Chapter 436: Mid Yuan Ying

Overlapping Ridges Mountain

Feng Qingdan leaned against the wall, her steps somewhat unsteady as she walked out of the cave dwelling, her fair complexion looking even paler by a bit.

Listening Fragrance Tower's Feng Qingdan was already famous for her charm arts; not only was her appearance outstanding, her demeanor could cause many cultivators with insufficient cultivation base and weak will to lose themselves.

But now, as she walked out of the cave dwelling, her demeanor seemed to have changed somewhat, becoming more alluring and more seductive.

Put simply, it was the transition from maiden to married woman.

'This guy, usually shows no sign, appearing indifferent to women, I didn't expect him to be this crazy.'

Just thinking about these days' madness, Feng Qingdan's face involuntarily flushed.

Not far away.

The Cold Chant Flood Dragon that had poked its head out of the lake, and the Gold‑eating Armored Beast lounging nearby basking in the sun, also saw Feng Qingdan walking out.

As for what had happened inside the cave dwelling, the Cold Chant Flood Dragon's eyes were full of curiosity.

Given Yunhe's current strength and reputation, it's believed that not many cultivators would come to provoke him at this moment, after all they have no grudge.

Yunhe also couldn't help but admit.

Originally, because he cultivated the 'Great Longevity Five Elements True Scripture', his mana was already extremely abundant, but now it had become so excessively heavy that his qi sea and dantian could not fully contain it, causing it to coil around his body.

The pure elixir power made his mana even more surging.

From the corner came the earnest reply of the external incarnation.

He took out the 'Primordial Separation Pill' and swallowed it without any hesitation.

Time trickled by.

"Sorry to trouble you."

"Master truly lives up to the title; even a Yuan Ying Cultivator can be tossed about like this, bearing the demeanor of my golden armor."

Refreshed and invigorated, Yunhe sat cross‑legged upon the Congealed Fat Ice‑clear Lotus.

This is one of the 'benefits' he gained from Feng Qingdan.

Moreover.

Upon hearing that,

And at this moment, the mana in his qi sea and dantian was extremely surging, reaching the utmost of tumultuousness.

Yunhe took a deep breath, adjusted the flow of his mana within his body, then said to the external incarnation in the corner of the cultivation chamber:

What Feng Qingdan had promised initially was not baseless; the cultivation technique she practiced, especially the dual cultivation secret art of the Listening Fragrance Tower, brought him enormous benefits.

Within Yunhe's body, there also sounded a series of dull thuds.

The gate of Yunhe's cave dwelling had never been opened.

Meanwhile.

"Understood."

Seeing this, Feng Qingdan let out a slight breath, somewhat worried yet also hopeful as she glanced at the cave dwelling, then sat down to cultivate.

Fortunately, there were originally few cultivators around this area; instead, some monsters in Overlapping Ridges Mountain tensely lay prone on the ground.

At this moment, surging mana coiled around his body, its fluctuations extremely violent, appearing as if refinement could not keep up with absorption.

Meanwhile, the Gold‑eating Armored Beast revealed a strange grin.

"Finally, a breakthrough is coming." Feng Qingdan's beautiful eyes glowed.

"With his ability, there should be no danger."

Moreover, the spiritual energy in the large and small spirit veins of Overlapping Ridges Mountain was suddenly drained; the minor first‑ and second‑stage spirit veins instantly turned into dead veins.

This is the greatest benefit brought by Feng Qingdan's dual cultivation secret art.

Wrap and refine the elixir.

Although the spiritual energy around Overlapping Ridges Mountain was already fairly rich, a sudden breeze swept through, and the heaven‑and‑earth spiritual energy of the entire area vanished in an instant, causing cultivators within a radius of several thousand li to momentarily catch their breath.

Immediately thereafter, they each flew out of the formation.

"Rest assured."

Not only did his mana increase, but he also gained a very special power from Feng Qingdan.

Mobilize mana.

Feng Qingdan simply glanced over, then walked slowly to the lakeside pavilion and said:

"Young master's order: outside the cave dwelling, a full alert within a radius of one hundred li—any who approach, regardless of what creature, shall be killed!"

And this power allowed him to clearly feel the loosening of the Mid Yuan Ying bottleneck.

Inside the cave dwelling.

This commotion was no small matter, naturally drawing the attention of Feng Qingdan, the Cold Chant Flood Dragon, and the Gold‑eating Armored Beast.

Outside there were the Gold‑eating Armored Beast and Feng Qingdan, plus the reinforced Five Elements Formation protecting them; inside, the external incarnation oversaw things, so even if a late‑stage Yuan Ying great cultivator attacked, they should be able to hold out for a while.

The expressions of the Cold Chant Flood Dragon, the Toxic Flood Dragon, and the Gold‑eating Armored Beast all turned solemn, and they replied in unison:

That day.

Originally.

Yunhe was merely an early‑stage Yuan Ying cultivator, yet he already bore the title of 'the foremost among those below late‑stage Yuan Ying great cultivators'.

Now, if he breaks through to Mid Yuan Ying,

Feng Qingdan dare not imagine how strong his strength will become.

And Yunhe's former reputation granted this cultivator, who styles herself as Yunhe's concubine, great benefits, raising her status in the Eastern Border Cultivation Realm to disproportionate heights, mismatched with her actual cultivation.

Following that came great benefits.

Now, if he breaks through again,

She thinks it might even allow her status to stand on par with Mid Yuan Ying cultivators, letting the Listening Fragrance Tower achieve greater development.

Moreover

"I'm afraid that after this breakthrough, the title of 'the number one below Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator' will no longer suit him," Feng Qingdan murmured.

Inside the cave dwelling.

Yunhe was sitting cross-legged.

Above his head, amidst flashing five-colored light, a tiny infant resembling him hovered, eyes tightly shut, face solemn.

This is Yunhe's Nascent Soul!

At this moment, the Nascent Soul stepped on the 'Subduing Demon Armor', embraced the 'Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Sword', and behind it, each feather of the 'Ice Phoenix Wings' was vividly lifelike.

The rich and terrifying heavenly-earth spiritual essence surged in as if endless, causing the Nascent Soul's body to turn translucent; the five-colored patchwork robe it wore also changed its form under the dense spiritual aura.

A more exquisite five-colored robe, etched with abundant 'five-colored spirit patterns', gradually condensed.

At the same time.

"Break!"

The Nascent Soul suddenly let out a low shout; within its still-transparent body, the five-element mana flowed along a new path—this is the cultivation route of the eleventh layer of the 'Grand Longevity Five Elements True Scripture'.

Boom!!

With the smooth circulation of the first grand cycle.

A muffled sound erupted from within Yunhe's body.

Immediately afterward, the heavenly-earth spiritual energy instantly poured completely into that Nascent Soul.

Mana surged terrifyingly in an instant.

Mid Nascent Soul.

Thus the breakthrough was achieved!

At that very instant, the Nascent Soul's illusory outline suddenly solidified, and the reconstructed five-colored outerwear it wore abruptly formed into a five-colored robe.

Five Elements Armor!

Furthermore, Yunhe's Nascent Soul appearance seemed to have matured somewhat.

After these changes were completed, the Nascent Soul actively dove back into Yunhe's body.

His body once again emitted a series of clear sounds.

Yunhe's eyes opened at this moment, and within them appeared strands of five-colored spirit patterns, turning and intertwining to form a beautiful five-colored light.

After lasting several breaths, that five-colored brilliance retracted inward.

A smile appeared on his face.

"Done."

He could clearly feel the changes in his cultivation base and mana.

A genuine Mid Nascent Soul cultivator!

This breakthrough, in Yunhe's view, caused little commotion and did not bring him much surprise or unexpectedness.

After all, he had already made ample preparations and held nearly full confidence in this breakthrough.

This was, in his view, a breakthrough that came naturally and effortlessly.

"After cultivating for three hundred eighty-nine years, I have successfully broken through to Mid Nascent Soul!"

"Being able to break through to Mid Nascent Soul before the age of four hundred is closely related to my successful condensation of the 'Five Elements Spiritual Body' and the simultaneous elevation of my spiritual roots to medium grade, which greatly boosts my cultivation speed."

The enhancement of his spiritual body and roots not only made his cultivation speed faster, but more importantly increased his efficiency in absorbing elixirs.

"Now I should have a chance to break through to Late Nascent Soul before the age of five hundred."

"The prerequisite is finding an elixir suitable for Mid Nascent Soul cultivators."

"However, I have just broken through; what I need to do now is consolidate my cultivation base, turning the increase in cultivation into increased strength, and subsequent training need not be rushed."

When he successfully condensed the 'Five Elements Spiritual Body' earlier, his strength gained a huge boost, enabling him to slay two mid-level Fourth Level demon beasts in succession; now, after his cultivation breakthrough is fully digested, the resulting enhancement will surely surpass that from condensing the Five Elements Spiritual Body.

"Moreover, what may be even more important now is to seek the subsequent techniques of the 'Myriad Insects Myriad Worms Scripture'."

Now that he has successfully broken through, it is not only his cultivation base that has increased; his spiritual sense has likewise improved.

Based on his spiritual sense foundation, after the breakthrough his spiritual sense can now rival that of a Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator!

But this should not be the upper limit of his spiritual sense at his current cultivation level.

"I've dragged this out for so long; perhaps it's time to pay a visit to the ruins of the Insect Sect."

He had never dared to go to the Insect Sect because he feared the heavenly corpse gu, but now that his cultivation has broken through, he finally has enough confidence to face the heavenly corpse gu, so he should also go look for the subsequent techniques of the Myriad Insects Myriad Worms Scripture.

"First, stabilize the cultivation base."

Yunhe temporarily set aside all distractions and focused on circulating his technique.

Half a month later.

Yunhe's internal mana can now flow smoothly according to the eleventh layer of the 'Grand Longevity Five Elements True Scripture'.

This signifies that he has successfully stabilized his cultivation base at Mid Nascent Soul.

"Five Elements Armor!"

A soft shout.

Yunhe's body suddenly had beautiful spirit patterns appear upon it.

And these spirit patterns, as if materializing, condensed into a five-colored armor that glowed with a faint brilliance.

This is the most direct benefit brought by his breakthrough to Mid Nascent Soul.

"The Five Elements Armor" is a secret art.

It originates from the materialization of the 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns' after condensing the Five Elements Spiritual Body, and its function is also to strengthen those spirit patterns.

When combined with the 'Subduing Demon Armor', his defensive power will gain a tremendous boost.

Even if some spells can pierce the 'Subduing Demon Armor's' defense, as long as they belong to the five elements, the 'Five Elements Armor' can cause them to vanish.

More importantly, the "Five Elements Armor" belongs to a kind of near-"triggered" secret art.

It means that as long as Yunhe possesses the "Five Elements Spirit Body," his limbs and bones contain the "Five Elements Spirit Patterns," so even when facing an unexpected sneak attack, the "Five Elements Armor" will trigger on its own.

This greatly increases Yunhe's own safety factor.

"However, attempts to transform the 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns' into offensive means are not very smooth." The five-colored spirit armor on Yunhe's body dispersed, he tapped his lips and muttered.

"The 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns' possess abilities not unlike the 'Five-Colored Divine Light,' yet they can only be used for defense, which Yunhe naturally cannot accept."

Yet transforming the ability of the 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns' into an offensive means is also not easy.

This is a means not even recorded or described in the "Great Five Elements True Scripture of Supreme Longevity."

In fact, the records and descriptions of the 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns' in the "Great Five Elements True Scripture of Supreme Longevity" are not many.

But from some minor details mentioned, it is not hard to see that not all cultivators who have condensed a 'Five Elements Spirit Body' can possess 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns.'

Or rather, since the creation of this cultivation method, among those cultivators who have successfully condensed a 'Five Elements Spirit Body,' only an extremely small fraction can awaken the 'Five Elements Spirit Patterns'; this seems to involve some hidden aspects of this method and also some unknown conditions.

In the cultivation method, the 'Five Elements Spirit Body' is divided into the awakened-spirit-pattern 'Five Elements Spirit Body' and the unawakened-spirit-pattern 'Five Elements Spirit Body.'

Only whether the spirit patterns are awakened, what the difference is, Yunhe is not very clear.

He only knows.

This spirit pattern possesses enormous potential and deserves thorough study.

"Besides the 'Five Elements Armor,' the natural improvement after breaking through to the middle stage is an all-around enhancement."

The difference in magical power between a middle-stage Yuan Ying cultivator and an early-stage Yuan Ying cultivator is not merely quantitative; more importantly, it is qualitative.

The same magical treasure, when driven by magical power of an early-stage Yuan Ying cultivator versus a middle-stage Yuan Ying cultivator, naturally exhibits vastly different might.

Using a more intuitive comparison.

Like when Yunhe previously drove the upper-grade fourth-level magical treasure 'Subdue Demon Armor,' the defensive power he displayed could at most compare to that of an ordinary middle-stage Yuan Ying cultivator driving a middle-grade fourth-level natal defensive magical treasure.

This is already quite strong defensive power, yet it falls short of the maximum defensive power the treasure itself should possess.

Both being upper-grade fourth-level defensive magical treasures, only a middle-stage Yuan Ying cultivator can unleash its true power, and even a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator can exceed it under necessary circumstances.

Therefore, Yunhe's breakthrough to the middle-stage Yuan Ying brings him an all-around increase in strength.

Whether it is the spells, secret arts, or divine abilities he employs, or the might of the magical treasures he drives, all see a considerable increase.

When he initially slew the mid-fourth-level Blazing Flame Red Jackal, he not only wielded five Five-Element Heavenly Thunder Swords, but also superimposed 'Refining Sword into Silk,' 'Five-Element Sword Formation,' 'Formless Sword Formation,' and 'Twelve Heavenly Stars Great Formation,' and even coordinated with the 'Body Talisman.'

Although back then he could have slain the Blazing Flame Red Jackal even without using the 'Body Talisman,' now if he encounters the Blazing Flame Red Jackal again, perhaps he would only need to use 'Refining Sword into Silk' and 'Five-Element Sword Formation' to pose a sufficient threat.

If combined with divine-sense secret arts, slaying the Blazing Flame Red Jackal might not even require much exertion of his energy.

"Before my breakthrough, while retaining some trump cards, I could escape when facing a great cultivator, perhaps even exchange a few moves, but without special coincidence, I would likely still lose."

"But now, after breaking through to middle-stage Yuan Ying, the increased power of various magical treasures and spirit treasures should barely allow me to trade blows with a great cultivator—perhaps there is even a slim chance of victory?"

"After all, in terms of divine sense, I am not at a disadvantage, so there is a possibility of engagement; otherwise, a secret art that prevents divine sense from detecting would leave only flight."

Yunhe silently estimated his current strength.

The reason late-stage Yuan Ying great cultivators can wield such influence in the current Eastern Border Human Cultivator Alliance is that, relying on their cultivation base and magical power, they can overwhelm early-stage and even middle-stage Yuan Ying cultivators.

In fact, just as mastering a secret art, the gaps between entry, minor accomplishment, and major accomplishment grow larger layer by layer.

The gap between early-stage, middle-stage Yuan Ying cultivators and late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators is even greater.

Yet this is also the reason late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators are so difficult to break through.

In the vast Eastern Border cultivation world, aside from those old monsters who have hidden for hundreds of years, among the hundreds of Yuan Ying cultivators, late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators number fewer than ten, and even fewer.

And now Yunhe, who possesses the strength to contend with a late-stage Yuan Ying great cultivator, in this realm can almost be considered to have reached a state of 'near invincibility.'

Of course.

Those Divine Transformation old monsters are temporarily not counted.

After all, for the current resource-scarce Eastern Border cultivation world, the difficulty of breaking through to Divine Transformation is such that perhaps not a single person will appear even after a thousand years.

(End of Chapter)