Chapter 664 - 450: Destiny’s Dance

The unusual transformation in the Immortal Mansion was still underway. A dense fog slowly encroached, rolling onward, appearing incredibly heavy and unstoppable. As the fog shrouded most of the Spirit Plants, the entire Immortal Mansion seemed to have been transported to the middle of a vast, boundless ocean.

Fang Qingyuan extended his Divine Sense and confirmed that the dense fog was not harming the Spirit Plants. Only then did he feel relieved.

Yinbao’s figure flickered in and out of view within the dense fog. His flat body soared through the air, churning the endless vapor. He swam freely through the misty clouds, letting out joyous cries.

Peering through the clouds and fog, Fang Qingyuan discovered that the creature, Yinbao, had grown even more massive.

His already gigantic body, originally close to thirty zhang long, now looked to be heading toward a size of fifty zhang.

As expected of a Spirit Beast with the Innate Divine Technique [As Great as Mountains]. After every advancement, Yinbao’s body would inevitably grow much larger. His current size was nearly the same as Zhao E Lian’s Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray, which Fang Qingyuan had laid eyes on for the first time all those years ago.

’Recalling the splendor of that Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray back then, I never would have imagined that one day, I too would possess such a mount.’

ROAR!

Another roar, one that sounded like a dragon’s cry, rang out. But this one echoed in the minds of all living beings. Within the range of this roar, many creatures began to tremble uncontrollably.

Fang Qingyuan rejoiced inwardly. Yinbao’s other Lifebound Talent, [The Greatest Sound is Silent], was now also showing signs of advancing.

Currently, Yinbao only had three Lifebound Talents: [As Great as Mountains], [The Greatest Sound is Silent], and the Earth Tier Upper Grade talent, [Summoning Clouds and Spitting Fog].

It seemed that all three of Yinbao’s Lifebound Talents had been amply enhanced. And now that he was about to become a Golden Core Realm demon beast, any newly awakened Lifebound Talent would surely be Earth Tier or higher.

The Water Spiritual Power in the Immortal Mansion was already on the verge of imbalance. A vast, tide-like torrent of Water Spiritual Qi continuously poured into Yinbao’s body amidst the clouds. He accepted it all, his fifty-zhang-long body seeming as if it could contain an entire ocean.

After an unknown amount of time, the clouds in the sky gradually dissipated. Yinbao’s body floated silently in mid-air, casting a massive, shadowy silhouette on the ground below under the light of the silver moon above.

At that moment, Fang Qingyuan knew the decisive moment had come—the moment that would determine whether Yinbao would succeed.

When a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast advanced to the Golden Core Realm, it didn’t need to undergo a tribulation like humans. They only needed to awaken a sufficiently powerful Lifebound Talent from their own bloodline and infuse it into their newly formed Golden Core.

Of course, if they couldn’t awaken such a powerful new talent, they could infuse a previously awakened one instead. However, in that case, even if they became a Golden Core Tier demon beast, their combat strength would be lacking, and they would likely meet their end in a future battle.

However, Fang Qingyuan’s hope for Yinbao wasn’t that he had to awaken some extraordinarily powerful Lifebound Talent. He only wanted Yinbao to safely pass through the critical step of liquefying his power, solidifying the pill, and establishing his foundation.

But given Yinbao’s current size, it was clearly very difficult to liquefy all the Magical Power in his body and then produce a Golden Core Seed through endless compression. Therefore, in this situation, a high-tier Lifebound Talent could serve as a powerful anchor.

It now seemed that Yinbao’s three previous Lifebound Talents—[As Great as Mountains], [The Greatest Sound is Silent], and [Summoning Clouds and Spitting Fog]—were insufficient to support the advancement of a body so immense.

Fang Qingyuan’s heart was slowly rising into his throat. For now, Yinbao didn’t need his help. All he could do was shift the balance of the Five Elements Power within the Immortal Mansion as much as possible toward the Water Spirit, creating the optimal environment for Yinbao’s Core Formation.

At this moment, the Immortal Mansion was filled with water vapor and saturated with Water Spiritual Qi. It was not much different from a Tier Three Spirit Land by the vast ocean.

This, however, was hard on the Spirit Plants that had been growing so vigorously. But the situation was only temporary; although these Spirit Plants were delicate, they weren’t so fragile as to simply die.

’Besides, even if they all died, it would be nothing compared to Yinbao’s advancement.’

After a long while, Yinbao, who had been floating silently in mid-air, finally moved. He opened his two eyes, each as large as a building, and looked toward Fang Qingyuan.

Yinbao’s gaze was filled with reluctance and attachment. He looked at Fang Qingyuan quietly, and finally, that reluctance transformed into determination.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR...

A series of tremendous, vibrating cries rang out as Yinbao suddenly began to dance beneath the silver moon. It was as if he had returned to the abyss in the Outer Sea, swimming freely through the water, displaying the profound and powerful beauty of life.

At the same time, the Water Spiritual Power throughout the Immortal Mansion, as if obeying a command, surged like a great tide and poured into Yinbao’s body. And at that moment, a hint of pain crept into Yinbao’s roars.

An immense amount of Spiritual Power surged into Yinbao’s body. Under his own control, he drove the Magical Power within him along an instinctual path that had emerged in his bloodline, forcing it continuously toward a single point.

BANG!

A sharp, tearing sound mingled with Yinbao’s incessant roars. A wound suddenly split open on Yinbao’s back, and a large gush of dark red blood spurted out, dyeing a large patch of his skin crimson.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Like a string of firecrackers exploding, a continuous series of wounds appeared all over Yinbao’s body. This was the result of his body being unable to withstand the increasingly condensed liquid Magical Power rampaging within him.

Copious amounts of blood had already dyed Yinbao’s enormous body red, but even so, he continued to twist and dance, moving to the rhythm of his own life.

Below the dancing Yinbao, it was as if a torrential downpour had begun. Except the color of this rain was blood-red.

The Spirit Plants growing on the ground below sensed the bloody rain, which was filled with Life Essence Qi. They immediately began to desperately unfurl their leaves and branches, trying to make as much contact with it as possible. Their roots, buried deep in the earth, also strained to absorb the Spiritual Qi from the bloody rain to nourish themselves.

The strange changes in the Spirit Plants below did not draw Fang Qingyuan’s attention. He was staring intently at Yinbao, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

Compared to the Bee Queen’s effortless and graceful Core Formation, Yinbao’s situation was utterly gruesome.

First, it was due to the Bee Queen’s racial advantage; she could form a cocoon to develop, avoiding the kind of spectacular and violent ordeal Yinbao was undergoing.

But the Bee Queen’s process of forming a core inside a cocoon also carried great risks. If the Core Formation failed, she would die silently within her cocoon without making a single sound.

Second, the Bee Queen’s size was also an advantage. The larger a creature’s body, the greater the price required to ascend to the next level of life.

Third was the matter of their aptitude. Compared to the Bee Queen, and even to Nanli, Yinbao’s aptitude was the worst.

But unlike his previous, carefree self who simply ate and waited for death, Yinbao knew he had to seize this opportunity. After all, he thought, ’That huge meal of Purple Crystal Spirit Fish can’t go to waste!’

Moonlight drenched the boundless night. Yinbao’s silver figure danced gracefully, tumbling through waves of watery clouds and mist, like a living poem.

Moon and blood merged in this world, together witnessing the saga of Yinbao’s destiny. The silver moon, the crimson curtain of rain, the magnificent dance, the giant ray—all composed a symphony of life and evolution.

.....

As time passed, more and more blood poured from Yinbao’s body. The ground below him was nearly submerged in it, yet Yinbao’s roars only grew more frenzied.

He was close. The turning point was finally here. Yet just as everything was building toward a grander climax, a sign of decay suddenly emanated from Yinbao’s body, which had already lost a countless amount of blood.

’This is bad. Yinbao might not be able to hold on.’ Keenly sensing Yinbao’s state turning from peak to decline, Fang Qingyuan knew at once that it was time for him to do something.

With a flicker, Fang Qingyuan’s figure vanished and reappeared in the next instant at the highest point of this small world. From this position, the stars seemed close enough to pluck from the sky, and the sun and moon felt near at hand.

’Since Yinbao has lost too much blood and his injuries are too severe to continue compressing his liquid Magical Power to solidify the pill, then all I need to do is replenish his Life Essence Qi.’

With this in mind, and being within the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan prepared to give Yinbao the most tangible support possible: to change heaven and earth and recreate the cycle of the sun and moon.

So, Fang Qingyuan pointed a finger at the silver moon high in the sky. As his thoughts turned, the moon began to fade, while on the eastern horizon, a great sun rapidly materialized.

And just like that, day broke!

Morning clouds lift the sun from the East Sea; evening mist bears the moon to its western rest. The midday sun blazes like a torch; the midnight moon gleams like cold silver. Heaven and Earth shift, bringing all things to life; the cycle of sun and moon reflects the ancient and the new.

When the great sun reached its zenith, replacing the silver moon, all the creatures within the Immortal Mansion saw today’s sunlight ahead of time.

And today’s sunlight felt exceptionally warm.

After summoning the great sun, Fang Qingyuan pointed directly at Yinbao, whose aura was rapidly fading. In the next instant, an endless stream of Life Essence Qi began to pour into Yinbao’s body.

Wisps and threads of Life Essence Qi rose from all over the Immortal Mansion, with the greatest amount emanating from the tens of millions of Spiritual Silkworms. These strands of Life Essence Qi, like evaporating water vapor, automatically gathered toward the great sun, where they were converted before finally being channeled into Yinbao’s body.

With the massive influx of Life Essence Qi, Yinbao’s condition immediately improved. A change visible to the naked eye was that the wounds on his body were continuously closing.

Receiving this assistance, Yinbao also knew that this was a rare opportunity. He calmed his mind and threw himself completely into compressing the liquid Magical Power. At the same time, the two antlers on his head quivered slightly, and his bloodline gave a clear response.

At this point, the time, the place, and the people were all in perfect alignment. Yinbao finally let out a joyous roar. In that moment, he had finally succeeded.

SPLASH! It sounded like a raging tide being born. The heavy sound of blood flowing echoed from within Yinbao’s body. All of his external wounds and internal injuries were completely healed at this moment, and his body was strengthened to an even greater degree.

THUMP-THUMP!

A muffled, drum-like heartbeat rang out clearly. It was the declaration of a gigantic creature, fifty zhang long, announcing its successful advancement.

But just as Fang Qingyuan was rejoicing over Yinbao’s successful advancement, Yinbao himself had completely lost his earlier determination and resolve. Instead, he reverted to his old self and whined coquettishly to Fang Qingyuan:

"Master, I’m hungry! Quick, give me some Pig Fish to eat."