Chapter 416 – Nourishing Spiritual Root, Qi Nourishes Spirit, Seizing Heavenly Dao to Transform Self…

Deity Transformation accomplished, the Great Dao… Three Lives

This was the Transformation God Tribulation, yet not an ordinary one.

Lu Chen gazed at the eerie tribulation clouds formed by a pile of corpses overhead, his heart surprisingly calm.

After all, he had long anticipated such a scene.

Though the Heavenly Tribulation appeared peculiar, it was only because Lu Chen’s Dharma Eye—the Azure Lotus Eyes—could partially see through illusions and perceive the true essence.

To anyone else, these bizarre tribulation clouds would not seem terrifying but rather filled with Immortal Qi.

In the eyes of others, the grotesque mass of grafted corpses in the sky appeared as an ethereal paradise amidst clouds, surrounded by immortal aura.

Celestial cranes, Immortals, and palaces in the heavens.

Heavenly soldiers, celestial generals, and divine officials.

An ordinary person witnessing this spectacle would harbor no doubt.

They would yearn intensely for ‘Ascension,’ believing they were about to ‘achieve enlightenment’ and attain ultimate liberation.

But Lu Chen knew clearly that all of this was merely bait offered by the Nine Realms Heavenly Dao to the ‘fish.’

The so-called liberation was nothing more than moving from one cage to another, larger one.

Lu Chen even suspected that many cultivators in the Ancient Fiend Nine Realms were unable to see their true forms.

What he and other cultivators from the Immortal Cultivation World deemed heretical practices might seem entirely normal to them.

The reason lay in the fact that neither Lu Chen nor the cultivators of the Immortal Cultivation World were natives of the Nine Realms, untouched by the influence of this realm.

Thus, they could observe this world with the clarity of outsiders, seeing through its essence.

Reflecting on this, Lu Chen sighed with emotion.

“Long trapped in a cage, returning to nature; if one day I soar atop the Azure Clouds, the world will suddenly broaden.”

“Yet if even these Azure Clouds become a cage, then so-called ‘nature’… is merely a larger prison.”

“This world, indeed, is sick.”

On the eerie tribulation clouds, countless grimacing desiccated corpses clawed menacingly at Lu Chen below, reeking of foulness.

Above these Azure Clouds, there were no Immortal Palaces, no celestial officials—only a horde of man-eating demons cloaked in deceitful appearances.

And the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Realms was the greatest demon of all.

Lu Chen closed his eyes, beginning to carefully comprehend the ‘Dongzhen Aperture’ he had just unlocked.

Humans possess three apertures: the first is Dong Shen, the second Dong Xuan, and the third Dong Zhen.

With all three apertures open, one attains profound mystery.

Having unlocked the Dongzhen Aperture, Lu Chen felt as if the final shackles binding him had been removed.

No longer obstructed from the surrounding world, he could clearly perceive the Great Dao of this realm.

This was the fundamental distinction between the Transformation Soul Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.

Embodying the Dao, spirit united with the Dao.

Though Lu Chen had not fully stepped into the path of Deity Transformation, he could already glimpse the splendor of this Realm.

The sensation was difficult to put into words.

If his previous perception of the Heavenly Dao was like viewing flowers through a mist—unclear and indistinct—

now it was as clear as watching fire, witnessing the sunrise and sunset, hearing the chirping of insects and birds. Every subtle movement around him slowed infinitely in Lu Chen’s perception, each sound crisp and distinct.

This feeling of holding the entire world within his grasp was utterly intoxicating.However, Lu Chen was well aware that what he could fully control at the moment was not the entire world, but merely a small area around him.

This was the hallmark of the Transformation Soul Stage… Severing Heaven-Earth Connection.

Within the range of ‘Severing Heaven-Earth Connection,’ Lu Chen was the absolute ‘Dominator.’

All spells, all Divine Abilities, could not be easily unleashed here.

Any person or object that fell into this domain had to abide by his ‘Dao,’ his ‘rules’—even the eerie tribulation clouds above were no exception.

Drip, drip…

The sound of pattering rain fell upon the already scorched-dry Fallen Dragon Lake.

On the parched lakebed, the massive skeleton of an ancient Flood Dragon lay coiled.

Yet this ‘spring rain,’ which should have awakened the vitality of heaven and earth, was instead extinguishing all life force between the skies and the land.

For what fell was not rain at all, but terrifying ‘blood’—black blood, a mixture of malice and Karma.

The source of this black blood rain was the tribulation clouds above Lu Chen.

The Flood Dragon’s bones on the ground continuously melted under the corrosion of the blood rain.

Before long, the enormous Flood Dragon skeleton vanished completely.

The originally dried-up Fallen Dragon Lake was now refilled with blood.

Yet even restored, the lake remained reeking of blood, like a scene from purgatory.

Though the Flood Dragon’s remains had disappeared from the lakebed, Lu Chen saw a new ‘Flood Dragon’ emerge within the tribulation clouds.

It was a decayed Flood Dragon, as if dead for tens of thousands of years, its body pieced together with stitched flesh.

The resurrected Flood Dragon showed no gratitude to the tribulation clouds, instead struggling incessantly, trying to break free.

Alas, the clouds were filled with far too many broken corpses and severed limbs.

These remnants tightly gripped the Flood Dragon, making escape impossible.

Finally, under the Flood Dragon’s despairing gaze, it was dragged deep into the heart of the tribulation clouds.

Then, a sound akin to chewing reached Lu Chen’s ears.

This noise seemed tinged with a hint of pleasure, as if savoring some delicious feast.

Lu Chen understood: it was because he had utterly slain the Flood Dragon.

Having lost its True Spirit, the Flood Dragon’s corresponding Dao had to return to where it belonged—back to the ‘Nine Realms Heavenly Dao.’

Yet this returning Dao carried with it tens of thousands of years of the Flood Dragon’s cultivation insights, vastly different from the original ‘Dao.’

The Nine Realms Heavenly Dao’s actions were like a malicious lender, reclaiming the ‘loan’ with both principal and interest in full.

Though Lu Chen still preserved the Flood Dragon’s ‘Dao Fruit’ in his Storage Bag, it paled in comparison to the eons of insight and cultivation.

After thoroughly consuming the ‘Flood Dragon,’ the tribulation clouds visibly expanded further.

And Lu Chen could clearly sense that the gaze directed at him now brimmed with greed, like a starved beast spotting isolated prey.

Yet the same thought simmered in Lu Chen’s heart.

The Nine Realms Heavenly Dao sought to devour Lu Chen to strengthen itself, while Lu Chen equally needed the Heavenly Dao’s Origin within these tribulation clouds to fully consolidate his ‘True Spirit Transformation.’

Both sides regarded the other as prey.For reasons unknown, neither side seemed in a hurry to act, maintaining an eerie standoff.

An indeterminate amount of time passed.

The strange tribulation clouds that had been hovering motionlessly in the sky finally began to stir.

Seeing this, Lu Chen pressed two fingers to his brow.

In the next instant, countless phantom figures materialized around him.

Upon closer inspection, these were clearly clones of Lu Chen himself.

However, these Heretical Avatars that should have been capable of perfectly replicating all of Lu Chen’s cultivation now appeared incomplete, possessing only a fraction of his original divine essence.

Yet even this small portion of divine essence was sufficient for them to execute one divine ability each.

With thousands upon thousands of clones, even if each could only unleash a single divine ability, it would be equivalent to Lu Chen’s original self performing ten thousand times his normal capacity.

One could say that this single application alone had qualitatively elevated Lu Chen’s original power.

This was the ‘Dao’ Lu Chen had now transformed into, named… Three Lives.

【Name: Lu Chen (Azure Cloud Sect – Danyang Peak Chief Disciple)】

【Cultivation: Transformation Soul Stage (Pseudo)】

【Innate Divine Ability: Reincarnation Time (Fifth Realm Immortal Art)】

【Divine Abilities: Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation (Fourth Realm Dao Transformation), Samadhi True Fire (Fifth Realm Immortal Art)…】

【Law of Heaven and Earth: Three Purities Manifestation (1/3)】

【Severing Heaven from Earth: Three Lives】

【Grand Path: Three Lives】

【Description: The Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets all things】

【Effect: Can freely divide one’s True Spirit, either condensing incarnations or anchoring into all spiritual entities, transforming the formless into form, creating substance from nothingness. Can mold spirits and condense divinity, achieving rebirth from a single drop of blood.】

As the saying goes, ‘Essence nourishes the Spirit Root, Qi nourishes the Spirit.’

In the early stages of cultivation, practitioners essentially absorb the essence of all things to nurture their own Spirit Roots.

As cultivation advances, the ‘Spiritual Qi’ generated by the Spirit Root gradually nourishes the cultivator’s Divine Soul, enabling better comprehension and utilization of the Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, before achieving his breakthrough to the Transformation Soul Stage,

Lu Chen’s Heretical Avatar had been limited to the function of ‘clones.’

This was partly due to his insufficient comprehension of the ‘Three Lives Grand Path’ within the Heretical Avatar,

and partly because his own Divine Soul strength couldn’t support more applications.

Despite these limitations, he had still pushed this innate divine ability to its extreme.

For instance, using clones to possess others’ bodies and directly control them.

However, this method only worked when the target’s strength was far inferior, and their True Spirit was either damaged or unable to resist.

Otherwise, Lu Chen couldn’t rely on the Heretical Avatar to directly possess another’s body.

But upon reaching the Transformation Soul Stage and fusing with this innate divine ability,

this innate ability underwent a qualitative transformation.

If the previous ‘Heretical Avatar’ was merely a skill-like existence – appearing as ‘Dao’ while essentially remaining within the category of ‘technique’ – then with his complete mastery of the Dao contained within ‘Heretical Avatar,’ the current Heretical Avatar had completely broken free from the framework of ‘technique,’ forming a complete ‘Dao.The fundamental difference between ‘technique’ and ‘Dao’ lies in the former being tangible and limited, while the latter is intangible and freely applicable.

One could say that at this stage, Lu Chen had already qualified to establish his own school.

Based on the ‘Three Lives Dao,’ he could develop countless ‘divine abilities and techniques’ and pass them down through generations.What Lu Chen was currently executing was a derivative of the ‘Three Lives Dao’—Splashing Spirit into Soldiers.

Using a wisp of his True Spirit as the foundation, he divided it into countless Clones.

Each Clone only needed to possess the power of a single strike, with no consideration for any other aspects.

It was purely… an offensive technique.

Above the Fallen Dragon Lake, countless figures stood in the sky, controlling Swords with their will.

Dense Sword lights and human figures scattered across the heavens and earth, their Aura majestic.

Opposing them was the massive ‘monster’ in the sky.

This monster had no head or face, eerie and perverse, neither quite demonic nor entirely material.

But upon closer inspection, if one removed the densely packed dismembered corpses and severed limbs covering the monster’s body, it appeared to be nothing more than a broken arm.

And now, this colossal calamity-cloud arm was slowly descending.

It seemed intent on suppressing Lu Chen directly.

However, when the palm of this arm descended to a certain point,

countless Sword lights soared into the air.

These were the myriad Clones Lu Chen had split from his True Spirit.

Each one contained his ultimate Sword Intent.

Dense Sword lights struck the palm of the calamity cloud.

Amid the collisions, the calamity cloud screamed incessantly.

Wherever the Sword lights passed, blood splattered, and severed limbs flew like Swords.

Unlike ordinary Flying Swords, the sword rain composed of Lu Chen’s myriad Flying Swords had one most terrifying aspect:

each Clone contained a portion of consciousness.

In other words, every one of them could adjust their attack direction and even their Sword control trajectory based on the situation.

This was undoubtedly a terrifying capability.

After all, it was equivalent to countless Lu Chens targeting the calamity cloud’s weaknesses and attacking them.

Although the calamity cloud was massive and contained extremely fearsome Karma,

the threat it posed to Lu Chen was far less than that of the original Flood Dragon Immortal.

After all, the Flood Dragon Immortal’s lifetime of skills was cultivated through ten thousand years of practice.

But the calamity cloud was not.

Although it commanded many great Daos, it had no idea when to use which Dao power.

Like a child holding a weapon, it couldn’t fully utilize its own strength.

Moreover, Lu Chen was not a Cultivator from the Nine Realms.

This allowed him to be completely immune to the control of the Nine Realms’ great Daos.

His cultivation could be fully unleashed without the slightest reduction.

Thus, in this battle between Celestial Beings, Lu Chen gained the upper hand in the very first encounter.

Amid the myriad Sword lights, the calamity cloud’s transformed hand was quickly sliced into pieces.

Countless chunks of flesh fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.

However, despite suffering such heavy damage, the calamity cloud did not vanish.

Instead, it slowly began to reveal its ferocity.

“Roar!”

A furious roar, like a sudden clap of thunder, erupted in the sky.

Then, countless massive tentacles composed of flesh and blood flew out from the calamity cloud, easily dispersing many of Lu Chen’s Clones.

These tentacles were the unique ‘Heavenly Thunder’ of the Nine Realms.

Even the great Daos of heaven and earth could be animated and fleshed.

For Heavenly Thunder to achieve this was not difficult to understand.

With the appearance of these tentacles, it was no longer easy for Lu Chen’s Clones to casually slash at the calamity cloud.

But Lu Chen was not limited to just the ‘Splashing Spirit into Soldiers’ technique.

The Wushu Clones that had been besieging the calamity cloud scattered, each standing in the sky, closing their eyes and forming hand seals.

In the next moment, Sword shadows transformed from Sword Intent appeared behind these Clones.Among them, the four largest Sword Intent phantoms were manifested from Lu Chen’s true form.

The Sword Formation composed of these four Sword Intent phantoms was none other than the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation Lu Chen had used to slay the Immortal Fiend Wushu.

But this time was different.

Instead of a single formation, there appeared one primary formation accompanied by countless subsidiary formations.

They resonated with one another, ultimately coalescing into a sky-obscuring, star-concealing sea of Sword Intent that resembled an endless expanse of stars.

The Sword Intent it concentrated was so potent it seemed capable of tearing through the heavens and reaching the Celestial Palace.

Under the suppression of this Sword Intent, the previously rampant tribulation clouds exhibited a strangely human-like fear.

Yet at this very moment, Lu Chen and his countless closed-eyed Clones simultaneously opened their eyes.

“Slay.”

As this icy command echoed between heaven and earth,

the starry Sword Formation composed of innumerable Sword Intents in the sky began descending upon the tribulation clouds.

The endless, vast river of Sword Intent carried an aura capable of piercing through eternity, unstoppable in its momentum.

Confronted with this spectacle,

the tribulation clouds, in their terror, unleashed their full power.

Countless tendrils descended from the sky, attempting to block the overwhelming Sword Intent.

Yet Lu Chen observed all this with utterly unflinching eyes.

For now was the time to slay fiends.

(End of Chapter)