ATPnovel Chapter 165 The Seal Stabilizes
Chapter 165 The Seal Stabilizes
"Uphold your principles." He murmured to himself.
Righteous energy circulated within him, gradually suppressing the pain.
Yan Chixia placed his hands on his back and channeled his last bit of true energy into his body: "Hold on, you're almost there."
Zhou Ning gritted his teeth and poured in the last bit of his primordial spirit power.
The golden chains tightened suddenly, dragging the Heavenly Demon along with the rift into the void.
The roar of the Heavenly Demon grew farther and farther away, weaker and weaker, until it finally disappeared completely.
Silence returned to the wasteland.
Zhou Ning withdrew his hands, slumped to the ground, and gasped for breath.
Large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his primordial spirit power was almost exhausted, and his arms were trembling slightly.
The illusory image of the primordial spirit in the dantian was dim and lifeless, with a faint purple-gold light as weak as a candle flame, as if it might be extinguished at any moment.
"It's a success," he murmured.
Yan Chixia slumped down beside him, his face as pale as paper, with traces of blood still remaining at the corner of his mouth.
His longsword lay across his lap, the cracks on its blade repaired, but the sword spirit seemed to be damaged as well, emitting a low hum.
"Yes, it was a success." Yan Chixia's voice was soft, but tinged with a hint of relief.
On the city wall, the guards erupted in deafening cheers.
People came out of their homes and stood on the streets, looking up at the northern sky, weeping with joy.
Some knelt down and kowtowed, thanking God.
Some burst into tears, releasing their pent-up fear and sorrow.
Others spread the word, passing the message on to everyone still struggling in the darkness.
"The Heavenly Demon has been sealed!"
"We won!"
"Long live Young Master Zhou! Long live Immortal Yan!"
Cheers echoed through the city, lingering for a long time.
Han Wei rushed up the city wall, helped Zhou Ning up, and his eyes reddened.
"Young Master Zhou, you did it! You really did it!"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"It wasn't something I did alone. It was something we all did together."
He looked north, where the huge crack had disappeared and the black mist over the wasteland was gradually dissipating.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, bathing everything in a silvery-white glow.
In the distance, a few stars twinkled, as if celebrating this victory.
"The Heavenly Demon has only been sealed away, not destroyed."
Yan Chixia's voice came from behind.
"The seal can only last for a period of time. Once its power is restored, it will break through the seal again."
Zhou Ning nodded: "This disciple understands. But at least, we have bought ourselves more time."
Yan Chixia walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"You did very well. From now on, you are a true Nascent Soul stage cultivator."
Zhou Ning bowed respectfully: "Thank you for your guidance, Master. Without you, I would not have come this far."
Yan Chixia waved his hand and said, "It's all thanks to your own efforts. I just pointed you in the right direction."
He turned around, looked at the northern sky, remained silent for a moment, and said:
"The seal of the Heavenly Demon needs someone to guard it. I plan to stay in Qingfeng City to guard the seal. You should return to Lanruo Temple and continue your cultivation."
Zhou Ning was taken aback: "Master, I will stay with you."
Yan Chixia shook his head: "No need. Your path is still long. I can't let my actions delay your cultivation."
He bid farewell to Yan Chixia and Han Wei, left Qingfeng City, and returned to Lanruo Temple.
As we left Qingfeng City, it was just beginning to get light.
Zhou Ning walked alone on the road back to Lanruo Temple. The morning light shone on the wasteland, gilding everything with a golden halo.
The northern sky has returned to calm; the black fog has completely dissipated, revealing the long-awaited blue sky.
Several birds flew overhead, chirping sweetly, as if celebrating this hard-won victory.
But he didn't feel much joy.
The Heavenly Demon was merely sealed away, not destroyed.
Yan Chixia's words weighed on his heart like a stone.
How long can the seal last?
a year?
ten years?
Or a hundred years?
he does not know.
All he knew was that he had to become stronger before that day came.
Dao Integration Stage...
That was a realm he had never imagined, but now he had to pursue it.
From Qingfeng City to Qingyun Mountain, it's a distance of a thousand miles.
Zhou Ning did not rush on his journey, but walked slowly, contemplating the world as he went.
His cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage gave him a deeper understanding of the laws of heaven and earth.
He could sense that the spiritual energy flowing in the air, the vitality hidden in the soil, and the clouds floating in the sky all contained a certain pattern and a certain order.
"All things in heaven and earth have their own way."
Zhou Ning muttered to himself.
He recalled what Yan Chixia had said.
The Dao Integration stage is when a cultivator is in harmony with the laws of heaven and earth, and can mobilize the power of a region of heaven and earth with every move, which is almost equivalent to a small-scale version of the Heavenly Dao.
To reach that level, one needs not only power, but also a profound understanding of the Dao.
"Don't rush."
Zhou Ning reminded himself.
After walking for three days, he arrived at the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
The mountain is still the same mountain, and the pine trees are still the same pine trees.
But Zhou Ning's feelings were completely different.
He used to think that Qingyun Mountain was towering high and difficult to climb.
Now, however, he feels that the mountain is welcoming and warm, like a kind old man opening his arms to welcome him home.
He climbed upwards along the mountain path.
Wildflowers bloom along both sides of the mountain road, and bees and butterflies flutter about.
The air was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers and the fresh scent of pine resin.
After walking for about an hour, he arrived at the mountain gate.
"I'm back." He let out a long breath.
He entered the main hall.
Inside the hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and the Buddha statues stood silently.
He sat down on the futon and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Within the dantian, the illusory image of the primordial spirit sat cross-legged in the center, its hands forming a mudra, radiating a warm, purplish-gold light.
After several days of rest, my primordial spirit has recovered most of its strength. Although it is still somewhat weak, it no longer affects my cultivation.
"Next, I need to consolidate my Nascent Soul stage realm and prepare for the Dao Integration stage," Zhou Ning thought to himself.
He took out the jade slip containing the "Dao Integration Chapter" given to him by Yan Chixia, probed it with his divine sense, and studied it carefully.
The content of the Dao Integration Chapter is more profound than that of the Divine Transformation Chapter.
It tells how to harmonize the primordial spirit with the laws of heaven and earth, how to mobilize the power of heaven and earth, and how to comprehend the essence of the Dao.
Each step requires extremely deep accumulation and opportunity.
Ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivators may not be able to touch the threshold of Dao Integration stage even if they spend their entire lives.
"Don't rush."
Zhou Ning closed the jade slip.
"First, stabilize your Nascent Soul stage realm before considering the Dao Integration stage."
In the days that followed, Zhou Ning cultivated in the back mountain every day to solidify his Nascent Soul stage realm.
He practiced the "Demon-Slaying Technique" hundreds of times to adapt to the new power.
The primordial spirit power of a Nascent Soul cultivator is several times stronger than that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and their sword energy is sharper and more powerful.
He mastered sword control to a higher level, and all six flying swords could be arranged into complex sword formations in the air under the control of his divine sense, combining offense and defense.
His divine sense could already cover an area of hundreds of thousands of feet in radius.
He could sense what the people down the mountain were doing, he could sense the birds and beasts flying in the distance, and he could sense the flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
He could even sense that the sealed aura of the Heavenly Demon was still slowly surging in the direction of Qingfeng City in the north.
"The seal is very stable." Zhou Ning felt somewhat relieved.