Chapter 419: Advancement to the Divine Transformation Realm (I)
Translator: AnubisTL
At the core of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, within the central magical formation of the Incense Divine Path, time seemed to lose its meaning.
Jieming’s consciousness wasn’t fully immersed in refining his cultivation. Instead, he frequently delved into his own mental space, lingering within the majestic Great Dao Library Pavilion, carved from white jade.
At this moment, his conscious body sat cross-legged before the pavilion, holding a cyan-colored manual with a warm, smooth texture.
Unlike most of the books in the pavilion, which contained records of divine abilities and cultivation techniques, this manual appeared more rustic.
Its cover bore no title, only a faint line of ink that seemed on the verge of fading: Miscellaneous Records of Seeking the Dao: Understanding Realms.
This wasn’t a cultivation method, nor a world-shattering secret technique. It resembled the musings of an unknown senior, casually reflecting on the origins of the path he had walked.
Yet Jieming read with rapt attention, for the manual explored the fundamental essence behind each realm of a cultivator’s journey.
As he combined the book’s contents with his own experiences, Jieming’s thoughts began to surge.
“The desire for immortality is the genesis of the dao path.”
The manual’s opening line stated this clearly.
It is believed that the creation and division of each major realm in immortal cultivation are not driven by the desire for world-destroying power, but rather by the most fundamental and intense longing of living beings for “immortality.”
The earliest form of “qi refining,” also known in ancient times as “qi refinement,” arose when sages discovered that Qi (spiritual energy) exists throughout heaven and earth, capable of nourishing life, delaying aging, and bestowing extraordinary power.
They then developed methods to absorb and refine this energy, thereby transcending the mortal lifespan.
However, relying solely on qi refinement proved slow and had a high threshold.
Countless individuals spent their entire lives in pursuit of this goal, only to achieve little and waste their time in vain.
Thus, exceptionally talented individuals proposed consolidating the body’s “Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit” to form a “foundation establishment” platform, where these three elements would mutually support each other.
This innovation made the path of cultivation more stable and efficient, giving more people a chance to touch the realm of immortality.
This marked the beginning of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Yet, even for Foundation Establishment cultivators, their increased lifespan remained limited.
As their great limit approached and the path to immortality seemed distant, some seniors blazed a new trail: if the mortal body is destined to age and decay, why not condense the body’s essence to its utmost, forging a “golden core” that is “imperishable through ten thousand kalpas and eternal”?
With the golden core as its core, one could break free from the shackles of physical aging.
The golden core realm was born out of necessity.
With an indestructible body, it seemed immortality had been achieved.
However, cultivators soon discovered that physical immortality did not equate to spiritual infinity. The soul, the very essence of “self,” would still decay over time.
The goal of immortality remained unfulfilled.
Thus, the pursuit continued.
How could the “self” be made more resistant to destruction?
The ancients merged the “spirit”—the embodiment of soul and consciousness—with the immortal “essence” (the golden core), nurturing the “nascent soul.”
The nascent soul is the condensed essence of a cultivator’s life force and consciousness. From this point onward, cultivators had effectively shed the limitations of lifespan.
At the nascent soul realm, the simple desire for “immortality” seemed to have reached a temporary satisfaction.
Yet… when a man is killed, he dies.
Though miraculous, the nascent soul was not invincible.
To truly “protect” this hard-won Longevity Dao Fruit in the perilous world, and to prevent their lives from being easily taken, the primary goal of cultivators’ practice quietly shifted after the nascent soul realm—from pursuing “immortality” to primarily seeking the power to “protect the Dao.”
The Divine Transformation Realm was born from this very need.
The core of “Divine Transformation” lies in utilizing all available internal and external forces to drastically enhance a cultivator’s recovery, survival, and combat capabilities, making them far more difficult to kill.
To achieve this, advancing to the Divine Transformation Realm requires a complete and perfected reintegration and sublimation of the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. These were initially unified during Foundation Establishment, then specialized through the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, and now must be harmonized on a higher life level.
Because Divine Transformation Realm cultivators already possess nearly infinite lifespans, they have ample time to delve deeply into the study of combat spells and Dao-Protecting Methods, and to explore the deeper principles of heaven and earth.
In the wizards’ words, this is when they begin a systematic and profound study of the “laws.”
“Therefore, the Divine Transformation Realm is essentially a realm dedicated to enhancing combat power and survival, while laying a solid foundation of life essence for the deeper exploration of the Great Dao (laws).” Jieming closed the manual, and a stream of azure light flowed into the Great Dao Library Pavilion. His conscious body showed a look of contemplation.
Indeed, every mature power system is deeply imprinted with the cultural heritage and core needs of the civilization that gave birth to it.
The cultivation civilization originated from the ultimate pursuit of individual “eternal life and enduring vision” and “unfettered freedom across heaven and earth.” Its realm evolution revolved tightly around extending lifespan and safeguarding the Longevity Fruit.
Each step was steeped in the exploration of life’s essence and an unwavering obsession with “survival.”
In contrast, the wizard civilization arose from an insatiable thirst for “knowledge” and “truth.”
To acquire more knowledge and comprehend the world’s fundamental nature, they needed enhanced perception, computational power, and the ability to manipulate reality.
Therefore, wizard advancement typically focused on qualitative transformations in mental power, upgrades to their computational frameworks, and the efficiency of analyzing and applying specific laws.
This is why even third-tier wizards began to possess the basic perception required to research laws.
However, in terms of lifespan, even a sixth-tier wizard, without regular consumption of Longevity Elixirs or biochemical modifications to prolong it, would still have a relatively “limited” lifespan.
The two civilizations had different origins, divergent paths, and fundamentally different approaches to power.
At the same tier, wizards and cultivators might possess comparable total energy reserves or destructive capabilities, but their underlying logic and manifestations would differ vastly.
Interestingly, when these two paths reached their highest peaks—whether for immortals in cultivation or eighth and ninth-tier wizards—they seemed to converge on a similar endpoint.
“Truly… different paths leading to the same destination, yet each with its own unique charm.” Jieming’s conscious body slowly dissipated, returning him to reality.
Within the central magical formation, Jieming, who had been sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.
Within them, starlight seemed to swirl before returning to clarity and calm.
The recent reading and reflection felt like a clear spring, cleansing his mind which had been slightly strained by prolonged research and preparation for the breakthrough.
This gave him a clearer, more fundamental understanding of the “divine transformation” realm he was about to step into.
At that moment, he clearly sensed that his internal state was perfectly balanced and complete. Essence, qi, and spirit resonated in harmony, reaching a delicate critical point.
The nascent soul glowed in his dantian, eager to leap forth.
The Ring of Truth spun steadily in his sea of consciousness, providing a powerful mental power backup.
(End of the Chapter)