Mortal Bones

A spiritual beast with a soul contract equivalent to a Wangyou Realm cultivator was undoubtedly tempting.

However, Taiping was not the kind of person who would be blinded by immediate benefits. What truly made him hesitate was Bai Yu's determination to abandon its freedom just to see its mother.

He couldn't bring himself to trample on that determination.

"I'll think of a way," he finally nodded.

That night.

"Lingyue, sister... should I be more heartless?"

In the dimly lit bedroom, under the flickering candlelight, Xu Taiping asked, half-mockingly, looking at Lingyue, the Immortal.

"Taiping, having compassion is not a bad thing. Otherwise, what's the difference between humans and demons? But remember, when you pity others, you must never act against your true nature."

"If you think helping Bai Yu see its mother does not go against your true heart, then act boldly without hesitation."

"Us cultivators seek to live by the Great Dao, not to live by stealth. Cultivation is like sailing in the vast sea during the night. The heart of your true self is like the bright moon and stars in the sky. If you lose it, you'll be lost in the vast ocean."

"Cultivation in the Great Dao is to lose the heart of your true self, it's the same as losing everything."

Lingyue sat beside Xu Taiping, speaking softly, her words guiding him carefully.

Hearing this, Xu Taiping, who had previously been a bit confused, suddenly had a clear look in his eyes.

"To seek life, not to steal life. Losing my true heart means losing everything."

He muttered to himself, his expression filled with realization.

"Taiping, I have encountered many cultivators in my lifetime. Some are so powerful that they can glimpse the secrets of heaven. Even though they can see the dangers ahead and their deaths looming, they still don't choose to abandon their Dao heart. Instead, they wield their swords, tighten their fists, and face mountains and demons head-on."

"They do this because they know, once they abandon their Dao heart, their cultivation journey will come to an end."

"To live in a cowardly way, even if you live for a thousand years, what does it matter? The Heavenly Dao still looks at you like mere cattle. Only by seeking death to find life can we cultivators walk the only path in this long cultivation journey."

Lingyue suddenly cupped Xu Taiping's face with her hands and spoke solemnly.

"I understand now, Lingyue sister."

Xu Taiping's eyes regained their firmness.

"Of course, if you're agreeing to help Bai Yu take revenge on the Peacock King, then just ignore everything I've said."

Lingyue smiled.

Killing the Peacock King was far beyond the level of helping Bai Yu see its mother for the last time.

"Lingyue sister, I'm not a fool. Why would I go down a path of certain death?"

Xu Taiping understood what Lingyue meant.

"Alright, prepare for your breakthrough to the Wangyou Realm. If you can't break through tonight, I won't let you take risks."

Lingyue's expression became serious again.

"Hmm."

Xu Taiping nodded firmly.

The reason he said, "I'll think of a way" rather than immediately agreeing to Bai Yu was that he was waiting to see if he could successfully break through to the Wangyou Realm tonight.

If he succeeded, he believed that with the advantage of surprise, he could at least have a chance of escaping when facing the Peacock King.

Lingyue had the same thought.

"Little Taiping, those who cultivate for a thousand years in a cave, seeking immortality, have the most fragile lives. The day they ascend to immortality is the day they die. And it's not just the Qing Xuan Sect; even this world is only a small corner of the vast cultivation world. The road ahead is still very long."

Lingyue gazed at Xu Taiping, who was sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, and muttered to herself.

She hadn't wanted him to take risks earlier because he hadn't even reached the Open Door Realm. But now that he was on the verge of the Wangyou Realm, she knew it was time to let him understand the dangers ahead.

Boom!

After swallowing the Foundation Establishment Pill, Xu Taiping's aura surged, and his body was enveloped by swirling green energy, emitting an invisible pressure.

Soon, his soul felt the Qi in his dantian, which had been floating like mist, beginning to slowly condense into raindrops.

Moments later, he could see in his dantian the "heavy rain" pouring down. The rain gathered into a stream, the stream merged into a river, and the river collected into a vast ocean, making his previously dry dantian seem filled with flowing waters.

This was the process described in the Cangxia Gong, where accumulated rain forms streams, streams form rivers, and rivers form seas, ultimately creating the Qi Sea.

The difficulty of this step was that if the "spiritual rain" above his head were to break off, the rivers forming in his dantian would evaporate quickly, returning to disordered Qi and causing his breakthrough to fail.

Time passed, and the spiritual energy gathering around Xu Taiping became denser, even wrapping around the entire small courtyard with dense heavenly spiritual energy.

Everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction.

However, Lingyue's expression did not relax.

In her view, with the Foundation Establishment Pill and Xu Taiping's unshakable resolve, a breakthrough was just a matter of time. Even if it didn't work tonight, it would surely succeed next time.

What truly worried Lingyue was the foreign Heavenly Demon.

"Failure in Foundation Establishment can be attempted again, but if your soul is devoured by the foreign Heavenly Demon, then you'll lose everything."

Boom!

At that moment, Xu Taiping's spiritual energy suddenly exploded. His clothes shredded, and a thick, murky Qi began to pour from his pores, with multi-colored light flashing across his skin.

"It's the final step."

Lingyue's worry grew, knowing that if the foreign Heavenly Demon was going to appear, it would be now.

Whoosh, whoosh...

As she had predicted, a bone-chilling wind blew through the gaps in the window, and the window rattled from the force.

But the next moment, the world suddenly fell silent. A jet-black, chilling arm, emitting a terrifying cold, reached through the window.

Wherever the arm passed, the window and walls began to form layers of ice crystals.

At this moment, Lingyue formed a seal with her hands and shouted loudly:

"Divine Might! Golden Armor Unleashes, Yellow Banner Wields Iron Whip!"

"Red Robe Cloaks, Green Boots! The Wind Brings Tiger Eyes!"

"A Dragon's Binding Rope is Ordered, The Three Purities Chase the Evil!"

"Bind those who do not surrender, my blade shall cut them like dust. Quickly, as the law commands!"

With her words, the array she had set up around the room activated, and an image of a golden-armored warrior appeared before her.

"Roar!"

The golden-armored warrior shouted like thunder, wielding a whip in one hand and a blade in the other, striking fiercely at the arm of the foreign Heavenly Demon.