Chapter 523: 3000 Years of Cultivation
Cultivating became grueling once a bottleneck was reached.
After becoming a pinnacle Skyimmortal, it also meant that all the required insights were already amassed. What followed was to amalgamate the various insights into a potpourri so as to gain insight into one’s own Dao. It was akin to alchemy. With all ingredients prepared, one would place them into a cauldron and aim to refine them into Immortal Pills! However, results could range from a cauldron of dregs, which represented the ordinary ninth firmament Skyimmortal, to that of a cauldron of Immortal Pills, which represented the formation of a Golden Immortal Dao fruit.
There were also Spirit Pills, which represented half-step Golden Immortals. The best supreme-grade Spirit Pills were in no way inferior to Immortal Pills in certain aspects. They represented those who were able to match Golden Immortals.
Cultivation was as such.
Once one accumulated enough, the next step was to fuse it all together!
Qin Yun had his Intrinsic Flying Sword’s Great Dao to guide him, giving him greater chances. Even so, he still felt like he was groping in the dark as he constantly advanced by trial and error.
"It’s truly difficult to create a sword immortal Skyimmortal Dharmic formulation, something I must do before I entertain any thoughts of attaining a Golden Immortal Dao fruit." Qin Yun opened his eyes. "However, I still have hope. At least I have found my bearings and have a nascent form of my Dharmic formulation."
Qin Yun closed his eyes again as he began creating his own sword arts.
Qin Yun rotated the cultivation of his Dharmic formulation, sword arts, and divine powers. He would switch whenever he experienced fatigue in one.
...
After cultivating for slightly more than three hundred years in the Lightning Beast Manor, he had accumulated to the pinnacle Skyimmortal realm.
After cultivating a thousand years, he gained phenomenal success in the Heavenly Cycle Stellar Robes!
On the day that marked his cultivating sixteen hundred years—
"Boom!!!"
Qin Yun, who sat cross-legged, suddenly emitted stellar light as he induced countless stellar forces to descend.
The entire palace was instantly inundated in a sea of horrifying stellar forces. If Qin Yun wished, he could crush ninth firmament Skyimmortals to powder in an instant! Furthermore, he was still under the restrictions of the palace’s array formation. If he was allowed full reign to release his domain, the sea of stellar forces would span fifteen thousand kilometers.
How big was an ordinary Small World? With such a great divine power, he probably could instantly wipe out all life on a Small World in the blink of an eye. His ability to destroy had indeed become terrifying.
It was no wonder that there were certain experts in the Three Realms who viewed mortals as ants. It was true that they could vanquish countless lives without a thought. They only held back for fear of the grave sins that came with such an action.
360 stars floated inside the palace, completely filling it with a sea of stellar forces. Every star appeared like a metallic sphere with clear patterns engraved on its surface. These stars were of different sizes. The small ones were like mustard seeds, while the large ones spanned five hundred kilometers across.
Combining the 360 stars...when facing an enemy was a lot more powerful than relying solely on stellar force repression.
"Transform." With a thought, the 360 stars immediately transformed into 360 Stellar Flying Swords.
Unlike the previous flying swords which were the condensation of starlight, the flying swords now appeared to be tempered from strange metals.
"I’ve finally mastered it."
"I have reached phenomenal success in this Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm great divine power." Qin Yun looked at the Stellar Flying Swords hovering around him and could not help but wear a gleeful expression. "If I had mastered this previously, it would not have been so easy for that Xiahou to escape."
For instance, there were Essence Soul Earth Immortals and Buddhist Arhats in the Three Realms who cultivated great divine powers to perfection, allowing their strength to match that of mighty figures. Of course, the great divine powers they cultivated in were slightly inferior to the Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm and Heavenly Cycle Stellar Robes. If one perfected these two great divine powers of the ancient demon Celestial Thearch, they would be considered top existences even among Golden Immortals.
But just the phenomenal success stage alone was enough for one to reign supreme in the Three Realms.
"Oh? Another great divine power?"
"He has cultivated both the great divine powers of the ancient demon Celestial Thearch?"
Far away in midair, a black-robed elder, a golden-robed elder holding a gonfalon, and a stocky man were overlooking the area. They watched Qin Yun cast his divine powers by the side of the lake in the palace. As Guardian Generals, they were constantly monitoring the guests.
"As an Essence Soul sword immortal, he has cultivated the two great divine powers to this stage. In terms of protection and domains, they are at the mighty figure level," exclaimed the stocky man. "It’s only his means of killing enemies that are on the weaker side."
"His flying sword should be a Connate Numinous treasure. Unfortunately, his Dharmic powers are too weak. He naturally lacks the strength," said the golden-robed man. "As for the great divine power like the Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm, the ancient demon Celestial Thearch had created it to repress and trap his enemies. As for killing enemies? Since his strength is a little weaker, the might of his flying sword can only be considered at the half-step Golden Immortal level."
"By the way, from the news we received from Brother Tiger previously, it is said that this Qin Yun has only cultivated for a hundred plus years before he came to the Lightning Beast Manor?" asked the black-robed elder.
The golden-robed man nodded. "Brother Tiger is now under a Bodhisattva. There is definitely no mistake in his intelligence."
The Chaos Lightning Beast, Bai Xiao, had arranged everything a long time ago.
Even with him dead, he was able to have things run according to his plan thanks to his group of Guardian Generals. They were even able to learn detailed information of the Three Realms.
"To have such strength after a hundred plus years. Furthermore, he is one that has forged a new sword immortal lineage." The black-robed elder looked down and sighed. "Although time is accelerated in our Lightning Beast Manor, allowing him to cultivate for more than a thousand years, our Lightning Beast Manor is not some sacred land for cultivation. It’s far inferior to the Dao Ancestor’s Green Touring Palace. He is here cultivating arduously and even attained phenomenal success of the two great divine powers. His talent and perceptivity... probably ranks first among the six who came."
"Yes." The stocky man and the golden-robed man nodded in agreement.
Such perceptivity was indeed very terrifying.
After all, following the destruction of the ancient demon Heavenly Courts, later generations could only attain phenomenal success in the two great divine powers at the very most.
Qin Yun had reached such a pinnacle state in a short amount of time.
"In a few thousand years, and at most tens of thousands of years, his strength will likely match that of a mighty figure," said the black-robed elder. "If he attains a Golden Immortal Dao fruit, becoming a peerless sword immortal that forges a new sword immortal lineage, he would have a chance of completing Master’s last wish."
"Sword immortals’ ability to destroy all Dharma with a single sword is indeed powerful, but it’s just too difficult to attain a Golden Immortal Dao fruit." The golden-robed man said. "That Daoist Sa Xu has created his own Heavenly Constellation Lightning Dharma which allows him to match a mighty figure. If he attains a Golden Immortal Dao fruit, and brings his Lightning Dharma to that of the Golden Immortal level, I believe he also has a chance to complete Master’s last wish."
"It’s different," said the stocky man immediately. "Sword immortals are invincible when it comes to killing. Although their bodies are weaker, they are truly powerful when it comes to killing their enemies. The two sword immortal mighty figures from the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage have even killed Ancestral Fiends. As for Lightning Dharma? There are several mighty figures in the Three Realms who cultivate in the Lightning Dharma, but how many of them are as strong as the two sword immortals from the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage? The Lightning Dharma can be cultivated to hone one’s body, one’s escaping abilities, and the killing of enemies. As it’s too multi-faceted, it’s ultimately slightly weaker than sword immortals when it comes to killing enemies."
The golden-robed man did not retort.
It was a fact.
However, sword immortals were uniformly inferior to those who cultivated in the Lightning Dharma when it came to their bodies and escaping arts.
"In summary, the two of them are pretty good," praised the black-robed elder. "Furthermore, I like this Qin Yun. He had chosen to cultivate in the spot which had time flowing at an accelerated pace of 1200 times. Clearly, he was prepared to seclude himself, but in order to help his good friend, Daoist Divine Firmament, he went straight into a Lightning Dharma cultivation ground despite not cultivating in the Lightning Dharma. I even warned him against it, but he entered while ignoring me. As such he ended up with a 9000 years shortfall. For a young man who has cultivated for a hundred plus years, he paid no attention to the shortfall of 9000 years... Clearly, he deeply values his relationships."
"I like him too." The golden-robed man smiled with a nod. "According to the intelligence, he paid no heed in risking his life to save his wife and daughter."
The stocky man nodded as well as he looked down. "Back then, Master joined in the war between the Dao and Fiends to avenge his good friend. Despite knowing how dangerous it was, with the possibility of losing his life, he still set up the Lightning Beast Manor and forged ahead after arranging everything! He never returned."
The black-robed nodded. "The Ancestral Fiend was truly ruthless. He pulverized master’s soul, leaving only a wisp of his True Spirit for reincarnation. Even the Dao Ancestors and Buddhist Ancestor were unable to receive him. Over all these years, Master has forever lost himself in the cycle of Samsara."
"Master had made preparations when he decided on his plan of action," said the black-robed elder. "Master said that the person was his best friend, the most important person in his life. He stopped at nothing to exact revenge."
"I wish we could wait for the day when Master is able to exact his revenge," said the stocky man.
The three Guardian Generals fell silent as they watched the cultivating Qin Yun before leaving one after another.
...
Years passed one by one.
Qin Yun had cultivated in the Lightning Beast Manor for a total of three thousand years.