Chapter 90: Chapter 91: A Brush with Death, Yin Yang True Intent

Song Changsheng held fast to his resolve, fighting to keep from being influenced by the Heart Demon. He knew that as long as he didn’t succumb too quickly, the Soothing Incense would take effect.

CRACK CRACK

Just as Song Changsheng’s Divine Soul was on the verge of collapse, he caught a wisp of a clear fragrance. The images in his mind suddenly fractured, then shattered with a deafening crash and dissolved into nothing.

He had finally broken through the third trial, the Soul Barrier...

The crimson in Song Changsheng’s eyes gradually faded, returning to normal.

"The three trials are passed! The path forward is clear! Immortal Dao Foundation—forge!"

Song Changsheng let out a roar as his entire body was enveloped in light. Slowly, wisps of Yin and Yang Qi began to form...

At that moment, outside the Seclusion Chamber, Xia Yunxue was pacing back and forth, unable to sit still.

Song Luhuai shook his head with a wry smile. "Yunxue, don’t you worry. With Changsheng’s talent and all his preparation, not to mention the help of a Foundation Establishment Pill, he’ll be fine."

"Luhuai, Changsheng has been in seclusion for almost two years. How can I not worry? If it were your Chang’an in there, wouldn’t you be just as anxious?" Xia Yunxue sighed.

"Alas, our children will make their own way in the world. What can worrying change?" Song Luhuai shook his head with a smile. He was a man who believed in destiny, trusting that all things were arranged by heaven’s will.

Xia Yunxue was about to speak again when she suddenly felt a tremor in her spirit. Song Luhuai sensed it as well, and they both looked up at the same time.

From the direction of Song Changsheng’s seclusion, they saw wisps of Yin and Yang Qi swirling and rising into the air, faintly coalescing into a black-and-white pattern.

"Could this be... the legendary Yin Yang True Intent?" Song Luhuai’s face went pale with shock, so agitated he could barely speak coherently.

"It’s Sheng’Er! He’s grasped the Yin Yang True Intent! He’s about to succeed in his Foundation Establishment!" Tears welled in Xia Yunxue’s eyes as the worries that had plagued her for so long vanished in an instant...

The commotion from Song Changsheng grasping the True Intent was immense. Every Foundation Establishment Cultivator on Vast Mist Peak sensed the surge of Yin and Yang Qi.

Within Ruyun Hall, Song Xianming, who had been in seclusion for a long time, was drawn by this aura. He slowly opened his eyes, focused his senses on the phenomenon for a moment, and then clapped his hands and laughed aloud. "Heaven protects my Song Clan! Our family is destined for greatness!"

With that, he rose, took a few steps, and appeared outside the Seclusion Chamber. He looked at the burgeoning Tai Chi Diagram, frowned, and with a wave of his wide sleeve, enveloped the area in a Restriction.

"Father," Xia Yunxue greeted. "Eldest Uncle," said Song Luhuai. The pair hurried forward to pay their respects.

"Sheng’Er is making quite a scene. It’s best to be discreet," Song Xianming said lightly, stroking his beard.

Both were sharp-witted and instantly understood his meaning, nodding in agreement. While the Yin Yang True Intent wasn’t one of the absolute supreme concepts among the Three Thousand Great Daos, it was still at the very top. Advertising this fact would not necessarily be a good thing for Song Changsheng.

Just as they were speaking, Song Luzhou and Song Xianyun flew over on their swords, also drawn by the pull of the Yin and Yang Qi.

Song Luzhou stroked his chin, puzzled. "To grasp the Yin Yang True Intent, Changsheng must be forming a Yin Yang Dao Foundation. Where did he get so much Yin and Yang Qi? And how could he accomplish it so quickly?"

Dao Foundations of the Great Dao were notoriously difficult to form; Song Changsheng’s speed defied all logic.

Song Xianyun frowned. "That little brat. When I asked him before, he clearly said he was aiming for a Water and Fire Dao Foundation. How did it become a Dao Foundation of the Great Dao?"

"Isn’t it obvious? The little brat was lying," Song Luzhou said through gritted teeth.

Song Xianming chuckled. "Everyone has their own path and their own fortunes. He was right to hide it from us; showing it off would do him nothing but harm. This boy... he’s finally shaping up."

"Eldest Brother, you mean...?" Song Xianyun asked, his voice filled with excitement.

"When Sheng’Er comes out of seclusion, he will become the clan’s new Young Clan Leader. We will hold his Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony and his succession ceremony at the same time. I will declare to the entire Ling Province that the Song Clan has a new heir!"

"A brilliant decision, Clan Leader!" Song Xianyun and the others declared in unison.

Only Xia Yunxue’s expression soured. ’The position of Young Clan Leader is no easy thing to hold,’ she thought. ’It is a high throne built from countless responsibilities and expectations. Once you sit upon it, you must bear that weight.’

"For now, let us quietly watch our clan’s Blessed Prodigy achieve his Foundation Establishment." Song Xianming waved his hand, then sat down cross-legged before the door. The others followed suit, finding their own places to stand guard for Song Changsheng.

If anyone else had witnessed this scene, their jaw would have hit the floor. Five Foundation Establishment Cultivators acting as personal guardians—what an incredible honor!

But Song Changsheng, the man at the center of it all, was completely oblivious. He was quietly contemplating the Yin Yang True Intent. As the saying goes: solitary yin does not grow, and lone yang does not live. The two forces, Yin and Yang Qi, were complementary.

Heaven and earth are divided into Yin and Yang. Man and woman are divided into Yin and Yang. The Five Elements are divided into Yin and Yang...

Yin and Yang is the very Dao of heaven and earth, a force of constant change and balance. All things in existence have both a yin and a yang aspect. This was a supreme path, a path of great fortune.

Unfortunately, what Song Changsheng had grasped was but a single drop in the Vast Sea. He was still immeasurably far from understanding the true "Dao."

But even so, he was more than satisfied. Once he could skillfully command the Yin and Yang Qi, while he might not be invincible among his peers, he would at least have what it takes to contend with the disciples from the Great Sects!

「Another month passed.」

As the Tai Chi Diagram finished forming, Song Changsheng finally stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Song Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp aura flashing within them for an instant before vanishing. He summoned a gush of clear water to wash himself. The amount of impurities expelled during his breakthrough was substantial, and the stench was foul.

Once clean, he inspected his body’s condition from within. The breakthrough had been perilous, but the rewards were immense.

His Meridians had widened several times over. If they were once a small stream, they were now like a surging river, capable of mobilizing a massive amount of Spiritual Power in an instant.

The reserves of his Dantian Spiritual Power were now the difference between a fishpond and a great lake—they were on completely different levels. His physical strength had even surpassed that of a Magical Artifact; for someone who was not a Body Cultivator, such toughness was terrifying.

He extended his Divine Sense, which easily covered a radius of several hundred zhang. He was still far ahead of other cultivators at his level, with his Divine Sense reaching the strength of a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At this stage, he already possessed the rudimentary ability to perform Possession.

Song Changsheng flexed a finger. Spiritual Power surged through his Meridians like a torrent as Yin and Yang Qi swirled at his fingertip, radiating a terrifyingly destructive aura.

He had a feeling that even a Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivator wouldn’t last a single exchange against him now.

He took out the Yin Yang Spirit-Slaying Gourd and the Luwu Bell. With a mere thought, they were instantly drawn into his Dantian to float above his Spirit Platform, nourished by the Yin and Yang Qi.

"Finally, I can start nurturing their spirits. I hope the Spirit-Slaying Gourd completes its transformation soon." A smile touched Song Changsheng’s lips. He stood up and stretched, his bones letting out a series of loud POPS and CRACKS.

With a wave of his sleeve, the great door to the Seclusion Chamber rumbled open. Golden light streamed in, illuminating his clear and open path to the heavens...

(End of Volume)