The three skulls were even more overwhelmed.
The black mist they spewed out slowed upon contact with the five-colored flames before being completely swept away by the roiling blaze.
As the five-colored flames gradually closed in, the three skulls, despite continuing to spew black mist, finally showed signs of fear, emitting eerie wails.
Seeing this, the Five Ghosts of Shared Heart let out sinister, chilling laughter before abruptly halting their icy flames. Their forms suddenly transformed into five streams of grayish-white mist, plunging into the sea of fire.
The next moment, as the five-colored flames reached the top of the bone banner, mere inches from the three skulls, the five streams of grayish-white mist shot out from the fire, instantly reforming into five terrifying ghost heads the size of wagon wheels.
They seemed unusually excited, gnashing their fangs before pouncing down without using any supernatural abilities.
A loud *CRACK* echoed!
The five ghost heads viciously opened their maws and bit down on the three white-bone skulls.
Naturally, the three skulls refused to be devoured without a fight and retaliated by biting back at the five ghosts.
In an instant, the air was filled with shrieks and roars as the five ghost heads and three skulls tore into each other.
Having expended too much black mist earlier, the three skulls seemed weakened, and with three against five, they were at an even greater disadvantage.
In the blink of an eye, two of the skulls were seized by four of the ghost heads, which began voraciously gnawing on them. The remaining skull, under the pressure of the fifth ghost head, could only barely defend itself.
Watching this, Han Li smiled faintly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
At the same time, a faint sigh emanated from the small cauldron in his hand.
“What is it, Fellow Daoist Tianlan? Do you have any comments about my five-colored icy flames?” Han Li asked, his gaze shifting slightly.
“Comments? Not exactly. But your five-colored icy flames remind me of several five-element techniques from the Spirit Realm. When those techniques are unleashed, they also manifest in five colors, quite similar to your icy flames. However, your flames are of extreme cold. If an opponent mistakes them for five-element techniques, they might suffer a nasty surprise.”
A flash of cyan light later, a fair-skinned child in a blue robe appeared atop the cauldron, his plump bare feet resting on the lid. He gazed into the distance at the five ghosts while speaking leisurely.
“Five-element techniques?” Han Li was momentarily taken aback.
“Indeed. Since arriving in your human realm, I’ve noticed that most cultivation techniques here focus on a single attribute, rarely combining multiple elements. Heh, if this continues, even if someone manages to ascend to the Spirit Realm, they’d have little hope of reaching the Void Refinement stage,” the child said with a mocking smile.
“What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Tianlan?” Han Li’s heart tightened as he pressed for an explanation.
“Nothing much. Discussing Void Refinement with you now is premature. But I can give you a hint—the key to advancing to Void Refinement lies in the fusion of the five elements. If you ever reach the Deity Transformation stage, you should immediately switch to a multi-attribute cultivation technique. If that’s not possible, supplementing with a special attribute like wind or thunder would suffice. This would slightly increase your chances of breaking through to Void Refinement. Of course, multi-attribute techniques are far more difficult to master, and progress is much slower compared to single-attribute ones. If you have no aspirations for Void Refinement, sticking to a single-attribute technique is better—it speeds up cultivation and makes it easier to survive the minor tribulations that come every three hundred years.” The child spoke casually, as if discussing trivial matters.
Han Li was stunned, only managing to ask after a long pause:
“Fusion of the five elements? That complicates things. My Azure Essence Sword Art is purely wood-attribute. Cultivating wind or thunder techniques makes sense, as they’re derived from elemental fusion. But doesn’t one need the corresponding spiritual root to cultivate a certain attribute? Are heavenly spiritual roots considered mediocre in the Spirit Realm? And what exactly are these ‘minor tribulations’? Do humans in the Spirit Realm also face heavenly tribulations like you demonic cultivators?”
“Heh, I didn’t expect my casual remark to raise so many questions. Very well, I’ll explain a few things.” The child smirked at Han Li.
“Heavenly spiritual roots are rare even in the Spirit Realm and are by no means mediocre. They’re highly sought after by sects and factions. After all, the issue of five-element fusion only arises at the Void Refinement stage. Before that, heavenly spiritual root cultivators are far stronger than ordinary ones. In the Spirit Realm, Void Refinement cultivators are either sect masters or regional overlords. By the time heavenly spiritual root cultivators reach the Void Refinement bottleneck, most switch to or supplement with multi-attribute techniques. As for spiritual roots, there’s a solution—a secret art was developed long ago in the Spirit Realm that uses specially refined demon beast cores to substitute for missing spiritual roots. These are called ‘Pill Spiritual Roots.’ Though inferior to natural spiritual roots, they allow cultivation of other attributes. Of course, Pill Spiritual Roots only work for cultivators who already possess other spiritual roots—mortals can’t refine them. There was also another method called ‘Artifact Spiritual Roots,’ where treasures were used to mimic spiritual roots. However, refining artifacts into spiritual roots was time-consuming and dangerous, so it’s rarely used now. As for those born with three or four spiritual roots—or even all five—naturally breaking through to Void Refinement, such individuals exist in the Spirit Realm, but they’re exceptionally rare and tenacious, far beyond ordinary cultivators. As for the ‘minor tribulations,’ every cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage in the Spirit Realm must face them.”
The child paused before continuing:
“Lower-realm Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators undergo tribulations every three hundred years—hence ‘minor tribulations.’ Middle-realm Void Refinement, Body Integration, and Great Ascension cultivators face tribulations every three thousand years—’major tribulations.’ The final tribulation, when ascending to the True Immortal Realm, is naturally the ‘Immortal Tribulation.’ Of course, even the same type of tribulation varies between stages and individuals. Generally, each subsequent tribulation is far more severe than the last, even if one’s cultivation stagnates. So while the Spirit Realm’s abundant spiritual energy accelerates cultivation, once you form a Nascent Soul, it’s like sailing against the current—advance or perish. Countless renowned cultivators perish in these tribulations every year. Don’t think reaching Void Refinement guarantees safety either. While Void Refinement cultivators theoretically have infinite lifespans with sufficient spiritual energy, I’ve never heard of one achieving true immortality. Without ascending to the immortal realm, death by major tribulations is inevitable.” The child’s expression darkened, his eyes filled with deep dread.
Han Li’s expression turned solemn.
Though brief, the child’s words made it clear that the Spirit Realm was no paradise. However, upon hearing that Void Refinement cultivators had unlimited lifespans, Han Li couldn’t help but feel elated.
Though he’d occasionally read about this in ancient texts, hearing it confirmed reassured him.
From the child’s tone, this immortality was only possible in the Spirit Realm. Even if one reached Void Refinement in the human realm, the lack of sufficient spiritual energy would still limit lifespan. Deity Transformation cultivators could already tap into ambient spiritual energy—in the Spirit Realm, their lifespans would surely exceed a mere two thousand years. No wonder those old Deity Transformation monsters were so desperate to ascend.
As for the tribulations, Han Li remained cautious but didn’t dwell on them—they were too distant to worry about now.
After casually inquiring more about Pill and Artifact Spiritual Roots, Han Li nodded and fell silent, his eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts.
A moment later, Han Li toyed with the emerald-green vial in his hand before flicking the lid with a finger.
A flash of cyan light later, the vial flipped over, its lid popping open.
Yet nothing emerged.
Han Li frowned, about to act, when a streak of green light shot out, attempting to flee.
Though caught off guard, Han Li wouldn’t let it escape. With a cold snort, he clawed at the air.
A giant cyan hand materialized above the green light, snatching it effortlessly.
The green light, already feeble, struggled weakly before being captured.
Within the glow was the indistinct figure of a female Nascent Soul!
Han Li stroked his chin, surprised.
“Who are you, Fellow Daoist? Why were you sealed in this vial by Six Paths?” Han Li asked slowly, eyeing the Nascent Soul.
“And who are you? Where is Six Paths, that old demon?” the Nascent Soul retorted sharply, despite being trapped.
“Six Paths? I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed—I’ve already sent him on his way,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, seeing no need for deception with a mere Nascent Soul.
“What? You killed him? Impossible! Wait, you’re—” The Nascent Soul trembled, disbelief in her voice.
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