C53 Purifying Thousands of Ghosts!
Lu Yu sat cross-legged in the midst of the Energy Spring Water, seemingly impervious to fatigue.
Day one, day two, day three...
Each day, at the same time, Lu Yu would open his eyes, rise, pluck a vermilion fruit from the sacred tree, and consume it.
Outside this sanctuary, any one of these cinnabar fruits would be a coveted treasure, inciting fierce battles among cultivators.
Yet, for Lu Yu, these fruits were mere sustenance.
Anyone witnessing this would surely accuse him of squandering heavenly gifts.
After seven full days,
Lu Yu's eyes snapped open, his gaze cutting through the air like a blade.
He stood, stretching his arms, his movements eliciting a symphony of pops and cracks.
His robust frame bore two black dragon marks that seemed to have gorged on spiritual energy before slipping into slumber.
Upon closer inspection, these dragon marks had grown more pronounced, their scales etched in vivid detail.
Fifth Level of the Xiantian Realm!
Lu Yu had not only healed his wounds but had also made successive breakthroughs in his cultivation!
Feeling the powerful surge of true qi within, Lu Yu struck out at a boulder with a casual blow.
Crack!
The stone fractured, spiderwebbing with cracks before bursting apart.
"If I'm not mistaken, Meng Zhuyun has likely reached the 9th level of the Minor Cycle Revolution," Lu Yu mused to himself.
Advancing to the Xiantian realm marked the threshold of the cultivator's journey.
The quest for immortality compelled beings to ascend through cultivation, taking three pivotal steps to attain the Dao and ascend to immortality.
Beyond the Xiantian realm lay the first of these steps, divided into seven distinct realms:
The Dragon Qi Realm, where one's aura rivals that of a dragon.
The Astral Transformation Realm, where true qi undergoes transformation.
The Core Formation Realm, where stellar energy coalesces into a core.
The Earth Talisman Realm, where the core energy manifests as talismans.
The Heavenly Talisman Stage, enhancing the power of talisman techniques.
The Lesser Heaven Stage, where energy circulates in a minor celestial cycle.
The Greater Heaven Stage, achieving a grand circulation of energy.
Each realm is further stratified into nine levels, with significant advancements at every tier.
Cardioverter was a cultivator of the Heavenly Talisman Realm, while Meng Zhuyun was an even more formidable Minor Zhou Realm cultivator. Regardless of their stature, both were leagues beyond Lu Yu's realm. Yet, to Lu Yu, they were mere ants.
"The Spiritual Energy in this pond's Energy Spring Water has diminished over time. It's only managed to advance me to the fifth level of the Xiantian realm," Lu Yu lamented, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed. He sensed something prowling just beyond his storage bag.
With a swift thought, Lu Yu materialized outside the bag. A chill cut to his core as he stepped out, and he could barely make out the eerie wails and howls that seemed to echo around him. The abyss was pitch-black, devoid of any light.
A flick of his finger summoned a flame that cast its glow into the abyss, revealing ghastly figures with grotesque faces and hollow chests—souls of those slain by Cardioverter. Had Cardioverter lived, these souls would have been condemned to his service, denied reincarnation and subjected to endless torment. The sheer number of lives taken by Cardioverter was staggering, with corpses stacked as far as the eye could see.
As the ghosts in the abyss rose, their gaze fixed on Lu Yu, driven mad by the presence of the living. They seemed desperate to consume his very essence.
"Such potent malevolence," Lu Yu observed, his frown deepening. Then, with commanding force, he bellowed, "Kneel!"
The overwhelming presence of the Daolord's soul exerted its influence, halting the onrushing specters in their tracks. One by one, they dropped to their knees.
As the Daolord of the Nether World, Lu Yu held dominion over the eighteen realms of the nether. The myriad spirits and phantoms heeded his call, submitting to his will.
The sight before him was awe-inspiring: countless ghosts prostrated before Lu Yu in the depths of the abyss.
"So be it," Lu Yu declared. "I shall guide you to the cycle of reincarnation. Though your lives ended in tragedy, may your next beginnings be marked with greatness."
A dark glimmer of light suddenly emanated from the tip of Lu Yu's finger. He extended his arm towards the distant earth and intoned in a hushed command, "Purify the wandering spirits. Lord of the Underworld, guide their passage!"
