Chapter 137: Second Primordial Spirit

In the dim underground space, slight ripples stirred across the ink-black surface of the subterranean lake.

Clad in a green robe with his long hair cascading loose, Yuntian let out a refreshed sigh, stretched lazily right above the water's surface, and then turned his head sideways to glance at Yuqiu. She was quietly sitting cross-legged on the water beside him in a black robe, looking just like an obedient, gentle little woman. Coughing lightly with a trace of awkwardness, Yuntian moved closer to sit beside her and said, "Ahem... well, just now I was a bit... a bit too impulsive, I..."

Before he could finish his stammered words, Yuntian stiffened all over. With some difficulty, he turned his head to look at Yuqiu, only to find that she had reached out to wrap her arms around his own, leaning her head against his shoulder. Though she said nothing, Yuntian could clearly feel the deep attachment she held for him.

"Will you always treat me well from now on?" After a long silence, Yuqiu finally spoke in a soft whisper.

Taken aback for a moment, Yuntian nodded repeatedly without hesitation. "Of course! Look, we've already become this close, so naturally we're cultivation partners from now on!"

"Cultivation partners?" Yuqiu's pretty eyes flickered slightly at the words, and she shook her head gently. "No. As long as I can always stay by your side in the future, I will be more than satisfied."

"What? Yuqiu, do you not believe that I would spare nothing for you?" Yuntian looked at Yuqiu with a serious expression and continued, "I can tell you the truth: I am an immortal who has undergone reincarnation. Moreover, I have awakened the memories of my past life—not just a fraction, but completely. Because of this, my comprehension of the Dao is identical to that of my past life, which is why my strength is so formidable. If I wish to, I can cultivate directly to the peak of the Void-Returning Earth Immortal realm and prepare to face the Celestial Immortal Tribulation."

Hearing this, Yuqiu's lovely face changed slightly, and she looked at Yuntian with a hint of anxiety. "An Immortal who underwent reincarnation? I've heard that for reincarnated immortals, trying to survive the tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal is even more difficult."

"Rest assured! A mere Celestial Immortal Tribulation is not enough to stump me. Even the far more terrifying True God Tribulation is nothing to be feared," Yuntian said with a smile as he gently stroked Yuqiu's hair.

"Why? Is it because you possess a powerful sect that can provide you with formidable magical treasures? Even so, while you might be able to withstand the wind, fire, and lightning—the three trials of the Celestial Immortal Tribulation—the final Inner Demon Tribulation is still not easily overcome," Yuqiu said with a slight frown.

Yuntian was momentarily stunned. He looked at Yuqiu earnestly, then let out a laugh. "It seems you really know a great deal! The Inner Demon Tribulation, you say? Actually, I've always wanted to find out what my inner demon tribulation looks like and just how terrifying it can be. Don't worry, I won't rashly attempt the tribulation without adequate preparation. Once I successfully cross the tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal or Celestial God, ascending further to become a True Immortal or even a True God Dao Ancestor will no longer be such a difficult task."

"You certainly know how to talk nonsense! A True God Dao Ancestor—how could that ever be achieved so easily through cultivation?" Yuqiu shot a playful glare at Yuntian.

Smiling, Yuntian did not offer any further explanation. Instead, he remarked, "Speaking of which, it would be wonderful if I possessed a Second Primordial Spirit. That way, I could first have the Second Primordial Spirit cultivate to the peak of the Void-Returning Earth Immortal realm and attempt the Celestial Immortal Tribulation. Even if it failed, I would only lose a secondary soul. It's a pity that finding a suitable vessel to cultivate a Second Primordial Spirit is no easy task. I suppose I will just have to find a way later on."

"A Second Primordial Spirit?" Yuqiu's gaze flickered for a moment.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Yuntian turned his head to look. In the distance, the water parted, and a figure in white robes flew out. She looked precisely identical to Yuqiu, down to the very same aura.

Startled, Yuntian turned his head back to look at the real Yuqiu beside him, asking in astonishment, "Is this... your Second Primordial Spirit?"

"That's right! When I first arrived here, I discovered two Primordial Essence Water Pearls," Yuqiu nodded lightly. "These Primordial Essence Water Pearls act much like a natural Purple Prefecture space. One merely needs to split off a portion of their primordial spirit to cultivate a Second Primordial Spirit. Once I reached the Primordial Spirit realm and my soul was sufficiently powerful, I used one of the Primordial Essence Water Pearls to cultivate this Second Primordial Spirit avatar. The Primordial Essence Water Pearl contains the essence of primordial water. After entering it with one's divine soul to forge the Second Primordial Spirit, the resulting body is entirely condensed from primordial water essence, making the comprehension of the Dao of Water vastly easier."

You used one of them? A bright light flashed in Yuntian's eyes as he looked at Yuqiu, who smiled faintly and nodded. "The remaining one is just right for you to use in cultivating your Second Primordial Spirit. I have already instructed my Second Primordial Spirit avatar to bring that pearl over."

As Yuqiu spoke, the white-robed Second Primordial Spirit avatar flipped her hand and produced a spiritual pearl shimmering with flowing water light, presenting it directly to Yuntian.

"Haha... Yuqiu, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. I shall attempt to cultivate the Second Primordial Spirit right now." Catching the Primordial Essence Water Pearl, Yuntian laughed, closed his eyes without a moment's hesitation, sat cross-legged upon the water, and immediately began executing the mystic arts of the Second Primordial Spirit.

Back at the Black-White College, Yuntian had specifically sought out and studied the mystic arts for the Second Primordial Spirit, memorizing them thoroughly. Combined with his powerful primordial spirit, separating a portion of his divine soul and sending it into the Primordial Essence Water Pearl was a remarkably easy feat. Although splitting the soul was simple, the process was excruciatingly painful. The agony stemming from the very depths of the soul was terrifying, reminding Yuntian of every instance his main body's other avatar had undergone soul-splitting upon attaining godhood in the Desolate Era world.

The very instant half of his divine soul entered the Primordial Essence Water Pearl, that fraction of his soul felt like an infant within a mother's womb, or a small boat drifting in the open sea finally returning to a safe harbor. A profound sense of peace and warmth completely enveloped his soul. Once the soul found a vessel, comfort naturally followed.

After the soul-splitting, Yuntian calmed his mind to let his divine soul recover slightly before directing his Second Primordial Spirit to begin cultivation.

The Primordial Essence Water Pearl was already brimming with concentrated essence, eliminating the need to slowly absorb the ambient heaven and earth elemental energy. By simply refining this essence, Yuntian's realm surged upward by leaps and bounds. Within the Primordial Essence Water Pearl, it was as if heaven and earth were being split anew as a Purple Prefecture space was born. Vast quantities of primordial water essence were continuously converted, causing the Purple Prefecture lake to rapidly expand until it broke through in a single breath to the Wanxiang level.

In merely half an hour, the Primordial Essence Water Pearl progressed from the Xiantian level to the peak of the Wanxiang level, and began advancing toward the Primordial Spirit realm.

Deep within the boundless, void space inside the Primordial Essence Water Pearl, the Purple Prefecture lake was infinite and vast. In the sky above, countless stars, the Moon Hare, and the Golden Crow hung high, having already reached the absolute extreme of the Wanxiang perfection realm.

"Rise!" Yuntian's divine soul hovered at the very apex above the countless stars, amidst the void of the Purple Prefecture space. With a single thought, the vast ocean of Purple Prefecture primordial energy furiously condensed into billions of brilliant spots of essence, which wildly surged upward to fly into the myriad stars, the Moon Hare, and the Golden Crow as they orbited along wondrous trajectories. The exact moment all of them flew in and integrated, the essence of the stars, the Moon Hare, and the Golden Crow—already condensed to their absolute limits—transformed into streams of dazzling light cascading downward.

Amidst a deafening roar, countless pillars of light, varying in thickness, converged at the very center of the Purple Prefecture and gradually began to shape a massive entity. From the converging pillars of the Golden Crow, a turtle's head began to take form at one end, while the illumination of the Moon Hare's pillars formed a snake's head at the other. The essence of the countless stars gathered to form a colossal body. This gigantic entity gradually solidified and grew increasingly distinct—it was none other than the legendary mythical creature formed by an entwined turtle and snake: the Xuanwu.

Whenever any living being broke through to the Primordial Spirit realm, the form they condensed was precisely the Xuanwu Primordial Spirit.

Immediately afterward, the Xuanwu seemed to spring to life, crawling down into the sea of energy and swimming leisurely through the vast ocean of primordial force.

Meanwhile, Yuntian's divine soul, which had remained suspended in the void, directly descended and merged into the Xuanwu Primordial Spirit. This body of the Xuanwu seemed to naturally possess the property of nurturing and strengthening the primordial spirit. Yuntian could even clearly perceive his divine soul rapidly growing and strengthening by leaps and bounds. At the same time, his primordial spirit grew stronger automatically, as if undergoing a secondary awakening, and the might contained within his soul grew increasingly formidable.

The turtle and snake entwined, intersecting Yin and Yang. Upon the back of the Xuanwu—specifically atop its tortoise shell—golden flames suddenly ignited. The flames were unimaginably blazing and intense, yet they did not harm the Xuanwu Primordial Spirit in the slightest; these were the Primordial Flames possessed by every single Primordial Spirit Daoist.

The essence contained within the Primordial Essence Water Pearl sustained Yuntian until he cultivated all the way to the early Primordial Spirit stage. After a brief period of consolidation, the stored essence was completely exhausted.

The Primordial Essence Water Pearl floating before Yuntian suddenly began to emit mist, and then directly transformed into a youth clad in white Daoist robes—Yuntian himself.