Yellow Court Daoist
Chapter 515 - 487: More Than a True Immortal?!

"Guang Yuan."

As the decade came to a close, with a thought, Lu Qingfeng entered the Dragon Transformation Pond, and Earth Immortals across the lands felt a stirring in their hearts, revealing themselves one after another—

The Three Great Dragon Ancestors.

The Beiyin Great Saint.

The Beiyang Great Saint.

The Combat Heavenly King.

The Combat Great Saint.

...

Publicly, there were thirteen strong Earth Immortals in Ancient Shang Region, but aside from the Tongxuan Great Saint of True Martial Tongxuan Mountain who never showed himself, the remaining twelve all converged above the Blood Sea.

Witnessing the fluctuations of Lu Qingfeng's life force, they all opened their eyes, with twelve gazes falling upon the Dragon Transformation Pond, resting upon Lu Qingfeng.

Amidst their collective gaze,

Ao Le emerged from the Spiritual Treasure Dragon Transformation Pond, gracefully alighting in front of Lu Qingfeng. Standing together, the handsome man and the beautiful woman truly appeared to be a divine couple.

Alas—

"Primordial Spirit Peak."

"Guang Yuan, alone against the Earth Immortals, fusing with the Spiritual Treasure, all for the sake of aiding his wife in achieving True Immortality. But, can human effort really defy the will of Heaven?"

The surrounding Earth Immortals couldn't help but sigh.

Setting aside interests and speaking purely of sentiment,

It's impossible even for the Golden Light Ancestor Master and the One Yuan Ancestor not to admire Lu Qingfeng for willingly defying the world for the sake of his wife.

But despite all efforts and countless dangers, it all seemed in vain in the end.

Even the assembly of Earth Immortals couldn't help feeling a sense of melancholy. Previously thinking ill of Lu Qingfeng, now they found him somewhat pathetic, forlorn.

Except for the Combat Heavenly King—who went through great effort to eradicate the Karmic Fire, nearly losing his own foundation in the process, almost demoted from the Earth Immortal status—now looked at Lu Qingfeng with an imposing demeanor, a killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Lu Qingfeng glanced at the Combat Heavenly King and disregarded him, instead genuflecting towards the Earth Immortals and declared in a clear voice, "Thank you all for your concession. Here lies the Dragon Transformation Pond. With your vast Divine Skills, let's refrain from fighting in the East Xian State to avoid harming the innocent."

With that,

A blood wave surged within the Blood Sea, and the Spiritual Treasure Dragon Transformation Pond shot up into the sky, vanishing from the void without a trace.

Indeed, to treat a Spiritual Treasure coveted by the Earth Immortals as something dismissible, casting it aside indifferently.

"Well done, Guang Yuan!"

Bai Changqing, Situ Zhan, and others couldn't help but admire him even more.

If placed in the same situation, with the Spiritual Treasure in hand and barely capable of claiming it, they would have never been able to be so free and easy. The indifference towards the Spiritual Treasure further highlighted the priority Lu Qingfeng placed on his wife, showing the precious nature of their marital bond.

But now was not the time for admiration.

The twelve Earth Immortals glanced at Lu Qingfeng, reaching an unspoken consensus—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Boom, boom, boom!

Transforming into tunneling lights and storms, they rushed towards the outer void.

The battle for the Spiritual Treasure erupted.

"Let's go."

Lu Qingfeng didn't even look at the grand battle among the Earth Immortals in the void, unconcerned about the ownership of the Spiritual Treasure. Holding Ao Le's hand, he smiled at her and asked, "Where would you like to visit?"

Ao Le clung closely to Lu Qingfeng, blinked, and suggested, "I've heard that in the far north of the East Xian State, there's a Four Seasons Flower Sea where one can witness the changes of the seasons within a single day. Why don't we start there?"

The Four Seasons Flower Sea might be mystical to mortals, but for cultivators of the level like Ao Le and Lu Qingfeng, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Ao Le's choice of this location was merely whimsical.

In fact.

As long as she was with Lu Qingfeng, anywhere they went was perfect, every scene a beautiful moment.

"Okay."

"Then let's go to the Four Seasons Flower Sea."

Lu Qingfeng nodded, and side by side with Ao Le, they headed north.

...

Time passed. Note: Check NovelFire for any corrections.

The struggle for the Spiritual Treasure among Earth Immortals finally came to an end.

The Three Dragon Ancestors, through some unknown means, managed to seize the 'Dragon Transformation Pond' together. They retreated to the Ancestral Dragon Abyss, fending off the various Earth Immortals, bringing the conflict over the Spiritual Treasure to a close.

However, the tumultuous era triggered by the Spiritual Treasure had just begun.

Led by the Heavenly Court and the Three Great Immortal Sects, they suppressed the Three Great Dragon Palaces at every turn. The Demon forces like the Tongling Wujimen and Jiao Demon Palace also began targeting the Shang River, the East Sea, the West Sea.

The Three Great Dragon Palaces, possessing the Spiritual Treasure, became targets for all.

For a time,

Chaos begun, the catastrophe descended.

Ever since annexing the Chunshen Realm, the Ancient Shang Region, which had enjoyed some peace, was once again thrown into turmoil, even more fierce than fifty thousand years ago, as though a great cataclysm was on the horizon.

But.

Lu Qingfeng ignored both the struggle for the Spiritual Treasure and the great catastrophe of the Ancient Shang.

He remained solely devoted to accompanying Ao Le in their travels, witnessing the magnificent rivers and mountains of the Chunshen Domain, all its splendid scenery.

For the past fifty thousand years, he'd been too preoccupied with cultivation, his mind always burdened with cares. Although the scenery was beautiful, it had never intrigued him. Now, as Ao Le had set aside the shackles of cultivation, traveling through mountains and waters with Lu Qingfeng, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Not focusing on cultivation, her Dao ability, instead, was advancing rapidly without her noticing.

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng's heart was filled with even more guilt.

Looking back now.

Over the years, Ao Le had been tirelessly cultivating, desperately trying to keep up with him, accumulating untold pressure. Now that she had given up, with her Life Span coming to an end, it was only then she truly let go. With the pressure gone, her true nature returned. Lu Qingfeng almost felt as if they were back at the Min River, back at Yuan Lake—

Ao Le was still carefree, undisturbed by worldly tumult, now without the worries of lifespan or cultivation level.

Feeling utterly relaxed.

"It should be just like this—carefree, unrestrained."

Beside a mountain stream, Lu Qingfeng sat shoulder to shoulder with Ao Le by the water's edge, their bare feet playing in the flow. Lu Qingfeng turned his head and was captivated for a moment by the brilliant smile on Ao Le's face.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

As if it could be frozen at this moment forever.

Then, suddenly, it sped up.

So fast that Lu Qingfeng wanted to reach out and grasp it—to hold onto Ao Le who seemed both far and near at once, to capture the fleeting beauty before it vanished. But it was like trying to catch water with his feet in the stream; it flowed through his toes and couldn't be held.

"My lord."

"My lord."

Lu Qingfeng snapped back to reality, only to see Ao Le pouting at him, grumbling, "What is it that has you so lost in thought, my lord?"

During their conversation.

A light breeze fluttered through Ao Le's hair, making her all the more enchanting.

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng gently pushed a lock of hair from her forehead and said softly, "I was just thinking how wonderful it would be if time could stop forever at this moment."

Lu Qingfeng gazed at Ao Le.

In the blink of an eye.

More than a year had passed.

Although Ao Le's Dao ability had made great strides, it had only been one year. Even considering the ten years in the Dragon Transformation Pond, advancing from the mid-stage to the peak of the Unification Realm had only been eleven years in total.

After all, time was too short.

She hadn't broken through to become a True Immortal, and her lifespan was at its end.

Ao Le looked up at Lu Qingfeng and smiled with pursed lips, "My lord is never satisfied. Compared to the fleeting lives of mortal couples, we are extremely fortunate. Even if I can't become a True Immortal and my lifespan runs out, I can still become a divine spirit, still part of this world, and stay by my lord's side."

In just over a year's time.

Ao Le seemed to have come to terms with it all, facing the bitter fact of her impending demise with a Smiling Face, quite detached. It was she who ended up comforting Lu Qingfeng.

Lu Qingfeng knew that behaving like this would only burden Ao Le even more.

He said nothing.

Instead, he looked up and around; his eyes flickered with spirit light, as if he saw black clouds above and black fog below, spreading everywhere, hinting at an ominous threat.

"Heaven sends down calamity."

"Earth sends down calamity."

"Men bring their own calamities."

With a long sigh in his heart, Lu Qingfeng lamented, "A great tribulation is approaching. Immortal cultivators can chant scriptures in silence and close their doors to avoid disaster. But divine spirits of the Divine Dao are in constant struggle with the Heavenly Dao and human affairs, entangled in cause and effect like a tangled ball of yarn, difficult to unravel. If we turn to the Divine Dao now, the great tribulation will involve us in the whirlpool of fate, and I fear that even I won't be able to keep Le'er completely safe."

Thinking to himself.

Lu Qingfeng drew back his gaze, finally making up his mind—

"The Buddhist Sect's Little Wheel Three Ride Marvelous Forms Transformation Birth Method!"

...

"This wonderful method of the Buddhist Sect encompasses the entire universe within a single realm, creating form from emptiness, and reality from illusion. While it seems like a mere flash instantaneously, those subjected to this method forget their true nature. They become completely unaware that they are merely an illusion, experiencing all manner of human desires, aging, sickness, and death, indistinguishable from reality, including all sorts of urgent hardships and pain.

The length of time within the illusion is uncertain. One may live an entire lifetime within, spanning more than a hundred years or as few as fifty or sixty. This period of time must also be lived day by day, hour by hour.

Within moments, they are thrust through reincarnation, experiencing the relationships of three future lives.

During this current life, they may vow great oaths and in the future, lives accumulate more virtues. All experiences must first pass through this world of illusion.

When it comes time to cultivate again in the future, one must act upon the good deeds accrued in the illusion. One's current life is inherently built upon the spiritual foundations laid down in past lives, but this method reverses cause and effect, flipping their order, allowing the cultivator to step onto the path of immortality first, then completing their virtuous deeds afterward."

In the Blood Sea.

Lu Qingfeng looked at Ao Le and saw a wild eagerness in her eyes, ready to embark on this trial, then added, "There are countless dangers within. The pain and hardship in this realm of illusion, summoned by demons, is even greater than the real world. Furthermore, one's cultivation must not slacken for a moment in here. A single misstep can lead to possession by demons, causing all previous progress to be wasted. Even with my protection, at best I can ensure survival, but all wishes and aspirations will burst like bubbles. The method cannot be applied again, and one's spiritual wisdom will be completely lost. In future reincarnations, one could only be born into an ordinary human life."

Lu Qingfeng detailed the advantages and drawbacks of the method to Ao Le, his heart still reluctant.

When the method is performed.

Let's set aside for a moment the ordeals of nine lifetimes' worth of reincarnations in the illusion. Even if this method cultivates an Earth Immortal, there will still be various tribulations to face, and all vows and promises of goodness must be fulfilled.

"At least, in immortality, I and Le'er can face together the consequences of the method and the various tribulations."

However.

Between life and death lies great terror.

What in this world could be more fearsome than the separation wrought by death?

"Just endure through it, and it's eternity."

Lu Qingfeng put aside the reluctance in his heart, looking at Ao Le.

"Le'er is not afraid of hardship or sorrow."

Ao Le seemed unconcerned, her eyes focused solely on Lu Qingfeng, "Can this method truly make me a True Immortal in just a few days?"

She wasn't afraid of danger or hardship.

As long as she could become a True Immortal, the possibilities would be endless. Not having to helplessly become a spirit caught in the turmoil of the Divine Dao, which could affect her at any time and possibly even endanger Lu Qingfeng and their offspring, Lu Xiao and Lu Yao. One misstep could lead to the dissipation of her soul and the perpetual separation from her loved ones.

She didn't fear dying to become a divine spirit. What she feared was that, in the end, she would still have to part ways with her husband and perhaps even bring trouble to the man who cherished and pitied her.

Ao Le couldn't bear that.

"A True Immortal?"

Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

Seeing this, Ao Le's face showed sudden surprise. She thought that her husband had described this Great Method from the Buddhist Sect as so mystical, yet it couldn't even achieve True Immortalhood?

Then this method—

"Not just a True Immortal."

Lu Qingfeng noticed her expression and knew she must have misunderstood, hastily adding.

"Not just a True Immortal?!"

Ao Le's eyes widened, her throat moved slightly as she swallowed silently.