Chapter 557: Lightning Dao Essence

Three years had given Chen Dong complete control over the Joyful Fragrance. He even found himself wishing for more of it. Though it was an aphrodisiac the Fox Demon Race used for seduction—and one that Evil Cultivators had once exploited to refine human cauldrons and control living beings—the Joyful Fragrance could effectively enhance one’s Red Dust Dao Radiance, provided it was fully suppressed.

In the distance, after comprehending a Secret Technique, Zisang Jin sent a message to the Cyan Sky Sect. There was nothing about the situation here that was too sensitive to report; with You present, the Cyan Sky Sect wouldn’t dare cause any trouble, even if they knew the Divine Palace was located within the territory of the Human Race.

Chen Dong was wondering just how much longer he had to stay here. He had already decided to leave the Divine Palace if You didn’t appear soon.

Just then, a familiar spatial ripple spread through the air, and You, clad in black robes, materialized.

His pale complexion was even more translucent than it had been three years prior, almost appearing transparent.

You glanced at Chen Dong and spoke directly. “It seems you’ve gained complete control of the Joyful Fragrance. I’ve also investigated the situation with the Demon Race, so I’ll leave the rest to you. But before that, refine this.”

As You spoke, a ball of thunderous light, suffused with spiritual charm and teeming with law, condensed in his hand.

Chen Dong was startled and blurted out, “Dao Essence!?”

In the distance, Zisang Jin was equally astonished. ‘What task is You giving Chen Dong? He actually went out of his way to find a Dao Essence for him to refine.’

“How did you know I could refine this? Dao Essence is…”

Before Chen Dong could finish, You shook his head. “Your Thunder Spirit Root is the strongest of your Spirit Roots, and your divine soul leans toward the laws of thunder. You can definitely refine this! Your cultivation is too weak. I wasn’t going to give you this Dao Essence so soon, but I’m running out of time!”

Chen Dong didn’t dwell on how You was able to transport a Dao Essence. ‘His Realm is too high; I wouldn’t understand it even if I tried.’ It was a good chance to increase his own strength, and besides, You truly didn’t look to be in good shape.

By cultivating with only Spirit Stones for three years, Chen Dong had already reached the Ninth-Layer Golden Core. His cultivation talent was undeniably top-tier.

With the Dao Essence right before him, Chen Dong reached out a bare hand. He let a drop of his essence blood fall from his fingertip onto the Thunderbolt Light Ball. Instantly, the ball of light followed his finger and drilled into his body.

‘I can actually refine it!’

A flicker of joy sparked in his heart. With no time for further thought, Chen Dong sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and wholeheartedly began refining the Dao Essence.

As a small and delicate Thunder Emblem materialized between his brows, a bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, piercing through the Divine Palace’s defenses to connect with Chen Dong.

Instantly, innumerable bolts of lightning crashed down, rolling out from the Divine Palace. The phenomenon grew, spreading over a thousand li, then ten thousand, then tens of thousands, until it encompassed the entire territory of the Human Race. Soon, even the territories of the Demon Race and the Demon Race were covered by the storm.

A unique phenomenon occurs whenever a Dao Essence is refined, and the scale and splendor of this event indicates the power of the Dao Essence itself.

The Dao Essence Chen Dong was refining sent thunder shaking through an entire realm. The resulting phenomenon spread for countless miles—an unprecedented event.

Even You, within the Divine Palace, hadn’t expected such a massive disturbance. His own Divine Sense couldn’t span an entire realm. He watched the events unfolding across the Human Race’s territory and thought, ‘As expected of him. I hope there’s still time for everything.’

At that moment, the inhabitants of the Floating Shadow Realm simply thought it was an ordinary thunderstorm. Even those with profound cultivation merely considered it an anomaly within the Floating Shadow Realm, never suspecting it was the phenomenon caused by a Dao Essence.

As lightning from the sky poured into him, the Spiritual Qi in Chen Dong’s body surged once more, pushing him through Golden Core Perfection, to Golden Core Peak, and then onward toward the Nascent Soul Stage…

Amidst the lightning, his transcendent-grade Golden Core completely dissolved, reforming into a fist-sized infant that sat cross-legged within his Dantian.

First-Layer Nascent Soul Stage!

Chen Dong had never imagined reaching the Nascent Soul Stage would be so simple and swift. After forming his Nascent Soul, the vast Spiritual Qi generated by the lightning began to gather in his sea of consciousness.

The Floating Mountain in Chen Dong’s sea of consciousness, long dormant, began to reassemble itself into what looked like a vast continent. In an instant, Divine Light bathed the landscape and spiritual energy bloomed. The entire Floating Mountain became like a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, a Realm Beyond the Immortal World.

And at this moment, a flood of memories surged into Chen Dong’s mind.

‘It’s her?’ A familiar, beautiful face appeared in his mind. She was dressed in a stately phoenix robe, standing beside him with an air of royal nobility.

‘Yes, it was her… my Princess Consort!’

Li Huiran, the one who helped him rule the world after he unified Jiuzhou!

Though she had been chosen through a grand selection, her prideful air was still crystal clear. Li Huiran’s role in the Fuyuan Country’s glory was indispensable. Her birth was a mystery, her origins unknown. Compared to Li Wang, that fated reincarnation, the Li Huiran of that time was equally powerful.

“Your Majesty, the world cannot tolerate Li Wang, nor can the Celestial Dao. I ask Your Majesty to make a decision soon!”

Her cold words brought a sharp order to the flood of his memories.

“With her destiny, the Eldest Princess will sooner or later be destroyed by the Celestial Dao. The Fuyuan Country will also be ruined under the Celestial Dao’s fury, leading to endless disasters and displacing our people! For them, it would be an apocalyptic catastrophe!”

In the memory, Chen Dong hesitated.

“Your Majesty, you can hesitate no longer! Forge the Imperial Mausoleum with the Spirit Heart of Jiuzhou. In ten thousand years, the Eldest Princess will be bathed in spiritual essence and be reborn, recast with a new body of law! Her power has already reached the world’s limit. If you continue to hesitate, it won’t just be the Eldest Princess who dies!”

“But what about those loyal to Li Wang? They will never believe that the Celestial Dao would suppress the Eldest Princess they so revere!”

A murderous glint surfaced in Li Huiran’s sharp, valiant eyes.

“Then we kill them. When we forge the Imperial Mausoleum, we can use a chamber of slaughter for the suppression. Besides, sealing the Spirit Heart of Jiuzhou will require a vast amount of baleful energy anyway…”