Chapter 1629: Chapter 70: The Nine Profound Yin Yang Immortal! (Part 2)

Subsequently, steadying his Heart Spirit, his gaze regained clarity and turned toward the steps ahead.

Ascending to the two-hundredth step of the celestial ladder, his name would remain here, and he gained the achievement of becoming an Immortal, achieving an upper-level Immortal Dao Foundation technique.

But this reward made the journey worthwhile.

"Next, let’s see where my limit truly lies."

"The two-hundredth step of the celestial ladder marks the realm of the Immortal."

"By this logic, the three-hundredth step might be the realm of the True Immortal. Yet it’s unknown whether such a realm exists in today’s Grotto Heavens."

The next moment, he moved forward toward the steps, arriving in front of the one hundred and first step.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his foot and stepped onto the two hundred and first step.

In the instant his foot landed, his Spirit Platform trembled violently, as if a mountain of ten thousand jun had fallen from the nine heavens, pressing down on his Divine Soul. His body wavered, trembled all over, and only after a moment did he barely stabilize.

"This is so exaggerated!" Looking at the steps extending into the clouds, he felt a tremendous shock in his heart.

Just the first step brought him immense pressure.

It was several times stronger than the pressure of the two-hundredth step.

"To climb to the three-hundredth step, what kind of terrifying existence must that be?" He steadied his Heart Spirit and gazed at those jade steps hidden within the vast clouds, filled with turbulent emotions.

Drawing a deep breath, he slowly adjusted his Divine Soul state and stepped forward again.

The two hundred and second step, the two hundred and third step...

With each step, the pressure felt like a flood rushing down, heavily pressing upon his Spirit Platform. With each step, he felt the pressure increase dramatically.

His footsteps grew heavier and heavier, and with each step, a faint halo was stirred on the jade steps — the aftermath of his Divine Soul fiercely colliding with the intangible pressure.

Unconsciously, he gritted his teeth harder, persisting onward.

On the fifth step, his whole body trembled, his form rippling like waves, cracks surfacing, then abruptly mending.

Give up!

The thought flashed through his mind, and instantly, the so-called pressure vanished.

A ripple appeared above him in the void, then surged downwards.

In a moment, this ripple enveloped him. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

At this instant, the scene before him became illusory and began to shatter.

...

Under the pitch-black night sky.

Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes in the courtyard.

At this moment, he felt a sense of clarity emerging in his mind, converging toward his Spirit Platform.

He understood that this was the effect brought about by the return of the refined Spirit Body from entering the Shangyang Immortal Sect.

Ascending the celestial ladder, its greatest function is to refine one’s spirit and Divine Soul; through tempering itself, one becomes stronger.

As this returning Spirit Body integrated into his body, he felt his Spirit Platform become clearer, and then his Divine Soul slightly enhanced compared to just now.

This advancement, though not apparent, was a genuine growth.

Reaching this stage, he also knew that typically, every bit of progress is incredibly precious.

Only, he was far from ordinary.

The next moment.

He opened his eyes and looked toward the direction of the Observatory.

Compared to just now, entering and exiting the Inner Realm happened in a mere instant outside.

"Ji Xuan!" he murmured.

Upon entering the Shangyang Inner Scenery, he realized that his mental strength had reached the level of an Immortal, which increased his confidence by a fraction.

Yet, the journey to the Shangyang Inner Realm did not enhance his current strength at all.

Though there is the method to achieve Primordial Spirit, it requires first gathering the purest Yin and Yang Qi to forge the Innate Dao Embryo.

Later, the Divine Soul emerges from the Innate Dao Embryo, completing the Nine Profound Transformations, and achieving an upper-level Immortal Dao Foundation, only then would the power of the Primordial Spirit bring him a qualitative enhancement in strength.

He already understood that Immortals have their hierarchies as well.

The technique he mastered, once perfected, would be the upper-level Immortal Dao Foundation, the strongest foundation tier.

However, there also exist upper, middle, and lower three classes.

Different tiers, different foundations, different strengths.

The upper-level Immortal Dao Foundation, the Yin and Yang Nine Profound Transformation Dao Embryo, was once trod by the Nine Netherworld Tribulation Fire Great Celestial Venerable.

With this alone, he recognized the extraordinariness of the upper-level.

"But it requires time!" he sighed inwardly, "I wonder what Ji Xuan will do?"

After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head, no longer pondering this matter.

He understood that overthinking was meaningless.

As long as his strength was sufficient, soldiers could resist water and soil could block floods.

At this time, the harvest from the recent lecture platform emerged in his mind again.

"The Dao of Life and Death..." he murmured.

[Skill]: Four Seasons Reincarnation Scripture+ (First Limit Breaking 20000/20000) (Trait: Life and Death (Deep Purple))

"Progress... complete!!" He was momentarily stunned, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

Sigh—

Then he came to his senses and slowly exhaled.

"Elder Ouyang, thank you!!" He smiled, then looked at the Source Points section.

[Source Points]: 31.7

With over thirty Source Points, it’s more than enough to break the limit of this cultivation technique.

Previously, he didn’t understand, but today, after hearing the Martial Saint’s words, he understood that the road after Perfection is to walk one’s own path.

And he, in almost every realm, had walked his own path.

Now, he felt even more amazed at the incredibility of this panel.

To know what a wondrous creation the so-called Primordial Foundation is.

The demise of its previous owner made him understand even more.

Despite having such a wondrous creation, one must be cautious and stable, avoiding risky ventures of life and death.

The next moment, with a thought.

The Source Points instantly decreased by two points.

In an instant, he once again saw the scene of the cycle of life and death manifesting in his heart.

He saw the spring come, with budding plants emerging from the soil, full of vitality.

By summer, vegetation flourished to its peak, lush and verdant, as if to dye the whole world green.

As the autumn wind arose, leaves turned from green to yellow, from flourishing to withering, finally falling and returning to dust.

In winter, snow covered everything, the world silent and desolate.

Yet the snow covering was not the end of the seasonal scenery.

Beneath the silent ice and snow, countless tiny signs of life were quietly nurturing, like seeds lying dormant, waiting for the arrival of the next spring.

At this moment, life and death were no longer opposite concepts.

In a daze, he felt his Heart Spirit merge into the cycle of the four seasons on this plain.

He was both the budding sprout and the withered leaf.

Both the abundance of midsummer and the silence of winter.

Life and death, rise and decline, prosperity and decay, these opposing concepts slowly blended in his heart, finally transforming into an insight within.

Moments later, he opened his eyes and looked at the panel.

[Skill]: Four Seasons Reincarnation Scripture+ (Second Limit Breaking 30000/30000) (Trait: Life and Death (Light Gold))

"As expected!" He was not surprised by the change in traits on the panel.

The visions and insights he had just experienced in his heart were likely related to Life and Death.

[Life and Death (Light Gold)]: One withers and one flourishes, containing the mystery of life and death transformation, embodying the essence of the rules of nature.

He slowly closed his eyes, letting the insights converge in his heart.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at the old tree in the courtyard.

Even though the year-end had passed, winter had not ended, and the old tree in the courtyard remained bare and budless.

Then he raised a hand and pointed, a profound green and yellow aura flowed from his fingertips, silently merging with the bare old tree in the courtyard.

In an instant, a torrent of life force surged through the lifeless tree like an underground current, the dry black branches making a slight snapping sound.

Almost in the blink of an eye, tiny green sprouts broke through the branch tips at a visible speed, quickly unfurling into sheets of new leaves.

Soon, tiny buds were budding and blooming on the branches.

In the blink of an eye, the tree was full of flowers, brimming with vitality.

Jiang Ning gazed at the old tree before him, stirred by the power of Life and Death, his thoughts gently moving.

In an instant, the once lush, flowering canopy seemed as if time had sped past.

The green leaves visibly lost moisture, turning yellow and curling up.

Soon, they detached from the branches, drifting to the ground.

The blooming flowers quickly withered and wilted, turning to mud.

Within a few breaths, the entire tree returned to its bare state.

Even drier and more lifeless than before, the branches darkened to a deep gray, devoid of any vitality, as if it had been dead for decades.

In the blink of an eye, it underwent a complete cycle from death to life, from flourishing to decline.

Watching this scene before him, Jiang Ning nodded slightly and withdrew his gaze.

The power of Life and Death had already touched the essence of rules.

It contained the profound rules of the cycle of seasons and the alternation of life and death, its essence beyond the ordinary.