Chapter 117: The Immortal Spirit Body

Time flew by.

Li Changsheng had been sitting cross-legged in the Immortal Condensation Pool for thirty years. By now, he was enveloped in immortal energy, his figure barely discernible.

Lin Yan, on the other hand, couldn't directly cultivate in the pool due to his low cultivation level. He could only practice by the pool's edge.

He knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and seized every moment to cultivate diligently. Over the past thirty years, he had successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage. The cultivation technique he practiced, the Great Five Elements Sword Art, was passed down to him by Li Changsheng before he began his seclusion. This technique was sufficient for him to cultivate all the way to the Great Ascension stage.

Every breath Li Changsheng took consumed an astonishing amount of pool water, but the pool was so vast that even after thirty years of cultivation, the water level showed no visible decrease.

Lin Yan opened his eyes, feeling the surge of true essence within him, and a look of joy crossed his face. He instinctively glanced towards the blurred figure at the center of the pool.

"Boom!"

At that moment, an overwhelming pressure erupted from Li Changsheng, causing ripples to spread across the pool's surface. Lin Yan, standing by the pool's edge, nearly fell to his knees.

Li Changsheng's aura also transformed, becoming transcendent, as if he were an immortal descending from the heavens.

"Thirty years… I've finally condensed the preliminary form of the Immortal Spirit Body."

Li Changsheng opened his eyes and murmured softly.

"It seems the simulations were correct. To fully condense the Immortal Spirit Body, it would take at least a hundred years."

Soon, Li Changsheng closed his eyes again and resumed his cultivation.

A hundred years later.

Lin Yan, now bored, practiced the divine abilities of the Great Five Elements Sword Art by the edge of the Immortal Condensation Pool.

By now, his cultivation had reached the late Integration stage, and the blood in his body had entirely turned a pale blue.

Over the years, he had increasingly realized the terrifying potential of his transformed bloodline. Throughout his cultivation journey, he had encountered no bottlenecks. Breaking through to a new major realm only required a year or two of steady effort.

Moreover, as his cultivation level increased, his physical body grew stronger. Although he had been cultivating continuously without any combat experience, he felt that his physical strength alone could overpower Soul Formation cultivators.

However, he still didn't understand the origins of his mutated bloodline. His ancestors had never produced any particularly powerful figures.

"Boom!"

At that moment.

The immortal energy in the entire Immortal Condensation Pool surged violently towards the center.

Massive streams of immortal energy, dozens of feet thick, poured into Li Changsheng's body. Li Changsheng sat cross-legged on the pool's surface, enveloped in the streams of immortal energy, like an immortal bathed in divine light.

"Is the Manager about to emerge from seclusion?"

Lin Yan's eyes were filled with astonishment. Over the past hundred years, there had been occasional disturbances every decade or two, but nothing as intense as this.

In the Immortal Condensation Pool.

Li Changsheng's body now resembled the finest jade, translucent and otherworldly.

Golden blood vessels were clearly visible within his body.

Boom!

This was the sound of his blood surging through his veins, like a heavenly river, shaking the void.

Pure energy flooded into Li Changsheng's body. His meridians visibly expanded, and the few remaining impurities in his already pristine body were expelled.

Seven days and seven nights later.

Li Changsheng finally opened his eyes.

"So that's how it is."

"I always wondered why the benefits of the Immortal Condensation Pool in my simulations were limited. It turns out the greatest benefit was the transformation of my physique."

Feeling the fifty percent increase in his strength, Li Changsheng smiled.

His Divine Demon Nine Transformations hadn't broken through. This enhancement was solely due to condensing the Immortal Spirit Body. Before this, he could easily slay a Human Immortal after completing the Divine Demon Nine Transformations. Now, he could kill a Human Immortal with a single finger.

"And the benefits of condensing the Immortal Spirit Body don't end there."

As he carefully felt the changes within his body, Li Changsheng murmured, "Not only has my cultivation speed increased, but much of the energy absorbed over the years has been hidden within this body. Cultivating the Divine Demon Nine Transformations will now be twice as effective."

"It seems I won't need as many spirit stones to reach the ninth transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations."

However, with only enough spirit stones for a dozen or so simulations, there was no rush.

Now that a hundred years had passed, he could go out and collect the spirit stones earned by the Hundred Herbs Pavilion over the years before resuming his simulations.

After consolidating his cultivation in the Immortal Condensation Pool, Li Changsheng took Lin Yan on a tour of the blessed land. Over the past century, he had been focused on condensing his immortal body, while Lin Yan, knowing he couldn't defeat the exotic beasts outside the pool, had stayed within its confines.

Li Changsheng searched the entire blessed land but found no clues about its origins. He only managed to refine the control stone tablet at the entrance, ensuring he could enter and exit freely in the future.

"Let's go."

"It's been a hundred years. I wonder how the outside world has changed."

Li Changsheng and Lin Yan rode a Roc with half-step Human Immortal cultivation. This beast had the bloodline of the Golden-Winged Roc, albeit diluted. After cultivating in the blessed land for so long, it could easily fight an ordinary Human Immortal with its powerful physique.

Li Changsheng had expended considerable effort to tame the Roc within the blessed land.

Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

A hundred years later, Song Xiu's cultivation had reached the early Great Ascension stage. With his innate talent and ample resources provided by his powerful father, it was only natural for him to progress further in this time.

In an ancient cave dwelling, Song Xiu sat across from his father, Song Tuizhi, his face grim.

"The manager of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion in Ten Thousand Beasts City is my friend. Can't you make an exception?" Song Xiu asked in a low voice.

Since being dragged back by his father from the Heavenly Paradise a century ago, he had been in seclusion. Upon emerging, he was shocked to hear that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was planning to move against the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

Song Tuizhi shook his head slightly. "I know you have a good relationship with Li Changsheng of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion."

"But the Emperor's lifespan is nearing its end, and the Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne."

"Moreover, the Crown Prince has made it clear that he intends to target the Hundred Herbs Pavilion. All major factions are choosing sides now. If our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect doesn't take a stand, we'll be finished."

Song Xiu's face showed helplessness. He and Li Changsheng shared common interests, but as a mere Great Ascension elder, even his father's influence might not suffice in a life-or-death situation for the sect.

Similar scenes unfolded across major cities.

At the slightest hint from the Crown Prince's residence, discussions began among the major factions.

Even the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, which had a Human Immortal powerhouse, was considering which side to take, let alone smaller factions. They feared being targeted by the Crown Prince's residence if they joined the fray too late.

Pearl City.

Headquarters of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

The Hundred Herbs Pavilion's headquarters now spanned hundreds of miles, located near the eastern suburbs of Pearl City. Though usually bustling, today it was eerily quiet.

Inside the headquarters.

Dozens of high-ranking members of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion gathered to seek an audience with Mr. Mo, the Human Immortal powerhouse of the headquarters.

With the Crown Prince's residence openly targeting them, the Hundred Herbs Pavilion was in a life-or-death crisis.

They wanted to know Mr. Mo's stance.

Over the years, the Hundred Herbs Pavilion had slowed its expansion but had established roots in seven provinces of the South Li Empire, earning over twenty billion spirit stones annually. If anyone dared strike first, many would be ready to take a piece of the pie.