Translator: CinderTL
"The Azure Star Minor Realm seems to be perfectly safe," Li Chunjun remarked.
"Our journey lasted only a year and a half, less than the originally planned minimum of two years. With Swordmaster Li's record of clearing out the surrounding Starfields before you left, those Heart Demons naturally wouldn't dare to come here and throw their lives away," Zuo Cheng, who had returned with him, said with a smile.
Xuan Mi knew Zuo Cheng was working for Li Chunjun. With the collapse of the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield in the Starquake, there was nothing left to handle at the Frigid Jade Fortress, so he hadn't urged Zuo Cheng to return.
Moreover, when they returned to the Immortal God Race, someone was needed to pilot the Golden Crow Battleship. Zuo Cheng had naturally volunteered for the task.
Li Chunjun nodded slightly. "After a year and a half of cultivation, many True Monarchs should have fully digested the mental power they gained from using Heart Demons to hone their skills. If we were to do another round, I wonder how many would successfully break through and cultivate Mind Power."
Zuo Cheng immediately replied, "If Swordmaster Li is willing to give them this opportunity, I believe at least twenty or thirty of them would cultivate Mind Power this time."
Li Chunjun nodded.
He had estimated the same.
Having borrowed General Xuan Mi's Golden Crow Battleship for several years and commanded his personal guard for just as long, it would be a fitting compensation to send them back with twenty or thirty more Mind Power experts among them.
"Sword Master Li, we've arrived at the Azure Star Minor Realm. I'll go notify them to prepare for your arrival and inform them of your breakthrough to Void Refining," Zuo Cheng said.
"No need to rush," Li Chunjun replied. "I'll see if I can accompany you."
"Accompany us?" Zuo Cheng was taken aback.
Hesitantly, he reminded, "Swordmaster Li, you've now reached Void Refining. I'm afraid..."
"It's just an experiment," Li Chunjun said.
Zuo Cheng, though puzzled, trusted the legendary Sword Master who had performed countless miracles.
The Golden Crow Battleship swiftly descended toward the Azure Star Minor Realm.
Before they even reached it, the True Monarchs patrolling outside had already detected their approach.
Several warships, led by the Silver Leaf, quickly surrounded them, their powerful Divine Senses transmitting greetings from afar.
"Yu Jin of the Silver Leaf reports to Swordmaster Li! Welcome back, Swordmaster!"
"Su Fang of the Celestial Cycle reports to Swordmaster Li! All is well in the Azure Star Minor Realm. Welcome home!"
"Elsa of the Cypress welcomes our Master's return..."
Waves of Divine Sense surged forth.
Simultaneously, the warships aligned themselves in formation, expressing their welcome to Li Chunjun's return.
Li Chunjun activated his own Divine Sense, responding to each greeting in turn.
Soon, the Golden Crow Battleship arrived at the outer perimeter of the Azure Star Minor Realm.
Li Chunjun disembarked from the Golden Crow Battleship and descended directly into the Azure Star Minor Realm.
The moment he appeared, those who had cultivated Mind Power immediately sensed the extraordinary aura emanating from him.
Su Fang, who specialized in the Void Dao, narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Swordmaster Li... he..."
"You noticed?"
Zuo Cheng, having temporarily entrusted control of the Golden Crow Battleship to his subordinates, appeared with a hearty laugh outside the vessel.
He made no attempt to conceal the truth, stating directly, "Shortly after Swordmaster Li led us to the Profound Yellow Great World, he immediately challenged the Cosmic Light List and successfully claimed the top spot!"
The announcement was met with a wave of joyous exclamations.
"The Sword Master is number one on the Cosmic Light List!? Really number one!?"
"Haha, I knew it! With the Sword Master's ability to even use dao techniques, he's more than worthy of the top spot!"
"Swordmaster Li's power makes Fifth-Tier and even Sixth-Tier Foreign Races look like nothing. If he couldn't reach number one on the Cosmic Light List, who could!?"
Streams of Divine Sense converged, and gazes turned to Li Chunjun with even greater admiration.
But...
Su Fang frowned.
Before he could speak, Zuo Cheng continued, "Hold on, I haven't finished yet."
He cleared his throat, as if to clear his voice, and when everyone's attention returned to him, he spoke again: "After achieving Cosmic Light, Swordmaster Li didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately underwent the Three Tribulations and then immediately began his attempt to break through to Void Refining! Given the Sword Master's profound and unparalleled foundation in the path of the Primordial Spirit, the outcome... well, I don't need to say more."
"Void Refining!?"
At that moment, Su Fang finally understood the source of the strange feeling he had sensed emanating from Li Chunjun.
"Swordmaster Li has reached Void Refining!?"
"No wonder I sensed a subtle yet profound shift in Swordmaster Li's state. Now it's clear—this is the mark of Void Refining, where the mind bears the weight of the Dao, signaling the transformation into a Law-Embodied Being!"
"Excellent! Wonderful! I always knew Swordmaster Li would achieve Void Refining, but I never expected it to come so soon! With Swordmaster Li's Void Refining protection, we can venture anywhere, not just the Land of Buried Demons—the entire world is ours to explore!"
In an instant, the crowd erupted in jubilant chaos.
Void Refining!
The Primordial Spirit realm was already the ultimate goal for nearly every cultivator.
To deify one's Mystical Powers, allowing them to leave the body and fly through the heavens and earth, capable of anything—it was indistinguishable from the divine beings and True Immortals of legend in many Lesser Thousand Worlds.
Yet for Primordial Spirit cultivators, Void Refining was the true pinnacle of their lifelong pursuit.
Achieving Void Refining not only marked the gradual transformation of one's life form into a Law-Embodied Being, granting them world-destroying power, but also extended their lifespan from a maximum of three or four thousand years to a staggering 129,600 years.
This leap...
was even greater than the thousand-year lifespan granted upon becoming a True Lord.
It was like someone destined to live only sixty years suddenly gaining 1,800 years—no different from ascending to immortality.
To a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, a Void Refining Master was almost as distant as a mortal viewing a Nascent Soul cultivator.
At least in terms of lifespan.
These towering figures, who stood above the mortal realm, were so rare that even a Primordial Spirit True Monarch might only encounter one in their lifetime. To actually meet one was a privilege granted to only a select few, let alone form an acquaintance.
Yet here, before them, stood a living Void Refining Master—one who had shared their trials and tribulations.
Joy and excitement surged through everyone's hearts.
This connection would elevate their status wherever they went.
Amidst the crowd's ecstatic surprise, Li Chunjun's form materialized within the Lesser Thousand World.
As he officially entered the Azure Star Minor Realm, the Law Power he carried within his Mind Power began to clash with the Dao Rhythm inherent to the realm itself.
If this friction continued unchecked, the collision would intensify.
Ultimately...
Either the Dao Rhythm of the Azure Star Minor Realm would retaliate, shattering the Law Power Li Chunjun carried, or...
Li Chunjun's Law Power would forcibly suppress the Dao Resonance Power of the Azure Star Minor Realm, collapsing its Dao Rhythm and causing the entire Lesser Thousand World to collapse into a dead star.
As the collision between the two forces intensified, Li Chunjun activated his Great Void Destruction Sword Intent and simultaneously unleashed the profound mysteries of his Void Dao Physique, which was on the verge of fully forming.
Under the influence of this Void Power, the friction between his own Law Power and the Azure Star Minor Realm's Dao Rhythm, which had been causing violent tremors, suddenly diminished significantly.
Finally, Li Chunjun successfully pierced through the outer barrier and surface of the Azure Star Minor Realm, appearing within the Lesser Thousand World itself.
But...
Even after reappearing inside the Azure Star Minor Realm, he remained furrow-browed.
Because the Great Void Destruction Sword Intent and his incomplete Void Dao Physique had only reduced the friction between him and the Azure Star Minor Realm by a significant margin, not eliminated it entirely.
After fully entering the Azure Star Minor Realm, the collision between the world's Dao Rhythm and the Law Power he carried persisted.
Even before he could land, the sky above the Lesser Thousand World was already churning with wind and clouds, as a terrifying storm began to brew and take shape.
This phenomenon was a manifestation of the friction between his Law Power and the world's Dao Resonance Power.
As time passed, this phenomenon would only grow more immense, eventually transforming into a natural disaster that would engulf the entire Lesser Thousand World.
"It seems I'll have to wait until Life Level 37 for my Void Dao Physique to fully solidify," Li Chunjun thought to himself.
With a flash of movement, Li Chunjun had already left the Azure Star Minor Realm and reappeared outside.
As he departed, the ominous clouds, thunder, and lightning that had enveloped the land gradually dissipated, returning the realm to its original state.
Seeing him rematerialize, the crowd surged forward to offer their congratulations.
"Sword Master!"
"Congratulations, Sword Master, on reaching Void Refining! From this day forward, you shall roam the Star Sea! May your Immortal Path flourish eternally!"
"With Void Refining achieved, the world opens wide! Sword Master, from this moment on, you officially enter the ranks of the Profound Yellow Great World's elite, forever etched in the annals of the Profound Yellow Great World!"
True Monarch Huang Tian, Su Fang, Yu Jin, Ri Ang, Elsa, and others gazed at him with eyes filled with reverence.
Behind them, figures watched the scene unfold, their eyes a mixture of envy, respect, and profound emotion.
These were Qi Qian Yu, Shadowless True Lord, Huan Ming, and others from the Taixu Sword Sect lineage.
Jiang Yuqiu and other core members of the Taixu Sword Sect had already departed with Li Chunjun's Golden Crow Battleship for the Cloud Surge Mountain Range. However, Huan Ming, You Long, and Bai Lian—the Nascent Soul cultivators who had established the Blue Star Taixu Sword Sect lineage—had chosen to remain, bound to the fate of their branch.
Now, witnessing Li Chunjun surrounded by the crowd...
Even though they had prepared themselves for this moment, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality.
"Void Refining..."
Bai Lian whispered, "Truly... unbelievable!"
You Long nodded.
For Nascent Soul cultivators like them, a Primordial Spirit True Monarch was already a towering figure. Their ability to establish a Branch Sect in the Azure Star Minor Realm was entirely due to the support of Xuan You, a Primordial Spirit True Monarch.
Each Primordial Spirit True Monarch, even in the main Taixu Sword Sect, would be considered a core member, wielding considerable power.
As for Void Refining cultivators...
They dared not even dream of such a lofty status.
Out of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, perhaps only one would ever reach the Void Refinement Realm. The unfathomable chasm between the two realms was enough to shatter any unrealistic ambitions they might harbor.
Even being in the presence of a Nine Tribulation True Monarch was enough to leave them trembling with awe and caution.
Yet now...
Standing before them was a Void Refining cultivator!
"If Swordmaster Li had been recommended to the main sect by us and then achieved Void Refining there, how glorious it would have been," You Long sighed.
Huan Ming, Shadowless True Lord, and the others imagined such a scenario...
If that had happened, their lineage wouldn't just be returning home in triumph; they would become a force to be reckoned with even within the main Taixu Sword Sect.
Alas...
"Such is fate," You Long murmured.
(End of the Chapter)
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