My Cultivation Starting from Archery-Chapter 1371 - 494: Tribulation (Part 2)

It was unclear how much time had passed when a sudden transformation occurred within him.

The originally solid, jade-like surface of the Nascent Soul abruptly manifested billions of intricate, enigmatic golden Dao patterns that moved, interwove, and collided like living creatures. Each convergence exploded with even more brilliant radiance, washing over every inch of the Nascent Soul’s "skin."

Enveloped in the golden light, his form began to melt and reconstruct, like a child undergoing growth, until his features, initially blurred, gradually became distinct, finally settling into the visage of Chen Sansi himself.

However.

Compared to his true self, the Nascent Soul appeared more solemn and profound, with a trace of discerning indifference and compassion, akin to a deity.

No, that’s not right...

The Divinity Transformation is truly the realm of divine beings!

The Nascent Soul focused its mind!

This newly born Primordial Spirit is formed by the purest essence of the Divine Soul, representing the pinnacle existence of Chen Sansi’s life imprint, Dao insights, and divine soul will fused into one.

The Primordial Spirit suddenly opened its eyes, reflecting a vast scene of galaxies shifting and the cycles of life and death in its pupils.

A mystical energy, transcending mortals, silently spread, altering the structure of the physical body and affecting changes within the Dantian.

Inside the Dantian.

Under the guidance of the Primordial Spirit, the abundant mana compressed and refined until it formed a storm amidst the surge, like a nebula formed from the convergence of stars.

Under immense pressure, countless strands of pure liquid Spiritual Energy began to separate from impurities, collide, and merge until only a single strand of golden light remained, suspended within the Dantian, emitting a terrifying power.

True Yuan Essence!

With the Nascent Soul focusing successfully and the True Yuan Essence refined, what came next should be...

"Father!"

"..."

A familiar voice suddenly reached Chen Sansi’s ears.

He opened his eyes to find himself, unbeknownst to him, already back within Sky Wall City of the Han Dynasty. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Father! Great news, truly great news!"

Chen Duhe burst into the store.

"Great news?"

Chen Sansi looked at him: "Wait, wasn’t I just... Ah..."

Looking at his eldest son and the familiar scene before him, something felt off, but he couldn’t quite recall. The deeper he tried to think, the more his head throbbed with explosive pain.

"Father?"

Chen Duhe stepped forward to examine him: "What’s wrong with you?"

"..."

Only after a long time did Chen Sansi recover, and he asked while panting, "What year is it now?"

"The 47th year of Tian Wu."

Chen Duhe asked perplexedly, "Father, are you losing your mind?"

"The 47th year of Tian Wu?"

Chen Sansi remembered.

He had crossed the Red Dust Tribulation from the Sea of Chaos, breaking through to Nascent Soul from the mortal Da Qi dynasty, experiencing Zhang Huaiqing’s Three Purities unified breakthrough to Divinity Transformation, and then leading the army back for the court to regroup.

After figuring it out, Chen Sansi asked, "You said there’s great news, what is it?"

"Oh!"

Chen Duhe took out a booklet from his arms: "Father, see what this is!"

Chen Sansi took the item and saw a few crooked words on the cover—"Celestial Art of Spirit Theft."

He quickly flipped through it and his pupils trembled.

What the booklet recorded...

was actually the method to steal Spirit Roots!

As long as one followed the instructions, they could strip the Spirit Root from those possessing it and transfer it to another person.

Allowing mortals to gain Spirit Roots and cultivate!

"Father! Mother can be saved!"

Chen Duhe’s voice rang again in his ear.

Chen Sansi’s body stiffened.

"Not just my mother, but the Noble Consort and the elders of Po Yang too, they can all be saved!"

Chen Duhe excitedly said: "As long as we find suitable Spirit Roots for them, everyone can cultivate, and no one has to die!"

"..."

Chen Sansi frowned: "It’s clearly written here that Spirit Roots can be stolen, but the conditions are extremely harsh, requiring someone with identical birth year, month, day, and Five Elements fate. Moreover, the moment the Spirit Root is taken, the victim will die immediately."

"Father, with so many people in the Han Dynasty court, surely we can find a few who match the birth details and possess Spirit Roots."

Chen Duhe said: "As for life and death, what does it have to do with us?"

"Snap!"

A loud slap was heard.

Chen Sansi angrily scolded: "Fool! Do you think the court is like those demon sects of the chaotic Yong Continent?"

"Father, my mother is ill!"

Chen Duhe collapsed on the ground: "She’s a mortal, her lifespan is nearing its end. If we don’t do something, she might not live much longer!"

Chen Sansi knit his brows tighter.

He swept his sleeves and left the main hall, heading straight for the imperial chambers. Pushing open the door, he saw Gu Xinlan weakly leaning on the bedside, and Sun Li personally serving her medicinal soup.

Seeing the familiar figures, Chen Sansi couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his heart, a sense of regaining what was lost.

"Your Majesty!"

Only when the Empress and others saluted did he come back to his senses.

’What’s wrong with me?’

’Maybe it’s because I’m always out and rarely return.’

Chen Sansi didn’t dwell on it further and hastily went forward to check on the situation.

After some examination, he found that, indeed as the Crown Prince said, the Empress wasn’t suffering from an ordinary ailment but was nearing the end of her lifespan, with her organs failing and her Qi-Blood declining.

"Your Majesty."

Sun Li approached, her tone sorrowful: "Sister Lan has worked hard on behalf of Your Majesty in handling state affairs these years, truly too hard. I beg Your Majesty to find a way to heal her."

Chen Sansi felt deep remorse.

He noticed that Sister’s condition seemed slightly better.

"Father!"

Chen Duhe pursued: "You’ve seen mother’s condition, are you really not going to intervene? Mr. Xu is dead, do you want the rest of the elders to become earth too?!"

Chen Sansi said sternly: "No matter what, I will never allow taking others’ lives to benefit ourselves."

"Father?!"

Chen Duhe looked toward the Imperial Concubine for support.

Sun Li suggested: "How about choosing from the death row inmates?"

"Death row inmates?"

Chen Sansi was taken aback.

"Yes."

Sun Li said: "Those death row inmates are already heinous criminals. If we can select those with Spirit Roots from among them, it could be considered atonement."

"Father! Do you have any conscience?!"

Seeing Chen Sansi wavering, Chen Duhe loudly exclaimed: "Since you became Emperor, has mother ever had a good day? Now that she’s dying, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?!"

"Let’s choose from the death row inmates then..."

Finally, Chen Sansi compromised: "However, I will select them personally."

He could only ensure no injustices by personally selecting and investigating the records.

And so it was decided.

In the following half-year, Chen Sansi dedicated himself to this matter.

"Song Zi, a Green Forest bandit, guilty of robbery, murder, rape, and deserve death."

"Cai Yaohui, affiliated with Witch God Sect, orchestrated several rebellions, killing countless innocent civilians."

"Zhang Jin Lian, committed adultery with the steward, poisoned her husband afterward, and conspired with the steward to embezzle the family fortune..."

And so on.

Indeed, from among these wicked individuals of the Eastern Continent, Chen Sansi found quite a few who bore Spirit Roots that matched the birthdates of people within the court.

The process of seizing the Spirit Roots went smoothly too.

Xu Bin and Zhu Tong both acquired Spirit Roots and could start cultivating, although being older, even reaching a Qi Refinement cultivator’s maximum age of 120, establishing a foundation was uncertain. Still, it was a glimmer of hope.

After a year of searching, Gu Xinlan finally obtained a Spirit Root too.

Her age was not too old, and with Qi Refinement, she gained several decades of lifespan. With the aid of the Emperor’s Breath Soil, her chance to establish a foundation was the greatest.

Once a foundation is established and attains a lifespan of 200 years, even with resource accumulation, a 500-year lifespan False Core could be achieved.

After accomplishing these tasks, Chen Sansi exhaled a long breath of relief.

He watched Gu Xinlan meditating and cultivating daily, thinking that perhaps his family could reunite for millennia, until one day...

After handling state affairs, Chen Sansi returned to the palace and noticed a faintly flickering Evil Qi within Sun Li as she practiced her saber.