It takes him twenty years to comprehend the second law mark.

The first had taken only seven.

The deeper he delves, the more difficult each mark becomes.

Yet from two marks, he gains a priceless ability—to conceal his aura.

Shrouded in silence, he leaves the forest.

He must discover whether the continent has truly fallen to the evil gods.

Everywhere he travels, the truth stares back at him.

Towns and cities overflow with corruption.

Humans, the three-eyed race, and countless others—every soul carries the stench of evil.

Five years pass in ceaseless wandering.

At last, a jagged mountain range blocks his path.

Crossing it, he halts before an immense barrier of energy sealing the land beyond.

He sits in meditation, eyes fixed upon the wall of light.

Intricate runes weave together, forming an array unlike any he has seen.

He studies them.

Days turn to months, months to years.

Finally, clarity blossoms.

He rises, and with a single motion of his finger, carves open a narrow passage.

Slipping through, he steps into another world.

Instantly, his senses tremble.

Here, the spiritual energy is pure—untainted, free from the evil aura.

Relief flickers in his eyes.

This side has not yet fallen.

He walks for days, then weeks, until he reaches a town.

The people here are untouched.

Their breaths carry no malice.

Their souls shine clean.

Among the buildings, he finds a library.

He enters in silence.

Dusty shelves line the hall, filled with volumes bound in worn leather.

He takes one and begins to read.

Within its pages lies the history of this world.

It is called the Thousand Spirit Continent.

Among its countless lands, this one is known as the Cursed Spirit Continent—named after the curse stone found only here.

One hundred thousand years ago, the world faced invasion.

The Ancient Divine Race descended, bringing war and ruin.

The world rallied its defenders and sealed the invaders’ leader.

But victory came at a terrible cost.

Thirty per cent of the continents were lost, and even now, the war continues without end on many continents.

And the cursed continent is one of them.

The text then speaks of cultivation.

The path of this world is called the Spiritual Transformation Way.

The first stage is the Spirit Realm—where one senses the spirit through meditation, then touches the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, drawing it inward.

This energy gathers within the sea of consciousness, forming a swirling, misty pool.

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The second stage is the Spirit Warrior Realm—where the spiritual energy circulates through the body before flowing into the sea of consciousness, expanding the pool until it can refine into true mist.

The third stage is the Spirit Master Realm—where the mist condenses into liquid, heavy and potent.

The fourth stage is the Spirit Great Master Realm, where the liquid is refined further until it transforms into spiritual essence.

In this stage, when the essence circulates through the body, it reshapes flesh and bone.

The body itself becomes a spiritual vessel, capable of directly absorbing the energy of heaven and earth.

Together, these four stages form the foundation of the path—known as the Spiritual Sea Stage.

Beyond it lies the next great step—the Spirit Soul Stage.

This stage is divided into three realms.

The first is the Mortal Realm.

Here, one must sense the hidden Life Essence within the body and guide it into the Spiritual Sea.

When the spiritual essence and Life Essence merge, each transforms the other—spiritual essence becoming life, and life becoming spirit.

The second is the Earthly Realm.

In this stage, cultivators sense the Life Rhythm buried deep within the earth.

By merging it with their Life Essence, they condense a spiritual core within their being.

The third is the Heavenly Realm.

Here, one must sense the Life Rhythm of the vast world itself.

The spiritual core is refined beneath this rhythm until it stands on the verge of transformation.

Then comes the Lightning Tribulation.

Only by enduring heaven’s judgment does the core ascend, reshaping into a Spirit Soul.

And with the Spirit Soul awakened, a cultivator gains the ability to perceive the laws of the world.

The next great stage is the Immortal Body Stage.

It is divided into three realms—the Mortal Soul Realm, the Earthly Soul Realm, and the Heavenly Soul Realm.

In the Mortal Soul Realm, the cultivator absorbs spiritual energy to temper the Spirit Soul, condensing spirit bones within it.

In the Earthly Soul Realm, one must draw upon the alien energy of the earth.

The spirit bones are transformed into Earth Spirit Bones.

These bones generate a mysterious blood that spreads through the body, and the spirit body begins to resemble a true material body.

In the Heavenly Soul Realm, one must reach into the skies above and absorb the alien energy of the heavens.

The Earth Spirit Bones evolve into Heavenly Spirit Bones.

Then comes the unification, where the spirit body fuses with the physical body.

By sensing the soul hidden deep within and drawing it forth, the cultivator condenses an immortal essence inside the sea of consciousness.

When the heavenly thunder tribulation descends and is endured, true transformation occurs.

From that moment, even a single surviving cell is enough to regenerate both body and soul.

Beyond this lies the Immortal Soul Stage.

It is divided into three realms—Immortal Lord, Immortal King, and Immortal Emperor.

But no further explanation is recorded.

The text ends abruptly, leaving only a faint note.

By comparison of strength, his own Emperor Realm corresponds only to the Immortal Lord Realm of this world.

When he raises his head from the book, Merin notices the library is empty.

Only hours ago, when he first entered, the hall had been filled with readers.

He knows the reason and does not linger.

Walking outside, he finds five figures waiting for him.

Each one radiates the power of half-step Immortal Lords.

They have merged their Spirit Souls with their bodies, yet none have passed the heavenly tribulation.

One among them appears old, though Merin knows appearance holds no meaning at their level.

The man studies him and speaks.

“Fellow Daoist, who are you?”

Merin replies with the name of his current body.

Lin Yu. I am from a lower world.”

From the books, he already learned the truth—thousands of worlds like the Saint World are all connected to the Thousand Spirit World.

The old-looking man narrows his eyes.

“Fellow Daoist Lin Yu, the Nine Heaven Sealing Array did not sense your arrival in our land.”

Merin’s tone is calm.

“I landed on the other side, the territory ruled by the Ancient Divine Race. I am skilled in arrays, so I passed through the barrier.”

Before they can respond, he cuts the conversation short.

“I will speak with you later.”

He lifts his hand and tears open space itself with raw physical force.

Stepping through the rift, he appears outside the town.

He sits cross-legged upon the ground.

His eyes close, and he forcefully disperses the Emperor cultivation within him.

Agony rips through his body.

Blood spills from his mouth, his aura lurches and falters.

But he endures.

And in that broken state, Merin begins to draw in the spiritual energy of this world.

The five half-step Immortal Lords quickly sense the disturbance and surround him outside the town.

Yet none strike.

After fully locking onto Merin’s aura, they realise he is not suppressing his power, but reshaping it.

Before their eyes, Merin’s cultivation surges forward.

He advances step by step—Spirit Realm, Spirit Warrior, Spirit Master, and Spirit Great Master.

The process does not halt there.

He crosses directly into the Spirit Soul Stage—first the Mortal Realm, then the Earthly Realm, and finally the Heavenly Realm.

The sky darkens.

Thunder tribulation clouds roll above, and nine bolts of divine thunder fall in succession.

But not a single strand of Merin’s hair is burned.

Unshaken, he steps into the Mortal Soul Stage and then into the Earthly Soul Stage.

For the next advancement, he must absorb Earthly alien energy—spiritual materials infused with Law Marks.

His comprehension of the Storm Law is already at the Immortal Lord level of this world.

He decides to delay absorbing Earthly alien energy until he finds materials with storm marks, ensuring his foundation remains flawless.

With this, he advances straight into the Heavenly Soul Stage.

Heavenly alien energy, too, is formed from spiritual materials with Law Marks.

Guided by his mastery of Storm Law, he completes the Heavenly Soul Stage as well.

Weeks pass, and the five half-step Immortal Lords remain watching in silent disbelief.

Merin’s aura swells, growing until it equals their own.

Then the tribulation clouds gather once more, denser and more violent than before.

The five exchange wary glances.

They retreat swiftly, fleeing far from the area.

They know what is coming.

Merin is about to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation for the Immortal Lord.

If they linger, heaven itself might mistake them for candidates of ascension—and hurl its thunder down upon them as well.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep