World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 651: Forming the Three Flowers, Condensing the Five Qi!

Chapter 651: Forming the Three Flowers, Condensing the Five Qi!

Heavenly Immortal Realm, Heavenly Immortal Realm...

He finally had the opportunity to break through. His journey through the Great Dao of Pure Yang had deepened his Daoist realm enough to advance to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Now, he had to seize this chance and push forward in one decisive effort. Otherwise, how could he possibly deal with so many so-called cultivation prodigies pressing in?

These people were completely different from the unaffiliated Heavenly Immortals of the thirteen qi planets. Anyone capable of entering the inner grand array would surely be the best of those prodigies. If he failed to become a Heavenly Immortal, he would have little confidence in defeating them. He had to protect his senior sister's fated opportunity with his own hands.

Wang Sheng forced himself to calm down and focus, repeatedly striking at the barrier of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Reaching it was the final step before attaining immortality. After all, it stopped the majority of True Immortals from advancing further.

The first requirement for this breakthrough wasn't merely to gain an understanding of what the true spirit was. Rather, one also had to gain insight into its secret while they were at the True Immortal Realm. Fortunately, Wang Sheng had once followed Ziwei's Dao traces through the Sea of Chaos, witnessing both the true and the false spirits. That experience had given him genuine comprehension, granting him the first key to entering the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

The Heavenly Immortal Realm was a major realm where differences in strength became extremely pronounced. Some fiend cultivators such as Long Liekong relied on their original forms and unique divine abilities to accumulate vast cultivation. Others, like Lishang, depended on innate divine abilities and Nuwa's primordial power. Upon reaching the realm, they could stand nearly undefeated among those of the same level.

The Heavenly Immortal Realm also served as a crucial turning point on the cultivation path. Whether one could ultimately obtain the fruit of immortality depended greatly on the direction they had led their cultivation to.

For cultivators who specialized in the Dao of the Primordial Spirit, the Primordial Spirit would become increasingly light and closer to the Dao. The exact state they had to reach differed according to their chosen path.

Chun Yangzi created the Pure Yang Immortal Art. Hence, it followed the orthodox Daoist path.

The Daoist heritage that the Three Pure Ones had spread in the Primal Era required its practitioners to form Three Flowers and condense the Five Qi, following the path known as the Three Flowers' Summit Gathering and the Five Qi's Return to Origin.

When Daoist cultivators reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm, their upper, middle, and lower dantian underwent drastic transformation. Their Heavenly Abode, middle court, and qi sea would each give birth to a "flower" representing heaven, humanity, and earth. These were known as the Three Flowers.

Their Dao Body also transformed fully into an immortal body. The five organs produced immortal-essence qi corresponding to their spirit, ethereal soul, intent, corporeal soul, and essence. These became the Five Qi.

To advance to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, Wang Sheng now faced the difficult task of forming the initial shapes of the Three Flowers within Wang Sheng's Heavenly Abode, middle court, and qi sea. They were symbolic rather than literal blossoms.

Since he was a sword cultivator, his Three Flowers would inevitably be connected to the sword. He would soar once the Three Flowers gathered at the crown and the Five Qi returned to their primordial source. Obtaining the fruit of immortality would no longer be difficult, though it wouldn't happen any time soon.

Wang Sheng continued striking at the Heavenly Immortal Realm barrier. He sought a perfect breakthrough and wanted the Heavenly, Human, and Earthly Flowers to form and bloom simultaneously.

Ordinarily, Daoist cultivators began preparing for the array of the Three Flowers from the moment they stepped onto the cultivation path.

The Earthly Flower originated from the qi sea, the lower dantian. Forming the qi sea and condensing the Golden Core belonged to the process known as Qi-Essence Condensation. The Human Flower originated from the middle dantian, where the Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit were created through Qi-Spirit Refinement.

The Heavenly Flower emerged within the Heavenly Abode, the place where a cultivator communicated with the Great Dao and the world. It was the most mysterious and the most difficult to form. It corresponded to the Daoist pursuit of Primordial-Spirit Creation.

In fact, before the current cultivation system was established, cultivators were called "qi refiners," and cultivation was divided according to these three major processes.

Wang Sheng had already accumulated enough insights and experiences. Moreover, the heavenly fate he had inherited from the Heavenly Court protected him. Even so, breaking through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm remained full of danger.

The Earthly Flower had the turbid aspect of essence qi. However, Wang Sheng had never tainted his purity since he started cultivating and walking the Dao of Pure Yang. Because the influence of turbidity was minimal, the flower was already ready to bud. The Human Flower was easy for him to create as well since it simply tested whether his foundation was solid and whether his Primordial Spirit was pure and unstained. He could make the flower emerge at any moment.

To his dismay, though, he had failed to form the Heavenly Flower multiple times already.

Pure Yang transforms spirit, and the Great Dao gives rise to life endlessly. My divine soul already governs the immortal body, and the Great Dao is accompanying me, so why can't I form my Heavenly Flower? The mysterious gate is already open, too. The Five Qi are clear. My sword steadies my heart and soul. Why, then, can't I refine my spirit even with my Pure Yang Sword Intent and Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent guarding it?

Within the Heavenly Abode, violent storms battered Wang Sheng's Primordial Spirit. The palace remained hidden within dark clouds. The five great sword intents protected the Primordial Spirit from behind, while the small wooden sword suppressed the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent as it drifted along the edge of the Heavenly Abode.

Why?

Wang Sheng opened his eyes. He intended to expel a mouthful of turbid breath from his chest, yet he ended up lowering his head and spitting out blood instead.

Yaoyun had already noticed something wrong with his condition. She was about to warn him not to rush when he frowned, clenched his fist, and closed his eyes again.

Again?

He clearly knew the path forward. His hand already gripped the handle of that great door, so why should a breakthrough be impossible?

Beside him, Yaoyun frowned slightly and watched him through the bronze mirror. The Pure Yang Immortal Power around him had become extremely solid. A lotus phantasm appeared behind his head, yet it remained only an outline, refusing to fully take shape.

Yaoyun sighed inwardly but just kept standing guard in silence.

From her perspective, this breakthrough would be difficult. Advancing to the Heavenly Immortal Realm wasn't a trivial matter. Even she had to make several attempts before succeeding.

Gradually, Wang Sheng's brows knit tighter, and his expression turned thoughtful.

***

"Hua Qing..."

"Hua Qing?"

A voice, both familiar yet unfamiliar, echoed repeatedly in her ear. However, each time she turned toward it, she saw only a faceless silhouette.

Mu Wanxuan subconsciously felt that she deeply respected the person. Still, she kept getting an ominous feeling, and her instincts urged her to keep her distance.

She had seen this scene many times already, yet she still couldn't see who the person was. They seemed to be trying to communicate with her, but there was an unknown variable between them that could not be crossed—one that felt like the boundary between life and death.

The figure slowly faded, and Mu Wanxuan pulled free from her wandering thoughts.

Her awareness now rested within a small lake. A dense forest surrounded her, and the Great Dao of Life once again enveloped her, allowing her to experience it and cultivate. The essence of the divine tree gathered smoothly onto her Dao Body and Primordial Spirit.

The barrier between Daoist realms seemed to vanish out of thin air. Mu Wanxuan felt as though she was reclaiming something that had always belonged to her.

Cultivation, Daoist realm, the fruit of the Great Dao...

Still, she didn't abandon the Great Dao of Yin and Yang. No matter how easily she could obtain the surrounding Great Dao of Life, a Tai Chi diagram continued rotating slowly behind her back.

Qinghua had left and entrusted the Great Dao of Life within the divine tree. Another destined individual entering the palace could obtain its Dao seed, absorb part of the divine tree's essence, and quickly achieve some mastery in this Great Dao.

On the other hand, Mu Wanxuan was the reincarnation of the divine tree's spirit. In essence, she was still Hua Qing, which meant her arrival here was no different from the spirit of the divine tree temporarily returning.

There was no barrier between her, the divine tree, and the Great Dao of Life. Given enough time, perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of years, she could even make Qinghua's Great Dao completely hers. She could also draw endlessly from the divine tree's essence and boundless spiritual power to become as powerful as him.

The problem was time.

As she continued absorbing the Great Dao of Life, a thread of her consciousness seemingly merged once more with the divine tree, allowing her to sense many subtleties. She could see figures rushing toward the trunk beneath the canopy and chaotic battles erupting in different areas. Moreover, she saw the corpses of those the grand array had slain

Almost at the same moment, she sensed something unusual.

Deep underground, some of the divine tree's roots appeared to have been arranged into another hidden grand array that covered the entire small world. They gathered a force completely opposite to the power of life, seemingly appearing only when living beings died. It was channeled through the roots toward a single point beneath the divine tree.

Death aura? Why would such an array exist under the divine tree's domain?

Mu Wanxuan remained immersed in the Great Dao of Life. The thread of her consciousness lingered in confusion for a long time before she finally thought to go and investigate. She merged the thread with the divine tree, allowing her to see the wooden coffin and the banner at the deepest part of the tree.

She directed more of her attention toward the coffin, watching as it absorbed the death aura. It seemed almost alive, yet she felt no fear toward it—only a faint reluctance to approach.

As a cultivator under the Great Dao of Yin and Yang, the way she viewed such matters differed slightly from ordinary people.

To her, the Great Dao of Life and the Great Dao of Death held no distinction between righteousness and evil. They were simply two opposing yet interdependent Great Daos, much like the principle of Dual Polarity.

Still, why did Emperor Qinghua arrange this? Who's inside the wooden coffin, cultivating through death aura?

If Qinghua was truly inside it, then she would be in shock. After all, she was already absorbing the Daoist heritage that he had left behind.

Mu Wanxuan pondered for a while, drawing enough of her consciousness away to affect her cultivation. Hence, she immediately stopped thinking about it and focused on cultivating again.

Having also seen the situation at the outer grand array, she was well aware that countless cultivators were rushing over. If she delayed too long, she and her junior brother would be in trouble.

Qinghua had made all the arrangements in this hidden realm. He had to have placed whatever lay inside the coffin for a reason.

She gradually calmed down, but just as she prepared to devote herself fully to cultivation, she felt a trace of anxiety coming from Wang Sheng.

Mu Wanxuan immediately grew worried. She stopped her comprehension and sent her consciousness searching rapidly for her junior brother.

In the blink of an eye, she found Wang Sheng wrapped in white flames.

His robe at the chest was stained with red. Nearby, Yaoyun looked anxious yet could not stop Wang Sheng, who stubbornly pushed himself.

Mu Wanxuan swiftly understood why her junior brother was anxious. Threads of the divine tree's primordial essence gathered around her, condensing the strand of her consciousness into a woman that drifted slowly toward Wang Sheng.

Turning toward her, Yaoyun couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

"Hua Qing..."

The Cyan Wood goddess was in a light-green dress, her long hair and ribbons drifting behind her. Her naturally gentle beauty exuded a touch of cool aloofness.

She passed Yaoyun, ignored the surging white flames, and flew before Wang Sheng. Watching him frown deeply, she reached out and brushed the crease on his forehead.

Wang Sheng, who was striking at the Heavenly Immortal Realm barrier, murmured as if in a dream, "Senior Sister?"

She cupped his face with both hands and answered softly, "I'm here."

Slowly, she leaned in and rested her forehead against his. The white flames had already ignited the divine tree's primordial essence around them, yet she seemed unaware.

Gently, she whispered into his ear, "Calm down."

The flames surged, and she vanished. Strands of pure primal qi poured into Wang Sheng's immortal body. His tightly furrowed brow relaxed at once, and the previously raging white flames settled.

Calm down... Yes. I need to calm down. Do not cling. Remain clear and vigilant.

In what felt like a single moment, Wang Sheng broke through the obstacle in his way. Now, he stood between heaven and earth, his awareness spanning the universe.

Mu Wanxuan's consciousness remained focused on him. She did not know how much time passed. All she cared about was whether her junior brother could break through smoothly.

Half a day later, immortal light rippled within Wang Sheng's immortal body, and lotus phantasms drifted outward one after another. They ignored the barrier of the divine tree, appearing beyond the trunk and floating like dandelion seeds on the wind.

Sword cries rang out, and his five great sword intents moved together.

His Dual-Polarity Sword Intent settled at his chest. Tai Chi diagrams of Dual Polarity appeared before and behind his chest, rotating slowly in opposite directions.

At the same time, his Pure Yang Sword Intent descended into his qi sea. Beneath him appeared a lotus platform formed from white flames.

Within his Heavenly Abode, the dark clouds dispersed. Endless stars shone brilliantly, with his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent hovering at the center.

Wang Sheng formed hand signs rapidly, then slowly raised both hands.

Three lotus flowers condensed simultaneously at his upper, middle, and lower dantian. Three sword intents stabilized at the center of the lotus flowers. Immortal light filled every part of his immortal body, and his Pure Yang Immortal Power began to surge.

Yaoyun exhaled and nodded lightly.

Inside the palace, the fairy lying within the pool smiled faintly. She gathered her bearings and resumed absorbing the Great Dao of Life, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.