Chen Xihua's reputation for suppressing Black Water with a single sword strike spread like thunder throughout the cultivation realm of Yue Country.
No matter if it was the major sects' immortal cities or the remote markets for loose cultivators, everyone marveled at the brilliance of this young Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator!
The name of the Yunlan Chen Clan also skyrocketed, becoming a top noble family in Yue Country, and when the clan's disciples ventured out to experience the world, no one dared to lightly provoke them.
The members of the Chen Clan were overjoyed, walking the streets of Three Elements Immortal City with a straighter back than ever before, full of pride when mentioning "Xuan Zhao True Monarch" and "Micro-Image Grandmaster."
...
A hundred years passed by in the blink of an eye, inside the cave dwelling on Golden Light Peak.
Chen Sheng sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, surrounded by a seven-colored halo—the phenomenon that occurs when the "Seven Emotions Sword Scripture" is cultivated to the seventh layer.
The spirit light corresponding to the seven emotions of joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock intertwined and wrapped around him, akin to the incessant tumult of the mundane world, yet they could not stain his resplendent sword heart.
Over the past hundred years, he transitioned to the "Seven Emotions Sword Scripture," and not long ago, he finally pierced through the Seven Emotions Barrier, comprehending the true meaning of "Wisdom Sword Cuts Sentimental Threads."
At this moment, his divine sense was like a bright mirror, his state of mind like an ancient well, long devoid of the trepidation towards the Heart Demon Tribulation from a century ago, replaced only by calm confidence.
"It's time."
Chen Sheng opened his eyes, a sharp sword light flickering within them.
He raised his hand to retrieve three jade bottles from his storage ring, pouring out three elixir pills—a translucent white Primordial Heart Demon Pill, a pale blue Heart-Breaking Pill, and a red-gold Myriad Spirits Pill.
The three elixir pills hovered before him, exuding a rich spiritual energy, all prepared as auxiliary spiritual objects for his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul.
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"Let it begin!"
Chen Sheng murmured softly, forming the Realm-Breaking Seal of the "Seven Emotions Sword Scripture" with his hands.
The Tier Four Spirit Gathering Array, long set up on the walls of the cave dwelling, instantly activated. The array patterns seemed to come alive, extending from the floor to the ceiling, forming a spirit light vortex several miles wide.
Spiritual Qi from between Heaven and Earth was madly drawn into the array, and the spiritual energy from hundreds of miles around surged towards Golden Light Peak like a tide. The concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air instantly soared to the pinnacle of Tier Four, even condensing into tangible spiritual threads that interwove into a web within the cave dwelling.
Such astonishing fluctuations of spiritual energy quickly alarmed the cultivators of the Daoist Sect. Countless Golden Core Cultivators paused their activities, looking towards the direction of Golden Light Peak in shock:
"Is someone drawing upon Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi? Could it be a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul?"
"Golden Light Peak, it's the Hall Master Micro-Image!"
"Today, Grandmaster Micro-Image is finally attempting to reach the Nascent Soul! I wonder if he'll succeed!"
Amid the discussions, a colossal phantom slowly emerged above Golden Light Peak!
The phantom, clad in a white Daoist robe, was surrounded by seven-colored Sword Qi, with a flickering sword light at its brow, precisely the Nascent Soul Formation Phenomenon of Chen Sheng!
This phenomenon was clearly visible, covering half of the Three Elements Immortal City. All the cultivators could see the form of the apparition, confirming their suspicions, and the uproar ensued.
"It really is Grandmaster Micro-Image! The Nascent Soul Formation Phenomenon is manifesting!"
Inside the main hall of Three Elements, Chen Xihua, who was handling mundane affairs, immediately noticed the commotion on Golden Light Peak.
With a flicker of his figure, pale blue sword mist surrounded him, as if he merged into the void, instantly appearing at the outskirts of Golden Light Peak. He did not approach the cave dwelling but stood mid-air, quietly spreading his sword intent to form an invisible barrier.
As the current Rotating True Monarch and the son of Chen Sheng, his duty was to protect his father, ensuring no unforeseen events disrupted his breakthrough.
At the center of the cave dwelling, Chen Sheng sat cross-legged at the array hub of the Spirit Gathering Array, beginning the operation of the "Pill Shattering to Infant Technique" from the "Seven Emotions Sword Scripture."
He took a deep breath, and the mana within his body abruptly reversed, charging like surging rivers through his meridians. The violent impact twisted his meridians intensely, emitting a creaking sound, and his dantian felt as if being crushed by boulders, waves of intense pain washing over him.
This was the first step of Pill Shattering to Infant—breaking the Golden Core with a heaven-defying technique, a slight misstep could result in shattered meridians and a collapsed dantian.
Chen Sheng had long cultivated his body to Golden Core Perfection, with physical strength comparable to Tier Three Top Grade Magical Artifacts. Additionally, he had the foundation of Five Elements Celestial Grade Spiritual Root, and the "Seven Emotions Sword Scripture" he transitioned to was a Tier Five Cultivation Technique, his foundation surpassing cultivators of the same level by far.
This hurdle, he could pass in a blink!
At this moment, his expression remained unchanged, calmly guiding the reversing mana, gradually impacting the Golden Core within his dantian.
As mana continuously poured in, the Golden Core in his dantian began to tremble violently, with countless mana swirling around it.
Soon, a minute crack appeared on the surface of the Golden Core, with a thread of peculiar vitality, like a seed germinating in the soil.
"Buzz——"
A clear sword hum emanated from the Golden Core, echoing throughout the cave dwelling, indicating the imminent birth of a Sword Dao Nascent Soul!
Chen Sheng's heart leapt with joy, and he quickly accelerated the operation of the spell, more spiritual energy flooding into his dantian as the cracks on the Golden Core spread like a spiderweb.
Finally, with a soft "crack," the Golden Core shattered completely, and as the fragments scattered, a tiny infant figure about an inch high emerged from the shards.
This infant was tender-skinned, its complexion like creamy jade, its brows and eyes bearing a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Chen Sheng. It carried a small dark green sword on its back, surrounded by a faint sword intent, with a faint purple Void Mark on its brow.
It was precisely Chen Sheng's Nascent Soul!
As soon as the Nascent Soul was born, it opened its eyes, and seeing the floating Golden Core fragments around, a trace of excitement flashed in its eyes, as if beholding the most delicious food.
With a wave of its small hand, the Void Mark on its brow lit up instantly, employing the power of the void to capture all the scattered Golden Core fragments.
It opened its mouth and inhaled, and the fragments transformed into pure spiritual energy, which it swallowed into its belly.
In just a moment, all the Golden Core fragments were refined, the Nascent Soul's figure noticeably enlarged by a good bit, nearly three inches tall, with an increasingly dense aura.
Just then, countless illusions suddenly appeared before Chen Sheng's eyes!
First, heaps of Spirit Crystals and magical artifacts emitted alluring radiance, followed by warm scenes of reunions with family members.
But in the next moment, the scene shifted dramatically, with family members falling into pools of blood, Black Water Profound Mansion cultivators approaching with sinister smiles.
Subsequently, he saw the entrance to the secret realm of Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven reopen, containing the inheritance of a Divinity Transformation Cultivator, yet just as he was about to step in, a formidable aura descended and tightly captured him...
These illusions were incredibly lifelike; had an ordinary cultivator been within them, they would have long been driven by greed, fear, and obsession, falling into the trap of the Heart Demon Tribulation.
But Chen Sheng merely looked on calmly, his eyes devoid of any fluctuation. Having cultivated the "Seven Emotions Sword Scripture" for a century, he had long discerned the seven emotions. His Sword Heart was as clear as a bright mirror, and the flaws in these illusions were glaring to him.
This Heart Demon Tribulation didn't even manage to evoke his greatest obsession!
Chen Sheng chuckled softly:
"After mastering the 'Seven Emotions Sword Scripture', the Heart Demon Tribulation has become so utterly vulnerable, my Sword Heart is like the Bright Mirror Platform, with neither distractions nor illusions able to disturb my heart spirit."
He gently flicked his finger, and the seven-colored Sword Qi around him instantly converged into a sword light that slashed at the illusions before him. With a "crack", all illusions shattered like broken mirrors, vanishing without a trace.
The second trial, Heart Demon Tribulation, has been broken!
At the very moment the Heart Demon Tribulation dissipated, the clouds above Golden Light Peak suddenly turned dark. Countless clouds, like ink, gathered rapidly, forming a thundercloud layer that spread for miles.
Within the clouds, purple thunder lights roamed like dragons, emitting a "rumble" sound; the Celestial Thunder Tribulation was already brewing!
On the ground, the cultivators within the Immortal City looked at this terrifying thundercloud layer with eyes full of tension.
In contrast, at the Primordial Magnetic Divine Peak within the Daoist Sect, the Golden Core Cultivators had relaxed expressions; reaching the third trial, the Celestial Thunder Tribulation was much easier!
...
Inside the cave dwelling, Chen Sheng looked up at the roof, feeling the increasingly intense momentum of the Celestial Thunder Tribulation from above, his smile growing more assured.
He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, fingertips emanating seven-colored spirit light, and softly chanted:
"Array, rise!"
As his words fell, he took out eighteen array banners from his Storage Ring!
Each array banner was refined from Celestial Thunder Wood, with surfaces of pale purple inscribed with intricate thunder and array patterns, the edges laced with faint thunder light.
These were the quasi-Tier Four "All Heaven Thunder Transformation Array" banners he had spent ten years refining.
The eighteen banners flew into the air, as if animated, rotating above the cave dwelling in a mystical trajectory.
"Buzzing——"
At the moment the banners started rotating, the thunder and array patterns on them lit up, and pale purple spirit light spread like a tide, soon enveloping the entire Golden Light Peak.
As the banners continuously accelerated their rotation, the spirit light converged into a massive array shadow, which quickly solidified and formed a grand array covering dozens of miles.
Upon the grand array, countless thunder and array patterns interwove like a colossal light web, firmly encasing Golden Light Peak within. The streaming light between patterns moved swiftly, exuding a disheartening defensive aura.
"Boom!"
At the moment the grand array formed, a loud boom erupted from the thundercloud layer above!
The first Celestial Thunder finally descended, as thick as a barrel, entirely deep purple and carrying the force to destroy the heavens and earth, crashing straight toward Golden Light Peak like a Thunder Dragon.
However, when the Celestial Thunder struck the grand array, the streaming light on the array's surface surged, countless thunder patterns lit up, forming a pale purple defensive barrier.
"Boom!"
The Celestial Thunder collided with the barrier, unleashing a massive wave of energy, with purple thunder light splashing like magnificent fireworks.
Yet the grand array remained unmoved, and the streaming light on the barrier merely flickered slightly before completely neutralizing the thunder's might.
Subsequent second, third... rays of Celestial Thunder fell like a torrential rain, each one thicker and more terrifying than the last.
Some thunder was crimson red, with a heat that burns all; some was silvery white, with a cold that freezes the void; others were black, carrying poison that corrodes the divine soul.
But regardless of the Celestial Thunder's attributes, when it struck the grand array, it was like a stone sinking into the sea!
The streaming light on the array's surface remained steady, the light circulating incessantly between the patterns, fully absorbing and neutralizing each Celestial Thunder's power, even using it to fortify the array's defense.
Inside the cave dwelling, Chen Sheng sat cross-legged at the array hub, continually forming hand seals, guiding the grand array's operation. He could vividly feel each Celestial Thunder's power and the process of the array neutralizing that power.
He gently closed his eyes, sinking his heart spirit into the array, comprehending the power of Celestial Thunder through its interaction with the array—this would greatly aid him in controlling Void Power in the future.
As time trickled by, the thundercloud layer in the sky gradually thinned, and the Celestial Thunder's power waned.
A quarter of an hour later, the last Celestial Thunder struck the array, easily neutralized by it, and the thundercloud layer retreated like the tide, with sunlight once again spilling over Golden Light Peak, a faint rainbow even appearing in the sky.
As the Celestial Thunder Tribulation dissipated, the Nascent Soul within Chen Sheng's Dantian let out a crisp chirp, his aura instantly surged, and the Void Seal on his forehead became clearer.
He slowly stood up, his aura completely transformed, the original pressure belonging to a Golden Core Cultivator vanished, replaced by a profound Nascent Soul aura as deep as the void.
The seven-colored Sword Spirit Qi and Void Power weaving around him appeared incredibly mysterious.
He glanced at the grand array above, forming hand seals again, and the eighteen array banners ceased their rotation, transforming into streams of light, flying back into his Storage Ring.
As the grand array dissipated, his figure blurred, wrapped in faint spirit light, quietly disappearing into the void within the cave dwelling.
In the next moment, at the edge of Golden Light Peak, by Chen Xihua's side, the void rippled.
Chen Sheng's figure gradually emerged, clad in a white Daoist robe, surrounded by the unique pressure of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, his face carrying a gentle smile as he looked at Chen Xihua.
Chen Xihua looked at his father, hurriedly clasping his hands in salute: "Congratulations to father on advancing to Nascent Soul!"
The surrounding Golden Core Cultivators from various branches, upon seeing Chen Sheng's figure, all stepped forward to congratulate:
"Congratulations to True Monarch Micro-Image!"
"True Monarch's breakthrough to Nascent Soul is truly a blessing for the Daoist Sect!"