Chapter 865: The Absurd Heart Demon

"The limit..."

"Only three years."

Jiang Ding sighed.

In legend, the child of a True Immortal is gestated for nine thousand years, born after nine thousand years, and reaches adulthood after nine thousand years.

I wonder when I will be able to reach such a realm.

I am still far from it now.

For a Jin Dan cultivator, the next step is for the Nascent Soul to tear open the fetal membrane and appear in the world.

"Tear,"

"I tear, I tear, I tear..."

The Nascent Soul formed from Jiang Ding's divine soul was tiny, standing on the three-inch-long Taqing Flying Sword, puffing out his cheeks, using his two pale little hands to pull, pull, and pull again, trying to tear the sword's fetal membrane to be born.

This process is not difficult; most Nascent Soul cultivators cross it easily.

"Tear!"

"I tear..."

Jiang Ding felt his face turning blue from holding his breath.

But the sword's fetal membrane was more solid than divine metal; no matter how hard he pulled, he could not split it. This membrane and the Taqing Flying Sword were of the same origin and one body, making it impossible to use the sword's edge.

"Can't tear it..."

Jiang Ding's small face fell in disappointment.

In this state of life, he was younger and more immature than ever, as if he had returned to a very young age, playing by his mother's side.

"If I can't tear it, I won't tear it."

Jiang Ding's expression returned to calm.

Under danger, centuries of experience took over his instincts, and he was no longer affected.

"Then, just go out directly!"

Whoosh!

Jiang Ding's body suddenly went rigid, and a round, golden Jin Dan flew out from his forehead, its light scorching and brilliant, with a tiny figure and a small flying sword visible inside.

This golden Jin Dan faced the dark clouds in the sky, nine thousand kilometers wide, black as ink, with dense electric snakes flickering.

It charged directly at the sky!

Boom!

At the very moment the Jin Dan emerged from the body, a terrifying purple-blue Lei Ting, clearly possessing the aura of Soul Transformation, descended like a sharp sword, riding the momentum of heaven and earth and the Lei Ting Fa domain, smashing down from the sky, causing many Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun to change color slightly.

"A Jin Dan, no, a Nascent Soul, charging directly at the heavenly tribulation!"

"This is too dangerous!"

"A serious violation of the Tribulation Crossing taboos! Moreover, the heavenly tribulation should only descend after the Nascent Soul has fully formed and the Heart Demon Tribulation has passed; this is wrong..."

Lei Lei Shengzhen's eyes widened.

A Nascent Soul, especially a newly born one, is extremely fragile; it often requires decades of nurturing before it can leave the body and take over another's vessel. Therefore, newly formed Nascent Soul cultivators usually seclude themselves for decades; this is almost a rule.

Now, this rule has been broken!

An Siyan, Jin Jin Lingfeng, and others felt their hearts tighten painfully as well.

The purple-blue Lei Ting dissolved space and fell silently, riding the momentum of heaven and earth, carrying the destructive will of Lei Ting's governance over heaven and earth's punishments. It descended suddenly, making people feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their bodies stiff, able only to bare their necks for slaughter.

The golden Jin Dan did not care about its majesty; it charged directly at the Lei Chong Guang in the sky, facing it head-on.

The purple-blue and golden lights met suddenly!

Boom!

The world suddenly brightened!

Terrifying thunder spread in all directions; layers of space were destroyed and dissolved, enough to slaughter all living beings in heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are unkind, without love or hate, erasing anomalies in the world as they boom and turn.

Crack!

Within that destructive Lei Chong Guang, the spark of life did not dissipate.

"How is it?"

Everyone held their breath and stared intently.

They saw the destructive Lei Chong Guang, like a spiderweb, cover the golden fetal membrane. Accompanied by a crisp Crack sound, the fetal membrane made of divine metal suddenly shattered, exploding into a sky full of golden star fragments that splashed in all directions.

Amidst the sky full of golden stars, a Nascent Soul gradually revealed itself.

It was slightly smaller than half a palm, with pale, tender skin and ink-black hair. It looked exactly like Jiang Ding, with its eyes slightly closed, and a blue-gold flying sword, about its own height, pressed closely beside it.

In the next instant, like a dream bubble or a shadow, the Nascent Soul merged into the flying sword, becoming indistinguishable from it.

The Nascent Soul is the sword; the sword is also the Nascent Soul.

If the sword exists, the person exists; if the sword perishes, the person will surely die.

Whoosh!

Before the second heavenly tribulation appeared, the Taqing Flying Sword returned to the dantian in an instant.

Vast magic power and the divine soul of the Nascent Soul realm spread in all directions, causing Jiang Ding's dharma body skin and flesh to tremble, his bones creaking, and magic power in his meridians to circulate wildly, expelling patches of dirty blood from his body.

This was the dharma body undergoing a qualitative change, driven and influenced by the Nascent Soul-level divine soul and Nascent Soul-level magic power!

A qualitative change at the Nascent Soul level!

This is also the fundamental reason why cultivators can extend their lives by twelve hundred years, earning them the title of Earthly Immortals.

The essence of life was changing; the dharma body was evolving rapidly and violently.

At the same time, confusion appeared in Jiang Ding's eyes.

"This is right, this is exactly right!"

"After the transformation of magic power and soul, comes the Heart Demon Tribulation; ten thousand years condense into an instant. Survive it, and you welcome the Lei Gao Jie; fail, and your soul scatters, leaving six hundred years of the Dao path in vain..."

Lei Lei Shengzhen let out a sigh of relief.

If this overturning continued, even his Dao heart would become unstable and shaken. A thousand years of research, the very thing upon which his life, death, glory, shame, and future path were pinned, now stood revealed before him as not being so; anyone would be unable to help but feel fear.

A hazy gray mist appeared, then dispersed, revealing the scene of the home in Rongcheng.

"Lord Dingding, time to eat!"

"The stir-fried dried fish with fish mint you made yourself is still on the stove; bring it over on your way."

Lin Lin Wanqiu placed a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes on the dining table, shouted loudly, and simultaneously scolded, "Xiao Yuan, stop watching cartoons. Day after day, you do nothing but watch cartoons, your grades are poor, and this time you only got fifty-nine..."

"Mom, you're wrong."

"I did do things!"

Jiang Yuan, refusing to yield, shouted, "I bought the noon vegetables; the tomatoes you just used were the leftovers from noon."

"What about your grades?"

Lin Lin Wanqiu glared at her.

"Ah... this... this..."

Jiang Yuan's arrogance vanished instantly; she changed the subject. "Um... I saw online that people say elementary school grades don't mean much; they're misleading. The real grades only appear in middle school."

"Mom, don't worry. I'm just a genius whose real grades were misled. Once I reach middle school, I'll soar to the sky and get full marks in every subject!"

She looked full of confidence.

"Hmph! Soar to the sky? Don't think I don't know..."

Lin Lin Wanqiu snorted coldly.

"Eat, eat."

"We'll talk after eating. Mom, Xiao Yuan, the food is getting cold."

Jiang Ding returned with a plate of stir-fried dried fish with fish mint and quickly smoothed things over; otherwise, today's meal would once again be chaotic and restless.

The family bickered occasionally at the dining table and chatted about studies and daily life.

"Lord Dingding, did you get injured practicing sword yesterday?"

Lin Lin Wanqiu asked.

"Mm, a small injury; it's already bandaged."

Jiang Ding answered vaguely while eating; indeed, it was a familiar, intimate flavor he hadn't tasted in a long time, causing him to sink deeply into it.

"Actually, studying and sword refinement don't need to be so hard."

Lin Lin Wanqiu comforted him. "People like Xiao Yuan, who play around at school every day, are certainly no good, but neither is someone like you who practices sword and studies frantically. I know our family's martial arts talent; it's just so-so. Anyway, we can't become cultivators."

"Just try a bit harder so you won't worry about food and clothing later and can live a bit more easily."

"Besides, don't the TV and books say that high-level cultivators have many troubles too, aren't very happy, and are just like us mortals?"

"Mm, mm. Mom makes sense."

Jiang Ding nodded with a smile.

"Then you're not allowed to practice sword tomorrow. Taking a day off is fine."

Lin Lin Wanqiu said without room for argument.

"Mm, okay."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ding did not refute and agreed.

This made Lin Lin Wanqiu very happy, and she served him more food.

After the meal, the family went out for a walk, chatting with familiar neighbors they hadn't seen in years; everything was so novel, making one intoxicated.

The next day, Jiang Ding indeed stopped practicing sword.

The third day, the fourth day, and even a month passed this way.

When a person relaxes, it is easy to find excuses to persuade oneself, giving up effort bit by bit; all kinds of excuses sound very reasonable.

Several months later, he completely gave up practicing sword.

Under a transparent sky, a wisp of black gaze flashed and vanished.

Just like that, Jiang Ding safely reached Gao San, graduated from Gao San, failed to enter the Dao Department, went to a regular second-tier university, married and had children after graduation, respected his elders, and lived in harmony.

Until the very last moment of his life.

Jiang Ding was still content.

He looked at the hall full of children and grandchildren, and said to his eldest son, "In my life, I have no regrets. Although it was ordinary and plain, I spent it happily, and with you all, I have no regrets..."

"Dad! Grandpa!"

By the bedside, a circle of dozens of children and daughters wept, from the heart, with deep affection.

"No regrets... just kidding."

Jiang Ding, dragging his frail, aged body, stood up slowly and deliberately.

The surrounding children, now in their seventies and eighties, and the grandchildren widened their eyes.

"Just kidding."

"Heart Demon, my friend, is that it?"

Old Jiang, dragging his sick body, stood on the bed and smiled slightly, as if seeing something very amusing. "Are you out of your mind? My mother and my sister are still in the Chen Mian Mi Jing; how could I have any regrets?"

"You set this up for me?"

"Dad..."

The surrounding children and grandchildren, weeping and filled with extreme sorrow, paused, their bodies stiffening.

"Who is your dad?"

"Are you worthy?"

Jiang Ding smiled and shook his head.

With a snap of his fingers, blue-gold sword qi blossomed, and a bloodstain appeared on the throats of countless figures as Xu Xu slowly dissipated into nothingness.

Bang!

The Illusion Realm shattered, revealing the dark, heavy canopy of the sky.

Within that pitch-black canopy of the sky, a demonic spider that held up the heavens and stood upon the earth, filling the star river, stood towering, its eighteen pairs of deep, dark compound eyes ceaselessly turning, staring fixedly in this direction.

(End of chapter)

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