Chapter Thirty-Three: An Omen

At first, the radiance was merely a patch of brilliant golden light, but as it rose, it gradually deepened into a vivid crimson, illuminating a radius of thirty feet in dazzling clarity.

“So hot, so hot!”

Tu Mountain Ge hurriedly leaped back several steps, then retreated another thirty feet before finally stopping.

“What’s going on here? Why is it so scorching?”

He wiped the sweat from his brow, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement. When enveloped by that red glow, he felt as if he were plunged into the sweltering heat of midsummer—each breath he drew was filled with burning air, searing his heart with restlessness.

“No, no, something’s wrong!”

Soon, Tu Mountain Ge sensed something amiss and shuddered in alarm. Despite the unbearable heat, the chilly frost still hung from the stone gate of the cave residence, untouched and unmelted.

“Am I losing my mind?”

He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stepped back into the red light, but before long, he jumped out crying, as if his tail had caught fire.

And this was only the beginning—

To his astonishment, the crimson light gradually shifted to a brilliant white, and within that thirty-foot radius, the air grew chillingly cold, biting to the bone.

Blue, purple, silver, black, gold, blue, green, orange… All manners of colored lights cycled in succession, as if within this small world, chaos was returning, the primal forces of creation separating once more into pure and impure, light and dark.

Now cold, now hot; now radiant, now dim; now generative, now forbidden; now present, now illusory.

Boundless and indistinguishable, the origins of all things seemed to intertwine…

Tu Mountain Ge was thoroughly entranced, utterly absorbed. Never before had he witnessed such phenomena during a cultivator’s breakthrough in refining vital energy.

Even the previous master, who achieved Foundation Establishment with the eighth-tier superior “Cavern Spirit Primordial Fiend,” had done little more than draw in the fiendish energies of the four directions and sever a swath of autumn leaves from the mountainside.

But compared to this scene, which seemed to echo the very dissolution and formation of the void, that was truly the work of a minor adept before a great one.

“What tier of energy refinement technique is the master practicing? So majestic, so astonishing! And he claims to have no family background—such a background must reach the heavens themselves!”

The thought filled Tu Mountain Ge with urgency. “If the master won’t speak to me plainly, perhaps it’s because he doesn’t yet consider me one of his own foxes… I must work even harder, show him my worth, and make him see my value!”

In the midst of his wandering thoughts—

All those countless colors converged into a single “white”—a void hue, yet all-encompassing, as if embracing and ruling over every transformation.

Before Tu Mountain Ge could react to this sudden change, there came a thunderous roar.

The spiritual energies of the void surged into chaos!

…

Within the quiet chamber of the cave residence.

Chen Heng calmed his mind and pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, focusing on two tasks at once. He circulated embryonic breath into both eyes: in his left, visualizing the golden-red essence of the sun; in his right, the yellow-red essence of the lunar shadow. Step by step, he merged the qualities of sun and moon, storing them within the “Purple Essence Palace.”

This was the “Union of Twin Truths, Command of a Hundred Spirits,” as recorded in the “Supreme Genesis Scripture as Expounded by the Divine Master of the Celestial Pavilion.”

Following the key points of the energy refinement technique, Chen Heng carefully fused the two visualizations into the intangible “Purple Essence Palace.” He dared not grow careless—one misstep, and an imbalance between sun and moon would ruin all his efforts.

It was an exhausting task.

Chen Heng had rehearsed it countless times within the Realm of True Law, and only with this thorough preparation did he manage to avoid any error.

Once the “Purple Essence Palace” was filled with the sun and moon essence, he felt a powerful jolt at the back of his head, as if struck by a jade hammer. His mind clouded, and for a moment, he could see nothing.

An indescribable darkness engulfed him. Gradually, a dreadful sense of annihilation and terror grew unchecked, threatening to drive him mad. Yet Chen Heng simply guarded his spirit, maintaining calm and focus, unshaken.

He did not know how long the darkness lasted—perhaps a few breaths, perhaps years. Though he had experienced it countless times within the Realm of True Law, it was still hard to endure. Then, suddenly, a blinding light cleaved the chaos, as if a great axe had split open the undifferentiated heavens and earth!

Immortal melodies circled, strange fragrances filled the air, countless golden flowers rained down in the void. Faintly, he saw armored deities riding dragons and phoenixes, and myriad celestial maidens of exquisite beauty, reaching out to guide him into a heavenly palace.

At that moment, a frail stream of energy arose below his navel… flickering, minuscule, as if a candle about to be snuffed by the wind.

“Divine visions may be wondrous, but they are mere illusions—how could they disturb my Dao heart?”

Chen Heng smiled faintly.

He knew these were merely obstacles of the mind. If he allowed himself to be distracted by such scenes, his spirit would falter, and the nascent energy within would instantly collapse, rendering his efforts in vain.

Thus, he ignored the deities and celestial maidens, focusing entirely on nurturing the newborn energy current, guiding it through every acupoint in his body. Each time it passed, the acupoint would tremble, sounding a thunderous note and lighting up with spiritual radiance.

In this way, by the time Chen Heng had guided the current through half his acupoints, half his body gleamed brightly, making him resemble a being of multicolored light.

When the current had swept through every acupoint, his whole body shone with radiant light, draped in divine brilliance, a harmonious blend of all hues.

The once frail, flickering energy had now transformed—robust and unending.

“The Bridge of Heaven and Earth has appeared; the refinement is complete!”

Sensing the change in detail, Chen Heng let out a quiet sigh. Following the key point of the technique, he willed the long energy current to shatter within him.

Boom!

Countless streams of energy flooded into his flesh and bones, and the light on his body dimmed, as if forming a giant silken cocoon that enveloped him.

He was suffused with a sublime tranquility, as if soaking in a warm bath on a winter day. Lost in a pleasant daze, Chen Heng forgot where he was or what he was doing, moving through the remainder of the method on instinct alone.

He did not know how much time passed, but eventually his body emitted a resonant chime of gold and jade, again and again.

After the ninth sound, all the colors on his body transformed into a single ring of pure white light, faintly encircling him, no longer glowing fiercely.

In that instant, Chen Heng felt as if a heavy shackle had been lifted; inside and out, he was utterly at ease.

The sensation of lightness shocked him awake.

“It’s done… the refinement is complete.”

There, Chen Heng slowly opened his eyes.

This time, his gaze was no longer piercing, but deep and unfathomable, like an ancient well or bottomless pool.

The embryonic breath he had expended in his battle with Tong Yi was now not only fully restored but increased severalfold, coursing through his veins with the roar of surging rivers, filling the quiet chamber deep within the mountain with overwhelming vitality.

“Come.”

He reached out his hand, and in the void, countless streams of spiritual energy erupted and rushed toward him!