Chapter 253

Under the forging of divine fire, the giant sword formed from Qi Shaoyu's divine soul was continually solidifying.

The cracks covering the giant sword's entire body were also gradually disappearing.

Seeing this, Fang Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he didn't know why Qi Shaoyu's divine soul had turned into a giant sword, he understood that if the sword couldn't be restored, Qi Shaoyu would not merely have failed his breakthrough; he would very likely suffer death and disappearance of his soul.

The larger cracks on the giant sword slowly disappeared, until finally only some smaller cracks remained, still slowly healing.

But with the massive consumption of divine fire, the flames burning on the sword's surface were continually diminishing.

As the power of the divine fire waned, the speed of crack repair also sharply decreased.

Given this, Qi Shaoyu should be unable to completely repair the giant sword in a short time.

This would require spending a great deal of time later to polish it.

Fang Xu also understood that, up to this point, he had fully comprehended the entire process of breaking through from the God Connection Realm to the True God Realm.

What comes next should just be painstaking effort.

After quietly withdrawing from Qi Shaoyu's sea of consciousness, his consciousness returned to his body, silently waiting for Qi Shaoyu to awaken.

By then, Chu Ren Di and the others around had already awakened.

Several people were surrounding Fang Xu and Qi Shaoyu.

Seeing Fang Xu regain consciousness, Ku Lun hurried over and asked, 'Palace Master, just now...'

With their cultivation levels, it was clearly visible that Fang Xu's consciousness had just entered Qi Shaoyu's sea of consciousness.

This strange behavior of the two left everyone puzzled.

You must know that, even though they trusted Fang Xu greatly, they themselves could not perform the act of completely opening their own sea of consciousness to let another's consciousness enter.

This was not due to a lack of trust in Fang Xu.

It was simply because the body's instinct would reject it.

Such rejection is basically impossible to eliminate.

And Fang Xu being able to do this could only mean one of two possibilities.

First, the relationship between Qi Shaoyu and Fang Xu had already surpassed everyone's understanding.

Second, perhaps Fang Xu had some method, or this was not the first time.

Fang Xu, however, did not go on to explain it to everyone.

"Elder Qi, upon waking this time, should have reached the True God Realm."

True God Realm!?

Hearing this, everyone stared in shock at the tightly closed eyes of Qi Shaoyu.

They were all at the God Connection Realm.

Except for Chu Ren Di and Ku Lun, who had only recently broken through to the God Connection Realm, the rest of the people had been in the God Connection Realm for many years.

They deeply knew just how difficult it was to break through from the God Connection Realm to the True God Realm.

That was the ultimate elevation of the divine soul.

If one says that from Martial Apprentice to Primordial Martial is a transformation of the flesh.

It is a leap in the level of life.

Then from Primordial Martial to the True God Realm is a change of the divine soul, an elevation of the spirit and soul level.

How important the divine soul is need not be said.

In the Heavenly Mystic Realm, martial practitioners in their cultivation process face only two greatest obstacles.

First, the transformation from ordinary person to martial practitioner requires undergoing the process of organ refinement.

Success makes one a cultivator; failure, lightly, leaves severe injury and disability, heavily, results in immediate death.

The five viscera and six bowels are the body's obstacles.

The second obstacle is the transition from Martial Sovereign to the Primordial Martial Realm.

This step is nurturing the spirit with the Dao foundation; to break through the Primordial Martial Realm, the divine soul must steadily settle upon the Dao foundation.

This step is also called soul settling.

Looking over the martial history of the Heavenly Mystic Realm for so many years, countless Martial Sovereigns have died at the soul settling stage.

After passing these two hurdles, a cultivator who avoids accidents and is not lacking in talent can, through perseverance, basically reach the peak of the Primordial Martial Realm, and even touch the threshold of the Dharma Appearance Realm.

But if the first two are hurdles, then the elevation of the divine soul from the Divine Connection Realm to the True God Realm is an impassable chasm.

This chasm has blocked who knows how many astonishingly talented cultivators.

It traps them firmly at the peak of the Divine Connection Realm, silently consuming their lifespan, until they finally die in depression.

Among the temple's original five elders, the other four are all older than Qi Shaoyu.

Those four have been stuck in the Divine Connection Realm for at least a thousand years.

But they have not even touched the threshold to the True God Realm, let alone broken through.

"Sect Master, is Old Five really about to break through?"

After everyone was stunned, the Second Elder, Zhang Shun, asked in disbelief.

Fang Xu nodded.

He personally witnessed the transformation of Qi Shaoyu's divine soul.

The sword soul has been formed; that is the divinity of a True God.

Only later, with slight refinement, will Qi Shaoyu's combat power surge rapidly.

Sword cultivators follow the way of attack.

If Qi Shaoyu breaks through to become a True God, speaking solely of offensive power, his strength should be greater than that of Gu Yusix.

His words had just fallen.

Before everyone's eyes, the meditating Qi Shaoyu's eyes suddenly opened!

Clang! A resonant sword hum echoed all around! Immediately, a huge long sword burst forth from her body!

The sword's aura was icy and piercing, shooting straight up into the heavens!

In an instant, the clouds above were directly scattered by the sword's aura!

The space around the huge sword also shattered inch by inch!

The rampaging chaotic qi surged and shifted.

Huff! Qi Shaoyu slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, and the divine sword behind her slowly dissipated.

The surrounding shattered space was quickly repaired.

"Awake."

Seeing Qi Shaoyu rise, Fang Xu spoke first.

Qi Shaoyu nodded, then looked at everyone with a barely concealed joy on her face.

"Lao Wu, did you break through?"

Zhang Shun asked.

Qi Shaoyu nodded.

The others, seeing this, hurriedly clasped their hands and offered congratulations.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations, Lao Wu, you have now transcended."

"True God, our Divine Palace hasn't seen a True God born in ages!"

"It has to be Lao Wu; I said, Lao Wu is the most talented among us old fellows!"

Everyone congratulated Qi Shaoyu from the heart.

Qi Shaoyu originally wanted to say that this breakthrough was entirely thanks to Fang Xu's assistance.

But she felt that saying so might not be appropriate, so she didn't mention Fang Xu's help.

"Everyone, I was fortunate to witness Elder Qi's breakthrough in full, and I have some feelings about it."

"Later I will organize these insights and share them for everyone's reference."

The birth of a True God Realm powerhouse is of crucial importance to the upcoming decisive battle.

Having personally witnessed Qi Shaoyu's divine soul transformation, Fang Xu felt he should organize these insights to share with a few people.

If those few could further advance thanks to this, that would naturally be even better.

Zhang Shun and the others, upon hearing this, also suddenly understood.

It turned out that Fang Xu had just projected his consciousness into Qi Shaoyu's sea of consciousness, aiming to witness the transformation from God Connection Realm to True God Realm.

As for what method Fang Xu used and whether there is any shameful secret between him and Qi Shaoyu, that is obviously not important compared to these insights.

After everyone left, Fang Xu summoned Zhang Shun.

As the Second Elder of the Divine Palace, Zhang Shun is not only proficient in armament forging, but also has considerable research into reforging the physical body.

This time, returning from the Vast Sea, Xiao Hei's divine soul remains within his Cosmos Ring.

Taking advantage of the time still available, he hopes Zhang Shun can reforge a physical body for Xiao Hei.

To this, Zhang Shun had no objection: "Palace Master, what kind of physical body do you wish to create for Xiao Hei?"

Fang Xu frowned, thought for a moment, and said: "Second Elder, what is the best physical body you can currently forge?"

Zhang Shun clasped his hands and said: "With my abilities, given sufficient heavenly materials and earthly treasures, there is a chance to forge a special sacred body."

"But now, lacking sufficient heavenly materials and earthly treasures, forging a good physical body is somewhat difficult."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu immediately said: "What materials are needed to forge a sacred body?"

To him, Xiao Hei's sacrifices have been too great.

He also promised Xiao Hei that he would do his utmost to forge the best possible body for him.

If it were merely an ordinary body, although he is not versed in this technique, he could still manage to create one.

Then there would be no need to trouble Zhang Shun.

If we are going to do it, we should do the best.

On one hand, it is to compensate Xiao Hei; on the other, we hope that after obtaining a new body, Xiao Hei can grow quickly.

"We need the flesh and blood of a demon god."

"Best if it is the flesh and blood of a demon god with rich blood-fiend qi."

"Demon god?"

Fang Xu frowned slightly upon hearing this and asked: "What is a demon god?"

Zhang Shun quickly explained: "So-called demon god is actually a demonic beast that has reached the God Connection Realm."

"Palace Master, you should know that some demonic beasts with better talent can also cultivate to become gods; such beasts are called demon gods."

Fang Xu nodded.

It turns out that a demon god is a demonic beast that has cultivated to the God Connection Realm.

"Then would a demonic beast at the True God Realm be even better?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shun was completely stunned.

He merely wanted Fang Xu to obtain a God Connection Realm demonic beast, never expecting him to set his sights on a True God Realm demonic beast! Such beasts are estimated to number only a few in the entire Heavenly Mystic Realm.

Leaving aside their actual strength, just finding them is not easy.

"Palace Master, a God Connection Realm demonic beast is already sufficient."

"But if there truly is a True God Realm demonic beast possessing an ancient bloodline, the physical body forged from it would naturally be stronger."

"Just..."

"As long as the second elder has confidence, that's enough." Fang Xu gave a light smile and said: "Leave the demon god's flesh and blood to me; you first prepare the other materials."

After saying that, Fang Xu left the main hall.

In the rear courtyard, when Fang Xu arrived, Gu Qiu and two others were surrounding Yun Wan.

At this time, Yun Wan's abdomen was already bulging.

Her pregnancy had also reached one year and two months.

But she still showed no sign of giving birth.

Regarding this, Fang Xu wasn't particularly worried.

Because Gu Qiu had said that the later the child is born, the greater its potential.

Moreover, Gu Qiu had previously estimated that the child in Yun Wan's belly would need at least two to three years before being born.

"How have you been feeling lately?" Fang Xu approached, gently rubbed Yun Wan's belly, and said softly.

Yun Wan gave a light smile, looked fondly at her belly: "It's fine."

"It's just that the little one is a bit restless, always kicking me."

Fang Xu laughed upon hearing that: "The little one wouldn't be practicing martial arts in there, would it?"

Yun Wan gave him a sideways glance, gently rubbing her belly and said: "You say, is it a boy or a girl?"

Fang Xu smiled faintly: "It doesn't matter; either way, it's our child."

Gu Qiu beside them interjected: "That's not difficult; to know whether it's a boy or a girl, just take a look and you'll know."

"No!" Fang Xu hurriedly stopped him: "Wouldn't it be better to let things take their natural course?"

"Enjoy the surprise of opening a blind box."

For cultivators of their level, wanting to know the baby's gender is as simple as eating and drinking.

But all along, Fang Xu has never done that, nor has he let Gu Qiu and the others do so.

He has no preference for sons over daughters; regardless of gender, they are his children, and raising them the same way is fine.

Gu Qiu pursed his lips.

"Just right, I have something I need your help with." Fang Xu looked at Gu Qiu and said.

"What is it?" Gu Qiu asked curiously.

Now that war has broken out, their cultivation levels aren't high; being able to help Fang Xu just means not causing him trouble.

"Have the sea beasts you tamed help me find a demon god."

Fang Xu said directly.

"Demon god?"

Gu Qiu furrowed his brows.

She had thought it was some major matter.

Turns out it's just to find a sea monster at the God-Penetrating realm.

"This is simple; no need for such trouble—I know there are a few in the nearby seas."

Back when Fang Xu had her secretly tame sea beasts, Gu Qiu had set his sights on a God-Penetrating realm purple-gold dragon fish.

But the intelligence of God-Penetrating realm sea monsters is already comparable to humans; for Gu Qiu, that purple-gold dragon fish is essentially impossible to communicate with.

Having cultivated to the God-Penetrating realm, the purple-gold dragon fish naturally also possesses the responsiveness between heaven and humanity.

It clearly understands that getting involved in the struggle between the Dark God Temple and the Great Expansion Dao Sect, no matter which side it sides with, it would most likely perish.

Rather than that, it would be better to hide in the depths and remain neutral.

Fang Xu shook his head: "What I'm looking for is not a God-Penetrating realm demon god."

Gu Qiu, hearing that, froze: "You're not looking for a God-Penetrating realm demon god, then……"

Fang Xu nodded: "I want to find a True God-realm demon god to use for reforging Xiaohei's fleshly body."

"True God realm!?"

Gu Qiu gaped in astonishment.

Beside them, Yun Wan, Lu Qingluo, and Chu Mudou widened their eyes.

"Fang Xu big brother, isn't this a bit too extravagant?"

As an alchemist, Chu Mu naturally also knows that reforging a fleshly body requires demon beast flesh and blood.

In her view, using the flesh and blood of a God-Penetrating realm demon god is already extravagant.

Fang Xu actually plans to use a True God-realm one, which can no longer be described as merely extravagant.

It's practically wasteful.

You should know, a True God-realm demon god's strength is comparable to that of a veteran True God-realm powerhouse.

If one has the power to subdue a True God-realm demon god, directly defeating it and taming it as a subordinate would be excellent.

And killing it, then using its flesh and blood to forge a fleshly body.

This is equivalent to leaving a grand mansion uninhabited, tearing apart its bricks and tiles, and spending manpower and materials to build a small shack.

"I promised Xiaohei I would give him the best body." Fang Xu said lightly.

Moreover, Fang Xu has other plans in seeking a True God-realm demon god.

If these True God-realm demon gods can actually be tamed, he naturally wouldn't mind taking them as subordinates.

But if he encounters a reckless youth, a defiant and untamable one, then naturally he would kill it and use it to forge a new body for Xiaohei.

Gu Qiu also didn't say much, immediately stood up and said: "Finding a True God-realm demon god will probably take some time."

"Let's go take a look at sea now."

Fang Xu nodded, instructed Lu Qingluo and Chu Mu to take good care of Yun Wan, then left together with Gu Qiu.

The two arrived at the gate, and Fang Xu had someone summon Qi Shaoyu.

Qi Shaoyu had just broken through; bringing her along to the sea would be perfect for her to practice.

Qi Shaoyu also wanted to see how strong she had become after her breakthrough, and upon hearing that Fang Xu was heading to the sea to look for trouble with a demon god, she readily agreed.

The three didn't take a boat; they flew straight to the sea surface using their physical bodies.

After crossing the shallow sea and entering the deep-sea region, Gu Qiu used beast taming art to summon the observing sea beasts.

The strength of these sea beasts generally ranges from Martial Master to Elemental Martial Realm.

Only a few great demons of the Dharma Appearance Realm are mixed among them.

"Do you know where there is a demon god of the True God Realm?" Gu Qiu asked, looking at the vast sea beasts below. (End of chapter)