Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

In the Xuanli Realm, on a desolate plain.

Under a clear blue sky and bright sunshine, a falcon flew across the sky, its body covered with a layer of fine scales and its pupils long and narrow, much like a snake or python. It was the most common low-level dragon beast in the Xuanli Realm.

Suddenly, a wide crack appeared in front of the eagle, and violent spatial fluctuations spread out, stirring up the wind and clouds, and changing the color of the sky and earth.

The falcon was startled and frantically flapped its wings to escape to the side, but it was too slow and was still swept into the spatial turbulence.

The falcon froze, then vanished without a sound, completely swallowed by the spatial rift.

Twelve figures emerged from the spatial rift, their bodies covered by a protective shield.

The violent spatial turbulence surged in from all directions, but was firmly blocked by the protective shield, only causing a faint ripple.

After a while, the spatial fluctuations finally subsided, the cracks disappeared, and the protective shields around the twelve figures shattered.

In order to resist the spatial turbulence, they dared not hold back in the slightest. Their auras were outwardly manifested, pure and clear. The vast majority of them were at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, only a step away from the Void Refinement stage.

Only the two of them were at the mid-stage and early-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, respectively, and their Qi was somewhat mixed, indicating that their foundations were not very solid.

Another person was also at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but his aura was much weaker than that of other Nascent Soul cultivators at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, suggesting that he had only recently advanced to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Cultivators absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, do not eat human food, and are mostly of otherworldly appearance and handsome looks.

These twelve Nascent Soul cultivators were highly skilled, and not one of them was ugly.

But this person was an anomaly. He was dressed in a green robe and looked to be only in his early twenties. His appearance was unremarkable, except that his skin was quite fair due to the nourishment of spiritual energy. He had a refined and scholarly demeanor and a calm expression.

He was among the twelve cultivators, and at first glance, he was extremely inconspicuous.

But after the spatial rift disappeared, everyone else gathered around the young man, like stars surrounding the moon, and it was as if he was the leader.

The young man appeared calm and composed, as if it were commonplace. His eyes swept around, gazing at the faint dragon aura filling the world, his gaze flickering as if he were deep in thought.

A middle-aged cultivator closed his eyes slightly, and after a moment, he opened them and frowned.

He turned around, looked at the young man, and said, "Junior Brother Han, this spatial secret realm seems a bit strange. There isn't a trace of pure spiritual energy in the world."

"I absorbed a trace of this peculiar spiritual energy, which was extremely domineering and impossible to refine."

"If our true essence is depleted, it seems that only by refining spirit stones and pills can we recover."

Another cultivator, who looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old and had a handsome appearance, raised his hand and made a hand seal. Several bolts of lightning appeared in front of him, crackling loudly, before disappearing completely.

The purple-robed cultivator lowered his right hand and said solemnly, "When I used my supernatural power, I was unable to absorb this peculiar spiritual energy, which reduced its power by at least 30% and increased my true essence consumption by 20%."

The others also tried it out, and they all frowned.

The reason why Nascent Soul cultivators are far stronger than Core Formation cultivators is that they can mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to enhance their supernatural powers, while consuming less true essence.

However, the dragon energy that filled the Xuanli Realm rendered their most commonly used methods ineffective, significantly weakening their strength.

Junior Brother Han raised his right hand, and several wisps of dragon energy gathered together, condensing into a faint dark yellow color.

He carefully examined the wisp of Xuanhuang dragon energy, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "This secret space was created by a true dragon, and it is very likely the location of its cave. It is not surprising that the environment is a bit special."

"Han once fought against two dragon demon generals, both of whom had very pure bloodlines."

"This spiritual energy is somewhat similar to the demonic power within them, and it should be related to that true dragon."

"If we can find out the origin of this peculiar spiritual energy, it may be helpful for us to find the True Dragon Cave."

When he spoke of the Flood Dragon Demon General, his tone was casual, but to the others, it sent a chill down their spines.

Others may not know the details of this junior brother Han's background, but they know it all.

Those two dragon demon generals were not simply "of pure blood," but rather the pride of the dragon clan, with a great chance of advancing to the level of demon king, and even the potential to become demon saints.

Only a dragon demon general of this strength deserves to be remembered by Junior Brother Han.

As for the other dragon demon generals who were casually killed by Junior Brother Han, he should have already forgotten about them.

Junior Brother Han gently blew, and the dragon energy in his palm dissipated. Gazing into the distance, he said calmly, "The Demon Commander of the Burning Demon Realm entered this spatial secret realm a few days before us. We cannot delay and must split up."

"Han is alone. Junior Brother Yuan, Senior Brother Zhang, and Senior Sister Hu, each of you take two people."

"Senior Brother Song, you and Junior Brother Yuan will travel together."

"Senior Brother Li, you will travel with Senior Brother Zhang."

"If any discoveries are made or danger is encountered, use the Thousand-Mile Talisman to send a message, and the others will immediately rush to provide support."

"Our sect has never fought against the demons of the Burning Demon Realm before and knows nothing about them. Everyone must act with caution and not be careless."

He assigned the eleven people in just a few words.

Senior Brother Zhang was the first middle-aged cultivator to speak, and Junior Brother Yuan, the purple-robed cultivator, also responded.

Senior Sister Hu was a beautiful young woman, dressed in palace attire, with an elegant demeanor. She gave a graceful bow and said, "This concubine understands."

Senior Brother Song was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and Senior Brother Li's cultivation was only at the early stage of Nascent Soul, but both of them remained calm, nodded slightly, and agreed.

No one objected to Junior Brother Han's decision to travel alone.

The middle-aged cultivator added, "The demon race of the Burning Demon Realm is powerful enough to hold off our Spirit Realm army for 300,000 years. This time, it also involves a true dragon, so the demon general they have sent must be quite strong."

"The Demon General specializes in physical cultivation, and this secret realm is filled with peculiar spiritual energy, which has little effect on him."

"But when we use our supernatural powers, their power is greatly reduced."

"Junior Brother Yuan and Junior Sister Hu, if you encounter the Demon General, do not be careless and be sure to send a message in time."

The beautiful young woman smiled slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Zhang. I dare not take credit for it."

"If we encounter a demon general, we will immediately send a message to ask our fellow disciples for help."

The purple-robed cultivator, however, was somewhat dismissive: "Senior Brother Zhang is overthinking it. Our Spirit Realm army once occupied two continents of the Burning Demon Realm. It was only because the Great Sage of the Tyrant Turtle sacrificed his life and transformed into Tyrant Turtle Island that the spatial passage was blocked."

"But this is just a temporary reprieve. Turtle Island will collapse sooner or later, and then the Demon Burning Realm will be retaken by my Spirit Realm army."

"The strength of the demon race in the Demon Burning Realm is not much stronger than that of the demon race in other realms."

"Even if this secret realm is somewhat special, and we cannot mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, those demon generals are no match for us."

Senior Brother Zhang frowned, about to continue dissuading him, when Junior Brother Han spoke calmly: "The Demon Realm has been able to hold off the Spirit Realm's army for hundreds of thousands of years, which is its own unique strength." "The demon race is not good at the arts of cultivation, but the three elders gathered most of the array masters in the sect to work together to find the flaws in this spatial secret realm, yet they were still a few days slower than the demon race, which shows that their methods are quite remarkable."

"You must heed Senior Brother Zhang's words. If you encounter the Demon Commander, send me a message."

The purple-robed cultivator reluctantly agreed: "I understand. If the demon commander is powerful, I will immediately ask Senior Brother Han for help."

The middle-aged cultivator secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Junior Sister Hu was thoughtful and acted prudently, so there was no need to worry.

However, this Junior Brother Yuan was the son of an elder of the sect. He was exceptionally talented and his cultivation speed was even faster than that of Junior Brother Han. In just a few hundred years, he cultivated to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

He also possesses a rare lightning spiritual root, cultivates lightning-based divine abilities, and is incredibly powerful. He has always considered himself extraordinary and is prone to causing trouble, resulting in a lot of chaos.

Looking across the entire sect, only Junior Brother Han could truly win his heart.

The purple-robed cultivator was still somewhat unwilling. His eyes darted around, and he asked, "Senior Brother Han, if we encounter cultivators from the Chonghua Sect, Xuanji Sect, and the Wei family, or disciples from Lanyue Peak and Yujian Peak, how should we deal with them?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Junior Brother Han, their eyes filled with inquiry.

As true disciples of the sect, they held extremely high positions within the sect and were protected by their masters, possessing extensive knowledge of this secret realm journey.

The array in this secret spatial realm is extremely sturdy. Even if there are flaws, it would take the combined power of at least six elders to send a Nascent Soul cultivator in.

However, the sect is currently at a critical juncture, with more than half of the elders traveling around, and some of the remaining half in seclusion.

Although this secret realm is related to the true dragon and may contain a dragon's cave, it is still unknown how many treasures it may contain.

Elder Su, who was in charge of this matter, couldn't persuade the elders who were in seclusion. Among the other elders, only Elder Mei and Elder Yuan were willing to take action.

Elder Su then invited three Nascent Soul cultivators from outside the sect, scattered spirit stones and pills, summoned half of the sect's array masters, and used a large amount of rare spiritual materials to build a teleportation array. By exploiting the flaws in the spatial secret realm's defensive array, he sent more than sixty true disciples in.

They were all from Elder Yuan's lineage, and the purple-robed cultivator was Elder Yuan's son.

In addition, there are the true disciples of Elder Su and Elder Mei, whose numbers are much greater and whose strength is also stronger.

Since the three Nascent Soul cultivators from outside the sect were helping to break the formation, it was natural that a Nascent Soul cultivator would also be sent into the spatial secret realm.

However, their numbers are fewer, only about thirty people in total, and their strength is also much weaker.

Junior Brother Han pondered for a moment and said, "As is customary, there is no need to abide by the Heavenly Rules of the Spirit Realm when exploring interface fragments and spatial secret realms."

"However, there are demons vying with us for treasures in this secret realm, and they have already gained the upper hand. We must prioritize the overall situation."

"If the Chonghua Sect, Xuanji Sect, and Wei family are willing to cooperate, we will join forces with them to break the formation."

"But if they have ulterior motives, we need not show them any mercy. Even if those three seniors know, they can't say anything."

"As for the disciples of Jade Sword Peak and Moon Embracing Peak..."

Junior Brother Han paused for a moment: "We can join forces with them to break the formation. If we find any clues about the True Dragon Cave, we can also tell them and search together."

The purple-robed cultivator snorted coldly: "Senior Brother Han is mindful of the overall situation, but those disciples from the two peaks are arrogant and may not be willing to join forces with us."

Junior Brother Han said solemnly, "If they refuse to join forces, the fault lies with them, not with my Huayu Peak."

"Junior Brother Yuan, you must remember that in order to explore this secret realm, our sect has spent many treasures and sent more than sixty true disciples in. We cannot afford to lose anything."

"As long as we can break the formation before the demon race and lure the Nascent Soul cultivators down, we will have accomplished our mission."

"Otherwise, if the demon race succeeds, we will all die without a burial place."

"Therefore, we human cultivators must never fight among ourselves. All disputes can be put aside, let alone the slight grudges between my Huayu Peak lineage and those two peaks."

The purple-robed cultivator sighed and said reluctantly, "Senior Brother Han is right. I understand now and will never let a small matter ruin the big picture."

Everyone was a little annoyed, but they knew that Junior Brother Han was right, so they all agreed.

Junior Brother Han pondered for a moment, then said, "However, Junior Brother Yuan is right. We are considering the overall situation, but the disciples of Lanyue Peak and Yujian Peak may not be so. We cannot simply back down."

"If the disciples from the other two peaks are arrogant, you don't need to be polite either."

The purple-robed cultivator's expression brightened: "Understood, brother."

Without wasting any more time, everyone chose a direction and scattered according to Han's instructions.

Junior Brother Han chose the east. He was alone, but his escape speed was not too fast. He spread his divine sense, scanned the earth, and carefully noticed anything unusual.

This isn't about chasing enemies or running for your life; moving too fast would only make things worse.

However, as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, even if he intentionally controlled his speed, it wasn't too slow. In just half an hour, he had flown several thousand miles.

Junior Brother Han discovered that this peculiar spiritual energy was quite domineering; in addition to being able to annihilate spiritual energy, it also restricted divine sense.

He cultivated a secret technique that made his spiritual power exceptionally profound. After advancing to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his divine sense could cover a radius of over 3,300 li around him, which was 300 li more than other cultivators of the same level.

Three hundred miles may not seem like much, but it represents the advantage of divine soul power.

In a battle between cultivators, every slight advantage is extremely important.

If a Nascent Soul cultivator conceals their aura, they are usually only detected when they are within two or three hundred miles of their opponent.

However, Junior Brother Han was able to detect his opponent a few breaths in advance, gaining the upper hand in the battle.

However, his divine sense can only cover a radius of about 3,200 miles around him now. If a high-ranking demon general attacks, he will be able to detect it a few breaths later.

Most importantly, the peculiar spiritual energy that filled the secret space was extremely thin, which compressed his divine sense to a hundred miles.

If one goes to a place where the spiritual energy is even more concentrated, will one's divine sense be further compressed?
If there are natives in this secret realm, and they have adapted to this peculiar spiritual energy, wouldn't they discover me in advance and put themselves in danger?
Junior Brother Han was cautious by nature, and he became even more careful at this moment, further suppressing his aura and not daring to release it in the slightest. His escape speed also slowed down considerably.

His divine sense only covered a thousand miles around him, making his detection more thorough. If an opponent of the same level approached, he could detect them much earlier.

Although the demon race had gained the upper hand, Junior Brother Han knew the principle that haste makes waste.

No matter how precious the treasures left by the dragon are, survival must come first.

After flying for another half an hour, Junior Brother Han's eyes lit up, and he increased his speed.

Before long, a mountain range several tens of miles long appeared ahead.

At the foot of the mountain, nestled, lay a densely populated city. (End of Chapter)