Chapter 67: The Situation

Following the young man, they arrived at a village, quite unlike the usual settlements of the Fengyang clan; all who dwelled here were human cultivators from the lower realms.

The method of human cultivation, or to speak more precisely, the path to immortality, was originally passed down from the Fuxi clan of the Spirit Realm. Yet, compared to the Fuxi of the Spirit Realm, humans from the lower realms, after countless generations, had seen the divine nature within their Fuxi bloodline gradually diluted by the acquired energies of the world. Thus, they could not directly cultivate the Fuxi arts, but had to begin by refining their qi, establishing their foundation, forming the golden core—step by step, strengthening the prime spirit. Only after achieving the great transformation of the spirit could they use their divinity to perfect the body.

Upon reaching the realm of Transforming the Void, they would complete the cycle of the five elements and awaken the Fuxi divinity within their blood. This was the stage beyond the transformation of the spirit. Once the Fuxi divinity was awakened, one could then cultivate the myriad divine abilities of the Fuxi clan, condensing the Fuxi Dharma Body. This stage was called Unity. When one reached perfection, the Dharma Body could merge with the physical form, forging the Fuxi Divine Body.

Achieving the Fuxi Divine Body was equivalent to the Grand Ascension stage of the Spirit Realm, yet the Fuxi’s Grand Ascension was unlike any other: their divine abilities were unmatched, and their physical strength peerless. They were truly invincible among their peers—even ordinary true spirits could not withstand a Fuxi at Grand Ascension. The current Fuxi Emperor of the Spirit Realm had slain true dragons, subdued true phoenixes, and for one hundred thousand years reigned supreme over the entire Spirit Realm.

Such vast renown had spread to every corner of the realm. Of course, as with all things, great power comes with great cost. The divine abilities of the Fuxi are formidable, but the path of cultivation is correspondingly arduous. Few among the Fuxi can master all divine abilities and thus forge the Fuxi Divine Body. In this era, only the Fuxi Emperor and the former Crown Prince managed to perfect the Fuxi Divine Body.

Alas...

“It’s a pity that there was a traitor among our people, who not only caused the death of the Crown Prince but also stole our clan’s greatest treasure, the River Diagram and Book of Heaven. Now, with less than a century left before His Majesty’s great tribulation, who knows if he will survive the coming calamity?”

The one speaking to Chen Yang and his disciple was a lower realm cultivator at the Transformation of the Spirit stage, recently arrived from the Celestial Sea Realm—a few months before Chen Yang and his disciple—and still struggling to adapt to the surging spiritual energy of the Spirit Realm, which drastically altered the potency of all magic and techniques.

“I can’t help but think that this traitor must be from the Four Continents Realm,” Chen Yang muttered inwardly, recalling the world’s hostility and Feng Xi’s attitude toward those from the Four Continents Realm.

Typically, after reaching the Transforming the Void stage and perfecting the five elements to awaken the Fuxi divinity, one’s lifespan would become immeasurably long, equal to the prime spirit—true immortality. However, the Spirit Realm was unlike the lower realms; every five hundred years, a heavenly tribulation would descend. At first, these were not difficult to overcome, but as the number of tribulations grew, their power would increase exponentially, until finally they became catastrophes capable of destroying heaven and earth.

The present Fuxi Emperor had ruled the Spirit Realm for a hundred thousand years, enduring tribulations beyond counting. The might of these tribulations had grown so terrible that no conventional means could hope to withstand them. With the clan’s greatest treasure stolen, the last few tribulations had been nearly impossible to survive, consuming all the powerful artifacts of the Fuxi and nearly shattering even the Emperor’s divine body.

This impending tribulation was a source of profound anxiety for the entire Fuxi clan, yet there was nothing they could do. Many among the Fuxi elite had wished to recover the River Diagram and Book of Heaven, but this treasure, being the primordial artifact of cosmic calculation, could connect to myriad worlds. The traitor who killed the Crown Prince and stole the treasure had long since vanished into another world, leaving no trace to pursue.

It was precisely because the Fuxi Emperor’s great tribulation drew near that the entire Spirit Realm was restless. As the elder of the Feng clan had remarked, the realm was far from peaceful these days. Many great clans were quietly waiting, watching to see if the Fuxi Emperor would survive this tribulation.

“To think such a wicked traitor exists—they deserve death.”

“Who could disagree? All we can do now is pray that His Majesty survives the tribulation, or else…” At this, Fellow Daoist Xu from the Four Seas Realm sighed deeply, his face clouded with worry, and lost all interest in further conversation. After a polite farewell, he left Chen Yang and his disciple’s small courtyard and returned to his own next door.

Though the Fuxi are the overlords of the Spirit Realm and even maintain communication with the Fuxi Celestial Court of the Immortal Realm, the other great clans of the Spirit Realm are not to be underestimated. While they may lack an emperor as matchless as the Fuxi, many of them have their own Grand Ascension cultivators, some even living in symbiosis with true spirits.

It was only because the Fuxi Emperor, with his perfect divine body, was so overwhelmingly powerful that even a true immortal descending to the Spirit Realm could not hope to match him, forcing the other clans to remain subordinate. But those who reach immortality or the Grand Ascension stage are hardly the sort to willingly submit to others; any true coward would not even reach the Transformation of the Spirit stage.

The Fuxi Celestial Court of the Immortal Realm faces two great enemies and cannot spare anyone to aid the Spirit Realm’s Fuxi. Any interference would only shatter the Spirit Realm, reducing it to chaos, to be remade after countless ages.

As someone who had come to the Spirit Realm full of hope, seeking to become immortal and gain eternal life, the power of the Fuxi clan had first filled the lower realm cultivators with joy. But upon learning of the current crisis facing the Fuxi, it was like a blow to the head; no wonder Fellow Daoist Xu was so despondent.

“I wonder how the Spirit Realm’s heavenly tribulation compares to the Forty-Nine Tribulations? The Forty-Nine Tribulations combine heart demons, thunder and fire, trials of humanity and more—all at once. The Spirit Realm has few demon spirits, so perhaps the heart demon tribulation is not so strong.

“Yet, such complex tribulations, for all their danger, at least offer ways to circumvent them. It’s the pure thunder tribulation that’s truly hard to handle.”

Chen Yang mused inwardly. If he could help, he wouldn’t mind lending a hand, but first, he knew nothing of the specifics of the tribulation here. Second, if it truly was a pure energy thunder tribulation, then over one hundred thousand years, the Fuxi Emperor must have endured at least two hundred such trials. Even if the power increased only slightly each time, by now, the force of the thunder tribulation would be unimaginable.

A task that required nothing but brute magical power to withstand was not Chen Yang’s strength at present.

Still, it was only a fleeting thought. Having severed all demonic nature, he was no longer bound by morality or rules—he did as he pleased, seeking only to remain true to his own heart, pursuing ultimate wisdom, power, and divine ability. If he could help, so be it; if not, he wouldn’t dwell on it.

In any case, in three to five centuries at most, he would achieve Celestial Immortality, perhaps even merge with Pure Yang. The Unity and Grand Ascension stages of this realm were equivalent to the level of the Primordial Spirit Dharma Body, or the entry-level Earth Immortal of Mount Shu.

In terms of pure magical power, the Earth Immortals of Mount Shu might be weaker, since Mount Shu valued virtue over sheer power. But his own Hunyuan Immortal Path Dharma Body would be in no way inferior—indeed, it would be ten or a hundred times stronger. By then, not only would he be able to sweep away all opposition himself, but even his disciple might be able to conquer the entire Spirit Realm.