Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan paused, and his divine sense immediately swept out like a tide, covering an area of ​​two thousand miles around him.

On a deserted island he had just overlooked, a flash of inspiration appeared, and a transparent protective shield slowly dissipated, rippling gently like water.

A figure soared into the air and flew towards this direction.

This man was tall and dressed in black, with three long tufts of white beard and hair. He had an elegant and otherworldly air about him, a smile on his lips, and a leisurely demeanor. He was none other than Qin Wuyai, who had tricked the group into the spatial passage!

Chen Yuan's face darkened, his hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched into fists, then slowly relaxed. He stared at Qin Wuyai, a cold glint in his eyes.

Qin Wuyai seemed oblivious as he stopped in front of Chen Yuan, clasped his hands in a bow, and his smile deepened, revealing the joy of reuniting with an old friend: "I have been waiting here for many years, and fortunately I have met you, fellow Daoist. It has not been a waste of my efforts."

Chen Yuan showed no intention of returning the greeting, but instead revealed a mocking expression, coldly asking, "Where is Fellow Daoist Ren now? Could it be that he has fallen into your trap again?"

Qin Wuyai remained unperturbed and smiled, saying, "Like Fellow Daoist Chen, I followed the traces left by Fellow Daoist Ren all the way here."

"But the mark suddenly broke off, and Qin had no choice but to stop here."

"I suspect that Fellow Daoist Ren's display of demonic power, which caused the Frost Bear clan to bleed profusely, will surely attract the three of you to come and investigate."

"And the one most likely to come here is Fellow Daoist Chen. Now it seems that I was right."

Chen Yuan coldly said, "Fellow Daoist Qin is truly a master strategist. When you took out this method of condensing spiritual energy imprints, you must have already foreseen that we would encounter the Void Cicada in the spatial passage and be separated?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyai finally showed a hint of fear on his face and sighed softly: "How could I have guessed that I would encounter such a strange beast as the Void Cicada? This method of condensing the mark is just a precaution."

“That spatial passage has existed for tens of thousands of years and is extremely unstable.”

"If we accidentally get separated after arriving in this world, we can use this secret technique to find each other."

"Although we have encountered some setbacks, the reason we are able to meet here today is because of the spiritual imprint left by Fellow Daoist Ren."

"What Qin did back then was not in vain."

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, revealing a murderous aura. The air suddenly became stagnant, flowing slowly like mercury, giving people a suffocating feeling.

He said, word by word, "Fellow Daoist, you already knew that the spatial passage leads to this world. The claim of smuggling into the Spirit Realm is just a deception!"

Despite sensing the terrifying murderous aura emanating from Chen Yuan, Qin Wuyai remained calm and composed: "Fellow Daoist, please calm down. I was forced into this situation."

"Otherwise, how can we work together to escape the prison of the human world?"

Chen Yuan sneered: "Fellow Daoist Qin underestimates us. Among the millions of cultivators in the human realm, only the five of us have achieved the Nascent Soul stage. No one can match our unwavering resolve."

"As long as I can escape the shackles of the human realm, I will do my utmost. Why should I be timid and hesitant like a low-level cultivator? Why should you deceive me with empty words, fellow Daoist?"

Qin Wuyai suddenly laughed: "I have no doubt about Fellow Daoist Chen's character."

"Even if that spatial passage leads to this world, or even to the underworld, as long as we can escape the prison of the human realm, fellow Daoist, we will not hesitate in the slightest."

"It is only because you possess immortal cultivation techniques and have refined the blood of true spirits that you have a long lifespan, a limitless future, and are full of vigor that you are unafraid of dangerous journeys."

"But I'm afraid the other three fellow Daoists don't think that way."

He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the leaden-gray clouds churning on the horizon, and said calmly, "They have been trapped in the human realm for thousands of years, their lifespans are nearing their end, and their fighting spirit has long been worn away."

"The desire to ascend to immortality is less about wanting to advance further on the path of cultivation and more about being afraid of death and unwilling to watch oneself die of old age."

"If we can sneak into the spirit world, we'll still have time to find a way to prolong our lives."

"Even the laws of heaven and earth in the spirit world can greatly increase their lifespan and give them a chance to break through to the legendary Void Refinement Realm."

"Therefore, as long as I throw out a bait, they will take the bait. They will not hesitate to deplete the sect's vital energy to help you break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

"In order to pass through the spatial passage, they even violated the sect rules and took the spiritual treasure for themselves..."

Chen Yuan frowned, and the overwhelming murderous aura slowly dissipated. The stagnant air was freed from its restraints and became light again.

Qin Wuyai laughed, his voice tinged with contempt: "If I were to tell you the truth, the spatial passage does not lead to the Spirit Realm, but to another realm whose situation is unknown."

"They would rather be trapped in the human realm and wait to die, remaining as high and mighty Nascent Soul Ancestors for another two or three hundred years."

"We won't gamble everything for a vague chance of ascension—we can't even ascend to the spirit realm yet."

"At that time, let alone the five of us working together to cross the spatial passage, Fellow Daoist Chen will have to wait many more years to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

"Even if you, fellow Daoist, are willing to take great risks, how can the two of us possibly traverse that endless spatial storm?"

Chen Yuan fell silent for a long while before speaking coldly: "What you say makes sense, but you have deceived me, and there must be an explanation. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Having said that, he no longer concealed his aura, and the pressure of his Nascent Soul stage erupted forth. His hair turned white at the tips, and a pair of black wings faintly appeared behind him. A flash of silver light appeared in his eyes, and it seemed he was about to simultaneously unleash the power of three True Spirits. Qin Wuyai frowned. How could he not know that when Chen Yuan changed his appearance, he was about to unleash the power of True Spirits?

However, he was not wary because of this. On the contrary, his expression became more sincere, and he slowly said, "Fellow Daoist, do not forget that if I had not concealed the truth about the spatial passage, they would never have gone to such lengths to help you break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and you would not have been able to escape the prison of the human realm."

"I have no enmity with you, fellow Daoist; on the contrary, I have been kind to you."

"Moreover, the demon race in this realm controls the ascension passage, so we need to join forces to deal with those five demon generals and seek a way to ascend."

"Fellow Daoist is a man of extraordinary talent and profound fortune. You have the potential to cultivate immortal techniques and achieve great success. You should take a long-term view and prioritize your ascension plan. Do not neglect the essential for the trivial and lose sight of the greater good for the sake of the lesser."

"I speak from the bottom of my heart, and I earnestly hope that you will think twice before acting."

After analyzing the pros and cons, Qin Wuyai was certain that as long as Chen Yuan still wanted to ascend to the Upper Realm, he would do as he was told. Therefore, he was confident and calm, and not worried at all that Chen Yuan would make a move.

But Chen Yuan remained unmoved and coldly said, "I have already repaid your favor after passing through the spatial passage."

"If you want Chen to join forces with you again, you must give Chen an explanation."

"Moreover, fellow Daoist seems to have seen through people's hearts, but he is wrong about one thing."

"While I, Chen, certainly wish to ascend to the Upper Realm, among the five of us, the one who most desires to ascend to the Spirit Realm is none other than you, fellow Daoist."

Qin Wuyai was taken aback. Chen Yuan continued, "Fellow Daoist Qin has been scheming for hundreds of years, even deceiving us to enter the spatial passage with you, all for the sake of ascending to the upper realm. I'm afraid your lifespan is almost over."

"I am not very talented. I can easily live for another 1,500 or 1,600 years. I am not in a hurry to ascend to immortality."

"Without my help, I wonder if you, fellow Daoist, could have killed those demon generals and ascended to the upper realm on your own?"

Qin Wuyai chuckled and said, "What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Chen? I am naturally no match for those five demon generals, but there is only a temporary lack of news about those three fellow Daoists. Once we reunite with them, the four of us can join forces. With the demons in the open and us in the shadows, we may not be without a chance."

"No matter how powerful your supernatural abilities are, if you do not join forces with us, you will not be a match for the demon race and will have no hope of ascension."

Chen Yuan said, "Is that so? Unfortunately, I have a treasure that allows me to ascend to the upper realm without having to confront the demon race."

He slowly raised his right hand, suddenly closed it, and then slowly opened it again, revealing a strange black and white ring in his palm.

Qin Wuyai's expression changed: "The Yin-Yang Ring?"

Chen Yuan gave him a deep look: "Fellow Daoist Qin has a keen eye; there aren't many people who recognize this treasure."

He put the Yin-Yang Ring on his hand, and his pure spiritual energy suddenly transformed into surging demonic energy, turning him from a Nascent Soul cultivator into a demon general exuding a fierce aura!
Chen Yuan said leisurely, "With this treasure in my possession, why should I confront the demon race? I only need to obtain a suitable identity and disguise myself as a demon general."

"If I slowly improve my cultivation and spend a few hundred years becoming a renowned demon general in this world, can the demon race possibly stop me from ascending?"

Qin Wuyai's expression darkened. He knew very well the function of the Yin-Yang Ring: it could convert spiritual energy into demonic energy, or vice versa.

If it were any other Nascent Soul cultivator, even if they wore the Yin-Yang Ring, they would still reveal their supernatural powers and magical treasures when fighting others. Their weak physical bodies would be unable to hide these abilities, making it impossible for them to disguise themselves as a demon general.

However, Chen Yuan cultivated both physical and magical abilities, and had also refined the blood of the true spirit. Not only was his physical body powerful, but his supernatural powers were also astonishing, and he could even change his appearance.

After wearing the Yin-Yang Ring, no one in the demon race would doubt his identity.

He remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Fellow Daoist Chen, your methods are skillful; I, Qin, have miscalculated."

"However, fellow Daoist, do not think that having a way out means you can rest easy. May I ask how much you know about the situation in the Upper Realm?"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he said calmly, "I know a little about this. The Upper Realm and the Lower Realm are quite similar, and they also have many realms."

“The Spirit Realm is only one of them, occupied by human cultivators, while the demon race resides in other demon realms.”

Qin Wuyai's eyes widened in surprise: "Where did you learn this, fellow Daoist? Yes, that White Ape Demon King once possessed your body..."

His voice gradually lowered, and Chen Yuan remained calm, but secretly felt fortunate.

The middle-aged scholar did not reveal the situation in the upper realm to him, but only mentioned the "Demon Burning Realm".

Chen Yuan deduced this from the "Demon Realm" mentioned by the Demon Lord, as well as from the descriptions of the green-robed array spirit and the records in "Nine Revolutions of True Spirit".

True spirits roam freely throughout the myriad realms, but primarily reside in the Upper Realm.

If there are only a few interfaces, how can one support hundreds of true spirits?
Moreover, human cultivators at the Void Refinement stage, demon kings, and demon lords come from different realms, and above the Spirit Realm exists the Immortal Realm. Based on the relationship between the lower and upper realms, the relationship between the upper and immortal realms should also be similar, like stars surrounding the moon.

Qin Wuyai mistakenly believed that Chen Yuan had learned about the situation in the Upper Realm from the White Ape Demon King, so he simply said, "Since you know about the situation in the Upper Realm, you should know that the human race and the demon race are irreconcilable enemies."

"In this world, demons reign supreme, so the ascension passage must lead to some demon realm."

"Even if you successfully ascend, fellow Daoist, you will still face certain death!" (End of Chapter)