Chapter Forty: The Final Phase of Reclaiming the Sea

At the very moment Gongsun Yan finished speaking, Tu Lu opened his eyes.

Though his eyes were bloodshot and he was utterly exhausted, the excitement in his gaze was irrepressible!

The clash between the Tri-Solar Flower and the Yin Sunflower clone—yin and yang in conflict—had, by a stroke of fortune, allowed him to seize opportunity from disaster and truly break through into the Sea-Filling Realm!

And in the instant he entered this realm, the orange sphere in his dantian actively radiated a halo, drawing energy from thousands of Thunder Stones within the Celestial Dragon Token and merging it with his vital energy!

The energy continuously transformed into mana, and in just moments, his dantian’s sea of qi was filled to thirty percent, instantly propelling his cultivation to the very peak of the early Sea-Filling Realm!

With this rise in realm, not only did his spiritual power surge, but under the harmonizing influence of his mana, even the conflict between yin and yang within him was suppressed.

Seizing this chance without hesitation, Tu Lu sent his immense Sea-Filling consciousness, wrapped in mana, plunging straight into the Tri-Solar Flower and refined it in a single breath!

After several hours, the chamber finally calmed.

Now, apart from Tu Lu’s true form, five smaller versions of himself sat cross-legged opposite him. Just as he’d anticipated, the Tri-Solar Flower, though a single plant, was three-in-one—refining it had granted him three avatars!

What’s more, these three avatars were unlike any previous ones. Individually, each held just thirty percent of the main body’s strength, but when the three combined as one, their power could rival his true form!

Currently, his main body stood at the peak of early Sea-Filling, and the strength of his five avatars had risen with him, reaching the summit of the Mountain-Moving Realm.

“But this isn’t the end!”

With those words, he formed a seal, and the five avatars rapidly shrank, instantly entering his dantian’s sea of energy, settling upon the vast ocean of his mana!

In an instant, his vital energy soared, massive waves roiled within his inner sea, and his mana climbed—thirty, forty, fifty percent—still rising!

His own aura swelled madly, and his mana, in one rush, surged to the very limit of the Sea-Filling Realm!

Yet at the exact instant he reached the peak, the wild ascent of his aura abruptly stopped. No matter how his life force raged within, his realm had stabilized at the summit of Sea-Filling.

“It’s not over yet!”

Gritting his teeth, Tu Lu formed another seal and released the five avatars. His expression instantly changed as his aura plummeted, nearly slipping to mid-Sea-Filling, but at the last moment, he managed to hold on at the threshold of late Sea-Filling.

His mana now filled seventy percent of his dantian’s inner sea!

Tu Lu exhaled in relief.

Then, activating the orange sphere once more, he absorbed the energy of over ten thousand Thunder Stones in one go, raising his mana again until it filled ninety percent of his dantian’s inner sea, finally stabilizing!

“The very limit of late Sea-Filling, just one step away from the peak…”

He took a deep breath and once again formed a seal, drawing the five avatars back into himself.

This was his final reserve!

Success or failure hinged on this moment!

As the avatars merged into his body, his aura instantly broke through the limits of late Sea-Filling, advancing to the true pinnacle of the Sea-Filling Realm!

But after that, his progress ceased entirely. Though he felt marginally stronger than before, with slightly purer mana, the increase was but a hair’s breadth.

“So it really isn’t that easy?” He sighed.

But this was as expected. If stepping into the Purple Palace were truly so simple, Gongsun Yan wouldn’t be the sole cultivator at that level in Divine Wind City—the city would be full of them by now.

“My true body is now at the extreme of late Sea-Filling, and I have five avatars at mid Sea-Filling. If I merge with my avatars, I can unleash the true power of the Sea-Filling peak!”

Only now did he feel somewhat secure. Even if the city fell, he could at least guarantee his own survival.

Especially with the Blood God Gauntlet in his possession—unleashed at full power, he might not be able to stand against a Purple Palace cultivator, but within the Body-Tempering Realm, he was virtually invincible!

“My spiritual power is at least ten times what it was at early Sea-Filling—this will work!”

Tu Lu opened his eyes, joy lighting his face.

With the spiritual strength of a Sea-Filling peak, just under thirty thousand Thunder Stones, the Ancient Buddha’s Lamp, and most of the city’s spirit pills for restoring spiritual power, if he couldn’t succeed now, he never would!

...

In the City Lord’s mansion, Gongsun Yan held a bronze mirror, silently observing Tu Lu’s every move.

Suddenly, she burst into laughter.

“Blue-Faced Tiger, notify Taicang Dao, Yaogu, and Qianyuan to hold out for ten more days. Tell Celestial Dragon Pavilion, Trade Hall, and Immortal Court to come to the City Lord’s mansion for council in nine days. Instruct all Sea-Filling cultivators in Divine Wind City to prepare for a counterattack!”

“Yes!”

The Blue-Faced Tiger’s expression changed, and he immediately turned to depart.

Gongsun Yan paced the mansion, first pausing near the guest rooms where Xiaocai, Xiaodong, and Xiaoci stayed, then heading into the rockery’s interior. Gazing at the mountain of gold and silver, she lingered for a long while before breaking into laughter.

Laughing, she struck the rockery with her palm; it turned to dust and vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Afterward, she went to the treasury, sitting before the small mountain of Thunder Stones.

She sat there for nine days straight.

In those nine days, Tu Lu meticulously etched the eighteen chain inscriptions, bringing the soft armor to its most critical stage.

He discovered that the Nine Dragon Pattern seemed made precisely for this artifact; the sensation of inscribing these marks was utterly different from any other magical tool or treasure!

With each completed chain inscription, he felt as though the artifact was coming to life—yet a strange sense of rejection lingered, making him uneasy.

“This is the final stroke!”

Though his face was pale, excitement filled him.

Nine full days, and with the last stroke, the ice silkworm and sandalwood brush finally shattered after enduring so much, as golden light burst from the soft armor.

At that moment, within his spiritual world, a miniature rainbow dragon suddenly appeared, letting out a dragon’s roar at his sea of consciousness!

It was as if struck by lightning; his face turned ashen, and he staggered back a dozen steps!

Yet the rainbow dragon remained in his mind.

“Retreat!”

Just then, Gongsun Yan appeared in a flash. With a single shout, Tu Lu’s body jolted, and the rainbow dragon’s phantom instantly dissipated, transforming into countless specks of colored light that rained down into his sea of consciousness.

In an instant, myriad scenes flashed within his awareness, and he was lost in them.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

Gongsun Yan looked at Tu Lu with a subtly complex gaze. The hand she’d raised to seize his crown paused, then turned into a fist and lightly tapped his head.

“But at last, it’s done!”

She turned, laughing, gazing at the soft armor and eighteen chains. With a wave of her hand, she swept them into her body.

Then, closing her eyes, she sat beside Tu Lu.

Golden light gradually radiated from her, dragon scales emerging across her skin, a terrifying aura barely contained. If Tu Lu were conscious to sense it now, he would be utterly shocked!

This was the pinnacle of the Purple Palace!