Chapter 32 The Nine-Layered Void Jianmu Tree
Ao Yi and Ao Xue are both direct descendants of the Ancestral Dragon, possessing the highest bloodline among the dragons. Even leaping over the Dragon Gate cannot further elevate their bloodline.
However, the opening of the Dragon Gate is a major event for the dragon race, concerning its future destiny.
Therefore, every time the Dragon Gate opens, the Ancestral Dragon casts a glance, watching this place to see if any heroes will be born among the aquatic descendants. At
the end of ancient times, a great war broke out among the three races, causing the four poles of the primordial world to become unbalanced, nearly leading to its annihilation. To atone for their sins, the experts of the three races transformed into the four sacred beasts of the four directions to suppress the four poles of heaven and earth, stabilizing the primordial world.
Since then, only a great calamity can prevent them from escaping.
The Ancestral Dragon is responsible for suppressing the eastern pole. If the descendants of the dragon race wish to pay homage to the Ancestral Dragon, they must go there. However, the four poles are inaccessible to anyone but a Great Luo Golden Immortal; how could the descendants of the dragon race possess such ability!
Therefore, the opening of the Dragon Gate once every epoch becomes an opportunity for the descendants of the dragon race to pay homage to the Ancestral Dragon.
Therefore, every year on the day the Dragon Gate opens, regardless of whether they can enhance their bloodline, all the dragons gather at the Dragon Gate Gorge to leap over the Dragon Gate and pay homage to the Ancestral Dragon.
Those dragons who come here to worship the Ancestral Dragon are all outstanding members of their clans; how could the Dragon Gate's test be difficult for them?
In just a few days, tens of thousands of true dragons leaped over the Dragon Gate and entered the legendary Dragon Transformation Pool.
Seeing the dragons leap over the Dragon Gate, Feng Zichen seized the opportunity. After the last true dragon leaped over the Dragon Gate, he leaped himself and rushed towards it.
Then, countless aquatic creatures within the Dragon Gate Gorge rushed towards the Dragon Gate in a frenzy, like dark clouds covering the sky.
Just as he rose into the air, Feng Zichen saw a dazzling Milky Way, seemingly falling from the heavens, cutting through nine layers of void, and arriving before him.
"Will I see the Dragon Gate after passing through nine layers of void?"
Thinking this, Feng Zichen stepped onto the Milky Way and entered the nine layers of void.
Upon entering the first layer of void, he felt an immense pressure, as if he were carrying a mountain, rendering him immobile.
Simultaneously, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning appeared in the sky, striking him
relentlessly. Feng Zichen roared, his divine sea surging, his acupoints glowing, and his body radiating light. One after another, divine phantoms emerged, chanting around him.
Vast divine power erupted from his body, dissipating the pressure and extinguishing the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Feng Zichen traveled upstream along the Milky Way, traversing three layers of void to arrive at the fourth.
Boom!
The fourth layer of void resembled a lightning domain, with endless lightning snakes dancing in the air. The moment Feng Zichen appeared, dozens of innate lightning bolts bombarded him.
Just as Feng Zichen was about to raise the Five Emperors' Canopy, the three layers of void he had crossed shattered, transforming into streams of innate creation energy that surged into his body.
Seeing this, Feng Zichen lowered his defenses, allowing the innate lightning to strike him.
The power of thunder annihilated life, while the energy of creation gave birth to it. One force destroyed, the other created; these two forces interacted within Feng Zichen's body, generating a profound power.
Under the influence of this profound power, every inch of his flesh and blood glowed, countless innate runes emerged, and the shadows of the sun, moon, and stars appeared.
This was Feng Zichen's bloodline enhancing, transforming into a stellar Dao body, strengthening his connection with the celestial sphere.
In the boundless starry sky, wisps of primordial energy descended from the celestial bodies, falling into Feng Zichen's body, aiding in enhancing his bloodline and evolving into a stellar Dao body.
Several days later, feeling that the thunder could no longer harm him, Feng Zichen opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the boundless thunder into his belly, refining it into pure innate essence.
The innate thunder vanished, shattering the fourth layer of void, which transformed into a ball of innate creation energy, falling into his body.
Then, empowered by the power of the celestial stars, Feng Zichen traversed the fifth and sixth layers of void, entering the seventh layer.
Upon arriving at the seventh layer, he found it different from the previous ones; the entire world was azure, permeated with the essence of primordial wood, manifesting as jade trees and precious herbs.
Not all nine layers of void were trials; the seventh and eighth layers contained blessings left behind by the Ancestral Dragon. Baptized by wind and clouds, born from thunder and lightning—this is the significance of the first six layers of the void, and the necessary path for transforming into a dragon.
Conquering six layers of the void inevitably results in some loss or injury.
The Ancestral Dragon left behind the essence of innate Yi wood here so that it could recuperate and be in the best possible condition to face the final test.
Feng Zichen, having not only escaped injury but also gained considerable benefits along the way, naturally had no need for this item and headed straight for the eighth layer of the void.
The latter three layers of the void differed from the first six; they were not formed from innate creation energy but were real and would not shatter upon Feng Zichen's departure.
Within the eighth layer of the void, a colossal tree reaching to the heavens took root.
Its canopy was so vast that it obscured the entire sky, and endless innate Yi wood essence cascaded down from it, dispersing in all directions.
A gigantic azure dragon coiled around its trunk, emanating streams of innate Yi wood primordial energy.
This was the supreme innate spiritual root—Jianmu!
The azure dragon coiled around it was not a living being, but rather a manifestation of the primordial Yi Wood essence. Any Taiyi Golden Immortal who came here could instantly become a Daluo Golden Immortal by refining it.
Yet, facing this object, Feng Zichen dared not harbor the slightest thought of coveting it.
Leaving aside the fact that this tree was a treasure of the Ancestral Dragon, and whether he could leave this place alive after disturbing it,
this object alone was a sacred relic suppressing the Eastern Pole. If something were to happen to it, the Eastern Pole would be out of balance. Under the overwhelming karmic force, even the entire human race could not bear it.
However, while he could not take the tree itself, he could take something from it.
Everyone who came here proved their excellence, possessing the potential to transform into a dragon—this was the reward bestowed upon those who came here by the Ancestral Dragon.
As for what one could obtain from the Jianmu tree, it all depended on one's own fortune; some obtained leaves, some obtained spiritual fruits, some obtained branches… and so on.
Approaching the Jianmu tree, Feng Zichen gently touched its trunk, and a blue spiritual fruit appeared in his hand.
"A spiritual fruit?"
The spiritual fruits from the Jianmu tree have varying effects; some grant minor supernatural abilities, while others enhance cultivation. Without consuming them, one can never guess their effects.
After examining them for a moment, he indeed couldn't discern their effects, only that the spiritual fruit contained immense power.
Without further hesitation, Feng Zichen placed the spiritual fruit in his mouth. Given his luck, the spiritual fruit he obtained must be a top-tier one.
The spiritual fruit melted instantly in his mouth, transforming into a warm current within his body, spreading throughout his limbs and bones.
"Hiss!"
Wherever the warm current passed, it felt like being cut by a knife; a tearing pain swept through his entire body, causing Feng Zichen to involuntarily gasp.
Then, patches of azure dragon scales appeared on his skin; his limbs began to transform into dragon claws;
two large bulges appeared on his forehead, as if dragon horns were about to grow; his tailbone also trembled violently, as if a tail was about to grow.
This is the Dragon Transformation Fruit!
(End of Chapter)