Chapter 1162: Wait a moment, I'm going to break through to Soul Transformation

The Great Sun Heavenly Pool continuously traversed through the Nine Spirit Domain, passing through one teleportation array after another, radiating boundless brilliance as it patrolled this stretch of starry sky.

Jiang Ding stood within the crystal wall of the Heavenly Pool, gazing at the dark and gloomy starry sky.

A sense of reassurance welled up spontaneously in his heart.

"Sword Child,"

"Sword Child, Sword Child!"

Yue, restless and eager to try, said: "Within the Nine Spirit Domain, you should be the strongest cultivator. Would you consider some other great undertaking?"

She had the look of an irritable warmonger.

However, this did seem to be the truth.

At this critical juncture when the nine Void Refinement mighty beings had departed for the outer domains and had not yet returned, and no new Void Refinement cultivator had been born, the Great Sun Sword Child was the tenth-ranked powerhouse of the Nine Spirit Domain.

One of the top ten powerhouses in an entire domain!

The current strongest in the domain!

"Great undertaking?"

Jiang Ding was momentarily stunned.

Then he rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay attention to this Great Sun Sword Pavilion lunatic.

"Yue, give it up."

Teacher Gu Lin Master Dinghai Zhenjun was also present and chuckled lightly: "If Jiang Ding were to betray, not many people in the Immortal Sect would be willing to follow him, and even if they followed, it would be useless."

"The Immortal Sect's Seventy-Two Earth Fiends, Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Star Array cannot be broken through even by peak Void Refinement cultivators, and the same goes for the sect-guarding arrays of the Badaxian Sect. What on earth are you thinking?"

"Hmph…"

Yue snorted lightly, too lazy to pay attention to these juniors.

She had an extremely strong sense of hierarchy; generally speaking to Soul Transformation cultivators was already her limit, and she could not continue to accommodate those further below.

Amid the idle chatter, the Great Sun Heavenly Pool passed through another super teleportation array and officially returned to the Immortal Sect, emerging within the super teleportation array.

The Great Sun Heavenly Pool burst forth with a swath of light, releasing Teacher Gu Lin Master Dinghai Zhenjun, An Siyan, Jin Jin Lingfeng, and other cultivators, as well as their warships and aerial motherships, then activated its automatic piloting and flew toward the Immortal Sect's thirty-third Heavenly Spirit orbit.

A dense swarm of aerial warships, aerial fighters, and aerial motherships appeared in the sky.

The military formation spread out a vast expanse of runes; many warship hulls bore fresh blood and the marks of blades and swords, and a fierce, murderous aura from the battlefield rushed at them.

"Welcome!"

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, on your triumphant return!"

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun, accompanied by numerous administrative personnel who had remained to guard the home star, came to greet them. The moment he saw the many warships and cultivators descending from the Great Sun Heavenly Pool, he bowed deeply, his posture extremely proper and formal.

"All of this is entirely thanks to the Immortal Sect's citizens, who feared no sacrifice, pressed forward one after another, and fought with absolute sincerity."

"Therefore, we have been fortunate enough to achieve victory and have not disgraced our mission."

Jiang Ding, without his usual casualness, came before Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun and returned the salute with proper posture.

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun was not simply welcoming

him.

He was also fulfilling his duty as acting administrator, paying respect to the countless Immortal Sect citizens who had fought bloody battles, and comforting the spirits of the fallen citizens who had sacrificed themselves — a duty Jiang Ding himself could not refuse.

"You've worked hard!"

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun gripped Jiang Ding's hand tightly; the emotions in his heart surged, but he did not say more.

The Immortal Sect held a grand welcoming ceremony and banquet for the returning main army of the expeditionary force, and announced this good news to the many citizens, greatly boosting morale.

After the banquet, the slumbering cultivators continued their slumber, while those resting on rotation began their leave.

Once their leave ended, they would, depending on the development of the war situation, throw themselves back into the battlefield. The slumbering cultivators, meanwhile, were in the final sequence of omens, and unless absolutely necessary, the Immortal Sect would not conscript these slumbering cultivators who were on the verge of breaking through to Soul Transformation.

In the empty Golden Imperial Palace, Jiang Ding, Teacher Gu Lin Master Dinghai Zhenjun, and Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun, along with An Siyan, Jin Jin Lingfeng, Zhang Zhang Junsheng, and others who for various reasons had not entered slumber, were taking a stroll. Even though there was no one around them at the moment, they maintained silence and spoke only through divine sense.

"Senior, how is the battlefield?"

Jiang Ding inquired.

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun had always maintained a direct channel of communication with the front lines; this concerned the Immortal Sect's rear escape route and could not afford any mishap.

"Very smoothly."

"Currently, the Jiudaxian Sect's advantage has grown considerably."

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun blocked Teacher Gu Lin Master Dinghai Zhenjun and the others; the latter tweaked his beard and walked aside: "The Jiao Ming Emperor actively interrupted the blood-brawl of the King of Equality's Yin-Yang Inversion Great Array of Yama Hell, rescuing several million Jiao Mo Imperial Clan cultivators who were on the verge of death, sparing the Jiao Mo Imperial Clan from extermination."

"For this, the Jiao Ming Emperor paid the price of being gravely wounded himself, with nearly half of the Great Emperors dying sudden deaths and nearly half of the Ancient Emperors being gravely wounded."

"The current situation looks very promising; the Jiudaxian Sect is expected to conquer the Zhong Senior Qian Shi Gao Jie of Jiao Mo Gao Jie within four hundred years and drive the Jiao Mo Imperial Clan out."

"The premise is that the Jiudaxian Sect does not fall into internal strife and is seized upon by the Jiao Ming Emperor."

"Still need four hundred years?"

Jiang Ding was somewhat puzzled.

Clearly, in the past, when the Jiao Ming Emperor had not yet been gravely wounded and the Jiao Mo Imperial Clan's Combined Dao Great Array had nearly a hundred million clansmen, it only took five hundred years to conquer. Now, having gained such a great advantage, it still required four hundred years — this did not quite conform to common sense.

"Yes, that is indeed the case."

Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun explained: "After losing the immense external pressure, cracks have begun to appear between the Immortal Sect and the Badaxian Sect, and among the Badaxian Sect themselves — they are no longer so united. Everyone fears being gravely wounded or dying, which would cause themselves and their sect to lose a voice in the post-war spoils distribution."

"Many things are political and cannot be viewed from a purely military perspective."

"This is a good thing for the Immortal Sect."

Shen

ji Canghai Tianjun appeared very optimistic: "Once a Combined Dao cultivator is born among the Badaxian Sect, those who fear it will absolutely not be limited to us. The other seven sects are equally terrified of such an event. At that time, our relationship with the Qidaxian Sect will instead see a tremendous improvement, and we will once again enter a honeymoon period."

"There is a great deal of room for maneuver within this, which can ensure the Immortal Sect's post-war position remains unshaken."

"Understood."

"If Senior says so, then it must indeed be the case."

Jiang Ding smiled and nodded.

The three chatted for a while longer, then Jiang Ding took his leave of Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun, and said to Teacher Gu Lin: "Teacher, I'm preparing to undergo the Soul Transformation tribulation. If you're interested, you may observe for a bit."

"Naturally interested."

Teacher Gu Lin's spirit lifted.

She had been waiting here precisely for this.

Advancing to Soul Transformation via a nascent Void Refinement spatial form was a complete blank in research within the Immortal Sect. She was in fact quite uneasy about it in her heart, and had therefore long since calculated everything out.

"Alright."

Jiang Ding smiled.

He took a single step forward, his body growing hazy and indistinct, passing through space to arrive outside the Immortal Sect's atmosphere, where he released his full aura, no longer suppressing anything.

Boom!

In the starry sky, rolling black clouds gathered, expanding within an instant to several thousand li, then to several tens of thousands of li, layer upon layer spreading across the heavens.

The black clouds were dark as ink, with lightning serpents weaving and flashing within them; every bolt of Lei Ting carried a blue-purple hue, as the great momentum of heaven and earth converged and merged into the lightning.

Any single bolt of such lightning could easily blast a Soul Transformation cultivator apart.

And such lightning filled the entire sky, blanketing the heavens and earth like layer upon layer of blue-purple nets of Lei Ting, a prison of Lei Ting, sealing off every avenue of escape.

Amid such terrifying heavenly might of the thunder prison,

A youth in blue robes sat in serene composure, his expression tranquil.