C6 Breakthrough

Wai Jiang discovered that when he recalled his clone, the Spiritual Force he had lost was restored to his body along with the clone's return. He then instructed his clone to practice the techniques of the Profound Heaven Record. As expected, the clone was capable of cultivation, and the benefits of its practice were reflected back to Wai Jiang's main body.

After completing the experiment, Wai Jiang decided to have his clone attempt to cultivate the Silent Demon Soul. He directed his clone to channel the Spiritual Force according to the Silent Demon Soul's technique. Suddenly, Wai Jiang coughed up blood. Observing his internal state, he saw that his clone's shadow had become much more ethereal, showing signs of disintegration.

Far from being alarmed, Wai Jiang was delighted. He understood that this was a result of the clone having previously cultivated the Profound Heaven Record. Now, shifting to the cultivation of the Silent Demon Soul would naturally undo the previously learned techniques. As the cultivation of the Silent Demon Soul progressed, the clone began to solidify once more. The Spiritual Force above the sea of pills surged tumultuously, as a vast amount of Spiritual Force was required to transform the clone into a demon soul.

Gradually, the clone started to emit a faint demonic aura, which grew denser over time until it completely enveloped the clone. "Return!" Wai Jiang commanded, and the dark mist was instantly absorbed into the clone's body. Simultaneously, the Spiritual Force absorbed by the clone began to be converted. Next to the three golden pills, a pale black golden pill took shape. Eventually, six golden pills—three golden and three black—floated above the diminished sea of pills.

With this, the cultivation of the Demon Soul had begun in earnest. If Wai Jiang could find more suitable techniques and martial skills for the Demon Soul's cultivation, the clone's strength would soon surpass his own. He would then possess a formidable ally, capable of handling the more perilous tasks in his stead.

Wai Jiang, however, resolved to steer clear of the Well of Death. He sensed that within it, a powerful entity was stirring, on the verge of awakening.

It was conceivable that the demon in question was the one who had switched to practicing the Demonic Dao within the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect in the past. Yet, this wasn't something for him to fret over. After all, when the sky falls, there will always be tall ones to hold it up. The three esteemed Sect Masters would surely not stand idly by in such a scenario. Besides, he was convinced that the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect's strength wasn't limited to what was apparent on the surface. Take, for example, the elusive auras he sensed both in the Purple Bamboo Forest and within the Sword Tomb—another reason he refrained from carelessly nearing the Sword Tomb.

Moving on, Wai Jiang returned to his duties within the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, his days cycling between the Profound Heaven Treasured Temple and its many pavilions. He even repeatedly visited the Demon Sealing Tower, despite his aversion to it, all in the hopes of obtaining a Demonic Art. Regrettably, they were all techniques suited for demonic beings. Consequently, as his power grew, he set his sights on another restricted area—the Myriad Cave Cliff Bottom.

The demon race had always been held at bay by the Sacred Grounds to the west of the Empire. Given its inland location, it was implausible for demons to infiltrate the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect. So, the question arose: where did the demons in the Well of Death originate? After much deliberation, Wai Jiang concluded that the Myriad Cave Cliff Bottom was the only viable source. With that in mind, he resolved to seize the opportunity to explore it when possible.

And so, two years swiftly passed. Though Wai Jiang hadn't managed to approach the Myriad Cave Cliff Bottom, he never neglected his cultivation. Thanks to an abundance of heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and miraculous pills, his strength surged dramatically. His East-rising Purple Qi technique had been mastered to the Great Vajra Unbreakable Stage, and he had reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul Stage, on the verge of breaking through to the Deification Stage.

The Deification Stage is a realm of paramount importance in the Immortal Cultivation Realm, where cultivators stand at the zenith, capable of leading a major sect force. This is exemplified by the three great Sect Masters of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect, all of whom are practitioners at the Deification Stage.

With a cultivator at the Void Refining Stage at the helm, they could rise to become the leading force among top-tier powers.

A millennium ago, the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect was a superlative power with three Void Refining Stage masters. Regrettably, after their efforts to eliminate a disciple who had succumbed to evil at the same level, the three Sect Masters vanished and were never seen again.

This led to the further decline of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

Experts at the Void Returning Stage were only to be found within the Empire and a handful of sacred sites.

Thus, if Wai Jiang could successfully advance to the Deification Stage, he would almost certainly have the strength to defend himself.

In the Jade Clear Hall, three figures sat in a circle, their faces etched with concern.

"Senior Brother, what should we do now?" Mooh Chenyi from the Nebula Hall was the first to break the quiet.

"For years, our disciples have perished in the Gloomy Well, and the demonic Qi on the mountain grows denser each day."

"If things keep going this way, and the demonic Qi spreads from Violet Mountain, will we truly be forced to relocate our entire sect?"

Ren Qingfeng shook his head and turned to Lou Haitian.

Lou Haitian, the head of Windwing Hall, was deeply versed in the lore of spiritual weapons. Now, he was the only one who might find a way to destroy the Demonic Flute.

Sensing Ren Qingfeng's gaze, Lou Haitian's face showed his dilemma as he responded:

"Senior Brother, the bone flute is enigmatic and unpredictable. It's only in the early morning, when the purple mist clears, that we have a brief window of time to get close to it."

"I've attempted it countless times over centuries."

"Even with my power and the sect's finest spiritual weapons, I can't destroy it."

"It's undoubtedly an exceedingly rare top-grade spiritual weapon, almost on par with the legendary Immortal Grade."

Hearing this, the other two inhaled sharply.

In this realm, spiritual weapons are categorized into four grades: Low, Middle, High, and Top.

Our Profound Heaven Taoism Sect once had top-grade spiritual weapons, but they were either destroyed and buried in the Sword Tomb or lost along with their bearers.

Currently, only Sect Master Ren Qingfeng wields the sole remaining top-grade spiritual weapon that anchors the sect.

"There is still a way, though. If all three of us can break through to the Void Refining Stage and combine our forces with a spiritual weapon, perhaps we could shatter the Demon Flute."

Lou Haitian hesitated, as he actually wasn't very confident.

Ren Qingfeng nodded, "At this point, it's the only option we have."

Mooh Chenyi let out a sigh. "It's a shame that our Master and the others have been silent for so long. Otherwise, our Profound Heaven Taoism Sect wouldn't be as desolate as it is now. We truly feel remorseful towards the previous Sect Masters of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect."

"Junior brother, there's nothing that can be done about it. The catastrophe a thousand years ago severely damaged the foundation of our Profound Heaven Taoism Sect. Only now have we begun to recover. Once we deal with the Demonic Qi on Zi Wei Mountain, we'll be able to access more resources for cultivation."

Ren Qingfeng's gaze was filled with a sense of age and weariness. He had spent years tirelessly working for the well-being of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

Meanwhile, Wai Jiang was oblivious to the concerns of the three Sect Masters.

Since his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage and the formation of his own Nascent Soul Divine Soul on the sea of pills, the clone created from the One Qi Three Purities had also transformed into a separate Demon God Soul.

Not only could he summon the Demon God Soul out of his body to materialize it, but while the Demon God Soul remained within him, he could freely wield its power.

At present, he was using the Demon Soul state to conceal his presence as he made his way to the outermost mountain range of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

The Demon Soul state allowed him to bypass the formidable beasts within the mountains, avoiding much trouble.

Once he was sure the area was safe, Wai Jiang commenced his breakthrough.

He had chosen this location to minimize the disturbance of his breakthrough, preventing it from drawing the attention of the seasoned members of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

As he swallowed several Divine Breaking Pills, the barriers within Wai Jiang were instantly shattered.

A massive aura burst forth from within him.

This aura caused the sky to churn tumultuously.

In just a moment, dense black clouds enveloped the heavens.

"Bring it on!" Wai Jiang bellowed skyward.

With a thunderous roar, a lightning bolt struck down fiercely, hitting him squarely.

The lightning's charge spurred the Profound Heaven Record to rotate even more rapidly, voraciously absorbing the energy within the bolt.

Wai Jiang did not resort to any protective skills; instead, he relied solely on the resilience of his own body to endure the onslaught.

He casually wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth and, with a laugh that reached the heavens, declared, "Continue."

To any onlooker, Wai Jiang's behavior would seem nothing short of madness. Typically, during a Nascent Soul Stage breakthrough, cultivators employ an array of tactics, including various cultivation techniques, martial arts, and an assortment of magical treasures and spiritual weapons to withstand the Thunder Tribulation.

To face it with nothing but one's physical body was to court insanity.