Chapter Fifty: The Nine Tribulations Sutra of the Desolate Age

Day after day passed, and Chen Mu’s new body continued to grow inside the crimson crystal fruit. Yet the forest, which should have been peaceful and tranquil, began to stir with unrest.

The unusual state of the forest gradually drew the attention of nearby town residents, and the frequent activity of the demon beasts instilled fear and anxiety among them. Eventually, a group of adventurers gathered in the town, organizing an expeditionary force to hunt the demon beasts and explore the forest.

Soon, the adventurers embarked on their hunt, and the deeper they ventured, the more astonished they became—the vegetation here was impossibly large. Yet the further they pressed into the forest, the fiercer the beasts’ retaliation became, and casualties began to mount among the explorers. Rumors spread from their ranks: some claimed there was a miraculous elixir within that could restore the dead and mend flesh, enabling one to break through an entire major realm in cultivation; others whispered of peerless divine weapons, treasures left behind by ancient cultivators, or even the entrance to a new secret realm.

Half a month later, the forest’s strangeness finally attracted the curiosity and covetousness of cultivators of the Core Formation Realm. A force led by three such experts set out for the forest. The three leaders were named Wang Shuo, Liu Meng, and Guo Gui. Wang Shuo was the lord of the town, Liu Meng a rogue cultivator, and Guo Gui an elder from a nearby sect. The rest, the vanguard, were no weaker than the late Foundation Establishment stage; these people came well prepared.

Wang Shuo took a gourd of wine from his belt and drank deeply. “Fellow Daoists, what do you suppose the treasure in this forest is?”

Guo Gui pondered for a moment. “From my observations, the vitality here is dense. It must be a heavenly elixir; it can’t possibly be a weapon or mere treasure.”

Liu Meng nodded in agreement.

Wang Shuo pressed, “A heavenly elixir, then. What kind of elixir could possess such immense vitality? The Crimson-Purple Flesh-Lotus, perhaps? But even that wouldn’t release so much life force. In less than a month, this forest has grown so lush—it’s truly unfathomable.”

Liu Meng said, “I think the elixir wasn’t mature before; now that it’s flowering and bearing fruit, it’s releasing this vast surge of vitality.”

Guo Gui nodded. “Brother Wang, Liu Meng is right. We must act quickly, or if more people arrive, there won’t even be soup left for us.”

“Agreed. Let’s enter the forest now and seize the elixir,” Wang Shuo declared, ordering the cultivators to begin their exploration.

Once inside, the expedition clashed fiercely with the beasts. At first, the resistance was minor, but as they pressed on, the beasts fought back with desperate ferocity. The three Core Formation experts refrained from joining the battle, conserving their strength, knowing that stronger beasts surely guarded the elixir, and so they let their followers clear the path.

Their guess was correct—a powerful being guarded the heart of the forest. That guardian was Rou’er, who never left Chen Mu’s side, waiting for him to emerge from the crimson crystal fruit.

Rou’er was resting near Chen Mu’s plant when she suddenly spat disdainfully, “Tsk, more humans in the forest. Three Core Formation cultivators this time—they must think some great treasure is about to emerge. If they dare touch Wood, I’ll make sure none leave alive; they’ll all become fertilizer for this forest.”

The explorers had no idea they faced certain death—their prize was guarded by a little fox of extraordinary might.

And so, Wang Shuo and his companions, driven by greed and ambition, pressed deeper into the forest.

After overcoming countless dangers, the expedition finally reached the heart of the forest. There, they saw the source of the overwhelming vitality—the plant nurturing Chen Mu’s new body. Gazing at the massive crimson crystal fruit, the group erupted in ecstatic cheers, oblivious to the cold gaze of the little dragon-fox Rou’er nearby.

“Brother Wang, this fruit is enormous—enough for the three of us to share. If we eat it, our cultivation will surely soar. Perhaps we’ll reach the Nascent Soul Realm,” Liu Meng exclaimed excitedly.

“Indeed, with such advancement, we’ll be promoted and leave this remote backwater. Wealth and glory will be ours for the taking,” Wang Shuo mused.

Guo Gui was equally elated. “Once my cultivation rises, even our sect leader will show me respect. I’ll never have to bow to him again.”

“Wait, is that a person inside the fruit?” someone remarked.

“Yes, how strange. Could someone have beaten us to it?”

“Whatever the case, let’s take a closer look.”

As they moved to pluck the fruit, they finally noticed Rou’er guarding it.

Liu Meng joked, “Hey, there’s a little fox here. Catching it would fetch a fortune from nobles as a pet.”

Wang Shuo laughed and scolded, “Is money all you care about? Hurry up and take the fruit; improving our cultivation is what matters.”

Only Guo Gui broke out in cold sweat. “It’s over. We’re doomed. This fox was at the Grand Heroes Gathering and fought Daoist Gu Daozhen of the Nascent Soul Realm.”

Wang Shuo was stunned. “What? Fought Gu Daozhen? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I saw it myself at the Grand Heroes Gathering. This fox is connected to Gu Xingyuan, the recently wanted master of Starwatch Valley. It escorted him away.”

The three felt as if plunged into an icy abyss, oblivious to their followers, who had begun to approach and tease the calmly seated dragon-fox.

A phantom fox tail swept past—those who tried to approach Rou’er were instantly reduced to bloody mist.

Before anyone could react, Rou’er moved. Her illusory claws tore apart every cultivator who dared to approach or flee, filling the air with the scent of blood. Wang Shuo and his two companions tried to escape toward the forest’s edge, but it was too late—a massive fox tail swept them off their feet, one slammed into a tree, another buried in the earth, the last skidding unconscious across the ground.

They cried and begged for mercy, but Rou’er was deaf to their pleas. After slaughtering the vanguard, she returned to finish off the three leaders, then gracefully resumed her vigil beside the fruit.

A week passed, and at last, the crimson crystal fruit stirred. Chen Mu’s eyes moved; he tried to lift his hands and break free from within.

With effort, Chen Mu raised his hand and pierced the fruit’s wall, letting its liquid spill out around him.

His movements grew larger; seizing the crack, he tore it open and tumbled naked from the fruit. Struggling to his feet, he stretched his limbs. Though his new body appeared no different from his old one, he sensed something was amiss.

He attempted to absorb spiritual energy for cultivation and found the problem—the energy poured into him like a spring, the rate doubled. He could clearly perceive spiritual energy and his sensitivity to it far surpassed before.

He examined himself: his old body had opened eighty-four meridians, and so had his new body. Did this mean he didn’t need to retrain?

Wait, didn’t the divine race have one hundred and eight meridians? Rou’er once said only humans had one hundred and eight meridians; it was rumored that the divine race had none, only channels and the Divine Crimson Palace.

If his body’s structure was so similar to a human’s, could it still be considered of the divine race? Where then lay its advantage?

Upon further inspection, he found his body markedly different, especially a mysterious space in his chest, much like a dantian—surely the Divine Crimson Palace.

Just then, the black pearl in his sea of consciousness began to hum and spin, transmitting a cultivation method into his mind: the “Nine Tribulations Sutra of the Ancient Wilderness.”

“Boundless ancient wilderness, life has nine tribulations; only by passing them can one become divine…”

With each advancement in cultivation, one must endure a life-and-death lightning tribulation; surviving it brings a dramatic increase in power.

The divine race’s cultivation system has nine stages: Skin Tempering, Body Forging, Meridian Refining, Bone Condensing, Blood Boiling, Divine Core, Golden Body, Grand Completion, and Divine Ascension.

Essentially, the divine cultivation path is a body refinement method, completely different from the cultivation system of Yuan Yao Continent. Here, cultivation means pursuing the Dao and immortality; only immortal cultivation is mainstream for humans, though other unorthodox paths like Zen, demon cultivation, witchcraft, and brute force have appeared.

On Yuan Yao Continent, the immortal system comprises nine stages: Spirit Energy, Foundation, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Divine Spirit, and the legendary Manifestation, Union, Grand Completion, and Immortal Ascension. Due to lost arts and thin spiritual energy, no one has reached beyond Divine Spirit for ages.

Body refinement to divinity requires condensing a divine core within, which, though very different from the immortal path, also has nine stages—a different path to the same destination.

“Is this the cultivation method of the divine spirits?” Ye Wangchuan carefully studied the obscure Nine Tribulations Sutra, aware that this world had body-tempering methods—humans borrowed from beasts, Zen’s Vajra sect, brute force techniques, and more.

But those were crude and supplementary at best; this method was not. It used the body as a vessel for energy, constantly tempering it until power filled every inch.

Most crucial is the Divine Crimson Palace, where the divine core is condensed. The core is the foundation of the divine race’s life and the source of its power; only with it can one wield divine abilities.