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The spiritual sea quaked violently, divine consciousness suffered damage, and Chen Moqing coughed up blood without cease. Within mere seconds, he already bore the appearance of a lamp running dry of oil.

Within the collapsing spiritual sea, the Withered Wood Revival Decree manifested, hanging high in the air, looking down upon his divine consciousness from above as if an immortal had cast down a pitiful glance, sighing slowly:

Ahead lies no path, why persist in walking further?

Chen Moqing’s figure did not retreat; instead, he fiercely took a step forward!

His divine consciousness was already covered in cracks, like a flickering remnant candle about to be extinguished by the wind. Yet, he lifted his eyes and smiled, saying, "Don't cross the river, yet you crossed the river?"

"What concern are the ways of predecessors to me? I only know that the path I walk is my own path!"

The ancient great path beneath his feet trembled incessantly, collapsing and falling, transforming into an abyss that stirred towering waves, seeking to devour the divine consciousness.

Chen Moqing hovered in the air, letting wind and rain sway him as he laughed once more, "Have you perhaps forgotten whose spiritual sea this is?"

Spiritual power swept out violently with him at its center, instantly calming the quaking spiritual sea into a mirror-like stillness. His shattered divine consciousness was restored to its original state. Chen Moqing took another step forward, reaching directly for that crimson token.

Even if it is a decree from an immortal, now I am its master!

In the Flying Kite private room, Cang Shun's eyes trembled as he saw Chen Moqing's eyes tightly shut. The crimson branch that had climbed over his chest slowly receded back to its original place, even disappearing entirely beneath his pale skin, no longer visible.

Perhaps due to their contract, he had long been able to glimpse a corner of this young human's spiritual sea, and could detect a trace of an ancient aura of the Great Path hidden within.

Before, he had only thought it was this human's hidden trump card, but now he discovered that this trace of the Great Path's aura was not entirely under his control—it even contended with him for the spiritual sea.

However, the spiritual sea is the realm of a cultivator's spirit. Within the spiritual sea, the contest is not about cultivation level but about the strength of one's Dao-heart.

This person's Dao-heart has been tempered a thousand times, forged a hundredfold—unyielding and indestructible. Even when battered by sudden wind and rain, it never breaks its proud backbone.

Cang Shun raised his hand and gently wiped away the bloodstain at the corner of Chen Moqing's mouth. After two seconds, he silently drew him into his own fur.

He rubbed him with his fur, waited a few seconds, and rubbed him again.

Above the spiritual sea, the great path beneath Chen Moqing's feet had already extended forward. Ahead was no longer an endless gloom, but a connection to that towering natural chasm.

This time, the Withered Wood Revival Decree no longer hung high above the chasm. It was now firmly grasped in his hand!

Once, it was an immortal's decree that could only be gazed upon from afar, but now it lay quietly in his palm, seemingly turned into a dull piece of wood.

Chen Moqing did not hesitate. He directly carried this talisman token and ascended the steps, climbing the chasm. The moment he took a single step, a weight of a thousand jun pressed down upon him, nearly shattering his divine consciousness.

His expression unchanged, with a single thought, the Withered Wood Revival Decree floated above the spiritual sea, emitting a faint glow that protected his boiling, restless spiritual sea.

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage was, in essence, the first true tempering of a cultivator's divine consciousness; using the spiritual sea as a furnace, allowing the divine consciousness to shatter completely and then reshape, condensing amidst extreme agony into a golden core that could receive the spiritual roots of heaven and earth.

For ordinary Golden Core cultivators, this process only needed to be endured once. But for Chen Moqing, who was climbing the chasm, he would have to experience it dozens, even hundreds of times—until he truly stood upon the chasm itself.

At this moment, his heart was clear and bright. Even if a single misstep meant death, he felt no fear at all!

Rumble—!!

Thunderclouds shrouded the sky, covering a thousand miles. Flickers of lightning were faintly visible, moving like dragons.

"It's a heavenly tribulation! Which fellow Daoist is undergoing tribulation here!"

On the Flying Kite, all cultivators were startled into action, gathering one after another beneath the thunderclouds, rushing near that private room.

Generally speaking, Golden Core, Soul Formation, and Tribulation Transcendence stages all require weathering heavenly tribulation. Tribulation lightning above the Soul Formation stage can split heaven and earth, flooding a thousand miles, but below Soul Formation, the tribulation lightning targets only the one undergoing tribulation and will not affect the surroundings; this Flying Kite will not be damaged.

The descent of heavenly tribulation is often accompanied by surging spiritual power, a rare cultivation opportunity. At this moment, the cultivators on the Flying Kite vied to arrive, just to seize the closest spot. Some even fought fiercely over it.

Another thunderclap exploded, deafening, its sound carrying a hundred miles. Yet that was merely the prelude to the storm—thousands of thick, long bolts of lightning, like ancient giant dragons spanning ten thousand meters of the azure sky, erupted with a blazing light akin to the scorching sun, tearing the sky into several pieces!

"Heavens, it's the Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning!"

"How many years has it been since the Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning was last seen! When did the cultivation world gain another genius!"

Amidst the cries of astonishment, some eyed the coveted front positions with even greater fervor. Before the heavenly tribulation had even descended, conflicts and magic duels erupted endlessly below.

[Scram!]

A voice, solemn and murderous, pierced the spiritual seas of all cultivators. A crushing pressure, vast as the sea, poured down, instantly suppressing all noise and leaving the ten-thousand-meter high sky silent, save for the rolling thunder.

The cultivators who had just been fighting tooth and nail, bloodied over the front positions, were now terrified pale, swiftly retreating over a hundred meters. They dared not approach again, even holding their breath.

Their gazes, filled with either fear or suspicion, turned toward the tightly closed door of the private room. All their great supernatural methods failed; none could penetrate that thin door to sense the aura behind it.

Magnificent lightning, majestic as swimming dragons, already filled the sky. Dark clouds pressed down as if to crush the city, yet they delayed their descent.

Amidst the confusion, someone heard a Nascent Soul cultivator exclaim in shock, "What mighty figure is this! To actually delay the descent of the heavenly tribulation!"

—Inside the private room, a beast as vast and beautiful as a snowy mountain coiled in the center, each strand of its snow-white fur gleaming with a soft light. Countless complex and ancient demonic runes encircled it, spreading out like a brilliant cosmos of stars, floating beside the human cultivator who sat with eyes closed, concentrating his spirit. They brushed past his dark hair, its ends, and the smooth fabric of his robe.

Cang Shun slightly lowered his head, gazing at the person's profile, then raised it again. His crimson demonic pupils pierced through the rooftop, looking toward the heavenly tribulation in the sky that could not descend, seemingly with mockery.

[Pay it no mind. I am here.]

Within the spiritual sea, upon hearing this steady voice, a faint ripple stirred in Chen Moqing's gaze, like a wave crossing an ink-dark lake, before settling back into calm.

His divine consciousness was now covered in cracks, like white porcelain shattered upon the ground. Yet, his figure did not stop, taking another step forward—

His divine consciousness completely shattered, scattering into ten thousand fragments!

The next second, countless fragments hung suspended in the air, coalescing once more as the divine consciousness reformed!

—Countless cultivators in the past had halted forever at the peak of Foundation Establishment precisely because they could not endure the process of crushing the divine consciousness and reshaping it. Some cultivators were even driven mad alive by such agony. Because of this, many cultivators chose to rely on elixirs and spiritual materials to forcibly ascend to Golden Core, thus avoiding the torment of tempering the divine consciousness.

This was already the one hundred and twentieth time Chen Moqing repeated this tempering process. His face bore not a trace of expression; he simply took another step forward!

This step was as heavy as a mountain range, suspended in the air, unable to land for a long time.

Fine, fragmented cracks crept up his pale cheeks, his divine consciousness shattered once more. Yet, his dark, deep eyes ignited with torch-like flames. Beneath his feet, a great path suddenly extended—black as its foundation, dyed with blood-red—the Path of Slaughter!

My Dao is my heart! With this Dao, I declare to all heaven!

The final step, taken atop a peak ten thousand zhang high!

At last, he ascended the chasm!

Spiritual energy shook violently, enveloping the entire chasm. A flawless, dazzling golden core rose from within the spiritual sea, its brilliant light illuminating the entire spiritual sea before finally merging into Chen Moqing's dantian.

Above the Flying Kite, thunder that shook the earth rumbled, exploding across a hundred miles. Countless blazing silver-white lightning dragons tumbled and roared, descending from the dark clouds, forming a luminous tree connecting heaven and earth!

Inside the private room, the young cultivator who had been sitting in stillness opened his eyes.

He first looked at the large, furry mass of the Demon Emperor beside him, his palm brushing over the snow-white fur, giving it a gentle rub. The next second, his figure appeared high in the sky above.

Almost the moment he actively revealed himself, thousands upon thousands of thunderbolts crashed down, like a blazing, silver-white ocean pouring upside down. The terrifying lightning, blotting out the sky and sun, instantly flooded his body, illuminating the mountains and rivers within a hundred miles into nothing but an extreme white daylight.

Within the thunderous cascade, invisible to the outside world, Chen Moqing alone withstood the tribulation lightning of all heaven. His robes fluttered wildly, a lotus mark ignited between his brows. He pointed a finger toward the sky, "Go."

A crystalline nine-petaled splendid lotus bloomed fiercely. From the center of the lotus, a crimson token flew out swiftly, hanging high like the sun.

Withered Wood Revival Decree!

Beneath the nine thousand heavenly tribulations, the decree of the immortals from ages past unfurled a splendid curtain of the Boundless Spring Realm!

Countless bolts of lightning reflected in his dark, calm eyes. Chen Moqing gazed directly at the sky, a faintly mocking smile on his lips, "Long time no see."

The heavenly tribulation lasted for three days and three nights until the dark clouds scattered completely, and light shone upon the earth. The young cultivator in white robes landed gracefully on the ground.

Early Golden Core stage.

A hundred meters away, an elderly man with hair as white as snow swiftly approached, not concealing his Nascent Soul cultivation in the slightest. He cupped his hands with a smile,  "Young Friend, might we become acquainted?"

A small snow-white beast leaped onto the young cultivator's shoulder, turning its head to reveal a pair of chilling, demonic pupils.

For no apparent reason, the Nascent Soul elder shuddered, taking a step back. He saw the young cultivator smile and say, "I apologize for the disturbance caused to everyone."

"Please return."

With those words, he dispersed the crowd. Carrying a certain Demon Emperor, he returned to the private room. Chen Moqing's divine consciousness re-entered his spiritual sea and saw the Withered Wood Revival Decree quietly floating before him, its surface etched with patterns of branches and new leaves.

Finally, this talismanic decree, originally created by immortals and replicated by him yet not fully under his control, had been refined by him—by one part.

—It was called 'one part' because he could sense he had not yet fully refined the Withered Wood Revival Decree, nor had he even begun to leverage its true power. And that wisp of immortal will had merely gone dormant, temporarily lying in wait.

He merged the Withered Wood Revival Decree into his spiritual sea, thinking to himself, there will be ample time ahead.

A golden core hung above the spiritual sea, perfectly round and dazzling. Tempered by the Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning over three days and three nights, it was of the highest, flawless quality. From now on, his cultivation would also progress a thousand miles in a single day.

Attaining the Golden Core stage meant truly transcending the mortal world and stepping onto the great path of cultivation. Not only would his lifespan be greatly extended, but he could also fly between heaven and earth, free from some of the restrictions imposed by the rules of the world.

His physique had similarly been reborn. Previously, in the northern border of Zhou Country, he had tempered himself with baleful energy for several months. After crossing into the Golden Core stage, his physical strength had already reached the early Soul Formation level.

What surprised Chen Moqing the most was that his eight roots of talisman path had quietly sprouted a completely new branch, transforming into nine roots—his talent in the talisman path had advanced yet another level!

The emergence of a new branch from existing spiritual roots was an extremely rare occurrence in the cultivation world. However, in the Tianshu Sect, there were two geniuses of this kind, found only once in a millennium—the Sect Leader of Tianshu Sect, Yu Bai, and Yu Bai's closed-door disciple, Xiao Jibai.

It is said that when Yu Bai was young, he possessed eight spiritual roots of sword path. As he grew older, they suddenly increased to ten. Xiao Jibai, on the other hand, was the neglected second son of an ancient clan in the Jiugai Prefecture. His talent assessment in his youth revealed only three spiritual roots of sword path, but upon reaching adulthood, he suddenly possessed eleven spiritual roots of sword path, shocking the entire Jiugai Prefecture. The very next day, he was taken in by Yu Bai as a closed-door disciple.

At that time, the cultivation world all said that the future achievements of the Tianshu Sect Leader's closed-door disciple would surely not fall short of his senior brother, the sect leader's first disciple. After all, between the two of them, there was only a difference of one sword path spiritual root.

The vast spiritual sea churned, boundless and limitless, brimming with spiritual energy. A new chasm had already risen from the ground, even more perilous, lofty, and unreachable than before.

Inside the private room, Chen Moqing opened his eyes, his lashes slightly lowered, reflecting the image of the small snow-white beast that was currently tugging at the corner of his clothes with its claws.

He said, "It seemed someone called my name earlier."

Cang Shun met his gaze for two seconds, then turned his head as if nothing had happened.

[No, Benzun didn’t hear it.]

Chen Moqing picked up this fluffy mass and met those crimson demonic eyes again.

Why help him?

Was it because of...?

His fingers brushed over the soft fur as he said, "Thank you."

Cang Shun lazily rested his chin on the back of his hand.

"Meow."

[Only thank you?]

Chen Moqing took out two small cloth pouches from his storage bag.

One pouch held dried fish, the other osmanthus cake.

Cang Shun snorted, turning his head to show he wasn't interested in the slightest.

A moment later.

A small, fluffy white ball appeared beside the cloth pouches, peeking curiously inside.

"I have nothing to offer you in thanks for now," Chen Moqing said, watching the small white treat bury its head in the osmanthus cake, "But if you ever need me to do something, within my capabilities, I will brave all dangers and never refuse, even at the risk of death."

Upon hearing this, Cang Shun immediately sprawled grandly across his lap, arrogantly lifting his chin.

Knead my legs!

Chen Moqing picked up this little fluffy ball.

Placed it next to the dried fish, and began meditating with closed eyes.

Cang Shun: "......"

The esteemed Demon Emperor huffed away angrily. After two seconds, he returned just as angrily, carrying a piece of dried fish in his mouth, and plopped down on Chen Moqing's knee.

He stared at Chen Moqing's profile, focused on his cultivation, while chewing the very flavorful salted-pepper dried fish.

For ordinary cultivators, even after reaching the peak of their current stage, they still need an opportunity to break through to the next. But this person doesn't.

Not only because he is retreading a path he once walked, but also because his natural talent is truly heaven-defying.

Twelve spiritual roots of sword path—unprecedented and unmatched. His cultivation is relentless, and his Dao-heart is steadfast... Such a person was born to dominate the upper prefectures, to illuminate the long night of the sword path, and to overshadow all his generation's prodigies.

Unlike now, stuck in this shabby room, concealing his name and even hiding his true appearance.

Cang Shun lay silently on Chen Moqing's lap, his slender tail gently encircling the wrist that hung down, occasionally rubbing against the pale skin there.

Chen Moqing had long grown accustomed to not being disturbed by a certain Demon Emperor. He cultivated day and night without rest for several days. During this time, many cultivators came to pay their respects, but none could bypass the restriction at the door.

Half a month later, the Flying Kite made a brief stop at a transit point, only three days' journey from Qingluan Prefecture.

It was then that Chen Moqing ended his seclusion and took Cang Shun down to stroll around.

Near the stop was a luxurious restaurant specially provided for cultivators, where all ingredients were rare spiritual beasts, creatures born with abundant spiritual energy but lacking sentience. Once raised as food by the demon race, they later found their way into the restaurants of human cultivators.

Chen Moqing ordered the finest feast available. When he left the restaurant, the snow-white little beast in his arms had become a plump, round mass, belly up, sprawled across his arms like a soft, snowy-white pancake.

Chen Moqing lifted and weighed this large, fluffy ball in his hands.

Heavier again.

I wonder what he looks like in human form.

Cang Shun stared at the pale finger that slid past his face, reaching out a paw to grab it—

Separated by his round, plump belly, he couldn't reach.

"......"

The large, fluffy ball sprawled in his arms began to wriggle back and forth. After twisting for a long while, he finally managed to flip over.

Plop—he sprawled onto the back of his hand, successfully hugging his finger as he wished, tucking it beneath his soft, fluffy belly.

Chen Moqing glanced at the large, fluffy ball, not quite understanding, but let him be.

"Fellow Daoist, please hold a moment."

As they were returning to the Flying Kite, someone blocked their path. The moment they approached, Chen Moqing sensed an aura different from that of a human.

A demon.

For centuries, the demon race and humans had reached a balance, and conflicts rarely arose anymore. At this moment, the demon who appeared no different from an ordinary person said with a kind expression, "Fellow Daoist, our master is willing to offer twenty thousand spirit stones to purchase this pet of yours."

Not far behind him, several demons surrounded a finely dressed woman of striking beauty, looking in this direction.

Chen Moqing replied calmly, "He is my companion, not a pet."

The demon lowered his head. The young demon beast lying in this young human's arms perked its ears slightly and began lazily wagging its tail.

Without saying anything more, he turned and left.

Not far away, upon hearing her subordinate's reply, the finely dressed woman seemed amused and gave Chen Moqing a radiant smile.

Chen Moqing nodded slightly in polite acknowledgment. The snow-white little beast, which had been lying quietly in his arms, suddenly stopped wagging its tail and began glaring across at the other side.

"Oh my, barely the size of a palm and already knows how to guard its food, clinging to its human and refusing to let go."

"Young demons these days, really, tsk tsk tsk..."

The finely dressed woman then walked away with her entourage, chattering among themselves.

Cang Shun: "...?"

Chen Moqing lowered his gaze, "They didn't recognize you."

[Naturally]

A certain Demon Emperor lightly leaped onto his shoulder, pacing gracefully as he strolled around.

[Benzun has said before. No one is worthy of seeing my true form.]

Chen Moqing glanced at the fluffy mass and said, "The Demon Emperor's true form is indeed imposing and majestic."

The snow-white little beast folded its two paws and settled down, lifting its small head slightly, tail raised a bit.

Chen Moqing continued walking forward.

A fluffy mass lightly nudged the side of his face a few times. He lowered his gaze.

The little fluffy ball remained motionless, perfectly composed.

Chen Moqing shifted his gaze away.

The fluffy mass nudged his face again, gently brushing against it, moving back and forth.

He didn't understand what it meant.

Never mind.

–

TL: Muji

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