Chapter 1680: Promotion of Yueyao

Before advancing from the Star Constellation Realm to the Moon Shadow Realm, every cultivator strives to purify their spiritual power, minimizing any impurities within it. The purity and strength of spiritual power will determine the cultivator's potential after advancing to the Moon Shadow Realm. This principle is similar to when a cultivator first opens their spirit apertures in the Spirit Stream Realm: the more apertures opened, the greater their future potential. Indeed, if a certain number of spirit apertures isn't reached, a cultivator might be perpetually stuck at a particular realm.

Lu Ye, however, had no need to purify his spiritual power; his foundation was already perfectly flawless. Thus, his task was straightforward: activate the Dragon Transformation Art to transform his spiritual power into dharma power. The moment this conversion was complete would mark his advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm.

He chose not to advance on the spot. While the grinding force in this area could no longer significantly harm him, undergoing advancement here would still impose a certain level of pressure. So Lu Ye decided to go to the outer perimeter, where the grinding force would have less impact on him. He just needed to find a location where it would barely affect his advancement.

Having made up his mind, Lu Ye immediately set off.

Just one day later, he halted. While the grinding force at this spot remained formidable for an average cultivator, to him, it felt no more than a gentle breeze.

This was the spot!

Unless absolutely necessary, Lu Ye preferred not to undergo his advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm in such a location, as there was a risk of disturbance. A failure at such a critical juncture would lead to lifelong regret. However, a late-stage Moon Shadow Realm cultivator was still waiting outside. Lu Ye was certain this individual hadn't departed and was still lying in wait. Without advancing to the Moon Shadow Realm himself, Lu Ye lacked the confidence to escape from them.

He would settle this score later.

Prior to his advancement, Lu Ye deployed his three Blood Treasure clones, positioning them in three different directions to serve as guardians. With his physique optimized to its limit in the Star Constellation Realm, his Blood Treasure clones also appeared to have undergone significant transformation. Lu Ye distinctly sensed that these three clones were considerably more powerful than before.

Had the location not been unsuitable for array formations, Lu Ye would have certainly established a grand array. However, given the rudimentary conditions, he had no choice but to improvise. He believed that his advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm wouldn't take too long.

Calming his mind, he began to activate the Dragon Transformation Art.

Numerous Dragon Transformation Arts existed within the cultivation world. These techniques weren't for active cultivation, nor did they directly enhance a cultivator's strength. Their sole function was to guide the metamorphosis of spiritual power. Lu Ye himself possessed a considerable number of Dragon Transformation Arts: some acquired from the Merfolk race, some contributed by You Ling, and others purchased from the Myriad Manifestations Merchant Guild. Such arts held little value in the vast starry sky.

Lu Ye had already identified the most suitable Dragon Transformation Art from his collection. Now, he simply needed to activate his spiritual power and circulate it along the technique's prescribed paths.

His spiritual power surged, commencing its flow along the Dragon Transformation Art's designated pathways. Initially, as it was his first time activating it, he wasn't entirely familiar, and the circulation speed was slow. However, with each progressive cycle, the spiritual power flowed increasingly faster, eventually resembling a mighty river surging within Lu Ye's body.

After several hundred cycles, Lu Ye distinctly felt a warmth emanating from his lower abdomen, precisely where his Source Spirit Aperture was located. All his spiritual power, guided by the Dragon Transformation Art, converged and filled that specific location. A distinct sensation of distension emanated from within the Source Spirit Aperture, signaling a barrier Lu Ye hadn't encountered in a long time.

For years, he had only experienced such a palpable sense of a barrier when opening individual spirit apertures in the Spirit Stream Realm. Now, surprisingly, at the zenith of the Star Constellation Realm, he was encountering it once more. However, the barrier he perceived now was not the same as the barriers in the Spirit Stream Realm. What remained consistent was that both types of spirit aperture barriers required breaking! Breaking the barrier then was to open a spirit aperture; breaking it now was for advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm!

As spiritual power continued to accumulate, the sensation of distension intensified, yet Lu Ye felt no significant discomfort. He applied a little more force, and as the spiritual power's circulation speed accelerated, the invisible barrier shattered with a resounding boom!

This was the inherent advantage of a strong foundation: with sufficiently pure spiritual power and profound reserves, breaking through the invisible barrier posed no significant challenge.

This stage, in fact, represented the most perilous moment in the advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm. For with the Source Spirit Aperture already breached, failure to successfully complete the subsequent steps would render advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm an impossible dream, and the cultivator's strength would drastically diminish due to the aperture's shattering. Such a weakening was, moreover, irreversible!

Recalling Li Baxian, whose spirit aperture was shattered in the Spirit Stream Realm, he later managed to repair it with an Aperture-Mending Pill gifted by Lu Ye. However, his was a regular spirit aperture, not the Source Spirit Aperture, making repair possible. Should the Source Spirit Aperture shatter, however, finding a method to repair it would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, in this world.

At that precise moment, the Dragon Transformation Art operated at its absolute peak. The flow of his spiritual power reached an unprecedented speed. Almost instantaneously with the shattering of the Source Spirit Aperture, the spiritual power, condensed and compressed to its utmost limit, appeared to undergo a wondrous transformation.

A faint fiery spark ascended from the former location of the Source Spirit Aperture—this was the sublimation of Lu Ye's fire-attributed spiritual power.

Dharma Source!

The very origin of dharma power for Moon Shadow cultivators, it also marked the clearest indication of a cultivator's successful transition from the Star Constellation Realm to the Moon Shadow Realm!

Fundamentally, a cultivator was considered to have successfully advanced to the Moon Shadow Realm once they could condense their own Dharma Source. Nevertheless, Lu Ye did not cease activating the Dragon Transformation Art, as the nascent Dharma Source was still exceedingly fragile. Visually, this faint spark appeared as though it could flicker out at any given moment. Lu Ye still needed to channel all of his spiritual power through this nascent Dharma Source, transforming it into dharma power; only then would his advancement be truly complete. Otherwise, possessing a Dharma Source while his spiritual power remained unconverted would leave him in an awkward, incomplete state.

As the Dragon Transformation Art continued to operate, spiritual power consistently converged into the small flame, fueling it. With each influx of spiritual power, the spark's luminosity progressively intensified. It wasn't until most of the day had elapsed that Lu Ye's spiritual power was entirely depleted, having been fully absorbed into the Dharma Source, allowing him to finally rest.

The small flame, once faint, remained a small flame, but its brightness was now incomparably greater than before. At this point, no spiritual power circulated within Lu Ye's physical body. Aside from his inherent physical reserves, all his power was now consolidated within the Dharma Source.

This marked the most significant distinction between Moon Shadow cultivators and those of lower realms. Below Moon Shadow, a cultivator's spiritual power circulated ceaselessly within their body, both in normal and combat states. Moon Shadow cultivators, however, operated differently. Under normal circumstances, their dharma power was highly internalized, concentrated within the Dharma Source. Only when required would dharma power emerge from the Dharma Source, enabling Moon Shadow cultivators to wield and control it with effortless precision.

With his successful advancement to the Moon Shadow Realm, subsequent cultivation would entail continuously strengthening this small flame. Lu Ye's realm would only further elevate once its fundamental essence transformed.

The manifestation of each Moon Shadow cultivator's Dharma Source varied, particularly among those with different elemental attributes. Lu Ye's Dharma Source appeared as a small flame, whereas others might manifest as water droplets, saplings, or even lumps of earth... Regardless of its specific form, it was always the condensation of the cultivator's intrinsic power.

He slowly opened his eyes. With a subtle mental command, dharma power surged through his body. Lu Ye felt an overwhelming sense of power!

His journey to the Yin-Yang Millstone had granted him two distinct power upgrades—one minor, one major. Lu Ye couldn't help but feel a profound sense of relief, knowing that he no longer had to fear his power being inherently inferior to an enemy's, leading to instant defeat. Clashing spiritual power against another's dharma power had truly been a massive disadvantage, akin to an egg hitting a rock. Now that his internal energy was also dharma power, the previous situation where his strength would crumble upon impact would no longer occur. Of course, against a Sun Glow cultivator, the outcome would likely still be the same. While a Sun Glow cultivator's power was also dharma power, their vastly superior realm meant a Moon Shadow cultivator simply couldn't contend.

If, after his physique had been tempered to its extreme, Lu Ye had felt confident in defeating a newly advanced Moon Shadow like You Ling, then now that he himself had reached the Moon Shadow Realm, Lu Ye mused that You Ling likely wouldn't withstand more than a few of his blows...

As he was thinking this, the Pan Mountain Blade at his waist suddenly vibrated slightly.

"Hmm?" Lu Ye looked down, a hint of confusion in his expression.

Although the Pan Mountain Blade was the transformed form of Liao, ever since Lu Ye had subjugated it, Liao had been inert, akin to a lifeless object. This was a unique trait of the Weapon Tribe: their inherent consciousness only awakened when they lacked a master; once bound to a master, they truly became inanimate objects! Thus, the Pan Mountain Blade exhibiting a reaction without being actively commanded greatly piqued Lu Ye's curiosity.

Had Liao awakened?

With that thought, Lu Ye prepared to draw the Pan Mountain Blade to investigate. But the moment his hand closed around the hilt, his eyebrow rose in surprise. Instantly, the Pan Mountain Blade transmitted an intense, ravenous hunger... It was the sensation of someone who had starved for a long time finally encountering delectable food.

Despite never having experienced such a phenomenon, Lu Ye swiftly comprehended the situation. Without hesitation, he activated his dharma power and channeled it into the Pan Mountain Blade. The blade vibrated, ravenously devouring the power.

Lu Ye had initially assumed the Pan Mountain Blade wouldn't consume much dharma power and thus paid little heed. However, as his own dharma power steadily diminished and the small flame symbolizing his Dharma Source progressively dimmed, he realized with alarm that something was profoundly amiss!

He swiftly retrieved a substantial amount of spirit jade from his storage ring, placed it nearby, and activated the power of the Talent Tree, commencing a frantic absorption. Even after advancing to the Moon Shadow Realm, a cultivator's primary cultivation resource remains spirit jade. While refining spirit jade still yields spiritual power, this spiritual power is then converted into dharma power through the Dharma Source. The efficiency of this conversion depends on the Dharma Source's quality. Despite having just advanced, Lu Ye's incredibly solid foundation meant his Dharma Source was of high quality, enabling a more efficient spiritual power conversion than other newly advanced Moon Shadows. Yet, even with this advantage, he found himself struggling to keep pace.