Chapter 524: Pure Yang Demon Refining

When Zhou Shengqing formed his Nascent Soul, the spiritual energy from most of Giant Wood Ridge began to gather around him. After condensing densely, it transformed into droplets of clear spiritual dew, which shimmered with a myriad of colors under the sunlight as they pattered down onto the Longevity Wood where he resided.

Each droplet was as potent as the essence of a spirit stone, yet when they fell into Zhou Shengqing's area, they were like rain falling into a vast river, merely creating a ripple.

Fu Zongjue, having gathered all the puppet manuals from Mount Liujia, moved them to the sacred tree where Zhou Shengqing was in seclusion. He guarded him while simultaneously observing the process of Nascent Soul formation.

After Chen Mobai finished handling the voting for the guardians, he also rushed over.

"The process of forming a Nascent Soul can last anywhere from one or two months to two or three years, depending on the cultivator's foundation," Fu Zongjue said. "I'll stay here and guard. I'll have to trouble you with matters concerning the sect, Junior Brother Chen."

Fu Zongjue was referring to the insights on Nascent Soul formation left by Patriarch Hunyuan. If a cultivator's foundation was weak, the step of shattering the Core would be completed quickly, but they would fail in the Nascent Soul transformation due to insufficient primordial energy. However, if the Golden Core's foundation was too profound, the cultivator could fail just at the shattering step.

In comparison, many cultivators in the Sky River Realm would try their best to solidify their foundations. After all, a weak foundation guaranteed failure, whereas a strong foundation always offered a way to shatter the Core and form a Nascent Soul. The kind of foundation a cultivator possessed when forming a Nascent Soul was mostly established during their Golden Core formation. Any further increase would only be possible with extremely rare heavenly treasures. Since Zhou Shengqing dared to attempt Nascent Soul formation, his foundation was naturally solid.

However, this was merely the method of Nascent Soul formation in the Sky River Realm. Although the Immortal Sect's research into this process wasn't as thorough as their studies on Foundation Establishment and Golden Core formation, it was still far more detailed than what was known here. Compared to the Sky River Realm's method of shattering the Core to form a Nascent Soul, the Immortal Sect's approach was more gentle. They would use cultivation techniques in conjunction with elixirs to gradually dissolve the Golden Core over a prolonged period, nurturing and cultivating the Nascent Soul.

"The Myriad Woods Grand Array has been activated," Chen Mobai said. "During the period of Senior Brother Zhou's Nascent Soul formation, I hope things won't be like when Nephew Meng formed his Golden Core."

As Chen Mobai spoke, a clear, ethereal spiritual light already illuminated the sky above Giant Wood Ridge, forming a protective barrier that expanded outwards.

"During Nascent Soul formation, the spiritual energy of the entire Giant Wood Ridge converges here," Fu Zongjue emphasized, remembering a crucial point from the Nascent Soul insights. "It's best if the other cultivators in the sect don't absorb spiritual energy for cultivation during this time, to avoid any accidents."

"Oh, is that so?"

Chen Mobai was genuinely unaware, as cultivators in the Immortal Sect had independent cultivation chambers and spirit energy supply for breakthroughs at any major realm, so this was never a concern. As he spoke, he closed his eyes and began to attempt refining the surrounding spiritual energy. Indeed, he found that the spiritual energy, which he previously assimilated effortlessly into pure Yang spiritual power as easily as moving his arm, was now like a slippery fish in water. It required immense mental effort to control and draw into his body.

If it was this difficult for him, a Golden Core cultivator, to refine Giant Wood Ridge's spiritual energy, it would be even more so for Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation disciples. If any of them encountered this sudden phenomenon during their seclusion, they could easily suffer an accident due to the spiritual energy. Chen Mobai immediately fulfilled his duty as the Sect Master, taking out his Communication Mirror and instructing the Three Halls and Twelve Divisions to swiftly inform all sect disciples in Giant Wood Ridge about this matter.

Fortunately, at this time, all Foundation Establishment cultivators were in the Divine Wood Hall, voting for the guardians of the Six Nations, so the message quickly spread throughout the entire sect. However, there were still over a dozen unfortunate Qi Cultivation disciples who happened to be meditating and cultivating at that moment. Due to the spiritual energy losing control in the void, they were critically injured and on the verge of death. Chen Mobai instructed the Alchemy Division to dispatch personnel for rescue, ordering them to spare no expense, with all elixirs and spiritual herbs used to be accounted for by the sect.

Zeng Wolong was puzzled by the Sect Master's unusual concern for mere Qi Cultivation disciples, wondering if there was a genius among them whom Chen Mobai was particularly interested in. According to the traditions of the Eastern Barrens, disciples afflicted by such bad luck should be eliminated at this opportune moment, lest they negatively impact the sect's fortune in the future. However, Chen Mobai was now the Sect Master and a Golden Core Patriarch, so Zeng Wolong could only comply with his orders.

After writing six names on his ballot, Zeng Wolong was the first to leave the Divine Wood Hall. He called most of the physicians from the Alchemy Division to treat the Qi Cultivation disciples who were severely injured due to the spiritual energy fluctuations caused by Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation.

Whoosh! The moment he stepped out of the Divine Wood Hall, a gust of sinister wind suddenly swept past. Zeng Wolong shivered involuntarily, looked up at the sky, and instantly his expression changed. In the distant horizon, a dark, murky cloud, shrouded in a chilling, ominous aura, seemed to sweep across the clear sky, flying directly towards them.

"The Underworld Official travels, all beings retreat!"

A shrill voice echoed in the air, and then the dark cloud parted slightly, revealing four faceless figures in red robes, black trousers, and pointed hats. They carried a vibrant, dark red sedan chair as they floated towards Giant Wood Ridge. Wherever they passed, an extremely eerie and sinister ghostly aura spread, seemingly dyeing half the sky black, like dark clouds pressing down, descending upon the three Longevity Woods that towered into the clouds.

The Myriad Woods Grand Array was instantly activated! Beams of clear, bright spiritual light illuminated, forming a massive spherical barrier that enveloped and protected Giant Wood Ridge. The sinister ghostly energy descended, constantly rubbing against the verdant spiritual light. Bolts of greenish-black lightning flashed in the void, and sparks showered down. The intruders' realm was unknown, but their power caused the spiritual脉s of Giant Wood Ridge to tremble slightly.

"All disciples, hold the array!"

Just as the Divine Wood Sect disciples were gripped by unease, a clear voice echoed through the air. Then, a young man of refined demeanor and heroic spirit, holding a long purple sword, descended above Giant Wood Ridge, single-handedly blocking the sinister cloud.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

A chilling voice emanated from within the sedan chair. Following its words, the vast, dark clouds began to coalesce continuously. In an instant, they transformed into a towering, dark humanoid figure, like a specter returned from the Underworld, obscuring the sky and plunging the land into gloom. The ghostly apparition raised its right hand, like a giant crushing an ant, and swung it down towards the young man standing above Giant Wood Ridge.

In response, Chen Mobai swung the sword in his hand! Accompanied by a surge of spiritual energy, a dazzling purple sword light soared into the sky. In an instant, it transformed into a raging column of lightning, directly cleaving through the sinister ghostly hand and dispersing the pervasive ghostly aura. Its momentum unchecked, it continued to strike heavily towards the vibrant sedan chair at the center of the dark cloud.

A pale, jade-like hand extended from within the sedan chair, directly grasping the purple lightning sword light unleashed by Chen Mobai. As the pale hand exerted force to crush the sword light, it found itself gripping what felt like molten lava, overwhelmed by an immense, pure Yang and supremely rigid power. Amidst sizzling sounds and wisps of green smoke, the pale hand began to blacken, gradually turning to ash, revealing glistening, translucent finger bones.

"What potent Yang lightning!"

A chilling voice echoed from inside the sedan chair. Then, a section of a glistening finger bone from the index finger snapped off, releasing a stream of eerie white air that formed into a spectral skull. It opened its cavernous mouth and fiercely swallowed the purple lightning sword light.

As the two extreme forces clashed, the sky above Giant Wood Ridge was instantly painted a bizarre half-greenish-black and half-purplish-red. The spiritual energies of both yin and yang were stirred, causing intense whistling and tremors. Under these circumstances, the eerie sedan chair could not maintain its initial posture. The four faceless figures carrying it trembled slightly, and cracks appeared on their bodies. The front curtain also parted slightly. Chen Mobai activated his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye and caught a glimpse inside the vibrant red sedan chair. A headless figure sat within, clutching its head to its abdomen, preventing Chen Mobai from seeing anything but the hollow back of its skull.

"Sect Master Chen of the Divine Wood Sect, your sword somewhat restrains this official!"

The curtain fell, once again concealing the interior, but the chilling voice still emerged. "Our sect should have no major grievances with your Yellow Springs Road," Chen Mobai said, gripping his purple lightning sword. It was Patriarch Hunyuan, the founder of the Five Elements Sect, who forcefully entered Yellow Springs Road. Since the Divine Wood Sect had already branched off, this grudge should logically be settled with the Five Elements Sect.

"The entire Eastern Barrens is merely our reincarnation pool," the chilling voice stated. "To prevent things from spiraling out of control, Nascent Soul cultivators are not permitted to emerge."

As the chilling voice spoke, Chen Mobai watched as the flesh, muscles, and bones that his purple lightning sword had destroyed slowly began to regenerate. Streaks of golden light radiated from the wound, expelling and suppressing the faint purple electric currents that had lingered.

"A Golden-Armored Corpse!" Seeing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but show surprise. Then, upon closer inspection of its glistening, jade-like finger bones, his expression suddenly turned solemn. "A Jade Corpse!?"

The Sky River Realm possessed methods of corpse cultivation. Although considered a minor path, once mastered, its power was no less than that of a Soul Transformation cultivator. Among the eighteen demonic sects, the Corpse Disintegration Demonic Sect was a prominent practitioner of this path. Corpse cultivation was divided into Copper-Armored Corpse, Silver-Armored Corpse, Golden-Armored Corpse, Jade Corpse, and Flying Yaksha! These corresponded to the Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation realms, respectively! At the peak of the Eastern Land Imperial Court, one of the rare joint efforts by the ten halls of the Ten Directions Palace was specifically to encircle and eliminate the Corpse Disintegration Demonic Sect's highest achievement, the Flying Yaksha. If it were merely a Golden-Armored Corpse, Chen Mobai could still handle it with his purple lightning sword, but if it was a Jade Corpse...

"Disband the array and let me enter to kill Zhou Shengqing, and I will spare your Divine Wood Sect." The chilling voice from within the sedan chair spoke again. The hand that had been injured by the purple lightning sword regained its pallor, and sinister, dark ghostly energy, accompanied by surging black clouds, flowed out, once again forming the towering, dark apparition.

"Junior Brother, enter the array!" Fu Zongjue's voice rang out. Chen Mobai, not being foolishly stubborn, took a step back and entered the Myriad Woods Grand Array's protective range.

The sinister ghostly energy landed on the verdant barrier, and Giant Wood Ridge's spiritual脉s fluctuated once more. Seeing this, Chen Mobai felt a slight sense of relief. Although the opponent's attack was formidable, representing the peak of the third tier, it was virtually impossible for them to break through the fourth-tier Myriad Woods Grand Array.

"The opponent is likely a ghost cultivator merely possessing the essence of a Jade Corpse, or perhaps this Jade Corpse is incomplete, possibly a Golden-Armored Corpse that failed to transform into a Jade Corpse," Fu Zongjue observed from the side, having noticed some clues during the battle.

"If that's the case, then he should know that attacking like this won't break the array. If he waits until Senior Brother Zhou successfully forms his Nascent Soul... No... the rogue is intentionally attacking the array to disrupt Giant Wood Ridge's spiritual脉s!" Chen Mobai suddenly realized the opponent's true intention, and his expression changed. Although Zhou Shengqing would be fully immersed in his Nascent Soul formation, the fluctuations and tremors of Giant Wood Ridge's spiritual脉s would be enough to awaken him. This was similar to what happened when Meng Hong failed to form his Golden Core; the ghost cultivator was deliberately trying to create a disturbance.

"I've already informed Senior Brother Mo to come and act as guardian. Until then, we two must stop this fellow first." After hearing Chen Mobai's words, Fu Zongjue also realized the gravity of the situation. While they could control the Myriad Woods Grand Array to keep the opponent outside Giant Wood Ridge, doing so would significantly affect Zhou Shengqing's crucial Nascent Soul formation. Under these circumstances, they had no choice but to intervene.

A bolt of purple lightning and a streak of golden light shot out, intending to block the ghost cultivator's next move. However, the four faceless figures carrying the sedan chair suddenly transformed into four beams of red light, drifting towards them.

"Mere ghost soldiers!" Chen Mobai frowned, flicked his sleeve, and the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror flew out. Streams of pure Yang fire ignited, encircling the four red beams. Then, his pure Yang spiritual power surged, instantly reducing the four faceless figures to ash.

"Oh!" The Underworld Official in the sedan chair exclaimed in surprise at this sight. His four ghost soldiers had been cultivated for many years; together, they could even ensnare a Golden Core cultivator. His original intention was to first hold back Chen Mobai, then swiftly eliminate the weakest one, Fu Zongjue. To his surprise, the speed at which he crushed Fu Zongjue was not as fast as Chen Mobai's incineration of the four ghost soldiers.

Halting the golden needles that Fu Zongjue had shot out right before the sedan chair, the Underworld Official, seated within, used a magical artifact for the first time. It was a crying stick! Although its grade was inferior to the purple lightning sword, empowered by the Underworld Official's vast ghostly energy, it unleashed tremendous might. With a single strike, it smashed the unsuspecting Fu Zongjue into hundreds of puppet fragments.

Feeling his Golden Yang puppet shatter, Fu Zongjue's face turned pale as he cried out to Chen Mobai, "Junior Brother, be careful! This fellow can unleash the power of a Jade Corpse."

Amidst the whistling wind, the enormous crying stick, imbued with sinister ghostly energy, was already descending upon Chen Mobai's head. The power of this strike already surpassed the third-tier level. Chen Mobai could only raise his purple lightning sword and unleash his second strike of the day!

As two fourth-tier powers collided, a pale, jade-like hand tore through the void, reaching for Chen Mobai's neck from behind. Fortunately, Chen Mobai's Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye was constantly active, sharply detecting this move. He had no time to reorient his purple lightning sword, so he could only deploy his Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror, which moved with perfect ease, to block the Underworld Official's ghostly hand.

"A mere third-tier!" With a sneer, the pale, jade-like hand, wreathed in dark ghostly energy, grabbed the mirror without a hint of hesitation. The pure Yang fire erupted in response. Immediately after, a pained shriek rang out from within the sedan chair!