Chapter 50 - True Essence Realm

“We’re still going? Yin Mountain is quite dangerous! Plus, it’s a mysterious place! It’s not easy to find,” Chu Jianfeng reminded.

“The nine yin fiend god technique requires sufficient yin fiend energy for cultivation. Since we know of such a treasured place, how can we pass up the opportunity? I’m about to break through to the true essence realm soon. Once I do, my strength will increase significantly, making our journey safer,” Leng Yan considered the pros and cons, speaking in a low voice.

“You haven’t entered the true essence realm yet! Then how can you use sword control? It seems you’ve had quite a few fortuitous encounters!” Chu Jianfeng exclaimed in surprise.

“You can cultivate the nine yin fiend god technique here on this mountain for now. I’ll return to the sect to break through to the next realm. It should take about ten days or so,” Leng Yan mused.

“Alright, I’ll stay hidden and cultivate to avoid being attacked by people from the Righteous Sect. Send me a sound transmission when you’re out,” Chu Jianfeng nodded.

“By the way, keep an eye on this person for me and, if possible, eliminate him!” Leng Yan carved Prince Bao’s features onto a jade slip and handed it to Chu Jianfeng, saying.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Chu Jianfeng agreed as he took the jade slip, scanning it with his spiritual sense.

Bidding farewell to Chu Jianfeng, Leng Yan searched around but could not find any trace of Prince Bao, eventually giving up and returning to the sect.

By the time Leng Yan returned to the sect, it was already dusk. Entering the master’s pavilion, he found Shui Yunyao seated in the main hall.

Noticing Leng Yan’s return, Shui Yunyao opened her eyes and stood up, asking, “How did it go? Did you find him?”

Leng Yan wasn’t surprised Shui Yunyao knew what he was up to. Shui Yunyao was clever; she often understood things without needing them to be said.

Leng Yan shook his head, walked to the table, picked up a teacup, and took a sip of water, saying, “No, I didn’t find him. I think someone might be protecting him!”

“In that case, stop searching. If he’s allowed to live, there must be a reason for it!” Shui Yunyao surmised who the culprit was, smiling.

“Hmm. We’ll deal with future matters as they come. By the way, did you get the primordial spirit elixir? I’ll be entering closed-door cultivation soon to break through, and then I’ll be away for a while,” Leng Yan said.

“Here are 150,000 primordial spirit elixirs, take them. Elder Xuan Yi will take you to the main sect in three months, so make sure you’re back by then,” Shui Yunyao said, handing a storage bag to Leng Yan.

“You’re always so good to me, give me a kiss!” Leng Yan laughed, holding the 150,000 primordial spirit elixirs.

“A kiss! Are you sure?” Shui Yunyao teased with a mischievous smile.

“I’m going into closed-door cultivation now!” Leng Yan replied, turning to enter his room with the elixirs.

With Shui Yunyao guarding the master’s pavilion, Leng Yan could focus on his closed-door cultivation without worries.

Leng Yan now had a total of 250,000 primordial spirit elixirs; 100,000 were from missions, 100,000 as martial arts rewards, and 50,000 were Shui Yunyao’s personal support.

To break through to the true essence realm, Leng Yan required a massive amount of essence power. Of the 250,000 primordial spirit elixirs, 200,000 would supplement his essence power, and the remaining 50,000 were for activating the immortal land formation.

Sitting cross-legged on a meditation mat, Leng Yan closed his eyes and calmed his heart, the Xuanwu Ice Heart Technique quickly circulating as his magical power surged like a vast river.

Leng Yan used his inner vision to observe his meridians, his spiritual mind in sync. His magical power endlessly surged into the Dantian, beginning to coalesce.

His meridians had been refined by the Dragon Emperor’s essence blood, their resilience beyond imagination, and the magical power they accommodated was exceptionally abundant. Just gathering his stored magical power took an entire day.

At that moment, Leng Yan’s meridians were empty, devoid of any magical power, as it was all concentrated in his Dantian.

The milky white magical power condensed into an apple-sized magical power sphere, slowly rotating.

From the outside, Leng Yan’s abdomen appeared swollen, as if he were pregnant. This was due to his immense reservoir of magical power; for most people, forming a core the size of a pearl would already be impressive.

Continually compressing and refining his magical power, Leng Yan further infused his spirit into it.

After three days, the apple-sized magical power sphere had been refined down to a magical power pearl. Despite its small appearance, the amount of magical power it contained was astounding.

“Primordial spirit elixirs, break!” Leng Yan tapped the storage bag, and the 50,000 primordial spirit elixirs shattered instantly, transforming into vital energy that filled the room like a mist.

Leng Yan opened his mouth wide, like a whale drinking water, inhaling all the vital energy into his abdomen to continue the refining process.

In the blink of an eye, three more days passed, and Leng Yan had absorbed 100,000 primordial spirit elixirs. At this moment, within his Dantian, a spherical azure bead was slowly rotating, emitting a faint azure light.

“Just a bit more! Absorbing another 50,000 should be enough!” Leng Yan thought to himself. Opening his eyes, he pointed ahead, causing 50,000 primordial spirit elixirs to burst apart, their vital energy being drawn into his body.

The influx of 50,000 elixirs’ worth of vital energy filled his entire Dantian and meridians. Leng Yan hurriedly circulated the Xuanwu Ice Heart Technique, causing the azure magical power pearl to spin rapidly, pulling in the vital energy.

As the vital energy was absorbed, the azure magical power pearl grew denser, showing signs of fissures.

The denser the magical power pearl, the more pure the true essence it would convert into upon entering the sea of consciousness, greatly increasing one’s strength.

However, the denser it became, the more dangerous it was. The balance, or “degree,” was difficult to master. If mismanaged, the magical power pearl could shatter, dispersing all magical power. In such a case, one’s cultivation level might regress, or in the worst scenario, they could perish from an internal burst.

Seeking fortune amidst risk, Leng Yan focused all his mental power on perfecting the magical power pearl. He aimed to condense it to an ideal degree.

Meticulously controlling the pearl’s slow rotation, he infused the vital energy bit by bit, compressing it into the pearl.

The azure glow deepened, and the pearl’s color began shifting towards a yellowish hue.

“Should I continue or stop?” Leng Yan pondered, letting his mental cultivation technique pause as he faced a difficult decision at this critical juncture. A little more essence power might achieve perfection, yet it might also lead to a catastrophic burst.

Should he take the risk or play it safe? Leng Yan questioned himself. Was he brave enough to take this gamble, knowing that failure might mean no second chance?

But Leng Yan was always one to maximize his strength, striving to elevate his power to the greatest extent possible.

“Let’s go for it!”

A sliver of essence power, like a nimble snake, slipped into the magical power pearl. As the pearl’s light began to transform, Leng Yan felt his heart skip a beat.

He had prepared his body, opening all his pores to release some vital energy in case of failure.

Yet as the light turned yellow, the magical power pearl remained intact without any cracks, signaling Leng Yan’s success. Finally, he could release the breath he had been holding.

Leng Yan expelled all the excess essence power from his body and shifted his mental power to his Dantian. Carefully, he cradled the magical power pearl, moving it towards his sea of consciousness, aiming to integrate it into his soul body.

Wrapped in his mental power, the magical power pearl journeyed toward the sea of consciousness. Inside Leng Yan’s sea of consciousness, a deep blackness loomed. From this darkness, Leng Yan’s soul body stood in the Void. On his soul body’s forehead, a golden battle rune was imprinted, and the Dragon Emperor’s essence blood swirled around it.

Suddenly, a streak of yellow light pierced the darkness, seeming to claim it. A yellow pearl slowly approached.

This was Leng Yan’s magical power pearl making its way over. He controlled it to approach his soul body slowly. As it neared the soul body’s mouth, Leng Yan’s soul suddenly opened its eyes and engulfed the magical power pearl.

With the integration of the magical power pearl into Leng Yan’s soul, his soul body began to glow. He gathered all his consciousness and mental power, channeling them through the Xuanwu Ice Heart Technique using the force of his soul.

As his soul executed the Xuanwu Ice Heart Technique, strands of true essence power began to emanate from within, flowing through Leng Yan’s meridians.

These strands of true essence power, tinged with a trace of gold, were exceptionally pure. Though just a trace, Leng Yan could feel that his strength now rivaled that of a cultivator at the peak of the magical power realm. If his meridians were completely filled with this true essence power, Leng Yan was confident that he could contend with someone from the Heavenly Realm, and could easily defeat ordinary cultivators of the same realm in an instant.

After two days, Leng Yan’s body was filled with this golden true essence power. He could feel the immense strength surging within.

He opened his eyes, and two beams of golden light shot out. His eyes brimmed with intimidating vibrance, and anyone who looked into them would sense the overwhelming battle intent emanating from Leng Yan.

“Now I can cultivate my Divine Power!” Leng Yan declared, taking out the immortal land and sending it into the air. It emitted a soft golden light, with numerous runes dancing around it.