Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The moment Lei He was taken away by Chen Yuan, Yuan Shuheng had already resolved to die.

His trump card was so easily broken by Chen Yuan.

He had only ever seen such a powerful thunder-based divine ability in one of the sect's cultivators who specialized in thunder-based techniques.

This person's strength is unfathomable, surpassing even Nascent Soul cultivators.

Even if Senior Brother Han came, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to easily claim victory.

He exposed the man's disguise and will surely be silenced; things are destined to end badly today.

However, Yuan Shuheng is no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. His father, Elder Yuan, has bestowed upon him life-saving measures. If he fights to the death, there may still be a glimmer of hope for survival.

However, this method comes at a great cost and cannot be used lightly. If it fails, one will become a lamb to the slaughter.

Yuan Shuheng stared intently at Chen Yuan, his true energy secretly circulating within him, waiting for Chen Yuan to reveal a weakness so he could launch a desperate attack.

He was a true disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect, and his father was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if he were to die, he could not be cowardly and disgrace the sect and his father's reputation.

The three senior brothers did not show the slightest fear. Even Senior Brother Song, who was only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, flew up and stood side by side with Yuan Shuheng.

He flipped his hand and took out an array plate and dozens of array flags, stood in the void, and hastily set up an array.

The hatred between humans and demons runs deep. Although the Tai Xuan Sect has never fought against the demons of the Burning Demon Realm, it will not take any chances.

In the past, when the Tai Xuan Sect conquered other worlds, it rarely subdued demons. Instead, it killed demons to obtain their cores, which were then refined into elixirs to enhance their cultivation.

When Yuan Shuheng tried to persuade the two high-ranking demon generals to surrender, he also had the intention of using them first and then killing them. Judging from his own experience, he naturally did not think that Chen Yuan would spare them.

Moreover, as true disciples, they were highly valued by the sect, and they could only repay the kindness of their teachers in imparting knowledge and skills with their lives.

They did not scatter and flee. Even under the constraints of the sealing power, Chen Yuan was still able to use the teleportation technique, which shows that he had a very profound grasp of spatial power.

To scatter and flee is simply courting death.

Only by joining forces against the enemy can we have a chance to survive.

Chen Yuan's gaze swept over the four people. He put away the Purple Kui Thunder Drum, and the Kui Bull Dharma Image slowly dissipated. The dark clouds in the sky cleared, and the lightning disappeared.

He folded his wings, the silver light in his eyes faded, his white hair returned to normal, and his aura subsided, seemingly indicating that he had no intention of making a move.

Everyone was taken aback. Chen Yuan said in a deep voice, "This is a misunderstanding. I am indeed from the Tai Xuan Sect, but it is not the same as the Tai Xuan Sect that you fellow Daoists belong to."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shuheng's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt. He wondered why Chen Yuan, who clearly had the upper hand, would show mercy.

But since Chen Yuan was willing to negotiate peace, he was happy to play along with him.

Before leaving the Cangyun Division, he had already secretly sent messages to Senior Brother Han, Senior Brother Zhang, and Senior Sister Hu, who were sure they were on their way.

The Xuanli Realm possesses magical treasures like the Tongyin Conch. The Spirit Realm is vast and rich in resources, having conquered many realms, so it is naturally not lacking in such rare and precious treasures. They also know the approximate location of Yuan Shuheng.

If they can delay for a while until their senior brothers and sisters come to their aid, the four of them can save their lives.

They could also join forces to capture and kill this person who was impersonating a true disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect and ruining the sect's reputation.

However, the two sides were fighting fiercely just a moment ago, and in order not to arouse Chen Yuan's suspicion, Yuan Shuheng did not dare to change his mind too quickly.

His expression softened slightly, and he snorted coldly: "Is that so? There may be other Tai Xuan Sects in the Spirit Realm, but according to Elder Lin, the sect leader of your Tai Xuan Sect is a Mahayana cultivator."

"And in the entire Spirit Realm, only the Tai Xuan Sect has a Mahayana cultivator in charge, and that is our sect. How do you explain that?"

Chen Yuan frowned. In order to persuade Chu Weicai, he fabricated a Tai Xuan Sect and even lied that there was a Mahayana cultivator in charge, as a deterrent to prevent Ying Qian's troops from having any disloyal thoughts.

This was not something Chen Yuan did casually. He had learned about the situation in the Spirit Realm from people like Qin Wuyai, Yun Jinyue, and Liu Tianhan, and had never heard of the Tai Xuan Sect before.

I never expected that the Tai Xuan Sect would actually exist in the Spirit Realm, with a Mahayana cultivator in charge.

However, Qin Wuyai descended to the human realm forty thousand years ago and has never returned.

Yun Jinyue, Liu Tianhan, and Huan Yu, however, had low cultivation levels, only at the Core Formation stage.

There are over a hundred Mahayana cultivators in the Spirit Realm, and dozens of major sects and factions, scattered across an incredibly vast region, conquering countless worlds. It is understandable that they cannot know everything.

However, the identity that Chen Yuan casually fabricated unexpectedly led to him encountering the real person, which proved to be quite troublesome.

It seems I have no choice but to tell him the truth about his status as an ascended cultivator, but his experiences are too bizarre, and I don't know if Yuan Shuheng will believe it.

However, the identity of being a disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect still needs to be used; otherwise, if everything he says is false, it will be even more difficult to gain people's trust.

However, he was personally acknowledged by the green-robed array spirit that he was considered half a successor of the Tai Xuan Sect, so it wasn't entirely a lie.

Chen Yuan's thoughts raced, and he made up his mind in an instant. He said solemnly, "I do have something to hide. I am not from the Tai Xuan Sect of the Spirit Realm, but ascended from the lower realm."

"By chance, I entered the Demon Burning Realm and came to this Xuanli Realm."

"And the sect that Chen belongs to in the lower realm is also called Tai Xuan Sect."

Yuan Shuheng sneered inwardly, not believing Chen Yuan's words at all.

What a coincidence! A human cultivator ascended from the lower realm to the demon realm, disguised himself as a demon general, entered the Xuanli Realm, and even had the same sect name as the Tai Xuan Sect.

Most importantly, if Chen Yuan is a cultivator from the lower realm, why was he able to exude such a strong demonic aura without being detected by the demon race?
However, Yuan Shuheng did not expose him, and his expression softened a bit. Just as he was about to speak, Senior Brother Song suddenly asked sharply, "If that's the case, why do you pretend to be a disciple of my Tai Xuan Sect and even know the cultivation level of the Sect Leader?"

"And how did you manage to disguise yourself as a demon general in front of the demon race without being exposed?"

Yuan Shuheng was startled and quickly sent a telepathic message: "Senior brother, be careful what you say!"

He was worried that Chen Yuan had other means of spying on his divine sense, so even if he secretly transmitted his voice, he dared not say that he wanted to delay.

Senior Brother Song's expression changed slightly, as if he knew he had spoken out of turn. However, he was only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and if his divine sense encountered a late-stage cultivator, he dared not reply by transmitting his voice. He simply kept his mouth shut.

Instead of answering, Chen Yuan asked, "If I knew of your sect's existence, would I have sent disciples into the Xuanli Realm? Why would I have impersonated a disciple of your sect?"

Senior Brother Song was taken aback, and Yuan Shuheng also looked thoughtful.

Chen Yuan added, "As for disguising himself as a demon general, it was thanks to a Yin-Yang Ring that he obtained by chance."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand, revealing a black and white ring, and said, "I am unaware of your sect leader's cultivation level."

"It was just something I made up to persuade the Yingqian and Yingshan tribes to join forces with Chen to fight against the demon race and prevent the demon saint from breaking the formation."

"As fellow Daoists know, the Yin-Yang Ring can only deceive the Demon King, but it cannot deceive the Demon Saint."

"I have already taken a great risk by entering the Xuanli Realm with more than a hundred demon generals."

"If the Demon Saint were to descend upon this place, my identity as a human cultivator would be exposed, and I would be doomed. That is why I did my utmost to prevent the demon race from breaking the formation."

Chen Yuan glanced apologetically at Lin Huai, who stared blankly at him in disbelief, remaining silent. Yuan Shuheng pondered Chen Yuan's explanation; though extremely bizarre and too coincidental, it contained no flaws and was self-consistent.

If he really knew that the Tai Xuan Sect was going to send a Nascent Soul cultivator into the Xuan Li Realm, and even pretended to be a Tai Xuan Sect disciple, he would be easily exposed and it would be of no use.

Could it be that I have misunderstood him?
Yuan Shuheng's anger subsided considerably, but he was still somewhat skeptical.

However, Chen Yuan was ultimately impersonating a disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect, which would be a fight to the death for any sect in the Spirit Realm.

However, if he were from the Tai Xuan Sect in the lower realm, then the impersonation would be a coincidence, which would be a different story.

Yuan Shuheng frowned and said, "If what you say is true, then this matter is indeed a misunderstanding."

"How can you prove your status as an ascended cultivator, and that you come from the Tai Xuan Sect in the lower realm?"

Seeing Yuan Shuheng's aggressive manner, Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel a little displeased.

However, since he had impersonated a disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect and needed their help to enter the Spirit Realm, they had no choice but to suppress their urges.

Moreover, since the Tai Xuan Sect of the Spirit Realm can send Nascent Soul cultivators into the Xuan Li Realm, there must be Nascent Soul cultivators within the sect, making it even more important not to offend them.

He suppressed his displeasure and said, "After I ascended to heaven, the events in the mortal realm are now history, gone like smoke in the wind."

"However, I possess an identity token of an elder of our sect, which has been passed down through generations."

“This order was forged tens of thousands of years ago and was not made hastily, which is enough to prove Chen’s identity.”

Having said that, he took out the Tai Xuan Token, which he had stored in his body space for many years, raised his hand and threw it. It transformed into a stream of light and flew out, passing through the Thunder River unharmed.

Yuan Shuheng reached out and caught it, and the other three people also turned their gazes toward him.

Yuan Shuheng stared at it and saw that the blue token had the words "Tai Xuan" engraved on one side and mountains and rivers on the other side. It was magnificent and had a delicate texture. It was like gold and jade, but it was neither gold nor jade. It exuded a kind of ethereal aura.

His expression immediately changed, and he abruptly looked up at Chen Yuan. He no longer cared about being polite and said, word by word, "You have carefully fabricated this story just to make fun of me?"

Chen Yuan frowned and asked, "What makes you say that, fellow Daoist?"

The other three glared at him angrily. Senior Brother Song said sternly, "This Tai Xuan Token is the token of our sect's elders. Why do you have to use it to humiliate us?"

"Kill me or torture me, do it! Even if we perish, the disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect will never bow down!"

Yuan Shuheng gripped the Tai Xuan Token tightly and said coldly, "I don't know what strange quirks you have. Although we are no match for you, we cannot allow you to humiliate us!"

He had intended to delay until Senior Brother Han arrived to provide assistance, but in the end, he couldn't suppress his pride and couldn't tolerate being wantonly humiliated.

The other two senior brothers, though they didn't verbally abuse him, also had expressions of resentment on their faces.

Seeing that the four people did not seem to be faking it, Chen Yuan had an unbelievable guess in his mind and asked, "May I ask the name of your sect leader?"

Seeing that Chen Yuan was about to humiliate him, Yuan Shuheng laughed angrily: "You can even forge the Tai Xuan Token, do you not know the name of our sect leader?"

"Listen up, this is our sect leader, Master Fu Huihuaixiao!"

Chen Yuan was greatly shocked. The Fu Huaixiao, the True Man Fu mentioned by the green-robed array spirit, had only ascended to the Great Ascension Realm a little over 40,000 years ago.

Seeing that Chen Yuan's expression was strange, Yuan Shuheng also sensed that something was wrong, and his anger subsided considerably.

However, the Tai Xuan Token in his hand could not be faked. He looked down and extended his divine sense, only to discover something unusual.

He let out a soft exclamation, held the counterfeit Tai Xuan token up to his face, and examined it carefully.

Senior Brother Song turned around and, seeing this, asked, "Junior Brother, have you discovered something?"

Yuan Shuheng frowned and said, "This Tai Xuan Token is made of the exact same material as our sect's Tai Xuan Token. It's hard to tell the difference between the real and fake. Even I can't tell the difference."

"It is absolutely impossible to counterfeit this token unless one has an extremely deep understanding of it."

"But the mysterious energy contained in the token is more than a hundred times weaker. Anyone who has ever touched the token can tell at a glance."

"Wouldn't it be a waste of effort for the forger to create such a contradictory Tai Xuan Token?"

Senior Brother Song frowned as well: "Junior Brother, you're not mistaken?"

Yuan Shuheng solemnly replied, "I have seen the Tai Xuan Token from my father many times, and I would never be mistaken."

Senior Brother Song had only seen the Tai Xuan Token from afar, but Yuan Shuheng had handled it personally and knew far more about it than the other senior brothers.

Chen Yuan sighed softly: "Fellow Daoist is not mistaken. This Tai Xuan Token is indeed contradictory, but the order of events is wrong."

“This Tai Xuan Token is not a counterfeit. If I am not mistaken, the Tai Xuan Token held by your sect’s elder is the counterfeit.”

Yuan Shuheng's expression changed drastically, and the anger he had just suppressed rose again: "Nonsense! This Tai Xuan Token is only the same in material and appearance, but it does not have the profound energy of our sect's Tai Xuan Token."

"It only captures the form but not the spirit; it is crude and unsightly, and is undoubtedly a counterfeit."

Chen Yuan shook his head: "Although this Tai Xuan Token is crude, it is the predecessor of your sect's Tai Xuan Token."

"Mr. Chen was wrong just now. Today's events were indeed a misunderstanding, but they were not entirely a misunderstanding."

"I can be considered to be a fellow disciple of all of you."

Yuan Shuheng frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Yuan said solemnly, "The ancestor of the Tai Xuan Sect in the human realm where I reside is none other than True Man Fu!"

"If I am not mistaken, forty thousand years ago, he ascended from the human realm to the spirit realm, cultivated to the Mahayana realm, and established the Tai Xuan Sect."

"That's why Mr. Chen said that we can be considered fellow disciples."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Yuan Shuheng was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and shook his head repeatedly: "Impossible! I have never heard of the sect leader being an ascended cultivator!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan understood the implication: "So, it is true that Master Fu only spent tens of thousands of years to cultivate to the Mahayana realm?"

Yuan Shuheng frowned deeply: "Our sect leader is a peerless genius, unparalleled in the spirit realm. Since you are impersonating a cultivator of our sect, you must know about this..."

Chen Yuan said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist, consider this: if I truly had ulterior motives, why would I fabricate such a bizarre lie? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Yuan Shuheng's eyes, and the other three also hesitated.

What Chen Yuan said was true. If he wanted to deceive them, he wouldn't have needed to fabricate such a convoluted and bizarre lie.

Yuan Shuheng frowned, lowered his head, and looked at the Tai Xuan Token lying quietly in his palm, his expression shifting uncertainly. (End of this chapter)