Xu Qing was surprised.
He glanced at the Diamond Sect's ancestor and felt that the other party's sudden words were a little strange.
"Are you sure?" Xu Qing slowly spoke.
He could sense that the aura of the Diamond Sect's ancestor was much stronger than before, as though it had reached a certain critical point, but it was still a little unstable. It didn't seem like it had reached the point of breakthrough.
"I'm extremely sure!" The Diamond Sect's ancestor quickly glanced at the shadow and spoke loudly.
Xu Qing had never been an artifact spirit before and didn't know what its state of breakthrough was like, so he fell silent for a moment.
Seeing Xu Qing pondering, the Diamond Sect's ancestor became nervous.
He was worried that Xu Qing would reject him in order to do his best to take care of the shadow. At the same time, he recalled that there was a plot in one of the countless ancient books he had read.
The plot described that after the protagonist rejected his pet once, he somehow fell in love with the feeling of rejecting the requests. Hence, he rejected everything from then on.
In the end, he treated his pet as food.
'Demon Xu cultivates Fiendish Fire Soul Devouring Art… Did he already plan to devour me one day?'
Although the Diamond Sect's ancestor was an elite among humans, he had a habit of saying incomprehensible things when he was alive. Now that he had become an artifact spirit, he became even more sensitive amidst his fear all day.
He felt that he was going to die. This was a sign that Demon Xu was about to devour him. Hence, in his horror, he hurriedly shouted before Xu Qing could agree.
"Master, I can't hold it in anymore. My breakthrough is here…" As he spoke, the Diamond Sect's ancestor's soul body erupted as he forcefully attempted the breakthrough. In fact, his eyes were red and he had gone completely crazy.
'I want to break through before the shadow!' He roared inwardly. Amidst the eruption, soul shadows rose from the black iron stick and balls of fog rapidly formed in his body like dark clouds.
They continued to collide with each other. Traces of lightning flashed through his entire body, causing the Diamond Sect's ancestor to involuntarily let out a blood-curdling scream. Xu Qing was shocked.
The cultivation art the Diamond Sect's ancestor cultivated was an incomplete version that could turn cultivators into artifact spirits. The name of this cultivation art also revealed that it was extraordinary. It was called… Great Yin Lightning Spirit Transformation!
There was no way to investigate the origin of this cultivation art. It seemed to have been created by some almighty figure through reference from lightning souls.
Once one cultivated it to the small success stage, they would be able to transform their body into Lightning Spirit Body.
The first part of this stage required talent. At the same time, this was also a process of accumulation.
As for the second part, they had to have the willpower to suicide to become a soul body. Then, they would borrow the accumulation of cultivation in the first part to transform into an artifact spirit. They could begin the third part and transform into Lightning Spirit Body.
Once they turned into Lightning Spirit Body, they were considered to have reached the small success stage.
However, this was only the postnatal lightning spirit. Only when one reached mid success could they transform into an innate lightning spirit. As for the large success stage… the cultivation art did not have it.
What the Diamond Sect's ancestor was desperately trying to break through to was to transform himself into the postnatal lightning spirit. This process was extremely painful and required him to borrow the help of the clouds to collide in his body to produce more lightning.
In the end, he had to let the lightning penetrate his soul to attract the heavenly lightning and cleanse his soul.
Seeing the Diamond Sect's ancestor screaming and wailing, Xu Qing took a deep breath.
His gaze completely shifted away from the shadow and half of his attention was on the Diamond Sect's ancestor. The other party's current state made Xu Qing faintly feel that something was amiss.
At the same time, he was also rapidly weighing whether his iron stick would be damaged if the Diamond Sect's ancestor collapsed.
As for the Diamond Sect's ancestor's miserable cry, not only did it attract Xu Qing's attention, but the bubbles on the black pool formed by the shadow also paused for a moment before increasing the speed of its emergence…
Just like that, under the competition and madness between the shadow and the Diamond Sect's ancestor, more and more clouds appeared in the Diamond Sect's ancestor's body and the collision became stronger.
Bolts of lightning slowly accumulated in his soul and continued to swim around. After they filled his entire soul body, the instant the Diamond Sect's ancestor's body was about to collapse, a bolt of lightning finally broke through a gap and crawled out of the top of his head.
In an instant, a large amount of lightning flowed out of this gap and surrounded the Diamond Sect's ancestor's entire body, causing his aura to strengthen rapidly.
All of this allowed the Diamond Sect's ancestor to heave a sigh of relief in his heart. He felt that it hadn't been easy for him. However, when he thought of the subsequent baptism, he wailed inwardly.
He was very clear that the process of breaking through was extremely dangerous. If he wasn't careful, he might disappear like smoke. If it was when he was alive, he would have chosen to give up without hesitation.
This personality was also one of the reasons why his magic aperture opening was very slow.
In reality, there were a few opportunities in his life that could speed up the opening of his magic aperture. However, he needed to risk his life, so he had given them up and retreated.
This hesitation appeared now as well. However, at this moment, the roars coming from the black pool formed by the shadow became increasingly intense. In fact, the pool even began to bulge!
This swelling wasn't a bubble but a new existence that had formed in the pool. It was struggling to stand up and as it continued to form, an aura that exceeded Qi Condensation spread out from the pool.
This aura was very intense and reached the Foundation Building realm in the next instant. However, it wasn't over.
This scene clearly indicated that the shadow was at the critical moment of breaking through and could succeed at any time. This caused the Diamond Sect's ancestor's expression to be sinister. He stared fixedly at the black pool formed by the shadow. After that, his eyes turned red and revealed madness as he roared.
"Lightning!"
As soon as the word came out of his mouth, the sky outside suddenly rumbled. Dark clouds filled the sky and a huge bolt of lightning was brewing in it. It swam in sections and formed the shape of a distorted character as it rumbled toward the island.
When this bolt of lightning landed on the ground, it penetrated the soil and seeped into the depths of the mineshaft. It appeared above the Diamond Sect's ancestor's head and ruthlessly struck him.
The Diamond Sect's ancestor's entire body trembled. A large amount of external lightning surged into his body and fused with the lightning he emitted.
These lightning bolts continued to gather. There were more and more of them, and they became more and more astonishing. As for the Diamond Sect's ancestor, his screams became even more mournful. His body began to turn transparent, as though he was about to collapse.
The black pool formed by the shadow was shocked by this scene. However, very soon, the figure inside struggled intensely and suddenly rose. It was obvious that it was also desperately trying to complete its breakthrough as soon as possible.
Xu Qing's expression changed.
He looked at the shadow and then at the Diamond Sect's ancestor. A hint of strangeness appeared in his eyes but he didn't speak.
Time flowed by and very soon, the time it took for an incense stick to burn passed. As the Diamond Sect's ancestor's miserable cries became increasingly tragic, the lightning outside his body finally gathered. Finally, under the low roar of the Diamond Sect's ancestor, all the lightning followed the top of his head and suddenly blasted into his body.
The Diamond Sect's ancestor's entire body trembled. His body was being changed by the lightning at a speed visible to the naked eye. All the parts of his soul body were affected and reformed.
Gradually, when all the lightning was completely absorbed by the Diamond Sect's ancestor, he suddenly looked at the black iron stick at the side and swallowed it. Countless lightning bolts directly bombarded the iron stick.
He was using his body as a furnace, the lightning as a hammer, and his soul power as fire to rebuild the black iron stick.
The lightning continued to bombard and the Diamond Sect's ancestor trembled even more.
With every bombardment, the black iron stick would be tempered a little and there would be an additional lightning rune on it.
The Diamond Sect's ancestor roared and screamed, but he didn't give up. After the bombardment reached ten times, twenty times, thirty times, forty times…
The black iron stick became increasingly pitch-black and the sharpness exceeded the past. The lightning runes on it shone intensely and even Xu Qing felt that the light was piercing.
Finally, after the lightning struck for the 49th time, the Diamond Sect's ancestor reached his limit. He had no choice but to spit out the black iron stick.
At the next instant, the 49 runes on the black iron stick all shone. An aura that surpassed Qi Condensation and even early Foundation Building erupted.
Amidst this eruption, the Diamond Sect's ancestor's figure appeared on the black iron stick.
His body had changed drastically.
Although his appearance was still the same as before, his entire body flickered with countless bolts of lightning that continued to circle and swim with an astonishing aura. His body was even translucent, as though he had transformed into a lightning body.
As for the lightning, it didn't cause any harm to him. It seemed to be one with him.
An incomparably violent aura spread out from the Diamond Sect's ancestor, giving Xu Qing the feeling that he was facing a ball of life fire cultivator.
Xu Qing could clearly sense an even more terrifying fluctuation from the lightning runes on the black iron stick.
Clearly, its current state wasn't its combat form. One could imagine that once it unleashed its full might, it would probably be able to match the strength of two balls of life fire.
The reason for this was related to the fact that the Diamond Sect's ancestor was a Foundation Building cultivator and also had a great connection with his cultivation art. After overlapping, it formed his earth-shattering breakthrough this time!
"I didn't let Master down. I…" The Diamond Sect's ancestor sensed his strength and was excited. He felt that it hadn't been easy for him.
However, he didn't forget that his life soul was with Xu Qing, so he wouldn't get carried away.
He was about to say some flattering words when the black pool formed by the shadow at the side seemed to have received an unprecedented stimulation and erupted. The existence inside finally rushed out completely.
The shadow… also changed drastically!
It was no longer what it was before. Instead, it transformed into the shape of a large tree on the ground. In front of Xu Qing and the Diamond Sect's ancestor, the black shadow in the shape of a large tree rapidly spread its branches and leaves, gradually growing the shape of fruits one after another.
After that, these fruits all cracked open and red eyes appeared one after another!
There were over a hundred of these eyes densely packed together. At that moment, they all opened and abruptly looked at Xu Qing.
A hint of ferocity erupted from its hundred or so eyes.
A ghastly mouth appeared on the tree. It was filled with sharp teeth and emitted a strange sound that Xu Qing seemed to have heard somewhere before.
"Krrk, krrk, krrk… krrk, krrk…"
This sound was like that of grinding teeth.
