Chapter 1787: Five Transformations of Divine Power

Mortal Realm

Above the Gu Shan Zhi Altar, the entire sky was enveloped in auspicious clouds. Amidst the churning cloud vapors, tribulation clouds formed within the auspicious clouds. The rumbling of thunder and the trembling roar of the auspicious clouds mingled, making them indistinguishable.

Qin Sang looked up and saw dark clouds parting the auspicious clouds, converging overhead. Gray lightning raced through the clouds, making the tribulation clouds appear even darker.

"Gray Tribulation Lightning!"

Qin Sang's expression grew slightly grim. As expected, the Eye-Opening Butterfly, like him, came from the same world and would also have to undergo the baptism of the Ascension Tribulation Lightning during its tribulation.

The Eye-Opening Butterfly possessed the ability to devour tribulation lightning, and in case of a critical situation, Qin Sang could also provide assistance. Qin Sang was not worried about the Eye-Opening Butterfly's safety; his concern was that the Ascension Tribulation being witnessed by others might attract unnecessary trouble.

He swept his gaze around. The courtyard was vast, sealed on all sides by ancient restrictions, likely a type of spiritual array. However, they couldn't find the base of the spiritual array. The ancient array formed a wall of golden light curtains. Although it couldn't completely block the view from outside, it was not easy for outsiders to clearly see the arrangements within the courtyard.

Four Soul Transformation cultivators had only managed to open a gap to send Qin Sang in. Qin Sang had set up the Star Origin Stone Great Array under the pretext of helping a spirit insect undergo tribulation, also intending to isolate the inside from the outside. With the two spiritual arrays layered, even if they couldn't completely block external prying, they could at least confuse their judgment.

After all, this place was different from the outside. The tribulation clouds were born within the auspicious clouds, inseparable from them. The colorful auspicious clouds projected myriad hues, heavily painting the tribulation clouds, creating a spectacle of strange lights, interspersed with silver gleams. From a distance, it would be difficult to distinguish reality from illusion.

With a slight thought, Qin Sang fully activated the Star Origin Stone. Dazzling starlight immediately erupted, layering with the surrounding array restrictions to form a thick light curtain. However, this action could only conceal the celestial phenomenon. The pressure and fluctuations brought by the heavenly tribulation could not be completely sealed and were gradually spreading outwards.

Outside the courtyard.

The three True Ones had set up a killing array and were covertly vigilant. Sensing the heavenly tribulation's fluctuations, they instinctively looked towards the courtyard. They could vaguely see turbulent clouds flowing like a waterfall in the sky, strange lights flickering, a scene of chaos. The pressure of the heavenly tribulation transmitted over, seemingly not as weak as anticipated.

However, even in this realm, Five-Transformation spirit insects were extremely rare. Spirit insects cultivated slowly, and raising them was even more difficult than training demon soldiers. Orthodox Taoist disciples rarely chose spirit insects as their forces. Few people had personally witnessed a spirit insect undergoing a Five-Transformation heavenly tribulation.

The heavenly tribulation caused turmoil in the auspicious clouds. The intense fluctuations combined with the tribulation's pressure made it impossible to distinguish. The three True Ones' expressions remained normal, and they quickly redirected their attention to their surroundings. Due to the special environment of this place, only those nearby could see the celestial changes, but the fluctuations could affect a great distance.

Just then, True One Zhi Jian said in a deep voice, "Someone's coming!" The two True Ones' gazes narrowed slightly, following True One Zhi Jian's line of sight towards the east. As far as they could see, there were only halls and pavilions; no human figures were visible. The two focused their senses and indeed detected subtle auras rapidly approaching. These were detected by their carefully prepared warning array, clearly drawn by the heavenly tribulation. The approaching party was still some distance away, and they didn't know if they were humans or demons.

"Two!" True One You Huang said in a deep voice.

The three fell silent, suppressed their auras, and stood ready to activate the killing array at any moment. The other party was not reckless either. After a rapid approach, they suddenly slowed down as they drew near, using spells to conceal their presence and approaching cautiously.

At this moment, the Eye-Opening Butterfly's heavenly tribulation had completed its final brewing. Qin Sang transformed into his spiritual wood body, holding a Stabilization Pill. Anyone who dared to interfere with the Eye-Opening Butterfly's tribulation would face his full counterattack.

'Rumble...'

The transformation tribulation for spirit insects consisted only of lightning tribulation, which was their unique advantage. Gray lightning snakes converged, forming a vortex of thunder at the center of the tribulation clouds, pointing directly at the Eye-Opening Butterfly below. Perhaps because its master was by its side, the Eye-Opening Butterfly felt no fear or unease in its consciousness. It flapped its wings, and a wave of green light flowed out, actually moving to meet the tribulation clouds proactively.

'Crack!'

A bolt from the blue. There was no dazzling lightning flash; the courtyard suddenly plunged into darkness. The lightning power within the tribulation clouds was completely unexposed as it poured down. As the tribulation lightning descended, the tribulation clouds also slowly dispersed.

Just like when it broke through to the Fourth Transformation, the spirit insect's Five-Transformation heavenly tribulation also consisted of only a single bolt of tribulation lightning! However, the power and momentum of this tribulation lightning were incomparable to before, especially since it was the mutated Ascension Tribulation!

From the center of the tribulation clouds, a massive gray lightning pillar burst forth. As the tribulation clouds churned, countless electrical arcs also fell around it, dense and rapid like a sudden storm, instantly weaving a net in the air. All the tribulation lightning bolts targeted the Eye-Opening Butterfly, converging mid-flight towards the central lightning pillar, finally overwhelming the target like a torrent of heavenly thunder.

Qin Sang's expression was solemn. He could vaguely see the butterfly's silhouette within the tribulation lightning. Bathed in the thunder, the Eye-Opening Butterfly's wings trembled violently, and its celestial eyes opened wide. Immediately, two bolts of green lightning shot forth. The lightning struck the tribulation lightning head-on, and a violent thunderstorm dispersed, reducing objects in the courtyard to dust.

At the same time, countless electrical arcs flickered and jumped within its celestial eyes. Compared to the vast tribulation lightning, these electrical arcs appeared tiny, but they contained a strange power. When they touched some of the tribulation lightning, they dyed it green, which was then ultimately devoured by the celestial eyes. As of now, the Eye-Opening Butterfly might not be able to provide much help to Qin Sang's tribulation, but its ability to devour tribulation lightning made it fearless of the heavenly tribulation's threats, a quality other spirit insects could not match.

From beginning to end, the Eye-Opening Butterfly never sent a thought of seeking help. The scattered tribulation lightning was almost entirely devoured by the Eye-Opening Butterfly, while the main body of the tribulation lightning was significantly broken by the two green lightning bolts. If it were a normal heavenly tribulation, it should have been nearing its end, but this was gray tribration lightning, and its might remained fierce.

'Boom! Boom! Boom!'

Bolts of green lightning continuously blasted the tribulation lightning, yet still could not stop the tribulation lightning's relentless advance. The Eye-Opening Butterfly showed no thought of surrender, incessantly flapping its wings, persistently fighting the tribulation lightning.

Qin Sang felt a surge of tension. His figure stirred slightly, ready to act. Firstly, he was worried about the Eye-Opening Butterfly getting injured. Secondly, he had received a warning from True One Zhi Jian that someone was approaching, so he needed to be ready to engage at any moment!

Just then, the Eye-Opening Butterfly suddenly made an unexpected move. It tightly folded its wings, seemingly abandoning resistance. Green light flickered on its body, and the halo surrounding it quickly solidified, forming an invisible, colorless light membrane that covered its entire body.

'Boom!'

The remaining tribulation lightning heavily impacted the light membrane. Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat. He flashed beside the Eye-Opening Butterfly, resisting the urge to intervene. It could be seen that the mighty tribulation lightning, the moment it struck the light membrane, began to break down layer by layer into countless electrical arcs from the point of contact, immediately losing much of its momentum.

The next moment, two bolts of lightning shot out from the light membrane, completely shattering the tribulation lightning!

The Eye-Opening Butterfly flapped its wings and ascended, completely unharmed. It moved among the scattered electrical arcs, devouring the undissipated lightning power. Finally, its body shrunk into that of a normal butterfly, happily circled Qin Sang once, and landed on his shoulder, as if seeking praise.

Qin Sang looked at the Eye-Opening Butterfly with some surprise, guessing that the light membrane was a new divine ability it had comprehended after its transformation. Judging by its performance, it should be a body-protection divine ability. Spirit insects cultivated unique divine abilities, and unless they belonged to special species, most had fragile bodies, which was why Qin Sang had previously dared not let the Eye-Opening Butterfly take risks. Having broken through to the Fifth Transformation, it had finally comprehended a body-protection divine ability, thus overcoming the Eye-Opening Butterfly's greatest weakness.

Qin Sang felt a surge of joy, but there was no time to test the power of the new divine ability at this moment, as uninvited guests were already approaching! Glancing outwards, Qin Sang immediately ordered the Eye-Opening Butterfly to return to his Dantian. The Eye-Opening Butterfly, still immersed in the excitement of its transformation, clung to Qin Sang and only reluctantly flapped its wings a few times before returning to his Dantian.

The array restrictions of the courtyard were difficult to enter but easy to exit. Qin Sang raised his hand and pressed it against the light wall. With a flash of light, he was already outside, then leaped towards the alley between the two golden halls in the distance.

In the alley, five people were already in a standoff. On one side were the three True Ones. The other party's combination was somewhat strange: one was a white-haired old Taoist, and the other was surprisingly a young monk wearing a kasaya with visible ordination scars on his head! The monk and the Taoist were suddenly blocked by the three True Ones, startled, and their faces filled with wariness. The three True Ones' expressions were also a bit strange. They exchanged glances, not expecting to attract two cultivators instead of demon marquises.

"So it's True One Zhang and Venerable Zhen Ru." True One Gu Yun bowed, recognizing the two.

"True One Gu Yun, True One You Huang, and this must be True One Zhi Jian! A pleasure to meet you! A pleasure indeed!" The white-haired old Taoist, True One Zhang, gently waved his whisk and bowed in return. All of them hailed from Gu Shan Zhi. True Ones of the Cavern Profound Realm were not common in Gu Shan Zhi. Even if they hadn't interacted before, they had heard of each other. True One Zhang came from a sect named Yiyu Gate, located outside the Star Island Immortal Lake. Venerable Zhen Ru's sect, Jingtai Temple, was close to Yiyu Gate and was a rare Buddhist lineage in this realm.

'Whoosh!'

Qin Sang stood to the side, also somewhat surprised by this scene, and couldn't help but glance at the monk a couple more times. Both uninvited guests were Soul Transformation cultivators. The old Taoist was even more noteworthy; Qin Sang discovered that this person was actually at the Mid-Soul Transformation stage, the highest cultivation level among those present.

His arrival drew everyone's attention. True One Zhang looked him over and said, "This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar. Was it you undergoing tribulation just now? It seems there's been a misunderstanding."

At this moment, True One Zhi Jian also sent a sound transmission, explaining the origins of the two. "So it's True One Zhang and Venerable Zhen Ru. My name is Qing Feng. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner! My apologies!" Qin Sang nodded and cupped his hands in greeting.

As human cultivators, a fight was out of the question. Although they had the numerical advantage, since they were there to hunt demon marquises, none of them wanted to stir up extraneous trouble. True One Zhi Jian interjected, asking, "Are you two fellow Daoists also here for the Taoist Sect's summons?" He got straight to the point, asking directly. As the gains from the Gu Shan Zhi Altar dwindled, few people came here anymore, so meeting them so coincidentally was unusual.

True One Zhang paused for a moment before saying, "Venerable Zhen Ru had long desired to enter the Gu Shan Zhi Altar to observe the divine abilities of powerful cultivators. It just so happened that I received news in the Taoist court and decided to invite Venerable to accompany me here. We arrived recently and sensed the heavenly tribulation's fluctuations, so we came to investigate. It seems all of you True Ones are also here for the same reason?"

With everything out in the open, the atmosphere gradually eased. True One You Huang couldn't help but ask, "How long have you two fellow Daoists been here? Have you found any traces of demon marquises?"

"No, we haven't, or we wouldn't be wandering aimlessly like this," True One Zhang slowly shook his head, then paused and added, "Since we all have the same goal, why don't we join forces? What do you all think?"

Qin Sang and the others were not averse to this. More people would mean sharing the credit, but it also meant more opportunities. "How does True One Zhang propose we join forces against the enemy?" True One Zhi Jian asked on behalf of everyone.

True One Zhang looked at the layers of golden halls in the distance. "This place is so vast. Searching inch by inch, when will we find our target? I'm afraid that by the time we find them, they will have already achieved their objective and departed. Why don't we split into two groups, leave each other means of communication, and then join forces to hunt down the demons once a target is found!"

Hearing this, the four exchanged glances. They had actually discussed splitting up to search before. However, they were unsure how many demon marquises had infiltrated the area, and worried about suddenly encountering powerful enemies while being outnumbered and isolated, so they preferred to spend more time. Although True One Zhang and Venerable Zhen Ru were only two individuals, True One Zhang was a renowned strong cultivator with unfathomable divine abilities.

True One Zhi Jian nodded and handed over a sword talisman. "Alright. If you two fellow Daoists find demons, activate this talisman, and I will know." True One Zhang gladly accepted it and handed him a jade disc.

Next, both parties summarized their findings. Qin Sang and his group had searched for so long, and combined with the route True One Zhang and his companion had taken, they had already searched half of the golden halls. After reaching an agreement, everyone immediately split up.

The ambush failed. Qin Sang and the others dismantled the killing array and continued along their previous route. Qin Sang had expected to expend some effort explaining, but unexpectedly, the three were sensible people and did not press for details about the spirit insect, which he was glad for.

As they proceeded, Qin Sang submerged part of his consciousness into his Qi Sea, communicating with the Eye-Opening Butterfly. The Eye-Opening Butterfly was in excellent condition. After advancing, its cultivation level surpassed the limits of the Talisman Altar, but there were no signs of its consciousness becoming muddled. The transformed Eye-Opening Butterfly showed no significant change in appearance. Its intelligence had improved, but it was still some distance from communicating with humans without hindrance, which made Qin Sang sigh with emotion. Although spirit insects did not have to worry about the 'Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation', their path of cultivation was also difficult.

Without an opportunity to test its new divine ability, the Eye-Opening Butterfly was also digesting the gains from its transformation and familiarizing itself with its new powers. Qin Sang recalled the scene during the tribulation, secretly analyzing that the tribulation lightning, formed by condensed lightning power, clearly underwent differentiation after touching the light membrane, turning into electrical arcs, with both its momentum and power greatly diminished.

This made Qin Sang think of a legendary divine ability: the Innate Separation and Combination Divine Light! Legend had it that this divine light could separate and combine all things. Those with deep and refined mastery could even directly break down an opponent's divine ability into its essential spiritual energy, easily deciphering attacks even if they had never seen them before. The Eye-Opening Butterfly's new divine ability certainly wasn't that heaven-defying, but its performance seemed to possess similar power. Thinking of this, Qin Sang felt a bit impatient.

It was now the third day since the two groups had separated, when a sudden earth-shattering boom startled Qin Sang awake.

'Whoosh! Whoosh!'

The four raced to a higher vantage point, where they saw a mass of fiery red clouds rising in front of them. The fire clouds surged skyward, causing the entire golden hall to tremble. The next moment, a golden light shot out from the destroyed golden hall, flashing like lightning towards the rear, vanishing into the Nine Bending Star River in the blink of an eye. Immediately after, vague figures flew out from within the fiery clouds, also rushing into the Nine Bending Star River, which immediately caused the star river to tremble. The light within the star river shone brilliantly, surging towards the intruders.

"Demons!" True One Zhi Jian let out a low cry, his figure flickering as he chased after them. The other three followed closely.