Chapter 824: The Weight of Years

Li Yi searched through the pile of shattered rocks, finally stopping atop a circular boulder that floated motionless—its temporal force lay within his tolerance and was suitable for cultivation.

"Perfect. This is the place."

He stood on the boulder, his body slowly eroded by time, yet this rate was far slower than before; he estimated roughly that one day here equaled one year outside.

Li Yi immediately prepared all his cultivation resources.

First, the exotic items providing cosmic energy.

Dragon scales, phoenix feathers, the World Heart gem.

The three complete exotics piled together released a terrifying energy field; merely being enveloped by it would instantly shatter the bodies of ordinary cultivators, killing them through energy erosion.

But Li Yi, as a direct descendant of divine blood and possessing the cultivation base of the Spirit God and Chaoyuan realms, could still withstand these four energy fields.

In addition to abundant cosmic energy, sufficient life essence was needed to replenish the body.

The overflowing life essence within the Tianyi Hall was perfect for use now.

Coupled with the Elixir of Immortality in hand to prevent lifespan depletion and death from temporal force, all preparations were now complete.

Li Yi immediately closed his eyes and sat, sensing the changes within himself under time's erosion.

His body was now transforming at a visibly rapid pace—this transformation differed from before, as it was natural growth, his latent potential being unearthed; after all, Li Yi had cultivated for only a short time, leaving gaps and deficiencies in certain areas.

Now, under time's erosion, these invisible shortcomings were being repaired.

With each breath, vast quantities of life essence surged from the Tianyi Hall into his body; ancient lightning-like markings quietly appeared on his skin, while new acupoints within his body opened one by one.

Li Yi, who already possessed sixty major acupoints, saw his sixty-first acupoint naturally open within just two hours under the weight of time.

The moment this acupoint appeared, a new flow of magic power surged into it, and another drop of divine blood was nurtured forth.

But soon.

Li Yi's expression changed; his Primordial Spirit manifestation atop the crimson lotus suddenly erupted with a surging heartfire energy, burning his Primordial Spirit and filling him with searing pain.

"One more acupoint's magic power has thrown the Five Elements out of balance."

Li Yi immediately realized the source of the problem.

Previously, the magic power of the sixty acupoints had maintained perfect Five Elements equilibrium, allowing the Five Qi to converge into the Chaoyuan state; now, an extra acupoint had disrupted this balance, letting heartfire dominate—and under the amplification of temporal force, this single acupoint's heartfire alone was enough to burn his Primordial Spirit manifestation.

The conflict and hidden danger of cultivating multiple arts had finally surfaced.

Fortunately, the Supreme Treasure, the Crimson Lotus, radiated its divine light; though his Primordial Spirit manifestation was scorched by heartfire, the Lotus rapidly repaired it under the aid of temporal force.

With this gain and loss, Li Yi suffered pain but faced no mortal danger.

"I must quickly complete the other four acupoints to restore Five Elements balance," he thought, continuing his cultivation.

Yet under the searing of heartfire, his Primordial Spirit manifestation grew ever stronger; eventually, it developed resistance to the heartfire itself.

This change caught him off guard.

But just as he adapted to the heartfire's burn, the opening of the sixty-second acupoint brought forth a new flow of magic power—this time, his Primordial Spirit manifestation felt piercing pain through the heart.

The metal element's energy had become too dominant; his Primordial Spirit manifestation suffered the agony of metal's slicing force.

Yet as the Crimson Lotus continued nurturing his Primordial Spirit, though wounded, he remained unharmed; over time, the metal's tearing effect gradually lost its potency.

Then, with the opening of the sixty-third acupoint, a new elemental force began refining his Primordial Spirit manifestation.

Repeatedly, this cycle continued.

Li Yi's Primordial Spirit manifestation, having endured the refining of time and the Five Elements, underwent an unknown transformation—gradually becoming immune to damage from elemental energies.

Soon.

One day passed.

Under the weight of time, one year had elapsed.

Li Yi's body and Primordial Spirit both showed marked advancement; his magic power grew denser, his Primordial Spirit stronger, and his physical strength significantly enhanced.

He did not know exactly how much Long Hu power he had gained, but he was certain: this day of grueling cultivation yielded immense rewards.

"Continue."

Li Yi did not overreach; he pressed on with relentless cultivation.

Nearby, Master Yulian noticed Li Yi's transformation; to her, he was visibly growing stronger at a visible pace—this was only one day passed.

Master Yulian instinctively wanted to stop him.

If this continued, not only would she fail to convert Li Yi, but after his transformation was complete, she herself might not be his match.

Yet soon, she dismissed the thought.

If she intervened, would that not prove she had succumbed to fear? Had she abandoned the fearless spirit of self-sacrifice to convert demons? If so, her merit would be flawed—could she still attain Bodhi?

Master Yulian clasped her hands together, repented for her fleeting thought, and allowed Li Yi to continue his cultivation.

She believed: the stronger this demon became, the greater her merit upon converting him, the more complete her enlightenment.

Days passed. Under time's erosion, Li Yi sat motionless atop the boulder for years; the Five Elements cycled upon him, refining his Primordial Spirit manifestation, transforming his body, nurturing divine blood, his aura growing ever stronger and more terrifying.

If before he had barely entered the Chaoyuan realm, now he stood firmly in its middle stage.

Though his progress was swift, by cultivation time alone, it was not extraordinary—he had trained nonstop for years, aided by the Crimson Lotus nurturing his Primordial Spirit.

"The Dao's path grows slower the deeper one goes. No wonder the Seven Immortal Maidens, with their talent, took centuries to achieve the Three Flowers Converging and Five Qi Converging. Had I not previously borrowed incense power to simulate truth and smoothly crossed the Five Qi realm, I'd still be hoarding the Five Qi in my chest." Li Yi thought inwardly.

Yet with such results in just a few days, he was already satisfied.

Though other regions possessed stronger temporal force, they exceeded his tolerance and were unsuitable for cultivation.

Yet even during Li Yi's intense cultivation,

several unexpected guests arrived at the Wondrous Realm.

Several figures appeared instantly, arriving abruptly; from their attire, they were cultivators from the Xian Immortal Continent, powerful—peak Mahayana, having mastered spatial force and capable of instantaneous teleportation.

"No mistake—Li Yi is in this region. Every seven days, I use the Heavenly Evolution Divine Art to discern fate; recently, there was no response, meaning Li Yi was not in this world. But a few days ago, my Heavenly Evolution Divine Art reacted—Li Yi has secretly crossed over back to Earth."

A tall cultivator with a long beard, holding a compass, squinted as he spoke.

He was Tianji Daoist, entrusted by the Immortals to track Li Yi's whereabouts, determined to eliminate this unstable factor before he grew into a grave threat.

"This place is peculiar. Just now, I swept with my spiritual sense, only for it to be instantly eroded by some strange force. Time here is chaotic—look at those plants over there: flourishing in summer, withering in winter, all in an instant. Unbelievable."

Another peak Mahayana sword cultivator pointed toward the distance.

"Earth has suffered countless celestial disasters—anything bizarre can happen. Clearly, Li Yi smuggled himself into this wondrous place to use its temporal force to break through to a higher realm. No wonder his cultivation speed is so fast," Tianji Daoist said.

"We were only entrusted by the Immortals to locate Li Yi. Since we've confirmed he's here, we'll inform the Immortals and let them handle it," the peak Mahayana sword cultivator said gravely.

He had self-awareness—he knew Li Yi's battlefield record and knew he was no match.

Tianji Daoist nodded slightly: "But this matter is too critical to be careless. We must pinpoint Li Yi's exact location before sending word—if the Immortals descend and cannot find him, we'll be in dire trouble."

"Go forward."

He studied his compass and advanced deeper along the direction indicated by the divine omen.

"I shouldn't have taken this miserable task," the peak Mahayana sword cultivator muttered.

"If you complete this, you'll receive a piece of Immortal material as reward—enough to forge your True Immortal Sword. You may even become an Immortal Sword Saint in this lifetime," Tianji Daoist said. "Greater risk, greater reward. Nothing to complain about."

"That's true," the sword cultivator said, his mood calming.

The two continued forward.

Though this was their first time here, Tianji Daoist possessed genuine skill; relying on his predictive ability, he avoided several dangers and steadily neared Li Yi's location.

"Watch out."

Suddenly,

the peak Mahayana sword cultivator suddenly shouted, his True Sword shooting forth with a blinding flash of light, slicing with unstoppable force toward an ancient tree nearby.

A supernatural creature's silhouette was struck, flung backward.

Yet this blow, capable of splitting mountains and cleaving the sky, failed to kill it—leaving only a trivial wound.

Soon,

the supernatural creature—resembling a leopard, a dog, with twin horns on its head—fixed its cold gaze on the two men, radiating murderous intent.

"Leave quickly. Its power is terrifying," Tianji Daoist cried in alarm, retreating swiftly.

"Wait—over there, among the shattered rocks, there are two figures."

Because the sword had cleared away many obstructions, the sword cultivator suddenly spotted two silhouettes.

One figure was familiar.

Identical to the wanted poster of Li Yi.

"It really is Li Yi—he's here!" Tianji Daoist turned and noticed as well.

But the terrifying creature had already charged—its speed was astonishing; in one strike, it bit clean through Tianji Daoist's arm.

Blood sprayed. Tianji Daoist screamed in pain, abandoning all else, and turned to flee.

Though a peak Mahayana cultivator, he was not a fighter—otherwise, he wouldn't have partnered with a sword cultivator.

The sword cultivator slashed again, forcing the creature back, then seized Tianji Daoist and fled.

Once beyond the Wondrous Realm, both vanished simultaneously via teleportation.

The commotion was heard by Master Yulian in the distance, but she dismissed it as two lay practitioners who had wandered in, paying it no mind; Li Yi, immersed in temporal erosion, remained oblivious to the outside world.

(End of Chapter)