Chapter 124: United Forces
Chapter 124: United Forces
The Immortal Soul seemed to sense Cheng Lingyu’s presence, rapidly shifting forms within the Seven-Colored Stone Array until it became a seven-story pagoda, each tier glowing with distinct colors.
This octagonal pagoda blazed with seven hues, radiating immortal divine light.
Cheng Lingyu fixed his gaze on the structure, feeling the small plant in his mind sway rhythmically.
“Glowing Star Seven-Colored Source, Immortal Bone of the Soul Weapon.”
The words resonated clearly in his consciousness, recounting the Immortal Soul’s origins.
“A genuine Source Soul… How many eons did this take to form?”
Startled, Cheng Lingyu instinctively stepped forward—only to be repelled by an unseen force that jolted him awake.
“Careful. This formation’s strange.”
Lan Xiaozhu yanked him backward, cautioning against rashness.
Cheng Lingyu gave a complicated smile, his mood suddenly lifting.
“Let’s leave first.”
He leaped up, dragging Lan Xiaozhu away until they resurfaced.
“The Immortal Souls are found and won’t flee. Now I must cultivate urgently. After reaching the Soul Martial Realm, I’ll return to merge them.”
“Guishun Valley’s in chaos. You’ve killed and angered many here, plus multiple Forces seek to capture you. To cultivate safely, find somewhere hidden.”
Cheng Lingyu laughed. “Already decided. Near Dreamy Thousand Tear Bamboo in eastern Guishun Valley—the underground fire there’s perfect for true fire cultivation. It’ll aid your cave heaven development too.”
Lan Xiaozhu frowned. “That area’s excellent… but scorching.”
“Desperate Situations breed resources. Move.”
He activated a teleportation array directly linking to the valley’s east—far quicker than traveling.
Cheng Lingyu’s shrewdness showed in his habit: leaving teleportation markers at notable locations for precise navigation. A clever fusion of formation mastery and caution.
Lan Xiaozhu, heat-averse, stayed in peripheral zones to cultivate.
Cheng Lingyu forged ahead alone, settling by a lava lake where ample earth core fire surged—the optimal site for true fire cultivation, with Dreamy Thousand Tear Bamboo visible nearby.
After surveying the terrain, he gathered stones to construct formations.
“First, an Earth Flame Formation.”
This channeled surrounding earth core flames into concentrated streams toward the site.
“Next, a six-fold gathering formation—both terrain-bound and body-enveloping.”
Meticulously calculating, he exploited every method to accelerate cultivation through formations.
With the gathering formation complete, he produced storage rings brimming with resources.
Since meeting Duan Hong and merging engraved formations into his practice, Cheng Lingyu’s alchemy comprehension had deepened. His looted storage rings now overflowed with materials.
If given the opportunity, one could establish an alchemy furnace and become a pill-refining master.
Yet Cheng Lingyu lacked both time and proper conditions, forced to use his own body as a medicinal cauldron. He merged various herbs into his physical form, stimulating their effects internally to achieve similar results.
This reckless approach would have meant certain death for anyone without his unique constitution.
The scorching environment served as a giant furnace. Cheng Lingyu treated his flesh as an alchemical vessel, carefully proportioning resources while harnessing the earth core fire. If executed properly, his cultivation speed and effectiveness would be extraordinary.
After completing preparations, Cheng Lingyu commenced true cultivation through the Burning Sky Technique.
When True Martial Realm practitioners reached the True Fire Stage, their chosen technique determined the quality of their spiritual flames.
Cheng Lingyu’s selection proved wise – this method from the mysterious Fang Tian Bao Yin held immeasurable power.
The earth core fire’s energy and his previously absorbed Nine Nether Flame fragments created ideal conditions for forging true fire.
With perfect timing, environment, resources, and technique aligned, only time stood between him and success.
The True Fire Stage marked the final hurdle before Soul Martial Realm, requiring flame condensation within meridians, acupuncture points, and dantian to refine true essence into soul energy.
This demanded first absorbing external flames into meridians, then converting them into internal fire, and finally into purified true fire.
An agonizing process of extreme danger, where invading flames scorched pathways and shattered vessels, demanding iron willpower to endure.
Understanding these truths, Cheng Lingyu shed all clothing and activated twin formations – earth core fire and six-fold gathering. Countless flames immediately engulfed him.
Burning agony enveloped his being, every pore screaming as if skin would rupture. Only his superior physical resilience prevented immediate immolation.
Channeling the Burning Sky Technique, torrents of searing true essence flooded his body, threatening to dissolve flesh and bone alike.
From a safe distance, Lan Xiaozhu watched the inferno with unease. Her own True Fire Stage experience paled before this spectacle. After prolonged observation, the talented cultivator retreated to pursue her own training.
…
Within the third Spirit Hall, hundreds from major factions gathered while thousands more crowded outside, all coveting the saint’s legacy. Days passed with mounting casualties, yet the stone coffin remained undisturbed.
Top-tier groups like Heavenly Palace, Tianlei Sacred Church, and Heavenly Fire Sect stood helpless. Experts from Tianhua Ji family, Zhan Wumen, and Beichen clan could only watch impotently.
Frustration mounted as the unobtainable legacy taunted them. Tensions flared between Hua Yuehong and Bai Ruomei, their enmity infecting respective factions.
The eerie Young Master of Thousand Phantoms cycled through shifting visages beneath his mask. “If internal assaults fail, why not attack externally? Destroying this hall would sever the coffin’s power source.”
Murmurs of agreement spread as cultivators began withdrawing. “Ancient defenses won’t break easily,” someone cautioned.
“Soul Martial cultivation limits won’t suffice. We need spirit artifacts,” another countered.
Major factions indeed carried these powerful weapons for this purpose. “Establish attack order to prevent disputes,” demanded Tianlei Sacred Church’s Dongfang Hong.
The masked noble sneered, “Who’d dare upstage two saints and three brilliant ones?”
Divine Martial Sect’s Yan Fei proposed: “All artifact-wielders strike together. Breach participants earn legacy rights.”
Xiang San Shao endorsed this: “No free rewards for bystanders.” Though unpopular, none challenged the five major forces’ authority.
Over a dozen artifacts materialized – from half-spirit implements to high-grade treasures. Initial assaults triggered the hall’s dormant defenses. Mysterious patterns glowed as the ancient structure awakened, repelling attacks with blinding counterblasts that injured nearby cultivators.
“Expected spiritual arrays guard it,” veterans noted. “Break these, and the coffin becomes vulnerable.”
The five major forces coordinated their artifacts. Beams of destructive energy intertwined above the hall, spiritual patterns clashing as space itself tore. Guishun Valley quaked under apocalyptic energies – light clouds swirling, void-rending tendrils scarring the sky, temporal rifts crackling across the battlefield.