Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Sun

The "Nine Yang Holy Water" is a supreme treasure refined by masters of the Empyrean Realm who utilize immense nether-energy to capture the pure, blazing yang spiritual Qi of the universe. It is capable of dissolving all impurities, gentleness, demonic nature, and ghostly aura. It is exceedingly precious and exceptionally rare. Any nether-artifact contaminated with Nine Yang Holy Water, once refined, will transform into a pure yang magical treasure.

However, supreme demonic treasures like the "White Emperor Glazed Tripod" are heavily laden with demonic nature. Contamination with Nine Yang Holy Water causes a fusion of the immortal and the demonic, temporarily neutralizing its spiritual efficacy, causing all the grand arrays within it to cease functioning.

Nevertheless, this is a portent of the unification of immortality and demonry. A master of the True Nether Realm need only come forward to condense this magical artifact, and it will immediately transform into pure yang, its power surging drastically to become a Dao-artifact of peerless might.

In the art of artifact refining, this is known as "Enlightening Transformation."

Naturally, "enlightening" a demonic supreme treasure like the White Emperor Glazed Tripod requires consuming a massive quantity of Nine Yang Holy Water. Every single drop of Nine Yang Holy Water is infinitely precious, painstakingly refined by masters of the Empyrean Realm. Even inner sect disciples who have reached the ninth stage of the Void Nether Realm, such as Lei Peng of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce, can only possess a single gourd of "Six Yang Holy Water" to assist in their cultivation; obtaining "Nine Yang Holy Water" is simply out of the question.

Yet now, "Liu Xiayuan" had unexpectedly produced an entire alms bowl of Nine Yang Holy Water. Furthermore, this bowl was clearly like a hundred-treasure pouch, capable of holding a vast amount of holy water—definitely far more than just a single bowlful.

This was because Liu Xiayuan had sent the alms bowl flying above the King's Tripod and tilted it slightly, causing the holy water to pour down in a torrent, completely enveloping the King's Tripod and seeping inward, appearing as if it were inexhaustible.

If a practitioner of nether-energy were to acquire even a single drop of Nine Yang Holy Water, they could use it to refine pills or magical treasures with phenomenal efficacy. Now, with such a massive volume of holy water pouring down directly, only Liu Xiayuan, a chief inner sect disciple, could possibly pull off such a feat.

When Jiang Feng laid eyes on this Nine Yang Holy Water, he could not help but be dumbfounded. The attire of these individuals had seemed quite shabby; he had never expected that beneath such a destitute exterior, they actually possessed a water source of such supreme quality!

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss...

The Nine Yang Holy Water truly possessed boundless might. The moment it permeated the protective grand array of the King's Tripod, it immediately began to take effect, weakening the "White Emperor Blood Light." The originally crystalline, transparent, ruby-like White Emperor Glazed Tripod also began to shift through a kaleidoscope of unstable colors, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

"Humph! I am well aware of the demonic nature of this White Emperor Glazed Tripod! The grand arrays guarding the tripod are known as the White Emperor Blood Array, the White Emperor Condensed Array, and the White Emperor Profound Array. The blood light they emit provides formidable defense. If the pills inside were abundant, it would take me a whole year to refine it. Now, by suppressing its demonic nature with Nine Yang Holy Water, this is something you could never have anticipated!"

Seeing the layers of blood light being continually worn away, Liu Xiayuan’s cold, sinister voice resonated directly inside the King’s Tripod, intended to shatter the willpower of Jiang Feng and his companions.

However, Jiang Feng inside the King’s Tripod displayed a completely different demeanor.

In particular, "Jue," that nether-sage, laughed maniacally as he heavily slapped his own head with both hands: "Nine Yang Holy Water! Nine Yang Holy Water! The treasure of my dreams! As long as I can consume it in large quantities, I can recover my nether-energy! Once my nether-energy is restored, I will be able to unleash the wondrous functions of the Yellow Springs Diagram! This fellow is bringing about his own destruction; heaven spares not the self-doomed. Jiang Feng, with the Nine Yang Holy Water, you can truly dissolve the fragment of the Immortal World’s Holy Tree into a sapling, elevating your Wood Emperor Nether-Energy to an unprecedented realm!"

"I shall try!"

Jiang Feng could acutely feel the grand array of the King's Tripod being continuously weakened. The seeping Nine Yang Holy Water had actually begun to merge with the demonic nature of the tripod's array, possessing truly miraculous efficacy. If things continued this way, the King's Tripod would sooner or later lose its function and be completely refined, leaving him with no burial place.

Hearing Jue’s words, he also wanted to use his own nether-energy to intercept the invasion of the Nine Yang Holy Water.

Yet, the moment he made the slightest contact with the Nine Yang Holy Water, his own nether-energy felt as though it were about to catch fire. The flames burned along his nether-energy, and a thin layer of fire-glow actually erupted across his body, as if attempting to refine him into oblivion.

This Nine Yang Holy Water was so fierce, so pure yang to the extreme!

It was simply untouchable.

Upon seeing this spectacle, Jue immediately waved both hands, shooting out nether-soul energy to wrap tightly around Jiang Feng from top to bottom, extinguishing the flames!

"Acting like this is practically courting death. Every single drop of Nine Yang Holy Water is equivalent to a pure yang magical treasure. Even Empyrean Realm practitioners must utilize other medicinal properties to refine it into pills, neutralizing the blazing yang Qi, before they can consume it. Ingesting it directly will ignite all your nether-energy, which is equivalent to the 'Fire Tribulation' among the three stages of the True Nether Realm's wind and fire tribulations—only nether-soul energy can restrain it! Watch me, and see how I intercept this Nine Yang Holy Water and turn it to our own use."

While speaking, Jue let out a shout and spat out a string of bizarre syllables. Layers of nether-soul energy transformed into a mist that permeated the protective grand array of the King's Tripod.

Immediately thereafter, droplets of liquid that appeared simultaneously like water and fire could be seen drifting along with the mist. With a fierce inhalation from Jue, a large majority of them were drawn into his body. Instantly, his form expanded like a blown-up balloon, making his entire physical vessel appear much more vibrant and agile, while his nether-energy surged considerably.

"Quick, quick, quick! Take the remaining Nine Yang Holy Water! Temper your fragment of the Immortal World’s Holy Tree. To be honest, I don't care for any magical treasure on your person, including the White Emperor Glazed Tripod—only this fragment. I know its potential is immense; never attempt to merge it directly into your nether-energy, or you will invite fire upon yourself."

Jue pointed toward the remaining Nine Yang Holy Water and spoke.

"Very well!"

Jiang Feng waved his hand, immediately taking out the fragment of the "Immortal World's Holy Tree" and letting the drops of Nine Yang Holy Water fall upon it.

Sure enough, the fragment had previously sprouted buds, but they had never grown much. However, the moment they came into contact with the Nine Yang Holy Water, those buds immediately began to swell in size.

With every single drop it absorbed, the buds grew a fraction larger, and the fragment underwent a metamorphosis, as if beginning to grow roots and truly transform into a sapling.

Just like that, a continuous stream of Nine Yang Holy Water was "stolen" away by Jue!

"Hmm?"

Liu Xiayuan, who was outside continuously driving his nether-energy to refine the King's Tripod, also seemed to sense something, though he failed to pinpoint the exact clues: "Could it be that the Nine Yang Holy Water has permeated the grand array and merged with the demonic nature? Regardless, I cannot pause at this moment. I must strike while the iron is hot and refine this person in one go! If I cannot even deal with a mere criminal from Jiuyan Town, how am I to establish a foothold in the Samsara Sea?"

Thinking thus, Liu Xiayuan intensified his nether-energy, driving even more Nine Yang Holy Water to seep inward.

Consequently, another massive quantity of holy water was stolen away by Jue once again. Without a doubt, the one who benefited the most this time was Jue, who could rely on the Nine Yang Holy Water to continually recover his original strength.

He was different from Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng had now cultivated the True Nether Realm's nether-energy, but for his cultivation realm to advance to the "True Nether Realm," no matter how many pills he consumed or how much wood-Qi he absorbed, he could not break through.

This was because comprehending a breakthrough in cultivation realm required a breakthrough in spirit and mind—it relied entirely on "enlightenment"; material resources could no longer pile their way through.

As for Jue, his original cultivation realm was already high enough; what he lacked now was pure yang breath. By absorbing a massive amount of pure yang breath, everything would fall naturally into place.

In truth, Jue had never been of much use in combat previously simply because his strength was far too weak. Otherwise, a nether-sage would definitely not possess only this meager utility; every single nether-sage was an earth-shattering existence. That "White Emperor Glazed Tripod" was merely a nether-artifact left behind by the Great Demon White Emperor, yet it was already this ferocious. But compared to a nether-sage, the White Emperor Glazed Tripod was like a mortal weapon compared to true nether-energy.

Time slowly elapsed.

Drop by drop, the Nine Yang Holy Water was continuously purloined in broad daylight.

Jiang Feng simply sat cross-legged on the ground with the fragment of the Immortal World's Holy Tree suspended above his head, letting the Nine Yang Holy Water drip onto it unceasingly. He could sense that every time a drop of holy water was consumed by the fragment, the fragment would release a strange wood-Qi. This wood-Qi was chaotic in color rather than green, yet it was the primal ancestor of all wood.

Jiang Feng absorbed this wood-Qi of the "primal ancestor of all wood," and instantly his nether-energy underwent another transformation. Every single wisp of the Wood Emperor Nether-Energy began to display a surging, resolute, and expansive power.

As wisps of nether-energy frictioned against one another, thunderous explosions echoed as they continuously grew stronger, growing ever stronger.

Hour after hour ticked away.

Jiang Feng's nether-energy grew stronger and stronger. The "Immortal World's Holy Tree" was the premier miraculous tree between heaven and earth; the wood-spiritual Qi it contained was the progenitor of all wood. Anyone cultivating wood-type divine abilities would reap immeasurable benefits from obtaining even a fraction of it. Although Jiang Feng had now cultivated nether-energy, he was still very far from reaching the zenith of nether-energy accomplishment.

Under normal circumstances, he would have had to spend at least ten years traveling east and west, absorbing the precious wood spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to supplement his nether-energy, bringing it to perfection and flawless completion before he could even begin to comprehend the transformations of yin and yang.

His nether-energy at present was like a weak child that needed to be slowly nurtured before it could grow and mature.

However, upon obtaining the spiritual Qi of the "Immortal World's Holy Tree," Jiang Feng's nether-energy reached completion almost instantaneously! It spared him several years of arduous toil! His nether-energy had transformed from a child into a robust, muscular giant in the blink of an eye!

Creak, creak!

The slightest friction between each wisp of nether-energy generated massive amounts of heat and fire-glow!

Having attained the nether-energy realm of the True Nether Realm, flight alone could break the sound barrier, coming and going like lightning and moving swift as a phantom. Jiang Feng could now achieve this without the slightest effort.

A single wisp of his nether-energy was equivalent to a supreme flying sword. If one were to pit a supreme nether-artifact like the "Nine- 曲-Linked Ring Saber" against a wisp of Jiang Feng's nether-energy, the "Nine-曲-Linked Ring Saber" would undoubtedly be smashed into fine powder.

This was because Jiang Feng's "Wood Emperor Nether-Energy" was no longer a pure mystic technique of the profound heaven, but an even more advanced nether-energy, vastly superior to the original Wood Emperor Nether-Energy.

On the fragment of the "Immortal World's Holy Tree," buds were now bursting forth everywhere.

Buds sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, continuing to shoot upward, sprout, branch out, and even grow leaves.

Swish, swish... The wooden fragments and debris had completely transformed, turning into a miniature tree.

A bizarre, wondrous miniature tree!

This miniature tree was exceedingly strange; its roots were firmly anchored into the void, as if sucking nutrients from the boundless, endless void. Its leaves were oval-shaped, with veins resembling runes. The veins on every single leaf were entirely distinct, appearing like individual pages of heavenly script.

The branches and leaves swayed incessantly.

At the very moment it finally morphed into a miniature tree, the roots plunging into the void emitted an infinitely powerful suction force, which actually extended outside the King's Tripod.

Crack!

Above Liu Xiayuan's alms bowl containing the Nine Yang Holy Water, the void suddenly fractured, and a root pierced out, plunging directly into the bowl. Instantly, a massive amount of holy water within the bowl was sucked away.

"What is that!"

Liu Xiayuan was taken aback, leaping up in sheer terror.