Piercing the Heaven and Earth Bridge, one achieves an Undying Body!

To advance to the Blood-Stained Realm, an Initiate Realm cultivator must allow their soul to traverse the spine's Heaven and Earth Bridge and take hold of the Ancestral Aperture between the eyebrows. In doing so, they can use the Ancestral Aperture to draw upon the Cosmic Divine Power to refine the spine and change the very nature of blood creation, transforming Mortal Blood into Dao Blood, thus completing a leap in the essence of life.

Generally speaking, after Initiate Realm cultivators survive their Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence, they still need a period to convert all the calamitous Qi within their bodies into Xuanhuang Qi. Melding this with the Gang Qi of Heaven within them, they can then pierce the Heaven and Earth Bridge. This period is determined by the scale of the Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence faced. The smaller the calamity sequence, the longer the time needed. The larger the calamity sequence, the shorter the time required.

Take Gan Xingba, for instance. His Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence was the least dangerous—a Heart Tribulation. Even after surviving it, he needed thirty years of secluded cultivation before he could fully integrate his experiences and achieve the Blood-Stained Realm. Ge Ping, because he had faced the perilous Life Tribulation, reached the Blood-Stained Realm merely three to five years after his ordeal.

As for Qi Xiu's Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence, its difficulty was on an entirely different dimension compared to the other two. His tribulation seemed to be simply killing Li Tan. But in reality, this Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence was a series of linked tribulations. It began the moment he set foot into the An'ning Holy Nation. The calamity sequence had, in fact, already commenced.

Slaughtering the Evil City, rescuing those pitiable living beings who were enslaved and exploited.

Then, offering his body as fuel, he incited Evil Slaying from all directions, destabilizing the An'ning Holy Nation.

Storming into the Main Altar alone, he overpowered the Golden Flower Sect Leader!

Ultimately, he vanquished her and destroyed the incarnate vessel of the Golden Flower Old Mother.

Any other Initiate Realm cultivator facing any single one of these steps would have met a dead end. Yet Qi Xiu, alone, had forcibly carved his way through these successive calamities, culminating in slaying Li Tan within his Sea of Consciousness.

And after such an arduous series of tribulations, where nearly every step was designed to be fatal for the Tribulation Crosser, the resulting boon was immensely powerful!

Firstly, there was an abundance of Xuanhuang Qi, enough for Qi Xiu to instantly achieve the Blood-Stained Realm!

Sensing the majestic bridge within his spine growing increasingly consolidated, inspiration struck Qi Xiu. With a light stomp of his foot, he immediately separated from the state of spirit-flesh unity.

The state of spirit-flesh unity vanished.

The three hundred and sixty-five Hunyuan black holes suspended above his Sea of Consciousness instantly dissipated. The ability for the soul to wield physical Dharma Gates stemmed from spirit-flesh unity, the spirit and self becoming one. Qi Xiu had voluntarily exited this state, and thus, he could no longer call upon the strength of his physical body.

To achieve an undying state on the spot? Quite interesting.

Her fingertips gently caressed her lips, and the purple-haired woman's eyes showed an increasing flicker of amusement. "You have the protection of Human Path Merit safeguarding your soul, so this mere wisp of my will indeed cannot touch you," she said, her lips curving. "However, the methods of us Heart Demons are not limited to merely harming others, you know~"

Her fair, slender arms slowly stretched out, her purple eyes surging with a violet luminescence, like two great suns radiating a dazzling brilliance. The next moment, she reached out and, with a light scoop, plucked something from an unknown corner of Qi Xiu's Sea of Consciousness. It was a golden, sparkling flower stamen, exuding wisps of a divine aura, from which faintly emanated the chanting of the Great Dao.

This was the mark of the Golden Flower Old Mother!

Although Qi Xiu had completely absorbed Li Tan's soul, Li Tan's soul had been eroded by the Golden Flower Old Mother for so many years that it had long been deeply imprinted with her mark. Otherwise, the Golden Flower Old Mother's likeness would not have appeared on Li Tan's face. After Li Tan's soul was destroyed, the Golden Flower Old Mother's mark had quietly hidden itself in a corner of Qi Xiu's Sea of Consciousness.

The imprint of an Outer Realm Evil God. Even Qi Xiu had failed to notice it for a time. Yet now, this purple-haired woman had plucked it out with a single gesture.

Cradling this golden flower with its profound Qi workings in her palm, the purple-haired woman casually rubbed it. The golden stamen instantly transformed into countless tiny golden lights that surged towards Qi Xiu. As the golden light approached, the pillar of Human Path Merit protecting Qi Xiu's soul, surprisingly, did not obstruct it. Instead, it allowed the golden light to slowly envelop Qi Xiu's soul, like a splendid, radiant rain of light. Finally, it gathered beneath his feet, forming a Grade Three Golden Lotus Platform.

"The seeds of karma have been sown today. My dear, we shall meet again."

Winking flirtatiously at Qi Xiu, the purple-haired woman's figure slowly faded, eventually disappearing completely from Qi Xiu's Sea of Consciousness.

She is indeed a formidable opponent…

Gazing at the spot where the purple-haired woman had vanished, Qi Xiu lowered his eyes to the Golden Lotus Platform beneath his feet. This platform, created from the mark of the Golden Flower Old Mother—an Outer Realm Evil God—was the purple-haired woman's gentle parting blow. The Golden Lotus Platform contained divine wonders. It could help him become immune to all Conversion-type Divine Marvels below the Primordial Spirit Realm. And it could allow his soul to evade death three times!

These two seemingly simple divine boons were, in fact, what countless Blood-Stained Realm cultivators dreamed of. The Blood-Stained Realm was also known as the Undying Realm. At this stage, as long as one's Dao Blood was not depleted, the physical body could continuously recover. The only weak point was the soul within the Ancestral Aperture. Therefore, the cultivation burden for great cultivators of the Blood-Stained Realm was almost a hundred times greater than that of the Dao-Entering Realm. This was because they not only had to cultivate their own True Yuan Dharma Gates but also had to command the Ancestral Aperture to draw upon the Cosmic Divine Power to create Dao Blood. Simultaneously, they had to exhaust all possible methods to temper their souls, striving to minimize this fatal vulnerability.

The Golden Lotus Platform gifted to Qi Xiu by the Heart Demoness before she left could not only help him become immune to the Conversion Dharma Gates most dreaded by Blood-Stained Realm cultivators but also possessed the efficacy of allowing his soul to escape death three times. It was truly a monumental gift.

Karma, huh... Gazing at the Golden Lotus Platform beneath his feet, under the protection of the Human Path Merit, Qi Xiu could faintly sense an invisible and intangible Silken Thread wrapped around him. This Silken Thread was endlessly long, stretching into the unfathomable distance, towards some unknown place. Although he was still unclear about the specific nature of this karma, through this mysterious Silken Thread, Qi Xiu had a premonition that he would definitely meet this Heart Demoness again. However, their relationship then would likely not be as tranquil as it was this time.

With all uninvited guests cleared from his Sea of Consciousness, Qi Xiu heaved a long sigh of relief. He could finally properly complete this tribulation and advance to the Blood-Stained Realm.

But at this very moment, the danger he had sensed earlier, which had been steadily approaching, suddenly closed a vast distance in an instant. It had reached the Main Altar!

Not good!

Alarm bells screamed in his mind. Qi Xiu's figure instantly dissolved into a splash of water and vanished. The next instant, a pair of enormous hands violently tore through the void, slamming down hard on the spot Qi Xiu had just occupied!

BOOM!

The Cosmic Bi shattered. A colossal Daoist Spirit stepped forth. It possessed a dual-gendered manifestation—male on the left, female on the right—and held a golden flower and green vine. Its aura, as oppressive as a hell, radiated a terrifying killing intent that threatened to bury all living beings!

Her face an icy mask, the Golden Flower Old Mother, who had seized Cao Zhen's body, swept her gaze around. On the empty altar, there was no longer any sign of Li Tan.

Her incarnate vessel was gone!

"Scoundrel, I shall kill you!"

The Golden Flower Old Mother clenched her fists, boundless rage sweeping through the Nine Heavens and the Netherworld, like the sky collapsing and the earth sundering, unleashing mountainous waves. For this plan of descent, she had paid a tremendous price. Decades of insidious influence and proselytizing were but the most trivial of ploys. What truly grieved her was the measure she took to evade the surveillance of Heaven's Will: she had been forced to sever a third of her true form and offer it as a sacrifice, merely to allow this wisp of her will to descend into this world.

But now, the incarnate vessel was lost. The "temporary residence permit" she had obtained by severing her true form was also about to expire. All her previous efforts had gone down the drain, turning into mere bubbles. How could she not be enraged, not be resentful, not be filled with hatred!

"Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I will make you pay the price!"

Commanding the Daoist Spirit, she forcefully smashed through the Cosmic Bi. The Golden Flower Old Mother roared to the heavens and furiously gave chase.

「Shortly thereafter.」

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—

One hundred miles from the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Main Altar, Qi Xiu, who had just employed an escape art, had barely managed to catch his breath when the Universe Space behind him seemed to be struck by a colossal primordial beast, suddenly erupting with countless fissures.

Has she caught up already?

His expression shifted slightly. Qi Xiu transformed into a fierce streak of Lei Mang, instantly breaking through the air and fleeing. His situation was dire; he couldn't afford to worry about concealment now!

BANG!

The void of the Cosmic Bi shattered. Two pairs of massive hands tore open the Cosmic Bi. Standing atop the Daoist Spirit with her hands clasped behind her back, the Golden Flower Old Mother narrowed her eyes, her pupils immediately reflecting the streak of Lei Mang speeding away.

"HUMPH! You think you can escape!"

Once again shattering the void of the Cosmic Bi, the Golden Flower Old Mother, commanding the Daoist Spirit, directly pursued Qi Xiu. At this moment, she had cast aside all inhibitions. Her sole, consuming obsession was to slay this malefactor who had caused all her meticulous plans to go up in smoke!

「Meanwhile.」

Hearing the tremendous roar from behind, Qi Xiu turned his head. He saw a colossal Daoist Spirit emerging from the shattered void behind him. It was dual-gendered—male on the left, female on the right—clutching a golden flower and green vine. Shrouded in boundless killing intent, it stared fixedly at him, frantically tearing through the void in pursuit.

Dao Body Realm?!

He hadn't expected the source of his unease to be a Dao Body Realm expert. Qi Xiu quickly activated his Observing Qi Skill and scanned his surroundings. And with that one look, his face turned extremely grim. He saw strands of pitch-black, lightless tribulation Qi flowing from that Dao Expert, coiling around him.

His Broken Mirror Calamity Sequence hadn't ended!

This Dao Expert pursuing him was the final link in the calamity sequence!

Madness, absolute madness! The Xuanhuang Qi within me is already sufficient to pierce the Heaven and Earth Bridge. What use is this surplus tribulation Qi?!

Unable to comprehend why his calamity sequence was so overwhelmingly excessive, Qi Xiu, grinding his teeth, suddenly recalled the time he had weathered the Gang Qi of Heaven tribulation. Back then, he too had endured an unprecedentedly colossal tribulation, one never before seen in history, and had nearly perished on the spot.

Looking up at the clear, cloudless Sky Dome spanning thousands of miles, Qi Xiu's cheeks puffed out as he slowly forced out the words, Heavens, you truly know how to dote on me!

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