When Jiu You returned to the Northern Heaven Continent, an entire month had already passed.
Although the connection between her and Liu Bai remained extremely faint during this period, she could still sense that he was not in immediate danger.
This allowed Jiu You to finally breathe a long sigh of relief. She still did not know how Liu Bai managed to survive in the Endless Cosmic Expanse without even reaching the Sovereign Realm, but as long as he was alive there was hope.
The Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy possessed many powerful experts and its protective grand array was impenetrable. Even if Jiu You was anxious, she had no choice but to follow proper procedures by first entering Northern Heaven City before gaining access to the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
Fortunately, the city lord of Northern Heaven City, Ding Qian, knew Jiu You. The moment he saw her agitated expression he immediately understood something had happened. Without any hesitation, he issued her an academy passage talisman, personally assisting Jiu You in entering the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
Only then did she locate the Northern Heaven Dean and finally meet the Northern Sea Dragon, who was in secluded cultivation.
"Did you not leave with that brat Liu Bai to the Five Elements Continent? Why have you returned alone and where is that kid?" the Northern Sea Dragon asked with confusion, staring at Jiu You who appeared before him.
"That bastard Liu Bai is about to die. I came to get help."
A single sentence left the Dean and the Northern Sea Dragon completely stunned.
"Lady Jiu You, what exactly happened? What danger is Liu Bai facing?" the Dean asked with a frown, his expression solemn.
Although Liu Bai had already left the Northern Heaven Continent, he was still considered a student of the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy. As the dean, he could not ignore a student in peril.
The aged face of the Northern Sea Dragon also turned serious. "Do not panic. Speak slowly. What danger has that brat encountered?"
Jiu You inhaled deeply and gave a brief recount of everything that happened on the Five Elements Continent. After that she conveyed her own conclusion.
"I do not know what happened to him in the Five Elements World, but a month ago I suddenly sensed him appear in the Endless Cosmic Expanse. I cannot reach such a place on my own. Only a Earthly Sovereign can save him, so I came back to get help."
"Northern Sea Senior, let us hurry and bring that bastard back. If we delay any longer I really do not know whether he will be shredded by the chaotic space currents…"
"The Endless Cosmic Expanse… How did that little fellow end up there?" The Northern Sea Dragon muttered in disbelief, but after realizing the severity of the matter he wasted no more time and immediately made preparations.
"This matter cannot be leaked. No one knows how long we will be gone. Block the information for now. Once I bring him back we will speak again." The Northern Sea Dragon instructed the Dean.
"Do not worry. Leave the academy to me. Saving him is the top priority," the Dean replied.
"Good. Jiu You, guide the way. We are leaving."
With that, the Northern Sea Dragon raised his hand and tore open a thousand foot spatial rift in the sky. His spiritual power wrapped around Jiu You and dragged her directly into the rift.
Once the crack closed, both of them vanished without a trace. Only the Dean remained, gazing at the heavens with a worried expression while muttering, "I hope the Northern Sea Dragon can still make it in time…"
In the vast and boundless void, stars flickered, cosmic storms raged, and meteors occasionally streaked past, causing thunderous booms that shook the space.
A resonant roar suddenly echoed. A colossal whale tore out of the void and leaped out from the chaotic space currents. On its back unfurled a pair of immense dragon wings that blotted out the heavens.
The Northern Sea Dragon.
With the bloodline of both the Dragon Clan and Kunpeng Clan, two supreme divine beast lineages, its true form stretched for tens of thousands of feet. Its massive body was endless to the eye and dwarfed even Heaven Sovereign Celestial Bodies. Its overwhelming pressure seemed capable of collapsing the surrounding space.
Kunpengs were naturally gifted in spatial laws. Although the Northern Sea Dragon only possessed part of the Kunpeng bloodline, it still carried terrifying mastery over space.
Especially after breaking through to the Earthly Sovereign Realm, its natural speed surpassed even that of many upper Earthly Sovereigns.
Yet its presence caused the surrounding starry sky to violently distort as multicolored spatial currents burst forth from cracks and storms throughout the void. Some of these chaotic currents even brushed across the Northern Sea Dragon's enormous body.
Jiu You, currently curled up in the form of a tiny black sparrow hiding within the gaps of the Northern Sea Dragon's scales, trembled uncontrollably, terrified that even one strand of the void currents would strike her.
There was nothing she could do. Her Nine Netherworld Sparrow true form was enormous by normal standards, but compared to the Northern Sea Dragon she was not even as large as one of its eyes.
As for the rainbow colored chaotic spatial currents, they were nothing more than scenery along the road for the Northern Sea Dragon, yet for her they were deadly weapons that could annihilate her instantly.
While the Northern Sea Dragon and Jiu You were rushing to save him, Liu Bai had already fallen into a desperate crisis.
He was no longer moving forward. All of his remaining spiritual power was being used to maintain his basic life functions.
There was no air to breathe in the Endless Cosmic Expanse. The only way to survive was through spiritual power.
However, if his spiritual power was exhausted, Liu Bai would not suffocate. Long before that he would be pierced to death by the omnipresent void dust drifting through the cosmic expanse.
Even though he had stopped searching for an escape route, lingering within this cosmic void meant facing countless threats each moment. Every danger required spiritual power to survive.
His spiritual energy continued to be consumed without any opportunity for replenishment.
With time, danger naturally ensued.
Just like now. As he stared at the rapidly forming spatial storm ahead, Liu Bai felt utter helplessness. This time, the spatial storm was coming straight at him.
Being drawn into it would shred him instantly even at his peak. None of his defensive methods could withstand the razor sharp spatial blades within the storm.
Reality proved this true.
As the storm approached, Liu Bai could already sense invisible and lethal edges forming around him.
A soft tearing sound echoed beside his ear. Pain lanced across his arm as he instinctively dodged. When he looked down, he saw a deep gash reaching the bone on his left forearm.
Neither his spiritual defense nor the Five Colored Cloud Robe that was said to be impervious to all forces could stop even the residual spatial blades.
And this was only the storm's outer fringe. If he were truly pulled inside the consequences would be unimaginable.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Bai was forced to activate his spiritual power again to evade.
It was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst, but right now surviving one more second meant buying another chance. Who could say whether the next moment might bring a miracle?
Of course, since he was the protagonist, the miracle did indeed arrive.
A scroll suddenly appeared above Liu Bai, radiating resplendent divine light that cascaded down and enveloped him in absolute protection.
The next instant, the spatial storm descended.
Liu Bai could clearly see the countless black spatial blades mere inches before him as they slashed against the divine light curtain. None of them were able to create even the slightest ripple.
As an ancient saint artifact, the Immortal True Form Scroll could suppress even the soul of a peak Heavenly Demon Emperor. A mere spatial storm was insignificant before it.
Of course, that was only if Liu Bai were capable of controlling it.
Clearly, he was not the one controlling the scroll at this moment, because he suddenly heard the voice of the Five Emperor Divine Sovereigns in his mind.
"The demon soul is extinguished. The demon body remains. Return in three years to receive the Five Elements Spiritual Talisman."
It was obvious that the final battle had ended with the Five Emperor Divine Sovereign victorious.
Yet Liu Bai could guess that the ancient powerhouse had exhausted the last of his lingering strength. In three years the demon body would dissipate completely. Liu Bai did not even know if he would ever again meet the senior who had entrusted him with all his inheritance.
Liu Bai had once considered formally taking him as master, but the Five Emperor Divine Sovereign clearly had no such intention.
Perhaps in his heart, after dying tens of thousands of years ago and with his remaining true spirit nearing its end, simply leaving behind a successor was enough. Whether or not he formally accepted a disciple no longer held any meaning.
Even if Liu Bai failed to meet the requirements there was no better candidate back then.
A faint sorrow rose in Liu Bai's heart but he quickly suppressed it.
With the spatial storm gone, his chances of survival increased greatly. The Immortal True Form Scroll carried the spiritual power of the Five Emperor Divine Sovereign which was more than enough to protect him in this cosmic void.
More importantly, Liu Bai could now clearly sense that Jiu You was flying toward him.
He did not know who she brought as support, but as long as reinforcements arrived he would have a true hope of survival.
He only hoped they could reach him soon.
Like this, time passed rapidly.
Unknowingly, Liu Bai had already drifted within the cosmic expanse for nearly half a year.
Yes, three whole months had passed, and neither Jiu You nor the reinforcements had reached Liu Bai's location. This alone showed how terrifying the distance truly was.
No wonder anyone below the Earthly Sovereign level did not dare traverse the starry sky world. Doing so would easily lead to losing one's way and never being able to escape for the rest of one's life.
However, during this half year, Liu Bai had not been idle. Although he could not cultivate spiritual power in the starry sky, he still carried some pills. They were originally prepared for emergencies, but with the protection of the Immortal True Form Scroll, he used them to raise his cultivation.
Of course, this was only a drop in the ocean for Liu Bai, because after forming his new Five Element Spiritual Talisman, the spiritual power required for cultivation had reached an extremely terrifying degree.
Even if he consumed all the pills he had, he barely felt any improvement at all. He could not even push his spiritual cultivation to the Late-phase of the current realm.
At the critical moment, the statues of the Five Emperors within the Immortal True Form Scroll helped Liu Bai, allowing his spiritual power to reach the limit of his present realm.
At this moment, Liu Bai felt flames burning within his eyes. His entire body was in a high temperature state, and even his spiritual power showed signs of igniting.
This was the omen of the Spirit Disaster's arrival.
With the protection of the Immortal True Form Scroll, Liu Bai did not hesitate. He immediately sat cross legged, sinking his consciousness into his Qi Sea.
Within the Qi Sea, Liu Bai saw his Spirit quietly seated. The Five Element Spiritual Talisman hovered above its head, and the vast Five Element spiritual power revolved slowly around them.
Beneath the Spirit, the Innate Five Spirit Disc rotated gently, radiant and beautiful. Each of the Innate Five Spirits manifested its true form, raising its head and roaring, shaking the surging spiritual power around it.
At this moment, Liu Bai's Spirit was clearly different from usual. Its crystal like surface emitted a terrifying heat, as if it could turn into flames at any moment and burn the Spirit to ashes.
This was the sign that Spirit Fire was about to condense.
As the name implied, Spirit Fire was a flame born within the Spirit.
This flame caused no harm to the physical body, but for the Spirit, it was fatal. If one could not endure its scorching, the Spirit might be burned into nothingness.
In the Great Thousand World, the Spirit contained the combined essence, energy, and will of a cultivator. It was the most important part of one's being.
If the Spirit was destroyed, not only would one's cultivation foundation collapse instantly, but even the soul would suffer severe injuries. In the worst case, one might lose all reason and become a mindless puppet.
Among the Three Minor Disaster, the Spirit Disaster was the most dangerous barrier. Any carelessness would cause the Spirit to dissipate, resulting in irreversible consequences.
Furthermore, this Disaster could not be overcome in a single attempt. It had to be endured three times.
Seeing the current environment around his Spirit, the Spiritual Talisman above, the Innate Five Spirit Disc below, and even the Thunder God Lotus and the Ice Jade Divine Lotus revolving around the Spirit, Liu Bai had faith.
With the support of so many divine treasures, he refused to believe he could not survive a mere Spirit Disaster.
Of course, the safest option was to pull the Immortal True Form Scroll inside, for it was the true protector of the Spirit.
Unfortunately, the outside world was just as dangerous, even more dangerous than the Spirit Fire. Therefore it had to remain outside.
It was not unreasonable that Liu Bai was desperately rushing to strengthen himself. After all, the power left behind by the Five Emperor Divine Sovereigns in the Immortal True Form Scroll was limited.
If Jiu You and reinforcements failed to arrive before that power was exhausted, he would once again have to rely on himself. Therefore he could only risk breaking through to gain more chances of survival.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Bai steadied his mind and slowly sank his consciousness into his Spirit.
In an instant, a scorching heat swept across his entire being. Extreme pain surged endlessly.
Threads of crystal like flames emerged, quickly enveloping the entire Spirit.
The searing agony pierced his very soul, forcing Liu Bai to grit his teeth. The tiny face of the Spirit twisted in unbearable torment.
The Ice Jade Divine Lotus released a brilliant radiance, piercing through the flames and falling upon the Spirit.
...
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