56: Chapter 56 Mastering the Five Thunders, Schizophrenia?

"Attempting to elevate yourself by consuming living beings has already cut off your path. Today, this poor Daoist shall see you off!" Ye Qingxuan snorted coldly and waved his hand fiercely. An array chart flew out, instantly setting up a grand Formation—the Great Heavenly Cycle Flying Star Sword Array.

Three hundred and sixty-five sword-seal stars flickered like stars in the Universe, each star containing endless might and power fluctuations.

With a thought from Ye Qingxuan, these stars began to move rapidly, operating along a profound trajectory. Intertwining and merging together, they formed an airtight barrier, tightly enveloping the space within a radius of ten thousand li.

At the same time, Ye Qingxuan's own Aura surged steadily like an erupting volcano, growing increasingly terrifying under the Formation's enhancement, as if about to pierce through the clouds.

Ye Qingxuan then unfurled his Primordial Spirit Domain, surrounded by countless dazzling star lights. His Aura reached the Soul Transformation Perfection, making him resemble a god of war descending upon the world, so intimidating that none dared look directly at him.

At this moment, the world will that had been staring intently at Ye Qingxuan could no longer suppress its inner rage and killing intent. Its enormously vast eye suddenly shot out a blindingly bright reddish-purple light, then continuously shrank before transforming into a giant standing tall between Heaven and Earth.

This giant was a full thousand zhang tall, with a massive body like a mountain, giving off an immovable impression.

It possessed six thick, powerful arms, each shimmering with strange runes that radiated waves of pressure.

Its face was blurry and shrouded in Chaos, making it hard to see its true features, but judging from the Aura it emitted, it was even more formidable than the Ancestral Master's phantom image from before.

Facing such a formidable enemy, Ye Qingxuan showed no fear. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile as he said, "Indeed, it's only at the Great World level, possessing the power of the Void Return Stage. However, you're not a true Cultivator after all. Otherwise, with my current strength, I'm afraid I'd have no choice but to run..."

— Live Stream Room

Daoist Yuanxin said, "It's the world will of a Great World, with strength at the Void Return Stage. It won't be easy to deal with!"

Celestial Master Zhang watched for a moment. "It lacks the Manifestation of Sentient Beings. Qingxuan should be able to handle it. Don't forget, your Disciple is at the Soul Transformation Stage now, which is a completely different level from the Nascent Soul Stage."

Master Kongming: "But it has reached that level after all. The chasm between Soul Transformation and Void Return isn't so easily crossed!"

At this moment, Daoist Yuanxin's transmission jade talisman received a message from Qingling. After reading it...

Daoist Yuanxin said with a calm composure, "Don't worry. Qingxuan has items bestowed by the Ancestral Master on him, so his life won't be in danger. Let's keep watching."

Celestial Master Zhang and Master Kongming glanced at each other, thinking to themselves, 'What riddles is this old fellow playing?'

The conversation among the three clearly touched upon Sister Qing's blind spot of knowledge. She could only keep her gaze focused inward and silently watch the live stream.

— Bullet Chat Area

"What a terrifying giant! Even through the screen, I'm almost wetting my pants!!"

"Daoist Ye said it has Void Return power? Can he handle it? Void Return is a massive chasm!!"

"Daoist Ye could slay the world will of the Soul Transformation Late Stage while at the Golden Core Stage. Now that he's at the Soul Transformation Stage, isn't taking on Void Return a piece of cake?"

"The guy above is illiterate, confirmed. In immortal cultivation, the higher you go, the wider the gap becomes! The gap between Soul Transformation and Void Return is even larger than that between Qi Refining and Golden Core!! Do you even know anything??!"

"But I remember Daoist Yuanxin saying Daoist Ye established his foundation at the 14th layer of Qi Refining. He can't be judged by common logic."

"I see Daoist Ye doesn't look panicked at all. He looks completely confident."

"Didn't you hear Daoist Ye? That world will has Void Return power, but it isn't a Cultivator. With Daoist Ye's strength, he should be able to deal with it."

"Let's keep watching. See, the three Seniors aren't worried, so what are we worrying about?"

"I'm more curious about what the Manifestation of Sentient Beings mentioned by Celestial Master Zhang is?"

"Illiterates, go read a book!!"

— Mount Mao

Ye Qingxuan's four Senior Brothers gathered together to watch the live stream.

Beside their feet, an unidentified object was twitching on the ground. Zooming in, it was none other than Ximo, that little devil pill. At this moment, he was clutching his rear and weeping silently. It hurt so much!!!

It turned out that while Ye Qingxuan was Cultivating in secluded meditation, Daoist Yuanxin had arranged a huge number of tasks. Because the Grand Ritual of Luotian was aimed at the entire cultivation world this time, as the host, the Shangqing Sect dared not be careless.

Especially the Sect Head's four Disciples. Just when they were extraordinarily busy, Ximo ran over with a panicked face and cried out, "Master!! Oh no!! Junior Martial Uncle is in danger!!!"

With a "boom", the four Cultivators at the middle-to-Late Stage of the Nascent Soul failed to control themselves, and their full Auras exploded. Had it not been for Yuanhui and Yuandan stepping in to block it, virtually everyone in the Shangqing Sect below the Golden Core Stage might have been shaken to death.

The four quickly restrained their pressure and sent their Divine Senses into the National Destiny Space, where they saw the world will with Void Return strength. Qingming, Qingyun, and Qingmo looked panicked. Power of the Void Return Stage?

In the end, Sister Qingling uttered a single line: "That's it?"

Qingling had felt it too; its Aura was only slightly stronger than the Ancestral Master's phantom image. As for strength? A mere world will, not even a Heavenly Dao—could it really be stronger than the Incarnation of a Golden Immortal almighty?

Qingxuan could exchange a few moves with the Ancestral Master even back in the Nascent Soul Stage and even gain an advantage. Now he had broken through to Soul Transformation and possessed a High Grade Spirit Treasure for protection—could he possibly lose?

After hearing Qingling's explanation, Qingming and the others glanced at each other and beat up Ximo with tacit understanding.

The last one to receive such treatment was Daoist Yuzhu. Ten years ago, after Qingling lost to Zhang Yuzhuo for the second time, she led several martial brothers to beat him up. They didn't bring Ye Qingxuan along that time, mainly fearing he wouldn't know his own strength. When Daoist Ye found out later, he felt a bit disappointed.

Shangqing Mount Mao had always had this tradition: fiercely protective, bringing out the elders when the youngsters get hit. Especially for someone like Qingling, the only female Disciple in the Sect Head's lineage, who was spoiled to the heavens.

Besides, Celestial Master Zhang and Daoist Yuanxin didn't care about such fooling around among juniors—it was just superficial injuries, so they let them be.

Qingling also sent a message to her Master, Yuanxin, informing him of Ye Qingxuan's true strength.

— National Destiny Space

Ye Qingxuan felt the intensity of the world will's Aura. Although it didn't belong to the same system and lacked the varied methods of a Cultivator, it had reached that realm after all, so he dared not be the least bit careless.

With a thought, a thousand-zhang Dharma Avatar appeared. The Manifestation of Dharma and Earth executed at the Soul Transformation Stage was already indistinguishable from a real person. Blending with the Dharma Avatar in an instant, he transformed into a cyan-gold giant standing between Heaven and Earth.

The Dharma Avatar's massive form continuously cast hand seals, executing the Nine Secrets to forcibly plunder the power of Heaven and Earth to augment himself.

"Boom!"

Ye Qingxuan's cyan-gold Dharma Avatar grew even more powerful in Aura, radiating a majestic presence that caused Heaven and Earth to roar.

By now, Ye Qingxuan's Aura had surpassed the limits of Soul Transformation, faintly touching the Bottleneck of Void Return.

"Outsider!!! Die!!!"

The world will grew even angrier. It felt its power weakening and knew it was this outsider's doing. It could not let him continue any further.

It waved its six arms, the runes on them lighting up as six beams of reddish-purple energy shot toward Ye Qingxuan.

Looking at the incoming energy, Ye Qingxuan calmly activated his Divine Ability, Heaven and Earth are Round and Square. The cyan-gold Dharma Avatar pointed one finger to the sky and one finger to the ground, an invisible forcefield enveloping Ye Qingxuan's body.

Upon contacting the forcefield, those beams of energy vanished without a trace in a bizarre manner. The world will was also stunned; each of those beams could easily obliterate that Mana Giant, yet they vanished strangely before even touching Ye Qingxuan.

It was like throwing a full-power punch into cotton.

Having absorbed the power launched at him, Ye Qingxuan felt his strength rise significantly, though he was still a hair's breadth away from breaking through that Bottleneck.

"Is this all you've got? It seems you're going to die here today!" This contemptuous and mocking tone drove the world will into absolute fury.

It had absorbed too much of humanity's essence, energy, and spirit, corrupting and twisting its divinity with humanity, almost as if hit by an intelligence-dampening Aura.

The world will lost its sanity, flinging all its energy wildly at Ye Qingxuan as if it cost nothing. Yet its wild barrage of energy attacks vanished strangely upon meeting the forcefield of Heaven and Earth are Round and Square, leaving the scene eerily quiet.

— Meanwhile, in a vast and boundless Great Realm

This was precisely the Upper Realm where the Ancestral Masters had ascended. The world Ye Qingxuan belonged to was a subordinate world of this Sole True Realm.

In the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the immortals watched the image of Ye Qingxuan battling the world will inside the Haotian Mirror. Seeing the Divine Ability "Heaven and Earth are Round and Square" in particular, they all looked at Ancestral Master Gu Changsheng with teasing eyes, their gazes full of deep meaning.

Gu Changsheng felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gazes and silently shrank behind his own Ancestral Master.

— National Destiny Space

Ye Qingxuan watched the world will's mindless barrage and felt his own power constantly surging, just one final step away from Void Return.

"Die!!!" the giant roared furiously.

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Everyone in the live broadcast room felt their ears were about to be deafened. Watching the giant's six arms suddenly spread wide, its entire body began to emit a dazzling light, and mysterious runes writhed on its arms. It was mobilizing all the energy in its body, and an even more powerful energy beam shot out from the giant's mouth.

"Boom!"

As this energy was absorbed by the force field, Ye Qingxuan felt his whole body lighten, as if he had entered another world. The entire world appeared distinct in his eyes, and he could clearly see the fluctuation of Heaven and Earth, with infinite Law filling the entire world.

Ye Qingxuan knew that he was merely borrowing the power of the giant's attack to briefly enter the Return to Void realm. Only his power had reached it, while his comprehension of the Law was lacking, but...

To deal with this mindless world will, it was enough!

With a clanging sound, the sound of the long sword being unsheathed came, and sword hums resounded continuously. His natal Flying Sword came out of its sheath, constantly spinning around the Manifestation, growing larger until it reached a size of several hundred zhang, and fell into the hands of the Manifestation.

Ye Qingxuan slowly raised the giant sword in his hand, held it horizontally in front of his chest, and made a thrusting motion. All the absorbed power completely fused into the sword.

"Boom, hum—"

An earth-shattering Sword Intent erupted, and the cangmang sword also let out a cheerful sword hum.

"Heart Sword Seven Styles—Rolling Waves!"

With a single sword strike, the giant sword thrust straight at the giant's head.

It mustered all its energy for defense, resisting with all its might, but the power of this sword strike by Ye Qingxuan had already reached the Return to Void stage.

"Dong!"

This sound was the cangmang sword striking its energy shield, resembling the sound of a struck bell.

However, the Rolling Waves sword style stacked power forward wave after wave like a tide. Before Ye Qingxuan's magical power was exhausted, the power would surge endlessly until one side was defeated.

"Ah—!"

In the end, the giant couldn't hold on first. After all, even the Ancestral Master's Golden Immortal Incarnation couldn't withstand it, let alone a world will?

With a cracking sound of "bang-crack", the giant's defensive shield was shattered by the continuously transmitted power from the sword, directly piercing its skull. Sword Qi containing Zhuxian Sword Intent rampaged inside its body.

"Boom!" The giant collapsed to the ground severely injured, the cangmang sword still stuck in its skull, countless Sword Qi drilling into its body.

Strike while the iron is hot, Ye Qingxuan did not hesitate. Taking advantage of the fact that this borrowed power had not yet dissipated, he quickly finished it off, otherwise it would be troublesome once it came to its senses.

The hands of the huge Manifestation formed seals incessantly. Lightning overflowed from the Manifestation's eyes, and countless bolts of lightning filled its entire body.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The sky was covered with dark clouds that kept rolling, and blue-white thunder continuously gathered within the dark clouds.

——Live Broadcast Room

"This is? Mastering the Five Thunders?!!"

Celestial Master Zhang stared wide-eyed as Ye Qingxuan's hands continuously formed seals. That majestic heavenly might, that unreachable divinity, and the countless bolts of thunder—was that not the Divine Ability—Mastering the Five Thunders?

Master Yuanxin glanced at Celestial Master Zhang. "Mastering the Five Thunders is a Tiangang Divine Ability. Right now, Qingxuan can only barely display a bit of its surface, but it's enough to eliminate this giant."

"Ever since the Ancestral Celestial Master ascended, this Divine Ability has been displayed by someone for the very first time!"

Master Kongming was also full of anticipation. This Divine Ability was one of the Tiangang Divine Abilities after all; he had only heard of its name but had never seen it.

Sister Qing looked over with some curiosity, and asked on behalf of the people in the live broadcast room: "Senior, is this Divine Ability very powerful?"

Celestial Master Zhang's tone was full of nostalgia: "Powerful? Back then, the Ancestral Celestial Master was only at the Body Integration Stage cultivation, yet with this Divine Ability, he eliminated a Mahayana Stage evil demon! If Grandmaster could have comprehended this Divine Ability back then, there wouldn't have been any need to sacrifice himself!"

"Alright, it's all in the past. Didn't Qingxuan already give you the Divine Ability? Just practice it yourself once your cultivation goes up." Master Yuanxin saw that Celestial Master Zhang was in a bad mood and comforted his old friend.

"Amitabha, Fellow Daoist Zhang, do not be overly saddened. What is past is past; you must still focus on the present." Seeing that his old friend was a bit off, Master Kongming also spoke to advise him.

Celestial Master Zhang didn't mind: "Alright, this poor Daoist was just feeling sentimental. Look how nervous the two of you got!"

Seeing Celestial Master Zhang's relaxed expression, Master Yuanxin and Master Kongming just smiled and shook their heads, worrying for nothing.

——Danmu Section

"Daoist Ye is awesome!!"

"Too strong! Soul Transformation defeating Return to Void strength, who else is there!!!"

"Heaven and Earth are Round and Square? Is this another Divine Ability created by Daoist Ye?"

"It should be. Also, Celestial Master Zhang said that Daoist Ye is displaying a major Divine Ability."

"It's Mastering the Five Thunders!"

——National Destiny Space

As the final hand seal was cast, Ye Qingxuan only felt that the magical power within his body was like a breached torrent. Within a single breath, his magical power was completely depleted, and the Manifestation also dissipated accordingly.

With the Supreme Dao Foundation coupled with Huandan Fa, as well as the tempering of the world's Origin, his own magical power was hardly inferior to a Return to Void Cultivator. Instantly, there was a feeling of being hollowed out, and a wave of dizziness struck, making Ye Qingxuan almost unable to stand steady.

"The consumption is this huge?"

Because it was his first time displaying it, he hadn't controlled the range well. Now, he himself was also within the range of the heavenly lightning's strike. But the heavenly lightning was about to fall immediately, and it was too late to take medicine again. He used his Divine Sense to summon Xiao Jiu out of his ring.

"Meow, Daoist? Hiss-ha!!" As soon as Xiao Jiu came out, it started hissing and panting, because the oppressive feeling of the heavenly lightning was too heavy.

"There's no time to talk, I have no magical power left, take me away quickly!"

Hearing this, Xiao Jiu grew larger directly, carrying Ye Qingxuan and turning into a golden light to fly away into the distance. The cangmang sword also emerged from the giant's head and flew away following Ye Qingxuan. At first glance, one would think Ye Qingxuan was riding a tiger while being chased by a Flying Sword.

Ye Qingxuan took out a jade bottle and poured Rejuvenation Pills into his mouth as if they were free. These were all given to him by Qingling. The Rejuvenation Pill was a Medium Grade Spirit Pill that could restore seventy percent of a Nascent Soul Cultivator's magical power, but for Ye Qingxuan who was now at the Soul Transformation Stage, it was just a drop in the bucket.

A bottle of Medicinal Pills went down his stomach, yet it only restored half of his magical power, but it was enough for what came next.

The world will also wanted to run, but a huge sense of danger came from the sky—that was a will from the void that had already locked onto it.

"Boom, crack, crack!" A bolt of heavenly lightning carrying a destructive will directly submerged it.

Ye Qingxuan, a thousand miles away, only heard the painful wails of the world will. He paid no attention to it and concentrated on holding Top-Grade Spirit Stones to recover his magical power.

Xiao Jiu was so frightened that it lay flat on the ground, hugging its head with its two paws and trembling. Heaven knows how much courage it had mustered just now to carry Ye Qingxuan and run away.

After thirty-six bolts of heavenly lightning, the thunder clouds dispersed, and Ye Qingxuan's magical power had also recovered seven or eight out of ten.

Holding the kitten, Ye Qingxuan flashed into the deep pit split open by the heavenly lightning. Looking around, this deep pit was several hundred miles in radius. Right now, Ye Qingxuan was only glad that he had brought Xiao Jiu along, otherwise he would have been struck together by the heavenly lightning he summoned.

As for the world will's huge body, it had already vanished, leaving behind only a dark blue world Origin with a diameter of over a meter in place.

Ye Qingxuan's magical power transformed into a large hand, grabbing the world Origin, only to find that there were two consciousnesses inside: one chaotic and berserk, the other vast and majestic.

At this moment, messages came from the two consciousnesses.

"Outsider, help me!!!"

"Damned outsider, I won't let you off!!"

——Live Broadcast Room

"I see!" Master Yuanxin wore a look of realization.

"No wonder!" Celestial Master Zhang wore the same expression.

"Amitabha, well said, well said." Master Kongming heaved a sigh of relief.

Sister Qing: "..." This makes me look so dumb!

The live broadcast room had bullet comments flying everywhere, with a bunch of curious babies asking questions. This time, Master Yuanxin and the others answered directly.

"You know what multiple personality disorder is, right? That world will is pretty much the same. It probably thought about separating when its selfish desires were born, but failed, and was ultimately suppressed by its selfish desires. Now, taking advantage of the selfish desires being severely injured by Qingxuan, it wants to recapture control."

Master Yuanxin used common sense to make an analogy, and everyone suddenly understood.

"This time, Immortal Master Qingxuan won't have to carry the Karma of killing the world will."

Master Kongming also relaxed. From the moment the world will appeared, he knew that wanting to complete the mission meant killing the world will. The grade of the Karma Magic Treasure was too low; cutting the Origin was fine, but if he truly killed it, the Karma of a great world was something the current Ye Qingxuan could not shoulder.

"Not only that, this time Qingxuan is estimated to harvest quite a bit of world Origin!" Celestial Master Zhang also understood Ye Qingxuan's personality; it was impossible for him to help for free, and he would definitely tear a piece of flesh off it.

"Wait and see!" Master Yuanxin said with a chuckle.

——Danmu Section

"Holy cow, world wills can also undergo mental decomposition? I've learned something new."

"Daoist Ye doesn't have to carry Karma anymore!"

"I'm more curious about how many rewards there will be this time?"

"Just wait, it's ending right away anyway."

——National Destiny Space

"You are the original world will? Looks like you messed up big time." Ye Qingxuan watched with great interest as the two consciousnesses fought for the Origin.