Chapter 986: Chapter 425: Spirit Worm’s Breakthrough; Vital Energy Breakthrough 2

Fourth Rank Middle Grade Spirit Worm, if this gets out, it will surely shock everyone.

After all, the difficulty of cultivating Spirit Worms is well-known.

However, Xu Ping managed to cultivate it, and she somehow felt it was natural.

"I’ve prepared so many realm breakthrough items for it, if it still fails, its future won’t be very promising."

Xu Ping laughed heartily, quite pleased with Duan Shuang’s admiration.

...

One month later.

The Spirit Worm had completely stabilized its Fourth Rank Middle Grade cultivation and officially emerged.

At this moment, its size seemed to have reduced a bit but was more refined, entirely dark gold, like divine gold cast, emitting demonic power that felt as heavy as a mountain, with a qualitative leap in its perception and control over earth veins.

Xu Ping summoned it to test its divine techniques.

The Spirit Worm casually twisted its body and could induce earth energy within dozens of miles, forming solid defenses or furious attacks within the array.

It could even temporarily burrow into deeper earth veins at an extremely fast speed.

Most importantly, was its ability to nourish the spirit vein of Blood Bone Island.

"Master,"

The Spirit Worm excitedly conveyed its thoughts, "With the current ability of small worm, even without additional spirit vein segments to assist, by fully nourishing and guiding, I am absolutely confident that in at most over thirty years, I can upgrade Blood Bone Island’s spirit vein to Fourth Rank Upper Grade!"

"Very good."

Hearing this, Xu Ping finally displayed an uncontrollable satisfied smile.

Over thirty years, a bit longer than it took him to reach the peak of Mid-stage Nascent Soul.

But this doesn’t matter.

Breaking through the later stage requires some preparation, during which he can afford the wait.

Xu Ping lightly patted the Spirit Worm’s now iron-hard skin, praised, "It’s worth my immense effort and resources to assist your breakthrough."

"Next, focus on nourishing the spirit vein, and when the spirit vein advances, I’ll also benefit when I break through to Late-stage Nascent Soul!"

"Thank you, Master!"

The Spirit Worm burrowed underground, starting to nourish the spirit vein.

In the following days, Xu Ping could clearly feel the improvement in spirit vein quality.

Though very weak, it was indeed improving.

And the Spiritual Qi of Blood Bone Island also began to increase slowly.

....

Time flies, three years quietly passed amidst the deceptive waves of the outer sea.

On this day, in the eastern outer sea, a massive cluster of islands, surrounded by dozens of small and large isles, shimmered like scattered jewels in the cyan-blue sea.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here far surpassed ordinary sea areas, with immortal mountains standing on the island, pavilions and towers appearing among the mist, adorned by waterfalls and springs, indeed presenting an ethereal landscape.

This place is where the Star Palace’s gate is located.

The Star Palace occupies an extensive island region, with continuous buildings and a thriving scene of disciples coming and going.

Its overall power seems to be slightly stronger than that of the Mystic Water Sect.

However, unknown to anyone, beneath this peaceful facade, a crisis capable of overturning the Star Palace’s fate is quietly unfolding at its core.

Deep within Star Palace, in a cave mansion listed as forbidden, where Spiritual Qi is most abundant.

Here was originally the secluded retreat of Star Palace’s sole Late-stage Nascent Soul patriarch, Ma Jin, guarded daily by numerous restrictions, with any idle persons unable to get close.

But at this moment, the cave mansion’s interior was not as quiet as usual.

Biting cold winds arose from nowhere, enveloping every inch of the cave mansion, isolating it from external auras and sealing all fighting noises within.

"Poof!"

A muffled spray of blood sounded.

In the cave’s center, a thin old man dressed in a cloud-patterned robe, his face pale as paper, staggered backwards, with a black palm print on his chest emitting corrosive demonic qi.

He was the pillar of Star Palace, Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator Ma Jin. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ma Jin’s aura was in decline, blood constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth, and his eyes once sharp, now filled with shock, anger, and a deep sense of despair.

He stared at the three figures standing shoulder to shoulder ahead, hoarsely growling, "Xuanmo, you... you dare collude with people from Star Palace and betray the fellow cultivators of the outer sea!"

The three people facing him had auras vast as the sea, each an elite among Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

The one on the left, surrounded by swirling demonic qi, was none other than the giant of the outer sea’s demonic path, Xuanmo True Monarch.

The other two, though not wearing Star Palace’s standard attire, had distinct fluctuations of Star Power and an imperious demeanor clearly showing they were top cultivators from Star Palace.

What further filled Ma Jin with helplessness was that each of these three held a treasure emitting spatial fluctuations, with two reaching the level of Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures.

These two spatial-type Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures completely sealed the cave mansion, leaving him, a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, with hardly any chance to escape, nor even to cause a major commotion.

This absolute suppression caused unprecedented despair and helplessness to rise within him.

Xuanmo True Monarch looked at Ma Jin’s miserable state, laughed sinisterly, and slightly restraining his demonic qi, mockingly sighed, "Daoist Ma, why so stubborn? A desperate resistance leads only to annihilation."

"If you relax your mind, allowing me to plant a restriction in your sea of consciousness and submit to Star Palace, you’ll preserve your life and remain a patriarch in the future. Isn’t that wonderful?"

"Plant a restriction in the sea of consciousness?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Jin’s face instantly turned extremely sour, as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

That would mean handing his life completely to another, an utter disgrace for a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator of his caliber who commands respect and authority.