Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 103 Divine Cauldron

The moment they passed through the eighth layer of the Dao Pattern Locking Array, the atmosphere between heaven and earth suddenly changed.

The layers upon layers of array patterns, the flowing spiritual veins, and the endless soul thoughts that had previously appeared all vanished.

Instead, there was a vast training ground, with a giant cauldron the size of a small mountain floating in the center. This was the Divine Continent Cauldron that suppressed the Void Venerable.

The cauldron was engraved with mysterious patterns. It was neither gold nor jade, but it exuded a profound and ancient aura. The cauldron's aura was as majestic as the sky, locking the dark vortex below.

The depths of that vortex were filled with an aura of destruction and erosion, as if a single glance would lead to eternal damnation.

Countless chains hung down from the cauldron, binding the vortex like a dragon in captivity. This was the ultimate core of the Nine Extremes Suppressing Void Formation, the most crucial power sealing the Void Venerable.

Standing before the cauldron, Lu Ming and Ning Qingxue were both awestruck by the majesty of this ancient heritage, and involuntarily felt a sense of awe.

The gray-robed elder stood beside the two, his cloudy eyes fixed on the Divine Cauldron, a near-mad desire hidden deep within them. He slowly spoke:

"Lu Ming, do you know why only you can stabilize this seal? Your Dao foundation is extraordinary, capable of suppressing the power of nothingness."

"Its grade is comparable to that of the Divine Cauldron, thus it can activate the Divine Cauldron."

"But your cultivation is still shallow. You cannot awaken the true meaning of the Dao Foundation on your own, let alone resonate with the Divine Continent Cauldron."

Lu Ming's heart tightened, and he bowed, saying, "Please enlighten me, senior!"

The old man raised his hand, and a pale gray spiritual light entered Lu Ming's brow, imprinting a somewhat obscure and profound incantation into his divine sense:

"This is the Heavenly Pivot's secret 'Spirit Crossing Technique.' Circulate your spiritual power according to this method, and I will use the power of my remnant soul to protect you, helping you catalyze the Dao foundation within your dantian and draw it out of your body, thereby activating the Divine Continent Cauldron to completely lock the seal!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Ming immediately began to circulate the Spirit Transfer Technique.

Along the way, the old man led them through layers of great formations, recounted the heroic sacrifice of the Tian Shu ancestors, and helped them heal their wounds and escape danger several times.

In this desperate situation, he had long regarded this remnant soul guarding the formation as his only hope and reliance.

With a mission at hand, he felt only utmost sincerity, and was willing to face any danger without hesitation.

"Qingxue, protect me."

Lu Ming spoke, then sat cross-legged directly beneath the Divine Continent Cauldron, and, following the method of the "Spirit Crossing Technique," activated the profound true qi within his body.

Ning Qingxue stood by, her expression still showing the same emotion and respect she had shown before.

The moment the incantation was activated, Lu Ming sensed immense danger.

Dao Foundation is the foundation upon which cultivators establish themselves in the path of immortality, and it is the core hub of the soul and the physical body.

The Dao Foundation is usually hidden deep within the Dantian, heavily protected by the physical body and spiritual power. Let alone drawing it out of the body, even the slightest damage could lead to the complete loss of cultivation.

However, this "Spirit Crossing Technique" uses the power of the soul and spiritual energy to continuously catalyze the Dao foundation, and then uses brute force to pry open the source of the Dao foundation, forcibly drawing the dormant Dao foundation out of the dantian.

"Well..."

Lu Ming let out a muffled groan, and his forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat.

Within the dantian, the Dao was basically dormant, but at this moment it was forcibly stirred by the incantation and the power secretly transferred by the old man, like a mountain rolling in the meridians.

Every inch of movement caused him excruciating pain in his meridians, and a tearing pain came from his dantian.

This was after he had perfected his body tempering and his physical body and meridians had been refined and strengthened!

If he hadn't perfected his body tempering, he would most likely have exploded and died from that attack.

Lu Ming's face turned deathly pale, then ashen.

A trickle of blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth, a sign that his Dao Foundation had been overstimulated and damaged to its core.

"Concentrate and guard your mind, do not back down!" the old man urged from the side.

The old man spoke urgently, "Once the foundation of your Dao is established and it resonates with the divine cauldron, the task will be complete!"

"A slight damage to the foundation can be fully recovered afterward with the nourishment of the Divine Cauldron's energy!"

Lu Ming gritted his teeth and endured it. He was driven by the belief of "suppressing the void and comforting the spirits of the heroes of Tian Shu". In addition, he was originally a pure-hearted person and had long since put his own safety aside.

He had even prepared for the worst. Even if his foundation was severely damaged and he died, it would be worth it as long as he could strengthen the seal and protect the world.

With the old man's external assistance and the forceful activation of the "Spirit Crossing Technique," the Dao foundation of the immortal sword fragment within the dantian was finally slowly pried open.

Golden light slowly emanated from his dantian, spreading along his meridians throughout his body, and then gushing out from his Baihui acupoint.

The aura of the Dao Foundation transformed into a golden pillar of light, rushing straight toward the Divine Continent Cauldron.

Wherever the beam of light passed, the space trembled slightly.

This supreme-grade Dao Foundation power resonated strongly with the aura of the Divine Continent Cauldron the moment it came into contact with it.

"Now!" The old man's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he shouted, "Activate your Dao Foundation and smash into the Divine Continent Cauldron with all your might! Cast all your source power into the cauldron!"

Lu Ming did as instructed, gritted his teeth, and frantically poured all his profound true qi into his Dao foundation, causing the golden light to crash into the body of the Divine Continent Cauldron again and again.

With each impact, the Divine Cauldron trembled slightly, and the dark vortex beneath it churned even more violently.

Lu Ming's dantian was intensifying, his meridians were on the verge of breaking, his source of life was being constantly depleted, and his life force was rapidly draining away, yet he still did not stop.

Just then, the range of the Dao Fund light released by Lu Ming grew larger and larger, and before he knew it, it completely enveloped Ning Qingxue beside him.

Ning Qingxue's body trembled violently, and the long-standing confusion and emotion in her expression instantly melted away like ice and snow.

The Seven Emotions and Separation of Hatred she cultivated was originally about confronting one's true nature, and was a supreme technique of the demonic path.

However, after entering the Tian Shu Ruins, her cultivation and techniques were suppressed, and her mind was deliberately guided.

Those feelings of pity for the withered bones in the ley line array, admiration for the remnant souls in the ten thousand soul array, and complete trust in the old man were all deliberately manipulated emotions!

As the young master of the Li Tian Palace, she was incredibly mature and her mind was as hard as iron. How could she suddenly have so many emotions?

At this moment, Lu Ming's supreme-grade Dao Foundation power broke through the suppression of the Void Power on her, and the Seven Emotions Separation Scripture was fully activated, instantly unsealing all her cultivation!

The moment she unleashed her full power, Ning Qingxue instantly realized the emptiness of her own heart.

She couldn't help but feel a wave of fear!

She was skilled at discerning true feelings from falsehoods, having mastered the Seven Emotions and Separation Scripture.

Only now, when I come to my senses, do I realize that I have been caught in an elaborate scam from beginning to end!

The old man used the tragic scene of the Tian Shu ruins as bait and manipulated emotions to gradually lower her and Lu Ming's guard, leading them to willingly walk into a deadly trap.

Shocked, she subconsciously activated her magical artifact, the Fate Plate.

Above his palm, an ancient jade plate appeared out of thin air. The star patterns on the plate instantly lit up with a scarlet blood-red light. The pointer spun wildly, emitting a piercing buzz, and the result it deduced was only one:

Bloodshed and calamity, death and destruction, a sign of great misfortune!