"Roar!"
When Lu Qinghe approached the bamboo pavilion, a soft chant emanated from the bamboo pavilion, followed by a burst of golden light!
A terrifying creature similar to a Western dragon, rose from the bamboo pavilion, spreading its wings, covering thousands of miles, like golden clouds, obscuring the sky, as if to envelop the entire mountain under its golden wings.
On its ferocious face, there was no ferocity or brutality, but it was filled with a kind of sharp, sacred, and vast atmosphere, giving anyone who looked at it the feeling of facing a war weapon that pierces the heavens!
Slaughter!
Spreading out from him.
"This is..."
Lu Qinghe could feel it clearly.
The aura of slaughter was not filled with evil, accumulated from countless killings, but a temperament, a temperament born for slaughter.
It's as if the creature in front of him, similar to a Western dragon, was not a ferocious beast, but...
A weapon designed for slaughter!
"I am, Taiyuan!"
The creature that looked like a giant dragon, lowered its head with its golden spiky scales and armor, and its golden eyes fixed on Lu Qinghe, speaking word by word.
"The cultivation not even reaching the ninth level of refining, and yet daring to enter the master's cave!? You are the first, and will also be the last!" The golden creature Taiyuan spoke slowly.
His voice was filled with a mechanical magnetic quality, echoing in the Yuan Realm, bringing a touch of vitality to this otherwise silent world.
"Not even reaching the ninth level of refining...does that mean there is a need to enter this cave?"
"Of course."
Taiyuan's voice, like thunder, reverberated in the void around the mountain peaks, spreading far and wide: "Those who have not reached the level of refining at the tenth stage are not qualified to inherit my master's Yuan Realm."
"You must be grateful. For sixty-three years, no one has come to this Yuan Realm. I have spent sixty-three years in solitude. Seeing a human being gives me the opportunity to converse with you. Otherwise, someone like you, who has practiced for only twenty years, barely reaching the seventh level of refining, would have been dispersed the moment you appeared before me."
Taiyuan's voice was as slow as ever, but within its slowness, there was a power that shook heaven and earth.
The entire Yuan Realm seemed to tremble slightly, resonating with his voice as it spread.
"Now, this is the end. You, a waste, should not have the qualification to enter my master's cave!"
As soon as Taiyuan finished speaking, the ferocious killing intent that had been emanating from him suddenly materialized. It was a murderous intent that seemed capable of causing the heavens and the earth, as well as all living beings, to be annihilated. It erupted fiercely from the creature.
"Oh no!"
In an instant, Lu Qinghe, who had been shaken to the core, felt the world before him transform wildly, as if he were placed beneath a vast sky.
In this vast sky, in all directions, there was a raging sword formation composed of ancient divine swords numbering in the billions, trillions, and quadrillions. The pointed swords were aimed directly at him from within the sword formation.
Simply meeting his gaze with those ancient divine swords' intent seemed likely to shred his spirit. This spiritual sword intent was a hundred times stronger than the Primordial Dragon Zen Sword previously used by Lu Qiankun.
"Roar!"
The swords attacked in unison!
The devastating sword formation emitted an unprecedentedly terrifying aura, targeting Lu Qinghe. In the next moment, he faced the prospect of being pierced through the heart by a myriad of swords, or being tortured to death by a thousand cuts. In this vast and terrifying sword formation, his meager spiritual will was likely to be instantly torn to shreds, leaving nothing behind!
"Qingping!"
Facing a life-and-death crisis, Lu Qinghe let out a long roar that shook the heavens.
The image of the Qingping Sword in his mind became clearer than ever in a split second, as if it had transcended the gap between illusion and reality, and completely materialized in his spiritual world.
"Boom!"
The sky was torn asunder!
Above the vast world of ancient divine swords, a sword shadow tore through the sky and descended from the sky of the divine sword, as if a Supreme Swordmaster who shattered the universe and wielded unparalleled authority was descending with the submission of all things!
At this moment, he was the King of the Divine Sword!
At this moment, he was the Supreme Divine Sword!
Qingping!
Sacred sword Qingping!
The Qingping sword tore through the sky and landed directly in the center of the world made up of billions of divine swords.
"Roar!"
A terrifying shockwave, visible to the naked eye, turned into an annihilating halo that spread in all directions from the center of the Qingping sword, frantically disintegrating everything around it.
The countless ancient divine swords aimed at Lu Qinghe were all trembling, cracking, shattering, and turning to ashes in the face of this shockwave that seemed to sweep away the heavens and earth, encompassing the stars.
As the shockwave swept through, all the ancient divine swords were destroyed, and with it, the vast world completely composed of ancient divine swords also collapsed under such a violent impact, rumbling and collapsing!
"Crack!"
Lu Qinghe's mind was severely shaken.
His mental exhaustion was so great that he could not even control his own blood, qi, and true energy, leading to a spurt of blood from his mouth.
The world composed of billions of ancient divine swords had already collapsed, and Lu Qinghe once again saw the golden creature Taiyuan, as well as the small bamboo building covered by Taiyuan's wings.
But by this time, he had already consumed too much mental energy. Not only was his mind on the verge of collapse, even his physical body was out of control and continuously declining...
To the point that...
His mind could no longer sustain his heartbeat.
"Buzzing!"
Just as Lu Qinghe was on the brink of mental exhaustion, to the point where his heart could not beat, a golden light fell on his body, nourishing his mind and regulating his physical body.
With the healing power of this mysterious force, Lu Qinghe quickly sat down and fell into meditation, focusing on recovering his severely depleted mental strength.
One day, two days, three days!
For a total of three whole days, Lu Qinghe devoted all his effort to meditative recovery, finally pulling back his severely weakened mental state over the edge.
Although, his spirit was still extremely fragile at this moment, he was no longer unable to maintain the basic operation of his flesh and blood organs, as he had been before.
Opening his eyes, he saw the statue of Tai Yuan in front of him, a mysterious creature with piercing eyes and dazzling golden light.
"You have a good opportunity," Tai Yuan looked at Lu Qinghe, his voice not as deafening as before, "But... your cultivation level is too low, too low to imagine. Under such a great opportunity, why have you only achieved the sixth level of True Refinement, and not even reached the seventh level of True Refinement?"
The golden creature's tone had a hint of strangeness to it.
"I have only been on the path of cultivation for just over a year."
"Just over a year..." Tai Yuan looked at Lu Qinghe, as if his shining eyes could see through everything about him, "Just over a year, and you're only at the sixth level of True Refinement. It seems like the opportunity you've gained is primarily for protecting the soul."
Lu Qinghe remained silent.
This was something he could neither confirm nor deny.
"But, no matter how good the treasure, it still requires cultivation to activate," Tai Yuan said, as his huge golden head lifted slightly and gazed at the dimly shining sun in the elemental realm. The radiance emitted by the sun could no longer illuminate the entire elemental realm. Only the central thousand miles still radiated light.
"This elemental realm... won't last long. Finding a successor who is not inferior to its master is extremely difficult, too difficult..."
There was an unmistakable trace of sadness in Tai Yuan's voice.
This feeling of sadness, emanating from him, seemed to resonate with the entire elemental realm, filling the entire domain with a sense of desolation and sorrow. Even the sky, which had been clear, was now filled with falling snow! The heavens and the earth grieved together!
The creature's emotions had actually caused the heavens and the earth to grieve together.
Although this was the elemental realm, it was still unbelievable.
Feeling this desolate atmosphere, Lu Qinghe felt as if he could witness a great figure, brilliant at the peak of his life, tragically falling. That sense of regret, that lamentation, that desolation, struck directly at the heart.
"To want someone as talented as my master to inherit this elemental realm is too difficult. You have a good inheritance and bear the aura of good fortune. Although you have just achieved the sixth level of True Refinement... I can give you an opportunity."
"An opportunity!?" Lu Qinghe raised his head.
"You have been practicing for just over a year and have achieved the sixth level of True Refinement. I can give you a chance to prove yourself! In the palace, there is a cultivation chamber belonging to my master. If you can reach the ninth level of True Refinement within three months, I will grant you my master's true inheritance!"
"Three months, reaching the ninth level of True Refinement!?"
Lu Qinghe was stunned.
At present, he had not even truly entered the seventh level of True Refinement. Three months equaled three major hurdles, from the peak of the sixth level of True Refinement to the ninth level, into the realm of the ninth level of True Refinement.
"Three months, only three months, if not, death!"
The moment the word "death" came from Tai Yuan's golden mouth, it seemed to transform into a thunderclap in Lu Qinghe's mind, shaking his spirit. The environment belonging to the elemental realm collapsed amidst this shock.
When Lu Qinghe regained his senses, he found himself back in the main hall of the palace he had entered earlier, with a door now open in one direction.
"The cultivation chamber."
Lu Qinghe glanced and headed straight for the chamber.
Three months... Very brief!
Passing through the door, he found himself in a corridor; at the end of the corridor was the cultivation chamber.
The moment Lu Qinghe stepped into the chamber, the door closed behind him. Then, the elemental realm light formations inside quickly activated, forming a series of halos, illuminating the entire chamber as bright as daylight!
The activation of the elemental realm light formations and the activation of the array within the cultivation chamber made Lu Qinghe feel that the concentration of elemental energy had increased tenfold or even a hundredfold!
Three months to reach the ninth level of True Refinement!?
In this environment, achieving the ninth level of True Refinement in three months was not an impossible task!
Based on the scenes displayed in the original text, Lu Qinghe could judge that the owner of this cave mansion is at least at the ninth level of the Yuan realm.
The ninth level of the Yuan realm!
Moreover, he has reached the perfect Yuan realm.
With such a powerful being, if there were some followers, they could form a Yuan realm that would be enough to kill the immortal who travels freely and easily in the blue abyss!
What Snow Sword Villa, what Ancient Sword Sect, what Heavenly Dragon Temple, in front of him, are all nothing!
If he wanted to, his strength would be enough to overthrow the entire ancient kingdom, completely erasing this ancient land from the earth.
Furthermore, the ninth level of the Yuan realm might not necessarily be the limit for the owner of this cave mansion!
Due to his limited perspective, Lu Qinghe only knew the characteristics of the Yuan realm of the ninth level of the formidable existence.
How abundant is the wealth of someone at least at the ninth level of the Yuan realm?
Incalculable.
And how significant would the effect of a practice room for someone at least at the ninth level of the Yuan realm be if used by Lu Qinghe, who is at the peak of the sixth level of the Refinement realm?
Very soon!
Lu Qinghe has already perceived it!
His realm of cultivation has already crossed into the seventh level of Refinement, but due to the accumulation of true energy, it will take several months to truly stabilize in the seventh level of Refinement.
But what originally required months of hard practice, on the second day of Lu Qinghe's practice in this practice room, he achieved a breakthrough effortlessly.
The whole process was so easy and comfortable.
"The concentration of elemental energy is not the main point. With over a thousand low-quality elemental stones, I can barely do it. The key lies in the... purity of elemental energy..."
Lu Qinghe broke through to the seventh level of Refinement in just one day, which was astounding.
If the practice room uses elemental stones as an aid, the elemental stones used will not be as simple as low-quality elemental stones; at least they are all high-quality elemental stones, and most likely, the grade of these elemental stones has reached the middle grade.
Because, it is only when practicing with middle-grade elemental stones at all times that it is worthy of his identity and status as a powerful ninth-level figure in the Yuan realm.
"From one day to reaching the seventh level of Refinement..."
By the time he reached the seventh level of Refinement, Lu Qinghe immediately began to stabilize his realm.
After three days of stabilizing the realm, he once again launched an attack towards the eighth level of Refinement.
Ten days!
He had already reached the peak of the seventh level of Refinement!
He had spent only sixteen days at the peak of the seventh level of Refinement before he crossed the barrier between the seventh and eighth levels of Refinement.
And at this moment, it had been only one month.
"Fast! Too fast!"
Lu Qinghe swallowed clouds and spat fog.
He still couldn't manage to abstain from food, but because of the overly concentrated elemental energy in this practice room, it was only after a month that he felt a slight hunger.
After eating a little, Lu Qinghe continued to practice without stopping for a moment.
At this point, Lu Qinghe could not spare the time to practice swordsmanship, gradually progressing his swordsmanship, physical strength, and refinement realm. Above all, his priority was to break through to the ninth level of Refinement and dispel the threat to his life from the golden creature.
The practice from the eighth to the ninth level of Refinement was indeed slower.
However...
Only to this extent.
It took Lu Qinghe no more than fourteen days to reach the peak of the eighth level of Refinement.
After breaking through the realm, he stayed for twenty-one days.
When Lu Qinghe finally broke through to the ninth level of Refinement, there were still twenty-five days left until the three-month deadline for the golden creature.
"The wealth of law is glorious! This practice room, built using elemental stones, is far more wonderful for a practitioner than one could imagine."
Lu Qinghe murmured to himself.
After a while, he focused on his dantian.
The characteristic of the ninth level of Refinement—a hundred and eight cycles of true energy!
Thirty-six small cycles, seventy-two large cycles, and a hundred and eight cycles of true energy circulating in the body without stopping, forming a ring.
The three key points of the ring include the lower dantian below the lower abdomen, the middle dantian at the heart position, and the... inner upper dantian at the brow center.
The lower dantian holds Qi, the middle dantian at the heart joins essence, while the upper dantian at the brow center holds spirit.
The circulation of the three major dantians constitutes the circulation of essence, energy, and spirit.
And this circulation is the prototype of the Yuan realm!
Opening the Yuan realm is to break through the barrier of the dantian when the true energy is at its limit, allowing the forces of the three major dantians to merge simultaneously, thereby turning the cycles into a world.
Lu Qinghe could understand all of this up to this step.
Rotating the heavens and transforming the world is actually equivalent to cultivating the legendary Innate Dao Body, and even the Primordial Chaos Body, where there is no distinction between essence, energy, and spirit, and everything is in a state of chaos and emptiness.
Then, the next step is to open up the Yuan World from the chaos and emptiness.
This point is beyond comprehension.
Up to now, Lu Qinghe has been unable to understand the intricacies of it.
In the end, he could only attribute it to the physique of the cultivator in this world and the rules of the world.
Lu Qinghe withdrew his mind from the circulation of the 108 revolutions, feeling the profound True Qi refined within his body, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
"Yuan Shi!"
The Yuan Sword pointed directly and ruthlessly stabbed out.
"Bang!"
In the void, there seemed to be a muffled thunder, and the dense Yuan energy formed into a wave of energy, expanding in all directions, impacting the walls of the cultivation room. Even the Yuan boundary halo covering the cultivation room was distorted due to the tearing and explosion of the air.
Lu Qinghe had already reached a very high level of understanding of the Yuan Sword, but due to the True Qi restriction, he could not display it. Now, with the True Qi reaching the level of the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth, the ultimate move, Yuan Shi, was easily executed.
Using the Yuan Sword, Lu Qinghe constantly reminisced about the Thirteen Flowing Light Sword.
When he reached the Sixth Layer of Refining Truth, he was already able to display the ultimate move of the Thirteen Flowing Light Sword—Fourteen. Now that he had reached the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth...
"It's a pity there's no suitable sword. If I had a sword in hand, I'm afraid in just a few days, my top-tier sword art would be perfected directly."
Lu Qinghe had strong faith in this sword art.
His sword, Dustless, was broken by Lu Qiankun's sword, and without a handy weapon, practicing sword art was significantly impaired.
Especially...
Practicing sword art in such a cultivation room?
It's simply a waste of resources!
"Continue cultivation!"
After feeling his tremendous progress at the moment, Lu Qinghe once again immersed himself in cultivation.
Twenty-five days left!
In such an advantageous cultivation environment, he was unwilling to waste a single day.
In twenty-five days, Lu Qinghe only took sixteen days to reach the peak of the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth.
However, after reaching the peak of the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth, a huge problem lay in front of him.
Technique!
He did not have the cultivation techniques for the Tenth and Eleventh Layers of the Xuan Guang Technique.
Not to mention the cultivation method for opening up the Yuan World, he had never mastered it.
To open up the Yuan World, one must break the power stored in the three major elixir fields while rotating the heavens, and transform it into chaos and emptiness to open up the Yuan World from chaos and emptiness.
The danger in this process is simply immeasurable.
Among a hundred cultivators, it's not certain that one could successfully open the Yuan World.
Therefore, Lu Qinghe dared not act rashly.
After reaching the peak of the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth, he took advantage of the extremely rich environment to continue moving qi and refining his bones.
At this moment, his True Qi had reached the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth, and with the continuous supply of Yuan energy from the outside, the refinement of his bones was twice as effective!
Even though in the end, there were only nine days left, his bone refinement had leaped a huge step, vaguely touching the level of bone perfection.
"Buzz!"
When the three months were up, the Yuan boundary halo in the cultivation room suddenly dissipated.
Temporarily stabilized in this extremely rich environment for cultivation, he continuously transported True Qi to temper his bones.
Presently, his cultivation of True Qi had reached the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth. With a steady stream of external Yuan energy supply, the tempering of his bones was extremely effective.
Even though in the end, there were only nine days left, his bone refinement had leaped a huge step, vaguely touching the level of bone perfection.
"Buzz!"
When the three months were up, the Yuan boundary halo in the cultivation room suddenly dissipated.
Temporarily stabilized in this extremely rich environment for cultivation, he continuously transported True Qi to temper his bones.
"Crack."
As the formation of the cultivation room stopped operating, the door of the cultivation room was also opened.
Lu Qinghe looked a bit reluctant at the cultivation room, turned around, and headed straight to the main hall.
In three months, he had not only cultivated to the Ninth Layer of Refining Truth but also to the peak of the Ninth Layer. This achievement was enough to make the golden creature fulfill its promise.
However, when Lu Qinghe arrived at the palace, three figures were already seated there.
Two of them appeared to be guards, observing vigilantly, while the one sitting in the middle was meditating with eyes closed, his mind in perfect harmony with the waves of the Yuan boundary emanating outward, evidently already in that Yuan World.
It was none other than Lu Qiankun, the son of Heaven and Earth!
He originally had four major bodyguards, but now only two remained. The other two were most likely lost in the passage mechanism.
"Lü Qiankun!"
Prior to the passage outside the cave, he briefly clashed with Lü Qiankun. Their eyes met, and it was clear that both sides were eager to kill each other as soon as possible.
In the future...
When he sees him, he will kill!
At the moment, Lü Qiankun himself was already a real refining expert at the tenth level, and had a great hope of opening up the elemental world. If he were to obtain the inheritance of this perfect elemental world...
"Swish!"
In an instant, Lu Qinghe's Limitless Body Technique erupted to the extreme.
"Who goes there!"
"Protect the young master!"
The two survivors simultaneously shouted and attacked Lu Qinghe without hesitation.
One of them used a gun, which was a technique that evolved from the battlefield, while the other used a sword and followed the path of shadow assassination, with each movement of the sword being elusive and unpredictable!
Both of them were top experts at the seventh level of refining, no less inferior to Wang Wu. With their combined attack, even an expert at the eighth level of refining would retreat in defeat.
But...
The current Lu Qinghe was far from being comparable to when he was only at the sixth level of refining.
With his true energy reaching the peak of the ninth level of refining, he was several times stronger than before. Faced with the two guards' assassination, his Limitless Body Technique underwent an unbelievable transformation as he swiftly maneuvered through their attacks.
"Swish!"
A shockwave of true energy!
His figure traversed through the encirclement from both of them, and then...
"YUANSHI!"
The ultimate move from Land Qinghe's sword, burst forth without any delay, aimed directly at Lü Qiankun.