Chapter 981
Infant Spirit
Zhuang Yuechan leaped up and caught the falling Song Changsheng steadily in her arms.
After landing, she quickly checked him over and found that not only were his vital signs stable, but he had also broken through to a higher realm. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Seeing Song Changsheng actively facing the heavenly tribulation, her heart skipped a beat. Anyone who has experienced the heavenly tribulation knows how terrifying it is. Ordinary people would avoid it at all costs, but he took the initiative to provoke it. This behavior is no different from courting death.
Fortunately, he was not seriously injured. Instead, he turned misfortune into blessing and broke through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core, saving him decades of hard work.
After settling Song Changsheng in, Zhuang Yuechan finally had time to check on Wu Jie, who had already fallen into a coma.
Wu Jie's once jet-black hair had turned somewhat white, his breath was weak, and his life essence was greatly depleted.
The heavenly tribulation did not take his life, but it did take away his lifespan. This body, which had only recently been reconstructed, was half-dead because of this batch of pills. This is the price that must be paid for seizing the creation of heaven.
Fortunately, he refined the downgraded version; if he had directly refined the [Heaven-Seizing Creation Pill] as recorded in the Treasure Bottle Sect's pill formula, he probably would have lost his life.
In any case, at least he survived. With proper care, he should be fine.
However, this also eliminates the possibility of continuing to refine the [Minor Creation Pill]. One batch of pills would take half the life of a fourth-level alchemist, which is not a worthwhile deal.
Most importantly, this was Wu Jie's first time. Although Heaven punished him, it also spared him and the [Little Creation Pill] a chance to survive.
The next one might not be so lucky. Heaven may have its mercy, but that doesn't mean you can provoke it without any limits.
It must be said that Wu Jie's actions were extremely reckless; one can only hope that he will achieve his goal and gain something from them.
Of the three, two had fallen unconscious. Since the soul imprint of the Earth-Splitting Bear was in Song Changsheng's hands, Zhuang Yuechan dared not linger alone and quickly left with the other two.
Watching Zhuang Yuechan walk away, Xiong Da was clearly stunned for a moment. After realizing what was happening, he asked loudly in a rough voice, "Hey, wait, what am I going to do if you leave?"
"Guard this island and do not let outsiders lay a finger on it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhuang Yuechan and her entourage disappeared from Xiong Da's sight.
"Hey." Xiong Da reached out and touched his head, momentarily at a loss for words.
"My king, what should we do now?"
"A powerful demon from the Earth-Splitting Bear clan asked cautiously."
Xiong Da waved his hand and said, "Never mind, let's move back first. This territory is still ours."
Upon hearing this, the demons roared with excitement...
Zhuang Yuechan secretly returned to Tenglong Islands without informing anyone of Song Changsheng's coma, lest he be exploited by those with ulterior motives.
She originally thought that Song Changsheng was just too badly injured and would wake up after a period of unconsciousness. However, she did not expect that after guarding him by his bedside for three whole months, his body showed no reaction at all. Instead, Wu Jie, who was more seriously injured, woke up first.
Before he could even catch his breath, he was conscripted by the anxious Zhuang Yuechan.
Wu Jie was an experienced alchemist, and the Treasure Bottle Sect was skilled in treating all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases. After careful examination, he quickly found the problem and comforted her, saying, "Mistress, there is no need to worry too much. The clan leader did not faint due to injury, but opened his Niwan Palace in advance after receiving the infusion of innate Qi."
The Niwan Palace is the abode of the Nascent Soul and the Primordial Spirit, but the clan leader is currently only at the Golden Core stage and has not yet condensed his Nascent Soul. This has resulted in his Niwan Palace being without a master, and he has forcibly absorbed the divine soul into it.
It's like creating a cage for oneself, trapping one's soul, and temporarily causing a separation between body and soul, making it impossible to control one's body.
This situation is extremely rare, but it's not unsolvable. The clan chief is learned and knowledgeable about both ancient and modern times; he certainly knows how to deal with it. It just needs some time, so Madam, please rest assured.
"If it takes too long, will there be any danger?" Zhuang Yuechan gently stroked Song Changsheng's strong cheek and asked with concern.
Wu Jie replied decisively, "No, the soul is only trapped in the Niwan Palace and has not left the body. As long as there is no external interference, there will definitely be no problem."
It will take anywhere from a few years to several decades for the clan leader to awaken.
Moreover, this is only the time it will take for him to awaken; his consciousness will return much sooner. Once the clan leader's consciousness recovers, the matriarch will be able to communicate with him through divine sense.
Hearing this, Zhuang Yuechan was slightly relieved and asked again, "Master Wujie, you are knowledgeable and experienced, do you know any solutions?"
Many hands make light work; my husband's wisdom alone is ultimately limited, and we should also help him identify and fill any gaps in his knowledge.
"Currently, the most common method is to separate the soul from the Niwan Palace, then temporarily seal the Niwan Palace, and then unseal it when breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. Apart from taking a long time, there is generally no danger."
Although the Niwan Palace is temporarily closed, it is still possible to seize the initiative in the future by shattering the core and condensing the nascent soul, which is the safest approach.
However, based on my understanding of the clan leader, he most likely won't choose this path. The magical power within him has already been transformed into the power of laws. Compared to other cultivators who accidentally opened their Niwan Palace, he is very likely to choose the second, riskier but more rewarding route.
Zhuang Yuechan frowned slightly: "The second route? Please enlighten me, Master."
"May I ask, Madam, where exactly does the difference lie between a Nascent Soul True Monarch and a Golden Core cultivator?"
"Naturally, it is the control of the power of laws. The Nascent Soul cultivator can communicate with heaven and earth, and every move contains the power of the Great Dao. There is an essential difference between them and the Golden Core cultivator."
"The words of the mistress are very insightful. There are three obvious characteristics between the Golden Core stage and the Nascent Soul stage."
Firstly, it is to enter the Dao with one's own body and knock on the door of the Great Dao.
Secondly, it involves converting the magical power within the body into the power of laws.
Thirdly, it opens the Niwan Palace, shatters the elixir to form an infant, and condenses the Dharma image of heaven and earth.
There is a causal relationship between these three factors. Those who can achieve the first step before breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage are rare in the world and can be called geniuses.
If one can reach the second step before breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, then one is truly a genius.
Logically speaking, this type of cultivator only needs to open up the Niwan Palace to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch and complete the transformation.
But the world is always full of surprises.
During the Immortal Dynasty, there was a rogue cultivator named Wuque who was truly a genius. He opened the gate to the Great Dao with only the Golden Core cultivation level and communicated with heaven and earth, transforming the magic power in his body into the power of laws. He even forcibly opened the Niwan Palace due to a fortuitous opportunity.
At that time, his Golden Core was not yet fully perfected, and he was unable to shatter the core and condense his nascent soul, resulting in his Niwan Palace being without a master and his body and soul being separated.
His experiences were almost identical to those of the clan chief.
However, he did something unprecedented: he used his own golden core essence and a part of his true spirit to create a 'Nascent Soul' and entered a completely new realm.
This realm lies between the Golden Core stage and the Nascent Soul stage, representing a transitional state between the two.
Because it was mediated by a true spirit, Wuque named it 'Spiritual Infant', but people prefer to call it 'False Infant' more directly.
Although this Nascent Soul was fake, it truly possessed some of the great power that only a Nascent Soul True Monarch could have.
If the clan leader can reach the 'Pseudo-Infant' realm, there will be no further obstacles to breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. Since Wuque, as far as I know, there have been four people in the cultivation world who have achieved the Pseudo-Infant realm. Apart from one who died halfway through, all the others have broken through to the Nascent Soul stage without exception.
Because it is essentially a breakthrough in itself, once the Five Elements Alchemy is perfected, one can directly shatter the core and condense the nascent soul, achieving the true Nascent Soul realm.
"So this is how fake babies are created. Are there any risks involved?"
"The risk is something that needs to be faced all along, but it has been brought forward. It is the great inner demon tribulation that all cultivators who break through to the Nascent Soul stage cannot avoid."
The essence of condensing a false infant is to temporarily replace the primordial infant in order to communicate with heaven and earth. Only in this way can one borrow the power of the Great Dao at will.
Therefore, the Heavenly Dao may make a misjudgment, mistaking the false infant for the true nascent soul, believing that some means were used to evade the great inner demon tribulation, and the Heavenly Dao will once again bring down the tribulation punishment.
Besides the major inner demon tribulation that one must experience, there will be other tribulations, the specifics of which depend on one's own destiny.
The clan leader's resolve is unwavering; he ventured deep into the tribulation clouds unscathed. After opening his Niwan Palace, his spiritual power underwent a qualitative leap. These tribulations should pose little difficulty to him; Madam, please rest assured.
“That is, after all, a tribulation of inner demons. My husband was completely unprepared. What if he gets caught up in it…”
Throughout history, countless brilliant and talented individuals have ultimately succumbed to their inner demons. No matter who it is, everyone is extremely cautious before facing their tribulations.
Song Changsheng started the process hastily, and no one knew what the outcome would be, not to mention the other calamities that awaited him.
"If you are really worried, you can talk to the chieftain after he wakes up."
"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Master. You should take good care of your health first."
After seeing Wu Jie off, Zhuang Yuechan took out her communication token and sent a message to Cangmang Peak.
No one knows when Song Changsheng will wake up from this coma, so we must notify him in advance to avoid any leaks.
The Song family has developed too rapidly in recent years, and Song Changsheng has become too dazzling. Once people know his current situation, it's inevitable that some will take the opportunity to cause trouble...
"Where...is this place?"
After an unknown amount of time, Song Changsheng's dormant consciousness slowly awoke. He felt as if he were in a completely dark space, surrounded by a strange power that made his whole body feel warm.
He quickly realized that he had lost control of his physical body and his consciousness was trapped in the Niwan Palace.
"So this is the Niwan Palace. It seems my soul is trapped inside. I never expected to encounter something with such a low probability."
He had a very clear understanding of his own condition and quickly thought of the flawless True Lord from the Immortal Dynasty.
"The method of creating a false infant... a path to heaven." Song Changsheng fell into deep thought.
If it were simply a matter of separating the soul from the Niwan Palace, there are actually many ways to do it, but if one wants to maximize the benefits, the method of creating a false infant is undoubtedly the best choice.
Although the False Infant cannot contend with the Nascent Soul True Monarch, it can surpass all Golden Core cultivators. Naturally, it can easily deal with the invasion of the Golden Eye Demon Kingdom.
His current situation is the same as that of the flawless True Monarch. He clearly has all the characteristics to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, but he cannot shatter his core and condense his nascent soul because his golden core is not yet perfect. Simply put, he has not accumulated enough experience.
Condensed baby is undoubtedly a good choice.
"We'll have to face it sooner or later anyway, so let's just do it sooner rather than later."
Song Changsheng didn't hesitate much and directly chose the path with the highest risk and the greatest reward.
After making up his mind, he began to try to contact Zhuang Yuechan using his divine sense.
During this time, Zhuang Yuechan stayed by Song Changsheng's bedside. Upon hearing his call, she immediately opened her eyes and said, "I'm here. You're finally awake."
"How long have I been asleep?"
"It's been half a year now."
"So long? How is Master Wujie?"
"Master Wujie lost some of his life essence, and his lifespan was definitely shortened. As for how much he lost, only he himself knows."
After some rest and recuperation, I'm much better now, so you don't need to worry too much.
At this point, Zhuang Yuechan paused and said, "Do you know your current situation?"
"My soul is probably trapped in the Niwan Palace. Don't worry, I can handle it, it just takes a little time," Song Changsheng comforted him gently.
Zhuang Yuechan pursed her lips, biting her red lips tightly, and said, "Master Wujie already told me that you are going to use the False Infant Method?"
"That's right, this is the most profitable option right now. If I can achieve the False Infant Realm, my strength will surpass that of all the cultivators in the Southwest, and I will be better able to deal with the invasion of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom."
Without the Demon Lord's intervention, no one can rival me.
Although there are certain risks, these are things we were going to experience anyway, just a little earlier.
From the day I broke through to the Golden Core stage, I was already prepared to face the tribulation of inner demons. Don't worry, I will definitely succeed.
Zhuang Yuechan paused for a moment before saying, "Since you've made your decision, I will naturally support you unconditionally. I've already sent a message back to the family, announcing that you're in seclusion and to be careful in everything you do."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
“I’ve recently consulted some relevant scriptures and classics, but I haven’t found any way to help you…” Zhuang Yuechan’s tone was somewhat downcast.
"This is my tribulation, and I should overcome it myself. If you want to help me... then recite the sutra. The Buddhist scripture I gave you before might be of some use."
"Okay, I've got it."
"Believe me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Changsheng withdrew his divine sense and began to condense a false infant.
The false infant was formed from the true spirit and the origin of the golden core. This step was not difficult for him. The only thing he needed to worry about now was how to eliminate his own inner demons.
Even he himself didn't know what his inner demons were.
Of course, it's also possible that they just don't want to admit it...
……
P.S.: I have received your feedback regarding the slow progress. I am currently reviewing the outline to see if we can cut some content to speed things up without affecting the main storyline. (End of Chapter)