Chapter 243: Awakening

A pair of enormous stone doors blocked the way. Next to the stone doors stood ancient trees, the nesting trees of the Kunpeng, resembling walls and obstructing the path ahead. The stone doors became the only way through.

"Could it be that we are just approaching the true entrance to the nest?"

Although the group had already entered, they had not seen the nesting trees at first. People had reason to doubt, thinking that they were only now truly approaching the core area.

A sea beast appeared, several dozen yards long. It was a sea whale, with a partially human form, forcefully pushing against the stone doors, but they did not budge.

Some beings who had been alive before had tried to dig through the ancient trees, to carve a path through them, but the runes, like water, poured down and repelled them all.

A silver-furred, enraged ape appeared, extremely irritable, having waited impatiently. It quickly summoned its treasure weapon and struck the massive stone doors, attempting to crack them.

"Boom!"

The sound was immense, like thunder from the heavens. Inside the Kunpeng nest, the stone doors glowed, and the crowd screamed in shock as a tremendous wave of energy surged forth, sweeping across all directions and causing a chilling sensation.

A number of powerful beings exploded apart under this wave, like bubbles bursting under pressure, falling to pieces with blood raining down and bones scattered everywhere. The scene was horrific.

It was so sudden; just one strike had caused at least thirty percent of the people to perish, shattered by the colossal wave. Limbs and body parts lay scattered, leaving a gruesome sight.

This scene was quite terrifying, and the crowd's hair stood on end. From their soles to their heads, a cold chill ran through them, making it hard to breathe, and they retreated in fear.

"Where did that silver ape come from, daring to touch the Kunpeng runes? It’s infuriating and hateful. Is it seeking death?" After some time, someone finally spoke, cursing loudly and extremely angry.

In this sudden incident, Shi Hao also felt a significant impact. He used his broken sword to shield himself and retreated behind the crowd. Although he coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, he was fortunately not in mortal danger.

The group retreated, all severely wounded. Many were killed by the bone inscriptions within the Kunpeng's domain, with bodies lying everywhere. Those who survived were still shaken.

The group holding the Kunpeng's remnants suffered the least. The bone inscriptions did not specifically target them, and the remains seemed to protect them, averting a major massacre.

"Everyone, stop hiding and concealing. The Kunpeng's remains we obtained are severely damaged, and the runes have dissipated. We can only proceed this far. I believe some of you must have control now. We need to work together to open this door, especially those from the sea tribes. Surely you have Kunpeng bones in hand."

The group at the forefront spoke up. They were an alliance of powerful figures from the Ancient Divine Mountain, led by several remarkable youths. Each was exceptional, radiant and spirited.

Clearly, they were pure-blooded beings, youthful and handsome, glowing with holy light, and their appearance was otherworldly, full of vitality.

"We have a fragment of a scale," said the leader of the Sea Demon tribe, holding a broken scale piece in his hand. It was golden with black streaks and a dull luster.

"Let's open this gate first. I suspect the difficulties inside will be greater. If we cannot even open the gate, how can we enter the true forbidden land?" Another group stepped forward.

They took out half a feather, shimmering with a holy aura. Perhaps it was not a true feather but down, not from the Kunpeng's plumes.

Many major forces joined forces, and a group of terrestrial beings appeared, producing a small piece of blackened bloodstain, believed to be left by the Kunpeng. This was certainly a treasure, and grinding it into powder would likely yield astounding effects.

Finally, after the group pieced together some of the Kunpeng's blood, bones, scales, and fur, they gained the stone doors' acknowledgment. A soft light emitted from them, and with a rumbling sound, the sealed nest opened.

In an instant, a glorious mist erupted, enveloping the entire ancient land, making one feel as if bathing in divine rain, as though ready to ascend amidst the mist.

In a flash, the crowd surged in together, stepping into the true ancient nest.

This time, Shi Hao did not continue forward but remained behind. He felt that the Kunpeng's nest was too dangerous and that being the first to charge might not guarantee obtaining the treasure.

Half a month had passed since entering, with no gains so far. It seemed that resolving all the prohibitions would take a very long time.

Indeed, when he entered, he found that the others had not gone far. They were carefully searching within the vast nest, advancing bit by bit, afraid of accidentally triggering traps.

"Many spiritual herbs!" The crowd exclaimed.

The nest was immense and boundless. Looking ahead, some areas were covered with medicinal herbs, especially on the walls where spiritual energy was boiling, and some plants were exceptionally brilliant.

This was the Kunpeng's domain. Over long ages, not only had it not decayed, but it had also become a treasure land nourishing spiritual essence.

Mists swirled, and at intervals, a precious herb appeared, emitting auspicious light. The dawn's radiance upon entry came from these herbs.

These spiritual essences were rare in the outside world. To find so many here naturally caused a sensation, and the crowd was eager to seize them all.

However, the allure of Kunpeng's treasure technique in the depths calmed the crowd's restlessness. They sent only a few disciples to attempt harvesting, while the rest continued on their way.

Another half-month passed, covering a long distance, yet they still had not reached the final forbidden area, which alarmed the crowd.

During this period, the young warrior fought multiple battles with others and suffered severe injuries. These opponents were strong beyond the Spirit Transformation realm, even when suppressed here, they were peak experts.

This made him struggle greatly, and continuing like this might lead to his demise.

"My obsession is too deep. I’m too focused on acquiring the Kunpeng's treasure technique, resulting in increasing impatience. My Dao heart is unstable. Perhaps I need to calm down," Shi Hao mused.

He decided not to follow but to stop and meditate alone in this rare treasure land for a while.

The ancient divine nest was fraught with danger and constant peril. With so many experts present, his current strength would likely lead to death in a final battle.

Fortunately, he was aware of this.

Descendants of the Sea God and the young from the Fire Flame Fish tribe were exceptionally powerful, truly remarkable talents.

Additionally, there were pure-blooded beings from the Ancient Divine Mountain and older kings, with many experts present. Any one of them would overshadow the world outside and be difficult to contend with.

Shi Hao thought there might still be time. After all, it had been over a month since entering the divine nest, and there was still a long way to go before reaching the end. It might take even longer to explore thoroughly.

Rather than being anxious and always thinking about competing for the treasure technique, it was better to calm down, improve his combat strength, and take effective action.

The young warrior assessed himself, feeling somewhat ashamed. After selecting a tranquil place, he realized he had indeed become restless lately, forgetting the essence of cultivation and losing his clear heart.

The Kunpeng nest was vast, seemingly endless. Some areas were very dangerous, where touching them would lead to destruction by runes, but there were also large, peaceful regions.

Shi Hao spent two days in contemplation and then set off for a more remote area, avoiding creatures passing by while harvesting spiritual herbs.

Eventually, he delved into a very serene area, found a small path, and climbed up the Kunpeng's nest wall, sitting cross-legged in a tranquil place formed by intersecting ancient trees, beginning to comprehend the law.

No one doubted his talent for cultivation. Shi Hao had exceptional aptitude on this path; otherwise, he would not have advanced so swiftly to this point.

At only eleven years old, he had already entered the Spirit Transformation realm, doing so with ten Heaven’s Spheres, leaving the creatures of the Ancient Divine Mountain stunned and speechless.

Fully immersing himself, the young warrior immediately absorbed various battle insights from the Kunpeng nest and then integrated over a month of combat experience from the sea route into his understanding.

He then realized that, unknowingly, two and a half months had passed since setting out to sea. Time had flown by so quickly, and he had previously been too restless to notice its passage.

“I’ve already broken through and consolidated my Dao fruit. Now I need to further elevate my realm,” Shi Hao murmured to himself.

In the past two months of countless battles, he had faced death many times. Though he had been anxious, looking back now, these experiences had become necessary accumulations.

The Spirit Transformation realm, with the single character "transformation" (化) indicating its true meaning, involves transformation, reshaping, and recreation. It is a crucial and significant stage in the cultivation path.

All things possess spirit, from every blade of grass and every tree to every speck of dust and grain of sand, not to mention living beings.

The Spirit Transformation realm is about transforming various spirits, molding true spirit, and recreating the true self to reach one's greatest strength.

The Heaven’s Spheres realm is the foundation, solid and unshakable, representing boundless potential. The Spirit Transformation realm builds upon this foundation, evolving and recreating to give the “true self” wings to soar towards divinity.

Shaping oneself and integrating spirit into one’s being involves not just the physical body but also the ultimate mysteries of the soul. If thoroughly comprehended, it leads to the elevation of the entire person, with the self being reborn as a divine embryo.

Anyone who achieves great success in this realm will focus on recreating themselves. Some individuals evolve within several Heaven’s Spheres, nurturing spirit deities with combat power not inferior to their true forms.

In this realm, reaching its utmost limits brings indescribable mysteries, with various transformations and benefits.

Shi Hao, newly entered into the Spirit Transformation realm, focused on transforming the runes within his body, activating various spirits. Each strand of divine light thus gained vitality, far surpassing before.

Now he aimed for further transformation, not only evoking spirits but also molding them, making each rune live, nourishing the body and soul, and recreating the true self.

In this process, Shi Hao's ten Heaven’s Spheres all appeared simultaneously. Among them, two emitted auspicious qi, one with a Kunpeng and the other with a Suanni, both evolving in the Spirit Transformation realm.

The Kunpeng was radiant, its closed eyes suddenly opening as if granted life. The Suanni was surrounded by lightning, roaring loudly as if it had seized the true spirit will from the heavens.

This was only the beginning, and some of the mysteries and wonders of the Spirit Transformation realm had already started to manifest.

Shi Hao cast aside everything, forgetting disputes, with his mind in profound tranquility. He was immersed in a unique state of enlightenment.

This was remarkable. Not long ago, he had been very restless and obsessed, but now he could let go of everything and fully dedicate himself to cultivation. This demonstrated great willpower.

How many people can achieve such a profound transformation?