the dome, accompanied by a deafening roar. Zhang Yang understood immediately: either the power he had generated from refining the Time Jade Marrow to break through his cultivation level was too violent, disturbing the sealed restrictions of this place, or he had taken all the opportunities beneath the stone statue, triggering the self-destruct mechanism of the secret realm. This stone chamber was on the verge of completely collapsing.

He hurriedly scanned his surroundings. The four stone walls were completely sealed off, with no doors or passages in sight. The only exception was the center point that the five ancient statues, each a hundred feet tall, had pointed to after the blood had been used to activate the stone platform. A thin, long void rift had opened up, and a faint light was flowing out from the rift.

The black jade on his chest glowed with a warm golden light once more, the soft light drifting directly towards the crevice, clearly guiding him to an escape route. Zhang Yang was certain this was the exit; without further hesitation, he plunged into the crevice.

After a brief period of spatial distortion and dizziness, Zhang Yang landed on his feet and returned to the dilapidated side hall of the Demon Lord in the Chaotic Burial Valley.

Looking up, Su Qingyao was facing off against four Black Fiend Sect cultivators in pairs, the atmosphere extremely tense. Upon seeing Zhang Yang appear out of nowhere, the four cultivators erupted in chaos. The leader, a peak Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, roared fiercely, "He's out! Quickly, take back our boss's storage bag!"

The other three Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivators immediately gripped their weapons, moved their feet, and subtly formed an encirclement, staring intently at the storage bags at Zhang Yang's waist and in his arms, their minds filled with the thought of seizing the treasures.

Zhang Yang glanced indifferently at the four demonic cultivators. Now that he was at the second level of Foundation Establishment, the difference in their cultivation levels was like heaven and earth. In his eyes, their cultivation was like ants, and he didn't take them seriously at all. His gaze then fell on Su Qingyao beside him, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

The chaotic burial valley was fraught with danger. Even though the other party knew they were no match for them, they still chased after him and held back the demonic cultivators, willing to share the pressure and draw fire for him. He was deeply grateful for their kindness.

In contrast, Su Qingyao froze on the spot the moment she saw Zhang Yang, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

A profound and pure Foundation Establishment Daoist aura slowly flowed from Zhang Yang's body, forming an invisible pressure that subtly suppressed her aura.

She clearly remembered that when they met before, Zhang Yang was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining. In a short period of time, he had directly jumped to the ninth level of Qi Refining, the peak of Qi Refining, surpassed her, and broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm in one fell swoop. The speed of his leap in realm was completely contrary to common sense, leaving her mind blank and full of doubts.

Before Su Qingyao could sort out her thoughts, three Qi Refining Level 7 Demonic Cult cultivators could no longer contain themselves. They simultaneously activated their spiritual power, brandished their weapons, and launched a fierce attack on Zhang Yang from three directions. Their killing intent was palpable, and they were determined to severely injure Zhang Yang and snatch back the storage bag.

Zhang Yang glanced indifferently at the three people rushing towards him, but before he could raise his hand to retaliate, just now...

The strange phenomena of heaven and earth that were isolated by the spatial interlayer when the Stone Chamber broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and were unable to leak out, are now passing through the cracks to the present world and are finally slowly manifesting.

Within his dantian, the originally gaseous temporal spiritual energy completely condensed into a warm, moist spiritual liquid, solidifying into a solid foundation. Pale golden Dao patterns slowly emerged on his skin and flesh, a unique Daoist phenomenon exclusive to the first three stages of Foundation Establishment:

A faint light surged beneath their feet, and a clear and complete golden lotus pattern appeared out of thin air, spreading out faint ripples of spiritual energy.

Outside the side hall, the vegetation in the secluded valley instantly grew wildly, its vitality surging wildly. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which had been wandering in all directions, seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, all bowing and converging towards Zhang Yang. The unique heavenly might of the first to third levels of Foundation Establishment was unleashed with a thunderous roar, and a heavy sense of oppression swept over the entire side hall.

The three Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivators who rushed forward suddenly felt their legs go weak as soon as they stepped into the area covered by spiritual energy. Their blood and qi surged wildly and chaotically, and the spiritual power flowing in their bodies collapsed and became disordered out of control. Their weapons clattered to the ground, and their attacks were frozen in mid-air. They could no longer take half a step forward. Their faces were ashen, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Su Qingyao stood not far away, also enveloped by the power of the Foundation Establishment realm. She staggered slightly, and the shock in her heart was even greater than before. She finally realized that the person in front of her was no longer the boy who had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, but a real Foundation Establishment cultivator. The gap between these two realms was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth!