Preparations Before Breaking Through to the Nascent Soul Stage! The Sacred Beast Takes H

With the essence blood containing spatial power provided by Xiao Zi, Zhou Yuan finally solved the most crucial problem in making talisman ink.

Zhou Yuan carried the small jade bottle containing purple blood back to the secret chamber.

He mixed Xiao Zi's essence blood with several other equally rare materials that he had prepared in a specific ratio.

Then, it is carefully blended and refined using its own incomparably pure infant fire.

He was completely focused throughout the entire process.

I dare not be distracted in the slightest.

After several hours of careful preparation and continuous refining, Zhou Yuan finally succeeded in creating a high-quality talisman ink that shimmered with a faint silver-purple spiritual light.

Although Zhou Yuan considered himself a grandmaster-level figure in the world of talismanic arts, there were very few people in the entire human realm who could rival him in the art of talismans. Moreover, he had the Golden Jade Book Fragment in his equipment inventory, which constantly improved his understanding of talismans and his success rate in making talismans.

However, this Taiyi Huaqing Talisman is, after all, an ancient talisman originating from the Immortal Realm. It is incredibly profound, and the laws and rune arrangements involved far exceed the comprehension of the mortal world. Its crafting difficulty is extremely high, far surpassing that of ordinary talismans.

During his first formal attempt at refining, Zhou Yuan's initial attempts went smoothly, but at the last moment, due to an extremely minor and almost imperceptible mistake in controlling the heat, the special talisman paper that carried the runes could not withstand the powerful spatial force contained in the talisman ink and instantly turned to ashes, marking a failure and rendering all previous efforts futile.

Zhou Yuan was not discouraged by this.

He knew that if talismans of this level could be crafted so easily, they would be worthless.

He calmed himself down, closed his eyes, and carefully reviewed the entire process of his failure in his mind. He found the crux of the problem, adjusted his mindset and methods, and made sure that the same mistake would not be made a second time.

Then, he took a deep breath and began the second refining process.

This time, he abandoned all distractions, his mind was as still as water, and he immersed himself entirely in the process of making talismans, as if he were completely isolated from the outside world.

Finally, after several hours of intense operation and high concentration, a Taiyi Huaqing Talisman emitting a faint silver light was successfully formed on the talisman paper. The mysterious silver runes seemed to come alive, slowly flowing on the surface of the talisman paper and emitting a mysterious spatial fluctuation!

It worked!

With the experience of his first success, Zhou Yuan's subsequent refining processes went much more smoothly, and he completed them in one go without making any mistakes.

In the end, he obtained a total of six Taiyi Purification Talismans in perfect condition, each containing powerful spatial concealment capabilities, enough to save lives in critical moments.

"If I ascend to the Spirit Realm someday, I'll take two of these for self-defense, just in case. The rest I'll leave to Yao Mei and the others, so they'll have an extra trump card to protect themselves, and I can feel more at ease." Zhou Yuan thought to himself as he looked at the six hard-won talismans in his hand, a gentle look appearing in his eyes.

He doesn't cultivate the ruthless path of severing all emotions and desires, nor does he pursue a cold and heartless one.

Having known each other for so many years and weathered so many storms together, he naturally didn't want the women around him to lack any trump cards to protect themselves, leaving them powerless to fight back when faced with danger.

In the future, I will eventually go to the spirit world to seek a higher realm and a longer lifespan. At that time, it will be extremely difficult to go back to the mortal world. It will be almost impossible, and I may even have to pay a huge price.

Fortunately, the cultivation resources that Zhou Yuan is providing to Zi Ling and Yuan Yao are now among the best in the human realm. They have no shortage of magic weapons, pills, and cultivation techniques, and they are all of the highest quality.

As for how far they can cultivate in the future, whether they can break through to the Nascent Soul stage and gain a longer lifespan, that depends on their individual fortune and opportunities. After all, I can't guarantee that everyone can reach that level. The path of cultivation must ultimately be walked by oneself, and no one can take one's place.

Next, Zhou Yuan emerged from seclusion.

This time, I only came out of seclusion to handle some trivial matters, such as listening to reports from my disciples, understanding the recent operation of the sect and news from various places, checking whether the sect's defensive formations need to be reinforced, and replying to messages sent by old friends and acquaintances.

After finishing these miscellaneous tasks, Zhou Yuan planned to completely calm down and go into seclusion to break through to a higher realm, striving to reach the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible, and preparing for his future ascension.

After he came out, the first thing he did was go to a remote and relatively spiritually rich wasteland in Dongyu Kingdom.

The terrain here is open and far from human habitation, making it ideal for undertaking large-scale operations without attracting much attention or disturbance from the outside world.

Then, he reached out and patted the Void Heaven Cauldron at his waist. A flash of azure light released the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast from the space within the cauldron.

"Fellow Daoist Tianlan, I promised you years ago that I would help you transform and rebuild your cultivation. What do you think of this place? This is the place I carefully selected for you to transform. It is in a remote location with decent spiritual energy, so no one should disturb your tribulation."

Zhou Yuan pointed to the wasteland in front of him and spoke to the enormous Tianlan Sacred Beast in a calm tone.

"Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Zhou! This place is excellent, just what I wanted!"

The Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast nodded its enormous head and spoke in human language, its tone no longer carrying the arrogance and haughtiness of before.

Although its true form is a demon king of the spirit realm with an incomparably noble status, a Nascent Soul cultivator like Zhou Yuan would be utterly insignificant to it during its prime, like an ant.

However, now it was just a separated avatar, its cultivation had plummeted, and it needed to rebuild its physical form. It still needed Zhou Yuan's help to protect it. If it failed, the plan that the main body had planned for so long and consumed so many resources to send this avatar down to the mortal realm would be completely wasted. It could not afford such a loss, so its attitude became much more polite.

"This place is indeed quite good. Although the spiritual energy is not as great as those blessed lands, it is enough for me to take human form. Let me prepare for a month and adjust my condition before initiating the tribulation lightning."

The Heavenly Azure Beast surveyed its surroundings and said with satisfaction.

Then, its enormous body slowly lay down on the summit of a mountain, closed its eyes, and began to silently gather its strength.

He mobilized the demonic power within his body to make final preparations for the upcoming tribulation of transformation.

Zhou Yuan was not stingy either. He flipped his hand, and a drop of crystal-clear liquid, exuding a bone-chilling cold, appeared in his palm. It was the incomparably precious Cold Marrow.

He handed the drop of Frost Marrow to the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast, saying, "Fellow Daoist Heavenly Azure, please accept this drop of Frost Marrow. This item is extremely beneficial for your demon beasts in resisting lightning tribulations, and can greatly increase your success rate in transforming into human form. I believe it should be of some help to you."

The Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast opened its eyes and, upon seeing the drop of Frost Marrow that Zhou Yuan had handed it, its eyes lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy. It quickly said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Fellow Daoist Zhou! I will remember this favor!"

"Even in the Spirit Realm, the Frost Marrow is a rare treasure. Once it appears, it will be fiercely contested by our demon race, potentially causing a bloodbath and creating a massive upheaval! I never expected that you would be so generous as to bestow this upon me, fellow Daoist. I am truly grateful!"

Zhou Yuan waved his hand, indicating that it didn't need to be polite. Next, the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast began to prepare for its tribulation.

A month later, the once clear sky suddenly darkened. Within a radius of several thousand feet, vast expanses of pitch-black clouds appeared out of nowhere, piling up layer upon layer, completely blocking out the sunlight, as if night had fallen prematurely.

A deep rumble of thunder echoed from within the clouds, and streaks of lightning, like silver snakes, snaked and darted through them, radiating a chilling divine might. The air itself seemed to freeze, filled with a chilling atmosphere.

Finally, with a deafening roar, a thick bolt of silver lightning, like an angry dragon, tore through the clouds and crashed down on the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast atop the mountain below with an aura of annihilation!

Although the first three lightning tribulations were quite powerful, the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast managed to withstand them thanks to its strong physical body and abundant magical power. It only swayed slightly and was otherwise unharmed.

However, starting from the fourth lightning tribulation, its power increased significantly, more than several times over. The color of the lightning turned deep purple, and the destructive power it contained became even more terrifying.

Even with the protection of its Frost Marrow, which helped it resist and neutralize some of the lightning power, the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast's body was still cleaved open, charred black, and emitting a burnt smell, with scales flying everywhere.

When the sixth wave of lightning struck, the massive body of the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast was already a bloody mess, with many bones exposed. Its aura had also become disordered and weak, clearly indicating that it was seriously injured and on the verge of exhaustion.

"Fellow Daoist Tianlan, it seems that the power of your Transformation Lightning Tribulation far surpasses that of any other demonic beast I've witnessed undergoing tribulations!"

Zhou Yuan stood in the air not far away, hands behind his back, looking at the seventh wave of lightning tribulation that was still brewing in the sky. He frowned slightly and spoke through telepathy.

Zhou Yuan himself had personally witnessed his own Thunder Whale Beast, Gale Beast, and other spirit beasts undergoing their transformation tribulations. The power of their tribulations was far less terrifying than what was before him; they were like a small witch compared to a great wizard, incomparable.

This is probably related to the top-tier bloodline of the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast, which comes from the Spirit Realm.

The stronger the bloodline and the higher the talent of a demon beast, the greater the trials that heaven and earth will bestow, and the power of the lightning tribulation will naturally increase accordingly. This is a balance of the laws of heaven and earth.

The Celestial Beast also appeared somewhat disheveled. Panting, it weakly transmitted its voice, "Fellow Daoist Zhou is absolutely right! The power of this tribulation lightning far exceeded my expectations, even more terrifying than I anticipated! It seems I need your assistance! Otherwise, I fear I will not be able to survive the final waves!"

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded. For him, helping to deal with this lightning tribulation was not a difficult thing.

After all, although the power of this tribulation lightning was a huge threat to the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast, an eighth-level demon beast, and could be fatal, in Zhou Yuan's eyes, it was nothing special and not enough to pose a fatal threat to him. He was confident enough to deal with it.

Soon, the seventh wave of even larger lightning tribulation tore through the sky, crashing down with an aura of annihilation, its dazzling light illuminating the entire world in a ghastly white light.

The instant the lightning tribulation appeared, Zhou Yuan vibrated the Wind and Thunder Wings on his back, and his figure transformed into a stream of light, instantly arriving above the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast.

Then, he summoned the Eight Spirit Ruler he had obtained from Kunwu Mountain. With the infusion of spiritual power, the Eight Spirit Ruler expanded in the wind, instantly transforming into eight phantom images of ancient spirit beasts, which blocked the lightning tribulation below, emitting a hazy precious light.

"boom!!!"

With a deafening roar, the terrifying lightning struck the Eight Spirit Ruler, unleashing visible ripples of energy that spread outwards, causing towering waves to rise in the sea below.

The Eight Spirit Ruler trembled violently, emitting a buzzing sound, but ultimately it successfully withstood most of the power of the lightning tribulation.

Only a small portion of the remaining lightning penetrated the defenses and fell towards the Heavenly Azure Beast below.

However, Zhou Yuan only managed to withstand a small portion of the power of the lightning tribulation.

This is because the transformation lightning tribulation of the demon race has a special rule: although one can ask others to protect them or even reduce some of the power of the lightning tribulation, in the end, the one who suffers must personally withstand about half of the power of each wave of lightning strikes.

Otherwise, this wave of lightning strikes will repeat itself endlessly, never subsiding, until the person undergoing tribulation is completely annihilated. This is an ironclad law of heaven and earth, which cannot be violated.

Therefore, the Heavenly Sacred Beast's request for Zhou Yuan's help was simply to have Zhou Yuan dissipate most of the remaining power of the three waves of lightning tribulations, relieving its pressure and giving it a chance to breathe and recover, rather than having Zhou Yuan completely block all the lightning tribulations for it.

That would actually harm it.

This was repeated three times.

Each time, Zhou Yuan seized the opportunity precisely, taking the initiative to weaken most of the lightning tribulation's power with the Eight Spirit Ruler, and then the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast below gritted its teeth and endured the remaining portion.

With the tacit cooperation of the three, the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast finally survived the near-death transformation tribulation without any major danger, and successfully survived the tribulation.

At this moment, its massive physical body had completely disintegrated under the tempering of the lightning tribulation, transforming into a dazzling light that enveloped itself, forming a giant cocoon of light. The cocoon of light hovered in mid-air, radiating a soft glow and a vigorous life force, undergoing its final transformation, reshaping its physical body.

Another month passed before the light on the cocoon gradually faded, revealing the scene inside.

Suddenly, a child who looked to be only seven or eight years old appeared on the spot. He had red lips and white teeth, skin as white as jade, and a pair of big, bright eyes that made him look very cute. He also had a pigtail tied on his head.

This is what the Tianlan Sacred Beast looks like after it transforms. It appears harmless, but in reality, it contains immense power.

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Zhou for your help. I will never forget your kindness!"

The boy walked up to Zhou Yuan, bowed, and spoke in a childish voice, but his tone was very mature and composed, showing a maturity beyond his years.

"No need for formalities, it was nothing." Zhou Yuan waved his hand, looked the boy up and down, and found him quite amusing. "Come on, come with me somewhere."

Zhou Yuan, leading the boy, transformed into two streaks of light and returned to the Ascension Sect. Afterwards, he led the boy to a secret teleportation array deep within the sect, protected by layers of restrictions, and embedded several high-grade spirit stones into the grooves.

A flash of white light appeared, and the two figures disappeared into the teleportation array.

When they reappeared, they were on a vast blue sea.

Here they were, in the long-lost Chaotic Star Sea, and beneath their feet lay the Azure Spirit Island, where the sea breeze was gentle and the waves were crashing.

After identifying the direction, Zhou Yuan began to fly towards Silver Shark Island, which he remembered.

A month later, Zhou Yuan stopped over a small island made up of dark reefs.

He accurately estimated the distance, then landed on the desolate island, found a flat rock, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes to rest, and became like an old monk in deep meditation.

This left the Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast, who had transformed into a child, with a puzzled expression. This place was utterly unremarkable; the spiritual energy was so thin it was almost negligible, and there wasn't even a decent plant—it was completely barren. Why would Fellow Daoist Zhou bring it to such a place?

One day, two days.

Time passed day by day.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yuan has been entrenched on this desolate island for almost three years.

For the past three years, apart from occasionally opening his eyes to look at the sky or observe the changes in the sea, he has been meditating with his eyes closed, like a stone statue.

He remained motionless and rarely spoke.

The Heavenly Azure Sacred Beast could no longer contain its curiosity and restlessness. Just as it was about to ask Zhou Yuan what he was waiting for, it finally did.

Just now.

The entire island suddenly trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck, and rocks on the island tumbled down.

Immediately afterwards, a deep, thunderous roar suddenly came from the depths of the nearby seabed. The sound was like the bellow of a bull or the roar of a tiger, carrying a wild and fierce aura. It shook the waves on the sea surface and made them roll violently, creating waves several meters high!