Chapter 557 - 277: Breaking Through to the Seventh Realm (Part 2)

Chapter 557: Chapter 277: Breaking Through to the Seventh Realm (Part 2)

After finishing in one breath, the few women naturally felt quite jealous. Needless to say, Ming Yu nestled into Chu Xuan’s embrace again, being quite clever indeed.

Chu Xuan could only promise each of them that everyone would have their share in the future.

Then, he said in a serious tone, "I need to go into seclusion, which will take at least five to ten years. I will strive to break through to the Seventh Realm. If I haven’t succeeded by the time the Celestial Pool Secret Mansion opens, I will have to end my retreat early."

This "five to ten years" is the estimated time for the Grotto Heaven to open. Chu Xuan is currently only at the Sixth Realm, Stage Three of the Ascension Ladder, and just the stage of "breaking into the Profound Realm" alone will require at least a few years.

So this time, it can be said that time is tight, and the tasks are heavy. He has no absolute certainty, but can only give it his all. After all, this Grotto Heaven cannot be missed.

"In any case, I’ve arranged everything. Once I finish these big events at hand, I will definitely spend time with you all properly."

Qingqing was somewhat reluctant, and Pei Shurou also looked at Chu Xuan with longing eyes.

"Xiaoxue" was puzzled, "In such a short time, even if you have switched to practicing the Celestial Water Returning Ruins Technique, it’s impossible to break through so quickly, right?"

Chu Xuan, however, replied with confidence, "I still have a wisp of Grand Bright Immortal Qi. Since time is pressing and waits for no one, I can only devour it to quickly enhance my cultivation level."

Ming Yu was almost crying with anxiety, "You can’t! Such a precious thing, how can you waste it like this?"

Even though this wisp of Immortal Qi was something Chu Xuan found in the Ancient Battlefield, and his Cultivation Technique had long been converted, Ji Mingyu always felt that as long as the Immortal Qi remained, there might be a way to revert back in the future.

After all, Chu Xuan had mentioned that after expelling the Immortal Qi through a strange method, there was still a vague connection between it and the Dao Foundation within his body.

If he truly devoured it, even that faint hope would be gone.

Chu Xuan patted "Xiaoxue’s" head, "Don’t worry, I’ve thought it through. I can absorb it in multiple sessions, leaving just a tiny bit. It can then grow back over decades or even centuries."

"Just like cutting chives, as long as you leave the root, it’s fine."

Uh... Somehow, he felt that the analogy was a bit strange, somewhat akin to a capitalist’s mindset.

"Also, don’t forget, I have a Life Creation Pill that needs to be nurtured within the Immortal Qi. It would be too wasteful to simply devour the Immortal Qi completely."

Hearing this, Ji Mingyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then let’s leave it at that. During my seclusion, if anything happens, seek out Yao Yufei."

Seeing the determination in Chu Xuan’s eyes, the women understood his intentions. They finally stopped delaying his time and escorted him to the depths of the back mountain for his seclusion.

...

Seated cross-legged on the cushion, Chu Xuan took a look inside his body.

The Twelve Towers and Five Cities formed by the Jade Capital Secrets remained, but they appeared rather lifeless and dim. Unless something unexpected happened, they would soon be transformed into nourishment, consumed by the Returning Ruins Vortex.

Within the cinnabar field at his chest, the pitch-black vortex was constantly revolving, plundering Spiritual Qi from the external world and continuously nourishing itself.

In other words, even if Chu Xuan idly ate and awaited death every day, it was as if he were constantly cultivating.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of time to wait slowly. Besides extracting the Immortal Qi from the Six Souls Banner, he flipped his palm and brought forth a section of jade-white, hollow cylinder.

Indeed, it was the Relic of a Buddha’s finger bone. Chu Xuan had considered that if all else failed, he would devour this item too. He didn’t believe he couldn’t achieve a breakthrough within ten years!

Actually, though the Li’an Demon Sect had a vast heritage with good items, low-grade pills and spiritual objects weren’t of much use to Chu Xuan anymore. With high-grade items, Yao Yufei might feel distressed.

He decided to rely on his own efforts first, and if that doesn’t work, he would have her send some "tonics" over.

Having made up his mind, Chu Xuan closed his eyes, utilizing the techniques in Jade Capital Secrets to cut off small portions of Immortal Qi and then executing the Celestial Water Returning Ruins Technique to fully devour and digest it.

If he directly tossed the Immortal Qi into that vortex, not even a trace would remain. The only way was this "feeding in stages" method.

Even so, his cultivation body remained extremely excited, as if it had tasted some exquisite tonic, vigorously converting the Immortal Qi into cultivation, causing his aura to rise step by step...

In cultivation, days and nights are unfelt; in the blink of an eye, three years passed.

That wisp of Grand Bright Immortal Qi had been devoured by Chu Xuan until only a pinpoint of micro-light remained, and his cultivation had also risen three minor realms, finally reaching the stage of Great Perfection at the Sixth Realm. Moreover, he had surplus strength, with his aura continuously climbing as if overflowing.

It could be said the effect of this Immortal Qi was surprisingly good, much better than Chu Xuan anticipated. This way, the Relic could be saved.

He first sent the remaining thread of Immortal Qi into his divine sea to avoid accidentally "swallowing" it later.

Only then did Chu Xuan calm his mind, settled his heart to neither joy nor grief, and smoothly executed the breakthrough Secret Technique within the Returning Ruins Technique.

Chu Xuan had gone through this process once in his earlier years, and was thoroughly familiar with the critical details, hence he had great confidence in achieving success.

"The waters of the Eight Deserts and Nine Fields, the flow of the Heavenly River, nothing flows into it nor withdraws from it... As for the Great Abyss as an entity, it fills but never overflows, takes but never runs dry; therein I shall venture."

Chu Xuan mumbled, reciting the Dao Scripture, as various illusory imageries like "All Rivers Flow Into the Sea," "All Things Return to One," and "Cycle’s End" began to appear around him. This was also his expression of understanding the principle of the "Great Dao of Devouring."

If unable to have in-depth comprehension and accomplishment of any one among the Three Thousand Great Dao, thinking of breaking into the Seventh Realm would be out of the question. This is one reason many cultivators remain stuck before the chasm for years.

As for inside Chu Xuan’s body, the Returning Ruins Vortex rooted within the cinnabar field suddenly started to violently quiver, emitting an awful suction power!

The Twelve Towers and Five Cities immediately began to crack, shattering with a ping into countless jade-white fragments—whether illusionary parts or solid parts—swiftly drawn into the vortex.

But at this moment, an anomaly occurred!

The tiny fraction of Immortal Qi in Chu Xuan’s divine sea suddenly recklessly dashed out, charging towards the shattered Dao Foundation.

In just a moment, all the fragments, following an invisible mystical link, were intercepted by the Immortal Qi and integrated within it.

However, the Immortal Qi itself was being absorbed by the Returning Ruins Vortex, on the verge of being entirely "obliterated."

Chu Xuan’s expression drastically changed, and the Six Souls Banner immediately responded to his will, rushing into the cinnabar field with glistening green light, resisting the suction power as the banner flared, narrowly rolling up that wisp of Immortal Qi and directly retreating into the divine sea.

Though Chu Xuan swiftly salvaged that wisp of Immortal Qi, his body became exceedingly feeble, even experiencing an intense thirst urging him to devour everything around him.

Even his own flesh, tendons, and bones seemed fragile, as though about to be sucked into the vortex.

If this situation continued, not only would Chu Xuan fail to advance, he would very likely fall prey to inner demons and die. Worse, he might transform into a monster, or become a natural disaster.

He never anticipated such an upheaval in the crucial promotion phase—being stripped of the Dao Foundation cultivated through Jade Capital Secrets by the Immortal Qi? What the hell rationale is this?!

Deprived of this source, the balance within Chu Xuan was disrupted, already reaching a life-and-death juncture.

Fortunately, he immediately swallowed the Relic that emitted a faint golden glow.

The Returning Ruins Vortex greedily absorbed the Relic, but then, this Buddha’s relic possessed of its spiritual property, spontaneously resisted that suction power.

It radiated eternal and boundless golden Buddha light; within the Buddha light, there were sounds of sutra chanting and meditation singing, seeming to contain enigmas of transcending the six realms of life and death, the cycle of karma and reincarnation.

Chu Xuan could not allow it to act unruly; the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara presence instantly emerged, as forty-two golden arms plunged within him, with the same origin force, forcibly propelling the Relic into the dark vortex.

In that instant, the Returning Ruins Vortex trembled violently, even being dyed in layers of gold!

But with Chu Xuan, this "demon head," vigorously operating the Celestial Water Returning Ruins Technique, the Relic was continually ground and digested, becoming nourishment to enlarge him.

If there were a Buddha’s disciple present, they would likely charge forth to contend with him.

Granted adequate strength, the Returning Ruins Vortex reverted to darkness, incessantly rising, determinedly rushing into the upper Dantian, towards that Temple of Hidden Divinity at the brow position—the abode of Purple Palace!