Chapter 765 - 760: Swallowing the Fruit of Spring Water
In the dim thatched hut, within the deep darkness created by [Night Exorcism], a vast white light rolled past like flowing water, dotting the gloom with mottled, Illusionary Colors.
Lü Yang was the first to act.
"Now!"
He formed a Daoist Hand Seal with one hand, gathering an immense amount of Mana at his fingertips. Using the Dharma Gate of the [Skill of Perfect Vitality], he began to seize control of the half-skull that was all that remained of Suo Huan.
Before long, he had completely occupied Suo Huan’s body. To this very moment, Suo Huan was still the Perfected Lord of the [Fruit of Spring Water]. Following this connection, Lü Yang unhesitatingly extended his Mana toward the [Fruit of Spring Water]. But upon sensing his Mana, the [Fruit of Spring Water] actually began to resist.
’It’s actually fighting back?’
Lü Yang’s expression shifted slightly. This was unexpected; when he had previously swallowed the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire], it had offered no resistance.
’Is it because of the completeness of the [Life Form Body]?’
’Fortune was at his Peak state, after all, his [Life Form Body] perfectly intact. But Suo Huan only has half a skull left, so he can’t suppress the [Fruit of Spring Water].’
’Unexpected... but manageable.’
Lü Yang remained composed. After encountering so many people and events, he was long accustomed to variables—and this one wasn’t particularly large.
The next second, Suo Huan moved.
"BOOM!"
A thunderous crash erupted inside the thatched hut, only to be swiftly swallowed by the darkness. Suo Huan had decisively withdrawn his [Huanxu Heaven]!
This withdrawal instantly siphoned away half of the [Fruit of Spring Water]’s Mighty Power!
Unlike the [Fruit of Long-Flow Water], the [Fruit of Spring Water] lacked the Profound Mystery of "Boundless" imagery. With half its Mighty Power now siphoned away, it weakened instantly!
Of course, for a Fruit Position, this enfeeblement was only temporary. A Fruit Position was a self-sustaining cycle; after a period of recuperation, the drained Mighty Power would regenerate. However, with Lü Yang watching like a tiger stalking its prey, the [Fruit of Spring Water]’s momentary weakness immediately exposed a flaw.
"Stop struggling. You’re mine!"
Lü Yang grinned, channeled his full Mana, and smashed into it. He finally breached the interior of the [Fruit of Spring Water], forging an inseparable connection with the Fruit Position.
The rest was easy.
Following this connection, Lü Yang frantically devoured the imagery and Profound Mysteries of the [Fruit of Spring Water], which was now too weak to resist.
Almost simultaneously, on the other side of the Magic Altar.
"Strike!"
In a thousandth of an instant, the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected’s spiritual perception thundered out. The moment he heard the signal, Progenitor Tingyou raised the Dharma Light in his hand.
Their coordination was flawless.
Instantly, the World Heaven Seed in Progenitor Tingyou’s hand swelled dramatically, catching [Huanxu Heaven] at the precise moment it fell, just before it could disintegrate!
Until this point, not the slightest ripple had disturbed the outside world. This was because the [Sea of Suffering] was currently open, and the entire process took place within it. Even the minor fluctuations in Qi traces were confined to the thatched hut, suppressed by Lü Yang’s [Night Exorcism] before they could truly spread.
At this moment, [Huanxu Heaven] trembled violently.
Lü Yang glanced over and saw that Suo Huan’s [Huanxu Heaven] was surprisingly even more complete than his own former Grotto Heaven, encompassing everything from flora and fauna to mountains and rivers.
It was less a Grotto Heaven and more an Outer Realm.
In fact, [Huanxu Heaven] *was* Suo Huan’s home Outer Realm. For all these years, he had been focused less on Enlightenment and more on reviving this world of his past.
Lü Yang even saw the figures of people inside.
All these sights were but a fleeting glimpse; the next second, [Huanxu Heaven] fell squarely into the World Heaven Seed that Progenitor Tingyou had woven.
Suo Huan’s Golden Soul plunged in along with it.
’Now is the time!’
Seeing this, Progenitor Tingyou’s expression became incredibly solemn. The Daoist Hand Seal he was forming shifted, and finally, he raised an index finger and tapped it lightly against the World Heaven Seed.
"CLANG! CLANG!"
That single tap was the finishing touch, like dotting the eyes on a painted dragon. It infused all the Mighty Power Suo Huan had stripped from the [Fruit of Spring Water]—power held within [Huanxu Heaven]—into the World Heaven Seed. The seed immediately began to evolve, giving off streams of watery light that coiled into rings, manifesting its own imagery and Profound Mysteries.
Fruit Position Prototype... Outer Dao Fruit Position... Orthodox Fruit Position!
In the blink of an eye, the World Heaven Seed’s Position soared. From a Fruit Position Prototype to generating imagery, and then to birthing Profound Mysteries—the process was flawlessly smooth!
"The final step..."
Progenitor Tingyou dared not be careless. Even though that "dragon-eye-dotting" tap had almost completely depleted his Mana, he forced himself to summon his remaining Spiritual Essence.
The next second, the [Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven] manifested between his eyebrows.
The change from illusion to reality!
Soon, streams of illusory Mana began to flow within Progenitor Tingyou’s body. Through a transformation of imagery, it then became real Mana!
Yet, as his Mana swelled, Progenitor Tingyou’s face grew ever paler. This transformation from illusion to reality wasn’t creating something from nothing; it was fundamentally draining his Spiritual Essence and even the Mighty Power of his [Fruit of Sorrowless Heaven]. Despite this, the fingers forming his seal remained steady.
"...Seal!"
Progenitor Tingyou’s lips parted as he uttered a single, sharp command. Surging Mana drove the imagery, causing the World Heaven Seed—now an orthodox Fruit Position—to fold in on itself and seal completely.
"BOOM!"
With another thunderous crash, a dazzling, Splendid Light suddenly bloomed within the dim hut, illuminating almost the entire space with brilliant clarity.
Only at the very edges, by the door and windows, did the darkness still hold sway, locking every ray of light inside the hut and preventing even a single speck from escaping.
This lasted for several full minutes before the dazzling Splendid Light finally dimmed. Upon the Magic Altar, a figure had appeared from thin air. His back was straight, a faint smile on his lips. A point of light glowed between his brows, resembling a spring welling up with flowing light. It was Suo Huan, completely unharmed!
"It’s done!"
A look of joy finally crossed Progenitor Tingyou’s face. He then suddenly staggered, but before he could fall, two hands steadied him, one from each side.
It was Suo Huan and Lü Yang.
The next second, two Profound Mysteries appeared in unison.
One was the fundamental Profound Mystery of the [Fruit of Spring Water]—[Shared Drink]. The other, while extremely similar to it, was also subtly different.
But without a doubt, both could absorb injuries!
Bathed in the light of the Profound Mysteries, the deathly pale Progenitor Tingyou quickly recovered. He exhaled slowly as his Qi trace stabilized.
Immediately after, he looked at Lü Yang with anticipation.
"...You succeeded too?"
Lü Yang smiled and gave a slight nod.
And behind him, the Qi trace of his [Past Dust Appearance] had surged dramatically. In addition to [Night-Banishing Candlelight], it had even gained a new Profound Mystery!
Of the two Profound Mysteries that had just aided Progenitor Tingyou, Suo Huan’s was identical to that of the [Fruit of Spring Water]; after all, Progenitor Tingyou had replicated it perfectly. Lü Yang’s, however, was different. It was a Profound Mystery of a Fruit Position that he had recreated through the Dao of Arcane Body after swallowing the [Fruit of Spring Water]!
While they were largely the same, there were some variations.
To Lü Yang’s slight disappointment, however, despite having swallowed a second Fruit Position, he didn’t feel any particular change in his own Position.
’That’s strange.’
’Having swallowed two Fruit Positions, I should theoretically be on par with a Middle Stage of Golden Core cultivator backed by an Early-stage True Monarch. Yet my Position hasn’t increased.’
’At this rate, even if I swallow a third Fruit Position and complete the Three Elements, will I still be unable to become a Great Perfected Lord?’
’Why is that?’
’Could it be because I only obtained the imagery and Profound Mysteries of the Fruit Position, but not its actual Position? Is that why I can’t undergo a qualitative transformation?’
Of course, it wasn’t that there were no changes at all.
Lü Yang looked up, thinking to himself, ’By swallowing two Fruit Positions, I should now be able to occupy three-tenths... no, four-tenths of the Dao of Arcane Body!’
’One Fruit Position is one-fifth?’
In that case, as long as he gathered a total of Five Dao Fruit Positions, the Dao of Arcane Body would be his!
He was confident that when that time came, even without obtaining the Position from the Fruit Positions, he would undoubtedly become a Great Perfected Lord!