Stealing Immortal

But he also felt his Divine Soul nearing exhaustion. His Cultivation was insufficient to support him in comprehending so much.

Life was always about making choices. He reined in his focus, no longer observing the entire picture but concentrating on a single point.

Amidst the dazzling, evolving radiance, he spotted the very first point of white light—the primordial Yang of the universe.

Directly opposing the Taiyin, it could be considered the Great Sun.

He had already grasped a sliver of the Power of the Great Yin. If he could obtain this Great Sun, he would reach the supreme realm where Yin and Yang merged. With a single thought, he focused his mind entirely on this prospect.

But a single glance was all it took. His entire Divine Soul and Essence Qi felt as if they were being siphoned away, and he began to wither rapidly. Even the body of his Conscious Fish started to collapse.

It was over in an instant. Chen Qingyang’s true body lay in the grass, utterly depleted.

In that moment, he saw the Dao-rhythm of Tai Hao Pure Yang and the Method of Unifying Purity, Void, Calmness, and Turbulence. This was a power of supreme might, capable of destroying all evil in the world!

By cultivating the Great Soul Scripture, his Divine Soul had long since surpassed that of ordinary people. Furthermore, he could use the Taiyin to observe the Great Sun, giving him an advantage even over Foundation Establishment Masters. And yet, he had still only managed a single glimpse.

The Conscious Fish looked around and found itself back near the Qingxu Land.

The Star Gate had long since closed, and all the disciples were gone. Chen Qingyang certainly didn’t dare to linger. He moved along, staying close to the ground, until he saw the white-jade-like Array Building shimmering with starlight.

‘To leave this place, I’ll have to pass through the Array’s barrier. I wonder if Miaoyou has laid a trap inside, waiting for me to show up.’

His True Understanding of the Circulation Demon Suppression Star Array had grown, and so had his Perception Power regarding Arrays. He didn’t plunge in directly. Instead, he sent out faint wisps to probe. ‘What’s different from when I came in?’

‘Thin.’

That was his first impression. It was as if all the Star Power had been siphoned away and redirected elsewhere.

‘That place… must be the Qingxu Land.’

Logically, they shouldn’t still be doing this now that the extraction of the Earth Deity was over. The most likely reason, Chen Qingyang concluded after some thought, was that the commotion he had caused had alerted Miaoyou.

‘I can’t linger. I have to leave quickly, before he turns his attention here.’

Instantly, he plunged into the Array.

“Where did this scoundrel come from!”

At the same time, a voice boomed in his ear. Just as an overwhelming pressure converged on him, the Conscious Fish shot out of the Array in an instant.

It immediately darted toward a crowded area.

Chen Qingyang’s true body looked up and saw a flash of starlight streak across the sky, then nothing.

‘I was right. Miaoyou drew away all the Star Power to fortify the Qingxu Land, but he never expected me to appear in the outer zones.’

‘He reacted quickly, but I still managed to escape. But why didn’t he give chase?’

Chen Qingyang thought… ‘He wouldn’t give up that easily. He probably suspects that the ‘thing’ is still hiding inside!’

If the last encounter left him with lingering fear, this one had been a life-or-death race. He had escaped by a hair’s breadth.

‘Enough of that.’ Chen Qingyang chided himself. ‘I can’t use my own abilities to gauge the might of a Master.’

‘I can’t do things like this again, at least not at my current level of Cultivation. A Master can afford to fail ten times, but I can’t afford to fail even once.’

The Conscious Fish blended into the crowd. He walked over and personally retrieved the fish, absorbing it back into his body, before using the Void Step Introduction technique to return to Cyan Bamboo Peak.

Afterward, he found a deserted valley and sat in silent meditation for a while before he was in the right frame of mind to perceive the Qi Mechanism and break through to the next level of his Cultivation.

When the Conscious Fish entered his body, the fiery cloud in his Dantian flared violently, filling his entire Dongming Mansion. This was a power that far surpassed what his body could normally contain.

Drawn along by this power, his Dantian and Meridians began to transform.

The Qi Mechanism flowed through the Six Acupoints, forming a Qi Vortex at each one. It then gathered the Earth Root Yin Fiend, the Mingtang True Fire, the Essence of the Jiang Palace, the Purity and Turbidity of the Spirit Platform, the Star Power of Xuanji, and the Dongming Spiritual Essence. From the Ren and Du Meridians, two streams surged directly upward, converging and suspending themselves at the Baihui Acupoint. There, they formed another Qi Vortex and forced open the Yujing Acupoint.

“‘Gathering of the Three Flowers at the Crown, Divine Traveling in Tai Xu Realm.’ The Yujing Acupoint, being the highest point in the human body, is connected to the Jiang Palace Essence. It strengthens the Human Soul and is a crucial node on the path to Forging Soul into God and Concentrating into Void.”

In the future, reaching Foundation Establishment would require passing through this very path.

The energy circulated and evolved within him from sunrise to sunset before finally ceasing. As Chen Qingyang retracted his aura, three fiery forms seemed to steam and rise from the crown of his head. They were shaped like lotuses, a phenomenon known as the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

These were Essence, Qi, and Spirit!

Without relying on his Sword Formulas, but by the power of the Nanming Red Emperor, he stepped into the Essence Condensation Seventh Realm.

Now, cultivating his Sword Formulas would be much easier. He merely had to follow this path, and his progress would be swift as the wind.

He let out a long breath, and the scene from the Tai Hao Qingxu Palace unconsciously surfaced in his mind.

‘Tai Hao Pure Yang, Purifying Void and Calming Turbulence…’

The image lingered in his mind, and these words would surface from time to time.

He sat in meditation for a long time until his mind suddenly cleared, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sky. He continued to ponder deeply, spending another two full days in contemplation.

When he opened his eyes again, Chen Qingyang extended his palm, and an object manifested within it.

It was a seal, outlined in simple lines. The main body was square, topped by a circle—perfectly symmetrical, yet evoking the principle of a round heaven and a square earth.

The Qi Mechanism contained within was potent. Without Chen Qingyang exerting much force, a gust of wind still swirled around him. The yang-flame within it was restrained, not fierce, and instead emanated a clear, ethereal glow.

The two words “Taihao Qingxu” were carved into the face of the seal. When brought down, it carried no violent Evil Qi, only the suppressive might of the Celestial Dao.

This was the Divine Power, a Magic Technique he had comprehended in the Tai Hao Qingxu Palace by expending all his energy. Once unleashed, its might would surely surpass that of his Sword Formulas.

With a soft breath, the Tai Hao Qingxu Seal dissipated.

[Tai Hao Qingxu Seal (1/90000)]

He looked at the small golden text that had appeared again. ‘A cap of 90,000 is massive, but it’s also a testament to the power of this Divine Power.’

Only now was Chen Qingyang’s trip to Sun-piercing Peak truly over. It could be said that his gains were immense, especially what he had obtained in Chaotian Temple and the Tai Hao Qingxu Palace.

After composing himself for a moment, he headed back to his small courtyard.

「Noontime.」

The small courtyard was rather quiet.

The Spirit Field was usually tended to in the early morning, so Zhang Ping and Hong’Er were most likely meditating.

Hong’Er was fine, since she had her Qi Refining Cultivation, but Zhang Ping was still an ordinary mortal. If he didn’t take a nap at noon, his body wouldn’t be able to handle the strain.

In another Alchemy Room, Li Sheng was meditating before a Pill Furnace. Ever since focusing his mind on cultivation, he had made some decent progress over the past six months.

Back in his own Alchemy Room, he found Xu Baoling waiting for him, as always. No matter when he returned, she would be there, having thoughtfully prepared hot water, ready for his endless questions.

“I’ve lost track of time. How long have I been gone?”

“Today is the fifty-seventh day.”

‘I promised Jing Shu we’d make our trade in two months. I’m afraid I won’t make it in time now. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just have to offer her a better deal to delay it for a month.’

As long as it wasn’t an overly complex Tier Four Elixir, he had enough time to figure out the process from scratch.

“Did Senior Brother go somewhere to break through your Cultivation again?”

Chen Qingyang replied, “Why do you ask? Do you think… my Qi Mechanism feels different?”

“I’m with you every day. I can always sense even the slightest change. I figured it had to be a breakthrough in your Cultivation.”

Chen Qingyang nodded. “If even you can tell, then Master will definitely be able to tell!”

Xu Baoling brought over a copper basin with hot water and began to help him out of his long robe. “What’s the big deal? It’s already been two or three years since you entered the first realm of Essence Condensation. The next time he summons you will be in another half a year, which rounds it up to a nice three years.”

“Breaking through one realm every three years? Master will only think you have excellent talent and put more effort into training you. It’s not exceptionally fast—not on Li Qianxue’s level—so you won’t attract any trouble.”

Chen Qingyang chuckled. “I guess I was overthinking things, then.”

Afterward, he bathed and changed into fresh clothes. Feeling completely refreshed, he meditated for a full day and night, shedding all the fatigue from his body.

His thoughts turned once more to the Tai Hao Qingxu Seal. As it materialized in his palm, the pressure it radiated made Xu Baoling cry out in alarm.