Chapter 1726: Body Explosion and the Golden Plate

The impact of the bottleneck at the Body Integration stage required an amount of mystical energy far beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.

Powerful surges of energy continuously churned within the Second Nascent Soul, causing the originally black mist-shrouded Nascent Soul to glow with a five-colored radiance on its surface. Its body swelled several times in size, as if inflated.

The golden droplets within the light pillar seemed to sense this as well. Simultaneously, they gathered and transformed into a golden body, enveloping the Second Nascent Soul within it.

A colossal surge of energy erupted from the Nascent Soul, so immense that even the golden body could not withstand the impact. As the Second Nascent Soul struck against the bottleneck, the golden body shattered and dissolved.

A single attempt was far from enough to break through the bottleneck between the Void Refinement and Body Integration stages.

The Second Nascent Soul had no choice but to accumulate the mystical energy anew after the golden body vanished. Meanwhile, the recently dissipated golden body reformed once more, radiating a violet-gold glow.

After seven or eight such cycles, each impact drained the mystical energy within the Second Nascent Soul completely. Moreover, due to the overwhelming power, the manifested golden body was inevitably destroyed and dissolved each time. Yet, under the control of the Second Nascent Soul’s divine sense, the golden body would frantically reform and begin gathering an even greater amount of mystical energy than before.

The strength of the Body Integration bottleneck far exceeded initial expectations. Despite so many attempts, there was only the slightest loosening—still an immeasurable distance from truly breaking through.

Han Li’s heart sank. At this moment, his main body’s cultivation had also reached the peak of late Void Refinement stage. The cooling energy began forcibly surging through his meridians, filling every corner of his body.

A faint sensation of swelling made him acutely aware of the changes.

Shock and dread intertwined in Han Li’s heart, but the soul-deep agony left him barely able to maintain a sliver of clarity. He was utterly incapable of forming hand seals or activating any treasures.

Despite possessing formidable abilities and legendary treasures, he was completely helpless now. The light pillar spewing from the golden vortex remained shrouded in white mist, showing no signs of weakening.

As Han Li sensed the rapid expansion of mystical energy within his meridians, his face turned deathly pale.

He knew full well that his physical body, though robust, could never compare to the might of a Dharma Form’s golden body. If even the golden body shattered and dissolved instantly upon impacting the bottleneck, his mere mortal flesh would never withstand a single strike from the Body Integration bottleneck’s energy.

The energy within the light pillar was indeed miraculous, but compared to ordinary spiritual power, it was far too tyrannical.

This feeling of helplessness was something he had rarely experienced since embarking on the path of cultivation. Even with a will as firm as stone, he couldn’t help but feel a trace of panic.

A short while later, Han Li’s body seemed coated in a layer of gold dust. Not only did his skin gleam with golden light, but the golden scales emerging on his flesh began to merge, forming a faint golden armor.

Though it was incredibly thin—barely a wisp—from a distance, it vaguely resembled a fragmented golden battle armor.

This was the “Vajra Demon Armor,” a self-formed innate armor that manifested when the Vajra Demon Art was cultivated to an extremely profound level.

At present, this armor could hardly be considered powerful—its defensive capabilities were less than a thousandth of the Heavenly Devil Armor. However, its true advantage lay in its limitless potential. It could grow alongside its master’s cultivation, and since it was refined from one’s own essence, its adaptability and power far surpassed that of other armors.

Of course, the Vajra Demon Armor was not something that could be cultivated at the Void Refinement stage. It was a grand ability of the Vajra Demon Art that only manifested after reaching the Body Integration stage. Now, due to the forced infusion and partial overflow of mystical energy, a small portion of it had been prematurely awakened.

Though it was currently weak, the earlier it appeared, the greater its potential, as it could be refined and enhanced with innate true essence ahead of time.

But what would normally have delighted Han Li barely drew his attention now.

His mind raced desperately, seeking a reliable method to preserve his life before the impending doom.

In his desperation, Han Li actually devised a plan—though it was more of a last resort than a true solution.

The idea was to self-detonate his body just before it exploded from the energy overload, using the force of the explosion to help his Nascent Soul escape.

Though he couldn’t activate any treasures or spells now, igniting his already volatile body and guiding it to explode prematurely was something he could barely manage.

While both scenarios involved bodily destruction, the difference was stark.

Being forcibly exploded by the mystical energy would leave him no control over the blast, likely annihilating even his Nascent Soul.

Self-detonation, however, would allow him to control the explosion’s intensity and range, sacrificing everything else to buy his main Nascent Soul a slim chance of survival.

Of course, this was a desperate measure—one he would only use as a last resort. After all, a Nascent Soul without a body faced a bleak fate.

Fortunately, he still had the spiritual body of the Immortal Mushroom in his storage bracelet. If he were reduced to just his Nascent Soul, he could forcibly possess it.

But even if he executed this plan, whether he could truly survive remained uncertain.

Yet, aside from this, he had no other options.

As for the Second Nascent Soul, he could only leave it to fate. He was barely clinging to life himself and could spare no concern for it.

As these thoughts churned in Han Li’s mind, he couldn’t help but regret his rash actions, which had led both Nascent Souls to the brink of destruction.

Soon, stabbing pains erupted throughout his meridians, as if they were on the verge of tearing apart.

Han Li’s expression shifted several times before he took a deep breath and began mobilizing the last vestiges of his divine sense.

Instantly, the purified spiritual power and mystical energy filled to the brim in his meridians surged and roiled within him.

The golden light on his seated body flickered wildly, and the newly formed Vajra Demon Armor twisted slightly, even developing faint white cracks.

Han Li gave a bitter smile, glanced at the Second Nascent Soul within the distant light pillar, and steeled himself to fully ignite all the energy in his body.

This act would be like tossing a spark into an oil vat—instantly detonating his entire form.

But at this critical moment, an unexpected change occurred.

One of Han Li’s arms suddenly became scalding hot, as if engulfed in raging flames.

Startled, his divine sense faltered, and his gaze snapped to the arm—only to freeze in shock.

The latter half of the arm was emitting a piercing yellow light, within which a faint yellow mark flickered intermittently.

“Ah, it’s this treasure!” Han Li’s heart stirred as he recognized it.

This mark was the self-sealed Profound Heavenly Fruit. Before he could ponder further, the mark within the yellow light twisted and flickered. The mystical energy and purified spiritual power in his body seemed to find an outlet, surging wildly from his meridians into the mark on his arm.

The mark acted like a bottomless pit, devouring the astonishing energy and spiritual power without showing any visible change beyond a faint glow.

Within moments, nearly half of the mystical energy in Han Li’s body had been absorbed, effortlessly resolving the life-threatening crisis.

Han Li was both shocked and overjoyed. Then, something even more astonishing happened.

The yellow mark flashed, and a yellow wooden stick materialized on his arm—the true form of the Profound Heavenly Fruit.

The moment it appeared, the fruit seemed exhilarated. With just a few flashes, it drained Han Li’s spiritual power and mystical energy like a whale swallowing water.

The Profound Heavenly Fruit then emitted an awe-inspiring aura and gave a few slight tremors toward the golden vortex high above. With a soft “pfft,” a foot-long, misty green blade shot out from one end.

The blade was exceptionally bright and smooth as a mirror, but at its center was inscribed a row of emerald-green runes, their cold light shimmering—it was the manifestation of the Profound Heavenly Sword!

Without any input from Han Li, the sword sensed the greatest threat in the area. Its tip pointed slightly toward the golden vortex in the void, and a clear cry pierced the heavens.

As spiritual light flickered, dense, dark-green runes surfaced on the blade, which then trembled slightly.

Instantly, the surrounding world’s spiritual energy churned, and countless strands of five-colored radiance materialized, surging toward the Profound Heavenly Sword.

In the blink of an eye, the sword’s glow intensified, and its cry rose sharply before it slashed toward the golden vortex above.

A streak of emerald sword light appeared, dazzling like a bolt of heavenly lightning. It vanished in a flash, reappearing near the golden vortex and slashing diagonally.

With a thunderous “boom,” the milky-white light pillar was severed cleanly by the green flash. A force akin to the power to annihilate worlds erupted from the sword light, engulfing the vortex.

The golden vortex emitted a deafening hum before transforming into a golden disk spanning an acre in size.

The surface of this colossal disk was engraved with a star map identical to the one on the high platform, surrounded by densely packed five-colored runes.

One after another, milky-white light pillars erupted from the disk, desperately resisting the law force within the sword light below.

Though this treasure was a rare spatial artifact from the immortal realm—its value and rarity even surpassing ordinary Profound Heavenly Treasures—its purpose was not combat. How could it withstand a direct attack imbued with the laws of an entire realm?

Within moments, the milky-white light pillars were completely devoured and dispersed by the law force.

The surrounding space twisted, and the green sword light struck the golden disk squarely.