Chapter 709

Chapter 709: Thunder’s Refinement of the Body

“Ancestor of the Sword Path, is this the fifth layer?” Bathed in blinding sunlight, Ye Yun felt his body rapidly changing. As he scanned the Immortal artifacts scattered like stone fragments ahead with his spirit perception, he confirmed they were all supreme Immortal artifacts.

Hundreds of supreme Immortal artifacts lay before him. Sensing the collapsing space, Ye Yun didn’t hesitate—the artifacts rushed toward him without needing his control.

“Stop!” Du Jianyin arrived late, his eyes burning with greed as he watched Ye Yun claim the treasures. He slashed a sword arc to block him.

“Trouble approaches,” Ye Yun chuckled, finding his path blocked by three figures. “Planning to rob me?”

“You’ve taken too much!” Jun Ruolan glared. Sensing the Sun and Moon Dual Souls within him, she knew he’d seized treasures from the first three layers. Now even the fifth layer’s supreme artifacts were his.

“Enough talk!” Ye Yun summoned a Sea of Heavenly Fire behind him, its power amplified by the blazing sun.

“Moon Demon Palm!”

“Myriad Sword Tribulation!”

“Moon Goddess Shattering Fist!”

The trio attacked with their core cultivation methods.

Ye Yun seized the moment. Absorbing the Essence of the Thick Earth, a surge of true qi erupted within him.

“Time to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage.” Watching the trio freeze mid-action, he noted the Stagnation Stone in his palm cracking. As the Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique surged, immense energy gathered in his dantian.

*Crack!*

His alchemy pill shattered. Ye Yun remained calm—failure was unthinkable after his preparations.

Using the Stagnation Stone, he froze the Xumi Treasure’s space. At the seventh breath, the stone disintegrated into spiritual energy. Ye Yun stood firm as three Divine Arts struck him.

The attacks forced him half a step back. Channeling their power, he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, dispersing true qi.

Blood trickled from his lips as he smirked at the trio.

“Even if you’ve reached Nascent Soul, fighting us injured is madness,” Jun Ruolan sneered. But as Ye Yun smiled, she panicked and lunged with Moon Demon Palm—too late.

“Spring returns to the withered tree!” Burning soul power, his wounds healed instantly. Thunder Spirit Qi exploded within him like heavenly thunder.

“Thundercloud Lightning Sword: Fourth Level—Sword of the Thunder God!”

At the Nascent Soul stage, he manifested the fourth-level technique. Thunder Spirit Qi coalesced into a crackling heavenly sword, poised to annihilate all in its path.

“Perish with me!” The sword’s murderous intent froze the trio. They fled, knowing staying meant death.

“No objections? Then I’ll take my leave.” Though his healing was temporary, Ye Yun charged toward the fifth layer’s light barrier. The trio reluctantly followed, escaping before the natural nine great tribulations obliterated the space.

Emerging outside, familiar scenery greeted Ye Yun.

“Finally free.” He exhaled, though his injuries demanded attention. The ancient forest’s tranquility surprised him.

“Ye Yun, this recklessness will cost you. Zhang Yanhua ascending two realms was impressive, but rushing through four Nascent Soul levels now? You’ll ruin your foundation!” Ancestor of the Sword Path materialized through a Deceptive Array, alarmed by Ye Yun’s plan to burn forty thousand top-tier Immortal Spirit Stones for breakthroughs.

“Fourth Level is my limit.” Ye Yun’s body, fortified by the Essence of the Thick Earth and Sun and Moon Dual Souls, brimmed with peak true qi. Failing here meant future stagnation.

“No more debate.” If blocked, he’d shatter his hundreds of supreme Immortal artifacts, using their Immortal laws to rebuild his Foundation Establishment.

The Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique was potent, but his hoard—Sun and Moon energies, Fire/Ice/Thunder Spirit Qi, sword intent, spatial laws, artifacts, heavenly materials, and the Little Absorption Technique secret—could propel him to the Seventh Level of Nascent Soul if absorbed. Yet draining his resources, even with endless top-tier Immortal Spirit Stones, pained him.

"Cough, cough!" Ye Yun forced a bitter smile as he checked the injuries within him. The immortal techniques unleashed by those three had taken their toll. If not for using the Heart of Immortals and Demons to neutralize most of the impact, even his body tempered to the Nascent Soul stage wouldn’t have survived.

"My soul power is exhausted, and the Essence of the Thick Earth continues to drain away. The Stagnation Stone was already used to stabilize the Xumi space during my breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. Now I’m left with nothing but hollow Immortal Spirit Stones." Ye Yun sighed. If Jun Ruolan and the others learned how much he’d gained while feigning weakness, they’d surely want him dead.

"The Thundercloud Lightning Sword nearly destroyed me earlier. I can’t imagine the consequences of reaching the Fifth Level’s Thunder God Descends." This was why Ye Yun had forced himself to reach the Nascent Soul stage—only then could he endure the final two moves of the sword technique.

"Transformation into Thunder, gathering Thunder Spirits, wielding all lightning as my own… this must be the true form of Thunder God Descends." As he silently circulated the Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique, Ye Yun marveled at the overwhelming power contained in the Thundercloud Lightning Sword’s practice methods.

"Enough. Better to move cautiously. Shattering over ten thousand top-tier Immortal Spirit Stones at once would draw too much attention." Countless glowing points surrounded Ye Yun—top-tier Immortal Spirit Stones forcibly restrained by the Ancestor of the Sword Path’s soul power. Once his cultivation body recovered, he’d finish this quickly.

"Boy, won’t you reconsider?" The Ancestor of the Sword Path sighed as he observed Ye Yun’s resolve.

He truly disapproved of this path. Success meant survival, but failure would mean irreparable damage to Ye Yun’s cultivation body, or worse—death and spirit dissolution. The Ancestor didn’t understand Ye Yun’s sudden recklessness, but since the youth remained silent, he focused on protection.

"Save your lectures. Now—shatter!" Ye Yun dismissed the concern. Without this daring, how could he ever reach the peak?

"True cultivation demands risking one’s life." The glowing points around him dissolved into spiritual energy as Ye Yun activated the Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique.

Immortal spirit energy flooded the Deceptive Array, so dense it threatened to condense into liquid. Sitting alone in this supreme cultivation ground, Ye Yun knew time was slipping away. The Essence of the Thick Earth had vanished, and the Sun and Moon Dual Souls’ enhancement was fading. Any moment now, everything would collapse.

"Withdraw now and I can save you!" The Ancestor’s anxiety grew—even his intervention couldn’t stop this. Only Ye Yun could sever the connection to the Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique’s ascension state, preventing fatal energy overload.

"Too late. I’ll see this through." Lightning patterns flickered in Ye Yun’s eyes as his body transformed into a heavenly sword, then reshaped into human form. Behind him loomed a three-zhang-tall spirit figure. When its eyes opened, Thunder Spirit Qi erupted from Ye Yun’s body, merging with the spirit.

Cloaked in lightning and flame, Ye Yun stood alone in the tribulation realm. The colossal thunder being beside him radiated terrifying power—a single motion could annihilate this world.

Though Ye Yun hadn’t mastered the fifth move, the Ancestor’s descriptions had revealed its nature: no intricate techniques, just enduring thunder’s tempering to become one with lightning. Survival wasn’t guaranteed.

"Thundercloud Lightning Sword: Thunder God Descends!"

As Ye Yun and his spirit double opened their eyes, a pillar of lightning tore through the sky. A thunder dragon twisted among blackened clouds, while an invisible hand seemed to part the heavens. The dense Immortal spirit energy around Ye Yun vanished instantly.

"If this is my tribulation, I’ll face it alone." As Ye Yun triggered the fifth move, the thunderclouds seethed with rage. Three thousand peals shook the heavens, making even the Ancestor shudder.

Within the storm, a hand formed of pure thunder law emerged, its blue runes embodying perfection. Ye Yun severed their connection just as the manifestation crumbled.

Hundreds of supreme Immortal artifacts and heavenly materials appeared around him. Using thunder’s power, Ye Yun shattered them all. The Little Absorption Technique devoured the released energy.

Agony wracked his body. Even his soul strength faltered. But his thunder-tempered flesh endured—skin splitting, meridians bursting, bones shattering, only to rebuild stronger with each surge of energy.

Time blurred until the pain faded. Regaining control, Ye Yun exhaled deeply, a tired smile forming.

In the ancient forest, Ye Yun sat cross-legged, replenishing his spiritual power through the Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique. The Ancestor spoke once the crisis passed:

"Your condition?"

"Fourth Level of the Nascent Soul stage. The foundation can be repaired later—shattering a few thousand more top-tier Immortal Spirit Stones should stabilize me temporarily."

The Ancestor nearly choked. Thousands more? Before he could protest, his senses alerted him.

"Two little girls approach. Gain their favor, and you’ll reap unexpected rewards."

As Ye Yun kept shattering stones, the Ancestor scanned their surroundings. Setting up the Deceptive Array remained impossible—Ye Yun’s reckless advancement had caused Thunder Spirit backlash that nearly destroyed his cultivation body. Only quiet recovery could prevent further harm.