Volume 1, Chapter 385 – Spiritual Awakening

Illusory Star Domain, Yunyan Star.

In the southern part of Yunyan Star, the Hundred Thousand Spirit Mountains were now known as the Tianyan Mountain Range.

On the main peak at the center of the range, a grand sacrificial ceremony was underway.

This was the first sacrificial ceremony since the founding of the Tianyan Sect, and it was being held with extraordinary pomp. Representatives from the four great royal clans of Yunyan Star, along with the various families under them, had all come to observe.

To one side of the main peak stood a statue several thousand zhang tall, carved with painstaking detail from an entire spirit peak as its base. It was lifelike in every respect, with half-lidded eyes and even the finest strands of hair rendered in full.

Directly before the statue was a vast plaza.

On a massive altar ninety-nine zhang high, offerings and sacrificial flesh had been piled into mountains.

Li Canglan stood in the middle of the plaza. He wore an azure brocade robe with a cloud-patterned hem and gold trim, which made his already handsome features appear even more striking and distinguished.

In the short time since the sect had been founded, the Tianyan Sect had already grown to over a hundred thousand disciples. After layers of selection, the number of inner-sect disciples had also reached six thousand, and the basic framework of its core personnel had already been established.

It could be said that the Tianyan Sect had now fully stepped onto the right track.

During this period, Li Canglan’s growth had been astonishingly rapid. Commanding a powerful force that dominated an entire region was an immense trial and tempering for him.

Aside from ancestors, ghosts, and gods, only immortals and Buddhas could receive the honors of sacrifice.

This ceremony had been planned entirely by Li Canglan. He intended to elevate Shi Lan completely from the position of sect master onto a divine pedestal.

Only by fully widening the distance between Shi Lan and the ordinary disciples could he preserve the reputation she now possessed, a reputation that had already been elevated to near divine and demonic heights.

“Begin!”

At his shouted command, spirit flames burst into life across the altar piled high with offerings and sacrificial flesh.

Reаԁ οn КаtRеαdіոɡСαfе

Before the altar stood a giant bronze cauldron. Inside it, three pillar-thick incense sticks, each as wide around as a person’s embrace, burned slowly, releasing dense streams of blue smoke.

Led by Li Canglan, a hundred thousand disciples all bent down together and kowtowed in worship, the force of it like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

The blue smoke rose all the way to the heavens and wrapped around the entire statue. Under the veil of smoke, the originally dark gray figure seemed to glow with a jade-colored radiance, sacred beyond compare.

A few exclamations sounded among the members of the great families who had come to observe, clearly surprised.

The four great royal clans and a handful of other powerful families reacted with little interest. In particular, several King Realm experts all showed a trace of disdain deep in their eyes.

In their view, this was nothing more than empty spectacle, a few eye-catching tricks meant to impress the gullible.

As the ceremony continued, the light smoke slowly dispersed. The original dark gray color of the statue almost completely faded away, replaced by a pristine white glow, as if it were a sacred maiden carved from jade crystal, holy beyond all comparison.

When Li Canglan raised his head, there was not the slightest surprise on his face. Shi Lan had once told him that when incense offerings were sufficient, the statue might undergo some wondrous transformation. This was already within his expectations.

“How can this be?!”

“The stone statue has become animate!”

Cries of astonishment rose from the crowd of onlookers all around. Anyone with even a little discernment could see that the statue before them was now utterly different from what it had been just moments ago.

Even those King Realm experts flashed with shock and uncertainty. Right under their noses, the statue had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation they could not comprehend.

Under the watch of countless eyes, the half-lidded gaze of the jade statue suddenly opened a little wider, revealing a pair of crystal-clear amber-like eyes.

Hiss…

The sound of countless people drawing in sharp breaths rang out all at once. Quite a few Tianyan Sect disciples who had only just risen found their legs going weak and dropped to their knees again, their faces full of shock.

Even though he had been prepared, a trace of astonishment still appeared in Li Canglan’s eyes.

Reаd oո KatReaԁiոɡСаfе

Many of the guests who had come to observe also knelt to the ground, and some even began kowtowing over and over.

The statue was an inanimate object, yet before everyone’s eyes, it had opened its eyes…

The gathered experts all shot to their feet, their expressions filled with horror.

No one understood more clearly than they did that a real fluctuation of the spirit soul had appeared within that statue.

Shi Lan quietly looked down over the sea of people below, her thoughts somewhat hazy.

While her spirit soul had been returning to her fleshly body, she had inexplicably felt a summons. Following that sensation, she came here, and when she opened her eyes again, this was what she saw.

This statue had borne the power of incense offerings and faith, and had already gained a trace of sentience.

Although she still could not use this statue to unleash divine abilities from afar, as long as the incense offerings did not cease, that day would not be too distant.

Looking at the Tianyan Sect disciples below in their uniform blue robes, Shi Lan felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.

Her road was not one she walked alone. There would be those who came after her and followed in her footsteps.

“You have done very well.”

The sudden voice transmission by his ear made Li Canglan stiffen abruptly. Looking at the jade statue before him, a smile could not help but rise to his lips.

…

The ease of returning to her own body made Shi Lan let out a long breath.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Tian Bai sitting cross-legged not far away.

Leaning against the door of the secret chamber, Tian Bai was in silent cultivation. Ever since obtaining the fragment of the Heaven Demon Scripture, she had been extremely diligent and had not wasted even a moment.

Reаd οո ΚαtRеаԁіոɡСαfе

Shi Lan slowly rose to her feet. Her whole body felt loose and comfortable, with none of the stiffness that should have come from sitting for so long.

The Yuqing Creation Art had continued cultivating on its own the entire time, and together with the spiritual qi absorption of her Innate Spiritual Body, her cultivation had steadily reached the peak of the middle stage of the Myriad Phenomena Realm.

Breaking through into the late stage of the Myriad Phenomena Realm was now only a matter of time. Once she stepped into that level, she could begin preparing to condense her Nascent Soul.

Compared to the immortal path, the martial Nascent Soul was very different. It was also known as the Golden Body, and was several times stronger than the fleshly body itself. This was the final great barrier before stepping into the Heaven-Man Realm.

Whether the foundation of the Nascent Soul was strong or not would, to a great extent, determine one’s combat power after entering the Heaven-Man Realm. A fragile Nascent Soul could not bear too vast a power of the world.

The instant Shi Lan’s feet touched the ground, Tian Bai opened her eyes and woke from cultivation, immediately getting up and hurrying over.

“Your Excellency!”

She was far shorter than Shi Lan. Standing in front of her, she could wrap her arms perfectly around Shi Lan’s waist.

“How long was I in seclusion?”

Shi Lan could not help reaching out to rub Tian Bai’s head.

“Twenty-six days and five shichen.”

Tian Bai rubbed against Shi Lan’s palm as she answered.

Shi Lan nodded slightly. The time had not been long, at least much shorter than she had expected.

She pushed open the door of the secret chamber and stepped outside. Tian Bai very consciously returned to her original form, leaped into Shi Lan’s arms, found a comfortable position, and lay down obediently.

Two maidservants were standing outside the chamber door. Seeing Shi Lan emerge from seclusion, one of them stepped forward and bowed.

“Would my lady like to bathe? There is a top-grade spirit spring in the residence.”

Reаԁ оn KаtReαdіnɡCαfе

Shi Lan paused for a moment. After a little thought, she nodded. No dust had touched her body for a long time now, so for her, bathing was more a means of relaxation than cleansing.

“Please come with me.”

Passing through the rear courtyard along a winding path, Shi Lan arrived at an inner residence. The place was heavily guarded on all sides, filled with female attendants and guards, all of whom possessed martial cultivation.

“Would you like us to attend to you?”

The maid asked. When Shi Lan shook her head, she pushed open the door for her and lifted the curtain.

“If you need anything, please call for us at any time. Please.”

Mist drifted through the courtyard, rich with spiritual qi, and from somewhere not far away came the faint sound of water.

Sensing a familiar aura, Shi Lan walked forward slowly. A huge spring pool, three zhang across, came into view. Wu Lingkong was lying by the edge, looking up at her with a smile on her face.

“Did your seclusion go smoothly?”

“More or less.”

For Shi Lan, it had been over twenty years since she had last seen Wu Lingkong, so she could not help feeling a little warmth.

“Don’t just stand there looking. Come down.”

Wu Lingkong beckoned to her.

Shi Lan’s gaze swept over Wu Lingkong’s smooth jade-like back, and she slowly untied the sash at her waist.

It was not as if this were the first time anyway…