Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Evidently, that spiritual light came from some treasure that temporarily enhanced the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power.

Xiao Chen’s aged voice soon rang out.

"Many thanks for the Upper Sect’s gift. I am eternally grateful!"

"Do not overthink. Calm your mind and focus on Nascent Soul Formation."

"Yes!"

With that, Xiao Chen’s voice faded, falling entirely silent.

Zi Xi glanced at the crowd below, her gaze lingering on Li Chang’an for a moment. Such a grand event as Nascent Soul Formation reminded her of Zi Xia True Monarch’s evaluation of Li Chang’an, causing her to sigh inwardly. She thought, "Perhaps Li Chang’an will never have the chance to reach this step in his entire life."

Down below, Li Chang’an noticed her gaze and turned to cup his hands in a polite salute.

The Purple Mist Sect had been unexpectedly generous this time. It was clear that the few Nascent Soul powerhouses of the Purple Mist Sect all hoped for Xiao Chen’s successful Nascent Soul Formation, which would add another Nascent Soul powerhouse to the Righteous Influence.

"It all depends on Xiao Chen’s own preparations now," Li Chang’an murmured. He stood quietly in place, withdrawing his aura to avoid interfering with Xiao Chen’s Nascent Soul Formation.

The others did the same. Everyone was waiting.

That night, a strong wind suddenly picked up.

WHOOSH!

Winds rose and clouds surged between heaven and earth. Endless Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power surged madly, forming a massive spiritual power vortex above the Xiao family’s Dan Valley. In the blink of an eye, the vortex surpassed the ten-mile radius typical of Core Formation and continued expanding frantically, reaching hundreds of miles in an instant. It only slowly ground to a halt when it spanned a thousand miles.

"A thousand-mile Celestial Phenomenon!"

"The path of Shattered Pill Formation has begun!"

Everyone looked up at the sky with solemn expressions.

If successful, Xiao Chen would become a Nascent Soul True Monarch, leaping to the very pinnacle of the Cultivation Immortality Realm. He would look down upon the masses and enjoy a full thousand years of lifespan!

Li Chang’an pondered silently, "As I expected, Xiao Chen’s foundation is incredibly deep. The Celestial Phenomenon of his Nascent Soul Formation far surpasses those from the Fire Cloud Secret Realm. The quality of his Core Formation back then must have been very close to the Immortal Golden Core. It was likely a top-tier Half-step Immortal Golden Core."

In his eyes, apart from his advanced age, Xiao Chen possessed almost every prerequisite needed to attempt Nascent Soul Formation.

Time flew by. Amidst everyone’s silent waiting, a month passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power remained steady, showing no signs of waning.

One day, around noon.

The oppressive might of a Nascent Soul Powerhouse abruptly erupted from deep within the Xiao Clan Territory.

"The step of shattering the pill to form an infant has succeeded!"

Everyone sensed it, their expressions varying, though mostly filled with shock or envy. Many Xiao family disciples revealed looks of excitement.

The current Xiao Chen could already be considered a Quasi-Nascent Soul Powerhouse. As long as he survived crossing the tribulation—both the Celestial Tribulation and the Heart Demon Tribulation—he would become a true Nascent Soul True Monarch!

Right at that moment, a muffled rumble echoed between heaven and earth.

RUMBLE!

Beneath the firmament, tribulation clouds churned and lightning snakes slithered. The entire world seemed to grow dimmer under the shadow of those gloomy tribulation clouds.

"The Celestial Thunder Tribulation is here."

Gazing at the terrifying thunderclouds, everyone present felt an immense pressure.

An instant later, a shocking bolt of lightning descended from the sky, like a long spear hurled by an ancient god. It instantly pierced the dim world and smashed heavily into the depths of Dan Valley. With a massive BOOM, the terrifying tribulation lightning seemed intent on destroying everything, causing the entire earth to tremble.

"Is Xiao Chen still alive?"

The faces of the many Golden Core cultivators present turned slightly pale. If it were them, they absolutely would not have been able to withstand that strike!

As they were thinking this, a solid green-grey bead suddenly rose from deep within the Xiao Clan Territory.

RUMBLE!

Another bolt of lightning descended from the heavens. This time, the thunder tribulation failed to strike true; instead, it was blocked by the bead.

"A Thunder Protection Treasure!" Li Chang’an’s gaze focused, staring intently at the bead. He was in dire need of such a treasure right now.

After blocking the thunder tribulation, the bead was not destroyed; it merely gained a crack. The next few bolts of lightning were all blocked by the bead, never once landing on Xiao Chen, though the cracks on the bead grew increasingly numerous.

Ultimately, the bead was shattered by the sixth thunder tribulation.

The Nascent Soul thunder tribulation consisted of nine bolts in total. The final three bolts would have to be endured by Xiao Chen himself.

The seventh and eighth lightning bolts struck down quickly. The ninth bolt, however, brewed for a moment longer. It was far more powerful than the previous eight, descending from the sky with terrifying force.

BOOM!

The world was instantly painted a blinding white as everything was illuminated by the lightning. An earth-shattering boom exploded in everyone’s ears. The entire Xiao Clan Territory was split open, revealing a startling fissure.

At almost the exact same time, the many Golden Core cultivators simultaneously sensed an ancient, desolate aura seeping out from the fissure.

"Huh?"

"There’s actually an ancient predecessor’s cave dwelling hidden beneath the Xiao Clan Territory!"

"The Xiao family has operated here for a thousand years. Why didn’t they discover this cave dwelling? Could it have been left behind by a Nascent Soul True Monarch?"

"..."

Deep within the fissure laid the unmistakable entrance to a cave dwelling. The crowd was eager to explore it, but right now was the critical moment of Xiao Chen crossing the tribulation, so they remained in place to avoid causing him any interference.

"The Celestial Thunder Tribulation has passed. Only the Heart Demon Tribulation remains."

"Will Xiao Chen be able to survive the Heart Demon Tribulation?"

The numerous Golden Core cultivators temporarily set aside the matter of the cave dwelling, casting their gazes toward the depths of the Xiao Clan Territory. Only Li Chang’an was still looking at the entrance of the cave dwelling. He was very familiar with the aura dissipating from it.

"Senior Master Dancheng!"

Could this cave dwelling have been left behind by Master Dancheng in some bygone era? At this thought, Li Chang’an found it hard to calm his heart. Master Dancheng had lived for countless tens of thousands of years and had perhaps already touched the threshold of immortality. Anything related to him was incredibly precious.

He thought, "I should hold back for now. Anyway, the Divination indicates that I am the one who obtains the serendipity. Let’s first see if Xiao Chen can survive the Heart Demon Tribulation."

The Heart Demon Tribulation was exceptionally bizarre. Many Celestial Prides and peerless geniuses had fallen at this hurdle. Everyone’s experience in this tribulation was different. Centuries or millennia might pass within the tribulation, while only a brief moment elapsed in the real world. It would end very quickly.

A moment later, a hoarse roar suddenly echoed from deep within the Xiao Clan Territory.

"No! I have schemed for years—how could I fail to cross the thunder tribulation?!"

The voice was incredibly aged; it was precisely Xiao Chen’s voice.

Hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

"Xiao Chen has clearly already passed the thunder tribulation. Why did he say he failed it?"

"It’s the Heart Demon Illusion Realm. He’s already sunk into the illusion."

Li Chang’an saw the root of the problem. Xiao Chen had excellent talent. He had cultivated to the Golden Core Peak in his two hundreds and could have crossed the tribulation to achieve Nascent Soul Formation back then. But because he feared failure, he forcefully held out for over two hundred more years. Only when he was past four hundred years old and had prepared everything did he finally attempt Nascent Soul Formation.

"He fears failure. This is his heart demon," Li Chang’an thought thoughtfully. "What will my heart demon be?"